Posts by Jeremy Butler

I like it when films limit themselves to one or two locations. I feel like it puts more emphasis on the acting. Of course when you limit yourself in such a fashion, it is important that the acting is of great quality. Thankfully, the actors of Wildcat are up to the task and deliver sound performances, especially lead actress Georgina Campbell of Krypton fame. Wildcat is a psychological thriller that follows Khadija Young (Campbell), an ambitious journalist stationed in the Middle East who is taken captive after her convoy is ambushed. With her and a young marine the only survivors of the convoy attacked, they find themselves at the mercy of militants led by a cold and calculating leader. The film does not shy away from the ugliness of captivity, establishing the use of torture against enemy combatants from the very first scene. Our protagonist finds herself locked away in a secure room, and the first thing that happens is that her captors remove one of her fingernails. That’s how the film opened up, so you could only imagine what other horrors she was forced to face. However, the trauma is not only of the body, but of the psyche.

This is where I must give praise to Campbell, because her panic is palpable. She really played up the weak and meager aspect. Initially, I was bothered by this, because I thought this would be the bulk of her performance; fear and despair, and there is only so much of that you can watch before you get desensitized. But then something happened; as the leader is probing her for information and accusing her of being a spy, she in a sense turns the tables on him. Not only does she show hidden depths, but she basically tells him that she knows exactly who he is and what he’s done. Granted, this essentially ruins her ability to claim that she is nothing more than a journalist; this scene carried weight because for a brief moment, we saw the power dynamic shift from the captor to the captive. Having this scene take place from the offset, adding depth and intrigue to the film. It actually made me sit up and pay attention more intently, because now I was really intrigued. Because it became clear that there was more to the Khadija Young character than meets the eye. That is something I love to see, for a character to show hidden depths and for the perceived weakling to show previously unknown strength.

“You see this bulls*%t right here? This is exactly like him … just like Ghost.”

The first sequel series in the Power universe, starring quite possibly one of the most hated characters in the original series, and that’s a long list. Fans of the original series are likely still bearing a grudge against Michael Rainey Jr.’s Tariq St. Patrick for his murder of his father, James St. Patrick, aka Ghost, at the end of the original series. However, I heard tell when it comes to his actions in this sequel series, those are the least of Tariq’s transgressions. Picking up just a few days after the conclusion of the original series, Tariq adjusts to his new life at Stansfield University, where he immediately finds his way back into the drug game in hopes of financing his mother’s trial for the murder of his father, a rap she took for him. This Starz series shows Tariq’s descent from the world of privilege into the gritty street world, a world he knows next to nothing about because of his upbringing, but a world that he is determined to conquer. Rounding out the cast are Method Man, Mary J. Blige, and original cast member Naturi Naughton as Tasha St. Patrick.

Nothing like being framed for murder to revitalize a dying relationship. Or least that is the premise that fueled this Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani-led romantic comedy. Now in recent years, both Rae’s and Nanjiani’s star powers have been on the rise, interestingly enough as a result of stellar performances in television series (Rai on Insecure, which she also produces, and Nanjiani on Silicon Valley). This has led to more theatrical roles, which have also been moderately successful. I anticipate that their stock will continue to rise, especially given Nanijiani’s induction into the MCU with his casting in the upcoming Eternals movie, and Rae is not slouching, either, with a whopping 17 projects that her name has been attached to produce. As glad as I am that these two are doing great professionally, I don’t see this Netflix-turned-home-media release doing much for either one of them. The previews gave it an air of intrigue, but unfortunately, the best details of the film were included in that trailer, so by the time I watched it, I was already desensitized following its promotional campaign. To be fair, the film was due to be released at the beginning of 2020, but COVID caused the project to be delayed, prompting the film’s move to Netflix instead of the theater. Now I originally watched the film back when it premiered on Netflix, and while my review necessitated the need to watch the film again, I can honestly say that there was nothing about the film that stuck in my memory following my initial watching. That alone should kind of tell you all you need to know about the film.

An opening montage tells the story of the relationship of Jibran (Nanjiani) and Leilani (Rae), from their first hookup, which turned into them spending the whole day together and falling in love. I will admit that this montage was charming, thanks to both characters’ inherent awkward natures, which they adeptly use to establish their chemistry. Fast-forward four years, and the spark in their relationship has all but fizzled out. Jibran is averse to trying anything new and has become rigid, while Leilani feels suffocated and craves new experiences. In a nutshell, they want different things and are starting to drift apart. This is evident when the two engage in a verbal sparring match over whether or not they would win The Amazing Race. This was actually pretty entertaining, because like the opening montage, this showcased both actors’ talents and their ability to top one another’s lines gave the hope of more quality dialog to come.

It is a tall order to create a compelling television series with virtually no dialog. However, Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal fills that order. Then again, what would you expect from the creator of such entertaining animated series as Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. This time around Tartakovsky tackles the prehistoric period with this series that follows a caveman and a Tyrannosaurus that were bonded by grief. As unrealistic as the pairing sounds, the themes of the series make it quality television. Normally, I’m not one for shows with minimal dialog; in this series, its absence makes the artwork and storylines resonate deeper as extra time and care was taken to convey the plot’s significance. Of particular intrigue is that fact that though the series is a work of fantasy, all the animals depicted are based on real prehistoric animals.

As expected, the pilot sets up the rest of the series. Spear (as he is referred to in the production notes), a caveman, barely survives an encounter with a Deinosuchus (extinct ancestor of the crocodile) while fishing for his family. This was actually the moment that hooked me, as I was caught completely off guard by the Deinosuchus appearance. In truth, I was starting to get the sense that I wouldn’t be interested in the show beyond this review, and at that exact moment of my disinterest, the beast sprang out of the water, making me jump back. Sorry to spoil that bit for anyone, but I felt it was important for you to grasp my frame a mind before we continued. Surprisingly, the eerie calm is what made this scene so great. Needless to say, from then on I was hooked, and given that this sequence occurs in the first two minutes, that is a significant accomplishment for the series.

Cute show, at least as far as I was concerned. My daughter is a bit of a different animal; then, of course, if it doesn’t show on Netflix or YouTube, she tends not to be all that interested. Unfortunately for my daughter, Victor & Valentino is a Cartoon Network show, so her interest in the series was nonexistent in the beginning. On the plus side, she was coming off a long punishment that included the loss of her TV privileges, so given an opportunity to watch any form of entertainment, she jumped at the chance. As I said, she wasn’t really about the show at first, but over the course of the 18 episodes, I think she started to enjoy it. Don’t let that number scare you. Each episode tends to run between 11 and 12 minutes, so you can watch the entire thing in the same span that it would take to watch a movie and a half. More on the subject: the series follows two half-brothers who are polar opposites; Victor “Vic” Calavera (who is voiced by show creator Diego Molano), an easily bored, hyperactive kid with a penchant for mischief and disregarding rules. This is perfectly displayed in the series opening episode when he ignores a warning from his grandmother not to play with an artifact due to it being the prison for a trickster spirit, but more on that in a second. Then there is Valentino or Val, Vic’s older, more cautious half-brother. His time is usually spent watching after his brother and trying to undo whatever mischief his brother has gotten them into. And believe me, there is a lot of mischief.

So our introduction into the series (the title of which is where this disc derives the Folk Art Foes name) includes the aforementioned trickster spirit. In a nutshell, Vic disregards his grandmother’s warning and unintentionally frees the trickster, which immediately begins to wreak havoc in their quiet town of Monte Macabre. At first, Vic finds the spirit’s antics entertaining until he begins to notice the trickster’s total disregard if his pranks hurt anyone whether it be physically or emotionally. It is at this point that the significance of the show becomes clear; each episode is a vehicle for delivering an important moral or life lesson. For me, this aspect of the show was what made the series worth watching.

“I believe that every fascist should be swindled.” 

The Last Vermeer truly was a worthwhile film experience for me, worthy of the silver screen. Granted, I doubt it would have been big at the box office domestically, but I don’t question that critics would have enjoyed just as I did. The film is based on the 2008 book The Man Who Made Vermeers by Jonathan Lopez, and tells the story of Dutch folk hero Han van Meegeren (played by Guy Pearce), an art forger who swindles millions of dollars from the Nazis. Following World War II, van Meegeren become widely known as one of the most ingenious art forgers of the 20th century, when it was revealed that he had sold a forged painting to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. These events were revealed after a sensational trial in which he was being charged as officials believed that he had sold Dutch cultural property to the Nazis, a capital offense. Facing potential death by firing squad, Van Meegeren confessed to the less serious charge of forgery. It is estimated that Van Meegeren swindled buyers out of the equivalent of more than US $30 million, including the government of the Netherlands. But that is enough with the history lesson; let’s talk about the film.