Disc Type

"There's a new twist that has entered the imagination of the public. Hope doesn't rest in the hands of the government officials or law enforcement. Instead, it lies with an enigmatic figure, the Vigilante Citizen, who is delivering a brand of justice that some believe the authorities have failed to provide, targeting both criminals and those in power accused of allowing crime to flourish unchecked. We take to the streets to hear what people think of the shadowy figure. Here's what they had to say." 

Now here's what I have to say. We have two figures here looking for redemption. Uwe Boll hasn't made a good movie in years. He's always dabbled in schlock, but I haven't heard about any of his stuff for twenty years, The Bloodrayne years. It appears he's still making films, but is anybody still watching? He's seemed to decide on acceptance in the world of the MAGA base. Citizen Vigilante is a one-note rant about the migrant problem in Europe. It's a bit uncanny. It's almost like he timed it perfectly for the riots currently going on in Paris and other parts of France. If he's looking for redemption there, I suspect it will be short-lived.

"Congratulations. You are now equipped to make a comprehensive assessment of where the value is in your surroundings. Go out and identify the dead weight in your life. Cut yourself free from it . Protect yourself and thrive. Now plan, execute, and master the conditions of your life."

Let me begin by saying I had no idea what DTF stood for. I guess I'm getting old, and many of these abbreviations to help the text generation send a coherent message with the attention span of a goldfish have come and gone without my being aware of most of them. So I found out what it means, and I'm not going to tell you. Look it up like I had to. What I will tell you is don't bother, because it actually doesn't appear to have anything to do with DTF St. Louis, now out on DVD from HBO+. In fact I think this particular series might be meant for those among you who don't know what a lot of things mean. Things like quality and entertainment. Steven Conrad is kind of a one-man band here, and that likely explains a lot of what I don't really like here. It's always good to have at least one other person in the creative process.

"Go and pretend to be someone you're not. Lie to everyone. Risk your life on a daily basis. Then come home. Just f'in deal. No glamour. No money. No exploding watch. A nation needs protecting, it builds an organization, the CIA. This department, it seeks us out, targets us individuals who need something, something they can't get anywhere else. It nurtures us. Weans us. Feeds us and sends us out into the world to behave in entirely unhealthy, devious, deviant, and dangerous ways. And when we come back it asks us how we feel. And all the while it's hoping we don't suddenly flip and can no longer do the job."

From the opening credits of the pilot, The Agency lets you know exactly what kind of a show it intends to be. It prepares us in a quick instant for what we should expect. How does it do that so fast? It's the opening notes of the U2 song Love Is Blindness, performed by Jack White. The song and the graphics of those credits look and sound like an iconic James Bond film credits sequence. It doesn't hurt that there was a time that Michael Fassbender was under serious consideration for the role of James Bond. I don't know how serious it was. I don't know how close he might have actually gotten. What I do know is that The Agency gives him the chance to live out a very Bond-like fantasy.

"We have lost our center as a family, and I have to be honest that we have lived a fairly blessed life to this point, so the contrast. Mine is not a family designed to withstand tragedy. In fact, it's quite the opposite."

From Madison Avenue in Manhattan to the Madison River in Montana there is somewhat of a wide gulf of culture and standards of living. That's exactly the kind of setup that is perfect for a guy like Taylor Sheridan. His entire life has been about thriving within that contrast. He's created a new genre that one could call the modern western series. The man himself is cut from both worlds, so he understands the territory. He planned to be finished a bit ago, but he fell in love with a $300 million ranch, and to pay for it he's cut a deal with Paramount+ to be doing this for quite a while longer. That means fans of shows like Tulsa King and Landman can rest easy, because they're going to be around for a while yet. It also means that his television universe is also likely to continue to grow. The latest example of that growth is The Madison, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell. Give the man his props; he knows how to attract big talent to the small screen. It's mostly because they know the part will fit like a glove on anybody's hands but O.J. Simpson's.

"Camp is tough: there's the lack of sleep, endless games, mystery meat, twelve thousand questions middle schoolers somehow ask before breakfast, and camp songs that get stuck in your head forever."

One thing I can say about Bad Counselors is that there were a lot of recognizable faces in it. Chris Klein returned to his comedy roots in this film that could potentially be a distant, more wholesome cousin to America Pie. Richard T. Jones of The Rookie fame, along with Stargirl’s Brec Bassinger and Missi Pyle, all star in this faith-based comedy that was surprisingly more entertaining that I initially expected it to be. I’d anticipated a vapid B-movie that would be more cliché than substance, but as it turned out, the film actually had more than one moment of substance. Despite the premise of the frat-boy antics, the story focused more on character identity and growth. The film avoids being overly "cheesy" by leaning into intentional, self-aware comedy, mostly against cringy evangelical tropes. And while the Christian elements are primarily used for narrative quips rather than deep theological teaching, the underlying themes of repentance, second chances, and authentic human connection are very much showcased.

Aussie horror I feel is  a bit underappreciated. There’s typically a charm with a bit of grime when it comes to their villains. Wolf Creek and its lead antagonist Mick is a perfect example. He’s an evil character, but he still manages to be likeable. Another example of this is in last year’s serial-killer-shark film, Dangerous Animals, the villain was once again despicable but still was fun to watch. Another thing I’ve noticed when it comes to Aussie horror: it tends to have a dirty look to it that reminds me of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where you can almost feel the heat and the dust coming through the screen, and the films also tend to have their characters very isolated from civilization. Penny Lane Is Dead checks off many of the boxes that I like in Aussie horror, and what I find frustrating with it is how close it comes to being great. It’s time to stroll down the  dark and desolate road in the outback and do a post mortem on Penny Lane is Dead.

“The oil and gas industry makes $3 billion a day in pure profit, generates over $4.3 trillion a year in revenue. It’s the fourth largest industry in the world, ranked ahead of food production, automobile production, and at $1.4 trillion the pharmaceutical industry doesn’t even crash the top 10. The industries ranked ahead of oil production are all completely dependent on oil and gas. The more they grow, the more we grow. That’s the scale. That’s the size of this thing, and it’s only getting bigger …” 

If Taylor Sheridan does not own a big chunk of stock at Paramount+, then he should be a major shareholder, because he’s bringing in more bucks than everything else combined except for Star Trek. I’ve enjoyed every one of his shows to date, some more than others. I think that Landman has to be the best of them yet. Yellowstone has been the great amber-captured jewel of the kingdom for over five years, but his split with Costner brings all of that to an early end, with the exception of spin-offs. I think I’ve found the new champ, and it’s Landman. Landman is absolutely as good as television gets or has ever gotten.