A Versatile Director

 

Director Peter Medak has passed at 88.  Hungarian born, he made early films like the horror classic, The Changeling, the bawdy satire, The Ruling Class, and highly regarded drama, The Krays. His versatile career was unique in that he directed episodes from some of the landmark TV shows of the modern era including the lauded revival of The Twilight Zone, Homicide:Life on the Streets, The Wire, House MD, and Breaking Bad.

 

Sweet Susan

 

Actress Susan Saint James has passed at 80. This Emmy Award winner starred in film and TV especially two hit series, McMillan &Wife and Kate & Allie. I choose to remember her turn in the comedy Love at First Bite and this dance highlight with George Hamilton.

Rush

 Getty Lee introduces Rush to DC. My first Rush concert (I was not necessarily a fan but a ticket was available for their 50th Anniversary) was quite an experience and these old vets played nearly three hours! Thanks to Rob, Laura and Bridgette!

A Dependable Actor

 

Actor Tom Skerritt has passed at 93. This dependable TV and movie star had a six decade career guesting on the top shows of the 1960s through 2000 such as Combat, Hawaii Five O, The West Wing,  and  Cheers before starring in the classic Picket Fences which garnered him an Emmy Award.  He frequently starred or appeared in some of the most iconic films of his day including M*A*S*H, The Turning Point, Alien, Steel Magnolias, A River Runs Through It, The Dead Zone, Contact, and Top Gun. A versatile, beloved performer.

A Hollywood Legend

 

Actress Eva Marie Saint has passed at 102. This legend of stage and screen began during the early days of television and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in the Best Picture, On the Waterfront. She starred in several classics including Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, Exodus, and The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming. Other major films included Raintree Country, A Hatful of Rain, All Fall Down, 36 Hours, and Grand Prix. She was nominated for multiple Emmy Awards and won for People Like Us. She was he last surviving star from Hollywood's Golden Age.

The Madness That Is DIGGER

 

Tom Cruise and Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, The Revenant) bring to the screen a fascinating, complex character caught up in a farcical, apocalyptic tale, Digger. 

Digger Rockwell (Cruise) is a super wealthy, eccentric businessman with the President’s ear who wakes up one day to find that one of his oil wells off Greenland has triggered an environmental disaster that has far reaching, catastrophic consequences.  When the event shows signs of escalating, there is global panic and emergency meetings with The President (John Goodman), his military aids, and top scientific minds.  Can Digger and the brain trust find a solution in time?

Digger is portrayed as an arrogant, egotistical bully who is used to getting his way until he faces a dire situation seemingly beyond his control.  It’s a high wire act by Cruise, and as much as he impresses with this mercurial character, he receives great support from a cast including Goodman, Sandra Hüller, and Riz Ahmed.

The story has surreal overtones (with a dash of Luis Buñuel) as it questions truth and reality, and when it is revealed as part of a larger narrative (akin to a Shakespearean play within a play), the film’s unorthodox construct at times requires a hefty investment by the audience.  While some may appreciate the whimsical nature of its wild plot and its topical, environmental themes, others may be put off or confused by how some scenes are simply too outrageous.    

For those who are game, it plays like a satire, with a Dr. Strangelove vibe bouncing from outrageous drama to black comedy mocking the conventions of politics and religion with a hint of The Producers.  Despite a bravura, Oscar worthy effort by Cruise, this is a bold film that is ultimately overwhelmed by its own ambitions. 

**** of ***** stars

The Funhouse of Terror That Is RESIDENT EVIL

 

From the mind of Zach Cregger (Weapons) comes this new adaptation of the classic videogame, and the result is a lean, (95 minute) horror gem that is a funhouse ride in the best sense.

Bryan (Austin Abrams) is a courier of medical organs who is given an important delivery to the city of Raccoon one snowy night when he runs into an apparent accident, and that’s only the beginning of a series of mysterious, gruesome encounters that escalate in horrific scope.  Forced to run for his life, he arrives at the city limits and as he approaches the hospital, he witnesses stark evidence of a massive, engulfing event that threatens the city’s residents and has terrifying, biological implications which push Austin’s sanity and survival to the brink and point to an apocalyptic scenario.

Having Bryan as our protagonist is clever by turning the audience’s attention to him as he becomes the main point of view. Abrams’ convincing performance as a desperate, bumbling, and at times resourceful everyman keeps things grounded and believable.  Having a mostly unknown cast (except for a brief appearance by Paul Walter Hauser) helps keep things focused on the narrative. 

Always engaging, the story is extremely well-paced and edited for maximum impact. The film has a lean musical score and relies on deliberate, tension building alternating between jump scare moments.  Often utilizing practical effects, while there is no doubt that the depicted monstrosities have been inspired by past creatures from Alien, The Thing, and Stranger Things, Creggar goes a step further with unimaginable body horror. 

Audiences looking to be scared silly will not be disappointed as the film delivers the goods. Save for an ending that may divide audiences, this is a grand, frightful time that promises to continue in the future.  

**** of ***** stars