Countdown to Thirteen: Accused: Series 1, Episode 4 – “Liam’s Story” (2010)

This is the third Jodie Whittaker project I’ve seen, and it’s the third to involve a creep of a guy doing terrible things to a woman under the guise of “loving” her so much.  I mean, I know there’s plenty of that sort of thing in fiction, as well as plenty of it happening in real life, but three in a row is kind of hard to take (and at minimum, I know that at least the first season of Broadchurch, and likely the later ones as well, feature a very different type of creep.)  I really hope the next one I find doesn’t make my skin crawl (premise spoilers.)

Like Black Mirror, Accused is an anthology series, so the episode is its own self-contained story, cutting back and forth between an accused man ready to hear his verdict and flashbacks to the circumstances that led him there.  Liam is a private-hire cab driver with a gambling problem and a strained relationship with his ailing wife (she has MS.)  One day, feeling at his wit’s end, he breaks into the home of a customer after driving her to the airport, knowing the home will be empty and in search of something to steal.  That’s sketchy enough, but Liam goes down an even worse rabbit hole when, after poring over the woman’s photos displayed around the house, he steals her flashdrive as well.  Soon, he spends his nights at home staring at her pictures, reading her saved love letters, and, since he gave her his card after giving her that initial ride, using the information he’s stolen from her to ingratiate himself with her every time she calls him up for another lift.

So yeah, he’s a stalker who just gets creepier and more manipulative as he goes on, and it’s super-gross.  Despite a reasonably well-crafted story from a technical perspective and some good performances (Liam is played by Andy Serkis, who definitely nails the creepy-pathetic-deluded hat trick, and the episode also features Tom Ellis, who I still remember best from the series 3 finale of Who,) it perhaps does its job too well, because I mainly come away feeling like I need a shower.

Whittaker plays Emma Croft, the unfortune object of Liam’s obsessions.  At first, I thought her role would be relatively hands-off, that she would mainly serve as his customer-turned-robbery-victim, but it’s so much worse than that.  The role itself is fairly undemanding, basically an appealing everywoman for a creep to project his fantasies onto, although she does get a few stronger scenes in the second half of the episodes.

Mostly, I just feel bad for Emma.  Liam is careful enough with what he does that I can buy her not catching on, but that doesn’t stop me from yelling at the screen, “Get away from him!  He’s gross!  Don’t listen to a word he says!”  :shudder:

Accent Watch

Northern again.

Recommend?

In General – I can’t; it’s just too creepy.

Jodie Whittaker – Not necessarily.  I don’t think there’s really enough for Whittaker to do, because her character is much more about Liam’s idea of her than who she actually is.

Warnings

Sexual references, drinking/smoking, brief violence, and strong thematic elements.

The Defenders (2017-Present)

The the Netflix branch of the MCU has now had their years-in-the-making team-up event, their own street-level version of The Avengers (does this mean The Defenders marks the end of the Netflix MCU’s Phase One?)  Overall, while I don’t think it’s as good as I would have wanted it to be, it does have a lot of good stuff going for it.  It brings the great elements of some of the previous series and smooths over a few of the rough edges of others, even if, in the end, it feels like the sum of its parts is a little greater than the whole.

Half of this quartet on the brink of converging – Matt and Danny – have already tangled with the Hand and experienced harsh losses, but The Defenders kick off with events that put the ancient, shadowy organization on our other two heroes’ radars.  Luke picks up the scent when the group starts recruiting young Harlem men for a bit of dirty work, and a missing-persons investigation gets Jessica on their trail.  When these four very different heroes come together, they’re even more averse to the idea of working together than the Avengers are in their first film, but with the fate of New York hanging in the balance, they realize the only thing they can do is stand together and fight.

I like most of these heroes a lot (more on Iron Fist in a moment,) and the interactions between them offer some of the best moments of the season – the snark, the comments on one another’s powers, the arguing over strategy, and the interesting dynamic that’s added by Matt being the only one of the four with a full-fledged secret identity.  I also appreciate that each one comes into the series with a few of their supporting characters in tow as well.  On that front, some of them don’t get as much to do, which is understandable given the limited number of episodes, but everyone at least gets in one or two good moments.  And can I just say?  I think my biggest takeaway from this season is how ready I am for more Jessica Jones.

Iron Fist works slightly better for me within the context of the group.  It’s hard to find him credulous as the anchor of his own show, but here, he functions more like an obscenely-wealthy, annoying kid brother that the other three enjoy messing with.  Also, Finn Jones definitely looks better in the fight scenes.  I don’t know what the ratio is between more training, better choreography, and better-integrated stunt men, but there’s a clear improvement.  While I still don’t buy him as a superhero who mostly gets by on his mindblowing kung fu skills (since his actual superpower is only used sparingly,) it’s a step in the right direction.

It’s the overall plot where things get a little muddy.  For me, the franchise has had diminishing returns on the Hand, and while the aspect of them that’s presented here is interesting and involves some strong actors, it falls apart a little in the execution.  For such dangerous villains, they do a lot of standing around talking about their evil plan while they send faceless lackeys after the Defenders.  The combination of the heroes is fun enough to make me interested in seeing more collaborations, but I hope their next team-up features a tighter story.

Warnings

Strong comic-book violence, swearing, drinking, and thematic elements.

Atomic Blonde (2017, R)

On the whole, I’d put this Cold War-era action flick at maybe a B or B+, but I’m still very satisfied with having seen it in theaters.  While the story doesn’t always quite stick the landing, the bold tone and high-octane fight scenes make it a rollicking good time.

In the last days before the Berlin Wall comes down, MI-6 agent Lorraine is sent into the city.  Ostensibly, it’s to recover the body of a deceased fellow agent, but really, it’s to retrieve a document containing intel on all the major spy players on both sides of the Iron Curtain.  Traveling back-and-forth between the two halves of the city with the KGB out for her blood, a mysterious woman tailing her, and MI-6’s volatile man on the ground advising her on the ways of Berlin, Lorraine doesn’t know who, if anyone, she can trust – other than her highly-capable self, of course.

First of all, let me say, I love the late ‘80s setting – most Cold War spy stuff I’ve seen is set earlier than that, and combining spooks with ‘80s fashions and music is so much fun.  The film has a great sense of style and swagger, a little cheeky at times.  There are moments when I think the direction is a bit too hyper-stylized, like when the camera revolves sideways for no particular reason, but overall, I enjoy it.  The story, as I said, is a little shakier.  The twists and turns of the plot feel a little played-out to me, and more than anything, it’s clear that it’s all just backdrop for the crazy action sequences.

Which are many and varied.  I love watching Charlize Theron’s Lorraine throw down.  She’s both brutal and resourceful, using anything to her advantage against male agents who are bigger than her, and she takes as many hard hits as she dishes out.  There’s a nice mix between sleek and stylish moves (like Lorraine escaping a set-upon apartment using what looks like a power cable) and more down-and-dirty fighting (like Lorraine and a KBG agent whose fight ends without fanfare as both stagger, concussed, toward one another for one last bout.)  I also like that, while Lorraine is obviously a beautiful woman who uses that to her advantage in her work and the camera pays plenty of attention to her style, her fight scenes really aren’t about the male gaze.

As Lorraine, Theron is cool, dry, and again, a licensed badass.  James McAvoy is highly watchable as her MI-6 colleague David – as the higher-ups put it, he’s “gone native” and given himself over to the end-of-the-world feel to Berlin’s party scene, and he’s altogether an unstable element weaving in and out of Lorraine’s mission.  I always enjoy Sofia Boutella (who first caught my attention as Gazelle in Kingsman,) and she has a nice appearance here, although I wish we could’ve seen her fight more.  The film also features the always-reliable Toby Jones and John Goodman.

Warnings

Tons of violence, swearing, sexual content (including brief nudity,) and drinking/smoking.

In the Good Old Summertime (1949)

Another musical Buster was in, although it’s less of a standard musical and more a case of the film contriving in-story reasons for the characters to sing (hey, when Judy Garland’s in your movie, you do what you have to do.)  It’s also, notably, a fairly early take on the particular romantic comedy storyline that was later popularized in You’ve Got Mail.  It’s not the original version of the story – apparently, that was a French play from the 1930s – but it’s still reaching back quite a ways.

Andy and Veronica work in the same music shop, where they spend most of their work day at each other’s throats.  Everything either does annoys the other, and both tend to unfavorably compare the other to the anonymous someone with whom they correspond through the post office.  Little do they know, of course, those lovely, thoughtful, poetic letters they send are actually to one another.

It’s a cute film – the contentious relationship between Van Johnson’s Andy and Judy Garland’s Veronica is the focal point of the film, and both play their parts well.  Johnson brings a slightly-rapscallion charm to Andy, while, as Veronica, Garland is fussy and opinionated but misunderstood.  Be advised, though – there’s more than a hint of sexism tinging the romance.  Still, it’s a pretty light, bouncy story, and the music-shop locale offers a decent excuse for Garland to sing frequently, as she demos sheet music for prospective customers while Andy accompanies her.

Buster plays one of several other people working at the music shop, all of which are pleasant and entertaining in their own right.  In Buster’s case, he plays Hickey, the clumsy but eager-to-please nephew of the shop’s temperamental owner.  It still strikes me sometimes how Buster can give such great reaction shots while maintaining his classic stone face, but it’s true.  Here, there’s a great scene where he dutifully sits down to indulge his uncle in the irascible man’s favorite pastime:  (badly) playing the violin when he’s annoyed.  Buster’s reactions to each sour note are fantastic.

Fortunately, this is also a film that recognizes that, if you’ve got Buster Keaton, you let him do physical comedy – hence Hickey’s clumsiness.  At first, it just feels like a trait that’s a bit shoehorned into the character simply because Buster is playing him (and to be honest, the slapsticky elements do feel a little out of place with the tone of the rest of the movie,) but it’s actually laying the groundwork for a clutzy disaster at a critical moment in the film, which I like.  As it turns out, Buster was initially just consulted on the film as a gag writer, but when he devised that aforementioned clutzy disaster for them, they realized that no one but Buster could play it with the precision that was needed.  It also helps that Hickey isn’t the only source of slapstick in the film.  There are other intricate bits of physical comedy performed by some of the other actors, and Buster’s hand in crafting their gags is apparent.

Warnings

A little suggestiveness and some old-timey sexism.

Favorite Characters: Vicki Pallister (Doctor Who)

Before rewatching the First Doctor seasons, I would’ve expected to write a Character Highlight post on Vicki instead of a Favorite Characters.  The second time around, though, she really sneaks up on me.  More than just a replacement for Susan, she’s a fun, engaging character with a lot to recommend her (a few Vicki-related spoilers.)

A human girl from the 25^th century, Vicki was supposed to be part of an off-world colony, but the ship carrying her, her father, and the rest of the colonists crashed on the planet Dido, where some serious crap went down while they were waiting for rescue.  By the time the TARDIS lands on Dido, she and one other colonist are the only ones left from her ship, the rest seemingly killed by the planet’s hostile inhabitants.  Even though, once the Doctor and co. neutralize the danger, a rescue ship is very close, it still makes sense why she agrees to join the TARDIS rather than return home.  There’s nothing left for her there, and despite the rocky start she has with Barbara, it’s only natural for her to want to make her way with people who helped her out of a harrowing situation instead taking her chances on her own.

Like most companions who come to the TARDIS after particularly traumatizing experiences (see also, Victoria and Nyssa,) Vicki adjusts far more quickly than she should, but that’s to be expected.  It’d be hard to depict adventurous romps through time and space with a teenage girl who’s still processing the violent death of her father and the survivor’s guilt of being one of only two people the escape the massacre of the colonists – trying the put the tonally-dissonant elements together, you wouldn’t be able to do either well.  So, I understand why Vicki soon emerges as a clever girl with a curious eye and a bit of a mischievous air about her.

Vicki isn’t a genius like Zoe or Romana, but her 25^th-century upbringing came complete with education in the form of knowledge uploaded directly to her brain, so she’s acquired a huge amount of knowhow without much effort.  As such, she’s blithely intelligent – not really arrogant about it, but she just takes it for granted that everyone ought to know as much as she does and is bemused/surprised when, say, Ian and Barbara don’t know what she’s talking about.  Sometimes she comes through in a brainy way, like when she sneakily reprograms a computer in “The Space Museum,” but more often than not, her smarts come in handy in more everyday-practical ways.  She’s good at improvising solutions and gets herself out of numerous jams with her quick reasoning.

Some companions from TARDIS duos/trios/tetrads are at their best playing off of another companion, but I enjoy Vicki best when she’s paired with the Doctor.  Though he initially brings her onboard with a surrogate-grandfatherly fondness borne out of him missing Susan, they become quite the entertaining twosome.  I love scenes of them getting in and out of trouble together, both using their individual smarts to make it through when they land themselves in inevitable scrapes.  They’re a blast together in “The Romans” (I dare you not to love, “Oh, something else I forgot to tell you:  I think I’ve poisoned Nero,”) and “The Crusade” is another memorable serial for them.

Truly, during Vicki’s brief time on the TARDIS, she carves out her own place that’s distinct from Susan’s despite fulfilling a similar role, and as the first “replacement” companion, she was vital to the show’s long-term sustainability.

Countdown to Thirteen: Black Mirror: Series 1, Episode 3 – “The Entire History of You” (2011)

I’ve been aware of Black Mirror’s existence for a while and have received assorted recommendations to watch it, but it’s fallen down the “so many shows, so little time” couch cushions.  So, it worked out nicely for me that Jodie Whittaker’s appearance in a series 1 episode gave me a good excuse to dip my toes in and see what it’s all about.  And bonus, since Black Mirror is an anthology show, there’s none of the usual confusion of checking in partway through an ongoing series for the sake of a certain guest star.  Score!

Everyone these days is dependent on the Grain, a bit of implanted tech that serves as a permanent harddrive for memories.  Anyone can rewind through their day, their week, their year – however far back they’d like to go – and replay their memories in every detail.  People can view these memories privately through special lenses or cast them on a screen so others can, for a moment, see what they saw.  When Liam meets an old friend of his wife’s who turns out to be a former flame, he becomes obsessed, scrutinizing every moment for looks, signs, or inconsistencies that confirm his jealous suspicions.

This is very much in line with the kind of story I understand Black Mirror enjoys telling, disconcerting tales that explore humanity’s relationship with technology and the effect it has on us.  It’s easy to see why this is a bad road for Liam to go down – even before he starts suspecting his wife, we see how he dwells on moments, replaying them over and over, reaffirming with every watch how convinced he is of his fears, suspicions, or insecurities.  I’m sure it’s comforting to think of digital copies of memories as “the real thing,” totally objective, but it’s obvious that two people can have the same experience (and even view each other’s memories of it) and not necessarily make the same inferences – very dangerous indeed.

Whittaker plays the wife in question, Ffion.  Early on in the episode, she plays enough ambiguity that, when Liam starts to obsess, we recognize which moments are snagging in his memory.  And later on, she sells the overall grossness of the situation:  being forced to watch her husband’s suspicious memories of her and give an “account” of herself, being interrogated by a man who’s like a dog with a bone and, of course, isn’t prepared to let anything go.  Because we see so much of her through his eyes (literally,) it’s harder to get a read on what’s actually going through her mind, and that makes Ffion a little uncomfortable to watch, but I think Whittaker is able to show enough to make you feel for her in the situation, even if she’s not altogether sympathetic.

The last Whittaker project I wrote about featured Rebekah Staton (Mother of Mine!) in a supporting role, and as it happens, this one does too.  Also, Liam is played by Toby Kebbell, who I recently watched in a reimaging of Macbeth, playing Malcolm.

Accent Watch

Northern (Whittaker’s real accent, I believe, or maybe a little lighter.)

Recommend?

In General – I’d heard good things about Black Mirror anyway, and after seeing this episode, I can see why.  Stylish, engrossing, and well-acted – be advised that it’s pretty dark, but I’d recommend it.

Jodie Whittaker – I can’t quite decide.  Ffion is a bit of a slippery character to get a handle on because of how the story is framed, but there are moments when Whittaker has a chance to bring her perspective through very well.  Maybe, I’d say.

Warnings

Sexual content, language, brief violence, drinking, and strong thematic elements.

News Satire Roundup: August 28th-August 31st

In actuality, the show was back for four weeks before going on another short break (it’s coming back September 10^th,) but it feels a lot shorter than that to me.  That’s because Last Week Tonight and The Daily Show seem to have been taking turns a lot this summer, and since those are the only two news satire shows I watch, the absence of one feels quite apparent.  In fact, in the last twelve weeks, only four have had both Last Week Tonight and The Daily Show airing new episodes (I’m not The Daily Show’s week of clip shows not too long ago.)  And it’s not like the news cycle is slowing down at all.  In fact, when The Daily Show came back last week, there really wasn’t time to cover the threat of nuclear war with North Korea because so much else had already happened since then – insane.  I hate to think about all that will have happened by the time John comes back.

Monday, August 28 – First was Hurricane Harvey, with Trevor urging viewers to send Texas their thoughts and/or prayers, but foremost, their money.  He then moved on to Trump’s pardon of Joe Arpaio.  He dug into the despicableness of Arpaio’s crimes, both the unconstitutional racism in his policing and the human rights violations in his prisons.  I appreciated the point that Trump pardoned Arpaio before sentencing for a conviction that would get him six months at most, cementing the idea that this is more about Trump making a statement to “his” people than anything else.  Michael talked a bit about the origins of presidential pardons in general, with Trevor questioning why the Founding Fathers would have wanted that much unchecked power in the hands of one person.  Neil deGrasse Tyson, unsurprisingly, made for a delightful guest.  He talked about “politicizing” (but not really) the eclipse and the benefits of a cosmic perspective.

Tuesday, August 29 – In the opening story on North Korea’s recent missile launch, I liked Trevor applauding Japanese citizens for not turning off the alerts on their phones.  Next was a quick bit on Melania Trump getting flack for wearing heels in Houston – I liked Trevor’s take, the focus should be more on what she does.  New developments in the Russia investigation, with Trump’s repeated claims of no business ties to Russia conveniently forgetting his deal to build the world’s tallest building there.  I enjoyed Trevor’s appreciation of how blatant the Trump camp’s collusion is, as well as the bit about how a felony conviction means a better chance of working with Trump.  Roy tried to avoid talking about a new study on CTE before revealing his plan for concussion-conscious football helmets.  The guest, MSNBC’s Joy Reid, talked about Trump’s obsession with ratings and what Democrats need to do to get back on track.

Wednesday, August 30 – Trevor opened with Mexico offering aid to Texas after the tropical storm, musing on how Mexico is much more capable of being the bigger person than him.  Good story on the debate over confederate monuments.  Hasan had an amusing bit slipping in his suggestion for how to deal with it, while Roy shut down the idea that these statues are about heritage or culture – the clip he showed of a pro-monument guy accidentally calling Martin Luther King a racial slur while he was arguing that the statues aren’t about racism was especially telling.  It was a correspondent-heavy night, because Michelle appeared as well, looking at Ivanka Trump’s so-called “mediating influence” in the White House (hint:  she doesn’t have one.)  Excellent interview with former tennis pro James Blake, who discussed his experience with police bias/brutality and how he was able to use his platform to speak out about it.

Thursday, August 31 – Insane opening, with dashcam footage of a police officer “reassuring” a white woman at a traffic stop by reminding her that cops only kill Black people.  Next was a decent story on Antifa and the recent violence at protests in Berkeley.  I thought Trevor did a nice job showing what a loose collection of disparate goals/methods exist under the Antifa banner, arguing that the most extreme members are being used to discredit the whole cause.  Ronny had an awesome, Breaking Bad-inspired field piece on Martin Shkreli, specifically on the Australian high school students who demonstrated how easy (and cheap) it was to replicate Daraprim, the HIV and malaria drug whose price Shkreli marked up by 5,000%.  Guest Reid Hoffman did his best to assuage Trevor’s concerns about artificial intelligence, discussing what we can look forward to in the field and imagining a symbiotic future between humanity and AIs.