Idiot Boxing: The Deuce, season 1 (2017); Daredevil, season 2 (2016) rewatch

The Deuce, season 1 (2017)

HBO gets really down an dirty with this one, deciding to do a series focused on the beginnings and growth of the modern pornography film industry in the early 1970s.

It took until a little ways into the second episode to fully grab me, but I'm now hooked. I suppose this should have surprised me, given that it took me about three or four episodes to completely fall in love with Simon and Pelecanos's earlier HBO project, The Wire. These guys know how to craft a tale with the long game in mind. They won't introduce or completely reveal all of the fascinating aspects of great characters in the initial episode. Rather, they spread them out as they slowly weave a larger story.

That story is not for the prudish. This first season follows several denizens of Manhattan's Times Square distrcit, which was nothing like the garish, Disneyfied, laser light show tourist trap of today. Back then, it was as seedy a place as they come, where the sex trade was there for the seeing and taking. Pimps and prostitutes roamed the streets. Stores peddling sex books, viewings or short, softcore pornography, and even short porn films (which was actually illegal then) were huddled next to movie theaters offering pornographic films. In The Deuce (the name refers to the "two" in 42nd Street, and the general area where it crosses between 7th and 8th Avenues in Manhattan), we follow several of the people who live and work in this shady area, including several prostitutes, a few cops, and a handful of people who work in or frequent some of the bars. The primary characters in this first season are the twin brothers Vincent and Frank, the individualist prostitute "Candy," and the bright, liberated NYU dropout Abby. Vincent opens a bar in The Deuce, backed by a mafia lieutenant who takes a liking to him. Abby, after trying and failing to forge her own way outside of the college setting, ends up working at Vincent's bar, and Candy is an aging but extremely savvy hooker who is exhausted by her occupation and seeking a way out of the trade. All of their lives begin to change when certain morality codes are loosened, allowing for the creation of massage parlors (which are actually bordellos) and pornographic films. This all leads to a sort of legitimacy for the sex trade that had not existed before, in turn altering the perceptions of nearly everyone involved.

Inside the Hi-Hat, the closest thing that we have to an anchor
in the sleazy surroundings of the pre-glitz Times Square of the
early 1970s. The Hi-Hat a bit of a dive, to be sure, but it
becomes cozy by the end of the 8-episode first season.

Similar to my experience watching The Wire, The Deuce took a couple of episodes to become fully engaging. When it did, though, it really did. Yes, it's on the very salacious topic of the early days of the modern porn industry. Still, there is nothing titillating about what we see in this show. Sure, there is nudity aplenty, as we see the various sex workers ply their trades, but it is all very businesslike, often very seedy, and sometimes even disturbing and dangerous. And it is fascinating. The truth is, whether one wants to admit it or not, that pornography is a massive industry, both in the U.S. and throughout the world. The Deuce offers some insight into the lives of people on the front lines of this commercial juggernaut, and how their sexuality is turned into a commodity - a commodity that is at first essentially illegal, but gradually becomes more and more legitimate and socially acceptable. Simply learning about the system of heirarchy at work, between the prostitutes, their pimps, the police, and even politicians and mafiosi, bears all of the intrigue of learning the inner-workings of any fringe or criminal trade. This is why stories about the rises and falls of drug runners and bootleggers have always been fascinating, and it's why the film Boogie Nights was so compelling. They offer us a view into worlds that most of us know exist, and which reflect our more secretive desires, even if we ouselves may not be driven to partake in the ways that the characters on screen do.

Beyond the subject matter, the production values of the show are as good as it gets. This will probably come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the show creators' previous works, and The Deuce lives up to their reputations. The writing and acting are excellent, with Maggie Gylenhall (also a producer of the show) being a standout who is likely to be nominated for various awards. And lest one think that a show about the porn industry will have a strongly male slant, the creators took great care to have women involved as much as possible, with half of the episodes directed by top-shelf female directors. The balance shows, as we get plenty of well-balanced characters of both genders, and the subject of social views on homosexuality are an apparent theme.

The overall tone of the show is rather dark, not unlike The Wire. But also like that earlier masterpiece, is it liberally cut with moments of humor. Both intentionally and unintentionally, many of the characters here are funny people. In true New York City fashion, humor is a way to deal with bad situations, and there are plenty of them to be found in The Deuce.

I don't know if the subject matter of The Deuce will ever allow it to reach the heights of popularity of other gritty, big city series like The Wire, but I'll certainly be eager for future seasons.

Jon Bernthal's portrayal as the Punisher, and that character's
progression, are the strongest part of this season. His counter-
point to the slightly-better adjusted Matt Murdock is a solid
element in the first two-thirds of this season.

Daredevil, season 2 (2016) rewatch

Nothing leads one into a nice, solid binge of TV watching quite like getting a stomach infection that lays you up at home for a few days. Such was my situation recently. With the forthcoming Netflix series The Punisher set for imminent release, I had the urge to go back and give a second viewing to his introduction in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during the second season of Daredevil. You can find my original review here, if you're interested, so I'm going to keep this semi-review to a few revised thoughts and new observations.

Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed this second viewing more than the first. After re-reading my original review, I still feel the same about nearly every aspect, though the weak points didn't strike me as being quite so annoying this second time through:

The Punisher story is still just as good, and I actually didn't mind the slow pace of the courtroom drama as much this time, probably since I knew it was coming. It speaks to Jon Bernthal's presence that I still loved watching every scene he was in, as he portrayed this complex character. The relationship be forms with Karen Page is excellent, though I still wish the show had more overtly connected Karen's desire to find the good in Frank with her own guilt over killing a man, as shown in season one.

The Elektra storyline follows a pretty satisfying arc, in
general, but the hate/love relationship with Matt still feels
rather forced and begs a few too many questions for me. 

The Elektra storyline still didn't fully strike home for me, though it wasn't as frustrating this time. I did buy into their earlier relationship just a bit more, but I still found Matt's rekindled love for her rather forced. It's very clear that he knows that she is a sadistic murderer, to the point that he literally tells her how he saw the pleasure on her face when she killed people. And yet, he somehow still has some passion for her? I suppose that I could take this as a part of himself that wishes he could just kill people whom he found guilty and even perhaps enjoy it, rather than feel so much guilt. Yet the show doesn't lay out those dots to connect terribly well. I will also say that I wasn't as annoyed with Elodie Young this time through. I never had a problem with her acting, but that I didn't buy her as a world-class assassin and fighter. In doing some research, it turns out that Young has studied karate for many years; however, she has also studied dance equally as long. To me, she still moves more like a dancer than a combatant who can take out hordes of bigger, stronger thugs and ninja.

This second season probably suffered a little bit from being a bridge to future shows. While it is self-contained enough to mostly stand on its own, there is certainly a "Punisher 0.5" and even a bit of "Defenders 0.5" feel to it. When taken with The Defenders, it makes a nice piece. And it looks like The Punisher, due in the middle of November, should be solid. 

Retro Trio: In the Mouth of Madness (1995); Event Horizon (1997); Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Some idea and images, like this one from a
promotional poster, try a little too hard.
Other ideas are executed quite well.

In the Mouth of Madness (1995)

Director: John Carpenter

A decent enough horror movie that, with a tad more inspiration, could have been an absolute classic.

In the Mouth of Madness is a compelling modern take on certain themes which horror writer H.P. Lovecraft pioneered in the 1920s and 1930s. It chronicles the search for a wildly popular horror writer, Sutter Cane, who has disappeared without a trace, just as his most recent book has been released. The book starts inspiring horrifying acts of insanity and violence among its readers. For these reasons, Cane's publisher hires insurance fraud investigator John Trent (Sam Neill) to track down Cane. As Trent gets closer and closer to discovering Cane's whereabouts, the world around him seems to begin warping into the terrifying, apocalyptic visions described in Cane's horror novels.

There is truly a lot working for this movie. The plot is a compelling update and reworking of some of the more terrifying concepts in Lovecraft's works. The concept that an ancient race of indescribably massive and ruthless monsters is preparing to invade the earth can give plenty of people nightmares. The narrative is also very well-constructed. We start with a manic John Trent being thrown into a sanitarium, where he begins to explain the entire tale of terror, leading to a flashback. The ever-skeptical Trent is a perfect protagonist through whose eyes to see everything unfold. Just like us viewers, he tries to deny the possibilities of the awful reality around him. Sam Neill absolutely nails the character, including the range of emotions from dismissive doubt to wry defensive sarcasm to growing panic, and ending with abandoned mania.

Despite having so much going for it, the movie falls short of feeling like a complete, polished and cohesive whole. Some sequences and effects are brilliant, while others seem a little bit cheap. Some of the actors' performances are excellent, while a few are a tad overdone. Some of the levity is truly funny, while some is a bit forced or flat. Director John Carpenter has always been one who has worked movie miracles with budgets which are mere fractions of large-scale Hollywood horror movies. With In the Mouth of Madness, I got the impression that perhaps his budgetary contstraints resulted in a weaker film. I felt that with a little more punching up of the script or more creativity with some of the intended horror sequences, this could have been a sure-fire cult classic on par with a few of his other movies such as The Thing.

Though it has its obvious flaws, this is still a fun movie to check out every few years. There is enough creativity and merit that a horror movie fan can appreciate this later effort by a great underdog director.

I wish the same could be said of the next movie...

Why would an engineer make a warp drive look like some-
thing out of a Clive Barker wet dream? Because the writers
couldn't think of anything more creative. That's why.

Event Horizon (1997)

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Event Horizon is a classic case of a workable idea falling very flat due to unimaginative direction and writing. This is likely why, though I did see the movie in the theater during its initial release in 1997, I could remember none of the details years later.

The story follows a crew sent on a secret mission to deep space, just beyond Neptune. Once there, they learn that they are to make contact with the vessel Event Horizon, which had disappeared seven years prior. The ship and its crew had been thought lost, but a mysterious transmission from the ship had been received, kicking off a search and recover mission. When the rescue team gets there, though, not only do they find that the original crew is missing, but they also begin experiencing horrifying visions drawn from personal trauma. We slowly learn through the accompanying advisor, Dr. Wier (Sam Neill. Yes. Again.), that the Event Horizon used a dark matter energy core, which allowed the ship to traverse tremendous distances by folding space and time. This dark matter apparently has torn open a hole to another dimension where "chaos rules...a place of complete evil." The ship now seems to bear some diabolical taint which infects any who come into close contact with it.

The premise isn't a terrible one, really. And the cast is actually quite impressive. Sam Neill, Laurence Fishburn, Jason Isaac, and all of the lesser-known cast do everything they can with the lines they are given. Unfortunately, the script is choppy and completely uninspired. There's hardly a single memorable line in the entire film. On top of this is a tone which has an identity crisis. Director Paul W.S. Anderson never seemed to be sure if he wanted to tell a dark horror tale, a ripping action-adventure tale, or a probing psychological tale. The result is a film that never settles into itself enough to evoke any specific mood in the viewer.

The far greater sin of this film, though, is its unabashed thievery from its sources of "inspiration." The general setup and tone of suspense is clearly an attempt to ape Ridley Scott's Alien. The nonsensically brutal and macabre aesthetic of the title ship is clearly taken from Clive Barker's Hellraiser books and movies, which is also true for the depictions of Hell. There are even more than a few attempts to imitate Stanley Kubrick's vision of space travel from 2001, as well as the psychological themes of Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris. I suppose if a viewer isn't familiar with these other films, then this might not matter. To any kind of film fan, though, Event Horizon is a blatant patchwork rip-off.

I suppose this movie might fill 90 minutes of your time if you're suffering insomnia and are feeling particularly uncritical. In any other viewing state, though, this movie is best left unwatched.

 Yes, I know it looks ridiculous. But this movie is likely to
surprise you with its smarts and heart. 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Surprisingly good.

I'd never seen any of the original "Apes" films from the 1970s or the attempted reboot in 2005, so I had no frame of reference for this movie, aside from knowing that it involved apes taking over the planet. Maybe this was a good thing. What I got was an entertaining, sometimes touching and smart, adventure tale of ethics, science, and laws of nature.

The story focuses on Caesar, a young chimpanzee whose mother was taken captive for medical experiments involving neural regeneration and enhancement. Caesar's mother is killed shortly after he is born, and the scientist in charge of the experiments, Dr. Will Rodman (James Franco) rescues Caesar from a mass slaughter of potentially infected chimps. Caesar soon shows signs of extreme intelligence, which urges Rodman to continue his experiments to find a drug which might help humans suffering Alzheimers or other degenerative neural ailments. Things go awry, however, and Caesar is placed in a shelter where the abusive staff allows the cerebral Caesar to be bullied by the other chimps, who are far more naturally primitive. This only lasts so long, though, as Caesar not only uses his superior intelligence to become the alpha chimp in the shelter, but he also manages to smuggle in some of the chemicals which gave him his mental edge. Once he douses the other apes in the shelter, they are all clever enough to mount a full-scale revolt.

The movie plot may come off as a bit ridiculous, but it is science fiction. Truthfully, it is presented in ways which make it all seem less far-fetched than you might suspect. It all moves along at a decent pace, and there are more than a few stunning action sequences. The main strength of the movie is how empathetic Caesar is. This is probably due to our growing understanding of just how similar chimps are to humans, even in terms of characterstics which had previouly been assumed as strictly "human" - empathy, a sense of loss, and a desire to belong. Of course, this wouldn't have been possible to convey without some exemplary special effects, namely the top-notch CGI used to bring Caesar and the other apes to life.

Though I may not feel the need to see this movie again, I'm looking forward to watching the sequel, which was released to solid reviews in 2014. I'll likely review it in the coming weeks. 

New Release: The Interview (2014)

Director: Evan Goldberg

If you know Seth Rogan and James Franco (and Evan Goldberg-directed) movies, then you'll have a good idea of what to expect from The Interview. For my part, I generally find these guys' films entertaining, if not exactly the works of comic genius. This latest, highly publicized effort of theirs fits right into their canon.

Either from the previews or the massive coverage received after the hacks and threats from North Korea, you probably know the tale. James Franco plays Dave Skylark, a shallow and self-absorbed egotist of good humor who hosts a wildly popular, sensational late night "news" show. He and his producer, played by Seth Rogan, are recruited by the CIA to assassinate Kim Jong-Un, once it is discovered that Kim has agreed to an interview with Skylark, whom the young dictator loves.

The comedy is as consistent and reliable as other Rogan/Franco flicks, which is to say, not completely. The humor is often very blue, and the rapid-fire, usually deadpan deliveries and responses to the insanity that unfolds are plenty of fun. Yes, the characters are ridiculous, but so is the entire premise of the movie. Once you realize that this is a silly parody of an assassination fantasy, then you'll stop rolling your eyes and have some solid laughs.

The writers probably overshot the mark a bit by making Dave
Skylark a bit douchier than they might have intended. 

The movie's not without its issues, though. For one, I found James Franco's Skylark character just a hair overdone at times. Clearly, he's meant to be a caricature of all flashy, narcissistic, pandering TV talk show personalities. But they make him essentially too dumb to live. It's almost as if Rogan and Franco are incapable of writing a more subtle idiot, so Skylark's continual over-the-top obliviousness can wear on you.

The bigger problem is the violence. Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against movie violence, per se (I mean, I was weaned on the mucle action flicks of the 1980s, after all). And I actually find exagerrated violence hilarious, when done properly. What is abundantly clear to me, after seeing Pineapple Express, This is the End and now The Interview (all directed by Evan Goldberg) is that these guys have no idea how to make violence funny. This leads me to this slight aside:

John Cleese once explained how, when Monty Python first screened an early shooting of the famous and hilariously bloody "bridge knight" scene in Holy Grail, they had used a modeest, almost realistic, amount of blood in the scene. Well, the test audience was horrified, and not a soul laughed. However, when the troupe added massive amounts more blood, the audiences thought the scene hysterical.

As this still indicates, you can expect plenty of penis and
testicle jokes in this one. This should surprise none who have
seen these guys' other movies. 

Therein lies the key - to make violence funny, you have to completely overdo it. Franco and Rogan haven't figured this out. The violence in The Interview is disturbingly graphic and realistic. Fingers are bitten off. A man dies a horribly gruesome death by poison. A soldier gets crushed by a tank. Multiple people get shot to death. There is plenty more, and all of it in uncomfortably graphic detail, which begs the question, "How many people actually find this comic?" I really don't. It's not that is repulses me; but it certainly doesn't amuse me, either. Fortunately, none of this really erupts until the last 30 minutes or so of the movie, making the rest of it entertaining enough.

Ultimately, I have to laud the boys for the guts to make a film about a sitting dictator known for eratic and hyperbolic responses to insult. The whole thing comes off pretty well, and it does take a stab at some social commentary, even if it is barely half-baked. The movie ended up getting far more press than it deserved, thanks to the hyper-sensitive target of their comedic aim. Without the hoopla, it is simply another decent, though hardly "classic," addition to their comedy film resumes.