'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' A Review

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a horror/comedy, a sequel to the to the 1988 cult hit. Thirty six years after the events of the first film Lydia(Winona Ryder) is a television medium with a sycophantic boyfriend Rory(Justin Theroux) also her producer. When her father passes they return to Winter River, her hometown, along with her estranged daughter Astrid(Jenna Ortega) and stepmother Delia(Catherine O'Hara). When Astrid is put in danger Lydia must enlist Beetlejuice(Michael Keaton) for help.

On paper, a fabulous cast, but there's just not much apparent gas in the tank. Ryder is seemingly unmoored, unable to really connect to her cult favorite character, and the script doesn't do her any favors making adult Lydia mostly a confused doormat. Theroux is insufferable both as a character(which is intentional) and as a plot device(which is not), his whole presence is so profoundly contrived and grating it unilaterally takes the movie down a notch. Ortega is OK but her storyline is set on top too many others and the movie is unsure who's it is, is this Lydia's story or Astrid's? It can't decide. Its wonderful to see Keaton again but there's only a scene or two where he's able to really recapture the magic, the problem is one- he's not in the movie enough and two- hate to say it but he's too old. You can just see he's slower off the blocks and for a character as iconic and manic as BJ it just doesn't have the same impact. O'Hara is the only one able to just slide perfectly back into the role but that ease almost sets her apart like she's acting in a different movie. Much of this incongruity though is a result of the direction but more so the bafflingly over plotted script, not the fault of the actors.

Burton returns to form a bit here with practical effects which are wonderful. The Elfman score isn't fresh but it is effective. The problem is the script, the focus is split to many directions, there are too many plot lines criss-crossing that none are fully realized. The screenwriting displays a clear lack of confidence in its ideas and seems intimidated by the IP as a result the overall feeling is tepid. There is one really phenomenal sequence when Lydia, as a result of Beetlejuice's magic, rapidly gives birth to a baby Beetlejuice. It is grotesque, funny, and provocative. But that singular scene is the only one where any of the real original magic is recaptured.

Not terrible but not particularly good. Something that seems tailor made for streaming.

Currently in theaters.

Stream It.

'Rebel Ridge' A Review

Rebel Ridge is an action/thriller about a well-meaning veteran who is antagonized by small town police a la First Blood. Terry(Aaron Pierre) is riding his bike into a small southern town in order to post bail for his cousin but is run off the road by a cop and has the bail money seized via civil forfeiture. He befriends local county employee Summer(AnnaSophia Robb) who attempts to help him but is further antagonized by the police chief Burnne(Don Johnson). The situation escalates.

Pierre gives a memorable, assured, star-making performance. Constantly cool, almost serene, he kind of plays against the action with a calmness which just serves to draw the situations in further relief as well as punctuates the actions when it does erupt. Robb brings some needed emotional depth and has good chemistry with Pierre, Johnson is delicious as the small town despot even if its something we've seen him do before. The supporting cast is all solid, James Cromwell shows up for a couple minutes, overall just a some good casting all around, a testament that no huge stars are needed to make a good marketable film.

Visually sharp, tightly paced, a thrumming/droning score all serve to set the scene and ratchet up the tension. The action, when it comes, feels real and visceral and has a messiness to it. The danger Terry is in and skirts for much of the film we feel. It is a impeccably, deliciously made film. From a craft stand point writer/director Jeremy Saulnier is totally in control. His screenwriting maybe not as taut. There are some big ideas presented- racism, policing, cash bail, civil forfeiture, addiction- and they certainly solicit discussion after but none are totally followed through on within the film, there are themes but no message. And that's mostly A-O-K as this is a very fun action film. Even if it is somewhat derivative in some ways it is refreshing how original it feels given the glut of IP. 

The biggest issue is, of course, the fact this was released straight to streaming. This would have made $75 million at the box office if not more and still seen great streaming numbers when it came to it, the fact Netflix still has no real theatrical distribution model or deal is increasingly dumb even from the most base capitalist perspective.

An intense, rhythmic, adult action thriller that makes you think but not too much.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

See It.

Alaska

Perhaps its fitting
it was so difficult
'The Last Frontier'
and all that
we saw beautiful sights
even if their access was constrained
we experienced the wilderness
even if it was extreme
we navigated hordes of tourists
the tourist prices, the tourist traps
the exclusive tours
the prevailing and seemingly inevitable plague of unsalted food
the ever-present Boomer niggling
we endured it all
and had our adventure.

Denali II

Last day in Denali. Its been challenging, highs and lows, but an adventure. Can't say I'd recommend the trip honestly just because of the cost/benefit. There are similar places in the continental 48 that you can experience for 1/2 the price with more accessibility and without Alaska's libertarian culture/infrastructure. Not a bad experience, Nicole and I had a great time and saw some amazing things, but certainly a more complicated one than we were expecting. For visitors Alaska seems most appropriate for either backpackers looking to spend multiple days/weeks camping or rich people who can afford various guided tours and to charter planes.

Ended our time with a visit to the sled dogs, cool and cute!

The Walk

When the first bus was full
I knew we were in trouble
when the second bus was full
I saw my wife transform
already depleted she retreated
to survey the reservoirs of her strength
what appeared empty was in fact only a single chamber
she opened a door to the next, a basement
and took energy from there
we continued to walk

Denali

In Denali the rest of our time here. There's only a single road access to the park and not a ton of established trails. A big thing here is just hiking out into the bush, there's a bus system that takes you farther than you can drive and you hop-on/hop-off to explore. An interesting idea but the bulk of the guests here are retirees or international visitors both groups seemingly ill prepared for the conditions and terrain. Beautiful but logistically a bit complicated and relatively difficult to get away from crowds and experience the park in some solitude.

'Pristine Wilderness'

What they call nature

that can't be exploited

not because of law

or moral fortitude

simply because

it is too costly

to get at

Kenai Fjords

Nicole and I are on our yearly National Parks trip, this time in Alaska, going to Kenai Fjords and Denali. First stop is Seward which is basically within Kenai Fjords NP. Mostly nice little tourist town.

Our first full day we did the only hike they really have here up to Exit Glacier, a lot of it is inaccessible except for backcountry backpacking. Pretty intense hike, relatively severe elevation gain.

Beautiful but very demanding hike.

Our second day we took a boat tour, saw some Orcas, sea otters, sea lions, tons of birds. Really cool.

The best part was to get up close and personal with Holgate Glacier.

Exit Glacier

There is a funerary feeling

as we ascend

to pay our respect

the remanence of the ice

all around us

in swaths of rubble

and dirt tracks

even in its diminished state

it is formidable

grand, implacable

it is gracious

as it bleeds