'#SKYKING' A Review

#SKYKING is a documentary about the 2018 Horizon Air Bombardier Q400 incident where ground service agent Richard "Beebo" Russell stole a commercial propliner. Through FAA audio of the incident, talking-head interviews, social media and security footage, and reenactments Beebo's life and his ultimate suicide are explored.

Framed and edited almost like a thriller the movie certainly scratches the True Crime itch and some of the broader themes that motivated and shaped Beebo are investigated- class, race, religion, politics, masculinity- but ultimately drawing any kind of conclusion or pointed commentary is beyond director Patricia Gillespie ability or desire, you can almost see her walking the tightrope of analysis and commercialism and the movie concludes with a kind of dewy sentimentalism. It is startling how minimized just how dangerous this act becomes as the runtime progresses.

Suicide, economics, education, societal expectation these are all deep and complicated themes and the movie and the interview subjects provide periodic insight about Beebo and his broader story. There is justly sorrow here from his family and friends but the perspective they are able to provide(or at least what is shown) is limited and a lot of them(his mom in particular) are still very much in their grief in a way that makes the movie flirt with exploitation.

An investigation of a personal tragedy made public, emblematic of greater social problems(capitalism much?) that in the end fails to clearly state a thesis.

Currently streaming on Hulu.

Rent It.

'Paralyzed By Hope: The Maria Bamford Story' A Review

Paralyzed By Hope: The Maria Bamford Story is a documentary about the life and career of comedian Maria Bamford told through talking-head interviews, archival footage, and snippets of Maria's current life.

She's an incredibly compelling artist who's been very open over the years with her various mental health struggles. It's nice to see, almost a comprehensive retrospective, of her stand-up career as well as inspiring to go through her life's trajectory- family issues, mental health, reconciliation- and all. It doesn't really offer anything beyond what her memoir does(in fact Sure, I'll Join Your Cult is probably more effective and moving coming directly from Bamford) but it is satisfying, well done, insightful, and often really funny.

A pleasing greatest-hits for the Bamford superfan, a great opportunity for more insight for the casual fan, and a good starting point for those who know her face but not her name.

A courageous look at the intersection of life, struggle, and art. Also funny.

Currently still on the festival circuit. Co-director Judd Apatow has sold his last couple documentary projects to HBO so presume it will end up streaming there at some point this year.

See It.

'Devil Wears Prada 2' A Review

Devil Wears Prada 2 is a comedy, a sequel to the 2006 original picking up 20 years after the events of the first film. Andy(Anne Hathaway) is now a successful investigative journalist but she's laid off propelling her once again to work for Miranda(Meryl Streep) as the features editor for Runway in an effort to rebound the brand after a sweatshop scandal. She reunites with fashion editor Nigel(Stanley Tucci) and former frenemy Emily(Emily Blunt) now working for Dior as well as some new faces.

Streep slips back into Miranda like a glove and it's delicious to see her return here with the same prickliness and professionalism but also a kind of put-upon bafflement about developments in the culture. Hathaway too seems effortless in getting back into the character after 20 years, she's funny, she's relatable, she's a bit more competent than she was in the original and her chemistry with Streep(and Blunt and Tucci) is wonderful. It's great to see Blunt and Tucci back in their roles. Overall it's just really nice and fun and compelling to see the core four return to their roles(even if the plotting has a couple problems) this is perhaps the most successful legacy sequel to-date in recalling the original and providing and equally(if somewhat too similar) experience. Tracie Thoms doesn't have a tone of screen time but it's great to see her back too. The new supporting cast are mostly all wonderful- Caleb Hearon, Helen J. Shen, Rachel Bloom, and Simone Ashley are all wonderful, it's incredible to see Lucy Liu although she was clearly only on set for a day or two. The downsides are B. J. Novak who is miscast and just doesn't make much of an impression and Patrick Brammall as Andy's love interest who isn't particularly interesting and whose inclusion seems more obligator than anything else. Justin Theroux as a Jeff Bezos stand-in is pretty funny and biting but not altogether successful.

Filmed, seemingly, mostly on location in the NYC area as well as in Milan the production design is pitch perfect and evocative, it feels like real places that real humans exist in. And the costume and set design are beautiful bordering on transcendent, if nothing else it's worth a watch just for the outfits.

The plotting is a bit hit or miss and needlessly retreads the outline of the original. It doesn't really track that Andy as a 40 year old and 20 year veteran journalist would transform into the bumbling aw-shucks kid she was in the original(but that's kinda part of her arc). Some of the conflict in the last third is needlessly complicated and feels somewhat contrived. Blunt has a heel turn that feels pretty silly. None of it is particularly egregious but the result all taken together is that the movie's momentum suffers, this is a near perfect 100 minute movie that is 120 minutes. Nonetheless entertaining.

A standout legacy sequel with a great cast energized to return and, no surprise, inspired costuming.

Currently in theaters.

See It.

A Pledge

May I never be certain
may I always question
and imagine

may age nor experience

calcify me

to wonder

and discovery

may I always be fluid

and changeable

pliant

to life's challenges

'Apex' A Review

Apex is an action/thriller about adrenaline junkie Sasha(Charlize Theron), the movie opens with a prologue where her and her husband Tommy(Eric Bana) are climbing the Troll Wall in Norway and he tragically dies. Five months later she is taking a solo trip in Wandarra National Park in Australia. She's warned by the ranger there have been multiple disappearances in the area and she meets a couple locals who are slaveringly psychotic but she's gotta kayak! One of the seemingly nice locals Ben(Taron Egerton) gives her a tip about the best(and secret) place to enter the park. But of course Ben is not a good boy, he is in fact a disturbed cannibal with mommy issues, and what quickly gets going is part Most Dangerous Game part Deliverance.

Theron is one of our greatest living movie stars, she's got a facility for emotion and a dynamic physical presence. But here she doesn't have much room to operate, she never really gets to open up and kick ass, the action is mostly calisthenic(she runs, climbs, kayaks, swims) which she's great at and it looks great but overall the character is overly thin and there's not enough compelling action to keep interest. Egerton goes delightfully big, a little dance sequence that starts off the chase is really fun and weird. So there's some energy to the performance but over time it just kind of peters out. In both cases the talent of the actors outstrips the script relatively quickly.

Visually the movie is incredibly uneven, some great on location shots, some decent studio shots, and some stunningly bad and obvious CG. It's part-and-parcel with the script- tonally confused. It can't quite decide if it wants to be pure action, can't quite decide how much it wants to delve into the emotional context of either Sasha or Ben, the fact they just don't kill one another at multiple points doesn't really track, and just overall it has the kind of patina of Netflix algorithmic compromise about it.

Theron and Egerton put forth incredible effort to make this barely compelling.

Currently streaming on Netflix.

Stream It.

What do you say to the grieving?

Any condolences
however well meaning

are insufficient

fall like platitudes

ineffective

however true

listening and companionship

offer solace

it is in the sharing

and speaking of grief

that allows catharsis

and eventually

perhaps

healing

Old-growth

I walk the forest
by deference of the trees
the pine needle covered trail
a benign welcome

Through its honest efficacy

do I learn simplicity

in its ordinary pleasures

(a flower, a butterfly, a plodding box turtle)

do I learn gratitude.