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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest episode of Star Trek: Lower Decks, and the novels Red Dragon, and The Silence Of The Lambs.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice is an undisputed movie classic.
Now.
Back when it was released? Very much disputed. It got plenty of good reviews at the time, but its reception was also mixed. Because it (like all Tim Burton films) was an utter narrative mess. It had a TON of charms that made you forgive and overlook that fact in a way I was never able to for Burton's Batman films, but the film was a helluva lot of flash with minimal substance.
I don't reflexively cringe at the idea of a sequel for that reason. Especially because this sequel is an utter mess too. The script and dialogue seem a little firmer this time out, but both the false endings, and the fact that the much-hyped subplot about Beetlejuice's ex-wife went absolutely NOWHERE, means this IS that movie's sequel in both name and spirit.
There's plenty of good and bad to talk about. One bad thing I didn't like was how much of a sap Lydia was portrayed as regarding Rory. Teenage Lydia wasn't precisely a feminist icon in the 1980's, but she was Goth, did her own thing, and marched to the beat of her own drummer. And her superpower was calling out bullshit. How terrible is it that the adult version has so much of it shoveled at her in all directions and is never once able to recognize it as such?
I have heard interviews with the producers saying that Beetlejuice really only works as the villain in the movies. And I guess I question that because as much dread as he instills in Lydia, I never understood why. He's a goofball that Lydia ran rings around in the first movie, and he was pretty easily out-lawyered at the end here too. I'm not saying the producers are wrong that Beetlejuice is as at his best as a villain. But he never once inspired the level of terror in ME that he did in Lydia. Also, he's useful and helpful in places. He's not the Big Bad the producers think he is.
Astrid's romance with the ghost who turned out to be a serial killer was sort of a double surprise in both twists. I thought having the rug pulled out from under us TWICE was a neat trick.
I know WHY Charles Deetz can't ever come back, but this was perhaps the most painful movie "recasting" of an actor since George McFly in Back To The Future: Part II. I honestly would have been perfectly happy if we never saw his ghost or learned how and why he died.
I kept an open mind for the film and I enjoyed it. However I do need to point out something about the original Beetlejuice, that has stuck with me for decades, and was very much on my mind watching this film. I'm not going to suggest this film used Beetlejuice too much, but Beetlejuice was a VERY unique fictional character. A specific kind that I could probably count similar examples of on one hand. Beetlejuice in the original film was a perfect fictional character. No exaggeration. The movie had weak points, and God know Michael Keaton has had career weak points, but the interesting and unique thing about Beetlejuice the character is that every second he is on screen is purely perfect. Perfectly written, and perfectly acted on every level. I don't like setting too high of expectations for sequels as a rule, but I knew if I didn't find Beetlejuice pitch perfect in absolutely every scene, that would disappoint me.
I was a little disappointed at points. Maybe he doesn't make the same impact 30 years later (unlikely) or maybe he's simply in the movie a little too much (probable). But Beetlejuice was great, but not pitch-perfect 100% of the time. And again, 100% perfection is not exactly a fair metric. But Beetlejuice was SUCH a rare character for that specific reason that I was rooting for lightning to strike twice there. Keaton was good. But there was a little too much of him to be as special as he was in the first film.
Interesting that the Maitlands "moved on" due to a "loophole". It's good because you can overlook Michael Keaton aging 30 years because of his decaying make-up. You wouldn't be able to do the same thing for Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis.
I cannot overstate how annoying those false dream sequence endings were. They weren't even funny, so it was adding confusing for no reason.
But honestly I think the reason I liked the movie and will be giving it a good review is because sometimes it's nice to get an update about characters you haven't seen in 30 years. Sometimes that's all a sequel really needs to be able to deliver. And it did that. And I liked it for that. ****.
Star Trek: Lower Decks "Of Gods And Angles"
I thought Squaran was pretty cute, but I wasn't digging the rest of the episode.
The "mystery" was predictable, and Olly is kind of annoying. It's sort of cool to bring back the Demigods from The Original Series, but "Who Mourns For Adonis?" is a pretty shitty episode.
I'm wondering how the fuck T'Ana ever became a doctor.
This was very well-received among fans but it left me a bit cold. **1/2.
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
I will be reading and reviewing the first two books in the Hannibal Lecter series. Won't be reading the last two. No interest in them.
I think this is a very good procedural novel. Harris has the technical details of forensic and crime scene investigation down to a science. Hannibal Lecter is barely in the novel and that fact makes him MORE memorable, not less.
All that being said, I feel like it runs out of gas once Francis Dolarhyde fakes his suicide. Him popping up at the end felt so unrealistic and unearned, but it's not like the supposed suicide wasn't already unsatisfying.
I think the most interesting thing in the book starts halfway through: Francis' romance with Reba. Dolarhyde is such a pure monster before it, and when he eats the Red Dragon picture but leaves the women alive at the museum Will probably had it right when suggesting he was trying to stop. And it's kind of amazing Reba brought that about after reading his unrepentant letter to Lecter.
Honestly, the scene of her being allowed to touch the tiger was amazing, and made me like Dolarhyde in spite of everything. In the end, he couldn't overcome the voice in his head or the demon on his back. But it's interesting that this woman made him WANT to. And even more interesting how terrified and conflicted it made him.
Also props to Harris for having her survive the book.
Freddie Lounds noting that Graham's hand on the shoulder during the photo was a set-up is interesting. Because I think it's true. That's what bothers Graham too.
Lecter printing Graham's home address in code in the Tattler for the Tooth Fairy to read shows exactly how dangerous and duplicitous Hannibal Lecter really is. And we didn't have to see him wearing anyone else's face to realize it.
So many people have called this a horror classic but I won't go that far. But it's a solid read. The ending could have been stronger but the book was mostly successful otherwise. ****.
The Silence Of The Lambs by Thomas Harris
I liked it a bit more than Red Dragon although the transphobic elements are beyond problematic.
What I notice most is how faithful the movie apparently was. That is a very rare thing, especially when one has seen the movie first.
Chilton is SUCH a bastard in the book that I think the most major thing changed, Lecter getting ready to kill him at the end of the film, would have been nice in the book. Lecter giving a final phone call to Clarice in the movie also feels a bit more satisfying than the letter he writes here.
I think the film was heady Oscar-bait. And the book seems a little more standard as far as thrillers go. I find it interesting Jonathan Demme read it and not only constructed a prestige picture out of it, but changed very little when doing so.
I have to say Clarice's exchanges with Lecter about her childhood and the screaming of the lambs are the ONE thing in the book that elevates it beyond hard-boiled crime fiction. I can totally see Demme reading that scene and imagining the amazing performances he could get out of it.
Unlike both the films and the Clarice TV series, we get an unhappy update on Will Graham. He's still alive, in Florida, and a drunk. Still with Molly? The book doesn't say but I hope so. In all other media besides the Hannibal TV show Will Graham simply seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth. This is why we prefer books.
I've heard what happens in the book "Hannibal", which is why although I'll praise this book, it needs to be a bit measured. It's also why this is my stopping point for the saga.
But yes, this book itself was mostly excellent. ****1/2.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice is an undisputed movie classic.
Now.
Back when it was released? Very much disputed. It got plenty of good reviews at the time, but its reception was also mixed. Because it (like all Tim Burton films) was an utter narrative mess. It had a TON of charms that made you forgive and overlook that fact in a way I was never able to for Burton's Batman films, but the film was a helluva lot of flash with minimal substance.
I don't reflexively cringe at the idea of a sequel for that reason. Especially because this sequel is an utter mess too. The script and dialogue seem a little firmer this time out, but both the false endings, and the fact that the much-hyped subplot about Beetlejuice's ex-wife went absolutely NOWHERE, means this IS that movie's sequel in both name and spirit.
There's plenty of good and bad to talk about. One bad thing I didn't like was how much of a sap Lydia was portrayed as regarding Rory. Teenage Lydia wasn't precisely a feminist icon in the 1980's, but she was Goth, did her own thing, and marched to the beat of her own drummer. And her superpower was calling out bullshit. How terrible is it that the adult version has so much of it shoveled at her in all directions and is never once able to recognize it as such?
I have heard interviews with the producers saying that Beetlejuice really only works as the villain in the movies. And I guess I question that because as much dread as he instills in Lydia, I never understood why. He's a goofball that Lydia ran rings around in the first movie, and he was pretty easily out-lawyered at the end here too. I'm not saying the producers are wrong that Beetlejuice is as at his best as a villain. But he never once inspired the level of terror in ME that he did in Lydia. Also, he's useful and helpful in places. He's not the Big Bad the producers think he is.
Astrid's romance with the ghost who turned out to be a serial killer was sort of a double surprise in both twists. I thought having the rug pulled out from under us TWICE was a neat trick.
I know WHY Charles Deetz can't ever come back, but this was perhaps the most painful movie "recasting" of an actor since George McFly in Back To The Future: Part II. I honestly would have been perfectly happy if we never saw his ghost or learned how and why he died.
I kept an open mind for the film and I enjoyed it. However I do need to point out something about the original Beetlejuice, that has stuck with me for decades, and was very much on my mind watching this film. I'm not going to suggest this film used Beetlejuice too much, but Beetlejuice was a VERY unique fictional character. A specific kind that I could probably count similar examples of on one hand. Beetlejuice in the original film was a perfect fictional character. No exaggeration. The movie had weak points, and God know Michael Keaton has had career weak points, but the interesting and unique thing about Beetlejuice the character is that every second he is on screen is purely perfect. Perfectly written, and perfectly acted on every level. I don't like setting too high of expectations for sequels as a rule, but I knew if I didn't find Beetlejuice pitch perfect in absolutely every scene, that would disappoint me.
I was a little disappointed at points. Maybe he doesn't make the same impact 30 years later (unlikely) or maybe he's simply in the movie a little too much (probable). But Beetlejuice was great, but not pitch-perfect 100% of the time. And again, 100% perfection is not exactly a fair metric. But Beetlejuice was SUCH a rare character for that specific reason that I was rooting for lightning to strike twice there. Keaton was good. But there was a little too much of him to be as special as he was in the first film.
Interesting that the Maitlands "moved on" due to a "loophole". It's good because you can overlook Michael Keaton aging 30 years because of his decaying make-up. You wouldn't be able to do the same thing for Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis.
I cannot overstate how annoying those false dream sequence endings were. They weren't even funny, so it was adding confusing for no reason.
But honestly I think the reason I liked the movie and will be giving it a good review is because sometimes it's nice to get an update about characters you haven't seen in 30 years. Sometimes that's all a sequel really needs to be able to deliver. And it did that. And I liked it for that. ****.
Star Trek: Lower Decks "Of Gods And Angles"
I thought Squaran was pretty cute, but I wasn't digging the rest of the episode.
The "mystery" was predictable, and Olly is kind of annoying. It's sort of cool to bring back the Demigods from The Original Series, but "Who Mourns For Adonis?" is a pretty shitty episode.
I'm wondering how the fuck T'Ana ever became a doctor.
This was very well-received among fans but it left me a bit cold. **1/2.
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
I will be reading and reviewing the first two books in the Hannibal Lecter series. Won't be reading the last two. No interest in them.
I think this is a very good procedural novel. Harris has the technical details of forensic and crime scene investigation down to a science. Hannibal Lecter is barely in the novel and that fact makes him MORE memorable, not less.
All that being said, I feel like it runs out of gas once Francis Dolarhyde fakes his suicide. Him popping up at the end felt so unrealistic and unearned, but it's not like the supposed suicide wasn't already unsatisfying.
I think the most interesting thing in the book starts halfway through: Francis' romance with Reba. Dolarhyde is such a pure monster before it, and when he eats the Red Dragon picture but leaves the women alive at the museum Will probably had it right when suggesting he was trying to stop. And it's kind of amazing Reba brought that about after reading his unrepentant letter to Lecter.
Honestly, the scene of her being allowed to touch the tiger was amazing, and made me like Dolarhyde in spite of everything. In the end, he couldn't overcome the voice in his head or the demon on his back. But it's interesting that this woman made him WANT to. And even more interesting how terrified and conflicted it made him.
Also props to Harris for having her survive the book.
Freddie Lounds noting that Graham's hand on the shoulder during the photo was a set-up is interesting. Because I think it's true. That's what bothers Graham too.
Lecter printing Graham's home address in code in the Tattler for the Tooth Fairy to read shows exactly how dangerous and duplicitous Hannibal Lecter really is. And we didn't have to see him wearing anyone else's face to realize it.
So many people have called this a horror classic but I won't go that far. But it's a solid read. The ending could have been stronger but the book was mostly successful otherwise. ****.
The Silence Of The Lambs by Thomas Harris
I liked it a bit more than Red Dragon although the transphobic elements are beyond problematic.
What I notice most is how faithful the movie apparently was. That is a very rare thing, especially when one has seen the movie first.
Chilton is SUCH a bastard in the book that I think the most major thing changed, Lecter getting ready to kill him at the end of the film, would have been nice in the book. Lecter giving a final phone call to Clarice in the movie also feels a bit more satisfying than the letter he writes here.
I think the film was heady Oscar-bait. And the book seems a little more standard as far as thrillers go. I find it interesting Jonathan Demme read it and not only constructed a prestige picture out of it, but changed very little when doing so.
I have to say Clarice's exchanges with Lecter about her childhood and the screaming of the lambs are the ONE thing in the book that elevates it beyond hard-boiled crime fiction. I can totally see Demme reading that scene and imagining the amazing performances he could get out of it.
Unlike both the films and the Clarice TV series, we get an unhappy update on Will Graham. He's still alive, in Florida, and a drunk. Still with Molly? The book doesn't say but I hope so. In all other media besides the Hannibal TV show Will Graham simply seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth. This is why we prefer books.
I've heard what happens in the book "Hannibal", which is why although I'll praise this book, it needs to be a bit measured. It's also why this is my stopping point for the saga.
But yes, this book itself was mostly excellent. ****1/2.
