PLOT: An undead monster is resurrected in the remote wilderness and goes on a rampage.
REVIEW: Stop me if any of this sounds familiar: an undead monster wearing a mask, partying teens getting slashed, and creepy urban legends coming to life. Indeed, director Chris Nash’s In A Violent Nature is unabashedly a slasher film, but it’s distinguished by its unique perspective. Basically, the entire film is shown from the killer’s point of view. The camera very rarely leaves his POV from the time he is resurrected, showing him walking confusedly through the woods, finding victims, killing them grotesquely, and moving on.
Through it all, Nash mixes techniques, shooting the film in a minimalist art-house style (complete with the now pretentious 1:33:1 aspect ratio) until switching to maximalist gore for some (but not all) of the kills. That means the film often has minimal dialogue as we spend a not insignificant amount of time following the killer as he walks through the woods towards whatever noises he hears in the distance. One could imagine the intention might have been to answer a question like “What would it look like if Terrence Malick directed a horror film?” but at times, it was almost like watching a video game. The way we observe the monster (from the back) is just like in a video game, and the style occasionally grows tedious.
Another drawback to the style is that In A Violent Nature is never scary. The reason is that by putting the audience in the shoes of the killer, we know exactly when and where he’s going to strike. Nash compensates for this by making some of the kills extra gnarly, with one extreme evisceration on a clifftop being especially potent.
Like in other slasher movies, the kills lack impact due to the fact that we never really get to know the victims, as we’re never in their perspective. They’re all deliberately written thinly, with our “final girl” (Andrea Pavlovic) in a toxic relationship with the bullying Troy (Liam Leone), while her friend Colt (Cameron Love) pines for her. There’s also a park ranger (Reece Presley) who has some experience with the monster and tries to save the day – again it’s an intentionally familiar trope. But, the real star of the movie is Ry Barrett’s silent slasher, who’s hulking and, occasionally, gets some grace notes that tease a certain degree of innocence from a monster who, like many others, doesn’t understand his own bloodlust.
Through it all, Nash keeps the film stylish with excellent cinematography by DP Pierce Derks, who uses the Northern Ontario Wilderness to great effect. It has an interesting use of music, with it all being diegetic, in keeping with the vibe. It’s also proudly Canadian, which is doubly effective as many of the great slashers from the early eighties, such as Prom Night and My Bloody Valentine came from here.
In the end, Nash has made an arthouse slasher film, which is an interesting contrast to the old-school blood and guts of the Terrifier series. It’ll be interesting to see how hardcore genre fans react once it makes its debut on Shudder, although it’s probably more effective on the big screen, given how immersive an experience Nash is aiming for. It doesn’t always work, but it’s still an interesting watch.
If you know JoBlo, you know that we love us some 80s action. And it’s hard to even think of the genre without thinking of Mr. Dolph Lundgren. I can’t even see Dolph without having the mental image of the man saying, “I must break you,” come to the forefront of my mind. He’s an absolute legend, so it’s nice to see him get back behind the camera for Wanted Man. While the movie feels a bit familiar, I appreciated how much Dolph was willing to make his character look ugly. He’s got plenty of flaws, and that’s something that’s usually missing from the leads of these action ventures.
But we didn’t just talk Wanted Man, as I’m a huge It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia fan and, anyone who watches the show knows that Dolph is something of a legend on it. He even appeared in a brief role in Season 14. So I, of course, HAD to ask about his experience and if he was aware before appearing on the show himself. In regards to the Drago spinoff, Dolph seems rather optimistic. We went over where that project is currently at and the path he’d like to see Ivan go down. This was a great talk, so be sure to check it out!
Wanted Man plot synopsis:
Johansen (Lundgren) is an aging detective, whose outdated policing methods have given the department a recent public relations problem. To save his job, he is sent to Mexico to extradite a female witness (Villa) to the murders of two DEA agents. Once there, he finds not only his old opinions challenged, but that bad hombres on both sides of the border are now gunning for him and his witness.
WANTED MAN IS IN THEATERS AND ON DEMAND/DIGITAL ON JANUARY 19TH, 2023.
Christopher Nolan has had the unique distinction of being an auteur who makes heady films with deep themes, but they are also big-budget films with commercial appeal. After tackling an over-the-top concept with the divisive action-thriller Tenet, Nolan has made what has been arguably his most talked-about film since The Dark Knight with Oppenheimer. While many attribute a lot of its success to being part of the Barbenheimer phenomenon, the movie has had its own merits that gave it it’s own time in the spotlight, from IMAX film showings to Cillian Murphy‘s Academy Award-nominated performance.
Nolan is one who isn’t trivializing this recognition as even someone like him tries not to jinx his chances of winning the biggest awards of the Oscars, “Don’t take it as being blase. We just didn’t want to jinx anything. Watching the nominations was more than our nerves could take so we just had a restless night and slept through.” Nolan speaks to the Associated Press about the whopping 13 nominations his latest effort has garnered. Nolan tries to deconstruct how this project blew up (pun intended) so well with audiences, “It’s always a tricky thing to try to analyze the zeitgeist or analyze success. We were really interested and excited, in particular, to see young people responding to a piece of history. I keep coming back to the unique nature of the story. I think it is one of the great American stories. It encompasses so much that’s important and dramatic about our history. That gives audiences a lot to hang to, when you get a great group of actors and incredible cast like we have, you can make this feel real and emotionally accessible. That’s as far as I can analyze its success. Beyond that, sometimes you catch a wave and it’s a wonderful and unique thing.”
As successful as Nolan has been, and with his past movies consistently receiving praise from critics and audiences, this is the first real love fest he’s gotten from industry awards factions since Dunkirk. In fact, it was the crossover appeal of The Dark Knight that a push was made for the academy to start expanding to certain genre pictures and instituted an expanded Best Picture palette. When asked if Nolan and his wife, and producing partner, Emma Thomas, feel more confident this year, Nolan replies, “I think the breadth of recognition that we woke up to this morning is something we haven’t experienced before, and it’s really thrilling for us. It’s a very unique feeling to see in academy recognizing all different aspects of the film, from the performances to the technical achievement of the film. I mean, I grew up watching the Academy Awards. It’s the pinnacle of sort of the recognition of your peers.”
The second season of Marvel’s animated series What If…? (read our review HERE) was just released through the Disney+ streaming service over the last days of December, but Marvel Studios has already started building the hype for the third season of the show, sharing the first images from What If…? season 3 on social media. You can check them out at the bottom of this article. A premiere date for season 3 has not yet been announced.
Marvel’s What If…? season 2 has the following synopsis: The Watcher continues the journey as our guide through the vast multiverse, introducing brand-new and familiar faces throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The animated anthology series questions, revisits and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments with an incredible voice cast that includes a host of stars who reprise their iconic roles.
The first season of the show consisted of these episodes: What If… Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?, What If… T’Challa Became a Star-Lord?, What If… the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?, What If… Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?, What If… Zombies?!, What If… Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?, What If… Thor Were an Only Child?, What If… Ultron Won?, and What If… the Watcher Broke His Oath?
Here are the questions that were asked (and answered) in the second season: What If… Nebula Joined the Nova Corps?, What If… Peter Quill Attacked Earth’s Mightiest Heroes?, What If… Happy Hogan Saved Christmas?, What If… Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster?, What If… Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper?, What If… Kahhori Reshaped the World?, What If… Hela Found the Ten Rings?, What If… The Avengers Assembled in 1602?, and What If… Strange Supreme Intervened?
We don’t know what topics What If…? season 3 will be covering, but the images let us know the Sam Wilson Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Monica Rambeau, Ant-Man, and what looks to be a young Red Guardian will be involved. There’s also a giant mecha Captain America in there.
What do you think of the What If…? season 3 images? Are you looking forward to the next season of this show? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
From all of us at Marvel Studios, THANK YOU for watching season 2 of #WhatIf and joining us on this journey across time…space…reality. We’re excited to share this early look at some of the endless possibilities we’ll explore together in season 3 of What If…? pic.twitter.com/fM6Z17ZnNJ
We have a double header of director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp news to report today. Not only has their ghost story Presence (read our review HERE) secured distribution through Neon, but The Hollywood Reporter has also revealed that they’re re-teaming for a spy thriller called Black Bag, which is set to star Cate Blanchett (Nightmare Alley) and Michael Fassbender (The Killer).
Soderbergh and Koepp are currently seeking financing and distribution for Black Bag, with the project having gone out to studios and streamers last week. If one of the studios and streamers decided to pick up the project, that hasn’t been reported yet. They better move quickly, because Soderbergh is hoping to get this film into production in May.
Filming is expected to take place in London, and so far the only thing that has been revealed about the film’s story is that it “is known to be set in the UK.”
Casey Silver and Greg Jacobs are producing Black Bag.
As The Hollywood Reporter pointed out, Soderbergh and Blanchett previously worked together on his 2006 noir thriller The Good German. Blanchett also had a role in the film Ocean’s 8, which is part of Soderbergh’s Ocean’s 11 franchise. Soderbergh produced Ocean’s 8, but didn’t direct that one. He and Fassbender previously worked together on his 2011 action thriller Haywire. And in addition to collaborating on Presence, Soderbergh and Koepp also worked together on the 2022 thriller Kimi.
Kimi told the following story: A tech worker with agoraphobia discovers recorded evidence of a violent crime, but is met with resistance when she tries to report it. Seeking justice, she must do the thing she fears the most: she must leave her apartment.
Here’s the synopsis for Presence: A family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they are not alone. A supernatural force has infiltrated the house, and taken a specific interest in the couple’s daughter.
We’ll have to wait and see what Soderbergh and Koepp have in store for us with Black Bag. We recently learned that Koepp – who wrote Jurassic Park and the sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park back in the day – is working on a new entry in the Jurassic World franchise. Don’t expect to see Soderbergh’s name attached to that one.
What do you think of Steven Soderbergh, David Koepp, Cate Blanchett, and Michael Fassbender teaming up for Black Bag? Share your thoughts on this spy thriller project by leaving a comment below.
Jonathan Frakes is a long-seasoned veteran of being both behind and in front of the camera. Frakes got to cut his teeth directing on the show that made him a beloved sci-fi character, Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he portrayed Captain Picard‘s second in command, Commander William Riker. Frakes would go on to helm some of the continuing spin-offs of the popular show, as well as the film adaptations. Recently, Frakes got to make a triumphant return as Riker in Star Trek: Picard, but would also direct several episodes.
Deadline now reports that Frakes is set to direct television adaptations of the novel and audiobook series, Deathlands. The novels come from crypto pioneer Jeff Garzik’s indie company, Next Cypher Productions. The show is planning to start production this year and set to begin shooting in Sofia, Bulgaria in the spring. Deadline would get a little detail about the show back in August of 2022. Garzik would go on to describe it as “Mad Max: Fury Road meets Yellowjackets in an epic post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure.”
Mark A. Altman, whose past projects include Pandora and Agent X, will be on board as the showrunner and executive producer. Thomas P. Vitale, known for Slasher and 57 Seconds, will be joining with Garzik as executive producers on the series. Christine Sheaks, whose resume includes titles like Boogie Nights and Fargo, will be handling global casting efforts.
Frakes would comment about his excitement to take on the project, “One of the things that I find so compelling about Deathlands is that it’s a series about hope and the chance to build a better world. I’m excited about the opportunity to bring this show, combining feature level action and compelling character drama, to the world.”
Executive Producer, Mark A. Altman, remarks, “With a series that is gritty, suspenseful, and action-packed, with a sense of hope, romance, and resilience in the face of adversity, I cannot imagine anyone better to bring Deathlands to the screen than visionary director, Jonathan Frakes. I couldn’t be more thrilled to have him onboard to ensure the series will be appointment television for viewers everywhere.”
Romance. Adventure. Bickering. Mudslides. Alligators are ready to devour you at a moment’s notice. This is all at the heart of Romancing the Stone – the movie and the production. Before it became a hit with audiences – which took some time itself – the script was developed by a sole waitress…before landing at the feet of an Oscar winner before bouncing between studios before finding itself the victim of poor press before a miraculous recovery at the box office. With additional backstories of mended feuds, career skyrocketing, and tragic deaths, it reads like something out of a book – not those trashy paperbacks but almost something even more unbelievable: the making of Romancing the Stone.
So let’s find out: WTF Happened to this movie?!
Romancing the Stone began where so many romances do: a diner! It was while working as a waitress in Malibu, California, in the late ‘70s that a then-unknown named Diane Thomas began writing her first screenplay, using extra time outside of Alice’s Restaurant to pen what would become Romancing the Stone, a sort of Raiders of the Lost Ark meets Danielle Steel. She shopped it immediately, with the script selling for $250,000 thanks to Michael Douglas, who had enough belief in the script and Thomas to want to put down such a large sum for a first-time screenwriter. As Douglas said, “I remember being criticized for paying so much money for a first-time screenwriter…I said, ‘Well, I don’t care if it was the first or the tenth time. If the material is good, then the material finds its own value.’”
He would also gift her a Porsche as recognition for her work. “It just had a spontaneity about the writing…She was not cautious. The script had a wonderful spirit about it – there was a total lackof fear to the writing. It worked.” Douglas also recruited director Robert Zemeckis because he wanted the energy of something like Used Cars, his second film after I Wanna Hold Your Hand.
A number of names circled the role, with Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Jack Nicholson, and Christopher Reeve all considered. Even closer was Sylvester Stallone, who opted to do Rhinestone instead (yikes!). And so in stepped Douglas himself to play bird smuggler Jack T. Colton, who the studio didn’t want because he wasn’t yet a star – despite a Best Picture Oscar for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and a lead on The Streets of San Francisco.
Next came the role of romance novelist Joan Wilder. The role would originally go to Debra Winger (An Officer and a Gentleman, Terms of Endearment), but apparently bit Douglas after a night of slinging tequila. As Douglas recalled, “I break down intears and say, ‘I can’t go to the jungle with her – she bit me on the arm! I can’t do it – it’s not worth it!’ So they said, ‘OK, all right.’” And so the role went to Kathleen Turner, who made her sexy debut in Body Heat and showed her comedic chops in The Man With Two Brains. She also thought she fit in because she felt like a tomboy.
The only other key role–of smuggler Ralph–would go to Danny DeVito, who was Douglas’roommate in the ‘60s. Because of DeVito’s presence, more was added to the script to help flesh out his character. Word is that Bob Hoskins was offered the role, but Zemeckis would work with him later on in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
With the cast and director lined up, filming could begin on Romancing the Stone…But it wouldn’t begin in Colombia, where the movie was set, as the locale was nixed due to the ongoing drug trade and high murder rate. And so production set south to Mexico, with various locations in Mexico, including various locations in Veracruz (standing in for Cartagena) such as Tonayán and the Texolo Waterfall, Huasca de Ocampo in Hidalgo, Mexico City’s Zócalo, and the state of Durango. The destroyed bridge was an actual one that fell victim to an earthquake just outside of Xalapa, while the opening sequence was shot back in the States in Zion National Park. In addition to providing accurate enough stand-ins for Colombia, the locations allowed for isolation from the studio, who couldn’t come to the set and check in every day.
As with so many erected in foreign lands, the production had its ups and downs; even Douglas remembered it being “tremendously difficult to make”. The cast and crew were hit with extreme rain and mudslides, one of which left Turner with countless stitches. Douglas, too, had a run-in with nature when he was struck by an alligator’s tail (thankfully, the creature had its jaws wired shut). The alligator also attacked a trainer, taking him underwater by his hand; thankfully, his hand was saved after a hospital visit–and don’t worry, his Rolex was rescued as well.
Zemeckis had plenty of issues with the terrain, saying, “It was very, very tough…When the movie was over, I told my agent who gave me the script…if another script ever comes across your desk with a slug line that says ‘Exterior. Jungle. Night. Rain.’Never send it to me.”
He would clash with Kathleen Turner as well, with the actress recalling her director: “I remember terrible arguments doing Romancing. He’s a film school grad, fascinated by cameras and effects. I never felt that he knew what I was having to do to adjust my acting to some of his damn cameras — sometimes, he puts you in ridiculous postures. I’d say, ‘This is not helping me! This is not the way I like to work, thank you!” (Turner and Zemeckis mended their strife a few years later when the director cast her in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, voicing the sultry Jessica Rabbit.) Turner would have far better chemistry with Douglas, with rumors spreading that their romance may have spilled offscreen as well…
As production neared its end, Zemeckis hired Alan Silvestri to record a temp score–but Zemeckis loved his work so much that he kept it, marking the duo’s first pairing. And they have worked together on every one of Zemeckis’s films since!
It was now time for a test screening with the studio, particularly a crowd mostly comprised of execs. But their notes were fairly tame, with some revolving around developing Turner’s character more. Really, this was the best Zemeckis and company could get, considering there had been word that the production and Zemeckis were out of control.
How bad was the word of mouth from Mexico? Zemeckis–who was actually attached to direct right after–was fired from Cocoon while making Stone because Fox had so little faith in his romance adventure. Of course, following all of the buzz that eventually surrounded Stone, Fox invited him back…which he promptly declined. Cocoon would end up with Ron Howard, while Stone’s eventual success would land Zemeckis Back to the Future at Universal.
Romancing the Stone opened to $5.1 million on March 30th, 1984, at a weak #4, behind Police Academy, Greystoke, and Splash. It would peak at #2 in its fifth week, still behind Police Academy. But, not unlike Turner, it would prove to have some serious legs, taking in $76.6 million during its domestic run and a total worldwide haul of $115 million. That made it the 10th highest-grossing movie of the year domestically–trailing fares like Beverly Hills Cop, Star Trek III, and Terms of Endearment–and the fifth highest-grossing worldwide release of 1984 (not including IMAX’s Grand Canyon short), behind Gremlins, Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop, and that year’s top earner, Temple of Doom.
It would go on to be nominated for the Best Editing Oscar. At the same time, Kathleen Turner took home theGolden Globe for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy (Turner was also a LAFCA winner) and BestMotion Picture – Musical or Comedy, beating out major players like Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, and Splash (and whatever the hell Micki & Maude is). Diane Thomas, meanwhile, earned a WGA nomination for what would be her only published screenplay.
Tragically, in October 1985, Diane Thomas was the victim of a drinking and driving accident when the Porsche her boyfriend was driving hit a pole at 80 mph, just 15 miles from the restaurant she was working in when she wrote Romancing the Stone. It was the same Porsche that Michael Douglas gave her as a gift for writing such a brilliant script. Thomas was well on her way to being one of the most desired scribes in Hollywood, landing a job at Steven Spielberg’s Amblin, where she worked on Always and even a third, discarded Indiana Jones outing. Sadly, we’ll never know what she would have brought to movies after her heralded debut.
With Romancing the Stone proving to be a success, Fox greenlit a sequel for the next year: Jewel of the Nile. But a gem it was not: the budget doubled, Zemeckis had stepped aside for Cujo’s Lewis Teague (hey, had his own experience with alligators…), and Diane Thomas only did doctoring on the script. And Kathleen Turner hated this, saying of the script: “What had happened was that Romancing was so successful that Diane, who wrote the original script, evidently asked Michael for what he felt was a ridiculous sum to work on the sequel. So, instead, he went with these two guys, and what they came up with was terrible, formulaic, sentimental.” She and Douglas would reportedly swap script pages so they would at least like what they were reading. Turner herself tried to get out of the movie, but contractual obligations–and a $25 million lawsuit–forced her to stay on board. Jewel of the Nile grossed nearly identical numbers but was far less well-received than Romancing the Stone.
A third movie in the series, The Crimson Eagle–which would have continued the exploit of Jack and Joan, in addition to their teenage children, in Thailand–never moved forward. And the series remained placid until 2008 when Douglas announced the India-set Racing the Monsoon, which would have starred himself alongside his wife Catherine Zeta-Jones. Douglas said, “We will take our kids, and all of us will come there, set up camp in India, and shoot a film.” Oh, come on, Michael, this is Adam Sandler’s gimmick! Instead of an official third entry, fans would see Douglas, Turner, and DeVito reunite in 1989’s War of the Roses, with DeVito directing.
Not surprisingly, a television remake at NBC was in the works, with Taylor Kitsch or Gerard Butler set to co-star alongside Katherine Heigl. This never got off the ground, but the general concept was brought to the big screen in 2022’s The Lost City, with Channing Tatum and Sandra Bullock (yes, Bullock plays a romance novelist).
A sleeper hit upon release, Romancing the Stone remains a genuine charmer of 1980s cinema, and you probably won’t find too many adults from that generation who didn’t have a fondness for it. Retrospectively, Entertainment Weekly cited it in their case that 1984 was the greatest year in movie history (then again, they named Cannonball Run II, so…). No matter how many great films came out that year, Romancing the Stone is certainly in the discussion of aiding the year as one of the best, with its palpable onscreen chemistry and exciting, thrilling adventures–and come on, who doesn’t love Danny DeVito?
JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray recently got to check out the Sundance Film Festival premiere of director Steven Soderbergh and screenwriter David Koepp’s ghost story Presence, and in his 7/10 review (which you can read HERE), he described the film as “a supernatural tale that’s light on horror but heavy on heart.” A wider audience will have the chance to see the move soon (we assume), as Deadline reports that Neon has picked up the distribution rights to the film. A release date has not yet been announced.
As Deadline notes, “The deal comes 35 years after Soderbergh’s $1 million Sundance deal for sex, lies, & videotape and subsequent Palme d’Or win at Cannes followed by a box office gross of $25 million, helped galvanize independent film into a viable business. It seems poetic he would return with a film for the 40th edition of Sundance, and make a major deal there.” It hasn’t been revealed how much Neon is paying for Presence, but it is known that they came out the winner of a bidding war between “about 10” different interested distributors. So they’re probably forking over “a healthy sum”.
The story of Presence gets rolling when a family moves into a suburban house and becomes convinced they are not alone. A supernatural force has infiltrated the house, and taken a specific interest in the couple’s daughter.
The film stars Lucy Liu, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, Julia Fox, Eddy Maday, and West Mulholland.
Deadline points out that it was “shot entirely in a single location, which creates the haunting mood sought by the filmmakers.” Bumbray’s review informed us that “Soderbergh’s camera is always from the perspective of the presence itself (no one uses the term ghost here), making it an interesting visual exercise. The family is observed from an arm’s length, with us eventually realizing that the presence itself isn’t necessarily malignant, nor is it even aware of why it’s in their home in the first place.”
Julie M. Anderson and Ken Meyer produced Presence, with Koepp serving as an executive producer alongside Corey Bayes. H.H. Cooper co-produced and Gus Gustafson, Samara Levenstein, and Claire Kenny are associate producers.
Are you interested in Presence, and are you glad to hear that it has secured a distribution deal with Neon? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Plot: Based on Donald L. Miller’s book of the same name and scripted by John Orloff, “Masters of the Air” follows the men of the 100th Bomb Group (the “Bloody Hundredth”) as they conduct perilous bombing raids over Nazi Germany and grapple with the frigid conditions, lack of oxygen, and sheer terror of combat conducted at 25,000 feet in the air. Portraying the psychological and emotional price paid by these young men as they helped destroy the horror of Hitler’s Third Reich, is at the heart of “Masters of the Air.” Some were shot down and captured; some were wounded or killed. And some were lucky enough to make it home. Regardless of individual fate, a toll was exacted on them all.
Review: In 2001, Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg produced one of the greatest television series ever. Based on the book by Stephen E. Ambrose, Band of Brothers chronicled the story of Easy Company during World War II. With Hanks serving as writer and director on episodes in the series, the HBO original was a critical and fan favorite. Nine years later, HBO aired The Pacific, chronicling the naval side of World War II. Most of the same writers and directors (minus Hanks) returned for that series, which was met with equal acclaim. Now, Hanks and Spielberg have reunited to produce Masters of the Air, a companion series streaming on AppleTV+ that looks at the aerial prowess of the Bloody Hundredth squadron in the European theatre of France and Germany. With a cast led by Elvis star Austin Butler and The Boys in the Boat star Callum Turner and boasting episodes directed by No Time To Die‘s Cary Fukunaga, Masters of the Air is a thrilling third chapter that is every bit as enthralling as Band of Brothers and just as harrowing as The Pacific.
Masters of the Air predominantly focuses on a core group of airmen led by close friends Major Gale “Buck” Cleven (Austin Butler) and Major John “Bucky” Egan (Callum Turner). The chemistry between Butler and Turner is evident from their first scene. Callum Turner boasts a thin mustache and a flawless American accent, while Butler’s voice is close to his famed Elvis drawl. The two pilots make their way to Europe at different times at the start of the war, interacting with over two dozen main characters. The most notable of these are Anthony Boyle as Harry Crosby, who also narrates the series; Nate Mann as Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal; Barry Keoghan as Lt. Curtis Biddick; Branden Cook as 2nd Lt. Alexander Jefferson, and new Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa as 2nd Lt. Robert Daniels. Where Band of Brothers focused on specific characters in each episode, Masters of the Air balances the main cast as they engage in key battles and raids. Focusing on the Tuskegee Airmen involved in the 110th Bomb Group also offers a unique perspective on American forces during the 1940s.
Each episode clocks in at a full hour and greatly uses the running time. There is no shortage of aerial action in the first episode, with multiple sequences of bomb drops, challenging landings, and dogfights. The special effects work on the air scenes is impressive and has a propulsive feel on par with Top Gun: Maverick. The close quarters in each bomber afford a unique crew to interact as these soldiers bond and become a unit. Masters of the Air does not glorify the combat but shows it in stark reality. Regardless of the star power of the actor portraying them, each soldier could die at any moment, which adds to this tale’s intensity. All nine episodes are told chronologically, balancing different characters through each chapter. The series takes place over multiple years, which affords a great deal of character development and gives some actors an opportunity to shine alongside Butler and Turner. This also means, like Band of Brothers and The Pacific, that many of the actors showcased in Masters of the Air are likely to be the next big Hollywood stars, so keep an eye out on Sawyer Spielberg, Oaklee Pendergast, Fionn O’Shea, and more.
It is also worth noting that despite the focus of this series being on the pilots, navigators, bombers, and other airmen of the 100th, Masters of the Air is not purely about aerial combat. The back half of the series focuses on prisoners of war held captive in various stalags and the death marches they are put on. A key section of the final episode also focuses on the concentration camps. A lot of Masters of the Air relies on a sense of brotherhood and patriotism, but there is also a secondary theme of the brutality of war on civilians outside of the armed forces. Masters of the Air is a bit more nuanced in that respect than Band of Brothers, as this story spends a good deal of time on the side effects of battle. But, like its predecessors, Masters of the Air never shies away from showing us the men who fought and the toll that war took on each of them. This also means that the role that Black and Jewish soldiers played in the American military is played more intrinsically to the narrative rather than being called out or highlighted from the overall story.
Where Band of Brothers and The Pacific boasted multiple filmmakers and writers across their ten-episode seasons, Masters of the Air is directed by just five filmmakers, with writing handled predominantly by John Orloff, Joel Anderson Thompson, and Dee Rees. Cary Fukunaga directed the first four episodes. Captain Marvel helmers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck took the next two, then Dee Rees on two episodes, with the finale directed by Band of Brothers director Tim Van Patten. With the heavy emphasis on feature film helmers, Masters of the Air boasts a more cinematic look than the preceding series. All of the filmmakers tackle the vast timeline of this series and the varied geography of sequences set across Europe equally. Fukunaga sets the tone at the start of the series, and the other four directors carry it through to the final episode. With a stirring score from Blake Neely, who also scored The Pacific, Masters of the Air is sweeping in every sense of the word.
It is unlikely that any series will equal the acclaim that Band of Brothers achieved. Still, the blend of feature film directors and a cast of actors more than up to the task, Masters of the Air is a powerful companion to that HBO series and ranks slightly higher than The Pacific. Austin Butler and Callum Turner deliver excellent performances but are balanced by an ensemble cast of rich talent more than up to the caliber of this story. Masters of the Air resonated with me more than the other two series as my grandfather served in World War II in the Air Force, and seeing this era recreated on screen is a powerful reminder of an era we will hopefully never endure again. No one will finish watching Masters of the Air without feeling every conceivable emotion, and that is an achievement these actors and filmmakers should be proud of.
Masters of the Air premieres on January 26th on AppleTV+.
PLOT: The story of new wave band Devo, who rose to fame from their smash hit “Whip It.”
REVIEW: If all you know about the band Devo is that they were those guys in the weird hats singing “Whip It,” you need to check out this doc from Chris Smith. In addition to making the cult fave American Movie, Smith has made several notable music documentaries over the years, including the recent Netflix documentary about Wham, but he has unique subjects here.
To put it bluntly, the members of Devo are among the most unlikely rock stars of all time. The brainchild of Kent State art students Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis, along with their friend Mark Mothersbaugh, the band began as a performance art satire. In early shows, they would play droning sounds and punish their audience, with Devo short for de-evolution, which was their take on the culture. Against all odds, the boys and some new additions like Gerald’s brother Bob and drummer Alan Myers actually had considerable musical talent. Their experimental tracks caught the eye of David Bowie, who connected them with Brian Eno, and the rest was history.
Devo were considered exceptionally provocative in the early eighties, and their music was only part of their art. Their whole look was manufactured to critique how they saw society going, while their music videos, which band member Gerald Casale directed, were unique and surreal. These videos and their look made these guys rockstars, with their ascension not coincidently tying into the rise of MTV, who were starved for content in the early days and played their videos constantly.
But, as the documentary shows, their fame was short-lived, with them essentially over as a band by 1984. It’s interesting to hear the band members explain precisely what happened, with a divide between them wanting to remain faithful to the band’s original mission and being taken in by their rising fame and the money that came with it. As Smith shows, Devo was never able to make a hit that even came close to the success of “Whip It”. While songs like “Through Being Cool” and “Working in a Coal Mine” did well enough to keep them from the one-hit-wonder label, they were seen as a fad or a one-off in many circles.
The exciting thing about their story is that there doesn’t seem to have ever been any significant drama regarding the band’s split, with everyone moving on to other things. Mark Mothersbaugh has had a great career as a composer, scoring everything from Rugrats to Rushmore to Thor: Ragnarok to Cocaine Bear. Through it all, Smith includes plenty of music and anecdotes, such as a priceless one about Mick Jagger. One of their first songs was a (great) cover of “I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)”, which they had to play for Mick Jagger to get permission to release. For the first minute of the song, he pretended to hate it until leaping up and dancing in classic Jagger fashion as it went on, giving them his blessing.
The only thing about the doc is that it focuses explicitly on the band, and you don’t learn much about the band members themselves. However, this is kind of in keeping with the way they always marketed themselves, as the band was an idea rather than about anyone as an individual. If you’re a Devo fan, you’ll like this, but even if all you know about them is Whip It, check it out anyway. You might be surprised and become a new fan.
