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"I want people to think to themselves, 'If I remove everything, all the trappings of who I think I am, who am I'"

That's what Director Darius Marder says is the one thing he hopes audiences take away from seeing Sound of Metal. Discovery of one's self is the core of the film. The story follows heavy metal drummer Ruben (Riz Ahmed) as he struggles with the new reality of his life when he loses his hearing. As a former addict, Ruben is teetering on the edge of a relapse and his girlfriend, Lou (Olivia Cooke), knows that if she doesn't get him help soon he will backslide. Ruben is determined to "fix" the situation and refuses to accept that his hearing loss is permanent. The sober-living support group that Ruben and Olivia find for him is also a deaf community and it forces Ruben to confront the reality of his situation and determine what he actually wants to become. The core of Sound of Metal comes down to the words spoken in the serenity prayer: Accepting the things you can't change, finding the courage to change the things you can and having the wisdom to know the difference. 

It should be no surprise that Riz Ahmed does a fantastic job as Ruben. The role is a challenging one requiring Ahmed to embrace the different stages of Ruben's progress: Manic desire to "fix" his problems without accepting then a basic understanding what his new reality is and finally a semi-acceptance of it. Ahmed is able to draw the audience into his performance and ensures that Ruben stays a sympathetic figure throughout his struggles. We all might not be addicts (recovering or not) and maybe we don't know what it's like to be deaf. But we can all relate to the feeling of losing (or being threatened with the loss of) a piece of what we believe defines us. Ahmed is able to capture the desperation of Ruben without feeling contrived.

One of the most noticeable thing about Sound of Metal is the care it takes when addressing the Deaf community. In a move that is unfortunately not the norm, the cast includes members of the Deaf and hearing impaired community. Lauren Ridloff, new comer Chelsea Lee, Jeremy Lee Stone and others represent their community adding a level of authenticity and care that typically isn't presented in films. While Ruben finds his new situation to be a burden and a disability, those he is surrounded by see it as an accepted part of their lives. This helps turn this film into being more than just a film but also an educational tool about what it means to be deaf. And by having actual members of the Deaf community in the film, Sound of Metal doesn't feel like a preachy interpretation but rather the genuine deal.

The use of sound (and the absence of it) in Sound of Metal should definitely generate some buzz come award season for sound editing.  It’s an important piece in telling Ruben’s story and keeping the audience engaged. The film opened with the thunderous sounds of heavy metal drumming that are so loud I  wondered if maybe there was a mistake and someone turned the volume too far to the right. As the film goes on you realize that every aspect of sound is purposeful. One of the best scenes in the film is when Ruben finds himself sitting down at the table with the rest of the group for dinner.  Since Ruben can't sign, he sits in a silence that is only broken when Joe (Paul Raci) interprets what some of the other members are saying about Ruben. But then the camera pans out and the sound kicks in and you hear that while the rest of the group is deaf and signing, there is clearly audible sounds through their communication. You hear their laughter, the sound of the table being slapped as well as the sounds of their very animated and enthusiastic signing with each other. It's a reminder that just because these individuals are deaf there isn't an absence of sound.

We're talking the return of Wrestling Wars, Cubs fans forgetting how to lose, power structures in the NFL and could Jake Fromm be a first round draft pick? All this and more as we're joined by Justin from the Three Fifs Podcast as I predict the exact outcome of the Titans/Falcons disaster and wonder just why UNC couldn't be immortal just this once. 

Guest: Justin - @Ljay90

 

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Kriss is back with another episode of the Insanity Check to cover the last two weeks of insanity. This episode he's joined by two guests: Rod from The Black Guy Who Tips and Aaron from Unreasonable Fridays. They cover the top breaking news stories that everyone is talking about. From the vaping ban to just how prevalent "cancel culture" is. Oh and yes, there is talk about the impeachment inquiry 

Topics:

* We Got'em: Vaping on its way to being banned

* Fast & Furious Pony Express: Amish men get drunk on their horse and buggy & run from the cops

* Eddie Murphy says he's grown past the offensive things from Raw & Delirious

* Is cancel culture real?

* Black Face is Back: This is why Justin Trudeau isn't the Canadian Obama

* Dems launch impeachment inquiry...let's hope this goes the way people fantasize it will

* Great Moments in White Privilege

* Teacher who raped student claims it should have been legal

* I Am The Manager Moment: Black Commissioner confronts officer who arrested him illegally

Guest:

* Aaron - Unreasonable Fridays

* Rod - The Black Guy Who Tips 

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We're back with the 78th episode of the Character Corner. We're almost to the end of our Claremont X-Men run. Picking up right where we left off after the Trial of Magneto with issue 201 and it's Cyclops vs Storm for leadership of the X-Men! Scott is reunited with his wife, Madelyne, and his son Nathan but he's struggling to figure out where he fits in. Does he stay with the X-Men or does he retire and go off as a husband and a father? Storm sensing the struggle inside of her friend and colleague uses Scott's distracted mind against him and even though she's de-powered, easily takes Scott down to assume leadership. That would be the end of Scott's time as a team leader and set him off on a path of growth however, we must address the elephant in the room: The Return of Jean Grey. 

John Bryne brings Jean back in the pages of the Fantastic Four (Fantastic Four #286) much to the chagrin of Claremont. Claremont then sets forward to put together a saga that gives a purpose to the now abandoned Madelyne Pryor. In the end, Claremont with the help of Louise Simonson (Who is handling the writing duties in the pages of X-Factor), pull together several lose threads and create story that has long last implications for the X-Family. Here's a quick rundown of some of the things that come about during this arc: 

* Mr Sinister's first appearance (Throw in Apocalypse's appearance over in X-Factor) and the importance of the Summers bloodline

* Formation of X-Factor and Excaliber teams

* The Marauders severely injuring Angel, Nightcrawler, Colossus and Shadowcat (Angel's injury sets him on the path to becoming Archangel)

* Madelyne Pryor becoming the Goblin Queen and learning she's a clone of Jean Grey 

* First appearance of the nation of Genosha

* Rachel Summers bonding with the Phoenix Force

* and more

There's a lot to cover in these issues. One could describe this arc  as the Sinister Saga. Mr. Sinister is mentioned during the Mutant Massacre crossover in issue #212 and doesn't make his full appearance until issue #221. But he's the man behind the curtain from the first time he's mentioned all the way thorough Inferno.

Now here's a bonus. If you're reading Jonathan Hickman's Powers of X and House of X, then you'll no doubt notice a lot of familiar faces popping up from the Claremont X-Men run. But you'll have to wait until we cover our next Pull List episode next month once House of X and Powers of X are complete.

When we come back with the next episode, we'll take a step back and catch up with the New Mutants part 2, the next Pull List episode and then on episode 80 of the Character Corner, we'll wrap up the historic Claremont X-Men run. So stay tuned.

Issues:

* Uncanny X-Men #201 - 209

* Issue 201 - Storm vs Cyclops for leadership of the X-Men

* Mutant Massacre

* Uncanny X-Men  #210 - 214

* Mutant Massacre Omnibus

* Uncanny X-Men #214 - 219  

* Fall of the Mutants (Only the X-Men issues)

* Uncanny X-Men #220 - 227

* Fall of the Mutants Volume 1

* Uncanny X-Men #228 - 238

* Genosha - Uncanny  X-Men #235 - 238

* Inferno

* Uncanny X-Men #239 - 243

* Inferno Prologue

* Inferno Volume 1

* Inferno Volume 2

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I survived Athens, Georgia for a game against a top 10 opponent. Hold your applause, because I have returned from my scouting mission with a stunning realization about the number 3 team in the nation. Plus, I cover the Empire of Vinsanity, being asked to lie about concussions and The Columbia Lions are 1-0. Tell all your friends.

Guest: NO GUEST

 

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Kriss and Joi review another film they saw at the 2019 Toronto Film Festival, How to Build a Girl. Based off the semi-autobiographical novel by Caitlin Moran, How to Build a Girl never fully commits to its title and by the end will leave the audience feeling a bit cheated by overpromises. This isn’t to say this is a bad film. It is funny with a cast that gels extremely well together. But underneath the laughs and likable cast sits a hollow film.

 

 

At its core, the story of Ad Astra is simple: It’s a story of about a man trying to not be his father. It’s a something that resonates with all of us. Many of us spend our lives desperately trying to escape not only the shadow of our parents but any deep-seated scars left from our upbringing. Ad Astra takes that emotional baggage and sets it in an a visually stunning, not-so-distant future in space. Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) is sent on a mission to make contact with his father, Clifford McBride(Tommy Lee Jones), after the experiments by the doomed expedition that Clifford disappeared on 30 years ago threatened the human race. Roy' calm, collected and controlled life is upended as he’s forced to confront not only the reality that his father is alive but the complex, buried emotions he has about his father. 

 

There is an unusually brisk pace to Ad Astra, particularly for the type of film it is. While the story is clearly focused on being a character study of Roy McBride, the visual set pieces have enough action and frequency to keep the film from becoming a slog. There’s fighting off pirates on moon rovers in space and hand-to-hand combat in zero gravity. And then there’s space baboons. Yes you read that right. Space Baboons. Without spoiling it, all anyone needs to know is that it is one of the more disturbing scenes to confront moviegoers this year. Every one of the action sequences are intense and shot in ways to pull audiences to the edge of the seats. At the same time Roy remains committed to the mission and continues to rocket towards the confrontation with not only his father but himself.

 

Brad Pitt stars as Roy McBride in “Ad Astra”.

Brad Pitt is the necessary ingredient to make this film work the way it does.The last few years has seen Pitt more behind the scenes as a producer than as a leading man. But this year he’s tackled Cliff Booth in Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood and now here as Roy McBride. Once could argue these were some of Pitt's best work. Ad Astra feels like a reminder of just how good Pitt is. Pitt has always been the quintessential, ultra-masculine archetype of a Hollywood leading man. He’s almost always in control even when he’s not. As Roy McBride, Pitt once again feels like he's falling into the typical role he's comfortable with only for it all to be turned on its hard as his character slowly becomes more consumed by the emotions he's buried deep inside. There is a sense of emotional vulnerability that’s refreshing to see from Pitt. It's a nice reminder that as Pitt works behind the scenes in Hollywood, he's still more than capable of pulling off an outstanding performance in front of the camera.

 

Ad Astra isn’t going to be for everyone. If you’re expecting aliens to show up or even a trippy film with really heady concepts like Interstellar, you will be disappointed. However, if you want some beautiful visuals coupled with some intense action scenes and a great character study, then check out Ad Astra. Or simply, come for the space baboons and stay for the acting. 

 

You can listen as Kriss & Ro go into more details about why they enjoyed this film. And make sure you leave a review on the Movie Trailer Reviews Podcast feed in iTunes.

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I'm still working out just HOW I'm going to recap the NFL this season, but this is a pretty good start. We've got Rod from The Black Guy Who Tips podcast on this episode to discuss his excellent piece defending the dreaded participation trophy. Because we're us, we also talk a good deal about the NFL and compare agendas as we sift through the ashes of week 2.

Guest: Rod - @rodimusprime

For The Participation Trophy Kids

 

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This was a helluva week to wrap your arms around, but thankfully I had help from my MUCH better half! That's right, SPalm is back on the podcast despite my best efforts, and she's talking Horsewomen, Tim Tebow, fun times at an Eagles game and the wrong way to watch sports. Plus, did I mention I'm going to UGA/Notre Dame? If I don't make it back, it was worth it!

Guest: SPalm

 

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JoJo Rabbit is the type of satirical film that could only come from the humor and mind of someone like Taika Waititi. The film follows Jojo Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), a young true believer of the Hitler Youth who has everything he believes in challenged when he learns that his mother Rosie (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie), in a young Jewish girl their home. Waititi himself gets in on the action himself as Jojo’s imaginary friend Adolf Hitler. Waititi really leans into making Hitler look as ridiculous, petty and foolish as possible. It’s a combination of him being a manifestation of a 10-year-old boy as well as Hitler himself being a foolish and small minded man.

This is definitely a film that will have people talking. The Waititi directed Jojo Rabbit took home the People’s Choice award at TIFF this year and there seems to be a lot of differing opinions from critics on it. On the positive side, it is cinematically a good film hitting all the right notes with well shot scenes and great performances. Scarlett Johansson puts in a caring and emotional performance as Jojo’s mother. It’s hard to get a wrap on her character at first but as the film progresses Johansson kicks it into high gear and puts in an emotional performance that is tied to some of the darkest moments in the film. If only she would put in the same level of care and thoughtfulness to keep her foot out of her mouth while doing interviews (First about believing she should be allowed to play any role she wants, even if it takes away from an underrepresented minority actress/actor and then her support of Woody Allen).

The flip side to the positives are a couple of things that I believe keep Jojo Rabbit from being great. The first is the “redemptive arc” for Sam Rockwell’s character, Captain Klenzendorf. Now don’t get me wrong. Sam Rockwell is Sam Rockwell and so he knocks the role out of the park. He’s funny, ridiculous and gives the great performance you’d expect. However, his character is a Nazi and there is a bit of a redemption for him in this film. It’s not a total redemption as there are definitely consequences for him, but I can definitely see how that wouldn’t sit well with some. Plus the overall theme of the film is a young boy who is a Nazi basically learning that Jews are human too. Personally, because the main character is a child, that arc isn't as worrying to me as it is something to expect from a 10 year old. However in 2019 when we're inexplicably STILL dealing with Nazis, I can see how that would be off putting for many. 

The bigger flaw with this film is that is feels a bit hollow. For a satirical film about Nazis I was expecting a bit more meaningful zingers and maybe even a bigger message. Instead Jojo Rabbit is relatively straight forward and hits the typical beats of a story about a kid who finds out the world is bigger than what he’s been taught. Nothing is necessarily wrong with that but personally I was expecting a bit more.

You can listen to Joi and I talk about this film in depth on the latest Movie Trailer Reviews podcast episode.

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