One Movie Punch

Hi everyone!

Today, we’re welcoming back Keith Lyons to the podcast, to begin an occasional series of reviews for films featured at the Philadelphia Film Festival. Today he’ll be covering “I Lost My Body”, an animated offering currently streaming on Netflix. For a few other films reviewed by Keith, check out “Birds of Passage” (Episode #571), “Maria” (Episode #514), and his guest review for Reign of Terror 2019, covering “Son of Frankenstein” (Episode #622), along with his spectral assistance to help me escape.

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from the Fab Figmentals podcast. Every episode, Lindsey Morse delivers all sorts of lore about mythical and magical creatures. Don’t miss their recent episode on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow. And definitely make sure to catch One Movie Punch Episode #598 for Lindsey’s review of “Scream” and her best scary movie phone call voice during Reign of Terror 2019. You can find them on Twitter @figmentals and on Instagram @fabfigmentals.

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Hi, Philly Film Fan here with another review for One Movie Punch. You can follow me on Twitter @PhillyFilmFan.

Today’s movie is “I Lost My Body”, one of the films nominated for the Archie Award for Best First Feature at the Philadelphia Film Festival (also, I hear it won an award at Cannes but I didn’t make it out to that festival). The Philadelphia Film Festival began 28 years ago and I’ve been attending for the last 17. The first year I went, I wound up seeing 25 films and every year after I’ve exceeded that number. I can’t express how important this festival has been in developing my tastes as a cinefile and the important role it played in introducing me to modern filmmakers from all around the world. In the coming months I hope to share with you more of the films that I was able to see this year but for now I’m going to focus on just one: “I Lost My Body”, directed by Jérémy Clapin and based on the novel by Guillaume Laurant. The screenplay was co-written by the author and the director.

No spoilers.

First of all, I should note that I saw this film in French with English subtitles, where the role of Naoufel, the hapless pizza boy, is played by Hakim Faris; Gabrielle, his potential love interest, is played by Victoire Du Bois; and Gigi, a kindly old carpenter, is played by Patrick D’Assumçao. However, an English dub of this film also exists with Dev Patel as the guy, Alia Shawkat as the girl, and George Wendt as the old man. But in any language the beautiful 2D animation will be the same and that’s the real draw here. The film oscillates between a creepy sci-fi tale and a sweet coming-of-age story and the 2D animation works beautifully for both, tying them together with a melancholy string.

This is a bifurcated film but its heart rests in the relationship between Naoufel and Gabrielle. Naoufel’s north African heritage has made him a bit of an outsider in his native Paris and this has clearly resulted in a shy, thoughtful young man who never seems to catch a break. He works for a pizza parlor that offers free pies for late orders and Naoufel never seems to be able to make his deliveries on time. On one particularly bad night, after riding his scooter through the rain he rolls up late to yet another address. It’s a large building and when he pushes the button for the call box, Gabrielle answers. She gently chastises him for the delay and tries to buzz him in, but Naoufel can never get the timing right for the door. The two continue to talk through the intercom and although their conversation isn’t particularly flirty, the two do manage to make a genuine human connection. Naoufel leaves without ever seeing her but Gabrielle has clearly made an impression. Not content to have this encounter simply be one of “two ships passing in the night”, Naoufel begins a naive (and somewhat misguided) attempt to rekindle their brief spark.

Okay, I’m afraid that I have buried the lede here. Everything I have just described unfolds in flashback but this film has a framing device, which tells a story about, well, a severed hand. The hand has apparently been separated from Naoufel’s body but we are given no clues as to what has become of the rest of him. Oh, and this is no ordinary hand. It has sprung to life and crawls around using its fingers in a manner very reminiscent of Thing from the 90s “Addams Family” films. After awakening in a shady looking medical facility, the hand makes a daring escape and then begins a quest to reunite with the rest of its body as the film becomes a macabre version of “Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey”, starring a severed body part. It’s a strange journey full of imaginative encounters that are perfectly captured by the animation.

“I Lost My Body” is certainly an unconventional film. The flashbacks of Naoufel’s attempted courtship of Gabrielle, which make up most of its runtime, could actually stand on their own as a non-supernatural drama about young people finding their way in this world. But what really makes this film unique is the bizarre odyssey undertaken by a disembodied hand desperately seeking to be made whole again. And while the hand’s expedition on its own could make for an intriguing short film, it really needs the flashbacks to add depth and meaning to these events. These seemingly disparate parts were truly meant to be together and woe be to the editor who tries to cut the hand from the rest of the film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 92%

Metacritic: 81

One Movie Punch: 8.0/10

“I Lost My Body” (2019) is unrated and is currently playing in select theaters. It will be available to stream on Netflix starting November 29th.

This jawn was brought to you by Philly Film Fan. For more movie reviews, follow me on Twitter @PhillyFilmFan where I’m participating in the #365Movies challenge. That’s P-H-I-L-L-Y-F-I-L-M-F-A-N. Thanks for listening.

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to another Matinee Monday. Last week had two films I wanted to see in theaters, but instead I chose to cover “Harriet” (Episode #638) last week. Believe it or not, I was a little gun shy about today’s film after the disappointing franchise closer “Rambo: Last Blood” (Episode #634). But despite box office returns, the film seems to be faring well. I’ll let you know in a minute if it fared well with me.

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our friends at Two Views Movies. Every week, Carson and Garrett give us their thoughts on a current or classic movie, sometimes finding common ground, but often fighting about it. When they’re not reviewing movies, they also include an occasional and obscure Top 5 list, with their last one covering the greatest flare scenes in cinema. You can find them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @TwoViewsMovies, or online at twoviewsmovies.com.

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Today’s movie is “Terminator: Dark Fate”, the latest and maybe final installment in the Terminator franchise, directed by Tim Miller and written for the screen by David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes, and Billy Ray, based on a story by James Cameron, Charles H. Eglee, Josh Friendman, David S. Goyer, and Justin Rhodes, based on characters created by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd. 22 years after the events of “T2: Judgment Day”, two new visitors from the future have arrived in Mexico City, seeking Dani Ramos (Natalia Reyes), the future leader of the resistance. The machines have sent the REV-9 model (Gabriel Luna), a combination of metal frame and oozing metal that can form stabbing weapons, and the human resistance have sent Grace (Mackenzie Davis), an augmented human. Now Grace, along with the help of Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and another T-800 model (Arnold Schwarzenegger) must protect Dani to protect the future.

No spoilers.

Quite a few franchises seem to be ending this year, all pretty terribly in my opinion. “Glass” was a pretentious take attempting to tie together two movies only really linked by one end credits scene. “Dark Phoenix” felt like everyone involved was phoning it in, right down to the recycled storyline from “X-Men: The Last Stand”. “Rambo: Last Blood” was... bad. With the possible exception of “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” (Episode #450), however, “Terminator: Dark Fate” feels like the next best closer for this year. Of course, no one has said it’s the end of the line for the franchise, but it will need to be a labor of love to prevent a full franchise reboot at this point.

In fact, I think it’s safe to say that the delays between films have been the biggest downfall of the Terminator franchise. “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” was a surprising sequel, coming seven years after the original in 1991, before Cameron disappeared from the franchise to make a small film called “Titanic”. “T3: Rise of the Machines” debuted twelve years later in 2003, attempting to keep things going. “Terminator: Salvation” released six years after that in 2009, was set wholly within the machine-controlled future, with a short-circuiting leaked set rant from Christian Bale that made headlines briefly. Cameron finally returned six years after that with “Terminator: Genisys”, which was okay, but also a box office disappointment, with two additional films afterwards cancelled. And now “Terminator: Dark Fate” is suffering at the box office like “Terminator: Genisys”, so the proposed additional two movies feel much more like a production pitch than a set reality, especially if James Cameron wants to ever get the Avatar franchise back off the ground.

While “Terminator: Dark Fate” might be a decent actioner and entry into the franchise, it’s probably arriving twenty years too late to keep the train going as a direct sequel to “T2: Judgment Day”. Much like 2018’s “Halloween” (Episode #623), the writers and producers decided to scrap all the films in-between, employing a pretty standard alternate timelines employing new threats gambit. It’s a favorite of all the writers for this franchise, perhaps now overused too much to be effective. It’s also pretty much the same story as the very first film, an attempt to kill the future human resistance leader.

The real improvements come from the new enemies. We get the new terminator model, which becomes a vehicle for excellent action scenes and a variety of direct and improvised fight styles. It’s an easy role for Gabriel Luna, who just stares broodingly and speaks within a limited vocal range. We also get the new augmented human, able to square off against terminators with in short bursts, but also requiring recovery time. Mackenzie Davis shines as Grace, a surprising casting choice after her role as Tully in “Tully” (Episode #482). Every action scene in this film is excellent, well worth the price of admission, but unfortunately, nothing that wouldn’t have played just as well, if not much better in, say, 1997.

I want to give a lot of props to Linda Hamilton for coming back to the franchise. She endured a great deal of difficult training for anyone, but especially for her age to turn out the amazing performance in today’s film. I really wish she had remained a centerpiece in the franchise, so we could have seen her character evolve over twenty years. As it is, this feels like a swan song, although she still kicks all the ass that’s available in this film. We learn in the opening scene about the fate of John Connor, and then later while she’s still, for some reason, hunting terminators as they appear.

“Terminator: Dark Fate” also suffers from too many writers putting this film together, which rarely bodes well. Either films feel too discombobulated or they feel heavily processed and workshopped, perhaps too safe. “Terminator: Dark Fate” feels way too polished, as if focus groups were asked to create a checklist of what makes the Terminator franchise enjoyable, then making sure those elements appear in this film. Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor? Present! New terminators/humans? Check. Lots of great action scenes? Check. Straight-ahead storytelling between action scenes? Check. Average attempts at humor surrounding Arnold’s character? Perhaps too much, including Sarah Connor’s famous trailer line, “I’ll be back.” We sort of know what to expect going in, and we sort of know how it will turn out, and none of it is worth twenty years of waiting.

“Terminator: Dark Fate” might be the last in the current Terminator franchise, discovering precious little new ground while successfully course correcting some misfired attempts since “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”. While the film promises to be the beginning of a new trilogy, the current box office returns, plus the lack of promise in a future without Sarah Connor, feels like the wrong choice in favor of a full reboot. Franchise fans, who have to be incredibly forgiving at this point, along with fans of “T2: Judgment Day” and action fans in general will definitely enjoy this film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 71%

Metacritic: 54

One Movie Punch: 7.1/10

“Terminator: Dark Fate” (2019) is rated R and is currently playing in theaters.

Hi everyone!

Welcome back for another week of reviews. We’re starting off the week with another streaming exclusive, this time from a lesser-known company founded by, and let me check my notes here, Walt Disney. We’ll be reviewing our first feature film on the latest streaming service, but for two other films in this same vein, check out the live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” (Episode #030) and “The Lion King” (Episode #540). Both films are pretty mediocre versions of their animated counterparts. I’ll let you know if “Lady and the Tramp” fares the same in a little bit.

It’s also Sunday, so be sure to head over to patreon.com/onemoviepunch for an exclusive episode, this time the first installment in “OMP Presents: Sponsor Specials”. I polled our sponsors and received a list of films to choose from, so naturally I picked the one I wanted to watch the most, a full viewing of Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Solaris” (1972), easily one of the most influential science fiction films of all time, not to mention one of my biggest blind spots in terms of classic films. You’ll get to hear about the time I watched my first Tarkovsky film, along with my thoughts on this film. All contributions go to help pay for our expenses!

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our good friends at the Movie Geek and Proud Podcast. Every episode, Rob and Shawn pick a classic or contemporary film to review, bringing their unique perspectives to each film, sometimes with the help of guests. You can find them on Twitter @MGnPpodcast, Facebook @mgppodcast, and Instagram @moviegeekandproud. Don’t miss a single episode!

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

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Today’s movie is “Lady And The Tramp”, the Disney+ live-action adaptation of the 1955 animated classic, directed by Charlie Bean and written for the screen by Andrew Bujalski and Kari Granlund. The film follows the lives of two very different dogs. Lady (Tessa Thompson) was born into luxury, living her life at the sole focus of her owners, Jim Dear (Thomas Mann) and Darling (Kiersey Clemons). And on the other side of the town is the Tramp (Justin Theroux), who lives off the leash on the streets with his friends, surviving one day at a time. When the two dogs meet, however, they experience a series of adventures that can only bring them closer together and where is all this eye water coming from?!

*SNIFF*

No spoilers!

To be quite honest, today’s film felt obligatory after covering AppleTV+’s initial offering last week, “The Elephant Queen” (Episode #637). I knew I had to cover at least one film from Disney+, and they gave us two options. Today’s live-action adaptation of “Lady and the Tramp” and a Disney holiday film titled “Noelle”. And since it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, I went with “Lady and the Tramp”. Once that decision was made, however, the trepidation sank in. After an excellent string of live-action adaptations in 2015 and 2016 (aside from “Alice Through The Looking Glass”), the quality of the live-action adaptations has fallen significantly. “Beauty and the Beast” (Episode #030) was an almost too-faithful remake of the original animated feature. Tim Burton’s “Dumbo” didn’t fare very well with critics or the box office. “The Lion King” (Episode #540) was exceedingly bad. So, my initial comment sitting down was, “I wonder how they will mess this one up.” And then the many, many tears started to flow.

The live-action adaptation of “Lady and the Tramp” takes us back to the turn of the 20thcentury, in a small city on the banks of a river, where a surprisingly inclusive and accepting community lives. We open on Jim Dear and Darling, an upper-class mixed-race couple, who are welcoming Lady into their lives, followed by an example of her nearly perfect life. It’s the first of many noticeable and welcome changes to the film, along with Ken Jeong as the town Doctor, and nearly every background scene showing a diverse cast of characters, whose only divisions seem to be based on class. While many of these changes are not historically accurate, they do represent the continuing evolution of Disney films to be more inclusive. Plenty of historically accurate films from the time period, especially along the Mississippi, but that’s never what “Lady and the Tramp” was supposed to be. And thankfully, they completely nixed the infamous, overtly racist Siamese Cat opening lyrics, transforming the rest into a Dixieland jazz number with modified lyrics. All very tastefully done, and for some reason, problematic for way too many critics and viewers who are also probably upset the streaming service isn’t including “Song of the South”.

Across town, we’re introduced to the Tramp, the polar opposite of Lady in nearly every way, roaming free around the streets, and looking out for his gang of friends, whenever it’s convenient. Most of his days are spent running from Elliott the Dogcatcher (Adrian Martinez), another inclusive addition with a much larger role in the film, along with friends voiced by Janelle Monáe, Benedict Wong, and Clancy Brown. Lady also has a couple friends, voiced by Sam Elliott and Ashley Jensen. The voicework is all fine, with Elliott and Jensen stealing the show with perfect voice casting for their respective dogs. By the time each dog has gone through their perfect day, we’ve been introduced to the entire community, people and dogs alike, along with the period-specific sets and locations. We’re also primed for a few surprises, which unfold along the way.

Where “Lady and the Tramp” really succeeds is nailing the transition from animation to live-action, understanding the benefits and drawbacks of each medium. The original “Lady and the Tramp” (1955) was a tight 76 minutes, whereas this live-action with CGI version has about an extra half-hour. Hand-drawn animation was a perfect medium to tell the original story, with anthropomorphized animals using language, able to show much more emotion than the ghostly voiceover technique used on, say, the famous “Mr. Ed”. However, hand-drawn animation comes with limitations as well, like making extensive action scenes with dramatic movements impossible. Cartoonists throughout the ages have quit when confronted with unrealistic expectations from their directors and administrators.

This live-action adaptation finds all the right transitions. “Lady and the Tramp” uses all the many lessons learned from Disney’s surprisingly extensive collection of talking dog films, getting the mouth animation great for voice while utilizing all the acting ability of well-trained, perfectly cast dogs Rose and Monte, including incredibly choreographed, longer action scenes which would take a large team months to animate back in 1955. Detail is embellished into the background, the costumes, and the dogs, always adding to the story and never getting in the way of it.

And the pièce de résistance remains the “Bella Notte” scene, which you might understand is coming, but nothing prepares you for experiencing this version. What was previously a semi-hokey, hopelessly romantic scene of young lovers that became an iconic moment in film is beautifully expanded, anchored and driven by perfect performances by F. Murray Abraham as Tony and Arturo Castro as Joe. I was moved so much that One Movie Spouse showed me an article afterwards that said people who cry during movies tend to be the strongest emotionally. I must be The Emotional Hulk based on my reaction to this scene.

More eye water? Really?!

“Lady And The Tramp” is a stunning live-action adaptation of the original animated classic, taking the core story and characters, and expanding the story with today’s technology, to deliver one of the better adaptations from Disney and possibly my new favorite live-action adaptation. You’ll laugh, you’ll be amazed, and if you’re not dead inside, you’ll cry. A whole lot. Disney fans have already signed up for Disney+ and watched this immediately. Fans of the original feature, along with fans of feel-good stories, will definitely want to check this one out as soon as possible.

Rotten Tomatoes: 64%

Metacritic: 47

One Movie Punch: 8.3/10

“Lady And The Tramp” (2019) is rated PG and is currently playing on Disney+.

Hi everyone! 

Welcome back for another entry in our new series, Under the Kanopy, which highlights the critically praised, if not commercially successful films available on Kanopy, a library and university powered streaming service that is free to any participating student or library card holder. Each month, you get six free views on the service, and the selection is impressive. Today’s film is one of the highest scoring films of 2018, which received a very limited release earlier this year in US theaters. It’s great to have it available on Kanopy for general viewing. For the two other films we’ve covered so far, check out “The Image Book” (Episode #629) and “3 Faces” (Episode #636).

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our friends at the Book of Lies Podcast. Every episode, Brandi and Sunni give you the details on a former or current con artist bilking unsuspecting victims. They’ll teach you how to spot a con, and what happened to each of them. Don’t miss their recent guest review on One Movie Punch for “28 Days Later” (Episode #624), where one of their investigations into con artists yields unexpected results. 

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation. 

Here we go! 

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Today’s movie is “Ash Is The Purest White”, the epic Chinese romantic drama written and directed by Zhangke Jia. The film follows the troubled relationship of Qiao (Tao Zhao) and Bin (Fan Liao), two lovers who met in the criminal underworld of their regional city, over the course of sixteen years, set against the backdrop of a changing China. Zhangke Jia was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for his work on this film. 

No spoilers.

The Chinese film industry is one of the fastest growing film scenes on the planet, struggling to cater to a rising middle class population and to a more-connected working-class population via cell phones and tablets. The Chinese market has one of the largest viewing populations, with significant international box office dollars to offer. And Chinese investors have been funding multiple Hollywood pictures for the last couple of decades, especially in the wake of the 2008 financial crash. In fact, one of the highest grossing pictures of this year was “The Wandering Earth” (Episode #500), recently distributed to Netflix in the United States. And last year I reviewed a film called “Us and Them” (Episode #178), a Netflix exclusive film from China that examined a relationship between two individuals over nearly two decades. 

It’s an expanding market, one with stories to tell that don’t fit the typical western narrative structures. “The Wandering Earth” looks at a planet acting as a global community, operating on a planetary scale for survival as opposed to the usual depictions of dictatorships. “Us and Them”, similar to today’s film, is told over two decades, a story as much about the characters as the changing nature of Chinese society. In fact, I would argue that Chinese cinema is one of the ways that the country is reintroducing itself to the world, already an economic superpower in the world. And with each offering, we’re getting to see what was once only heard through tales of propaganda and heavily censored documentaries. It’s a lot different than you might expect, and a lot more similar than you might believe. 

“Ash is the Purest White” begins in a regional city of Datong, a regional mining town controlled by a combination of the party leaders and the local crime bosses. Bin is a high-ranking lieutenant in the underworld, with Qiao as his girlfriend, living the good life, and enjoying each other until the economy threatens to shut down the mining facilities. It’s the first of three stories about Qiao and Bin, who reconnect twice more after this first moment for different circumstances. 

Qiao and Bin aren’t just unique characters, but also represent the changing gender roles and expectations in China as the economy begins to capitalize further and further. When Qiao seeks out Bin five years after the first act, she also journeys across a changed China, one she hasn’t seen, and one that Bin has used to disappear into after leaving the underworld. And when we fast forward the story to the final act, returning to Datong, we have an examination of what’s actually changed since the first act, for the characters, for their relationship, for their hometown, and for the country as a whole.

The Chinese title for “Ash is the Purest White” literally translates to “Sons and Daughters of Jianghu”. Jianghu refers to a few things in Chinese culture, but in this case, it refers specifically to the Chinese underworld, and is based on a true story of someone from Zhangke’s childhood. What makes the film unique, however, is that it is an exceedingly pedestrian look at the Chinese underworld, instead of the usual bombastic stories with lots of firepower and martial arts. Qiao and Bin each navigate their relationship to and identification as jianghu throughout the film, and also the jianghu’s changing relationship to the official government. 

In fact, I think what I like most about Chinese cinema is how well it seems to consistently blend characters, the relationships between characters, and their relationship to the community as a whole as part of their storytelling. Films generally do well with individual stories and relationships, but don’t always look at the larger relationship to communities, outside of general notions of patriotism and rural hometown pride. It’s a feature of their more communitarian as opposed to individualist approach to society, and provides an excellent lens on which to examine both societies.

“Ash Is The Purest White” is an epic, romantic drama set over sixteen years in and out of the Chinese underworld. Zhangke Jia, with the help of stars Tao Zhao and Fan Liao, tells the story of each character, their relationship, and the changing nature of Chinese society, particularly the underworld. Chinese cinema fans, pedestrian crime film fans, and anyone interested in a look at Chinese culture over the last two decades should definitely check out this film. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 99% (CERTIFIED FRESH)

Metacritic: 85 (MUST SEE)

One Movie Punch: 8.9/10

“Ash Is The Purest White” (2018) is not rated and is currently playing on Kanopy.

Hi everyone!

It’s Friday, so that means another Fantastic Fest feature from Andrew Campbell, the third of the Netflix films that featured at Fantastic Fest this year. He’ll have his thoughts on this film, and the likelihood of ten years of “Avatar” sequels in a little bit, but for the previous two Netflix films to feature at Fantastic Fest this year, check out Andrew’s review for “In the Tall Grass” (Episode #607), as part of Reign of Terror 2019, and “In The Shadow Of The Moon” (Episode #635), the part two of two for his Films Beginning With Prepositions series! 

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from the Pop! Pour! Review Podcast! Every week, the PPR crew review a movie, then craft a cocktail based upon the movie. While I may not be a drinker, I have it on good authority that the recipes are absolutely excellent. Also, don’t miss their guest review on One Movie Punch for “Paranormal Activity” (Episode #620), along with their extensive meditation on the many meanings of spoopiness. 

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation.

Here we go! 

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Hello film fans! 

Andrew here. Back this week with a Netflix-produced psychological thriller that just hit the service in October. Like most of the mid-budget Netflix films, this is the kind of movie that tends to appear in your list of suggested movies for a day or two before getting pushed out by the next wave of films. Netflix wants to keep you watching as much as possible and they don’t necessarily care what you choose so long as you keep coming back for that fix. Let’s find out if this one is worth a watch. 

Today’s movie is “Fractured”, the 2019 psychological thriller written by Alan McElroy and directed by Brad Anderson. McElroy wrote the screenplay for all six slasher films in the “Wrong Turn” franchise, while Anderson has directed a couple decent thrillers, including “The Machinist” and “Transsiberian”. “Fractured” made its world premiere at the 2019 Fantastic Fest with director Anderson on hand.

“Fractured” stars Sam Worthington, doing his best to suppress his Australian accent, as Ray Monroe. Ray is roadtripping home from a rough Thanksgiving with his wife Joanne (Lily Rabe) and daughter Peri (Lucy Capri). A snowy pit-stop along a rural highway takes a nasty turn as Ray and his daughter are injured after falling into a nearby construction pit. They rush to a nearby hospital where Ray becomes separated from his wife and daughter as she is taken away for a CAT Scan. Upon waking in the waiting room and nursing a possible concussion, Ray goes looking for his family who have been swept away in the bureaucracy of the hospital. Not only does that staff not know the whereabouts of his family, they don’t recall ever seeing them. Ray will do whatever it takes to find them... or were they never there all along? 

The film gives actor Sam Worthington plenty of room to show off his range. The story takes place entirely from his perspective, with everyone else (his family, the ominous hospital staff, and the doubting police officers) dipping in and out of his narrative. He’s an actor I have always been a little lukewarm on as he comes off a bit bland. I thought it strange that James Cameron would anchor the supposed next 10-years of “Avatar” sequels around Worthington’s limited star-power. He does good work here, whether it’s being a little combative arguing with his wife in the car, fighting to get treatment for his daughter or dealing with his own self-doubt regarding the presence of his family. Without a likeable lead, this film would have been dead in the water. Worthington gets it done.

Now I never got past the first “Wrong Turn” film and I don’t want to take anything away from a screenwriter who puts out scripts and pays the bills, but McElroy’s pedigree gave me a little pause. As it turns out, the script is decent and the dialogue is delivered well by the main cast and a host of side characters. This includes veteran character actor and personal favorite of mine, Stephen Tobolowsky (Ned Ryerson of “Groundhog Day”) who portrays a doctor with a patient bedside manner... at least for a while. The overall plot is nothing you haven’t seen before, borrowing thematic elements from every other psychological thriller where the audience is asked to decide if the protagonist is out of his mind or if there is some dark conspiracy against him. The film is adept at vacillating between the two possible truths and throws out some decent feints along the way before landing on a rewarding conclusion. 

What makes “Fractured” fantastic? Well, I don’t know if I would deem it fantastic, but I would call it serviceable so far as being a decent thriller that doesn’t require any heavy lifting from the viewer. It’s not a film that would have performed at the box office, but is a complete and entertaining work that helps to justify Netflix’s stronghold in the streaming wars that have just gone nuclear with the launch of Apple TV+ and Disney+. (When do we get Netflix+?) If you enjoy films of this vein, you won’t be disappointed, but if this sort of tale is not your usual cup of tea, there are much better places to start.

“Fractured” is a satisfying trifle of a mystery and a subtle impeachment of American emergency room and mental health care. Fans of psychological thrillers such as “Shutter Island” and “The Cure For Wellness” (Episode #354) will enjoy this film. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 58%

Metacritic: 36

One Movie Punch: 6.6/10

“Fractured” (2019) is rated TV-MA and is currently playing on Netflix.

Come back next Friday and we will wrap up with the last of four Netflix-produced films that debuted at Fantastic Fest. “Dolemite Is My Name” is wildly different than the three other horror-thrillers, a comedic account of Rudy Ray Moore’s journey from stand-up comedian to producer and star of the 1975 blaxploitation classic “Dolemite”. Get ready for the triumphant return of Eddie Murphy. I’ll see you then.

Hi everyone! 

Welcome back for another catchup review, from yet another favorite filmmaker of mine. Werner Herzog has been an absolute force of nature within the film industry, making shorts, feature-length films, and my favorite, documentaries. As part of the 2017 DLM Challenge, I watched five of his films, and each one was as thought-provoking as the subject demanded, with his characteristic, slightly depressed outlook on humanity. For two documentaries we have reviewed for the podcast, however, check out “Ballad of the Little Soldier” (Episode #285) and “Into the Abyss” (Episode #053), which definitely reinforce his dismal outlook.

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from the whole crew at Dice Tower Theatre. Every episode, the cast recreates an audio drama based on a shared tabletop role-playing experience. It is wonderfully produced and highly bingeable, especially if you like fantasy stories. Don’t miss their guest review here at One Movie Punch for 1932’s “The Mummy” (Episode #617), where the penalties for breaking character are quite severe indeed! 

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Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation. 

Here we go! 

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Today’s movie is “Meeting Gorbachev”, directed by Werner Herzog and André Singer, and written by Werner Herzog. The film looks at the life of Mikhail Gorbachev, the eighth and final president of the Soviet Union before its dissolution into its member states, including extensive clips from three interviews with Gorbachev himself. 

No spoilers. Just go read history.

Before we get started with today’s film, which covers the time when Herzog and Singer met Gorbachev, I thought I would recount my experience meeting Gorbachev in 1992, just after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. I was part of a gifted kid’s program at our local elementary school, working in a special group on a weekly basis to develop independent studies on various topics. I learned about farming, marine mammals, dinosaurs, computers, and sleight-of-hand magic, but the program was transformed into a problem-solving group. The reward for finishing the program in my last year, however, was a field trip to Chicago, where one of our advisors was prescient enough to know that Gorbachev was in town, and where he was staying. After a visit to a couple museums, we headed over to the hotel lobby and camped out in the middle. Moments later, press flooded the lobby, and Mr. Gorbachev, seeing an excellent photo opportunity, immediate walked towards us kids to shake all our hands. I didn’t know just how lucky I was to meet him then, but I definitely know how lucky I am now. 

Contrary to most Herzog films, “Meeting Gorbachev” is a surprisingly uplifting film, despite the many significant historical events being covered. Herzog does his best work when he has a personal connection to the subject, and in this case, it’s clear Herzog has a huge admiration for Gorbachev. My understanding of Russian politics in 1992 was largely based on the US propaganda at the time, that Reagan had single-handedly ended the Cold War, tore down the Berlin Wall, and had defeated the Soviet Union with nothing more than an American flag. Anyone outside the United States, of course, knew it was a much more difficult and complex process, one that happened in large part because of Gorbachev’s efforts to reform the Soviet Union before the collapse, including championing German Reunification when many others had given up. 

Herzog understands this complexity and walks us first though Gorbachev’s early life in a remote farming community, then as a nascent party leader within the Communist Party, then through a series of deaths, humorously covered by Herzog and Singer, became the president of the Soviet Union. Gorbachev was often demonized by the United States, as part of the usual Cold War messaging, but he was definitely a man of the Soviet people, deciding to learn about the problems throughout the country by meeting with the people, then touring the world as part of a Soviet delegation to seek answers to his country’s problems, and eventually enacting Glasnost and Perestroika. In his interviews with Gorbachev, Herzog asks a lot of pointed questions about his history, especially asking if the Soviet Union’s fall was inevitable or not, and without spoiling the answer, it’s a lot more complex than one might think. 

Herzog and Singer also feature a number of other perspectives on Gorbachev from outside the United States, again with much more complex analysis of how history unfolded than anything I was taught in school or was reported on our news broadcasts. I still shock people when I tell them that Russia lost upwards of 27 million people in World War II, about an eighth of their population depending on estimates, and doing more to stop the Nazis than the United States finally joining the war after Pearl Harbor. Folks looking back now on Gorbachev appreciate the reformer he ended up being, and the challenges he inherited from decades of party corruption, while many here just know him as the guy with the funny birthmark. 

I think it’s especially important for folks to learn about Russia now with all the obsessive red-baiting and Russia-baiting happening by mainstream personalities. Don’t take that as me writing off foreign involvement in our election process or giving the current Russian government a pass for questionable actions since Yeltsin left office. It’s important to have an accurate and diverse picture of Russian history and society, so we can understand exactly who is responsible for those actions, as opposed to a general blame of “Russia”, in the same way that other countries sometimes generalize blame of the “United States”, when it is really the billionaires who control our society as well. Herzog and Gorbachev both lament the current state of affairs in the world. 

“Meeting Gorbachev” is a solid documentary from master filmmaker Werner Herzog, that is more informative than insightful compared to his other work. Herzog walks us through the life of Gorbachev, and by doing so, the later history of the Soviet Union, outlining his major accomplishments and his failures, but leaves interpretation more up to the viewer, even while sharing his own opinions along the way. Documentary fans, or anyone looking to learn more about the last president of the Soviet Union, should definitely check out this film. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 89% (CERTIFIED FRESH)

Metacritic: 74

One Movie Punch: 8.2/10

“Meeting Gorbachev” (2018) is not rated and is currently playing on Hulu.

Hi everyone! 

We’re back with another catchup film from earlier this year, this time another film from French director Claire Denis. Denis’ output has varied over the years, but always with a distinct, thematic perspective. I’ll be talking more about Denis in the review, but for two other films from Denis we’ve reviewed, check out “Trouble Every Day” (Episode #094) which comes with a whole gaggle of trigger warnings and “Let The Sunshine In” (Episode #318), a drama that looks at the life of one middle aged woman in modern France. Both films are excellent.

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our friend Niall Cooper of the Assassinations Podcast. Every episode, they explore a famous assassination in history, what led up to it, and the fallout afterwards. Don’t miss Niall’s guest review at One Movie Punch for “Plan 9 From Outer Space” (Episode #615), and his attempts to help me with my stupid, stupid mind!

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Today’s movie is “High Life”, the cross-genre science-fiction drama directed by Claire Denis and written for the screen in collaboration with long-time writing partner Jean-Pol Fargeau, with additional collaboration and writing from Geoff Cox, Andrew Litvack, and Nick Laird. The film follows a group of criminals who opt to participate in scientific experiments on a mission to a black hole. The film stars Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin (aka André 3000), and Mia Goth. 

No spoilers. 

However, definitely some trigger warnings for sexual assault and violence. 

Sex is a difficult topic for conversation, one that Claire Denis has been examining in different ways for her entire filmography. Sometimes the topic can be subtle and amusing, as is on display in “Let The Sunshine In”, particularly in dealing with sexual expectations for middle-aged women in modern France, which also starred Juliette Binoche in the lead role. And that’s because sex can be hilarious as a topic, as is often the case in stand-up comedy and the raunchier late-night comedies. 

The flip side of sex is that it can also be horrific, as is on visceral display in “Trouble Every Day”, a horror story about sexual desire so powerful in two people that it leads to a bizarre form of sexual cannibalism. As an aside, this film was met with a lot of controversy and outrage for its depictions of sexual assault, but also served as a thematic influence on a later tale of sexual cannibalism, “Raw” (Episode #517). For women in particular, in our global chauvinist culture, sexual assault is a constant, if varying degree of concern among nearly all women, something that most men can never understand.

Sex can also be a lot of other things, however, and Denis explores many of those themes in “High Life”, in particular their relationship to birth and death. The premise of “High Life” is a bit of horrific genius. Convicts, debtors, and the destitute secretly sign away their lives for human experimentation in space, specifically to try to conceive a child on a ship while heading to explore the nearest black hole. It’s also a perfect microcosm of the human experience on our planet, struggling to live in a place that will be consumed by our sun in the next few billion years. It’s especially poignant in a world where more and more are questioning why anyone would bring a child into the world.

It’s just one of the amazing perspective-stretching themes on display throughout the film. Dr. Dibs (Juliette Binoche) manages the experiments on board, exchanging drugs for participation, a not-so-subtle metaphor for both orgasm and transactional sex arrangements. The prisoners help maintain the ship in the meantime, while engaging in the necessary routines to survive in space. The ship is in a state of constant acceleration, moving at 99% of the speed of light, which creates a different experience of time for the passengers, slower than those back home. The weirdest thing is that their reports arrive over a period of hundreds of years back home, even if they only pass a few decades on the ship before reaching their black hole destination, only adding to the absurdity of life in the universe. 

The setup is excellent, but the execution involves Denis’ very uncomfortable views of the relationship between sex, life, and death. The passengers have access to a room to individually fulfill their sexual desires, when the constant medication to tame impulses allows, a sort of weird disconnection of sex from birth. We also have two scenes of assault, one between prisoners when one passenger finally breaks, one by the doctor to acquire a specimen in a very uncomfortable scene. Both scenes are difficult to watch, but both also help drive the thematic storytelling, one a reminder that rape is a very serious concern for space travel, and the other a meditation on the responsibilities of parenthood from unwanted pregnancies. And the final few sequences, while maybe unnecessary to the driving plotline, do serve to tie up some thematic ends before a very powerful finale.

Just a bit more praise before we finish up. The set used for the spaceship, and the costumes used by the cast, are a nice juxtaposition of the cold, metallic approach of science, and the messier approach of life and animals, with the garden spilling over metallic floors, and the gradual deterioration of the ship as needed for human survival. Outside the ship, the space visuals are some of the best I’ve seen, including an experimental trip to slingshot around a black hole that blew me away. The score is a combination of ambient soundscapes and space jazz, in the vein of Sun Ra. The cast as a whole is good, with standout performances by Juliette Binoche, who reaffirms her incredible acting skills, and Robert Pattinson, who is continuing his excellent string of independent films and roles before being tied to the upcoming Batman franchise, another expansion of his great range as an actor, and how far he’s come since Edward in the “Twilight” franchise.

“High Life” is a challenging, but fulfilling meditation on sex, life, and death, set in space, which needs all the trigger warnings for sexual assault and sexual violence. Claire Denis brings her unique perspective to a story developed with Jean-Pol Fargeau, combining excellent visuals with a great cast to bring it all to completion. Art-house science fiction fans, or even hard science fiction fans, will definitely enjoy this film, along with Claire Denis fans. Everyone else, please heed the trigger warnings, then strap in for a wild ride. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (CERTIFIED FRESH)

Metacritic: 77

One Movie Punch: 9.3/10 

“High Life” (2018) is rated R and is currently playing on Amazon Prime.

Hi everyone!

Welcome back for another catchup review. I have a lot of specific genres I love to watch. Surrealist pictures. Well-choreographed actioners. Anything with psychedelic special effects or animation. And absolutely anything with zombies. “Little Monsters” is a zombie film like no other. For a couple other films in the zom-com genre (yeah, I said it, Andrew!), check out Andrew Campbell’s review of “One Cut of the Dead” (Episode #625) as part of Reign of Terror 2019, and Stephanie Campbell’s sneak attack review for “Anna and the Apocalypse” (Episode #425), soon to be available on subscription services! Both are excellent. 

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our good friend and semi-regular contributor, Ryan L. Terry. You can catch his reviews at RLTerryReelView.com (that’s reel with two e’s) and his many guest appearances on many movie podcasts. Don’t miss his guest review for “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (Episode #614) as part of Reign of Terror 2019, along with his many attempts to... let’s call it help me. 

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Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation. 

Here we go! 

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Today’s movie is “Little Monsters”, the zombie horror comedy written and directed by Abe Forsythe. The film follows Dave (Alexander England), a failed musician who tags along on a school trip to a theme park lead by Miss Caroline (Lupita Nyong’o) to see famous children’s television personality Teddy McGiggle (Josh Gad). However, when zombies escape from the nearby United States military base and invade the theme park, the children and remaining adults must hole up in the gift shop before deciding what to do. 

No spoilers. 

Zombie films are one of my favorite types of movies. It doesn’t matter if it’s mind control zombies, flesh-eating shufflers, or sprinting zoom-bies. Each one generally entertains in some way, shape, or form, even when the story is exceptionally awful. Zombies are a thematically flexible force for horror films, able to represent a myriad of evils. Sometimes they are the victims, sometimes the antagonists, and sometimes just a force of nature impacting the surviving humans. 

However, zombies are no longer limited to horror stories, or at least pure horror stories. Zombies are now leaking into other film genres. You can now find zombie romance stories, zombie journalist stories, zombie adventure stories, zombie documentaries, and even art-house zombie films. Just add zombies to any story now and you have a feature film, provided you have a decent make-up crew. Adding zombies to other films allows the power of zombie storytelling to be more accessible, or perhaps more relatable, to non-horror audiences. And “Little Monsters” does this in a fun new way.

A few professions today are truly heroic. Firefighters protect us all from the dangers of fire, something especially on my mind lately here in California. Organizers and activists are constantly working for the benefit of those in need and against the systems that drive inequality. Most especially, teachers, who help to develop and educate our children so they can operate in the world today. And for the record, I’m not just saying that because One Movie Spouse happens to be a teacher. I’m sure we can all remember one or two teachers who were role models for us all, and eventually we learn that those heroes were really just like the rest of us in adulthood, who drink and smoke and swear and everything.

Lupita Nyong’o does a supreme job as Miss Caroline, balancing the outward-facing teacher persona, necessary to engage and motivate young children, and the fundamentally real person struggling behind that persona. Teddy McGiggle has the same dual-facing persona with children, although he has a much more difficult time with maintaining that composure after the zombie invasion, devolving into his worst self. By contrast, Dave’s character matures from a failed musician into, well, at least something a little more palatable to interest Miss Caroline. 

The massive strength of this film is the combination of comedy at play. Miss Caroline and Teddy McGiggle poke fun at the perceived purity of teachers and children’s personalities, in the same way that 2017’s “Fist Fight” was funny. Combined with that is having a strong cast of children operating in an exceeding adult environment, with the same kind of clueless understanding as on display in this year’s “Good Boys” (Episode #575). Adding zombies to this combination is really just a bonus, but instead of it being too much, Abe Forsythe manages to calibrate it just right to make it all work. 

However, there are some noticeable flaws, the biggest one being that the film seems over-focused on Dave as a character in the beginning. Alexander England is well out of his weight class alongside top billers Nyong’o and Gad, and the focus on his character development is completely unnecessary to the rest of the story, a useless prelude to an excellent zombie comedy that follows. However, with the film already coming in at a tight 93 minutes, I’m not sure whether to trim it down on the front end or add enough to justify it on the back end. And at any rate, it doesn’t take away from the immense strengths of this film. 

“Little Monsters” is an accessible zombie comedy that plays with teachers and children’s personalities, and on a much deeper level, the differences in how we present ourselves to others and to ourselves. As long as you can stand a lot of gore and profanity, then you will definitely enjoy this film, especially if you’ve ever worked with or raised children in your life. Don’t miss out on this one zombie fans! And teachers, let’s work on our shovel skills, shall we?

Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (CERTIFIED FRESH)

Metacritic: 57

One Movie Punch: 8.7/10

“Little Monsters” (2019) is rated R and is currently playing on Hulu.

Hi everyone!

Welcome back to Matinee Mondays. I’ve been super excited for this film since I saw the first trailer, because it tells the story of one of my personal heroes, a real-life superhero that fought against a despicable practice. I’ll save the rest of my thoughts about “Harriet” for the review, but for a few other films about the historical black experience, although a little later on, check out “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Episode #465) and “BlacKKKlansman” (Episode #225). 

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from the DC High Podcast. Every episode, D & C deliver a high-school themed bunch of edutainment. One Movie Punch actually won homecoming for our promo entry earlier this year. Don’t miss their guest review on One Movie Punch for “Hatchet” (Episode #613), where they took some perfectly normal kids on a perfectly normal haunted swamp tour. 

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation. 

Here we go! 

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Today’s movie is “Harriet”, the historical action drama directed by Kasi Lemmons and written for the screen in collaboration with Gregory Allen Howard, based on a story by Gregory Allen Howard. The film follows the incredible life of Harriet Tubman (Cynthia Erivo), as she escapes slavery, only to return to free her family and many others as one of the most successful conductors on the Underground Railroad.

No spoilers. 

I have been waiting a very long time for a well-produced rendition of the life of Harriet Tubman. It seems unfathomable that more films have not been made about Tubman, considering her amazing story as a slave-turned-abolitionist. “Harriet” is the first film to hit the big screen, but previous versions have been made for television, or as short, educational films. And yet, I didn’t really learn about Harriet Tubman until I went to college, with all my small-town education about the Civil War focused on battles and dates and that slavery was either tragic or horrific, depending on the teacher. I read Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States”, from cover to cover, learning just about all the blind spots in my historical education. People like to call it getting “woke”, but I have always seen it as simply being educated. 

It actually lead me to a fascination with slave narratives, just some of the voices highlighted in Zinn’s work, along with noted anarchists, union organizers, progressive leaders, civil rights activists, and more. Entire courses are now offered that examine the slave narratives collected before abolition became the law of the land. Solomon Northup’s narrative “Twelve Years A Slave” was adapted in 2013 for the big screen, along with narratives about Nat Turner’s slave rebellion in the 2016 film entitled “The Birth of a Nation”, a wry and perhaps ill-advised attempt to take back the title from the original silent film that served as KKK propaganda. Slave narratives have a number of commonalities, as the treatment of slaves was often brutal, especially those raised within slavery. They also have a number of differences, and any adaptations need to strike the right balance in featuring both aspects of their story. It’s something that “Harriet” does pretty well, most of the time.

Stories about our heroes are often embellished as time goes on. Actual events are first perfected into stories shared about that event, then with each retelling, sometimes fueled by alcohol, the story gets more and more outrageous, like a fisherman’s tale. Society unconsciously mythologizes our heroes, at least until the advent of audio and video capture that have directly challenged those narratives. We can watch this conflict happen in real-time on news networks, when spin collides with fact and is spun out once again. We can also see it in the recently deceased heroes of today, like Morihei Ueshiba, also known as O’Sensei, the founder of Aikido would could apparently carry 500 pounds weights all day and was able to dodge bullets. 

The Harriet Tubman of “Harriet” is definitely being mythologized, building off the stories that Harriet experienced premonitions from God that aided her escape and work on the Underground Railroad. Quite often, Harriet suffers these spells, and her faith in God is featured quite heavily. It’s a point of contention for many scholars, because while religious faith was a guiding force for many, it was also a tool of control used quite often by slaveowners to control their slaves, which we get just the briefest taste of in the opening scenes. Cynthia Erivo plays this version of Harriet Tubman very well, however, evolving from an anguished slave into a leader with conviction, with more than a few excellently framed shots. Kasi Lemmons works with an incredible crew to recreate the time period, utilizing historical landmarks and preserved portions of cities and towns. 

There are different ways to make a biopic. You can cover someone’s entire life, from birth to death, meticulously hitting every formative event in their life for however much time you have to fill. You can cover just the highlights in someone’s life, getting right to the good parts, and playing those up. Or you can focus on a single, significant event in one person’s life, with perhaps some relevant setup and aftermath. “Harriet” decides on the middle approach, telling a story that feels more like Tubman’s greatest hits than enough to really develop her character and her experience. It also plays fast and loose with some historical dates and events, as is often the case to present a messy story from reality into the polished medium of film, although the inclusion of a black slavecatcher felt like an odd choice. 

Tubman’s life is simply too much to show and tell for a single film. My major criticism with the film is that I felt rushed from one event to the next, never really getting the opportunity to breathe, which might be accurate for Tubman’s experience of running, but not a great viewing experience. If I had my druthers, I would actually like to see three films. The first film would show us what slavery was like and would end with her daring escape, so that when Tubman does remind the Underground Railroad about the slave experience, we can be reminded of that experience instead of just intellectually agreeing with her point of view. The second film would be her working as a conductor, with multiple missions instead of the montage of victories we get to see in this version. And the third film would be her fighting in the Civil War, centered around the raid on Harper’s Ferry, not just a single scene tacked on before the closing outro montage. I’d also be open to an ongoing series, but definitely much more than a single film, especially for folks eager to see what they already know about her life. 

“Harriet” is a wide-reaching look at the life of Harriet Tubman, from her escape from slavery to her work on the Underground Railroad. Kasi Lemmons brings together a well-crafted historical drama, with an excellent lead performance by Cynthia Erivo, but in taking a greatest hits approach, leaves very little room to breathe. Historical drama fans, and folks anxious to see Harriet Tubman on the big screen will not be disappointed. Folks who don’t know much about Harriet Tubman will want to know more. And folks who know about Harriet Tubman might wish to have seen more in the film. However, I think everyone should see it, to learn about this amazing woman, and a personal hero of mine.

Rotten Tomatoes: 72%

Metacritic: 66

One Movie Punch: 7.6/10 

“Harriet” (2019) is rated PG-13 and is currently playing in theaters.

Hi everyone!

Welcome back for another week of reviews! We’re starting a new series this Sunday, one that will begin examining the films which will be exclusive to the emergent streaming providers. With the debut of AppleTV+ and Disney+ this month, along with the increased exclusive content offerings on all the major platforms, Sundays will become Streaming Sundays. Our initial episode will feature “The Elephant Queen”, now streaming exclusively on AppleTV+, part of their monthly movie offerings at least for the foreseeable future, and their first in an extended partnership with independent powerhouse A24. For one other nature documentary we’ve reviewed, check out “Disneynature: Born in China” (Episode #067), which will soon be available on that other sleeping streaming giant. 

Looking for an extra review for today? Head on over to patreon.com/onemoviepunch for a special review of “Hallowed Ground” in our likely never-ending series, “One Movie Punch Presents: Zero Percent”, where we watch and review a film that received the lowest possible score at Rotten Tomatoes. If you like what you’re hearing, please consider contributing to the podcast at any level. Every sponsor will have the opportunity to force me to review one movie of their choice, with just a few exceptions. All funds go to help paying our expenses and to help us grow with our audience. 

Before the review, we’ll have a promo from our good friends at the How I Met Your Friends Podcast. Every episode, Julie and Kathleen break down an episode of each show, providing interesting facts and conversation on a variety of related and unrelated topics. Don’t miss their recent guest review on One Movie Punch of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” (Episode #610) as part of Reign of Terror 2019, where they give the narrator a brief taste of his own medicine!

Subscribe to stay current with the latest releases.

Contribute at Patreon for exclusive content.

Connect with us over social media to continue the conversation. 

Here we go! 

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Today’s movie is “The Elephant Queen”, the inaugural film offering from AppleTV+, directed by Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone, written by Mark Deeble, and narrated by Chiwetel Ejiofor. “The Elephant Queen” follows the story of an elephant herd forced to leave their waterhole for another, facing multiple challenges as they cross the savannah. The documentary is a joint production of the United Kingdom and Kenya. 

No spoilers. 

The rise of the streaming giants has been an interesting process to watch unfold, from the industry’s mainstream birth at Netflix to the current launches and consolidations to happen in the next few years. Our family cut the cord when we moved to California, subsisting on unlimited DVDs at Hollywood Video and spending the difference on high-speed internet. We’ll be covering the rise of the streaming giants over the next few months, and the different approaches being taken, with today’s focus on AppleTV+’s debut offering, “The Elephant Queen”. 

“The Elephant Queen” is a safe debut film for AppleTV+ and their multi-project partnership with A24. Disney+ will be able to leverage its massive content library, barring existing streaming agreements, along with their acquisitions of Lucasfilm, Marvel, and most recently, Fox. HBO Max looks to be consolidating a number of disparate content offerings, again barring their existing streaming agreements. However, AppleTV+ is taking a ground-up approach, offering all exclusive content currently without streaming acquisitions, while still maintaining their rental and purchase platform for most other content. And one of the safest bets for any nascent content creator or distributor is the documentary, especially the nature documentary.

“The Elephant Queen” tells a cyclical story in the lives of the massive elephant herds of Kenya, shot over four years by veteran documentarians Mark Deeble and Victoria Stone, tracking the habits and progress of the elephants to tell the story of one particularly harsh cycle. Stone and Deeble have been making wildlife documentaries for decades, specifically in Africa, which is expertly leveraged into the documentary’s structure. We’re not just getting a documentary about elephant physiology, but their key place in the ecosystems they inhabit, sometimes in surprising ways. 

However, the real stars of the documentary are the animals being covered. The primary focus remains on the elephants, but we’re also introduced to the animals around them, including cannibalistic bullfrogs with weird foaming mating behavior, dung beetles battling over elephant dung, birds who eat the grasshoppers disturbed by passing elephants, and even a pair of terrapins. Video is captured from a variety of standard, and unique perspectives, including ground level, underwater, and even underground camera angles. And occasionally, especially with the dung beetles, we get some fun songs and sounds to embellish the fight. Chiwetel Ejiofor does a great job as narrator, using the right inflections to add to the story. 

Now, if you think this is a feel-good piece of edutainment, then think again. Given the ever-worsening climate, the effects on habitats around the world, and the increase in poachers for the ivory trade, the viewer is in for some heartbreaking scenes as well. This particular journey being documented happens during one of the worst droughts in the past four years, accompanied by substantial population reductions due to starvation and dehydration. Elephants are very intelligent and emotional creatures, with especially expressive eyes, so watching them suffer is difficult, if you aren’t completely dead inside. I cried over one death in particular.

“The Elephant Queen” is a solid documentary, but it also doesn’t bring anything new to the nature documentary, either. I’ve been watching nature documentaries since the 1980s, first on public television, and then on the cable networks, including some of Deeble and Stone’s previous work. Aside from the effects of climate change on the story, which is well worth documenting, and a few new camera tricks with drone shots and high-quality digital cameras, there’s nothing new. And there’s not supposed to be for this offering, which is likely to serve as an anchor for AppleTV+’s documentary offerings, or perhaps a larger division devoted to nature documentaries, to compete with Disney+’s recently acquired National Geographic content. And in that respect, “The Elephant Queen” is a perfect debut offering for the nascent streaming service.

“The Elephant Queen” is a well-made documentary about the lives of elephants on the African savannah. Victoria Stone and Mark Deeble transform four years of filming into a high-quality visual experience for all ages, utilizing new technologies to tell a pretty-standard nature documentary story. Documentary fans will absolutely love this film, but be ready to explain the harsh realities of life to some children. Okay, and maybe this adult as well.

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

Metacritic: 67

One Movie Punch: 8.2/10

“The Elephant Queen” (2019) is rated PG and is currently playing on AppleTV+.