Bustin' This Movie Made One of Us Feel Good! - Renegade Marquee #17
Tonight, on a spooky episode of Renegade Marquee, Captain Kaye is joined by Bioshocker and Teresa to take part in a seasonally stuffed experience, discussing A LOT of films, such as Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife!
Happy bird day, fellow Renegades! I hope you’re riding out your food comas and staying safe in the battlefield that is retail shopping on black friday. It’s me, THE DIRECTOR, here to once again bring you guys the latest in the podcasting landscape through our motley crew of nerds, nerdettes, and non-binary nerds.
And boy, do we have an appropriately stuffed episode of Marquee in store for you (I’d appreciate it if you ignored that I used that for the last post, thanks), as we go through a HUGE INFLUX of films that have released this month, not the least of which includes Ghostbusters: The Force Awaken — I mean Ghostbusters: Afterlife. We’ve got hot takes straight out of the oven, discussions of the latest Wes Anderson joint, the return of my mortal nemesis Lin Manuel-Miranda in tick tick… BOOM, and another spooky discussion with Edgar Wright’s latest: Last Night in Soho!
Well, without further adieu, I’ll kick it over to the Captain himself. Take it away!
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO (2021)
“If we're counting Shaun of the Dead, then technically this would be Wright's 2nd dip into the horror pool. That being said, it's the first time he's taken the genre seriously, while borrowing elements from Giallo filmmakers such as Dario Argento and Mario Bava. And honestly, I think he knocked this film out of the park. If nothing else, this an excellent showcase for Thomasin McKenzie in her first leading role, while Anya Taylor-Joy gets to prove herself as a triple threat playing Sandie, a young singer in the 1960's whose life Ellie finds herself living through her dreams. It's great to see Wright continue to step out of his comfort zone and grow as a filmmaker, creating some unforgettable imagery with the help of cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that this film marks the final on screen performances for Diana Rigg and Margaret Nolan, who both passed away last year. Those who are obsessed with oldies will love the soundtrack, which would make sense coming from the same director who previously worked on a Sparks Brothers documentary. The story itself is hard to talk about without delving into spoilers, but what I can say is that like Wright's previous films, I can only imagine that this will benefit from multiple viewings. There are elements of the narrative that I can understand would rub people the wrong way, particularly when it comes to how it handles mental health. But regardless of how you feel, it is a topic I feel is worth being discussed. That's why I want everyone to see Last Night in Soho as soon as possible, so we can talk about it freely.” - Captain Kaye
SPENCER (2021)
“I never got around to seeing Jackie, so this is my first real exposure to Larraín as a director. But wow, what a great first impression this made, and taking this sort of approach to one of the biggest cultural icons in history was nothing short of brilliant. In the 90's, Princess Diana was everywhere in the media, but rather than retreading familiar ground with a traditional biopic, Larraín pulls back the curtain and dives deep into her psyche. Kristen Stewart delivers easily one of the best performances of the year. Her being great isn't necessarily a surprise in and of itself, if you've been intimately following her post-Twilight career. However, when you combine her performance with the incredible hair and makeup work by Nicola Iles, she's able to completely transform into the Princess of Wales. There are other great supporting performances throughout the film, including Timothy Spall as Equerry Major Alistair Gregory, Sally Hawkins as Maggie, the Royal Dresser, and Jack Nielsen and Freddie Spry as Princes William and Henry respectively. The film is as much a character study as it is a mood piece, thanks to composer Jonny Greenwood creating an atmosphere that can be at once tense and claustrophobic, and warm and inviting. I can't promise this will be an easy watch, particularly if depictions of serious mental illness and eating disorders are triggering. But that the film is willing to go there and address these topics in a way that doesn't demonize Diana is commendable, making the last 5 minutes of the film all the more effective. I could go on, but for now, I'm just going to need everyone to see this as soon as you can.” - Captain Kaye
TICK, TICK… BOOM! (2021)
“The story of Jonathan Larson's tragically short career in Broadway is one that I've always found fascinating, and what's cool about the film version of tick, tick...BOOM! is that it leans more into the semi-autobiographical narrative. The performance of the rock monologue acts as a sort of framing device, while the rest of the film plays out like a conventional dramatization. On paper, anybody could have helmed this project, but considering LMM's musical background and knowing how much Larson influenced his own career, I'm glad it was him behind the camera. I won't pretend like this is the best directorial debut I've seen even this year, but Lin's passion for the source material is so infectious that it radiates through each musical number. The one that stands out the most would have to be ‘Sunday,’ a show-stopper that features cameos from prominent Broadway stars including original cast members from Rent such as Adam Pascal, Daphne Rubin-Vega, and Wilson Jermaine Heredia, and several more. But the main reason why this movie works as well as it does is the core ensemble cast, led by Andrew Garfield as Jonathan Larson. I'm not exaggerating when I say this is his best performance since The Social Network. Not only did he impress me with his singing, but apparently this was a skill he specifically fine tuned for this role. The rest of the cast is great as well, including Alexandra Shipp as Jonathan's girlfriend Susan Wilson, Robin de Jesús as his best friend Michael, Judith Light as Rosa Stevens, and Bradley Whitford as Stephen Sondheim (and Sondheim himself has a voice cameo). I'm hard pressed to come up with any significant criticisms, apart from wanting an animated adaptation of Larson's un-produced sci-fi rock opera Superbia. Otherwise, tick, tick...BOOM! is a film I highly recommend, especially for musical theater nerds who are around my age, or anyone who's at a crossroads in their life.” - Captain Kaye
KING RICHARD (2021)
“Tennis is a pretty big deal in my family, and I'm already a Will Smith fan, but I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a film about the father of the first two black tennis prodigies. But as it turns out, this was quite the compelling narrative, a real life Cinderella story as demonstrated in a scene that has the entire family watching the Disney animated classic. Admittedly, that was a little on the nose, but it drives home the point that family is the most important thing to Richard, as is humility in the face of adversity. This is the second movie I've seen in a row with a career best performance, and I don't get to say often about a Will Smith starring vehicle. But here's the thing, he may be the biggest name on the marquee, but he's not the only one who deserves recognition. Much like how the film is about Richard Williams putting over his two daughters, as an actor and producer, Smith successfully put over Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, the actresses who portrayed the young Venus and Serena respectively. This movie is firing on all cylinders, both in front of and behind the camera. For his first screenplay, Zach Baylin effectively paves the right path for Richard's emotional arc. One might argue that the film puts a little too much on Venus, while Serena spends the majority of her screen time under her sister's shadow. Though I understand that critique, I don't necessarily agree that it's a dealbreaker. Despite the 145 minute runtime, the film moves at a relatively fast pace. While tennis may be the catalyst of the narrative, the heart of the film is touching family drama. Of course there will be awards buzz surrounding King Richard, but I'd recommend this movie any time of the year.” - Captain Kaye
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE (2021)
“What I love about the original Ghostbusters is that it's the perfect combination of some of the best comedic talent of the 80's playing in the supernatural sandbox, while the joke is that they approach it with the mundanity of pest extermination. Nothing that has come since the first film has been able to quite maintain that balance, regardless of quality. Even this film, as much as I adored it, leans a little too much into the supernatural spectacle, and not enough into the comedy. That's not to say it isn't funny at all, just that it's a different brand of humor. While the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, Jason Reitman does not have the same filmmaking sensibilities as his father. But that's exactly what makes this movie so special, it's the meta narrative that could have only been provided by a direct descendant of the original. The cast is terrific, with McKenna Grace absolutely stealing the show as Phoebe Spengler, the daughter of Carrie Coon's Callie and the granddaughter of Egon Spengler. It's incredible how well she's able to emulate Harold Ramis's mannerisms and cadence, while still making the character her own. The rest of the cast is fun as well, including Finn Wolfhard as Phoebe's brother Trevor, Logan Kim as Podcast, a friend Phoebe makes at summer school, and Paul Rudd as Gary Grooberson, Phoebe and Podcast's teacher. The film follows the same basic narrative structure as The Force Awakens, for better and for worse. (EDITOR’S NOTE: SEE?!? My quip was actually ACCURATE, NOT MEAN!) Some people will love all the callbacks to the original, while others will scoff at the very idea. Compared to its blockbuster contemporaries, the money is certainly on screen. With a budget of roughly $75 million, the film looks great, and you can feel the stakes rising as we enter the third act. Rob Simonsen composed the score, who previously collaborated with Reitman on Tully from 2018, and it's incredible. Overall, Ghostbusters: Afterlife is wonderful. Not only is it a great follow up to the original, but it's a sincere love letter to the concept of legacy, and I hope people find time to check this out in theaters.” - Captain Kaye
That’ll do it for this episode! Special thanks to the Streamin’ Demon for editing the episode this time around! Get the tree and the lights up, and ready your radios for the torment of Mariah Carey’s annual invasion, as you’ll see the next podcast coming down your chimney very soon!
