THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX

Article first published as Review: THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX on Seat42F.

The following contains spoilers about The Cloverfield Paradox.

Surprise! Viewers of the Super Bowl were not expecting to learn that a new Cloverfield movie was on its way. But that’s exactly what happened when, with only a trailer played during the football game, Netflix dropped THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX Sunday night.

THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX is the third film in the loosely connected series produced by J.J. Abrams. The first, titled simply Cloverfield, was a found-footage monster movie that put the audience in the perspective of someone running from a Godzilla-like creature. 10 Cloverfield Lane was mostly a bottle suspense thriller set in an underground bunker after a post-apocalyptic event. The third film is set on a space station in the future, and their experiments to find an unlimited energy supply for mankind rip a whole in space-time that unleashes monsters and other strange things across multiple dimensions. So this movie is both a sequel and prequel to the others which are, presumably, set on different Earths.

Connecting them in this way is pretty smart for a franchise that doesn’t want to tell a linear story. We now have the origin of sorts for the very different monsters we see in all three films, an explanation as to why these things are happening, and endless possibilities for future installments. As a connecting thread, THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX works very well. It’s even better that it comes so late in the series, letting the mystery linger for years before solving it.

However, THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX is, by far, the weakest of the three installments.

THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX suffers from being split into too many pieces that fail to form a cohesive narrative. Our international crew of astronauts, comprised of Hamilton (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle), Kiel (David Oyelowo, Selma), Schmidt (Daniel Bruhl, Captain America: Civil War), Monk (John Ortiz, Kong: Skull Island), Mundy (Chris O’Dowd, Bridesmaids), Volkov (Aksel Hennie, The Martian), Tam (Ziyi Chang, Memoirs of a Geisha), and Jensen (Elizabeth Debicki, The Great Gatsby) start off in a somewhat straight-forward, save-the-Earth mission. This morphs into a cross between Alien and Apollo 13 as technology goes wrong and things (oddities, not monsters) haunt the ship. Eventually, as the cast is picked of one-by-one, it feels very familiar.

This in of itself should have been the movie, and it would have been OK if it had a few different elements to keep us guessing where it was going. While parts of it feel like remakes of other films, there’s enough originality to forge its own path, and an interesting story boosted by some terrific performances and spectacular special effects. But there are also very weird things, like an intelligent hand and arm, that just aren’t satisfyingly explained and make the whole thing uneven. There are also characters who act out of character or make ridiculous decisions no one in their right mind would make, sending the plot off course. Inconsistencies plague this work.

Add to this, THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX forces the DNA of the previous two movies into this one by following Hamilton’s husband, Michael (Roger Davies, Family Affairs), back on Earth. Michael first finds himself in a city being actively destroyed by very big creatures, a la the original, and then takes shelter in a creepy bunker, as in the sequel. These comparisons feel forced and unnecessary, distracting and off-tone. It also spoils what could have been a twist ending otherwise.

There’s also a bit of exposition when an apparent conspiracy theory nut (Donal Logue, Gotham) warns a reporter (Suzanne Cryer, Silicon Valley) about what might happen with the space station. He ends up being right, but I couldn’t help but feel this was a bit more hand-holding that viewers needed. Unless Donal is a set up for another film, in which case, I like him enough to overlook this.

I think if the writers wanted to keep all the pieces they force in, THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX would have worked better as a television miniseries or season. That way, it could take its time exploring each of the facets of the tale in a longer narrative arc. Hamilton could even visit herself on the other Earth, and really dig into what the multiple dimensions presented mean. It also would make more sense to keep Michael in it for a potential second season. In this way, nothing would need to be cut out, and it would almost guarantee more forthcoming story (J.J.’s name and a big budget making a two-season order on a streaming service likely). If they wanted to keep this as a movie, they really should have narrowed in on a few choices and ditched much of the material they went with.

I will say, I did enjoy the other J.J. references present. Keep your eyes peeled, and you’ll see homages to 2009’s Star Trek and the television show Alias, as well as hear some regular Abrams cast voices, such as Simon Pegg and Greg Grunberg.

Overall, I didn’t hate THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX. Like I said, there are some really good elements, and in terms of defining the franchise, it does its intended job. However, there are enough plot holes and weaknesses to keep it from being a thoroughly enjoyable watch, and certainly makes it the low point of the series so far. The potential is strong enough that I want to see it developed further. But care must be taken to make sure the next installment doesn’t go off the rails like this one did, which would surely kill any future stories any time soon.

THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX is available now on Netlfix.

Climbing the FAMILY TREE

Article first published as Climbing the FAMILY TREE on TheTVKing.

HBO's Family Tree is little more than a curiosity for most of the freshman run. It's vaguely amusing in a very understated way, but while the characters resemble those from Christopher Guest films, there isn't a clear zaniness that elicits laughs out loud or quotable lines. It's this bit of pizzazz that is absent, as the story unfolds slowly over eight episodes.

But I feel the season finale, "Cowboys," which aired this week, is different. Maybe it just took me awhile to adjust to the tone and style of the series, but in this last episode, I finally connected with the material. It meant something more, the characters actually mattered, and there was pay-off from the journey we've been on.

Tom (Chris O'Dowd) is on a mission to find out about his family, but by the end of "Cowboys," he isn't looking any longer, at least for this day. He's enjoying the last bit of his trip to California before he goes home, hanging out with his newly-discovered relatives, and spending time with the gal he likes, Ally (Amy Seimetz, The Killing). He's relaxed, luxuriating in a place he enjoys being, with people that he is fond of, even though he's only known them a short time.

This occurs despite the startling revelations Tom inadvertently stumbles onto. Al (Ed Begley Jr.) tells Tom about a bunch of conspiracies, including the faked moon landing and JFK's assassination secrets. This stuff is crazy, and Tom doesn't buy any of it for a moment. Yet, shortly thereafter, he tells Amy that he'll miss Al and the rest of the kin, and Tom means it. It doesn't matter what Al believes, he's family, and Tom is glad to know him.

It's this connection, which we see in the brilliant O'Dowd's face, that makes the whole series mean something. For the first time, we see just how desperate Tom is to be part of the family, and how grateful he is to find his roots. We see how much he loves those whom he is a part of, and likes being around them. His life seems so much better than in the first episode, and without even realizing it, there has been growth and development.

Does that mean Tom will stay in America? At the end of "Cowboys," he is kissing Ally, whom he sleeps with, and says he doesn't want to leave. It's an ambiguous ending, but combined with the stated fondness for his West Coast relations, it seems to indicate that Tom is more than a little tempted not to return to England.

This season of Family Tree split the action between England and the United States, and that worked well. There were wonderful actors playing parts on both sides of The Pond. That could easily continue into a sophomore year, should the show be renewed. If Tom goes home and stays there, that would drop a valuable portion of the cast, and I'd hate to see that happen.

But regardless of how the tale might continue, "Cowboys" is a perfect ending that leaves viewers wanting more. If we're lucky, HBO will grant us that.

Climbing the Family Tree

Article first published as FAMILY TREE Review on Seat42F.

Grade: 94%

Many are familiar with the work of Christopher Guest, who has made such fantastic mokumentary films as Best in Show, A Might Wind, and This Is Spinal Tap. It’s about time, then, that he gets a weekly series on television. FAMILY TREE, which premiered on HBO last night, is that series.

Set in London, England, FAMILY TREE stars Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, Girls) as Tom Chadwick, an unemployed, heartbroken man in his thirties who inherits a box of bits and bobs from his great Aunt Victoria. In that box are mementos from his family’s history, which he will make his mission to dive into and discover his roots.

It’s a simple premise, to be sure, and one that many can relate to. We’ve all had times in our lives where we lack direction and need to figure out our purpose. Many choose to examine the past to find clues as to a possible future. Tom is easy to relate to and sympathetic in his journey, wonderfully brought to complex life by O’Dowd.

Tom has help in his journey in the form of best mate Pete Stupples (Tom Bennett, PhoneShop), who lives in the past, but in a bad way. Whereas Tom seeks meaning and enrichment from his own history, Pete wants to maintain a silly, sex-obsessed, immature existence as long as he possibly can. He’s also the type of friend to latch onto a person and never let go, whether the other person wants them there or not. Tom is in exactly this position with Pete.

I’m not saying Tom should ditch Pete, even if Tom is a much more likeable person. They have a lot of shared stories together, and Pete is a nice enough bloke, certainly loyal. He provides the comic relief to the more serious Tom, which is probably why Tom doesn’t mind having him around so much, for laughs.

In the pilot, “The Box,” Tom and Pete take an old military photograph to expert Neville St. Aubrey (Christopher Fairbanks, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) to examine. Tom at first believes that the man shown is his great grandfather, but Neville is able to discover that Tom’s relation is the photographer, not the subject, and in finding a photo of said great grandfather, Tom learns he is descended from a “Chinaman.”

If that amuses you, you will likely enjoy the humor exemplified in FAMILY TREE. It’s in a similar vein to other Guest works, silly and irreverent, but toned down a bit here, not so in-your-face as some of his movies have been. Many of the jokes are quiet, though unexpected, the nuance taking precedence over the slapstick. It’s a very specific brand, well executed.

There’s also an underlying level of sadness to the proceedings of “The Box.” Obviously, Tom is not doing so well, with little going right in his life. As positive as he tries to be about it, one can sense that any bit of optimism displayed may just be a coping mechanism. He’s had about all he can take, and only through embarking on a new adventure, learning about his heritage, can he get a foot hold and begin to pull himself back up.

Yet, Tom is not the saddest character introduced in “The Box.” That honor belongs to his sister, Bea (Nina Conti, Bromwell High), who walks around with a monkey puppet on her arm. Unlike Tom, who was raised in Ireland by their mother, Bea was subject to father Keith’s (Michael McKean, Clue) inept, unobservant style of parenting. Bea clings to the monkey as a way to find her voice, and thus is quite a depressed, and depressing, person. I look forward to learning more about her, and how she might be inadvertently helped by Tom’s work.

Somehow, Guest rings the humor out of such people, whether it be in interactions between the various characters, the situations they get into, or cut scene interviews with the players. There is always something to find amusing, even in the darkest bit of the half hour, and it is played to great effect.

Besides McKean, other frequent Guest veterans will appear in the series, including Ed Begley Jr. and Fred Willard. Guest has built his own stable of actors over the years, and although they are not the focus in his latest project, he certainly isn’t abandoning them, either. They get his tone and style perfectly, and will only enhance FAMILY TREE in their recurring appearances.

I like FAMILY TREE a lot. It has the distinctive Guest feel, but also comes across as fresh and original. There isn’t really another series on television to compare it to, at least not in anything but broad strokes, taking a simple story and telling it in a very unique manner. If it can find an audience, and it is certainly accessible enough to do so, it should make a great addition to the HBO lineup.

FAMILY TREE airs Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO.

"It's About Time" for Girls

Grade: 93%

HBO’s GIRLS is back this Sunday, January 13th at 9 p.m. ET with “It’s About Time.” And while the titular characters may be slightly older, they are still far too immature to be called women, no matter what they do sexually.

Hannah (Lena Dunham) just cannot make up her mind about what she wants. Should she keep taking care of Adam (Adam Driver), who has been hit by a truck, and is now fully admitting his love for her, or should she hook up some more with the new guy (Donald Glover, Community) that she’s been seeing on the side?

Why can’t Hannah make a decision? She is plenty confident in picking a party theme idea, or stripping off her dress without hesitation, but she has no will to choose a man to be with. It’s not that she’s not getting enough sex with Adam, or that he’s still being mean; it’s more that she doesn’t know what she wants, so she can’t let herself be happy with what she has. Adam seems like a good match for her, but she isn’t willing to admit that, so she bed hops.

Unfortunately, it’s not fair to either of the guys. Adam has the biggest right to feel betrayed, considering how he has been sleeping with her for awhile, and has expressed his feelings. The newbie, meanwhile, seems to know about Adam, and doesn’t mind what’s going on, but only because Hannah presents the impression that she no longer cares for Adam. It’ll be interesting to see how Hannah eventually deals with being the unlikely (though I’m sure she expected it) center of a love triangle.

Thankfully, Hannah’s uncertainty doesn’t extend to her friends. She is careless with their emotions, as Marnie (Allison Williams) finds out when Hannah dismisses her feelings of loneliness. But Hannah does say she still loves Marnie, and wants to be good friends, despite their fight last year, so that’s something.

Marnie is sad because she has no guy and no job. Things aren’t made any easier when Hannah doesn’t have time for her and her ex, Charlie (Christopher Abbott), brings his new girl to Hannah’s party. This excuses Marnie’s almost hook-up with Hannah’s gay roommate, Elijah (The New Normal’s Andrew Rannells), which fails to happen because of him, not her. One cannot help but feel sorry for her, being in as depressing a place as she is in “It’s About Time,” and with no end in sight.

Still, is that an excuse for her to crawl back into Charlie’s bed? As unhappy as Charlie may be with his current girlfriend, he should never let Marnie sleep over until a break up happens. And Marnie should know better. But I guess that’s the folly of the young, and why they are still called GIRLS.

One thing that does seem odd in the episode is that Marnie continually makes a point to keep her boobs blocked from the camera during her semi-sex scene with Elijah. I respect that the actress doesn’t want to do the nude scenes, and no one is asking her to act like Dunham, completely free-wheeling. But when she holds her arm a certain way, then pulls her dress back up, as Elijah commits fully to the moment, and her character  is portrayed as wanting the intercourse, her modesty just feels awkward and wrong. Either she needs to show more skin, or her character shouldn’t have these types of scenes.

Speaking of sex, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) has been trying to get over her one night stand with Ray (Alex Karpovsky), even though, to paraphrase, she feels like something is missing without her hymen. Her resolve to avoid him, though, predictably breaks down when they meet in the bedroom during the party, and they end up making out.

What is the hesitation here? Yes, Shoshanna works best on the series in small doses, but Ray doesn’t seem to mind her personality. Why not let them be a couple? It would be very interesting to see how Shoshanna behaves when she begins to get regular sex, and we could use a little more Ray (or any decent guy) on screen.

If you’re a fan of Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Thomas-John (Chris O’Dowd), I’m sorry to report that there’s really nothing to say about them in “It’s About Time.” However, given the end of the episode, that probably won’t be the case for long.

I admit, I was missing GIRLS, and “It’s About Time” it came back! It’s a quirky, unique, certain-of-itself show that doesn’t hold back, and always entertains. Even when a scene ventures too far into something I don’t really want to see, I don’t regret watching because the pay off is fantastic. The characters are authentic and more real than what exists in most of television. Overall, few complaints can be made. Welcome back, GIRLS!

Want to read some of my fiction? It's on my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Also, for the latest updates and article links, as well as commentary on episodes I don't fully review, please follow me on Twitter!

Article first posted on Seat42F

The Crimson Petal and the White

Recently released on DVD by Acorn Media, The Crimson Petal and the White is a tale of love, betrayal, and insanity. Set in Victorian England, it's a character-driven drama with an impressive cast, playing out as a heartbreaking miniseries.

William Rackham (Chris O'Dowd, Bridesmaids, The IT Crowd) is heir to a perfume company, but would rather be a writer. Saddled with a father (Tom Georgeson, Bleak House) who wants William to face reality and give up on his dreams, and a wife, Agnes (Amanda Hale, Bright Star), so mentally unbalanced that she doesn't even recognize the existence of her own young daughter, Sophie (Isla Watt), William finds nothing but misery. That is, until he meets Sugar (Romola Garai, The Hour).

Sugar is a prostitute. But she, too, wants more than she has in life, working on her own novel, inspired by an equally miserable existence. Sugar is all too willing to become monogamous for William in exchange for money and a decent place to live, eventually becoming nanny and mother to Sophie. It's a position that badly needs filled, so that Sugar is less an interloper, and more a savior, to the family, deranged Agnes even believing her to be a guardian angel.

But emotions and motivations are complicated. Those who indulge their dreams often are flighty, never satisfied when they get what the want. William is controlling and Sugar is ambitious, not subservient. This is the makings of a clash, one highly entertaining in this psychological thriller.

One thing for which The Crimson Petal and the White has been routinely praised is its cast. Besides O'Dowd and Garai, who do an absolutely stupendous job in the leading roles, Hale is perfect as a madwoman, Gillian Anderson (The X-Files) is delightfully monstrous, and Richard E. Grant (The Iron Lady) brings to his character new levels of creepiness.

Visually, The Crimson Petal and the White succeeds well. It perfectly builds a specific world for which these characters to dwell, the setting every bit a part of the people in it as anything else. Costume and makeup design are also top notch, really selling the story well. There is a dark quality the world, and the people inhabiting it.

The one complaint raised by those who have read the book upon which this miniseries is based is that some of the material has been toned down. True, there is only so much nudity most television channels can show, and the violence can't really be R rated. Still, creating a masterful tone helps sell the story anyway, making these complaints insignificant when weighed against the other factors.

Sadly, the bonus features are lacking. Eleven minutes of deleted scenes, some character biographies, and interviews with a couple of the cast and crew is all you get. Yes, the discussions provide some meaningful insight, but mostly these aren't anything memorable, nor entirely necessary. More might have been included.

Overall, though, the story of The Crimson Petal and the White is well worth your time, no matter what omissions may have been made in crafting the extras. This is a wholly original, brilliantly executed drama that will delight, surprise, and creep you out, sometimes all at the same time.

The Crimson Petal and the White is available now on a two-disc DVD from Acorn Media.


If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Article first published as DVD Review: The Crimson Petal and the White on Blogcritics.

"She Did" it Girls

HBO's Girls has gotten a lot of attention this season, some positive, some not so much. As the freshman run draws to a close with "She Did," it's hard to see where the attacks come from. Jealousy? Insecurity? Lack of a frame of reference? Yes, the characters may not be completely likeable, but what a bold, fresh, realistic perspective! Girls may very well be the voice of a generation, and I don't make that claim lightly.

Maybe there are those that dislike the series because they are trying to compare it to other television. This is folly, as the writing and direction of Girls is not like anything else. Trying to pigeon-hole it, or compare it to non-exist peers shows a lack of understanding of what the show is going for. It isn't trying to be another series. It is, like the characters, true to itself, even if no one else understands.

At the center of the series is Hannah (Lena Dunham). She still expects her dreams of being a professional writer to come true. She just doesn't put that much effort into making them happen, whines quite a bit, and is pretty selfish. Yet, as the type of person that everyone knows, narcissistic but not malicious, she is an identifiable character, and one not represented very well on television. Until now.

In "She Did," Hannah gets the chance to complete one of her goals: have a serious relationship. Adam (Adam Driver) is willing to fully commit to her, even wanting to move in. Hannah just doesn't take him seriously, and ends up insulting him, which may spell the end of their time together. Is it because she is scared, as she claims in a raw confrontation in the street? Or does she not know what she wants? Maybe Adam is the type of guy she thinks she should desire or deserves, but isn't sure that she is ready to be with him. Is she trying to live her life as if from a script?

This is kind of the conundrum of everyone in Girls. Marnie (Allison Williams) has a great guy in Charlie (Christopher Abbott), whom she doesn't appreciate until he's gone. Then she could get him back, but she still resists, ending up making out with someone unexpected (Saturday Night Live's Bobby Moynihan). One would like to think that she appreciates her hookup's personality, but really, she's probably just drunk and desperate. We'll see if it lasts past a single evening.

The oddest plot in the finale is when Jessa (Jemima Kirke) throws a surprise wedding for herself and the creepy guy (Chris O'Dowd) who wanted to have a threesome with Jessa and Marnie. Jessa didn't even like him then, but her bizarre vows are actually sweet. Perhaps they do make a good pairing, as out of nowhere as the union seems to come from. Of course, with Jessa, no traditional courtship would ever be in the cards, which might make this one more acceptable.

Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) would like to loose her virginity, and weirdly does so with Ray (Alex Karpovsky). It almost seems like this happens because these are the two major characters with the least development, and the only ones who aren't paired up before now. And yet, there is something really nice between them. Both deserve more screen time, and maybe as a couple, they will get it.

Shoshanna's frustrated statement, "Everyone's a dumb whore," rings kind of true on the surface. But the girls are more than that. Someone who is over the age of thirty might have a hard time understanding what is going on in Girls. Yet, those of us who were in college in the previous decade see an authenticity that is surprising for television. Every flaw and stupid action of young gals that are not yet mature enough to qualify as women are laid out, without shame. It's a brave series with interesting writing. And no matter what these girls do, there is an allure about them that keeps people tuning in week after week.

Nope, not everyone gets them. That's the way they like it. One day they will be normal, contributing members of society. But for now, they are still just Girls.

Girls will return for a second season on HBO.

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