I read, saw, listened to, played - issue 77
Other versions
Let's carry on with the posts about my cultural consumption. Varied, very varied. With some excellent and some OK. Hoping to inspire you to discover new things.
Hérésie - Witte Wieven
I first heard about Witte Wieven (Hérésie in France) in the PIFFF episode of Jumpscare, a french horror movie podcast. And then, a new episode was entirely devoted to it and went into a little more detail about what the film offered, accompanying it with an interview with the director, Didier Konings. And after listening to it, well, I wanted to know more. So I created a ShadowZ (a french horror svod platform) account (thanks to the Jumpscare promo, and damn the treasure chest I just opened!) and watched the film.
One hour in a village around the year 1000, probably in what would become the Netherlands. A village, a forest. A forbidden forest. The boundary between the two is marked by a large cross. And we follow the story of Frieda, a young woman who is unable to have children and is rejected, despite her prayers and pleas to the local priest.
Tragedy brings her to the forest, where she experiences an encounter with the creature the villagers fear. The Devil? Something more ancient? We won't know, and there's no need to explain.
The film is gorgeous. The treatment of color and darkness is worth the journey, and you don't want to watch it on a mobile phone screen. The treatment of the forest, whether in terms of image, lighting, shots or music, is really mastered and provides quite a contrast with the slowness, heaviness and self-pity of what's going on in the village.
Anneke Sluiters plays Frieda and her changing situation really well. She has a bewitching, transporting gaze.
Be careful, though. We're talking here about sexual violence, body horror and ostracizing religion.
Mickey 17
- Attracted by the pitch, without really knowing anything else.
- Cleverly structured, with well-managed flashbacks.
- Robert Pattinson is at his best. Managing to bring several different but similar characters to life.
- A satirical sci-fi that shoots real bullets...
- ... but also tells a story of humanity, with some extremely touching moments (notably through the character of Naomi Ackie).
- Mark Ruffalo and Toni Collette where I least expected them, in an excessive way that, today, doesn't even seem out of proportion
- A finale that could have been slightly shortened
The Riddler - Year One
- Official prequel to The Batman, based on the character of The Riddler. Paul Dano, his performer, is the writer.
- How did the character we meet in the film come to be? That's the purpose of this comic book, which doesn't offer a story full of twists and turns or a classic thriller scenario. Instead, we explore the character's psychology and his turning point, while also exploring this version of Gotham.
- A raw, harsh, sometimes tortured drawing that fits the story perfectly and evolves with it. A radical shift away from conventional drawing. Stevan Subic makes this story sublime.
- A pleasant surprise, without Batman.
Radio Tombola
- A podcast/playlist led by Ben Felten and Jimi Inc, available on Soundcloud.
- Just a few tracks, in the form of an exquisite corpse. One of the hosts proposes a song, and the other follows with another, around improbable covers from classical tunes.
- It's a very enjoyable hour of music, and the little facts about the different tracks make it all worthwhile.
- Varied, very. And a pleasure to discover other sounds on melodies that catch the ear.
Modern Family, season 1
- Looking for a sitcom to share with the family, I decided to go back and watch this trio of families.
- A season 1 that sometimes struggles with the behavior of certain characters (Phil and Jay, especially).
- It's very situational and sometimes very physical (a la Chaplin/Keaton).
- Light, tolerant, modern. We'll see if it moves me as much as The Office in the long run.
Reacher season 3
- A very successful season 1, a very disappointing season 2, this was Reacher's last chance...
- A returning small-town vibe, and the dropping of the “team” aspect.
- A really catchy introduction
- Violence. Too much violence. Without any real thought or consequences. What's the body count here?
- The season's stakes take too long to arrive (the big bad, the missing girl...)
- Some of the villains leave too quickly, even though they were fun to watch.
- A finale that's too easy, with no pitfalls (once we get rid of the mountain).
- No season 4 for me, I've given up enough.