Netflix trailer: https://t.ly/htQAG
This is a great series, which I would have said was fantastic, but the ending, although a great wrap-up, was not whiz-bang. "Murder Mindfully" is an 8 on an absolute scale. One in which "Murders in the Building" is a 3. One in which "The Bureau" is a 10 and "Spiral" and "A French Village" are 9.5's, even though I hate giving that .5 rating, splitting hairs, it's just that I want to state how hard it is to achieve a 10, nearly impossible.
And yes, all four of the foregoing series are foreign. So if you hate subtitles you can stop reading now.
But unlike the latter three, "Murders Mindfully" is not a straight drama, it's a drama with both serious and light tones, a good bit of comedy, if not the laugh out loud kind (no, I won't use the word dramedy, which is an execrable Hollywood term that renders anything it is applied to mediocre and not deserving of attention).
"Murder Mindfully is a Mafia show. You know, drug-running. And ultimately the battle is between the Serbians and the Russians.
Oh, did I state this was a German show? Yes, a German comedy. Not what you'd expect, but it delivers.
But not wholly in the first episode. I did my research, there is no critics' rating, sans studio/streamer hype the critics don't pay attention, but the public gave it a 91 on the Popcommeter, and whenever anything is in the 90s you have to pay attention, assuming there's not a concomitant terrible rating on the critics' Tomatometer. Kind of like "The Offer," which has 96 on the Popcommeter, yet only 57 on the Tomatometer. My inbox is filled with hosannas about "The Offer," however it's gotten some of the worst reviews ever, writers reviled it, if for no other reason than it bore little resemblance to reality. In other words, the wisdom of the crowd is not always right. But when it comes to a foreign series... Then again, are the foreigners rating it, are they to be trusted? I don't know, I'll just say there's very little info about "Murder Mindfully" out there.
But a reader hipped me to it.
This is the yin and yang of publicity/marketing today. You love that I found out about it, but any effort you put into making me find out about it failed, assuming Netflix put any effort in at all.
So, the star is Tom Schilling. Who reminded me of Peter Schilling. Who are both German, but not related. But I'd be lying if I didn't say "Major Tom" wasn't playing in my head during the series.
Which is only eight half hour episodes, not a huge commitment. You'll start...
And not want to stop.
However the first episode is all set-up. The deets are laid out, but the intrigue...you're not exactly hooked. But when you tune in to the next episode... You go on a ride that will have you smiling, marveling that you're experiencing something so great that almost no one is aware of. You can own it, like you owned bands back in the day, before they broke big.
So Tom as Bjorn is a lawyer. In a firm where he's the rainmaker but they won't let him make partner. They want his money, but not him. This is the ethos of rock and roll, the lack of acceptance, even though this is not a rock and roll show.
And the client that rains down all the money is Mafioso Dragan Sergowicz. Who is caught in a pickle... Well, that's putting it mildly.
So what you've got here is the classic work/home balance issue.
Bjorn Diemel is bringing home all the money, driving a BMW, living in a great house, but he's never home. His relationship with his wife has flagged and he's constantly missing commitments with his young daughter.
So, his wife sends him to mindfulness classes.
I feel the same way about mindfulness that Bjorn does. What a bunch of crap. He hesitates going in to the appointment, professes it to be hogwash, but the bearded teacher instructs Bjorn in the process and...
Bjorn starts to employ it.
And the amazing thing is you're watching the series and you start to buy in too. Live in the moment. When you have no choice, smile and let the situation play out. Yet, by time it's over I can't say I'm so convinced.
So Dragan has to go into hiding and the police are looking for him and all eyes are on Bjorn, the lawyer. He's the intermediary. He's trying to hold it all together, while trying to figure a way out of the entire enterprise himself, while trying to reunite with his wife and daughter after separating at the beginning of the series.
And it turns out he has history with the woman cop.
And all the tropes are there. The crooked cop, the double-dealing, the intimidation, the brute force. How is Bjorn going to cope with all of it? VIA MINDFULNESS!
So he's making choices he never would have made previously. He's becoming aware of his own power. But he also finds out not every strategy is a winning one. How is he going to escape?
And the Russian mob boss rings true.
And just like in "Donnie Brasco" the life of a Mafioso looks boring, never mind your body and life being in danger.
This is not heavy watching. But it is intelligent watching. It's not so complicated you can't follow it, but you can't always predict what is going to happen, and how Bjorn is going to cope. And sometimes the situations are...just downright laughable.
When I think of all the series I've seen in the past month I'd recommend "Murder Mindfully" first. It doesn't ask much, but provides plenty. It doesn't eat up your life, but will get you thinking, it will stay with you.
And it will make you forget what's happening outside your door, on your phone.
It's very German, yet the concept of Mafia shenanigans is universal.
You're gonna dig this, trust me
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Wednesday, 13 November 2024
Tuesday, 12 November 2024
Chris Wallace Leaves CNN
"'When I look at the media landscape right now, the people who are going independent, whether it's podcasting or streaming, that seems to be where the action is,' he said Tuesday."
https://shorturl.at/13PRo
Is this like refusing to sign with a major label?
The election taught the news business that not only was it out of touch, it had lost control of the viewing/reading public. People had detached and gone to podcasts and social media.
TV is produced. Very professional. Great sets, great makeup, and always short-form. Even long-form is short-form. "60 Minutes" will give you twelve minutes, Joe Rogan will give you HOURS! Sure, we all want to graze for the headlines, but if we want to go deeper...
Top Forty and the Spotify Top 50 are like grazing for headlines. Only it's worse in the music business, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE DON'T CHECK THEM OUT WHATSOEVER!
Think about that, your primary product is ignored by most of the available customers.
Now this works if you're Mercedes-Benz. As a matter of fact, MBZ has gone further upscale, they're removing their cheapest offerings and focusing on the profit of expensive models.
We can't do this in music, where every song is worth essentially the same.
But is Top Forty CNN?
Absolutely. The major labels devote an inordinate amount of money and time on terrestrial radio. This is what they know. It reaches the most people. But that audience continues to drop. The ratings for CNN, MSNBC and even Fox are anemic. But online?
A million people watching a cable news channel is about average. By October 29th, Joe Rogan's podcast with Trump had 38 million views. Apples and oranges. Even online influencers, constantly derided by the mainstream media, reach many more people than the old guard does.
But what are people consuming?
Well, as stated above, longform. People want to sink their teeth in. You may be focusing on the hit single, but never has the hit single meant less.
Let me explain. A hit single is always a driver. But if there's not a lot of material underneath, a story, people are not going to be invested, they're going to move on. What does it take to get people invested?
So the major labels sell hip-hop and pop. And let's be clear, there's a huge audience for those. But the biggest act in recorded music today is in country, Morgan Wallen. And seemingly every act of stature wants in on that world, from Post Malone to Beyoncé. What is going on in the country world?
Authenticity. Credibility.
Oh, don't tell me about beers and trucks and... Of course there's a lot of country music that's a trifle. But almost all of it is relatable. It's not I'm richer than you living a better lifestyle, let me tell you about it. It's earthier. Rootsier.
Is this what the public really wants? Are the major labels delusional?
Now one of the creators of magic in podcasts is they're off-the-cuff, unedited, the exact opposite ethos of the major label work, which is rewritten and remixed to death. Good luck even finding a mistake. But it turns out mistakes are not the turnoff the industry believes, mistakes make you human, other people love vulnerability.
Harris was afraid to commit a faux pas. She was scripted, hard to penetrate. Trump was all over the map, lyin', cheatin', hurtin'...and the people loved it! They overlooked the flaws and saw someone living in the moment, just like them. Making mistakes just like them. They could relate.
Don't bark back. Trump won.
I'm not saying no one wants hip-hop and pop, I'm not saying no one wanted Harris, but I am saying the major labels' focus is wrong.
But if they change the focus...
They're lost. So they keep doing what they do, over and over again.
It's not like the signposts are not there. Zach Bryan sold out arenas and could have sold out stadiums BEFORE HE HAD A SPOTIFY TOP 50 HIT! How did people find him?
Obviously not via the usual avenues. The word was spread by the public. Which is hard to manipulate. So what you need is something that spreads, and me-too doesn't spread.
Now let's be clear, Bryan is his own worst enemy and has been recently blowing himself up, in a bad way, but the paradigm sustains.
Chris Stapleton... Shows that you don't have to be a teenager to succeed. You don't have to look like a movie star. It's about what you hear as opposed to see.
Music did not move the needle whatsoever for Harris. Why? Because nobody singing was credible. Or they'd lost their credibility along the way. They were seen as icons, not relatable people. And in the internet world we're all in it together. Have airs, tell us what to do, and people will tear you down and not believe.
Now will Chris Wallace be able to make it in the podcast/streaming world?
Well, unlike a good musician, he doesn't know who his fans are, he has no mailing list, data is everything.
And he's 77 and appeals to an aged demo, the average age of a cable news viewer is over 65. Are these the digitally-savvy people?
Well, you'd be surprised how many boomers listen to podcasts. And everybody's always looking for something new and good. The dirty little secret is most podcasts suck. Two or more people bloviating about their personal lives. Where's that at, if you want me I'll be in the bar.
So if you're good...
But Wallace knows it's about longform. The quick hit does not bond you to people anymore.
And Tucker Carlson does not get as much ink as he used to when he was on Fox, but he has finally figured out a way to reach a substantial audience online, to become part of the conversation.
And it's no longer about the chart anyway. Yes, the three big cable news networks arguing over ratings is akin to the moribund major labels manipulating the "Billboard" chart. As if anybody but the act itself cares what is number one. How are people even going to find out, it's printed in the newspaper, but they don't read the newspaper! They really only care about chart position when their favorite act implores them to buy excess vinyl or files to make them number one, talk about a spiral to the bottom, screwing your fans.
Wallace is jumping into the abyss, with no safety net. As the story has played out today, some people say he was going to lose his job in a cutback, but he jumped before he was pushed. The music industry used to jump all the time, it's been staid since...
Certainly the nineties. Formulaic divas and formulaic hip-hop.
But the story of the past few years is indies. Oftentimes built live. The recordings are nearly superfluous.
How do we regain the power of music as the foremost art form?
Oh, let's be clear, there's a music business. But if you want to know which way the wind blows, you're not going to listen to a record. That's not where the people are at. And Kendrick dissed Drake and Questlove said it was the end of hip-hop, an insular battle that is ultimately meaningless.
Now in truth people are jumping, taking risks, doing something different, all the time, as we sit here. It's just that one day you wake up and see that they control your business, that they have stolen it while you're asleep.
And that's a good thing, it reinvigorates the industry.
Now in truth the election illustrated that America is a vast country where people get their news and information from a cornucopia of outlets and there is truly no center.
There is no center in music either. Like I said, number one really doesn't matter.
And that's a good thing.
Want to win in the new world?
Be you, authentic. Don't look at what other people are doing, speak from your heart. Being able to play your instrument helps. And being able to write songs with melody and changes does too. If your audience can sing along, that goes a long way to embedding you in their heart. Sure there are songs that are great to dance to, but most of them are inherently dispensable. Hell, the music is just the grease at an EDM show.
We have to sell the music as paramount.
And that needs a refocus, a redirection.
By the big boys (and girls!)
The little ones are already doing it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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https://shorturl.at/13PRo
Is this like refusing to sign with a major label?
The election taught the news business that not only was it out of touch, it had lost control of the viewing/reading public. People had detached and gone to podcasts and social media.
TV is produced. Very professional. Great sets, great makeup, and always short-form. Even long-form is short-form. "60 Minutes" will give you twelve minutes, Joe Rogan will give you HOURS! Sure, we all want to graze for the headlines, but if we want to go deeper...
Top Forty and the Spotify Top 50 are like grazing for headlines. Only it's worse in the music business, BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE DON'T CHECK THEM OUT WHATSOEVER!
Think about that, your primary product is ignored by most of the available customers.
Now this works if you're Mercedes-Benz. As a matter of fact, MBZ has gone further upscale, they're removing their cheapest offerings and focusing on the profit of expensive models.
We can't do this in music, where every song is worth essentially the same.
But is Top Forty CNN?
Absolutely. The major labels devote an inordinate amount of money and time on terrestrial radio. This is what they know. It reaches the most people. But that audience continues to drop. The ratings for CNN, MSNBC and even Fox are anemic. But online?
A million people watching a cable news channel is about average. By October 29th, Joe Rogan's podcast with Trump had 38 million views. Apples and oranges. Even online influencers, constantly derided by the mainstream media, reach many more people than the old guard does.
But what are people consuming?
Well, as stated above, longform. People want to sink their teeth in. You may be focusing on the hit single, but never has the hit single meant less.
Let me explain. A hit single is always a driver. But if there's not a lot of material underneath, a story, people are not going to be invested, they're going to move on. What does it take to get people invested?
So the major labels sell hip-hop and pop. And let's be clear, there's a huge audience for those. But the biggest act in recorded music today is in country, Morgan Wallen. And seemingly every act of stature wants in on that world, from Post Malone to Beyoncé. What is going on in the country world?
Authenticity. Credibility.
Oh, don't tell me about beers and trucks and... Of course there's a lot of country music that's a trifle. But almost all of it is relatable. It's not I'm richer than you living a better lifestyle, let me tell you about it. It's earthier. Rootsier.
Is this what the public really wants? Are the major labels delusional?
Now one of the creators of magic in podcasts is they're off-the-cuff, unedited, the exact opposite ethos of the major label work, which is rewritten and remixed to death. Good luck even finding a mistake. But it turns out mistakes are not the turnoff the industry believes, mistakes make you human, other people love vulnerability.
Harris was afraid to commit a faux pas. She was scripted, hard to penetrate. Trump was all over the map, lyin', cheatin', hurtin'...and the people loved it! They overlooked the flaws and saw someone living in the moment, just like them. Making mistakes just like them. They could relate.
Don't bark back. Trump won.
I'm not saying no one wants hip-hop and pop, I'm not saying no one wanted Harris, but I am saying the major labels' focus is wrong.
But if they change the focus...
They're lost. So they keep doing what they do, over and over again.
It's not like the signposts are not there. Zach Bryan sold out arenas and could have sold out stadiums BEFORE HE HAD A SPOTIFY TOP 50 HIT! How did people find him?
Obviously not via the usual avenues. The word was spread by the public. Which is hard to manipulate. So what you need is something that spreads, and me-too doesn't spread.
Now let's be clear, Bryan is his own worst enemy and has been recently blowing himself up, in a bad way, but the paradigm sustains.
Chris Stapleton... Shows that you don't have to be a teenager to succeed. You don't have to look like a movie star. It's about what you hear as opposed to see.
Music did not move the needle whatsoever for Harris. Why? Because nobody singing was credible. Or they'd lost their credibility along the way. They were seen as icons, not relatable people. And in the internet world we're all in it together. Have airs, tell us what to do, and people will tear you down and not believe.
Now will Chris Wallace be able to make it in the podcast/streaming world?
Well, unlike a good musician, he doesn't know who his fans are, he has no mailing list, data is everything.
And he's 77 and appeals to an aged demo, the average age of a cable news viewer is over 65. Are these the digitally-savvy people?
Well, you'd be surprised how many boomers listen to podcasts. And everybody's always looking for something new and good. The dirty little secret is most podcasts suck. Two or more people bloviating about their personal lives. Where's that at, if you want me I'll be in the bar.
So if you're good...
But Wallace knows it's about longform. The quick hit does not bond you to people anymore.
And Tucker Carlson does not get as much ink as he used to when he was on Fox, but he has finally figured out a way to reach a substantial audience online, to become part of the conversation.
And it's no longer about the chart anyway. Yes, the three big cable news networks arguing over ratings is akin to the moribund major labels manipulating the "Billboard" chart. As if anybody but the act itself cares what is number one. How are people even going to find out, it's printed in the newspaper, but they don't read the newspaper! They really only care about chart position when their favorite act implores them to buy excess vinyl or files to make them number one, talk about a spiral to the bottom, screwing your fans.
Wallace is jumping into the abyss, with no safety net. As the story has played out today, some people say he was going to lose his job in a cutback, but he jumped before he was pushed. The music industry used to jump all the time, it's been staid since...
Certainly the nineties. Formulaic divas and formulaic hip-hop.
But the story of the past few years is indies. Oftentimes built live. The recordings are nearly superfluous.
How do we regain the power of music as the foremost art form?
Oh, let's be clear, there's a music business. But if you want to know which way the wind blows, you're not going to listen to a record. That's not where the people are at. And Kendrick dissed Drake and Questlove said it was the end of hip-hop, an insular battle that is ultimately meaningless.
Now in truth people are jumping, taking risks, doing something different, all the time, as we sit here. It's just that one day you wake up and see that they control your business, that they have stolen it while you're asleep.
And that's a good thing, it reinvigorates the industry.
Now in truth the election illustrated that America is a vast country where people get their news and information from a cornucopia of outlets and there is truly no center.
There is no center in music either. Like I said, number one really doesn't matter.
And that's a good thing.
Want to win in the new world?
Be you, authentic. Don't look at what other people are doing, speak from your heart. Being able to play your instrument helps. And being able to write songs with melody and changes does too. If your audience can sing along, that goes a long way to embedding you in their heart. Sure there are songs that are great to dance to, but most of them are inherently dispensable. Hell, the music is just the grease at an EDM show.
We have to sell the music as paramount.
And that needs a refocus, a redirection.
By the big boys (and girls!)
The little ones are already doing it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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--
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Bad Monkey
Trailer: https://t.ly/PY3QH
Can there be too much Vince Vaughn?
After watching "Bad Monkey" you'll think so. You know, the guy with the quips, the man we first saw and adored in "Swingers." I love Vaughn, and I have not read the book, but I'd be stunned if the role wasn't tailored for him.
As for the book... It was written by Carl Hiaasen, who is not known for high brow material. And that's an issue throughout the series, the tone. Or maybe it's just that the tone is continually flippant, which makes it harder to engage and believe. It's a tall tale, and you're required to take it that way. Which is ultimately unfortunate, because we want to dig deep into the gritty side, when Vaughn as Andrew Yancy is employing all of his detective skills.
So this is a Florida novel. And I'll tell you, they make Florida appealing, in that the Keys are off the grid, their own state of mind. Speaking of which...
Steve Barnett hipped me to this Yeti sponsored short film about Key West:
"All That Is Sacred": https://t.ly/2BCWK
Does anybody remember Tom McGuane, who is still alive in Montana? Well, he was one of the hippest, edgiest writers back in the seventies, and he and his buddies ended up in Key West with Richard Brautigan and Jimmy Buffett and...
Back when writing the Great American Novel was still a goal, before income inequality made authors look like chumps, at best living off their jobs as teachers.
Anyway, they're all drinkin' and druggin' and fishin' and... If you were alive in the seventies, you'll recognize the mood, the groove, if you're a youngster today, it will seem totally foreign. Reminded me of being a ski bum in Salt Lake. Only in this case, these guys lived to fish. Check it out.
So I'm not talking about the Florida of Miami, but the coroner Rosa, does her work there. Rosa is played by Natalie Martinez, who's got an arm's length of credits but was unfamiliar to me. She's great, although I'm not quite sure I bought her as an MD. And she's reluctant to get involved with Yancy, the noted bad boy...
And Yancy is the kind of guy who is driven by the goal, forget the rules. He sinks his teeth into something and won't let go.
As a result, he's constantly getting demoted/losing his job.
But the focus of the story is the shenanigans of Meredith Hagner and Rob Delaney as Eve and Nick Stripling, a grifter couple who keeps testing limits, getting in deeper, with Eve expressing no guilt.
Yes, Eve calls the shots.
And, of course, there's Jodie Turner-Smith as the Dragon Queen. She almost makes the show worthwhile all by herself. She's confident, she's manipulative, you feel her power, and are concerned with her wrath.
So there are twists and turns and by the end of ten episodes I won't quite say you're exhausted, but this is not one of those series where you want more. There's just a twist or two too much. All of which makes it harder to believe. It's not Keystone Cops territory, but you're watching, you're not involved.
Not that the series can't be fixed. The Vaughnisms can be toned down. And his dad, played by Scott Glenn, is fantastic. Wisdom sans attitude, someone who's seen it all and is just trying to enjoy the time he has left.
And a few less pieces of the puzzle would be nice. It's almost like hellzapoppin'.
Not that I want to steer you away from "Bad Monkey," I just want to warn you.
This show got a lot of buzz when Apple released the first episode in August. In the ensuing months it has come down that people either loved it or hated it, or more definitively were angry that it didn't deliver just a bit more, that it stayed with the light tone.
And the funny thing is this series is driven by narration, which is rare, but is also the driver of the other Apple TV series I just wrote about, "Disciple." Adds a level of detachment. That can work, but can be overdone.
So the truth is life is meaningless, we're all looking for satisfaction, isn't that what the Stones couldn't find? And everybody in "Bad Monkey" is looking for their own satisfaction. Rosa is unfulfilled by her work and wants a relationship. Her sister wants to stop being subservient to Heather with the Weather. Sonny and the FBI just want to detach.
But ultimately "Bad Monkey" is just a ride.
When it could have been more.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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--
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Can there be too much Vince Vaughn?
After watching "Bad Monkey" you'll think so. You know, the guy with the quips, the man we first saw and adored in "Swingers." I love Vaughn, and I have not read the book, but I'd be stunned if the role wasn't tailored for him.
As for the book... It was written by Carl Hiaasen, who is not known for high brow material. And that's an issue throughout the series, the tone. Or maybe it's just that the tone is continually flippant, which makes it harder to engage and believe. It's a tall tale, and you're required to take it that way. Which is ultimately unfortunate, because we want to dig deep into the gritty side, when Vaughn as Andrew Yancy is employing all of his detective skills.
So this is a Florida novel. And I'll tell you, they make Florida appealing, in that the Keys are off the grid, their own state of mind. Speaking of which...
Steve Barnett hipped me to this Yeti sponsored short film about Key West:
"All That Is Sacred": https://t.ly/2BCWK
Does anybody remember Tom McGuane, who is still alive in Montana? Well, he was one of the hippest, edgiest writers back in the seventies, and he and his buddies ended up in Key West with Richard Brautigan and Jimmy Buffett and...
Back when writing the Great American Novel was still a goal, before income inequality made authors look like chumps, at best living off their jobs as teachers.
Anyway, they're all drinkin' and druggin' and fishin' and... If you were alive in the seventies, you'll recognize the mood, the groove, if you're a youngster today, it will seem totally foreign. Reminded me of being a ski bum in Salt Lake. Only in this case, these guys lived to fish. Check it out.
So I'm not talking about the Florida of Miami, but the coroner Rosa, does her work there. Rosa is played by Natalie Martinez, who's got an arm's length of credits but was unfamiliar to me. She's great, although I'm not quite sure I bought her as an MD. And she's reluctant to get involved with Yancy, the noted bad boy...
And Yancy is the kind of guy who is driven by the goal, forget the rules. He sinks his teeth into something and won't let go.
As a result, he's constantly getting demoted/losing his job.
But the focus of the story is the shenanigans of Meredith Hagner and Rob Delaney as Eve and Nick Stripling, a grifter couple who keeps testing limits, getting in deeper, with Eve expressing no guilt.
Yes, Eve calls the shots.
And, of course, there's Jodie Turner-Smith as the Dragon Queen. She almost makes the show worthwhile all by herself. She's confident, she's manipulative, you feel her power, and are concerned with her wrath.
So there are twists and turns and by the end of ten episodes I won't quite say you're exhausted, but this is not one of those series where you want more. There's just a twist or two too much. All of which makes it harder to believe. It's not Keystone Cops territory, but you're watching, you're not involved.
Not that the series can't be fixed. The Vaughnisms can be toned down. And his dad, played by Scott Glenn, is fantastic. Wisdom sans attitude, someone who's seen it all and is just trying to enjoy the time he has left.
And a few less pieces of the puzzle would be nice. It's almost like hellzapoppin'.
Not that I want to steer you away from "Bad Monkey," I just want to warn you.
This show got a lot of buzz when Apple released the first episode in August. In the ensuing months it has come down that people either loved it or hated it, or more definitively were angry that it didn't deliver just a bit more, that it stayed with the light tone.
And the funny thing is this series is driven by narration, which is rare, but is also the driver of the other Apple TV series I just wrote about, "Disciple." Adds a level of detachment. That can work, but can be overdone.
So the truth is life is meaningless, we're all looking for satisfaction, isn't that what the Stones couldn't find? And everybody in "Bad Monkey" is looking for their own satisfaction. Rosa is unfulfilled by her work and wants a relationship. Her sister wants to stop being subservient to Heather with the Weather. Sonny and the FBI just want to detach.
But ultimately "Bad Monkey" is just a ride.
When it could have been more.
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Monday, 11 November 2024
The Divorce
https://t.ly/zpquh
I'm trying to figure out where I found this book.
I always start my research on Amazon, because if reviews are good, they print them, and if there are no reviews by notable publications...
That's usually a bad sign.
But I went to Amazon and found none of those famous reviews. Which flummoxed me. Why did I reserve "The Divorce" at the library?
I mostly use three sources to find new books: "The New York Times," Ron Charles's weekly newsletter from "The Washington Post," and the recommendations in the magazine "The Week" (which is uber-expensive, but I highly recommend, it's the "Time"/"Newsweek" of yore you're looking for, the previous week's news, in this case with no political slant).
So I turn to Google and I find that the "Times" did review "The Divorce," and trashed it.
Hmm...
So I'd started reading "The Divorce" and stopped. Which is rare. Usually I quit right away or power through. I skipped to a book called "Entitlement," and one of the reasons I'm writing about both of these books is they create a mood, a world. The internet is all about in-your-face, as is much popular music these days. "Entitlement" is about a young thirtysomething who leaves teaching and starts working for the foundation of a billionaire. I guess that's something we talk about today, but this guy didn't make his money in tech. And the elder gentleman becomes enamored of his young hire and...
The young hire becomes enamored of the philosophy he espouses. Which is basically the world is your oyster, and you've got to go for it, you're entitled, just reach out and grab it.
So, at first you think it's almost a self-help book, and at some points you question the judgment of the main character, the young woman, but should you be happy with your status in life or are you too entitled to have a life of riches? And what rules are you willing to bend to get there?
At times " Entitlement" is riveting, but just when you're hooked, it gets a bit boring.
"The Divorce" doesn't exactly start out boring, but rather pedestrian, and then...
I wasn't going to go back to "The Divorce" but it was the emotion Felice conveyed when she was done. I don't remember the exact words, but they were along the line of being heavy, weighty, sitting with you, and weird...in that everything just doesn't work out as planned, that you've got to sit with your emotions, something seemingly all human beings wish to avoid.
So, "The Divorce" is set in Sweden. It's translated from the Swedish, and I can't say the translator did such a great job. It's a bit simple, it's a bit herky-jerky. Not hard to read, but seemingly surface.
And then there are the Swedish names. They're ultimately off-putting. U.S. locations could have been employed and nothing would have been lost.
But when the book flips, 119 pages in... From there on you cannot put it down. Not that it's a tome, "The Divorce" is 335 pages long. It's easily read, but should you read it?
Probably not if you're a young person. You have to have experienced a few rodeos to get it, been around the block, had at least one long live-in relationship, never mind marriage.
Yes, the book is focused on a divorce. What stimulates it?
Well, the main character Niklas is a doctor. Living in the States we see all MD's as wealthy. But Niklas is not. Sure, his family is living well, but also beyond their means. Don't get the wrong idea, they're not flying private, they have only one automobile, a Volvo, they're living like upper middle class professionals.
Which Niklas is but Bea is not. She gave up her education and is now working for the Red Cross as a web developer.
So Niklas feels the financial pressure, but what are they supposed to do?
So are you locked into your life and not exactly happy about it?
I hear from these people all the time, I encountered them at my college reunion. They lived by seventies values, they became doctors and lawyers and they'd like a do-over, something more fulfilling, but you don't get that option.
It's even worse for today's generation. Because if you don't graduate from college and take the professional track...good luck making ends meet. Sure, you could become a star in music, but very few get to do that. And influencers? It's very hard to have a sustained career.
So what does it take you to jump the track. Are you capable of jumping the track?
And what carnage will you leave behind.
It could be as simple as disappointing your parents. They've invested in you, they have an idea of you, but really you're someone different.
But if you have a family, responsibilities...
Who's going to pay the bills if you switch careers?
And there's fallout from breakups. Financial. Filial...
I remember the first of my parents' friends who got divorced. It may be hard to believe, but in the sixties, in the suburbs, divorce was uncommon. It was only at the end of that decade and then in the seventies, that divorce became de rigueur.
And maybe that's just the point. No one ever talks about the fallout of a divorce. Sure, they talk about the low-hanging fruit, but what about the everyday adjustments? Do you have to move to a worse neighborhood, can you afford what you used to, are your friends still your friends or..?
So that couple got divorced. It was scandalous. And my parents and others took the side of the wife, after all the husband left her. But after ultimately relenting and meeting with the husband and his new paramour, they realized he was the energy, he was their friend, and the wife...she was boring.
I don't remember encountering the wife ever again.
Judge all you want, this is reality.
So you break up...
In California, you have all these people who are friends with their exes. I can't understand that, whether I left or they did. Let's see, you shared a bed, knew everything about each other and now it's a casual relationship, intermittent with a bit of distance? Unfathomable to me.
Now if you live in a small community, you might have to worry about running into your ex. Hell, even in a large city. It's amazing how that works, at a gig, in the grocery store, you'll run into them, kinda like Dan Fogelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne."
Most people end up splitting not only the money and the real estate, but the friends and certainly the relatives. I've got a friend whose live-in girlfriend worked for his father. When they broke up she continued to come by his parents' house, he'd run into her there. He told his parents she could still work for them, but she could no longer come to the house. Sounds harsh only if you've never experienced a deep breakup.
So...
"The Divorce" is going to ring certain bells in your head. Of your life. You're reading about the characters yet somehow your brain is stimulated, thinking about all these episodes from the past.
"The Divorce" is not the kind of book you discuss with others, it's not a book group choice. It's personal. Sure, there's story, but the underlying emotions are what's key.
Let me get this down straight. I'm not telling everybody to read "The Divorce." But if there's something in the foregoing that resonates, check it out. That's what I do with the reviews in the publications mentioned above. I don't read every word, just a few, and I get a vibe.
Have you ever hurt? Have you ever wondered how you ended up where you are? That's what "The Divorce" explores.
And it wasn't until the very end that I discovered the author, Moa Herngren, was the cocreator and writer of "Bonus Family," one of my favorite streaming series ever. I've written about it twice:
"Bonus Family": https://t.ly/C448X
"Bonus Family Season 4": https://t.ly/c4o5b
Ultimately "Bonus Family" falters in the end, with the birth of the Down syndrome baby, and the film addendum is superfluous, but before that...
In Sweden a blended family is a bonus family. Same concept, different term. In other words, you get divorced and remarried and suddenly you've got all the kids.
Anyway, seemingly every person I've spoken to about "Bonus Family" couldn't finish it, could barely even get past the beginning, because they found it too painful.
Let's be clear, "Bonus Family" is not super-heavy, it's got a lot of light moments, comedy, but people who've been divorced who have kids, no matter how long ago it was, the wound is still too fresh. They do their best to repress thoughts about their choices, the aftermath, the effect upon the children, never mind themselves.
But "Bonus Family" is one of my favorite streaming series period. And I don't have any kids. But maybe that's why.
However, if you have been divorced, especially with kids, you'll find "The Divorce" somewhat soothing, because it's good to know other people have gone through what you have, have thought the same thoughts, felt the same way.
So...
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I'm trying to figure out where I found this book.
I always start my research on Amazon, because if reviews are good, they print them, and if there are no reviews by notable publications...
That's usually a bad sign.
But I went to Amazon and found none of those famous reviews. Which flummoxed me. Why did I reserve "The Divorce" at the library?
I mostly use three sources to find new books: "The New York Times," Ron Charles's weekly newsletter from "The Washington Post," and the recommendations in the magazine "The Week" (which is uber-expensive, but I highly recommend, it's the "Time"/"Newsweek" of yore you're looking for, the previous week's news, in this case with no political slant).
So I turn to Google and I find that the "Times" did review "The Divorce," and trashed it.
Hmm...
So I'd started reading "The Divorce" and stopped. Which is rare. Usually I quit right away or power through. I skipped to a book called "Entitlement," and one of the reasons I'm writing about both of these books is they create a mood, a world. The internet is all about in-your-face, as is much popular music these days. "Entitlement" is about a young thirtysomething who leaves teaching and starts working for the foundation of a billionaire. I guess that's something we talk about today, but this guy didn't make his money in tech. And the elder gentleman becomes enamored of his young hire and...
The young hire becomes enamored of the philosophy he espouses. Which is basically the world is your oyster, and you've got to go for it, you're entitled, just reach out and grab it.
So, at first you think it's almost a self-help book, and at some points you question the judgment of the main character, the young woman, but should you be happy with your status in life or are you too entitled to have a life of riches? And what rules are you willing to bend to get there?
At times " Entitlement" is riveting, but just when you're hooked, it gets a bit boring.
"The Divorce" doesn't exactly start out boring, but rather pedestrian, and then...
I wasn't going to go back to "The Divorce" but it was the emotion Felice conveyed when she was done. I don't remember the exact words, but they were along the line of being heavy, weighty, sitting with you, and weird...in that everything just doesn't work out as planned, that you've got to sit with your emotions, something seemingly all human beings wish to avoid.
So, "The Divorce" is set in Sweden. It's translated from the Swedish, and I can't say the translator did such a great job. It's a bit simple, it's a bit herky-jerky. Not hard to read, but seemingly surface.
And then there are the Swedish names. They're ultimately off-putting. U.S. locations could have been employed and nothing would have been lost.
But when the book flips, 119 pages in... From there on you cannot put it down. Not that it's a tome, "The Divorce" is 335 pages long. It's easily read, but should you read it?
Probably not if you're a young person. You have to have experienced a few rodeos to get it, been around the block, had at least one long live-in relationship, never mind marriage.
Yes, the book is focused on a divorce. What stimulates it?
Well, the main character Niklas is a doctor. Living in the States we see all MD's as wealthy. But Niklas is not. Sure, his family is living well, but also beyond their means. Don't get the wrong idea, they're not flying private, they have only one automobile, a Volvo, they're living like upper middle class professionals.
Which Niklas is but Bea is not. She gave up her education and is now working for the Red Cross as a web developer.
So Niklas feels the financial pressure, but what are they supposed to do?
So are you locked into your life and not exactly happy about it?
I hear from these people all the time, I encountered them at my college reunion. They lived by seventies values, they became doctors and lawyers and they'd like a do-over, something more fulfilling, but you don't get that option.
It's even worse for today's generation. Because if you don't graduate from college and take the professional track...good luck making ends meet. Sure, you could become a star in music, but very few get to do that. And influencers? It's very hard to have a sustained career.
So what does it take you to jump the track. Are you capable of jumping the track?
And what carnage will you leave behind.
It could be as simple as disappointing your parents. They've invested in you, they have an idea of you, but really you're someone different.
But if you have a family, responsibilities...
Who's going to pay the bills if you switch careers?
And there's fallout from breakups. Financial. Filial...
I remember the first of my parents' friends who got divorced. It may be hard to believe, but in the sixties, in the suburbs, divorce was uncommon. It was only at the end of that decade and then in the seventies, that divorce became de rigueur.
And maybe that's just the point. No one ever talks about the fallout of a divorce. Sure, they talk about the low-hanging fruit, but what about the everyday adjustments? Do you have to move to a worse neighborhood, can you afford what you used to, are your friends still your friends or..?
So that couple got divorced. It was scandalous. And my parents and others took the side of the wife, after all the husband left her. But after ultimately relenting and meeting with the husband and his new paramour, they realized he was the energy, he was their friend, and the wife...she was boring.
I don't remember encountering the wife ever again.
Judge all you want, this is reality.
So you break up...
In California, you have all these people who are friends with their exes. I can't understand that, whether I left or they did. Let's see, you shared a bed, knew everything about each other and now it's a casual relationship, intermittent with a bit of distance? Unfathomable to me.
Now if you live in a small community, you might have to worry about running into your ex. Hell, even in a large city. It's amazing how that works, at a gig, in the grocery store, you'll run into them, kinda like Dan Fogelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne."
Most people end up splitting not only the money and the real estate, but the friends and certainly the relatives. I've got a friend whose live-in girlfriend worked for his father. When they broke up she continued to come by his parents' house, he'd run into her there. He told his parents she could still work for them, but she could no longer come to the house. Sounds harsh only if you've never experienced a deep breakup.
So...
"The Divorce" is going to ring certain bells in your head. Of your life. You're reading about the characters yet somehow your brain is stimulated, thinking about all these episodes from the past.
"The Divorce" is not the kind of book you discuss with others, it's not a book group choice. It's personal. Sure, there's story, but the underlying emotions are what's key.
Let me get this down straight. I'm not telling everybody to read "The Divorce." But if there's something in the foregoing that resonates, check it out. That's what I do with the reviews in the publications mentioned above. I don't read every word, just a few, and I get a vibe.
Have you ever hurt? Have you ever wondered how you ended up where you are? That's what "The Divorce" explores.
And it wasn't until the very end that I discovered the author, Moa Herngren, was the cocreator and writer of "Bonus Family," one of my favorite streaming series ever. I've written about it twice:
"Bonus Family": https://t.ly/C448X
"Bonus Family Season 4": https://t.ly/c4o5b
Ultimately "Bonus Family" falters in the end, with the birth of the Down syndrome baby, and the film addendum is superfluous, but before that...
In Sweden a blended family is a bonus family. Same concept, different term. In other words, you get divorced and remarried and suddenly you've got all the kids.
Anyway, seemingly every person I've spoken to about "Bonus Family" couldn't finish it, could barely even get past the beginning, because they found it too painful.
Let's be clear, "Bonus Family" is not super-heavy, it's got a lot of light moments, comedy, but people who've been divorced who have kids, no matter how long ago it was, the wound is still too fresh. They do their best to repress thoughts about their choices, the aftermath, the effect upon the children, never mind themselves.
But "Bonus Family" is one of my favorite streaming series period. And I don't have any kids. But maybe that's why.
However, if you have been divorced, especially with kids, you'll find "The Divorce" somewhat soothing, because it's good to know other people have gone through what you have, have thought the same thoughts, felt the same way.
So...
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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--
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Sunday, 10 November 2024
My Old Ass
The studios don't make movies like this anymore.
Then again, they were never blockbusters. They'd return their low budgets and hopefully some profits, but they wouldn't set the world on fire, but they might stay in your heart forever.
I'm not talking about AIP or New World. Those indies specialized in something grittier, edgier, delivering what the studios were afraid to, or pooh-poohed. Whereas "My Old Ass" tests no limits, contains no titillation, other than the basic concept, it's wholly believable.
Yes, young Elliott converses with old Elliott as a result of taking mushrooms. And old Elliott is played by Aubrey Plaza, who has become one of our biggest movie stars, not by looks, by appearances in TMZ, but by sheer personality and acting chops. I'm sure you've seen some of Aubrey's appearances on late night TV. If not, you're in for a treat. She's sly, she's funny, she evidences intelligence, this is a movie star.
Not that Aubrey/Elliott has that much screen time, although her voice is heard throughout the picture.
Which is just shy of an hour and a half long. Quite a change in an era where every director considers themselves an auteur, needing hours to sell their message, if there really is one at all.
And there is a message in "My Old Ass." And it's kind of trite. And it's not really revealed until the end. But ultimately you're satisfied.
Bottom line, ignorance is for the youth. When you know little you take chances, you don't worry about consequences, you're all in, whereas when you get older and have experienced the let-downs and disappointments in life you become gun-shy. Knowing too much works to your disadvantage.
Oh, there's one extra twist. Which makes the message less pedestrian. Let's just say the experiences you have earlier in your life, the meaning they had for you, the private emotions... They never leave.
So "My Old Ass" got good reviews, but if you think this pic is going to draw people to the theatre, you'll be disappointed to find out that it has only grossed $5.4 million domestically, and only $0.3 million in the rest of the world, not even half of what Amazon paid for the flick at Sundance, $15 million.
But today the action is all in streaming television. And I prefer series, because of the depth, but "My Old Ass" works as a movie, because it's more about vibe than story, which is what a film usually conveys better than a multi-episodic production.
So it's set in the lake country of Canada, where I've never been but so many of my Canadian friends retreat in the summer. Not that different from New England lake country, but I haven't been there recently either.
It's the middle of nowhere, and in less than a month, young Elliott, played so naturally by fresh-faced Maisy Stella, will decamp for Toronto, for the U of T.
She's itching to leave, but knows she can always return.
Or is that not the way life works. What you think is still available...is it ultimately gone?
And she's young and brassy and confident but then she encounters old Elliott, Aubrey Plaza, who is not as excited at the age of 39 and young Elliott is confused, but ultimately decides to take Aubrey/Elliott's counsel.
So...
Nothing could be more different from what we've been concerned with in the world this past week. Sure, there are smartphones, but no politics, and no judgment of the internet.
But there are questions of friendship and sexuality and...
I saw that "My Old Ass" had finally made it to Prime, sooner than usual after debuting in the theatre, while I still remembered the reviews, which were good. And I turned it on...
And didn't want to turn it off.
And in this world of so many choices, that is rare.
It's billed as sci-fi, but if you're thinking of lasers and futuristic landscapes, don't bother. Would I say it's a chick flick? Not exactly. It's not gooey, although there is passion, and it's very realistic.
This is the life we all live, which we don't see in the news. This is the soul fulfillment we're looking for.
I don't want to overhype it. "My Old Ass" is not deserving of an Oscar (although more people will see it than many films that do win Academy Awards), but it hits a note. Not nostalgia. It's not pulling at your heartstrings. It somehow encapsulates regular life, which we're living 24/7, and that's why it resonated with me.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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--
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Then again, they were never blockbusters. They'd return their low budgets and hopefully some profits, but they wouldn't set the world on fire, but they might stay in your heart forever.
I'm not talking about AIP or New World. Those indies specialized in something grittier, edgier, delivering what the studios were afraid to, or pooh-poohed. Whereas "My Old Ass" tests no limits, contains no titillation, other than the basic concept, it's wholly believable.
Yes, young Elliott converses with old Elliott as a result of taking mushrooms. And old Elliott is played by Aubrey Plaza, who has become one of our biggest movie stars, not by looks, by appearances in TMZ, but by sheer personality and acting chops. I'm sure you've seen some of Aubrey's appearances on late night TV. If not, you're in for a treat. She's sly, she's funny, she evidences intelligence, this is a movie star.
Not that Aubrey/Elliott has that much screen time, although her voice is heard throughout the picture.
Which is just shy of an hour and a half long. Quite a change in an era where every director considers themselves an auteur, needing hours to sell their message, if there really is one at all.
And there is a message in "My Old Ass." And it's kind of trite. And it's not really revealed until the end. But ultimately you're satisfied.
Bottom line, ignorance is for the youth. When you know little you take chances, you don't worry about consequences, you're all in, whereas when you get older and have experienced the let-downs and disappointments in life you become gun-shy. Knowing too much works to your disadvantage.
Oh, there's one extra twist. Which makes the message less pedestrian. Let's just say the experiences you have earlier in your life, the meaning they had for you, the private emotions... They never leave.
So "My Old Ass" got good reviews, but if you think this pic is going to draw people to the theatre, you'll be disappointed to find out that it has only grossed $5.4 million domestically, and only $0.3 million in the rest of the world, not even half of what Amazon paid for the flick at Sundance, $15 million.
But today the action is all in streaming television. And I prefer series, because of the depth, but "My Old Ass" works as a movie, because it's more about vibe than story, which is what a film usually conveys better than a multi-episodic production.
So it's set in the lake country of Canada, where I've never been but so many of my Canadian friends retreat in the summer. Not that different from New England lake country, but I haven't been there recently either.
It's the middle of nowhere, and in less than a month, young Elliott, played so naturally by fresh-faced Maisy Stella, will decamp for Toronto, for the U of T.
She's itching to leave, but knows she can always return.
Or is that not the way life works. What you think is still available...is it ultimately gone?
And she's young and brassy and confident but then she encounters old Elliott, Aubrey Plaza, who is not as excited at the age of 39 and young Elliott is confused, but ultimately decides to take Aubrey/Elliott's counsel.
So...
Nothing could be more different from what we've been concerned with in the world this past week. Sure, there are smartphones, but no politics, and no judgment of the internet.
But there are questions of friendship and sexuality and...
I saw that "My Old Ass" had finally made it to Prime, sooner than usual after debuting in the theatre, while I still remembered the reviews, which were good. And I turned it on...
And didn't want to turn it off.
And in this world of so many choices, that is rare.
It's billed as sci-fi, but if you're thinking of lasers and futuristic landscapes, don't bother. Would I say it's a chick flick? Not exactly. It's not gooey, although there is passion, and it's very realistic.
This is the life we all live, which we don't see in the news. This is the soul fulfillment we're looking for.
I don't want to overhype it. "My Old Ass" is not deserving of an Oscar (although more people will see it than many films that do win Academy Awards), but it hits a note. Not nostalgia. It's not pulling at your heartstrings. It somehow encapsulates regular life, which we're living 24/7, and that's why it resonated with me.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
If you do not want to receive any more LefsetzLetters, http://lefsetz.com/lists/?p=unsubscribe&uid=0eecea7b60b461717065cbde887c8e25
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