Episode 550: LIGHTNING ROUND!!!
June 2nd, 2023 | Robin
The planet Earth has hurtled through time and space yet again to take this podcast to another milestone: our five hundred and fiftieth episode. Longtime listeners know what that means—LIGHTNING ROUND!!! questions as posed by our beloved Patreon backers. In rapid fashion we address queries about overrated foods, stingy players, satellite imagery, and so much more.
Want to pose a question to the show? Get your priority question asking access with your support for the KARTAS Patreon!
Our Patreon-backed Letterboxd list of all films mentioned on the show is now up and running.
Also check out the Goodreads list of books mentioned on the show.
Snag Ken and Robin merchandise at TeePublic.
Once Upon a Time the fairy godmothers at Atlas Games offered a special deal on their classic card game, Once Upon a Time. Until May 31st you and your magic beans can claim a free expansion with the purchase of any three Once Upon a Time products at the Atlas Games store. Use the coupon code ONCE2023.
The skies above New Olympus are patrolled by caped crusaders, but these superior beings are far from heroes. They wield their powers with reckless disregard, serving the interests of corporate overseers, and silencing those who oppose their will. You are Klara Koenig, investigative journalist for The Pedestrian newspaper, and you intend to prove the privileged superhuman elite do not yet hold a monopoly on justice. Welcome to Alteregomania: the newest setting for the GUMSHOE One-2-One system.
The treasures of Askfageln can be found at DriveThruRPG. Get all issues of FENIX since 2013 available in special English editions. Score metric oodles of Ken Hite gaming goodness, along with equally stellar pieces by Graeme Davis and Pete Nash. Warning: in English, not in Swedish. In English, not Swedish. While you’re at it, grab DICE and Freeway Warrior!
![](https://www.kenandrobintalkaboutstuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Thunderbird_blue_border.png")
Put on your flannels, grab your duffel bag of hardware and assemble your fake passports. Alert your retailer to the contents of their favorite unmarked warehouse. Delta Green: The Conspiracy, the revised, updated and declassified edition of the iconic 1990s sourcebook has escaped from Arc Dream Publishing.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ken and Robin Consume Media: Succession, Barry, and Fast X
May 30th, 2023 | Robin
Ken and Robin Consume Media is brought to you by the discriminating and good-looking backers of the Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff Patreon. Each week we provide capsule reviews of the books, movies, TV seasons and more we cram into our hyper-analytical sensoriums. Join the Patreon to help pick the items we’ll talk about in greater depth on a little podcast segment we like to call Tell Me More.
The Pinnacle
Succession Season 4 (Television, US, HBO, Jesse Armstrong, 2023) An inevitable surprise development leaves Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) struggling against and alongside one another for control of Waystar-Royco in the wake of Mattson’s (Alexander Skarsgard) takeover offer. Takes time for character moments both empathetic and razor-edged as it rattles through its compressed timeline to a fitting well-scheduled conclusion.—RDL
Recommended
Barry Season 4 (Television, US, HBO, Bill Hader and Alec Berg, 2023) Chickens come home to roost after an imprisoned Barry (Hader) and Fuches (Steven Root) turn on one another. A left-field midseason gambit unsettles expectations as our hitman protagonist faces inevitable punishment, along with the audience that has been trained to root for him.—RDL
Barry Season 4 (Television, US, HBO, Bill Hader and Alec Berg, 2023) The final season opens with hitman Barry (Bill Hader) in jail and the rest of the cast in flux. Where they come down is the question the series answers, according to its abiding moral principle: honesty. That doesn’t make for comfort viewing, and the jokes are thin on the ground, but it’s a compelling ending to a terrific show. —KH
Taylor Tomlinson: Look at You (Standup, Netflix, Kristin Mercado, 2022) Tomlinson returns with a more revelatory, personal set focusing on her mental health – and the best jokes include “six minutes on my dead mom” and about wait times on a suicide hotline. She’s great at incorporating her physical stance and movement as part of her delivery, as well as the timing and vocal control I highlighted last review. –KH
Who I Am (Nonfiction, Pete Townsend, 2012) Guitarist/songwriter for The Who critically assesses his personal failures amid the artistic triumphs of his decades-long rock god career. Lucid account of the collision between a compulsive, addictive personality and the temptations of the arena rock era.—RDL
Good
He Thief, She Thief (Film, Italy, Luigi Zampa, 1958) Determined young woman from the literal wrong side of the tracks (Sylva Koscina) must choose between a charming ex-con from the neighborhood (Alberto Sordi) or the handsome, apparently decent new boss (Ettore Manni.) Koscina is the protagonist of this amiable comedy of class mobility, but Sordi is the star, which becomes a problem when the second act abandons her throughline for his con-man hijinks.—RDL
Okay
Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania (Film, US, Peyton Reed, 2023) Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and the ant family are sucked into a subatomic realm, where they confront exiled time warlord Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors.) Checks the boxes on almost all of the flaws of recent MCU outings, so I’ll pick just one to mention: it takes more than an hour to give the protagonist his goal.—RDL
Incomplete
Fast X (Film, US, Louis Leterrier, 2023) Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) seeks to punish Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) for the death of Dante’s father in Fast Five by attacking … his family (!!). After 141 minutes of inane dialogue, mediocre CGI instead of cool car stunts, unearned callbacks to the first nine better films, and halting, nervous direction, we’re basically back where we started except all 23 characters have been introduced. Momoa’s decision to play his villain for extreme camp is at least something fun to watch. –KH
Episode 549: Secretly About Papyrus
May 26th, 2023 | Robin
Once Upon a Time the fairy godmothers at Atlas Games offered a special deal on their classic card game, Once Upon a Time. Until May 31st you and your magic beans can claim a free expansion with the purchase of any three Once Upon a Time products at the Atlas Games store. Use the coupon code ONCE2023.
The skies above New Olympus are patrolled by caped crusaders, but these superior beings are far from heroes. They wield their powers with reckless disregard, serving the interests of corporate overseers, and silencing those who oppose their will. You are Klara Koenig, investigative journalist for The Pedestrian newspaper, and you intend to prove the privileged superhuman elite do not yet hold a monopoly on justice. Welcome to Alteregomania: the newest setting for the GUMSHOE One-2-One system.
The treasures of Askfageln can be found at DriveThruRPG. Get all issues of FENIX since 2013 available in special English editions. Score metric oodles of Ken Hite gaming goodness, along with equally stellar pieces by Graeme Davis and Pete Nash. Warning: in English, not in Swedish. In English, not Swedish. While you’re at it, grab DICE and Freeway Warrior!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ken and Robin Consume Media: Guardians of the Galaxy, Sisu, and Early Michelle Yeoh
May 23rd, 2023 | Robin
Ken and Robin Consume Media is brought to you by the discriminating and good-looking backers of the Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff Patreon. Each week we provide capsule reviews of the books, movies, TV seasons and more we cram into our hyper-analytical sensoriums. Join the Patreon to help pick the items we’ll talk about in greater depth on a little podcast segment we like to call Tell Me More.
Recommended
The Elusive Avengers (Film, Soviet Union, Edmond Keosayan, 1967) During the Russian civil war, a stalwart teen, backed by his sister and pals, seeks vengeance against the White Russian death squad leader who killed his father. Strikingly composed, rousing action flick with a conclusion that puts its gunslingers on a quite different path than a classic Western would.—RDL
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (Film, US, James Gunn, 2023) After Rocket is critically wounded in a battle with Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) and the Guardians must wrest his override code from animal-torturing utopian social engineer the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). Gunn returns to his visually inventive style for a Marvel film that somehow doesn’t choke on its extended backstory, possibly because said backstory offers enough genuine emotional connection to balance the Guardians’ brand of careening meatheadedness. —KH
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3 (Film, US, James Gunn, 2023) To save a critically injured Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Peter (Chris Pratt) snaps out of his romantic self-pity to lead the Guardians against the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji.) Clear goals and motivations for the protagonists and antagonist, an understanding of how superhero fights ought to advance narrative, a full color palette, image contrast, actual fight choreography, and a balance of comedy and genuine emotion make this the strongest MCU film in a long time.—RDL
In Search of the Third Man (Nonfiction, Charles Drazin, 1999) Drazin goes deep into studio records, interviews, and memoirs to uncover the story of the making of Carol Reed’s Pinnacle thriller. He manages to respect the legends of Greene and Welles without falling for them, which is a neat trick even before he gets to the wonderful backstory of the film’s “Fourth Man,” zither maestro Anton Karas. –KH
Magnificent Warriors (Film, HK, David Chung, 1987) Whip-wielding biplane pilot (Michelle Yeoh) teams up with a handsome spy (Tung-Shing Yee) and a wandering grifter (Richard Ng) against Japanese occupying forces in Bhutan. Upbeat martial arts war flick built as a star vehicle for Yeoh, who dispenses charm and ass-kicking in roughly equal proportions. Newly available on Blu Ray in a beautifully restored transfer.—RDL
Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis (Standup, Netflix, Marcus Raboy, 2020) 25-year-old Tomlinson combines approachability with disdain in a remarkable set on mostly unremarkable topics (weddings, dating, sex, parents). Her tight control over timing and vocalizations (once you notice her accent code-shift you can’t un-notice it) makes me think that as good as she is now, she’ll get to Mulaney or Seinfeld levels in the next decade. –KH
Good
Sisu (Film, Finland, Jalmari Helander, 2023) In occupied Lapland, Nazis, not knowing who they are fucking with, steal gold dug up by a battlescarred prospector (Jorma Tommila.) Ultraviolent, Leone-besotted action flick whose cartoonish reality level does not quite sync with the grimness of its tone.—RDL
Switchblade Sisters (Film, US, Jack Hill, 1965) Quick-reacting street fighter Maggie (Joanne Nail) earns admittance to the girl gang auxiliary of a high school criminal organization, earning the jealousy of its reigning sixteen-year-old queenpin Lace (Robbie Lee.) Proudly shocking 70s exploitation fare escalates to all-out urban warfare. AKA The Jezebels.—RDL
Okay
The Jackal (Film, US, Michael Caton-Jones, 1997) FBI Deputy Director Preston (Sidney Poitier) releases IRA terrorist Declan (Richard Gere) from Federal prison to assist in the manhunt for the Jackal (Bruce Willis), an assassin after a high-value target. The opposite of competence porn, its sole joys are the fun Willis has switching between costumed personae and the flashes of Carter Burwell’s score that survived the hamfisted editing. –KH
Madeleine (Film, UK, David Lean, 1950) In 1857 Glasgow an affair between a respectable young woman (Ann Todd) and a French ne’er do well (Ivan Desny) leads to a murder trial. As part of its critique of constraining class mores, this true crime drama keeps its protagonist opaque and thus difficult to engage with. Lean regarded this as his weakest film.—RDL
Episode 548: The Rhino and I Have an Alibi
May 19th, 2023 | Robin
Once Upon a Time the fairy godmothers at Atlas Games offered a special deal on their classic card game, Once Upon a Time. Until May 31st you and your magic beans can claim a free expansion with the purchase of any three Once Upon a Time products at the Atlas Games store. Use the coupon code ONCE2023.
The skies above New Olympus are patrolled by caped crusaders, but these superior beings are far from heroes. They wield their powers with reckless disregard, serving the interests of corporate overseers, and silencing those who oppose their will. You are Klara Koenig, investigative journalist for The Pedestrian newspaper, and you intend to prove the privileged superhuman elite do not yet hold a monopoly on justice. Welcome to Alteregomania: the newest setting for the GUMSHOE One-2-One system.
The treasures of Askfageln can be found at DriveThruRPG. Get all issues of FENIX since 2013 available in special English editions. Score metric oodles of Ken Hite gaming goodness, along with equally stellar pieces by Graeme Davis and Pete Nash. Warning: in English, not in Swedish. In English, not Swedish. While you’re at it, grab DICE and Freeway Warrior!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ken and Robin Consume Media: Renfield, Air, Patton Oswalt, and Judy Blume
May 16th, 2023 | Robin
Ken and Robin Consume Media is brought to you by the discriminating and good-looking backers of the Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff Patreon. Each week we provide capsule reviews of the books, movies, TV seasons and more we cram into our hyper-analytical sensoriums. Join the Patreon to help pick the items we’ll talk about in greater depth on a little podcast segment we like to call Tell Me More.
Recommended
Air (Film, US, Ben Affleck, 2023) Hardheaded Nike basketball scout (Matt Damon) puts his career on the line to sign an endorsement deal with a young Michael Jordan, discovering that the truly formidable player is not a competitor at the better-funded Adidas and Converse, but the athlete’s mother (Viola Davis.) Rollicking business procedural with strong ensemble cast bravely commits its visual look to the worst browns, blues and oranges of the 8Os.—RDL
Hunt (Film, South Korea, Lee Jung-jae, 2022) An assassination attempt on South Korea’s dictatorial president touches off a mole hunt that puts the heads of the KCIA’s domestic and foreign branches (Jung Woo-sung, Lee Jung-Jae) at each other’s throats. Reconfigures the events of the country’s tumultuous 80s into a high action, twisty-turny political thriller.—RDL
Judy Blume Forever (Film, US, 2023) Documentary profiles the pioneering YA author, whose policy of depicting the truth for teenagers has made her a target of censorship ever since her breakthrough novel appeared in 1970. Highlights include animated collages and interviews with women who corresponded with Blume as struggling teens.—RDL
The Ninth House (Fiction, Leigh Bardugo, 2019) Secretive Yale society Lethe House pulls strings to admit Galaxy Stern because she can see ghosts, a handy talent given their remit to keep an eye on the other eight Yale magical secret societies. A somewhat start-and-stop narrative and slightly too-overt magic notwithstanding, Bardugo delightfully layers secret magic onto the (mostly) real history and architecture of Yale in a strong sorcerous whodunit. –KH
Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life From an Addiction to Film (Nonfiction, Patton Oswalt, 2015) Engaging memoir describes Oswalt’s rise through the comedy ranks by way of a crippling film addiction in the late 1990s. Part autobiography, part life-lessons, part film brag, never less than interesting and often compelling. —KH
Good
All Four Wimsey Novels of Jill Paton Walsh (Fiction, Jill Paton Walsh, 1998-2014) Walsh completed a Sayers manuscript and then wrote three more detective novels featuring Lord Peter Wimsey and his wife Harriet Vane, in the pastiche tradition that I certainly can’t throw stones at given my Holmesian and Lovecraftian bents. In that tradition, then, they perform adequately although the language (of course) slips from the Sayers standard. The second and third books have close to proper Sayers-style twisty plots (book two borrows a bit from Christianna Brand tsk tsk) although Walsh’s real priority is fanfic about the Wimsey marriage. –KH
Renfield (Film, US, Chris McKay, 2023) Inspired by honest cop Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) decides to confront his codependent relationship with Dracula (Nicolas Cage). Recasting the Dracula-Renfield relationship through a self-help lens may not guarantee reliable comedy (it does not) but it somehow lets us see a really dangerous Dracula, revealed by and/or despite Cage’s camp and mugging. –KH
The Suspect (Film, US, Robert Siodmak, 1944) When his rage-filled wife dies, a long-suffering tobacconist (Charles Laughton) in love with a supportive younger woman (Ella Raines) faces questions from a supercilious Scotland yard inspector (Stanley Ridgers.) Mix of drama and thriller places film noir themes in an Edwardian setting. Held back by an ending that loses track of the audience desires it has established.—RDL
Not Recommended
The Tall Men (Film, US, Raoul Walsh, 1955) Capable cowhand (Clark Gable) and aspiring cattle magnate (Robert Ryan) vie for the affections of a big-dreaming survivor (Jane Russell) as they drive a herd from Texas to Montana. Love triangle western doesn’t so much develop its central conflict as suspend it for most of the. running time to instead gaze at cows in all their Cinemascope majesty.—RDL
Episode 547: Such Things as No
May 12th, 2023 | Robin
In the Gaming Hut we wonder how running games for a streaming audience will change GMing practice in general.
At the behest of beloved Patreon backer Dan Noland with proceed with extreme caution into the Book Hut for a look at an arsenic-infused volume of 19th century silhouette portraits by peripatetic artist William Bache.
Installment fifteen of the Cinema Hut Science Fiction Essentials series takes to the beginning of the 1980s, which is veritably chockablock with classics.
Finally the Consulting Occultist meets us in the Architecture Hut for a look at the so-called Devil’s Architect, Nicholas Hawksmoor, whose reputation for the arcane might just have been burnished by some of our finest living nerdtropers.
Want to pose a question to the show? Get your priority question asking access with your support for the KARTAS Patreon!
Our Patreon-backed Letterboxd list of all films mentioned on the show is now up and running.
Also check out the Goodreads list of books mentioned on the show.
Snag Ken and Robin merchandise at TeePublic.
Once Upon a Time the fairy godmothers at Atlas Games offered a special deal on their classic card game, Once Upon a Time. Until May 31st you and your magic beans can claim a free expansion with the purchase of any three Once Upon a Time products at the Atlas Games store. Use the coupon code ONCE2023.
The skies above New Olympus are patrolled by caped crusaders, but these superior beings are far from heroes. They wield their powers with reckless disregard, serving the interests of corporate overseers, and silencing those who oppose their will. You are Klara Koenig, investigative journalist for The Pedestrian newspaper, and you intend to prove the privileged superhuman elite do not yet hold a monopoly on justice. Welcome to Alteregomania: the newest setting for the GUMSHOE One-2-One system.
The treasures of Askfageln can be found at DriveThruRPG. Get all issues of FENIX since 2013 available in special English editions. Score metric oodles of Ken Hite gaming goodness, along with equally stellar pieces by Graeme Davis and Pete Nash. Warning: in English, not in Swedish. In English, not Swedish. While you’re at it, grab DICE and Freeway Warrior!
Put on your flannels, grab your duffel bag of hardware and assemble your fake passports. Alert your retailer to the contents of their favorite unmarked warehouse. Delta Green: The Conspiracy, the revised, updated and declassified edition of the iconic 1990s sourcebook has escaped from Arc Dream Publishing.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ken and Robin Consume Media: Brooke Shields, Better Call Saul, and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
May 9th, 2023 | Robin
Ken and Robin Consume Media is brought to you by the discriminating and good-looking backers of the Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff Patreon. Each week we provide capsule reviews of the books, movies, TV seasons and more we cram into our hyper-analytical sensoriums. Join the Patreon to help pick the items we’ll talk about in greater depth on a little podcast segment we like to call Tell Me More.
Recommended
Better Call Saul Season 5 (Television, US, AMC, Peter Gould, 2020) Now doing business under the name Saul Goodman, Jimmy (Bob Odenkirk) draws closer both to Kim (Rhea Seehorn) and the drug cartels. The previously yawning interest gap between the show’s two halves finally closes as Jimmy’s storyline converges with the Breaking Bad crime drama prequel elements featuring Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks).—RDL
Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields (Television, US, Disney+, Lana Wilson, 2023) Actress and model Shields looks back on her life’s tough moments and the strangeness of her 80s super-fame as a poster child for sexualized childhood.—RDL
Good
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Film, US, Tom Gormican, 2022) Flailing movie star Nicolas Cage (Nicolas Gage) reluctantly accepts a lucrative offer to attend a party thrown by a shady, rich businessman (Pedro Pascal.) So meta that its dialogue calls out its own central flaw, that it is more interesting when Cage and Pascal are doing character moments than during its rote comic thriller beats.—RDL
Okay
The English (Television, US/UK, Amazon, Hugo Blick, 2022) Pawnee ex-cavalry scout (Chaske Spencer) reluctantly assists English aristocrat with a valise full of cash (Emily Blunt) in her quest for vengeance against the man who killed her son. Early momentum earned from a mastery of neospaghetti western gestures sputters when it reaches its flat, contrived conclusion.—RDL
Five and Ten (Film, US, Robert Z. Leonard, 1931) Finding herself a fish out of water in New York society, the ambitious daughter (Marion Davies) of a discount store titan falls for a louche architect (Leslie Howard) with an old money name. Melodrama of top tier American class struggle relies on its soggy B-plot featuring a self-pitying brother for resolution.—RDL
Ken is on a mission in space.
Episode 546: Now I Can Talk To Plants
May 5th, 2023 | Robin
We enter the secret chamber of the Gaming Hut at the behest of beloved Patreon backer Ian Carlsen, who seeks guidance on a campaign built around initiation into a mystery cult.
Speaking of mysteries, the Food Hut tackles the terrifying possibility that ice cream might be good for you.
In the Cinema Hut our Science Fiction Film Essentials series reaches the densely packed turn from the 70s into the 80s.
Finally Conspiracy Corner looks at the 15 minute city and how this anodyne urban planning concept has become the latest locus of paranoid panic.
Want to pose a question to the show? Get your priority question asking access with your support for the KARTAS Patreon!
Our Patreon-backed Letterboxd list of all films mentioned on the show is now up and running.
Also check out the Goodreads list of books mentioned on the show.
Snag Ken and Robin merchandise at TeePublic.
Once Upon a Time the fairy godmothers at Atlas Games offered a special deal on their classic card game, Once Upon a Time. Until May 31st you and your magic beans can claim a free expansion with the purchase of any three Once Upon a Time products at the Atlas Games store. Use the coupon code ONCE2023.
The skies above New Olympus are patrolled by caped crusaders, but these superior beings are far from heroes. They wield their powers with reckless disregard, serving the interests of corporate overseers, and silencing those who oppose their will. You are Klara Koenig, investigative journalist for The Pedestrian newspaper, and you intend to prove the privileged superhuman elite do not yet hold a monopoly on justice. Welcome to Alteregomania: the newest setting for the GUMSHOE One-2-One system.
The treasures of Askfageln can be found at DriveThruRPG. Get all issues of FENIX since 2013 available in special English editions. Score metric oodles of Ken Hite gaming goodness, along with equally stellar pieces by Graeme Davis and Pete Nash. Warning: in English, not in Swedish. In English, not Swedish. While you’re at it, grab DICE and Freeway Warrior!
Put on your flannels, grab your duffel bag of hardware and assemble your fake passports. Alert your retailer to the contents of their favorite unmarked warehouse. Delta Green: The Conspiracy, the revised, updated and declassified edition of the iconic 1990s sourcebook has escaped from Arc Dream Publishing.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ken and Robin Consume Media: John Mulaney, The Warner Brothers, and Armageddon
May 2nd, 2023 | Robin
Ken and Robin Consume Media is brought to you by the discriminating and good-looking backers of the Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff Patreon. Each week we provide capsule reviews of the books, movies, TV seasons and more we cram into our hyper-analytical sensoriums. Join the Patreon to help pick the items we’ll talk about in greater depth on a little podcast segment we like to call Tell Me More.
Recommended
The Brothers Warner (Film, US, Cass Warner, 2007) Documentary profiles the four Polish American Jewish siblings who founded and ran the Warner Brothers movie studio. The filmmaker convincingly argues that the grit and social consciousness that distinguished the studio’s classic output came not from its production head, credit-hogging vulgarian Jack L. Warner, but her grandfather, straight-arrow, avuncular company president Harry.—RDL
Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon (Nonfiction, Eric H. Cline, 2020) During the interwar period, a changing team of bickering archaeologists dispatched by Chicago’s Oriental Institute excavates, and occasionally mutilates, the multi-city site of Megiddo in Palestine. Copious documentation allows the author, who himself has worked the site, to intersperse archaeological discoveries with a case study of seething personal rivalries.—RDL
Gangubai Kathiawadi (Film, India, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 2022) Woman sold into a brothel (Alia Bhatt) rises to madam, then local politician, and finally ahead-of-her-time advocate for sex workers’ rights. Bhatt’s movie star presence anchors the proceedings as they shift from underworld epic to inspirational crowdpleaser.—RDL
Hunger (Film, Thailand, Sitisiri Mongkolsiri, 2023) Young cook (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying) who works at her family noodle restaurant comes down with a case of ambition when she is recruited to work for a harshly demanding superstar chef (Nopachai Chaiyanam.) Visually striking workplace drama Infuses the humble striver subgenre with an atypical class consciousness.—RDL
John Mulaney: Baby J (Stand-up, Netflix, Alex Timbers, 2023) Mulaney breaks down his addiction, intervention, and rehab experience in a not-always-successful blending of his perfected straight standup and the confessional standup subgenre – I suspect doing a routine while sober may be throwing off his reflexes somewhat as well. However, there’s lots of Mulaney-style diamonds in here, and I was reduced to helpless laughter by his re-read of a very coked-up interview with GQ he gave two days before going to rehab. Don’t count Baby J out, in other words. –KH
Good
The Gentlemen (Film, US, Guy Ritchie, 2020) Weaselly journo Fletcher (Hugh Grant) attempts to blackmail consigliere Raymond (Charlie Hunnam) with the truth about his boss, weed kingpin Mickey (Matthew McConaughey). Hugh Grant gloriously chews scenery all around the wooden Hunnam, but the problem with a movie told almost entirely in expository narration is a certain remove that weakens seemingly strong individual bits. A pleasant haze of reminiscence for old-school Ritchie fans, but not primo. –KH
In Search of Tomorrow (Film, US, David A. Weiner, 2022) Five-hour documentary on the SF films of the 1980s generally makes do with lightweight talking heads (though John Carpenter, Joe Dante, and Ivan Reitman bring it) and generous highlights as it goes year by year through the pinnacle decade of the art form, with the occasional thematic blurt. Mostly enjoyable in a “hey it’s that thing I recognize” way for me, but probably a fine primer for those unfortunate enough to have been born after the Reagan Administration. –KH
Not Recommended
Deep Fear (Film, France, Grégory Beghin, 2022) Recent graduates plunge into horror after joining their affable dealer on an unauthorized urban exploration of the Paris catacombs. You know I wanted this to be good, but unfortunately they couldn’t set it in the iconic, funerary part of the catacombs, and the horrors the heroes encounter are perfunctorily imagined.—RDL
