Ken and Robin Consume Media: Crisis on Infinite Lupins
April 23rd, 2025 | 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 Adventures of Arsene Lupin (Film, France, Jacques Becker, 1957) Notorious gentleman thief (Robert Lamoureux) flirts with an aristocratic spy (Liselotte Pulver) while hoodwinking rich art collectors, eager-to-please jewelers, and the German Kaiser (O. E. Hasse.) Lavish celebration of style and luxury in glorious fifties color.—RDL
Noryang: Deadly Sea (Film, South Korea, Kim Han-Min, 2023) As the 16th century Imjin War drags to a close, genius admiral Yi Sun-Sin (Kim Yoon-seok) defies his Ming allies by demanding a final engagement to destroy withdrawing Japanese fleet. Final installment in the Yi Sun-Sin trilogy devotes a long first act to complicated three-way politicking, with factions within each force, all of which are needed to fully follow the rousing, extended naval combat sequences that follow.—RDL
Good
Arsene Lupin (Film, US, Jack Conway, 1932) Crusty Sûreté chief (Lionel Barrymore) pursues a spendthrift duke (John Barrymore) who he suspects is the wily gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. Agreeable pre-Code crime romp uses the Maurice Leblanc character to occasion a double shot of Barrymore.—RDL
Lady of the Train (Film, Egypt, Youssef Chahine, 1952) On discovering that she has not in fact been killed in a train crash, the degenerate gambler husband of a beloved singer pressures her to lay low so he can collect the insurance money. Wild plot turns keep coming in this noir-adjacent musical melodrama.—RDL
Oh, Canada (Film, US, Paul Schrader, 2024) Dying of cancer, an American expat who made a career for himself as a documentarian in Canada (Richard Gere) sits for an hijacks an interview conducted by a former student (Michael Imperioli) into a confession to his wife (Uma Thurman.) Adapting the structure of the Russell Banks source novel (Foregone) to film is a heavy lift, though Gere turns in an impressive performance. Set in the slightly alternate universe that vibrates into being whenever Americans set movies in Canada.—RDL
Okay
Lupin Season 3 (Television, France, 2024) When a mysterious foe kidnaps his long absent mother, Assane again follows in the footsteps of fictional master thief Arsene Lupin to fake his demise. Dutiful recapitulates the structure of season 1 & 2, making some off-putting choices for its protagonist without asking him to reckon for them.—RDL
Ken and Robin were both on the road this week. Like a true gentleman mastermind, Robin banked some capsule reviews for this exact eventuality.
