Digital Week – September 11

Harkening to the heyday of John Hughes, writer-director Sean Wang’s expressive, insightful distillation of the teenage experience is—at least in most movies like this—seen as universal, however different is kids’ background and upbringing. Wang introduces Chris, a Taiwanese American teen annoyed with his mom, scared of his grandmother and hating his older sister. He’s a geek with a small circle of friends and a crush on a girl named Madi (the charming Mahaela Park), with whom he hopes to have his first kiss—until he, being a goofy teen, screws things up. Wang writes and directs with a sympathetic eye and this specific adolescent era (it’s 2008 and the kids are using AOL messenger and flip phones) is shrewdly observed. The persuasive cast is led by Izaac Wang’s authentically gawky Chris and Joan Chen as his embarrassing but loving mom. 

Edie Falco gives a beautifully restrained portrayal of Wanda, a middle-aged woman juggling many  personal issues—her ex, who has a new family, can’t afford to pay his half of their pregnant daughter’s upcoming wedding; her son is a complete screw-up; she breaks up with her slightly dull if well-meaning boyfriend while she’s having a fling with a younger woman; and her overbearing mother is glad that what she thought was cancer is “only” leukemia. Director Brendan Walsh and writer Jim Beggarly intentionally stack the deck against Wanda, making her the problem-solver for everyone but herself; but, although stretched thin after 95 minutes, Falco (nicely complemented by Jeanne Berlin, Bradley Whitford and Michael Rappaport) plays it so subtly and perfectly that we become invested in her despite the dramatic weaknesses.

The mental and existential maladies that inhabit Donald Trump are explored in this intriguing if diffuse documentary by director Dan Partland, who speaks to the usual TV  pundits/historians/psychologists (including talking-head George Conway, congressman Joe Walsh and former RNC chairman Michael Steele)  explicate about how and why Trump remains a threat to democracy with his authoritarian bent and even kowtows to other dictators. But since everything is recounted for the umpteenth time, even if as persuasively as it’s done here, those who should watch it will consider it the ultimate untruth of a deep state and its colluding media.

Following in the clunky footsteps of her father M. Night Shyamalan, Ishana Night Shyamalan debuts as a feature director with this well-made but derivative horror entry about four people trapped in a prison of sorts in the middle of the deep, dark woods, where seemingly malevolent entities known as watchers will not allow them to escape. There are a few hair-raising twists and turns and an ending that is more bittersweet than bitter, but even fine performers like Dakota Fanning, Georgina Campbell and Olwen Fouéré can’t overcome the built-in limitations of the tale and the teller. The UHD image looks spectacular; extras are four featurettes and deleted scenes.

A pair of Gaetano Donizetti operas, one comic, the other tragic, present both sides of the Italian master’s well-worn but entertaining bel canto style. This most amusing rom-com gets a fizzy 2023 Royal Opera House staging in London by Laurent Pelly. Donizetti’s merry music is ably played by the Royal Opera Orchestra and Chorus led by Sesto Quatrini, and there are finely-wrought comic performances by Bryn Terfel as Doctor Dulcamara, Liparit Avetisyan as the pining Nemorino, and the redoubtable American soprano Nadine Sierra—the most attractive singer in opera today, in both senses—as the strong-willed heroine Adina. There’s first-rate hi-def video and audio; extras are interviews with the cast and creative team.

Donizetti’s operatic tragedy about a young woman caught up in feuding families who goes mad is best known in its original Italian-language version, but the French version is heard in Jacopo Spirei’s staging last year at the Donizetti Opera Festival. Best about this production is the excellent Italian soprano Caterina Sala, who brings down the house with her immaculate singing and intense acting. Spirei’s production otherwise puts this warhorse through its paces well enough; Pierre Dumoussand leads the orchestra and chorus in an effective reading of the score. There’s quite good hi-def video and audio. 

This compelling and hilarious series about ultrarich corporatists chugged along for four highly watchable seasons, including the shocking but inevitable plot twist early in the final season that finally pointed to a real conclusion that the title always hinted at. The tension between an ultra- successful media corporation’s founder, Logan Roy, and his adult children, all of whom are unworthy to take the reins—sons Kendall, Roman and Connor as well as daughter Shiv—reaches tragicomic heights worthy of Shakespeare. Superb writing is complemented by magisterial acting by Brian Cox, who plays the Lear-like Logan, to Jeremy Strong (Kendall), Kieran Culkin (Roman), Sarah Snook (Shiv) and the scene-stealing J. Smith-Cameron as the family’s shrewd associate Gerri. All 39 episodes are included on 12 discs, and the hi-def image looks dazzling throughout. More than 20 bonus features include “Inside the Episode” featurettes, character recaps and cast and crew interviews.