I’ll start with some sincere thanks to everyone who has taken advantage of my first sale in four years and become a paid subscriber.
That is greatly appreciated. Sincerely.
Thanks also to the rush of folks who subscribed during this summer run of free columns, and any one of you among those who are still thinking about joining the paid ranks. I wanted to point out that the sale is ending in 18 days (Aug. 31) and you can lock in the Times Are Tough Summer Sale price of $35 (instead of $50) yearly.
Paid subscribers get access to the Archives, which are filled with plenty of deep dive suggestions in both mediums.
In addition, I keep a running list of all the best recommendations on what to watch for quick reference when you’re looking for something but don’t want to waste time choosing.
If you don’t know much about me, there’s a short version under — wait for it — the “About” button at the top of the online home page. If you didn’t know that I was once in Dwell magazine talking about modern chairs or that I was a golf columnist for South African Sports Illustrated, check out the “TG CV,” also at the top, for more weird stuff.
That’s the pitch. Yay for actual criticism and discovery.
Let me remind everyone who doesn’t already know that I don’t spoil anything of arguable consequence ever, unless it’s an actual Spoilt feature or when covering episodes for the Box Set feature (currently awaiting some inspiration). So, no spoilers without warnings, ever.
Sometimes it helps to cover that periodically.
This has inadvertently become the poster series for a show I like that I now find flawed and difficult to discuss, in the aftermath of watching five seasons of “The Bureau.”
I covered this recently, but the issue remains (like a hangover): When you watch something truly great, everything else is like meeting someone in person after only seeing their Instagram photos.
“Silo” is mostly a very good television series, at its best. Certainly better than a lot of Mid fare that Apple TV is churning out of late. But there have been diminishing returns which I’m hoping are just warped by proximity to “The Bureau.” I am, however, losing the ability to convince myself of that. Ep. 6, “The Drive,” succeeded only because A Certain Character popped up and started talking non-stop to fuel the action, otherwise I’m left thinking about the scene that is referenced in the episode title. That was some elaborate time wasting silliness, of near epic proportions. The. Car. Is. Driving. Itself.
Beyond that, I had predicted the “loyalty flip” we witnessed, a full two episodes ago. It wasn’t that hard. I don’t get a badge. You probably saw it coming.
I’m already starting to miss S2, so I’m hoping S3 turns things around quickly, as in Friday. I’m beginning to think (or, more accurately, continue to think), the problem is Camille. Why? Because the problem is Camille.
The Hulu/Disney series that has provided so much thump and, in S1, surprise character development for an action series, wrapped up its second season on Wednesday night. I watched both episodes, just like I have every Wednesday, which kind of undercuts my wobbly theory that anything in proximity to watching “The Bureau” suffers, so maybe “Silo” is just weaker than I’m thinking? Anyway, “A Shop For Killers” isn’t the kind of series that has the same ambitions as “Silo,” which are, in short, to be taken seriously.
It’s just a Korean action series that stumbled into winning characters you could invest in, and thus has always been better than expected, even if S2 has tended to go a little (okay, fine, a lot) over the top.
In fairness, S2 has also had plenty of surprises, and that partly offsets some of the Marvel-esque leanings. It’s not quite on the humanistic level of S1, where characters and events felt more grounded. But the audience might have been enthusiastically wanting more, because S1 was a surprise international hit, and more is what it got this season, for better and worse. Still, it’s hard to fault the creators for leaning in. It’s not the type of situation where, let’s say, “Silo” becomes a comedy and the audience has to lash back and say, “No, nobody wanted that!” Everything you need to know about “A Shop For Killers” is in the title and S2 was not afraid to blow up more shit, for example, which is likely what the people wanted.
How we all get to a S3, however, I can’t see (well, yes I can, but it wouldn’t really be the same show). There are indications, however, that a S3 is possible. As with anything, best to wait until you see it.
As more readers get around to finishing the S3 finale, a reminder that you can read the Spoilt deconstruction and comment freely once you’re done here:
First, let me say this: It happens.
Even if you love a specific director, you don’t always get to all of their work. I don’t know why other than, it happens. The film is just sitting there — right there, released, available, ready to watch. And for some reason you just get around to it late. Months later or years later.
The story I’m telling myself about “The Handmaiden” is mixed up in the hazy fiction of my brain, but it goes like this: I kept thinking of it (not incorrectly) as a period piece costume drama and (incorrectly) as a kind of stylized “Masterpiece Theatre.” That’s not really how I think of Park, so perhaps I subconsciously set it aside for later.
Later came last week.
And after watching it, I have told lots of people the same thing: “Why didn’t anyone tell me there were Asian lesbians? I would have watched it in 2016.”
You can ask my wife and she’ll tell you that’s exactly what I said. I share it here because A) It’s too funny and true to keep hidden and B) It’s a brilliant movie and love story that surprised me in ways I’m not normally surprised.
I guess that’s the benefit of just pressing play and not reading anything prior, at least not in the last near decade. So, sure, I was slightly surprised by the intimacy. But more important was the surprise (and regret) of not having watched it sooner. In “The Handmaiden,” Park can conceal some of his favorite topics and tricks, dressing up a costume drama and period piece in the manners of the day, but eventually he will always remain himself.
And so “The Handmaiden,” gloriously, has all the hallmarks of his mind — odd twists, gorgeously discordant visuals, familiar but deceptively placed themes of shock and revenge; but it also was the coming out of his tragic love stories, which he honed even more with is next film, “Decision to Leave.”
(If there’s any pattern to Park’s interest, it’s that he seems to follow one film with another in a similar vein, then veer off again; so I’m excited to see if he follows “No Other Choice” with something equally inventive next time out).
That said, two of Park’s best films are brilliant love stories, so maybe he should return again to the form.
I’ve been thinking of films in pairs, lately. As in, picking two that I want to watch one after the other. There is no discernible link (that I know of, yet).
Here’s two:
Kiyoshi Kurosawa messing with people’s heads by seeming to make an Akira Kurosawa film, when you know that at its heart there will be something terrifyingly odd that comes out:
And this, “Late Fame,” from director Kent Jones and writer Samy Burch, checks a lot of boxes:
If you’ve got a pair of films on the brain, drop them below. Until then, I feel like it’s my duty to yell out loud until you watch “The Bureau.”
You will thank me like I thanked the person who poked at me constantly.
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