Category Archives: Reviews

No one Knows Who They Were, or What They Were Doing

Image result for when the screaming stops movie

http://childpsychiatryassociates.com/where-to-start/ You’d be forgiven if you didn’t know the music band Bros. In the late 1980s, Bros were the hottest act in British pop. The twin brothers played to sold-out concerts, top ten chart hits and the undying devotion of screaming, swooning fans, dubbed “Brosettes.” Though they enjoyed Beatle-like mania, Matt and Luke Goss called it quits in 1992, refusing to speak for 27 years.

But as any good rock doc knows, no reunion is out of the question. And this documentary offers an all-access pass during the countdown to the Bros reunion concert of 2017. But make no mistake: This is no Behind the Music TV rockumentary. Bros can’t help but focus on the toxic relationship between brothers who sometimes make Cain And Abel seem like best pals. Original fans of the duo will be riveted, but even casual music fans will recognize this is more a story about sibling rivalry.Image result for when the screaming stops movie

The title is taken from a question posed to the brothers by the late British television presenter Terry Wogan: What would become of duo “after the screaming stops?” They found out sooner than either expected. In the weeks after of Bros’ biggest hits, drummer Luke Goss moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career, making appearances in Blade 2, Hellboy 2 and others. Singer and musician Matt Goss pursued a solo career, undertaking lengthy residencies at Las Vegas hot spots including Caesars Palace.

The decision to reunite for an epic concert at the O2 arena in Britain seems motivated by both professional pride and personal demons. The ticking clock to the big day gives the film structure and tension as archive footage of past concerts is paired with confessional interviews. The brothers are generally interviewed individually, and in that solitude both reveal all manner of insecurities, musical and familial.

Like the group Wham!, Bros resent that the British press never took them seriously. Despite being the front man, Matt appears to be the most volatile and vulnerable, lamenting the distance between him and his brother. He also gives Bros its occasional This is Spinal Tap-esque humor. “You need to be on the same page, otherwise you don’t get to turn the page, “ he declares.

There is also a Spinal Tap element to the tempers and tantrums. Rehearsals are as mesmerizing as slow-motion car crashes as the brothers clash. Bros’ success at times seems nothing short of miraculous, given the brothers often can’t seem to bear being in the same room together.Image result for when the screaming stops movie

The tension ratchets up as drummer Luke grows frustrated that his viewpoint takes a backseat to his brothers (sometimes tearful) antics. Bros doesn’t shy away from the warts-and-all candor of their arguments. We revisit the death of their parents and odd reality of being a world celebrity in your 20’s. Credit After The Screaming Stops for aiming to be more than a promotional tour for  a comeback record.

Like Spinal Tap, if Bros‘ deserves any feedback, it’s for a lack of context. There are no interviews about why the brothers became so big or what make their songs so popular. The film opts not to interview any musical media or academia for insight.

But the comparison with Spinal Tap stops about there. Far from being a mockumentary, Bros is a serious look at fame’s effect both on youth and music, and whether it’s doing either any favors. When it gets off stage, away from the lights and stage bravado, Bros can crank to 11.

Who’s a Good Boy?

Image result for it's bruno!

You don’t have to be a dog nut to enjoy Netflix’s new series It’s Bruno! But it sure doesn’t hurt.

Otherwise, how else could we feel the offense taken by series creator Solvan “Slick” Naim when he sees dog owners who don’t curb their pooches? Or people who don’t restrain yapping pets? Or, worst of all to Naim, listen to people call his beloved puggle by another name? It’s Bruno!

Part whimsical comedy cross-pollinated with part street-savvy drama, Bruno! may be Netflix’s strangest series to date. Episodes typically range from 11-15 minutes. There is no real character arc (from human or canine actors). Some scenes are dog-food-commercial cute, only to be peppered with scenes of adult-only viewing, including sex, raw language and drug abuse. There’s no graphic violence, but think Benji Meets The Wire.Image result for the wire

To appreciate It’s Bruno!, it helps to know a little bit about why rapper Slick Naim is making the show; he wrote, produced and directed it. According to press reports, Naim got Bruno from a rescue shelter five years ago, and he thinks the dog is so awesome that, in 2015 he made a 10-minute short film that had Naim and Bruno trying to go to a supermarket. Netflix was so impressed, they produced the show (which continues the pair’s efforts to get into the store).

But it’s exactly the small scale of the stories that gives the show its charm. Lives aren’t at stake here, just contented pets, and what a nice change of stakes. Naim plays Malcolm, who gives Bruno the best food — premium turkey meat — and lets him eat at the table. When he walks Bruno around his block in Bushwick, Brooklyn, he’s very sensitive to slights. When a woman pets Bruno without asking, Malcolm reaches out and pets her granddaughter, asking her why the dog shouldn’t feel any less annoyed by that behavior.

When he gets to a corner, he regularly meets his “nemesis” Harvey (Rob Morgan) and his dog Angie. They get into an impromptu obedience competition, which Bruno loses when Malcolm can’t get him to respond to “down.” They vie for dog walking customers. They compete for local dog ads.

In one episode, Malcolm tries to track down the hipster who is not picking up after his dog. In another, he intervenes when he meets a crack addict trying to sell a stolen husky from his shopping cart, claiming it is a “Dire Woof from Games of Thrones!”Image result for dire wolfPerhaps the most entertaining character is a hyper chihuahua that yaps its head off every time he sees Bruno. Naim cleverly translates the barks in closed captioning and man, is that dog vulgar.

But that’s the point of Bruno! In a sea of true-crime stories and police dramas, what a binge-able, pleasurable change of pace for a series. Make Bruno a police dog and you’d probably have a great buddy cop series.

 

Til’ Part Do Us Death

Image result for dead to me

Dead to Me is something of  bait-and-switch, though a clever and enjoyable one. The trailer for the new Netflix series suggests that it’s a black comedy, a Desperate Housewives meets Six Feet Under with a touch of suburban angst mixed to keep things light. Instead, Dead becomes a sometimes-profound look at the stages of grief — and the extremes we’ll go to avoid them. As much a murder mystery as a darkly comic whodunnit, Dead produces a performance that’s Emmy-worthy, if not the show itself.

Starring Christina Applegate in the role of her career, Dead follow a widow trying to rebuild her life after her husband is killed by a hit-and-run driver. While the show spends 10 twist-full episodes  trying to be a madcap mystery about suburban SoCal secrets and lies, it becomes a layered look at friendships forged in misery.

Dead to Me begins with high-end realtor and mother of two Jen (Applegate) slamming the door on yet another neighborly well-wisher bearing a casserole. Three months after her husband’s death, Jen’s primary emotion besides grief is anger. She’s mad at the person who ran her husband over. She’s mad at the cops who haven’t found the driver. And she’s generally mad at the world for handing her such a raw deal.Image result for dead to me

But Jen’s life begins to improve when she meets Judy (Linda Cardellini), a flighty and free-spirited woman who’s also dealing with her own loss. Their chance meeting at a grief support group isn’t actually by chance — the final shot of episode one portends many surprise endings — unusual for a comedy series. Jen and Judy form a real friendship, commiserating over insomnia-fueled phone calls and late-night Facts of Life reruns. Pretty soon the lonely Jen invites Judy to live in her unoccupied guest house.

Turns out, Jen and Judy make fast friends over common sadness: Jen’s marriage was fraying long before it was cut short by the accident, while Judy can’t leave her on-and-off fiancé Steve (James Marsden). He’s a slick finance type whose good looks and charm mask a dismissive attitude toward the soft-hearted Judy.Image result for dead to me ed asner

And yet it’s the show pacing that undermines these characters. Dead is less interested in Jen and Judy’s connection than it is in the Big Secret that could destroy it. Episodes are peppered with near-misses and convenient coincidences that lead Jen to the brink of discovery, only to veer away from the truth with a rush of near-miss adrenaline. It’s a fine format for, say, Breaking Bad. But it’s too dramatic a pace for a comedy series.

Instead, the show is at its best when Jen and Judy are just hanging out, talking about things that aren’t veiled secrets, like motherhood, re-entering the dating world, and whether they’re a Blair or a Jo. Applegate, returning to series TV for the first time in seven years, brings an astonishing depth to  Jen. Her tears and rage are palpable. Though Cardellini is saddled with primarily goofy sidekick duties, her character brings genuine warmth and humanity to Dead. And Ed Asner, who plays as a cranky old charmer at the nursing home where Judy works, is as good here since The Mary Tyler Moore Show. As a murder mystery, Dead to Me isn’t much of a discovery. But as an examination of human frailty, Dead brings its characters springing to life.

Image result for dead to me ed asner