2.5 stars out of 5
And so, the pandemic-delayed movie we’d waited the longest for: Daniel Craig’s last hurrah as 007. Back in 2020, we had Craig’s turn as an SNL host (and the resultant meme), and Billie Eilish’s Bond theme. But then… a quantum of silence for 18 months. Talk about building anticipation! Was it worth the wait? The Broccoli bunch truly tried to give us the world in this installment. Yet sometimes the world is not enough.
When Daniel Craig arrived as James Bond in 2006 (007 would’ve made more sense, but whatevs), it was the jolt of fresh blood the series needed. Bond films were never really bad, but the franchise had become paint-by-the-numbers, outpaced by Jason Bourne in the action-spy arms race. Casino Royale was a tougher, darker Bond, and it worked. And worked again, and again. And then… well, I enjoyed much of Spectre, but it definitely came off the rails.
Could they get things back on track for Craig’s Swann song? Certainly not by hiring True Detective’s Cary Jojo “Diminishing Returns” Fukunaga to co-write and direct. He continues the previous films’ grimness. But when you live by darkness, you die another day by darkness. And this is pretty dour Bond. Which drags a lot, and is stupidly long (2 hours, 43 minutes, sheesh). Admittedly, when 007 gets his first action sequence (with returning Dr. Swann, Léa Seydoux, in tow), it’s textbook thrilling Bond, including a fully-loaded Aston Martin. So, I was initially on board. But as the plot carried on, becoming increasingly convoluted, I realized I had no idea what was going on. And even more importantly, wasn’t enjoying myself a whole lot.
They do tick off the Bond checklist: shaken not stirred; Bond James Bond; a new Bond girl. Ana de Armas is indeed an absolute knockout, and impresses mightily in her big fight scene. Yet just when we want to see, er, more of her, she’s gone. It’s like Fukunaga felt, ok, you’ve had your fun, now back to the dreariness.
It’s nice to see our old friends M, and Moneypenny, and an oil painting of Dame Judi Dench, and Q, who’s revealed as gay, hooray. (More inclusion: With Bond believed dead at film’s start, the 007 agent number has been reassigned to… a black woman. Take that, patriarchy!)
Rami Malek is here as the baddie and I thought, “Ooh, that’ll be good,” but he gets very little to do and doesn’t give it much oomph.
Then there’s just some clumsy, lazy filmmaking. There’s a Silence of the Lambs rip. And, no spoilers, but a character totally inexplicably escapes. And also Bond, who has shown no traces of Roger Moore wit during the lighter parts of the film, waits until things are getting really heavy before firing off two corny one-liners. Read the room, pal!
Dear Bond producers: I think a major problem here was trying to make the Craig 007s a continuing story. Plots just piled up on top of each other and this time for sure, there weren’t talented enough filmmakers to interweave it all (and edit, for godsakes). I was genuinely saddened back when they announced that this would be Daniel Craig’s final film as Bond. But now I’m quite glad. The series could definitely use a fresh start, a dash of fun, and a stand-alone plot. From Jack, with love.
Movie Review: No Time To Die
Movie Review: The Many Saints of Newark
3.5 stars out of 5
I felt I owed it to David Chase to see this film in a theater. Way back, my coworker/friend Mona mentioned an upcoming HBO show, The Sopranos, that one of her fellow actors had scored a big part in. I thought it was maybe about opera singers. My cousin Ilene was a producer on the series, and soon a co-executive producer, then an executive producer. But mostly I was excited because we loved the show, and here in North Jersey, were kind of able to live it. The toll booth and Paul Bunyan Man on Tony’s drive from the city were familiar sites. With my buddies Joe and Bob we visited the Satriale’s location. Alone I checked out PizzaLand (also from Tony’s commute) and the diner where Christopher got shot.
That’s a lot of advance pressure on a movie, which was (understandably) marketed — against Chase’s will — as a Tony Soprano origin story. However, my own enthusiasm was somewhat curbed (eh, eh? #premiumcablesundays) by my fading recollections of Chase’s 2013 film Not Fade Away which was… OK, not great. Hey, there are TV people, and there are movie people (even in this “prestige” streaming era) and Chase will ultimately be remembered for The Sopranos and The Rockford Files. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Which is all to say, maybe I should’ve watched this on HBOMax. It’s a decent movie, and there is a lot for Sopranos fans to look for and enjoy, but Chase and director Alan Taylor are no Coppola, they are no Scorsese. (“Marty! Kundun! I liked it!”) There is not an epic sweep to the film, nor a genuine grittiness. The performances, though, are generally solid. Alessandro Nivola, as Dickie “Chris’s dad” Moltisanti, seems to know what he’s doing in this world, and doesn’t ham it up too much. Same for the increasingly reliable Jon Bernthal as Tony’s dad. Ray Liotta, however, misses a golden opportunity to give one of his completely terrifying, over-the-top portrayals as Dickie’s dad; perhaps he just can’t summon it anymore. (Operation Dumbo Drop will do that to a fella.) Liotta actually plays a dual role but… it’s just too stupid.
As far as the characters we know, New Jersey’s own Vera Farmiga lets us see the cracks already forming in Livia, and Corey Stoll is especially good as Junior — recognizably funny, angry, a little off, yet still making the character his own. Billy Magnussen as Paulie and John Magaro as Silvio are less successful, with Magaro particularly delivering a total caricature. Ooh, and there’s an indistinct guy playing Slightly Smaller Pussy, but there’s another actor in this movie who looks an awful lot like current-day Vincent Pastore/Big Pussy, so I’m sitting there flabbergasted: “Is he playing his younger self but actually looking older?!? Couldn’t they have done some of that Irishman digital de-aging?”
I’m pleased to report that Michael Gandolfini does a fine job filling his dad’s shoes, displaying the iconic character’s sensitivity and indecision as life pulls him in different directions. And there is a line or two of dialogue where the similarity in vocal timbre was eerie.
There’s another prominent storyline involving the Newark riots and Harold, an African-American associate of Dickie — played by… I want to say Leslie Uggams Jr.? — who eventually wants to start his own separate crime operation. Era- and setting-wise, this makes total sense to include, and for the most part it works, highlighting the hardcore racism and resistance to civil rights in the community, and also hinting at the transition from numbers running to narcotics.
Most importantly, David Chase doesn’t embarrass himself or the legacy of The Sopranos. The Many Saints fits in the canon, as my comic-book nerd friends might say. Plus, seeing Holsten’s luncheonette in the movie and later, passing it in real life on my drive home — that’s pretty cool.
Aquarium Playlist, 9/7/21
EPISODE #451: 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 (NEW YORK II)
Cat Power — “New York” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Richard Hell & the Voidoids — “Downtown at Dawn” [Destiny Street Repaired version]
The Drifters — “On Broadway”
John Lennon — “New York City”
Amy Allison & the Maudlins — “I Was Born in NYC”
Laura Cantrell — “14th Street”
Rufus Wainwright — “14th Street”
Leonard Cohen — “Chelsea Hotel #2”
Marshall Crenshaw — “Rockin’ Around in N.Y.C.”
The Rolling Stones — “Harlem Shuffle”
The dB’s — “I Read New York Rocker”
Joey Ramone — “New York City”
Steve Earle — “N.Y.C.”
Dion — “King of the New York Streets”
Spit-take — “Memorial”
They Might Be Giants — “New York City”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Movie Review: Flag Day
4 stars out of 5
I was looking forward to the Sean Penn movie Flag Day, and it was certainly promoted, and yet, now three weekends in, it’s not really playing anywhere! (OK, OK, it’s playing in Manhattan, which is very close to me, but, I save the city for special occasions.) And then a headline infuriated me: “Sean Penn’s Flag Day Fails To Fly As Older Arthouse Crowd Shuns Cinema.” Hey, I’m the Older Arthouse Crowd and I haven’t shunned a goddamn thing! Did they consider that my local “arthouse” in Montclair closed, eventually changed hands, but still hasn’t reopened? Or that the same happened with the arthouse in Asbury Park, where I would schedule in a movie whenever I’d drive down for a concert? And, come on, this isn’t some obscure indie flick. But the surviving multiplexes would rather fill up multiscreens with limp would-be summer blockbusters than something with a little more thought behind it.
So I took a long drive — I’m not going to get into details, but it involved a bridge and downloading yet another parking app — to a theater that was showing Flag Day. I’m very glad I did.
Penn directed the film, based on a true story, and co-stars with his daughter Dylan. I imagine her being Oscar-nominated and not winning. The movie is a bit of a family saga — a tragedy, really — so there are three actresses playing Jennifer Vogel over the span of time. Three actors also play brother Nick, including real-life bro Hopper Jack Penn.
Now, as Penn showed us as the world-wise dad in The First series, even decorated astronauts can have a hard time holding a family together. So if you’re a total fuck-up like Penn’s John Vogel, you can just imagine how difficult it would be. Which is not to say John doesn’t have good qualities. He loves his kids. Pretty good at drawing. A dreamer who likes to roam and have fun. But because of John’s not-so-good traits — including but not limited to thievery, rage, and compulsive lying — Jennifer and Nick bounce between dad and mom. She’s no great shakes neither, what with the alcoholism and dangerously lousy taste in men.
Overall, it’s Jennifer’s story. As a kid, she roots for her dad, overlooking the flaws, and it’s heartbreaking watching her try to keep disillusionment at bay. As Jennifer ages (and is portrayed subtly and realistically by Dylan Penn), she indulges her own vices, and wonders how much of her parents her psyche is saddled with. Is she genetically doomed to fail or can she reinvent herself? And at what point do you — or can you — draw a boundary with a beloved parent who has let you down over and over again?
Heavy stuff, beautifully and delicately directed by Penn. He’s helped by a very strong soundtrack which includes Eddie Vedder, Cat Power, and a song by Glen Hansard (of Once semi-fame) that just perfectly matches and enhances the action on-screen.
This Labor Day weekend, consider tracking down Flag Day. Or maybe it’ll be streaming by Yom Kippur.
Aquarium Playlist, 8/31/21
EPISODE #450: DIAMONDS
The Rolling Stones — “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” [ALTERNATE THEME] r.i.p. Charlie Watts
Dan Penn — “Diamonds”
Son Volt — “Diamonds and Cigarettes”
Dany Laj & the Looks — “Diamond in the Rough”
Shirley Bassey, Kanye West, Jay-Z — “Diamonds Are Forever”
Willie Nelson — “Ocean of Diamonds”
Sharon Van Etten w/ Glass Ghost — “Like a Diamond”
Them — “I Gave My Love a Diamond”
Opal — “She’s a Diamond”
The Clean — “Diamond Mine”
Gene Turonis a.k.a. Gene D. Plumber — “Diamonds as Big as Potatoes”
Mary Lou Lord — “He’d Be a Diamond”
Bob Dylan — “Diamond Joe”
Neko Case — “Dirty Diamond”
The Exbats — “I Got the Hots for Charlie Watts”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Aquarium Playlist, 8/24/21
EPISODE #449: CATS VI
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Dave “Baby” Cortez — “Catnip”
The Lucksmiths — “Cat in Sunshine”
The Wailers — “What’s New Pussycat”
Peach Kelli Pop — “Hello Kitty Knife”
Naked City — “Snagglepuss”
John Wesley Harding — “Monkey and his Cat”
Luna — “The Owl and the Pussycat”
The Carter Family — “Kitty Waltz”
Thee Speaking Canaries — “When Cats Fight/Let Loose of Me”
R.E.M. — “Swan Swan H”
U2 — “An Cat Dubh”
Sherman Hemsley — “Skinnin’ a Cat”
Matthew Sweet — “Girl With Cat”
Nick Jorgensen — “Black Cat”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Movie Review: Stillwater
3.5 stars out of 5
My thought process on deciding to see this movie, which from the trailer looked, you know, dusty and not that interesting: 1) I’m a fan of Matt Damon and he usually chooses quality projects. 2) Oh, it was directed by Tom McCarthy, who I love: The Station Agent, The Visitor, Win Win, Spotlight. 3) There are apparently some similarities to the Amanda Knox story. Foxy Knoxy — count me in!
The “purely coincidental” backstory that kicks off the plot: An American student overseas is accused of murdering her roommate, claims innocence, is jailed, and the case garners media attention. But that’s where fiction takes over. Damon plays her widowed dad, a good ol’ boy (good oil boy?) from Oklahoma, bit of a fuck up, who regularly travels to France to visit his daughter and try to get her sprung. Damon wears a baseball cap, plaid shirt, and jeans, sports a goatee, and prays before every Subway takeout meal at Le Best Western. Yes, he utters the words “fake news” and sidesteps a question about voting for Trump — he couldn’t vote because he has a criminal record. It’s quite a stretch for our man Damon but he pulls it off realistically, adding — if not his trademark likability — a lonely, understandable quality to the character.
The movie also attempts to stay within the bounds of believability and so, despite Damon losing faith with the authorities and taking on the investigation himself, and just a little bit of punching and kicking, he never goes full Jason Bourne.
However, it’s also not what I’d describe as an enjoyable movie. The film is character- and relationship-driven: The tension between Damon and his daughter, a convincingly trashy, angry, hopeless Abigail Breslin. The warm “family” dynamic Damon forms with the single mom and young daughter who he crashes with. The friendship that develops between Damon and the little girl is really sweet, and of course sadly reflects the bond he never created with his own daughter.
This is not Tom McCarthy’s best film, but also not his worst (I have never seen The Cobbler). If you like low-key, slow-paced whodunnits, there aren’t many ripples in this Stillwater. But Damon more than keeps it afloat.
Aquarium Playlist, 8/17/21
EPISODE #448: DOG DAYS OF SUMMER VI
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Jayhawks — “Dogtown Days”
The Rolling Stones — “Walking the Dog” [live on air]
Jack White — “Why Walk a Dog?”
They Might Be Giants — “Dog Walker”
Potty Mouth — “Dog Song”
The Extra Lens — “Dogs of Clinic 17”
The Narrator — “Panic at Puppy Beach”
Dogmo from the Best Show on WFMU
The Special Pillow — “Her Dogs”
Little Richard — “Hound Dog”
John Cozz & the Rippers — “Step In, Yer In”
Dog Date — “Bad Dog”
Natural Child — “Dogbite”
Adam & the Ants — “Dog Eat Dog”
Daniel Johnston — “The Dead Dog Laughing in the Cloud”
East River Pipe — “Dogman”
Nanci Griffith — “Once in a Very Blue Moon” r.i.p.
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Aquarium Playlist, 8/3/21
EPISODE #446: 2020 SUMMER OLYMPICS, WEEK 2 (GOLD)
delayed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic
John Williams — “Olympic Fanfare” [partial; ALTERNATE THEME]
UV-TV — “Gold”
Simple Minds — “New Gold Dream (81–82–83–84)”
Syd Straw — “Golden Dreams”
Health & Happiness Show — “Woman of Gold”
The Natvral — “Tears of Gold”
Daft Punk — “Harder Better Faster Stronger”
Bouncing Souls — “The Gold Song”
Jonny — “Goldmine”
Twinkle — “Golden Lights”
Stevie Wonder — “Stay Gold”
John Prine — “You Got Gold”
The Garment District — “Goldvein”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Jack Silbert, curator