January waded into the deep end: a heavy hospital drama that went straight to my all-time top 5, a Knives Out sequel that held its own, and some espionage thrillers to round it out.
Wow. By the end of the first episode, I knew this show had secured a spot in my top 5 shows of all time. Everything about it is just perfection in realistic storytelling. I often tell people its like the movie Warfare, but in a hospital. Nothing is dumbed down to the audience. I often find myself watching with subtitles on just so I can understand the medical terminology they’re using. Some shows might get lost in that “terminology porn” but the acting and writing in the Pitt keeps you uon the edge of your emotional seat for an hour each week. Aside from that there’s the little details: the lack of soundtrack or the way in which important conversations are constantly interrupted, never to be resumed again. And at the end of the shift, you’re just as fried as the doctors.
I loved Knives Out. I thought it was one of the most original and entertaining stories I’d seen in a while. With Glass Onion, however, I felt like it was a really poor entry in this series, and probably shouldn’t have been made. So, going into Wake Up Dead Man, I was really nervous.
Overall, I’d say it was a solid entry, and I wish they would have just skipped Glass Onion. That being said, it definitely didn’t recapture that “lighting in a bottle” of the original Knives Out.
Did a rewatch of Seasons 2 (apropos of nothing) and 3 while sick with a stomach bug, and was reminded of how this was a genuinely great take on such a great character.
Aside from some interesting stories that manage to give some new life to old terrorism tropes, the relationships and banter among John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, and Michael Kelly are some of my favorite.
Despite a somewhat slow start, it was one of the better entries I’ve seen in the revenge movie genre, and it was nice to have a dash of espionage and spycraft in a genre that is usually filled with straightforward action sequences. It was like a mixture of Jason Bourne and John Wick, but if those individuals were “amateurs” (see what I did there?) at their jobs.
I would generally agree with the ~70% ratings online. The movie never really sold the “stakes” of Charlie’s drive for revenge. When you think about other revenge movies (e.g., Taken, John Wick, etc.), the inciting act is so vivid and real, whereas in The Amateur, the inciting act feels so distant and sanitized. A good movie, but don’t think I’ll give it a rewatch.
A good movie. I really appreciated how simple and messy the storytelling was, which lent a true tint of reality to the world of addiction and sobriety.
Johnny Knoxville gave an amazing performance, which gave credence to the observation (from Vince Gilligan) that comedians are the best actors.
And when I saw that the writer/director was a producer on Peanut Butter Falcon (one of my favorite movies), I wasn’t at all surprised. It had that same realistic emotion that elevated the characters and relationships beyond and already-great story.
A Final Note
What I’m currently reading
The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam. On my third month of reading this (it’s quite long, in a good way), and it’s a great history of the Korean War, as well as the corresponding geopolitical currents shaping the conflict and the era around it.
A quote I’m pondering:
That whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together.
Until next time