Ken and Robin Consume Media: Alien: Romulus, Strange Darling, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare
August 27th, 2024 | Robin
Ken and Robin Consume Media is brought to you by the discriminating and good-looking backers of the Ken and Robin Talk About Stuff Patreon. Each week we provide capsule reviews of the books, movies, TV seasons and more we cram into our hyper-analytical sensoriums. Join the Patreon to help pick the items we’ll talk about in greater depth on a little podcast segment we like to call Tell Me More.
Recommended
House of Psychotic Women (Nonfiction, Kier-La Janisse, 2012) A thematic survey of horror, exploitation and extreme arthouse films revolving around female neurosis sheds light on the author’s chaotic upbringing. Juxtaposition of criticism and memoir does two things well that are tough to do separately, much less insightfully combine.—RDL
Legend of the Stardust Brothers (Film, Japan, Macoto Tezuka, 1985) A washed up pop duo recounts the bizarre events of their rise, fall, and battle with sinister opinion manipulators. Kooky spoof told in high 80s music video style.—RDL
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Film, US/UK, Guy Ritchie, 2024) Jaunty commando team led by insouciant rule-breaker (Henry Cavill) and augmented by Nordic death machine (Alan Ritchson) targets a U-boat logistics hub on the island of Fernando Po. The real life Operation Postmaster becomes an exuberant Nazi-killing romp propelled by a blatantly Morricone-pastiching score. Surely Ritchie and MGM/Amazon both see this as his pitch to take over the Bond franchise, and I say have at it old chap.—RDL
Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles (Film, US, Laura Gabbert, 2020) Cookbook kingpin and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi assembles an international team of pastry innovators to theatrically cater a Metropolitan Museum reception for its Versailles exhibit. Just as French royalty once allowed everyday folk to gawp at their palace festivities, this serene, sensual comfort documentary affords a glimpse of sugary opulence.—RDL
Strange Darling (Film, US, JT Mollner, 2024) In this taut, nonlinear serial-killer suspense two-hander, Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner provide the layered acting that Mollner’s treatment demands. Giovanni Ribisi’s first time as cinematographer produces a strong 70s-color effect, enhanced by Craig deLeon’s unsubtle score. Ed Begley, Jr. and Barbara Hershey’s stunt casting as a hippie-prepper couple reinforces the “this is a really good late-70s/early-80s suspense movie” vibe.—KH
Okay
Clerks III (Film, US, Kevin Smith, 2022) A near-fatal heart attack inspires a sardonic convenience store co-owner (Jeff Anderson) to make a film about his experiences, dragging in his long-suffering, now widowed partner (Brian O’Halloran) as reluctant producer. Aging slackers confront mortality in a sincere but rhythmically lax recapitulation of Smith’s breakout film.—RDL
Not Recommended
Alien: Romulus (Film, US, Fede Álvarez, 2024) Problem youths on a crapsack colony planet pressure screwed-over orphan Rain (Cailee Spaeny) into bringing her defective synthetic (David Jonsson) along on their heist of cryotubes from a seemingly abandoned Weyland-Yutani research station. Hey remember that show Glee, and how it used to do those soulless, bathetic cover versions of pop standards? This is the Glee medley of the Alien franchise.—KH
