Ken and Robin Consume Media: Emilia Perez, Rebel Ridge, and Argentine Reality Horror
November 12th, 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.
Ken is on the road this week.
The Pinnacle
History of the Occult (Film, Argentina, Cristian Ponce, 2020) In late 80s Argentina a TV news panel host and his sequestered inner circle of producers attempt to crack a witchcraft conspiracy reaching into the highest levels of government, live on air. Brilliantly uses minimalistic resources and real-time pacing to process the darkness of the Argentine dictatorship through the weird horror genre—with bonus hints of Lovecraft’s mythos.—RDL
Recommended
Clifford (Film, US, Paul Flaherty, 1994) To prove his interest in children to his trusting fiancee (Mary Steenburgen), a tightly wound transit architect (Charles Grodin) agrees to look after his ten-year-old nephew Clifford (Martin Short), who turns out to be an unhinged force of Machiavellian destruction. Directed by its longtime head writer and spotlighting Martin Short at his Martin Shortiest, this is the purest translation of SCTV’s mix of absurdity and darkness to the big screen, which explains why it was met with utter bafflement on its release yet has now entered the cult comedy pantheon.—RDL
The Curse of the Marquis de Sade: A Notorious Scoundrel, a Mythical Manuscript, and the Biggest Scandal in Literary History (Nonfiction, Joel Warner, 2023) The life of writer and inveterate sex criminal the Marquis de Sade is interwoven with the ownership history of the manuscript for 120 Days of Sodom, from its composition in the Bastille to its key role in a gigantic investment implosion. Parallel narratives explicate bibliomania and the ever-evolving intellectual romanticization of a figure you do not in fact have to hand it to.—RDL
Emilia Perez (Film, France, Jacques Audiard, 2024) Frustrated attorney (Zoe Saldana) assists a cartel kingpin (Karla Sofía Gascón) who plans to stage a fake death after sex reassignment surgery, leaving passionate wife Jessica (Selena Gomez) in the dark. Committed performances and a fresh approach to its unusual mix of elements keep this musical crime melodrama ablaze.—RDL
Rebel Ridge (Film, US, Jeremy Saulnier, 2024) Small town cops confiscate cash needed by a former Marine martial arts instructor (Aaron Pierre) to bail out his cousin, prompting him to investigate the corruption of a spiteful police chief (Don Johnson.) Pierre establishes his star power and Saulnier shows a preternatural ability to increase tension by letting scenes breathe in a slow burn thriller with an explosive action finish.—RDL
Swing Kids (Film, South Korea, Kang Hyoung-chul, 2018) In an American-run POW camp segregated between violently opposed Communist and pro-Western factions, a Black tap-dancing sergeant (Jared Grimes) follows orders to train a performance troupe for a propaganda event, requiring an intense Northern captive (Kim Min-jae) to choose between art and political loyalty. Wartime drama puts the optimism of the musical on a collision course with historical trauma.—RDL
Good
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget (Film, UK, Sam Fell & Jeffrey Newitt, 2023) Impeded by her boastful husband (Zachary Levi), a hero-turned-protective mom (Thandiwe Newton) tries to keep their bold daughter (Bella Ramsey) safely in their free chicken community, only to have her launch an investigation into a Huxleyian factory farm. Expends considerable thought and craftsmanship on sequelizing an original that doesn’t reward recapitulation.—RDL
