Absurd to the Max

Well, a new year brings new entertainment. But with all the options, it is good to have help sifting through them. Well as a resolution for 2022, my pledge is to be a guide to the world of film. So let me be your Virgil through the plethora of divine comedies and tragedies coming your way. And this is anything but funny.

“Don’t Look Up” is the latest from director Adam McKay. Sadly, this is not going to be like the trailers. This film is trying to be a satire of partisan politics in the face of cataclysm, but it only elicits scoffs. It has the rare distinction of being too serious to be funny and too ridiculous to be believed. Scientists find that a comet is headed toward earth, the basis for a Michael Bay movie. But instead of banding together in the face of unspeakable odds, the government and media bicker and play favorites in a show of gamesmanship that make the problem worse.

All the sanctimonious red flags are raised with the introduction of Leonardo DiCaprio, a man who has never found a piece of scenery he can’t chew. No matter how many pairs of glasses or beards you put on him, he is handsome and media savvy. This film is not.

Preachy above all else, the only message that resonated was no cause goes without being exploited. Meryl Streep waltzes in for her first scene, red suit jacket and skirt. Wonder what political side/leader she is portraying? If you can’t guess by the time Jonah Hill as her son/chief of staff comments on her attractiveness, just leave now.

When Ron Perlman starts saying offensive statements, I kinda wanted to hear what the writers thought were humorous ways to disparage the minorities he was mentioning. If anything, it would be something fresh to roll my eyes at. When Mark Rylance showed up as a fun house version of Steve Jobs and the Hale-Bopp cult leader, the film had gone beyond the third rail. It is clear from the start that McKay intended this to be biting in the vein of “Dr. Strangelove” or “Wag The Dog.” However, this yapping pooch barely gets a growl in.

Over on HBO Max, we have the newest installment of the Matrix franchise in Resurrections. Here Keanu Reeves returns as Thomas Anderson or as he called himself Neo. But this is a new alternate reality where he is a video game developer where The Matrix as a bestselling gaming franchise. If this all is starting to sound a bit meta, it is. Characters know of the original films in this universe. The exploits of Neo and Trinity are well-documented.

Director Lana Wachowski along with writer David Mitchell creates a tapestry of ideas. These range from commentary on sequels/reboots to our relationship to technology in the modern age. The kernels are interesting on their own merit but the whole is much less. In fact, I can’t imagine where the story could have gone past the third film. Many ways, it reminds of me more of what Wes Craven did with his New Nightmare back in the 90s.

Thomas Anderson is seeing an analyst played by Neil Patrick Harris whose sinister undertones are thinly disguised. With Tom’s interactions with his business partner Smith, we get quick flashes of Hugo Weaving to remind us. Plot threads and protagonists are pulled from the trilogy and woven together in an entertaining yet uneven mess. The action lacks the fluid wire-work of the first. Lana should have hired Woo-Ping Yuen back to give the martial arts some flair. Only the smart acting choices for Reeves and Carrie-Ann Moss edify a heart deep within. Without a foundation, there wouldn’t be a point here. Only for fans of the other films, I will keep seeking out more options as winter settles in. Until then, happy viewing readers.

---

---