Back from the Land of Enchantment
Happy Monday. Welcome back to Jacob’s Letter, a free pop culture newsletter full of puns and occasional badly-PhotoShopped dog photos. I’m back after a very relaxing trip to New Mexico where I did nothing but hike, eat good food, drink New Mexican coffee and beer and look at the mountains and landscapes of Ruidoso. Highly recommend if you can ever go, and Opal even had fun hiking when she wasn’t too tired:
Opal surveys the land.
This newsletter mostly consists of the usual segments, in addition to a “Doctor Sleep” review from last week. I have some thoughts about the whole John Crist/Netflix situation, if you’ve been following that, but I am going to save those for another (maybe separate) newsletter where I can formulate my thoughts more clearly.
I’m also toying with the idea of doing a separate “Star Wars” newsletter in December, kind of like how I did the “Veronica Mars” newsletter over the summer. If that’s something you’d want to see, respond to this email!
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In the meantime, keep reading for this week’s pop culture news.
Movie review: No sleep 'til the Overlook
“Doctor Sleep” is an adaptation of Stephen King’s 2013 sequel to “The Shining.”
The book “Doctor Sleep” follows Danny Torrance as an adult struggling with his own alcoholism and his place in the world, figuring out how to use his “shining” for good. When he meets Abra, another young girl just like him who is being hunted by vampire circus freaks who feed off of the “steam” of kids who shine like her (King’s later output is crazy, y’all), Danny has to use his powers to save her.
The book was not one of my favorite King reads, but it was enjoyable enough. Director Mike Flanagan, he of the Netflix adaptations “Haunting of Hill House” (which I adored) and “Gerald’s Game” (another King property; I loved it but it was so eerie I’m never watching it again) is behind this one.
Related: In Stephen King’s ‘The Outsider,’ the light’s winning — barely
As it turns out, Flanagan is the perfect director for the screen adaptation of “Doctor Sleep.” His work adapting “Hill House” from a slim novel into a multi-part Netflix series about generational conflict and family redemption (it really is just “This Is Us” with literal ghosts instead of figurative ones) foreshadows the wonders he was able to do with merging Kubrick’s cold technical acumen and King’s bleeding heart, while also making the visual aesthetic his own. The blue tints and steely but warm tones of “Hill House” are present here when he’s not re-creating shots or musical cues from “The Shining.” If nothing else, it’s a visual feast to look at and parse.
The film itself has some pacing issues at first, but when it finds its groove this not only works as a continuation of “The Shining” and an adaptation of “Doctor Sleep,” but also as a perfect companion piece to the themes of redemption and overcoming familial trauma in “Hill House.” With all of its telekinesis and mind-reading, it’s also the best X-Men movie of the last five years. I also really appreciated the fact that they got actors who looked a lot like Danny Lloyd, Shelley Duvall and Jack Nicholson for flashback scenes instead of going the digital re-creation route.
King has long been vocal about his distaste for Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of “The Shining” (his main gripe: In the book, Jack Torrance’s slow descent into madness is understood to be a result of his genetic alcoholism [itself a reflection of King’s own fear of his own alcoholism] and the Overlook Hotel’s mysterious hold over its guests; in the movie, Jack Nicholson just makes Jack seem crazy from the get-go), but he loved the sequel, and it’s clear why: it’s a visual homage to Kubrick but all King at heart, right down to the silly tendencies about “steam” and telekinetic kids.
Ewan McGregor shines as Danny, and while witchy villain Rose the Hat (named because she always wears a top hat) spends the whole movie hungry for children to eat, Rebecca Ferguson is eating every bit of scenery she appears in, especially when the script indulges King’s sillier side. Flanagan again displays his Spielberg-like skill for getting good performances out of child actors with Abra (Kyliegh Curran) and a surprise performance by Jacob Tremblay (“Room,” “Good Boys”).
By the time the movie arrives at the famed Overlook Hotel and Danny and Abra face off against Rose in a battle of shining wits, it’s already established itself as a much better movie than an adaptation of a sequel nobody really asked for.
Related: 27 questions about ‘IT: Chapter Two’
My rating: 3.5 top hats out of 5
Islands in the Stream
“Islands in the Stream” is where I’ll discuss any and all happenings on the streaming front every week, since there’s so much of it now. While you’re here, read my deep dive for WFAA about how diverse the streaming landscape is becoming.
This week:
Disney+ is finally here and it’s got a lot (a LOT) of stuff available to watch right now. Here’s a long write-up I did on the streaming service and what its debut means for the future of entertainment.
Selena is coming to Netflix. The streaming company announced that a TV series about the life of the Queen of Cumbia is coming sometime next year, with Christian Serratos in the title role. The Quintanilla family has given the show their blessing. I’m expecting this to break some records.
In other Netflix news, the company reminded us that it’s still a content company even if its content speaks about current events. CEO Reed Hastings defended the company’s recent decision on its Saudia Arabia server to pull a 2018 episode of “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj” that strongly criticized the Saudi government and crown prince Mohammed bin Salman after the murder of Washington Post journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi. According to the Washington Post, the CIA later concluded that bin Salman personally ordered the assassination of Khashoggi.
“Well, we’re not in the news business. We’re not trying to do ‘truth to power.’ We’re trying to entertain,” Hastings said about the decision.
Indeed. In other Brave New Corners of Netflix, users have the option to skip the political portion of Seth Meyers’ new stand-up special by clicking a button in the bottom corner of the screen. Nevermind that Meyers’ whole schtick is late-night political news and that Netflix already has a fast-forward button on its player. Wouldn’t want to offend anyone. Meyers made that decision himself, but it’s still indicative of Netflix’s MO.
Finally, now that Disney+, Apple TV+ are out and HBO Max and Peacock are coming soon, Netflix suddenly cares about its ratings. They’re going to measure that not by subscriptions, but by…Nielsen ratings, Hastings said.
Trailer Park
Trying to decide which movies to see in the theater over the holidays? My gift to you is this holiday movie preview at jakeharrisblog.com.
“Invisible Man”
In which Leigh Whannell (“Saw,” “Insidious,” “Upgrade”) puts a contemporary spin on Universal’s “The Invisible Man” that focuses on the Invisible Man’s wife and leans into the insanity plot from the original. Into it. (Also, for the YouTube commentors on this video who are complaining about “spoilers” about if the Invisible Man is real or is a figment of the imagination — y’all know the original film came out in 1933 and settled that already, right?)
“Soul”
“From the creators of ‘Inside Out,’ ‘Up’ and ‘Coco.’” Welp, I don’t know how Pixar is going to create something gut-wrenching out of a musician falling down a manhole, but I know they will. On a more cynical note, I find it ironic that a studio that was bought by one of the biggest companies in the world is still putting out films (products) that tout the values of “being yourself” in this new Disney+ era, but that’s Disney for ya, baybee.
“Color Out of Space”
Nic Cage in an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation is sure to be bonkers.
“Fantasy Island”
Horror studio Blumhouse is heading up this feature-length adaptation of the TV show “Fantasy Island” that stars Michael Peña as the enigmatic Mr. Roarke. The show often went into some dark places, so this horror treatment isn’t totally unexpected, but it’s definitely a new spin. It looks like a quintessential Blumhouse flick: cheap budget, semi-recognizable cast, ironic release date, new plot spin. This is what “The I-Land” could have been.
“The Way Back”
Imagine “Hoosiers,” but if Shooter were allowed to coach basketball instead of Norman Dale. That being said, I’m a sucker for redemption stories in real life and on-screen, and this looks like both. Affleck filmed this right after getting out of rehab. Even in this trailer, it looks like he’s putting his heart and soul into this role. The movie looks like it’s exactly what you think it is, which for me is a feature and not a bug. These types of sorts movies are all the same tune, but the joy for me is watching the director and actors play their riff on the song. Gavin O’Connor has done that beautifully before, with 2011’s “Warrior,” and if “The Way Back” is half as good as this “Warrior” scene, it’ll be a success in my book.
Letter of Recommendation
Movie: Bill Forsyth’s 1983 film “Local Hero” is an understated, poignant look at human nature that goes to some unexpected places. In this fish-out-of-water tale, a Houston oil executive travels to a tiny Scotland seaside village to talk to the townspeople about buying their land for an oil refinery. They’re only too eager to comply, but they have to act like they’re waiting him out. In the meantime, the town works its charms on the oil exec, who comes to think that there might be more to life than work. But is it too late to realize that fact? It’s a charming film with a hint of a bite at the end.
TV: I was not expecting Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” to be as good as it is. It’s like a Western/samurai flick set in the “Star Wars” universe, with nary a reference to Jedi or the Force to be found. At 30 minutes an episode, it’s a breezy, fun watch to boot.
Music: Country band The Mavericks have a new covers album out where they put new spins on everything from John Anderson’s “Swingin’” to “Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain.” The cliche with cover songs is whether or not an artist does something new with the material, and this album is full of surprises tucked into old standards.
Board Game: If you’re looking for a different kind of board game to play with your (preferably very close) friends, “Nychtopobia” is the game for you. Players are trying to navigate a forest to get away from a predator (in this version, it’s a vampire; other versions include a werewolf) who is hot on their trail. The only twist: Every character except the narrator is blindfolded by light-resistant glasses. This forces you to rely on your memory to figure out where you are on the board and work with other players to get to safety. It’s fairly easy to pick up, but the fun comes in the back-and-forth between players while trying to figure out what to do.
Friday News Dump
A list of online stuff I really liked this week:
“Halo 2” came out 15 years ago this month, and while I still can’t believe it has been 15 years since I was in middle school playing this game at sleepovers, this piece in The Ringer about the game’s long-standing cultural impact is a nice trip down memory lane. (via Anthony John Agnello in The Ringer)
November is also #Noirvember, and this month’s issue of Bright Wall/Dark Room magazine is all about neo-noir. The first piece published online from the issue is about Veronica Mars and the way it continues the noir tradition. (via Isabel Cole in Bright Wall/Dark Room) Also, have you read my Veronica Mars issue yet?
Paul Rudd’s new Netflix show “Living With Yourself” had all the pieces in place to become a part of the zeitgeist. So why hasn’t it caught on? My former Statesman colleague Omar Gallaga has some thoughts about Netflix’s insistence on settling for mediocre material. (via Omar Gallaga on Medium)
Way, way back in 2013, a sorority president’s angry, incredibly profane email to her chapter went viral and became the source of a lot of mockery and #online discussion. (2013 also feels like it was 20 years ago in internet time.) The email ended up getting parodied and given a dramatic reading by none other than Michael Shannon. The video of that reading popped up in my YouTube feed this week, and while I laughed I was reminded of how the internet simultaneously cycles through news at a quick churn while also preserving it forever. (via Funny or Die on YouTube)
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This newsletter is written by me and edited by my favorite person, Taylor Tompkins. Views expressed here are my own and don’t reflect the opinions of my employer, yadda yadda yadda.
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See you next week,
Jake