Month: October 2024

Am I Racist? doesn’t really answer that question

I debated whether or not to do a review on Am I Racist? . There is so very little room in my reviews to get on a soapbox and schlep out political views. Maybe someday I’ll do a blog or a podcast for that. But only if there is any audience for the political/ethical musings of a self-proclaimed Average Dude. And only if it can do some good.

I can’t remember a time when we needed a break more than now

But here I am, tapping out my thoughts on Am I Racist?. You can thank an absolutely flacid assembly line of sub-mediocre offerings out of Hollywood. That’s sad, because we the people are in desperate need of something to focus on other than the utter clown show that is our American electoral season.

The Average Dude watched Matt Walsh’s first mocumentary ‘What Is A Woman?’. I wasn’t doing reviews back then. But if I were, I would have given ‘What Is A Woman?’ a coveted 4 out of 5. It was really good. Walsh was excellent at trolling the lunacy of those mental contortions. If that offends you, then I’m sorry. For you. Sincerely. And I’m not going to argue the point with you. In this Average Dude’s opinion, if you feel the need to argue it, then you’re beyond reason. And I have great pity for you.

Now, Matt Walsh and the Daily Wire folks offer us the follow-up, Am I Racist? for our consideration. That Matt has doubled down on making mockumentaries that profit from human brokenness is a normalized tragedy. But this is America, the land of opportunity. I get it. As long as we’re entertained, right?

Am I Racist? Sees Matt Walsh go ‘under cover’ as a Certified DEI Professional, where he puts himself in various different situations where a Certified DEI Professional would find themselves. His absolutely deadpan style is tailor-made to troll those who either can’t see their own detachment from reality or refuse it on purpose. And there are some genuinely hilarious moments in this movie, no question. Probably the greatest one comes in the post credits scene. I laughed hard.

And there’s the rub

Those of us who follow the Daily Wire content are no strangers to Matt Walsh. Whether it’s a cultivated media persona (which I think is true) or indicative of actual personality (which I also think is true), Walsh self-presents as an unwaivering know-it-all. He is ultimately confident in his own opinions. Couple that with success and fame (whether the latter is wanted or not) lends itself to an air of arrogance. And even though I agree with almost all of Matt’s conclusions. presentation counts. The arrogance with which Walsh presents truth is…unseemly. It’s off-putting. Worse, it’s not entertaining. At least for me.

I have questions

Those of us who do listen to Walsh, Knowles and of course Shapiro, are like-minded in that we are very much into questioning presented truths. We want something we can believe in. We want a source of truth. And everyone with an agenda wants us to believe that they are that source. Matt Walsh is no different. As I watched Am I Racist? I found myself questioning it’s authenticity. There was one, super-cringe scene in particular that raises that antenna and I would love if someone could give me some receipts – for or against.

More to the point

Having expressed my healthy skepticism, there were some truths in Am I Racist? that seem obvious (unless you’ve jetisoned logic and common sense). And even presented in his self-righteous (dare I say elitest?) style, they can’t be ignored. In that way, Am I Racist? was successful. It never did, however, answer the premise of its own name. Did it expose those who would tell you that white America is racist by virtue of existing? It did. But exposing that brand of racism does not actually answer the question in ourselves. And Matt’s assertion that, if you don’t THINK you’re racist, you’re not racist…I just don’t get that logic at all.

So, is it worth seeing?

Eh, I’m not going to give it a thumbs up or down. It’s a hard thumb sideways. It feels like it’s just a cash grab, feeding red meat to those who regularly dine on red meat and infuriating those who prefer kale. Compared to Run Fight Hide (loved it) or What is a Woman, Am I Racist? pales. Heck, I even preferred Hyperions and Terror on the Prairie (all Daily Wire original shows).

SO, the Average Dude, while agreeing with the spirit of Am I Racist? exposing the race grifters and emotionlly broken who fall victim to them, I can only give it 2.5 out of 5. And for the record, I had kind of gotten tired of listening to Matt Walsh’s schtick already. Truth presented poorly is often of no help.

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I’m only gonna say this once

As always, I tried my best to keep away from all the pre-release chatter on Joker Folie á Deux – (heretofor to be called Joker 2, because I’m not typing that anymore). It was an impossible goal unless I removed myself to a deserted island and then broke the radio. Stoopid radio…

This is why you NEED the Average Dude 2.0

But since I can’t do that, I unfortunately heard whispers – then shouts – of just how bad Joker 2 was. Some lamented that it was a musical (which was a bold choice, admittedly). Others said that director Todd Phillips was forced to do this film that he didn’t want to make, so he purposefully sabotaged it. Even with the astonishing level of entitlement that Hollywood exhibits daily, I’m not buying that one.
Then, there are others who are saying that Phillips made Joker 2 as a woke message to the masses. In making Arthur Fleck a weak and whiny wimp, it somehow struck a massive blow to toxic masculinity. After watching Joker 2, there’s a certain believability to that theory.

Like wearing a coat into the sauna

Joker 2 was a slow burn, for sure. Not Oppenheimer slow, but it did have you constantly looking forward to the payoff. And there was a payoff, but you ain’t gonna like it.

Joker 2 picks up with Arthur back in Arkham Asylum, just another sad psycho who suffers humiliation after humiliation from the guards, telling jokes for smokes. Outside the walls, the fans of the chaos that his Joker persona represents, are amassing for Fleck’s highly public trial. Slow burn.

Joker is gaga for…well…you know

Love is a strange thing. Unpredictable. Powerful. Able to leap tall buildings…wait, wrong DC property. But you get my point. And apparently in Arkham, where male-female interactions should be strictly and completely verbotten, love is in the air (along with the overpowering scent of industrial strength cleaners). Arthur is given the privilege of joining a co-ed sing-along therapy group where he strikes up a romance with Lee Quinzel…the future Harley Quin. Sure. Mass murderers are often given the chance to engage in group rehabilitation before their high-profile trials. Anyway, you can pretty much predict the rest of the movie from here.

 

Cut to the chase

Joker 2 contained some really great performances. Joaquin Phoenix, who won Best Actor Oscar in 2020 for the same role, gave another fantastic performance as the broken, pathetic yet morally vacant Arthur Fleck. I wouldn’t expect any nominations this time, though. I thought Lady Gaga did a decent job. Brenden Gleeson always turns in a good performance. I can’t really fault the acting for the mess that is Joker 2.

No, the fault here is absolutely the horrendous story. Clearly, it was the intent of the producers, the writers and the director to make the Joker an easily manipulated pawn of Harley…just a tool for her to wield enroute to her own self-aggrandizement. And that is 100% NOT what the Joker of cannon was. Absent are the driving will, the evil genius and unstopable force of chaos that made him the equal but opposite of the Dark Knight himself. Making Joker this pitiable wet noodle diminishes them both.

And yes, I caught and understood the last few seconds of the movie and how they try to avoid the utter destruction of the core DC universe of which this movie claims to NOT be a part of. It does almost nothing to ease the pain of knowing that, with Joker 2, the joke is most definitely on all of us. The ending could have saved this movie, giving Arthur a redemption moment. Actually, at any point in the last reel, Joker could have claimed that redemption.

But no, we were all denied that dark satisfaction. As a movie lover, Phillips has lost me. The crime is unforgiveable. I’m giving Joker 2 a pathetic 2.2 and I will do my best to forget the whole thing.

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Megalopolis is less than the sum of its parts

When, oh when, will I ever learn that a star-studded cast doth not maketh a good movie? That’s rhetorical. The answer is probably never. When it comes to movies, I’m an optimist. Clearly, to the exclusion evidence. But I’ll tell you why that is a good thing. A good thing for you. And to a point, a good thing for me. Unfortunately, it’s not a good thing for Mrs Average Dude. Sorry, babe.

Megalopolis stars a parade of names you know and remember fondly. Adam Driver. Giancarlo Esposito. Nathalie Emmanual. Shia LaBouf. John Voight. AubreyPlazaJasonSchwartzmanLawrenceFishburneTaliaShire. And a small part for the man I consider our greatest living actor, Dustin Hoffman*. That’s a quality list, right there.

Megalopolis is EXACTLY why you need The Average Dude

With all that high dollar star power, this movie must be amazing, you say? The Average Dude would agree with that sentiment. Oh, how wrong we were. How very, very wrong. And that is why I should be your first stop prior to hitting the nearest moviehaus, megaplex or home town theater. Because I’m just like you (more or less) and I’m willing to take the hit for you. I’m ever-ready to step in front of the cinematic bullet meant for all of you. No thanks necessary. I’m built for this.

Why couldn’t it be more like Streets of Fire?

Megalopolis markets itself as ‘a fable’. Those two words, six little letters, are the first hint that this isn’t going to be your run of the mill furturistic story. It’s a portent or an omen of what is to come. Brace yourself, those words say. Anything is possible. That was no lie. The optimist in me recalled a ‘Rock n Roll fable’ from back in the 80s (starring a young and fabulous Willem Dafoe). I dared to hope this was a portent of good. Denied.

Our story begins in the land of New Rome, a retrofuturistic** facimile of NYC, that plays as if the fall of ancient Rome never happened. The class system is alive and well in New Rome. You have the ruling class, bent on amassing and keeping power at all costs. You have the elitists, whose whole life is centered around the shallow, vapid pursuit of self…their god is their own belly. There is the common class, living life beneath the elites. Always aspiring to rise as one of them but knowing that will never be.

And then, you have the dreamers. The idealists. The ones who see all the worlds but walk above them. This is the dream of Megalopolis.

Megalopolis has lofty ambitions, I’ll give it that

What follows is 2 hrs 17minutes of unrealistic, often empty dialogue that might have been written by a well-read 8th grader in their first attempt at writing a story. Verbal exchanges that do sound like lines from a children’s book that was written for adults. That sounds weird but nonetheless…

Megalopolis is filled to overflowing with symbolism. It might have been Francis Ford Coppola’s intent. With a resume like his, I tend to think it was. And FFC has been working on this, what I presume is meant to be his magnum opus, for decades. Millions of his own money was invested in this. Clearly, it was important to him.

Oh, and with a dash of wokism. Maybe more than a dash, actually.

There are parallels that are easy to make, like the self-distructive excesses of ancient Rome and today’s elites. Also the power-mongers hellbent on keeping power to the detriment of those they govern, a truism as old as civilization. Coppola puts a sureal face on the obvious. At times, the sureality was entertaining. At other times, shallow and condescending, as if he were elite-splaining these things to the ignorant masses. Maybe that’s just me.

But there were many, many sureal moments that even an overthinker like me can’t brainbone. And they smack of ‘inside joke’. There are a few movies I can remember that just feel like they were made for Hollywood itself. The Grand Budapest Hotel is one. La La Land is another. These all feel like vanity pieces. On one hand, guys like Coppola have kinda earned the right to make a vanity piece, if they want. Then again, it feels dishonest to schlep it out to us and hide it’s true nature. It kind of makes me feel used. Again, it might just be me.

History Repeating itself…in CGI and HD

What good can I say about Megalopolis? Visually, it was excellent. The adaptation of ancient Roman style with 21st century technology is an original and fascinating twist on a still fresh retrofuturistic trend. I loved it and I would totally expect an Oscar consideration for it. Totally deserved. If Megalopolis were to get nominated for or, Olympus forbid, win a more high-profile Oscar, it will further solidify that Hollywood politics decided it should be so. But for sets and costumes? I’m there for it.

So, on the basis of that and that alone, I am giving Megalopolis an anorexic 1.6/5. As for the rest of this movie, it’s nearly unwatchable. At times, it feels like Coppola’s cautionary tale. At times, an unappologetic admittal of their imagined superiority.

And I will freely grant to you that some of the more ‘upper crust’ moviegoers might disagree with me. I’m fine with that. I don’t pretend to be one of those folks that has the time or desire to hyper-analyze every movie and give it a gladiatorial thumbs up or down. I’m like you…an Average Dude. We don’t have time or inclination for that level of pretention. I’ll just give you an average dude’s opinion. Sorry, not sorry.

Oh, and a great big Thank You/Love You to Mrs Average Dude for always accompanying me. She’s the best!

*Tootsie. Rainman. Hook. Fight me.

**Remember that word? I first brought it up in my Fallout review. Now you CAN use it in casual conversation! Do it! It’s fun!

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