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The Comeback Trail: Hollywood is Murder

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The Comeback Trail follows Max Barber and Walter Creason (Robert De Niro and Zach Braff), two down-on-their-luck Hollywood producers who can’t seem to make a hit. In debt with a ruthless mobster (Morgan Freeman) and trying to stay afloat, Max gets an idea for a scam that could bail them out of financial ruin. For their next film, he hires ageing movie star Duke Montana (Tommy Lee Jones) as their lead actor with the hope that he’ll die on set so that they can collect the insurance money. However, as the filming commences, Duke, Walter and the rest of the team are re-invigorated by the process and Max must hide his true intentions.

Blending the wild west antics of City Slickers with the satirical edge of Wag the Dog, The Comeback Trail is is an over-the-top, silly comedy that probably shouldn’t work but absolutely does. Written and directed by George Gallo, there’s simply an infectious joy within the film that invests you in the characters. Backed by a solid cast and a (mostly) entertaining script, Gallo has created a movie that likely won’t be remembered in the long run but certainly entertains. 

Although his choices have been hit (Last Vegas, Analyze This) and miss (Dirty Grandpa, Analyze That) throughout his career, De Niro has always shown an interest in comedy. While he’s never been great at wackier material, there’s no doubt that he seems invested in his performance here. In fact, Comeback allows DeNiro’s performance as a corrupt producer to tap into the type of sleaze that makes him such a memorable villain. 

However, while De Niro may be the film’s central focus, it’s really Braff and Jones who steal the show. Braff has an incredible ability to move between silliness and earnestness within his performances, which proves invaluable when held up against De Niro’s frenetic energy. Meanwhile, as washed up veteran Duke Montana, Jones absolutely shines as his character begins to find his stride. Jones has always had the ability to bring gravitas to a role and he manages to offer the film’s strongest performance by far.

Embedded within the film is a message about moving forward. While Max and Duke remain entrenched in the pain of their past, the world around them continues to grow and change. They are the old guard. Living in an era where toxic masculinity and white privilege run rampant and remains unchallenged, both men have been willing to compromise their integrity for the sake of fame and success. 

However, whereas Max seems unable to face a new world, Duke recognizes the damage that he’s caused and seeks to do things differently. (In this way, the film also contains a subtext of ‘white guilt’ as Duke carries the burden of turning his back on visible minorities due to his own selfishness, both on and offscreen.) Embracing change with humility and grace, Duke is grateful for a second chance. By hiring Megan as director and attempting to repair the mistakes of his past, Duke genuinely wants to live his life differently in the future. Through Duke’s journey, Comeback shows that there’s room for change—and potentially hope for those who have caused the harm in the first place

While Comeback is far from perfect, it does have a liveliness and fun that genuinely works. More importantly, even though it may be over-the-top, there’s more to this story than first appears. As Braff, De Niro and Jones slog through the trials of the movie industry, Comeback reveals the brutal toxicity that has held it together for so long. Though change is definitely in the wind, the film shows that Hollywood really can be murder.

The Comeback Trail is available on demand on Friday, August 13th, 2021.

The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández – A Story to Remember

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Corridos are Mexican folk ballads. Sometimes those ballads are used to relate history that is deemed important. The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández is essentially a film corrido that recalls the 1997 shooting of an 18 year old high school student on the US-Mexico border by US Marines. The Emmy-nominated film, directed by Kieran Fitzgerald and narrated by Tommy Lee Jones, originally aired on PBS in 2008, but is now arriving on VOD.

Esequiel Hernández lived with his family about 200 yards from the Rio Grande. He and his siblings were born here. One evening while herding his family’s goats, he came under suspicion of a group of Marines who were assigned to observe the border as part of the War on Drugs. It should be noted that their mission was to observe and report to law enforcement, not to interdict drug trafficking. But as Esequiel cared for his goats he carried a .22 rifle to deal with coyotes. The fully camouflaged Marines believed he fired at them. They did not immediately return fire, but tracked him over wide area before one of them shot him. Esequiel Hernández became the first American citizen killed by US military on American soil since Kent State in 1970.

The ensuing investigation never led to any charges against the Marines. The film allows us to hear from Border Patrol officials, local law enforcement officials, government officials, and three of the four Marines involved in the incident (only the one who fired the shot failed to take part). The perspective of the film is that justice was not served in this case. It points out that the Marines were probably acting outside their rules of engagements. It also shows that the government and the military quickly closed wagons to prevent what could have become a very bad public image problem. This incident brought an end to the military involvement at the border until recently as the military works on building a border wall.

It’s important to note that the film looks back ten years after the fact, and we are now seeing it another decade later. But even though the events recounted are so far in the past, the themes that are involved continue to be timely. That is where the corrido nature of this story comes into play. We are asked to remember this event—this piece of history—for what it tells us of the ongoing issues we face today.

The most obvious issue is immigration, even though Esequiel Hernández was not an immigrant and the Marines were not tasked with dealing with immigration. They were only there to try to identify drug trafficking. But people of Hispanic heritage anywhere near the border continue to face assumptions about their place in society.

Questions are also raised about the failure of the legal system to bring justice in situations of armed force being used improperly. Neither the civilian legal system or the military system was able or willing to confront the problems involved in this incident. Some in the military even sought to give the shooter a special commendation.

But what struck me as a much more appropriate question for us to consider is the way the Marines tracked Esequiel for a long period. It brings to mind the illogical extensions of stand-your-ground laws that have led to various killings of people of color in recent years. For me, the part of the story that is most disturbing is that this could have been avoided if the Marines had simply stayed where they were.

Some corridos and their stories speak to us through the years. The Ballad of Esequiel Hernández is such a story.

The film is available on iTunes and Amazon.

6.01 The Outer Reaches of the Inner Soul in AD ASTRA

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In the Season Premiere (and our 99th episode!) of SF Radio, we venture into the deepest regions of the solar system to talk about AD ASTRA. Starring Brad Pitt, AD ASTRA takes place in the near future and tells the story of Roy McBride, an astronaut who remains fearless when faced with the most impossible of situations, yet terrified to deal with his own issues. When the military enlists Roy to travel to Neptune to discover the source behind dangerous electrical pulses that threaten the universe, he is up for the task. However, when he also discovers that his father—who abandoned their family when he was very young—may be involved, Roy is forced to grapple with his own feelings of anger and hurt in the process. This week on the show, ScreenFish veterans Matthew Cimone and podcaster David Peck join us to talk about dealing with letting go of our anger, losing (and maybe reclaiming wonder) and the power of relationships. 

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

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Just Getting Started: It’s Never Too Late

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Just Getting Started tells the story of Duke Diver (Morgan Freeman), a lovable hustler in the Villa Capri retirement home in Sarasota, Florida. The manager of Villa Capri, Duke’s desire is to forget about his past and make life one big party for himself and his residents. However, when a mysterious stranger named Leo (Tommy Lee Jones) arrives, it threatens the balance of power within the community and the two men begin to compete for the role of alpha male.

In the development of the Villa Capri, legendary writer/director Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump) has created a truly unique setting that invites the viewer to believe that anything is possible. From ‘unofficial’ poker games to yoga to rampant sexual dalliances, the Capri is a colorful, energetic retirement community featuring fun and lovable characters. Furthermore, the film also features an almost frenetic performance by Morgan Freeman (which is a sentence I never thought I’d say) as Duke. In the same manner that Duke wants Villa Capri to be ‘one big party’, there is no question that the cast is enjoying themselves playing wilder versions of themselves.

While the film’s tone remains light throughout, it also speaks to the issue of starting over. To the people there, Villa Capri is more than simply an endless party. Instead, it’s a place where the elderly can reinvent themselves. The film spends very little time exploring the backstory of the majority of residents and that seems intentional. After all, with its enclosed community and lighthearted atmosphere, the Capri seems to carry an almost Edenic sense of freedom from the rest of the world for its residents.

Of course, simply believing that the past is behind you doesn’t necessarily mean that there aren’t consequences. For instance, while Duke may be a lovable hustler to the residents of Villa Capri, he is struggling to break free from his past. For Duke, being number one at Capri is more than simply being the best. Instead, it’s about establishing himself as someone new. However, despite his new life, he remains tied to a past of which he has yet to rid himself. As he becomes more open about his history and allows those around him to help is he able to properly deal with his past and move forward. Although Duke may present himself as a freewheeling hustler, he remains as broken and in need of support as everyone else. As a result, Duke’s journey reminds us of the power of healthy community as an agent of healing and hope. There is a Divine grace that allows us to move beyond our past hurts and mistakes, even as others seek to label us by what we’ve done.

In the end, Just Getting Started is a fun and freewheeling comedy that allows its stars the chance to explore their wilder sides. However, more importantly, it also presents the Villa Capri as a haven where the elderly can have a second chance at life, regardless of their past.

Starting Over (Again) – 1on1 with Ron Shelton

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Written and directed by the legendary Ron Shelton (Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump), Just Getting Started tells the story of Duke Diver (Morgan Freeman), a lovable hustler in the Villa Capri retirement home in Sarasota, Florida. The manager of Villa Capri, Duke’s desire is to forget about his past and make life one big party for himself and his residents. However, when a mysterious stranger named Leo (Tommy Lee Jones) arrives, it threatens the balance of power within the community and the two men begin to compete for the role of alpha male.

While the development can be difficult at times, Shelton says that this particular story came together very quickly as he was spending the holidays in Florida.

“I drove through Palm Springs one time at Christmas [while] tumble weeds were blowing down the street and dust storms,” he recalls. “Everybody’s playing golf and Johnny Mathis was being pumped out playing ‘Let It Snow’ and I thought ‘This is a good background for a movie’. It came to me in a traffic jam on the 405 freeway. I was thinking about a guy who was kind of a loveable hustler and that turned into Duke Diver. Then, I started thinking about these upscale retirement villages I’d heard about. By the time I’d gotten to my office, I kind of had the basics of the story. Now, it took the normal amount of time to write and re-write but, a little bit, it kind of came out of the blue.”

With the secret of Duke’s past playing a key role in the story, the film has a strong message of one’s ability to move forward in their life. In light of this, Shelton believes firmly that, under most circumstances, it’s essential for people to be able to have the opportunity to start over.

“The answer’s yes and, in a certain way, you have to. Now, if your past involves—not to get too serious—but if it involves a real failure of human behavior, that needs to be dealt with. If it’s just a failure of human effort, you can run and start all over. You can’t leave some act unaddressed. Sounds like I’m addressing the headlines of harassment. But, no. Who cares if you failed in three businesses in Ohio if you can come here and invent a fourth that works?”

In fact, Shelton also feels that the concept of reinventing one’s self, regardless of age, lies at the very heart of American culture.

“California… and the whole US, is about starting over,” he believes. “A lot of people came over to reinvent themselves… The whole west was founded by [the] kind of people whose pasts are being hidden… and outlaws. [They were] people wanting a new future so I think that’s build into the mythology out here. I do think it’s about looking forward. Everyone in the movie here is in their 60s and 70s—Morgan’s now 80—[and they] are not looking at the scrapbooks of the past and listening to sentimental music about your high school dance. It’s about ‘where’s the next party?’ or looking for a date… Because everybody I know, I mean I’m of a certain age, but we’re all working every day. We’re all about our next project. It’s only when I read that I’m old or that I’m of a generation that I go ‘Nonsense!’… So, I think it’s about looking forward. The given is that you’ll be running from your past.”

Of course, any film is only is strong as the quality of its characters. To create fully developed characters, Shelton credits a variety of moving pieces, ranging from the strength of the dialogue to the acting performances.

“Everything is a bit of a sketch. It’s just like a drawing, you know. I came out of the visual arts world,” he states. “There are some sketches that are very telling of a flower, a person, a face… that are more haiku drawing than others. In your secondary characters of the film, you have to make sure that every line matters. The women are different in this movie… the guys are more just a team of crony knuckleheads with less identity. Of course, when shooting, the actors sort of form their own musical dance and shorthand and so they’re identifiable. Every character has to be identifiable in every film. That’s very important to me in every movie.”

However, Shelton also believes that what makes a character memorable are their personal flaws. Having written and directed many classic films including Bull Durham and Tin Cup, Shelton argues that it is through these particular failings that the audience has the opportunity to relate to the hero’s journey.

“They have to have flaws. If they’re not flawed, they’re not interesting. And their flaws have to be part of their… chance at greatness too,” Shelton argues. “Tin Cup is a perfect example. If you give them a flaw or a blind spot, it gives them something to play against, something to overcome, something to run from, something to confront. And the flaws have to be shown on the screen and the page, in the acting and the shooting of it.”

“I think we identify with flawed characters. Their flaws have to be our flaws. You can hate golf but Tin Cup’s flaw is that he’s actually afraid of success, which is a very common one. He’s created this character of a big fish in a small pond… His flaw is also thinking that he can be immortal so he’s going to fail at a really compelling level. You don’t have to know anything about golf to know what being self-destructive and a fear of success is. That’s universal. So that’s an example.”

When asked if there are any particular characters from his films that he would have liked to revisit, Shelton insists that, for the most part, he likes to leave them alone when production is over.

“I’m done with them. Although, there was a lot of pressure to do the next version of Bull Durham, which I didn’t give in to,” he remembers. “There are some characters that would turn into a tv series. I think White Men Can’t Jump would’ve. I think the guy from Tin Cup, I wanted to do a sequel. What happened to him? Did he actually learn from this? Did he hold onto the girl? He’s got such a self-destructive clock ticking in him and yet he’s sort of got these inclinations of greatness and immortality. I would’ve liked to have spent more time with him but we didn’t get the opportunity.”

With this in mind, a recurring image throughout Shelton’s career has been that of the theatrical impact of professional sports. With films tackling sports ranging from boxing (Play It to the Bone) to basketball (White Men Can’t Jump) in his filmography, he claims that the drama lies not in the sport itself but in the male need to compete.

Says Shelton, “The male needs to compete. It’s fascinating to me. I do think it’s in the DNA. I don’t think it’s entirely conditioning. I do think there’s something chemical about that. Watch animals. Where does that come from and how does one monitor that and adjust that, make that a part of a healthy character, not an unhealthy character. We see the unhealthy behaviour all the time in world politics and in world leaders and athletic behaviour but there’s a healthy version of that too. I maybe explore that in serious and comic ways all along. I think that women seem to have a wiser worldview, although flawed in their own ways, than the guys. Men do compete. Men do want to one up and its part of their strength and greatness and it’s part of their weakness. It’s a very western view.”

Just Getting Started is in theaters now.

 

Jason Bourne: Matt Damon Returns

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In the fifth film of the modern-day Jason Bourne series, Matt Damon returns after the mis-hit that was Jeremy Renner’s take. Paul Greengrass – he of the herky-jerky camera directs – using a storyline he worked out with The Bourne Ultimatum’s co-writer Christopher Rouse. Here, the one-time amnesiac wants to know more about his father, but CIA Director Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) sends cyber operative Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) after him with gun-happy agents aplenty.

Vincent Cassel brings some international flair as a baddie, while The Night Of’s Riz Ahmed joins the franchise as head of a social media corporation. The film shot in Nevada, Berlin, London, D.C., and Spain, giving it a true sense of worldwide panache. But while all of the new blood may diversify it (heck, he killed off most of his enemies the last time), the long-lost Julia Stiles reprises her role as Nicky Parsons, because, you know, Treadstone has to be involved.

jasonbourne3While some series drag on, slow down, or just re-percolate the same old beans, Bourne films have become like Bond films. We know there’s enough mystery to keep us guessing, the action is hot and heavy, and Damon’s cool shines through everyone else’s cloak and dagger. We think we know how this will end, but it still makes for a wild ride – one we’d sign up for again and again. Here, we get more on Bourne’s background – how he volunteered, who his father is – but we also see a (slightly) more introspective version of the assassin. We recognize that Bourne has reservations, even regrets, about what he’s done, and that he is struggling with his own sense of penance (shown through the way he submits to the bareknuckle beatings he could obviously avoid).

Special features include the 4K Ultra HD Movie with 4x sharper picture than HD on the Blu-ray combo pack that highlights the brights and darks, as well as an immersive audio. On Blu-ray (which also includes the Digital HD option for on the go), special features include Damon’s return to Robert Ludlum’s hero, as well as a look at “Bare-Knuckle Boxing,” “Close Quarters Combat,” and “Underground Rumble,” highlighting the action. Shooting on the Las Vegas Strip gets its own look here, too.

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Podcast: JASON BOURNE again?

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This week on the show, Steve welcomes Wade Bearden, co-host of Seeing and Believing, to talk about Matt Damon’s return to JASON BOURNE. Has the franchise gone stale? How does Bourne deal with a new world and his past? All this and more, this week on ScreenFish.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

2.22 Jason Bourne