Brad Pitt in 'Bullet Train'
Brad Pitt in 'Bullet Train'
Apples
(Cohen Media Group Blu-ray)
There is no vaccine for the new pandemic, which strikes without warning. In Apples (2020) by Greek writer-director Christos Nikou, the pandemic is amnesia. The middle-aged protagonist, Aris, suddenly has no idea who he is or where he lives and his ability to recall the meaning of everyday things is compromised. He’s not alone. And there is no cure.
Fortunately, at least as depicted in Apples, Greece is a kinder society with a more generous public health system than the U.S. Under medical supervision, Aris is given a small flat, clothing that doesn’t quite fit, a modest stipend and an empty photo album. He’s told he must fill that album with new experiences, creating a new identity for himself.
Apples is quietly moving, thoughtful and funny as it flirts with the surreal. On one level, it holds a magnifying glass to the rising problem of dementia and the internet distraction that erodes the ability to remember. On another, it wonders who we are—just the sum of what we can remember? (David Luhrsssen)
Bullet Train
(In Theaters August 5)
This outlandish plot springs from a popular Japanese novel by Kotaro Isaka (English translated in 2021). Brad Pitt is Ladybug, a talented assassin dogged by bad luck. Ladybug’s handler, Maria (Sandra Bullock), accepts what should be a simple assignment aboard the bullet train, leaving from the Tokyo Station, where Ladybug is to steal a briefcase filled with money. Sounds good until he learns that several other working assassins are aboard this particular train. Ladybug’s job puts him on a collision course with killers Tangerine and Lemon (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry). Joey King appears as “The Prince,” a sociopath who amuses herself by manipulating those upon whom she inflicts pain. Directed by David Leitch (Pitt’s stunt double in multiple films), the R-Rated script is a cocktail of hand-to-hand combat poured over dark irony. (Lisa Miller)
Easter Sunday
(In Theaters August 5)
Comedian Jo Koy stars as aspiring actor/comedian Jimmy O. Yang, an American Filipino attending his family’s “Superbowl of Filipino holidays,” Easter. Yang’s mother, Susan (Lydia Gaston), disapproves of being an actor. When Yang tells her he’s auditioned for the role of an attorney, she replies, “You could have been an attorney.” Tia Carrere appears as Mom’s ally, Tita Teresa. Brandon Wardell plays Jo’s adopted son Junior while Tiffany Haddish shows up as Vanessa, a cop and Jo’s ex-girlfriend who still carries a torch for him. Eugene Cordero and Lou Diamond Phillips do turns as themselves while Jay Chandrasekhar directs this PG-13 romp penned by Ken Cheng. (Lisa Miller)
Waiting: The Van Duren Story
(MVD Blu-ray)
Van Duren should be an artist prized by everyone who loves Big Star, that seminal ‘70s cult band and exponent of unpopular pop rock, except that hardly anyone has heard him. Waiting may hopefully elevate him to the level of appreciation he deserves.
Like Big Star, Duren belonged to a small Memphis clique whose music was deeply indebted to The Beatles. He even flunked an audition as Big Star’s guitarist. Duren released an album in 1978 that was favorably reviewed and could have caught the rise of new wave and power pop but sank instead into oblivion. Amateur filmmakers Greg Carey and Wade Jackson were determined to make a documentary and find out why.
Carey and Jackson are Australian musicians who discovered Duren’s album and began a quest for clues about the artist. Advised by videographer friends and buying cheap seats, they flew to America to interview Duren’s colleagues, an already past-his-prime Andrew Loog Oldham among them. Saving best for last, Carey and Jackson seek out the singer-songwriter himself.
They collect finger pointing and conflicting accounts of corruption. According to several intimates, the small label behind the 1978 LP Are You Serious? was a front of chiseling Scientologists who stole the money received for licensing the album in Australia and Europe and tried to force Duren into their sect. They also failed to properly distribute the LP in the U.S. Happily, Duren survived—and is still singing. (David Luhrssen)
