Baby Reindeer: This is a new series on Netflix and is based on a true life story of the writer, star and creator Richard Gadd. Told in seven short episodes which are generally around 30 minutes, it tells the story of an aspiring comic, who is paying the bills with being a bartender. At the bar, by happenstance he assists a weeping woman who is seemingly distressed. This becomes a turning point in the direction of his life. The story becomes one of a stalker and her pray, as he tries to extricate himself from what becomes very uncomfortable and awkward situation.
Martha claims to be a lawyer. The story explores the connection between the parties and their own foibles and challenges. The audience will be surprised at various stages on the actions of these two people. They are both very flawed and make decisions that are surprising and shocking in places. Gadd plays Donny Dunn but he goes by other names as well. He makes very little and lives with the mother of a former girlfriend. He is also interested in trans-women on top of that. He is currently dating a trans-woman but he is not really sure about his own sexuality. The series is in many ways a self-exploration for Donny. After a series of odd events and a gradual intensification of stalking, choices are made which would seemingly be the opposite of what you would intend, for example after you have chosen to try and get the police involved. But then you look to take things into your own hands, running at cross purposes. Things happen. The turning point is in Episode 6. The strain of the stalking has taken its toll, and his career is stalling, as one would expect. Apparently Gadd claims that his stalker sent more than 41,071 emails, 350 hours of voicemails, 744 tweets, 46 Facebook messages and 106 pages of letters. This goes to show that the stalking was off-the-charts intense. Of course I imagine that some of this was exaggerated for dramatic effect. Even if only half of this story and events are true then it’s quite surprsing. This has been a sleeper hit for Netflix. I had been forewarned that there would be a turn in this which was surpising, and I had been waited for it, and it didn’t really come. However, I had wondered where this would go and how it would resolve itself. In the end, the resolution was unexpected. It was okay. I feel as though none of the characters were likeable. They make poor choices. But it can be a case study for those who live very different lives. Richard has created a series for himself. He isn’t overly funny and this very much reveals a great deal about himself and his demons.
Bullet Train: This 2022 movie was released on Netlfix. Riddle me this, Batman, how a movie with Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock and Michael Shannon can be a complete failure? This is utterly a mess from beginning to end. Pitt has been put on a bullet train in Japan to obtain a suitcase. Seems simple enough. He while entering the train he is glued to his phone and having an ongoing dialog with a mystery female voice on the other side.
Of course the story isn’t so simple. There are others on the train who have different motivations even after Pitt has managed to find the suitcase quicker than one would expect. There is a bad guy (played by Shannon), he has a son, among his offspring and the suitcase is filled with his money. All the time I am sensing that someone watched Snakes on a Plane, and wants to channel a smart ass Samuel L Jackson and then also be the hitman on his “last job”. It is difficult to best describe the plot as it twists and turns onto itself as characters betray each other as circumstances change. Of course there are big fights, none of which are on a level with a John Wick or Atomic Blonde or Jason Bourne. The CGI for the more intense train related scenes especially in the last act are just over the top ridiculous. Much like this movie. I cannot over-emphasize how thankful I was when it was over. I had plenty of eye rolls. The snappy smarmy Pitt quips fall flat and the humour didn’t hit the mark. At least I was saved the theatre cost, which I sadly didn’t avoid for The Fall Guy last weekend! Next…!
Mondays With Robbie 