Long Walk-A glimpse into a dystopian future.

Dystopia

This film offers an interesting take on a dystopian future. I must admit if you see little or no hope in the coming days, or if your natural tendency is to predict decline after so much of a rise, these types of movies and shows will appeal to you. How do people see their world after natural disasters, wars (especially those of a nuclear nature) and epidemics? This is an exploration of the second case.

A war-ravaged America seeks to inject a dose of Hope into its citizenry through a competition that has the young participants walk a long distance where only one can win the prize of money and one wish. 

Casting

The choice of actors is also amazing. The variety of characters and the role each plays in the bigger picture is worth exploring. 

The standout person for me is Southerner complete with brawl although the depth of blackness is rather suspect. He feels a lot more South Sudanese which might turn out to be a perfect portrayal. Many not all of the young people in South Sudan have gone through some sort of perilous migration through desert-like landscapes ridden with wild creatures mainly to better lives in Kenya or Uganda. 

Then there is the super focused, angry and triggering young long haired lad who takes great delight in angering his mates in the race. This could end up being tragic for him and those who happen to fall under his gaze or grip. 

If you think the production is about a simple long distance walk, you are wrong. The dialogue and the friendships, alliances and more that are created through the walk present for a great story. 

Streaming in bleakness

The fact that even in this grim time in the future, the whole event is being streamed also makes for interesting viewing. The use of mandane yet necessary tasks such as the natural call to nature adds another layer to this complex movie. 

While the contestants struggle through the competition it is easy to identify with some if not all of those involved. You get the sense that the show is giving you a slice of American social life at least bits and pieces of the cultures as they exist in the land of promise. 

The Common Thread of banned books

A Japanese American, an African American, A Writer, A geek with a weird sense of humor and one from original nations. 

Akin to quite a few shows that focus on America’s dystopian future, you learn of a time when the study of previously notable philosophical works is forbidden in its place is a set of laws that favor the flawed system and keep it firmly in place. 

Task- Snickerdoodle@yahoo.com and emotional Eater

If there is any show that helped lend credence and meaning to the value of the struggle against injustice and the interconnectedness of everything including the possibility of rot in our justice systems, Prison Break is it. How one brother examines the state of things and determines he must be incarcerated to rescue his brother and how season after season those who have known themselves to be on the right side of the law must bend the same to redeem themselves and how others both innocent and not so innocent struggle to make the best of their lives outside the system. 

I have a feeling at least as far as this first showing has gone, Task also is dealing with the same challenges. 

An aged agent Tom Brandis formerly a priest finds himself at the helm of a rag tag group of recruits trying to solve a spate random looking robberies in a small town. That is not enough though, he must also confront a few challenges on the home front regarding his fractured or splitting family. He does this while at the same time struggling with the almighty bottle. 

Then there is the unimposing garbage man who uses his job as an opportunity to stake out who is doing what in the neighborhood so that he can fuel his need for cash and a better life for his family. Is he in over his head is the questions we will find ourselves asking as he deals with biker gangs with their no uncompromising hierarchical manic devotion to their cause. Add in a few crooked cops and a history of coverups and you have yourself some interesting entertainment. There are questions about loyalty, trust, brotherhood, friendship, hate, betrayal and hope with additional gems of wisdom about life and the preservations of memory. The story reeks of an Eastern Aesthetic though with much too much death and tragedy for a western audience used to happily ever afters.  

I love the the way the members of the task force and introduced hence the title of the post, with the quirky love seeking and messy snickerdoodle Lizzy Stover and the strict and to the point (sharp shooter) always on point Aleah Clinton as well as the loyal Anthony Grasso. 

In praise of discomfort

There are a few series on TV that have my attention, and this is helpful being mental health month. I have written before with my limited knowledge of some of the fundamentals of mental health and so this should be taken with a grain of salt, but my views are warranted as an observer. 

Quiet confidence 

There are a few characters that add life to the complex story that is breaking bad. You have the two main characters and the villains who are seemingly invincible. You know they are doing wrong but you also find yourself cheering for them and their mastery of their art. If Breaking Bad achieved anything it must be the feeling that it made chemistry attractive again. From its ability to conjure complex and harmful drugs to its ability to destroy troubled and troubling drug dealers. 

The schoolteacher and his troubled associate, the handler who has grown up and aged doing dirty work, the wife who sits by supporting her dying husband, the devoted police officer and us the son with teenage, mobility and health problems. The use of people with actual physical disabilities is a plus because it takes great effort to watch true artistry in place as opposed to the cushion of realizing that the person you are dealing with is just an actor who is playing a role (and there is room to appreciate that too). 

Freedom in immobility

Pushers is another show released in 2025 and shot in the UK which does the same thing. No filters no actors at least not in the sense we expect them but useful in the sense of getting us uncomfortable. At least that is what I felt. To be confronted with something different and yet normal at the same time and to see it so well depicted and full of humor and to the supporting roles blend in seamlessly is amazing to watch. The effort you have to make to listen…the effort she has to make to communicate and act…the questions you have to ask yourself. Is she acting or simply being herself. That fine line that all great actors must be forced to straddle. 

The tyranny of voicelessness.

Code of silence is another recent release that feels like it touches the same raw nerve. The close shots the use of an actress perfect for the role with her long-pointed nose almost betraying her inquisitiveness. The use of pastel colors and tension we experience while watching her move. Relational challenges, the endless pursuits the existence of a character who seems to see right through her. The push and pull between detectives as they make decisions on whether to let her into the inner circle. The constant feeling you get that she is in over her head and the irritation that she is about to get caught all make for an interesting experience.  

Things come to a head in the Sopranos Series Season 2 Episode 7

Things come to a head in The Beloved Sopranos Series 

There is so much praise that has been part of the Sopranos series but to be honest I just was not seeing it. I loved the back and forth between Tony Soprano and his shrink. His attempts to hit on her and her resistance of these attempts. I liked the conflict between the two and it's escalation. I watched keenly as she started to become more like her patient. 

I enjoyed the casual nature of the violence and the structural leadership challenges that had been set up. I was amazed at the effects of a trip to the ancestral land and the detachment of the locals. It was interesting to see the role of the aging matriarch and her amazing almost supernatural ability to manipulate and control everything around her. The children and the growth they experience season after season. 

This past episode though marks a major shift which in my view was the most insightful episode. It comes when there has been a sense of recovery from apparent disloyalty in this case the existence of a rat. Unbeknownst to the characters of the show, the threat still exists. The protagonist though is unaware. His closest friend has been entrusted with the care of his son at a key point in the young man's life. While counseling the teenager who is also going through a philosophical existential crisis, he realized how important Tony Soprano is and how treacherous his betrayal of the same is. 

In the meantime, Chris the upcoming lieutenant is also trying to develop his love for writing and acting. Both men are faced with a point of transition (one of my favourite topics or themes). Chris is asked to take a 10 minute timeout after which he could either walk away from the Sopranos or stay while P@ssy sits alone weeping desperately wire attached as he contemplates his fate. 

Comparing Waterfront and The Ozarks. Fair or not?

Waterfront and The Ozarks Compared 

Film critics and a small number of commentators seem to be drawing comparisons between The Ozarks and Waterfront. This in my view is a bit of a reach. 

Yes both are set in quite sizable water bodies and explore the complexities of family relations across the whole relatively rural communities. The two are very different. The Buckley's on one hand have had some history in crime something that they are trying to shed with their fishing business. The Buckley's are also what you could call a prominent family with assets in the local area and connections allowing them some level of privilege. The Byrds on the other hand are just regular blue collar workers who find themselves stuck in a game they had no choice to become a part of. Jason Bateman also carries his role quite well always looking lost and just managing to weave his way through his daily challenges. Holt McCallany on the other hand cuts a more imposing figure. He looks like he has rubbed shoulders with the wrong crowd...he seems seasoned and experienced in the world of crime. The Ozarks also presented a snippet of American Rural life giving us the perspectives from several families all showing different parts of America. The Snell Family, Langmore Family, Byrd Family and then the Navarro Cartel which has fangs in the US and Mexico. 

The Glass Dome

There is a series that I have covered before about a mysterious dome that engulfs a city trapping all the inhabitants inside. I really thought this was going to be the same thing…but boy was I wrong. Shot in the Nordic countries, this show does well what I have come to enjoy in many of these productions. They turn the setting into a character. The merciless and plain cold landscapes of the Northern countries do not disappoint in this regard. 

The protagonist returns after living in the Us for a while and is really reliving past trauma. Sometimes when you leave and place for good or for bad, you often hope that just as you have grown and adapted, that it too changes. It is not the case with this young lady. She is now older and an expert in her field but she is still having to face the demons of her past and a kidnapper and killer who seems to be making a comeback. 

Doing all this, the show also explores the idea of immigration and racism, it attempts to also tackle the challenges of environmental degradation and well as family and death. 

While you are busy trying to catch a killer, you are reminded of the punishingly cruel setting and the inhabitants who seems to be cursed into living there. 

The place itself becomes a suspect within the show guilty in a sense for at least killing the dreams and hopes of the residents. 

You feel sorry for the her as forensic psychologist as she tries to get into the mind of this kidnapper while at the same time seeing if there is room for her full return to her home. There is so much history though and too many unanswered questions for us to tolerate this idea. At one point she softens and seems to embrace the idea of love and masculine affection but she is much too bruised to see this through. Does the show have twists? Oh yes it does and quite a number for that matter. Worth it? I think so. 

Dope Thief

There are very few assignments that Apple TV will take on which they will not bring out with the utmost skill and delivery. I have always felt that the Apple Brand was associated with excellence and that the decision of Apple to make some inroads in the world of movies would further prove this fact. 

Dope thief is really a story about friendship and loyalty and yes betrayal as well. Two friends tied together at the hip meeting during their early years, victims of a system and failed state…not nation state and state in the US. Drawn together by troubles they are both involved in and whose friendship and bond will bind them together for the rest of their lives. 

You watch them deal with their past and the challenges of loving and living. One trying to piece together his past and future while healing the pain of his past. Relationship issues with a father who is incarcerated and an adopted mother who lives with him. His childhood friend in the meantime, struggles with an addiction as he manages a life with a lovely lady who is stuck between her love for him and this other guy who wants to take the role she believe is hers. 

Being stuck in a place that has no future and realizing your fate may be bound to this place, the desire to escape is universal but few will get to see it. These two then come up with a hustle that could be their way out of this cursed existence. 

As can be expected things go sideways. The rest of the show is a demonstration of resilience and the struggle to survive against all odds. It is about the triumph of the human spirit and the rescue of broken hearted men by simple acts of love. It is about people trying to prove that they have love even when they are so evidently broken. The show is delivered in a short 8 episodes but much of what has to be said is said. 

Thumbs up for me.