The Screen Addict | Unsung Heroes of The Tens
Ever the completist, I decided to conclude my Unsung Heroes series – for now – with a celebration of neglected films of The Tens (2010 - 2019).
They say there are only two kinds of people in this world – you’re either a cat person or a dog person. I believe that is a fair assessment, because even though I love all animals big and small, I am most definitely a cat person. Which isn’t to say that I can’t enjoy the odd movie about canines – Lord knows there have been quite a few. But it wasn’t until I saw 𝗔𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗮 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴) that I really began to understand why the other half of the globe feels such a deep connection with these mutts. Directed by Albert Hughes – this time without twin brother Allen – 𝗔𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗮 tells the tale of a prehistoric young man who, after being separated from his tribe, forms a bond with a similarly lost and lonely wolf. The origin story of the relationship between man and dog, if you will. 𝗔𝗹𝗽𝗵𝗮 is both heartwarming and action-packed, with a twist in the tail (excuse the pun) that will have you smiling for days.
It’s no secret that I am, by and large, more interested in characters that are somewhat flawed. Not all good, not all bad. You know – actual human beings. Richard Gere made a couple of great films in which he plays men with questionable moral principles, 𝗔𝗿𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟮) chief among them. This taut Thriller about a hedge-fund manager (lovely people, generally speaking) whose life spirals further and further out of control after a deadly incident, is the directorial debut of writer Nicholas Jarecki. I was fortunate enough to be involved with the acquisition and distribution of this criminally underrated film, and will never forget the absolute pandemonium that we caused when we brought Richard Gere to Amsterdam for the premiere. Forget Harry Styles and Taylor Swift, Gere’s fanbase is the real deal. 𝗔𝗿𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 is just a fantastic Crime-Thriller. Might I suggest you make it a double bill with Michael Douglas in A 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 (𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟴)?
I am a big, unabashed fan of Peter Jackson. I saw 𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 (𝟭𝟵𝟴𝟳) right around the time when I was trying to get into film school, and I distinctly remember having the sobering thought that I was probably never going to be 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 good. The experience forced me to explore other aspects of filmmaking in which I ultimately found success, so valuable lesson learned. Jackson was never supposed to direct 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗯𝗯𝗶𝘁: 𝗔𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟮) and its two sequels. Guillermo del Toro was deep into writing and preproduction when M.G.M. unfortunately went bankrupt and was forced to freeze production. Multi-hyphenate Del Toro moved on to 𝗣𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗥𝗶𝗺 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟯) and Oscar fame – but is still credited as a writer on all three films – and Jackson made the inevitable move back to Middle-earth. The flawless LotR trilogy admittedly is an extremely tough act to follow. But I can’t for the life of me figure out why many people – fans and critics alike – were so incredibly displeased with Jackson’s prequels. I absolutely adore all three films and watch ‘em all in a 10-hour marathon session at least once a year. To be completely honest – and I might get crucified for this – as much as I love LotR, there were definitely some less exciting stretches in there (not to mention the fact that it just wouldn’t end). The Hobbit certainly doesn’t have that problem…
Choosing my favorite superhero would probably end in a toss-up between Hulk and Deadpool. Batman is disqualified because everyone knows The Caped Crusader isn’t a superhero. The same goes for another favorite of mine – Iron Man. Like Batman, Iron Man relies on gadgets rather than alien technology or the supernatural. Film-wise, 𝗜𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻 (𝟮𝟬𝟬𝟴) was a revelation to me. I had obviously seen and liked – sometimes loved – all the Marvel and DC stuff until then, but 𝗜𝗠 was the game changer. Furthermore, I was equally impressed by 𝗜𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝟮 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟬), which was released just two years later and reunited Robert Downey Jr. with 𝗜𝗠 director Jon Favreau. How could you not love a Superhero movie that features Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell as villains? Actually – and here comes another statement that won’t endear me with the fanboys – I prefer 𝗜𝗠𝟮 over Shane Black’s 𝗜𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝟯 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟯). Black is one of my absolute favorite screenwriters, but in my opinion, he just isn’t the best director.
Jodie Foster will forever be my hero for her part in 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗺𝗯𝘀 (𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟭) alone, but she was never really on my radar as a director. I have obviously seen 𝗟𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝘁𝗲 (𝟭𝟵𝟵𝟭) and 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟭), but these pics wouldn’t be part of the selection I’d bring with me to a deserted island, so to speak. I always thought Foster was a good director, she just hadn’t made anything that really stuck with me. That all changed with 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟲). This smart, prescient Thriller didn’t get close to the attention it deserved, despite starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts. Clooney is Lee Gates, a stock-market guru with his own TV show who is held hostage during a live broadcast by a young man – played by the undervalued Jack O’Connell – who lost everything on a dodgy stock Gates recommended. 𝗠𝗠 is about the potentially corrupting powers of media and the corporate world, and parallels with Sidney Lumet’s 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 (𝟭𝟵𝟳𝟲) were therefore understandably drawn. With the recent assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson however, films like 𝗠𝗠 and 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 have, in retrospect, become even more eerily prophetic.
𝗠𝗠 would make an awesome double presentation with 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗿 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟰) Dan Gilroy’s superb Thriller that deals with similar themes. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis Bloom, a deliciously creepy, ambulance-chasing reporter (again, I like the shady characters) 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗿 reaffirms the age-old adage of every news channel all over the world: “If it bleeds, it leads.” The phenomenon depicted in 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗿 even inspired an excellent documentary series on Netflix titled 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟳), which follows real-life “stringers” in L.A. Unfortunately, characters like Gyllenhaal’s Bloom are not entirely fictional… One more reason to definitely check out 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗿 if you haven’t already, is that it is one of the final films starring Bill Paxton. God, I miss that guy.
I am incredibly sad that Ridley Scott most likely won’t get to finish what he started with 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘂𝘀 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟮) and 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻: 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟳). I absolutely loved the idea of The Xenomorph as a biological weapon introduced by celestial engineers. And although Scott has recently stated that he is actually developing a third and final film in the Fassbender Franchise (please excuse the wordplay) after the runaway success of 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻: 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘂𝘀 (𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰), I am still not holding my breath. After all, it is ultimately up to Disney…
𝗦𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼: 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗮𝗱𝗼 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴) is another example of a sequel I not-so-secretly like better than the revered original. Listen, I think Denis Villeneuve’s 2015 film is an absolute masterpiece, but in terms of rewatchablity (yes, I just invented that word) I 100% prefer Stefano Sollima’s follow up. The much in-demand Italian filmmaker currently has multiple projects in development, among which the tantalizing title 𝗜𝗹 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼, a true crime series about the infamous Monster of Florence serial killer…
There are very few filmmakers who are in a league completely of their own. Quentin Tarantino springs to mind, maybe Wes Anderson, and, without a shadow of a doubt, Ben Wheatley. I first discovered this Cockney Cineast when I accidentally stumbled across his film 𝗞𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟭) on Pay TV, and became an instant fan. I immediately sought out Wheatley’s other work, and after I had seen 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 (𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟮), I knew this guy was truly something else… I mean, a director who can follow up a quaint, esoteric film like 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗵 (𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭) with the blunt blockbuster-fun of 𝗠𝗲𝗴 𝟮: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵 without batting an eyelid, deserves our eternal admiration.
I hope you enjoyed my celebration of the unsung heroes of the Eighties, Nineties, Aughts and Tens (links below) – I certainly loved writing about ‘em. I’ll be back in five years or so to save more films from the opinions of critics. I’m sure we’ll have a lot to talk about…
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Twitter (X): Robin Logjes | The Screen Addict