The Power of the Dog (2021).
This was magisterial and a joy to watch. It’s not exactly a ‘fun’ movie but it’s captivating in its sincerity and … power. There’s a sense that at any moment something awful could happen, and that’s mostly down to Cumberbatch, who is as unpredictable as he is scary. His Phil Burbank recalls Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood (2007), and The Power of the Dog is quite similar to that seminal film in atmosphere and lurid landscape.
Don’t be expecting a knockout punch moment because it’s not that kind of movie, more a series of jabs, each progressively harder.
A strong contender for film of the year.
Seinfeld is an addiction.
And it’s still very much unique. These characters don’t learn anything, no ‘life lessons’ or any of that. They simply go from episode to episode trying to make sense of the Manhattan cultural lexicon. There’s something kid of refreshing and honest about it, and unlike Friends it doesn’t resort to a cheap pulling of the heartstrings. It’s also way funnier.
Thank you, Netflix.
Obligatory annual Waverley snap.
Best job I ever had. My duties consisted of putting ramps on trains, turning off my radio and hiding in the ScotRail toilets whenever there was a crisis, and occasionally pointing an annoying member of the general public in the wrong direction or directing them to an incorrect platform if they vexed me.
Brilliant times.
Somewhere in Leith.
Everything is a little out of focus. Robin Williams in Deconstructing Harry (1997) inspired me.
The Departed (2006) is the last great Jack performance.
He is nuts in this, a total riot, and clearly loving his epic life. Some scenes approach a scale of madness, and it’s almost a parody of a Jack Nicholson role, but not quite. The masterpiece revolves around the whims of this lad, every other character in awe of him. Even if he goes full-Joker, he still manages to imbue Frank Costello with pathos, and dare I say it, tragedy. You can’t picture anyone else in the role, and it’s a tragedy in itself that Scorsese and Nicholson only tangoed for the one motion picture.
Best scene? Jack impersonating a rat. A decent impression.
