More December Movie Picks: "Carry-On," "The Apprentice," and "The Outrun"

[I review the thriller "Carry-On," as well as the Trump biopic "The Apprentice" and "The Outrun," a poetic story of the healing power of nature]

Carry-On (2024)

A mysterious man blackmails a TSA agent into letting a dubious carry-on bag onto a Christmas Eve flight.

Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton) is a TSA officer at LAX and LAX is a good place for him to work because, let's just say he is lax.  He is not very ambitious, licking his wounds from failing at the police academy.  His pregnant girlfriend, Nora (Sofia Carson), a supervisor at the airport, has encouraged him to reapply.  In an attempt to act like he cares, he asks his boss to let him do the baggage-scanning lane to have the opportunity to show him he has what it takes to deserve a promotion.  It's Christmas Eve and what Ethan doesn't know is that he is going to have an even bigger opportunity to show he has what it takes...but not in any way he expected. 

While at his post scanning carry-ons, a customer comes up to him with an earbud she said she had found. It has a note on it to listen to it at which point he is contacted by "The Traveler (Jason Bateman)," who orders him to let a specific carry-on case pass through the scanner --- or Nora will be killed.  Meanwhile, "The Travelers" accomplice, "The Watcher (Theo Rossi)," monitors Ethan through a surveillance system. Ethan tries to thwart them, but every time he tries to alert someone to what is happening, something bad happens.  And things go from bad to worse.

Meanwhile, LAPD detective Elena Cole (Danielle Deadwyler) has gotten wind of this and alerts the Department of Homeland Security and a sweep of the terminal is ordered.  There are many twists and turns and lots of running up and down the terminal as Ethan keeps trying to interfere with the bad guys' nefarious plot and getting foiled by the Traveler. And it becomes more and more difficult to figure out who are the bad guys and who are the good guys. And what the heck is in that carry-on?

At first I had a difficult time with Jason Bateman as a bad guy, but he pulled it off. Taryn is believable as a disaffected TSA agent who really wants to be a cop and the cinematography adds to the drama. Lots of close-ups. Yes, some of the stuff here is far-fetched. Written by T.J. Fixman and directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the film falls into "Snakes on a Plane" territory at times and there are some frustrating moments where Ethan could have gotten himself out of this. He also does a bit too much running around the terminal but, all in all, the pace and action makes for a satisfying thriller.

I had to ask myself whether this would fall into the Christmas thriller debate. You know, that debate about whether or not "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie?  This one also has a Christmas theme, and I think that is a popular thriller theme, because taking something homespun like Christmas and adding terror to it is especially scary...and thrilling. Whether this will make Christmas movie debate status like "Die Hard" is debatable!

Rosy the Reviewer says...this was the #1 most watched movie on Netflix for several weeks and is still in the Top Ten, so if you like thrillers and can suspend your disbelief at times, there are some thrills to be had here. I am now suspicious of everyone's carry-on! (Netflix)

 

The Apprentice (2024)

The story of how Donald Trump started his real estate business in New York City and his friendship with Roy Cohn.

Sebastian Stan plays Donald Trump as a young man trying to please his unpleasable rich father and figure out what to do with his life. It's 1973 when he fortuitously meets Roy Cohn (played by Jeremy Strong), a lawyer and prosecutor who made sure Julius and Ethel Rosenberg went to the electric chair. He was also Senator Joseph McCarthy's chief counsel during the Army–McCarthy hearings in 1954.  He later became a "fixer" in New York City and was not above shady antics to do his fixing. Trump's father, Fred Trump, was being investigated by the federal government for discrimination and Donald asked Cohn for his help. Cohn blackmailed the lead prosecutor and the case was settled.  Thus Cohn became Trump's mentor, teaching him how to dress, how to manipulate media relationships and his three rules for success: Attack, attack, attack; never admit wrongdoing; and always claim victory, even if defeated. Sound familiar?  Trump learned Cohn's lessons well.

When Trump wants to develop the Commodore Hotel near Grand Central Station, Cohn again uses blackmail to help Trump get a $150 million tax abatement for the project. Thus began Trump's career as a real estate mogul, though not all of his projects went well. The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City comes to mind. Hard to believe someone can run a casino into the ground.

Trump's personal life also wasn't going that well. Dazzled by Czech model Ivana Zelnickova (Maria Bakalova), he had to have her but that marriage eventually sours. Let's just say he got tired of her. His older brother, Fred Jr. (Charlie Carrick) spirals into alcoholism and when his father, Fred Sr. (Martin Donovan) was suffering from dementia, Donald tries to gain control of his siblings' inheritance to pay off his debts.

Meanwhile, Trump and Cohn continue their successful but dark partnership until that also sours. Basically, Trump gets tired of him too. When Cohn suffers from AIDS and needs him, Donald is not there.

Stan is amazing as Trump.  He has the walk and the lips down.  And Jeremy Strong is wonderful as Roy Cohn. He managed to make me feel sorry for a very bad guy...well, almost.  I see Academy Award nominations in their future.

Whether or not you are a Trump fan, this film, written by Gabriel Sherman and directed by Ali Abbasi, is a well-done, addictive film experience, that like a train wreck, you will not be able to take your eyes off it, in a good way.  The film really drives home a premise of why Trump is the way he is and how he got that way.  Even if only half of what is on display here is true, it's a scary portrait. 

If you are a Trump fan and know he hates this movie because he thinks it's a hatchet job or if you don't like Trump and are sick of seeing and hearing him, think of this as an adaptation of a Dickens novel and Trump's character is Uriah Heep or he is Mr. Burns on "The Simpsons." Something like that. Pretend it's not really him because this movie all by itself, fiction or reality, is very, very good.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a riveting examination of the early life of our soon-to-be second-time-around, President. (For rent on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

The Outrun (2024)

A young woman living in London and struggling with alcoholism, returns to the Orkney Islands, where she grew up, to heal.

Rona (Saoirse Ronan) is recently out of rehab and has returned home to Scotland's Orkney Islands. Her parents are still there but are separated so Rona spends time with them separately, sometimes with her bipolar father (Stephen Dillane) on his farm, sometimes with her very religious mother (Saskia Reeves). 

In flashbacks, we see how and why Rona ended up back in the Orkneys. She started out as a biology graduate student in London where she met her boyfriend, Daynin (Paapa Essiedu) and succumbed to some serious clubbing. When her drinking gets really bad and it leads to her losing Daynin and getting attacked she enters a rehab program and then returns home to Orkney to heal.

There she takes a job with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds which involves a systematic search for the now-rare corn crake, listening for its distinctive frog-like call. Only 30% of corn crakes survive the migration to return to their breeding grounds each year. When Rona has a near relapse, she moves to the remote Papa Westray island, home to a tiny community, where she lives by herself.  Like the corn crake, will she survive her migration away from drinking? 

This film is all about Saoirse. It makes or breaks because of her, and she makes it work with her incredibly poignant face and an ability to make you feel her pain. You will be pulled in, rooting for her to make it. I am rooting for her to get a Best Actress Oscar nomination for this.

Based on the memoir by Amy Liptrot, this is a slow-moving, poetic film that jumps around in time but in a good way. (Keep an eye on Rona's hair color as it changes during various aspects of her life). Having read the book, I wondered how it would work as a film because not a lot happens, but thanks to Ronan's tour de force performance, director Nora Fingscheidt at the helm, and a screenplay adaptation by Fingscheidt and Liptrot, it is a mesmerizing experience and possibly inspirational for those wanting to stay sober. Rona learns that life always gives you a reason to drink but living one day at a time can work. It never gets easy, but it gets less hard. And living quietly in nature, appreciating being alive, can be healing.

Oh, and in case you are wondering - what is an outrun? In Scottish English, it is a piece of grazing land on a farm or outskirts which is where Rona takes herself to heal.  But the word also means to out distance, beat or escape which also applies as Rona tries to out distance, beat and escape her drinking.  

Rosy the Reviewer says...part nature film, part science lesson but mostly a meditation on addiction and the power of nature to heal. Beautiful and inspiring. (For rent on Amazon Prime and Apple+)

See You Next Time!

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Confessions of a TV Addict

Hello, my name is Rosy and I am a TV-aholic.  I am addicted to television.

It all started before I was five. 

I know it's difficult to believe, but I am of a generation that can remember not having a television. 

Before we had one, I remember standing on a neighbor's porch, peeking into their living room to get a glimpse of their television.  My grandparents had a television before we did and we would go over there on Friday nights to watch the Friday Night Fights and on Sundays to watch Ed Sullivan.  Friday nights were so boring for me, though, that I would lie on the floor and braid the fringe that hung on the bottom of one of my Grandmother's chairs.  I guess my addiction had not kicked in yet.

When I turned five, my Dad bought us a television.  But it wasn't until I was seven that my addiction really kicked in and that was the year "The Mickey Mouse Club" started. 

I was enthralled.  I was already a Disney fan having seen all of the animated films so animation was my big thrill.  Didn't care for the nature segments much.  But then as I grew older, there was

 

 "Spin and Marty"

 

"The Hardy Boys," and one of my favorites, "Corky and White Shadow."

"The Mickey Mouse Club" was on every day after school and I couldn't wait to settle in with my peanut butter toast and glass of milk.

As I got older, I graduated to "American Bandstand,"  I Love Lucy, "Bachelor Father," "The Donna Reed Show,"  The Fugitive"  and "Dr. Kildare."  My girlfriends and I would argue over who was the most swoon worthy TV doctor, Richard Chamberlain who played Dr. Kildare

 or Vince Edwards who starred in "that other show, "Ben Casey." 

What do you think?

It was a heated topic. I was firmly in the Richard Chamberlain camp.  I even had a Dr. Kildare pillow case that I practiced kissing on.  

People bonded over TV shows back then.  There were only 3 channels so it was much easier to find someone who was watching the same programs as you.

As a teenager, I fed my musical obsessions with "Shindig!" and "Hullabaloo."  Everyone from the Animals to the Zombies performed on "Shindig!"  That's when my interest in Rock & Roll became firmly entrenched.

My Dad worked extra jobs so wasn't home that much, but we bonded over old movies.  That was the era when the only movies you saw on TV were the ones from the 30's and 40's and they usually played at 11:30pm and 1am.  My Dad and I would sit up late and watch them.  He was a real softie.  If there was a sad scene or one of those really, really happy ones where the separated lovers would find each other again and run into each others' arms, he would get teary, but would always take pains to cover it up by laughing a bit and wiping his eyes with his handkerchief (men used handkerchiefs then too), but pretending he was wiping his forehead.  I remember when a tornado came through, everyone was down in the basement except my Dad and me.  We were watching the movie "My Darling Clementine" on TV.  When the all clear was sounded, I was sent off to bed and never did find out how it ended. 

All of those hours watching old movies with my Dad, not only leave me with wonderful memories of him, but I gained a knowledge of actors and actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood.  I am hard to beat at Trivial Pursuit when it comes to old movies.

In college, my roommate and I would gather with some of the other girls in the dorm to watch "The Monkees" on the communal television.

In my sophomore year, I married and moved to married housing.  After my husband was drafted and sent to Vietnam, my television helped me keep track of the war and what might be happening to my husband.  Hard to believe that every night the war was on the news with pictures of dead bodies and reports of body counts.  We have been at war for years now and we hardly hear about it. 

So the TV was also a companion late at night. 

I would come home from play rehearsals and Johnny Carson would keep me company and help me get over the jitters of sleeping alone.  Since the show was live, I saw some of the great moments:  Don Rickles kissing Frank Sinatra, Ed Ames throwing the tomahawk and hitting the target right in the groin.  An absolutely classic moment.

Johnny was the king of the double take and would really crack up when something spontaneous happened.  And just think of all of the comics he launched.  I saw them all. If Johnny liked you, your career was made. All I have to do is hear "Heeeeeers, Johnny" and many happy memories come back.

Now the late night talk shows don't do it for me, partly because I am not up that late anymore and my latest obsessions are reality TV, everything from the great competitions like "The Amazing Race" and "So You Think You Can Dance" to the more lowbrow "Housewives" franchises.

So I admit to my addiction. 

I know that is the first step in overcoming it.  And I know as a newly retired person, I need to keep that aspect of my life in check. 

But I also have the feeling I am not alone. 

I am always amused by people who say, "I don't watch television," but they seem to know everything that is on! 

Watching television has a certain stigma to it which I think is not well-deserved, unless you are like me - addicted. 

Television is not just entertaining but educational, and as a librarian, I felt it was essential to be on top of popular culture so that if a library customer asked me who was voted out of "Dancing With the Stars" last night, I not only knew what she was talking about but who was voted out!  I found it essential to be aware of what people were watching. 

Well, that's my story anyway, and I'm sticking to it.

If you are starting to wonder if you, too, have a problem with watching too much TV, you might reflect on the following:

Signs you may be watching too much TV

• You know every "Real Housewife" by name, even the ones from D.C.

• When you take leave of people, you say "You're Out! Auf Wiedersehen" and kiss them on both cheeks.

• You think Downton Abbey is real and you are planning a vacation around going there.

 

Well it's kind of real.

• You know what "Smize" and "Tooch" mean.

• You actually enjoy arranging your TIVO Season Passes.

• You are starting to crave really bloody steaks and notice that it seems to happen after watching "True Blood."

• You feel like singing a Journey song every time something momentous or emotional happens.

• As soon as you sit down in a chair in front of the television, your wine guzzling poodle assumes the position for a long nap on your lap.

• One of your life goals is to meet Phil Keoghan so he can say to you "I'm very sorry to have to tell you that you have been eliminated from the race."

• You spent the whole weekend watching a "Sister Wives" marathon and are seriously considering plural marriage.

Well, there you have it. 

I have acknowledged my problem and I plan to work on it.  I really do. 

But can I start after "Dancing with the Stars" is over?

If you are not too ashamed to admit you watch television,

what are some of your happy TV memories
or your "addictions?"

Thanks for Reading!

 

See you Friday

For

The Week in Reviews

(What to See or Read and What to Avoid)

 

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