Intrigue fills the small screen, from ‘Bloodshot’ to ‘The Wire’
The day before movie theaters shut down due to the pandemic, I caught Vin Diesel’s new movie in what may be the last theater experience for quite some time.
I had been warily looking forward to “Bloodshot” ever since it was announced.
As a big fan of its comic source back in the ’90s, I started collecting Bloodshot and other Valiant comics again a couple years ago. Around that time, Valiant announced plans to create its own comic universe. Unfortunately, the delayed and untimely release of “Bloodshot” may have doomed any future plans.
Much as with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you do not have to be well-versed in the Valiant comic history to have a good time. “Bloodshot” may not have the best writing or acting, but it is a highly enjoyable two hours.
Diesel inhabits the memory-wiped assassin role as he naturally can. Diesel makes us care about this poor guy, forced into a life he does not know, distanced from a life he does not remember. Guy Pearce fits in perfectly as the good guy turned villain.
“Bloodshot” is available to purchase digitally on iTunes, Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play and FandangoNOW. Here’s hoping that with on-demand they can recoup their budget and still consider a Valiant movie universe. Grade: B
The Platform
Meanwhile, Netflix recently added “The Platform,” a Spanish language film that takes place entirely in a vertical prison. Hundreds of cells are stacked floor to ceiling, two prisoners to a cell, with nothing but beds, a sink, a toilet and a hole in the floor.
The hole is where the title of the film arises. Every day, a giant platform covered with food moves downward through the hole. It stops at each floor for a few fleeting minutes, just enough for each prisoner to eat. However, most eat far more than necessary, so there is nothing left for the rest by the time the platform gets a hundred floors down. Those on lower floors resort to unthinkable measures.
We follow Goreng (Ivan Massangue), who has voluntarily put himself inside with the promise of a diploma when his sentence is up. It is clear from the beginning that he has very little idea what goes on inside. As he gets moved to different floors, he discovers different motives and different ways to survive.
By the end, Goreng and others are determined to get a message to those at the very top – through violence if necessary. That’s about the time the realization sets in that the message in this film is truly a timely one: Only take what you need and leave enough for everyone else. Grade: B
A few recommendations
Here are a few other TV recommendations to keep you entertained:
“The Expanse” (Amazon). A sci-fi show based on a recent series of books. In the 24th century, humans have spread throughout the solar system all the way to the moons of Neptune. The show follows the ragtag crew of a derelict ship that gets involved in territorial disputes, a dangerous new form of life and the discovery of a portal to another part of the universe. It is the best science fiction show since “Battlestar Galactica.”
“Man in the High Castle” (Amazon). Based on a Phillip K. Dick story, this show imagines a world where the Allies did not win WW2. Nazi Germany controls the Eastern United States and Imperial Japan controls the West. In the middle of this is a conflicted American-turned Nazi military leader, a married couple dragged into the resistance, a dutiful Japanese police inspector and a man working for all three. An excellent “what if” series.
“The Wire” (HBO). Fifty hours of TV perfection. The best show of all time. Period.
Jeff Mellinger is a screen writer and film buff. He holds a BA in Film Studies and an MFA in film production. He lives in Concord. Email comments to editor@pioneerpublishers.com.