Bald Move Pulp - Sharp Objects Ep. 1 – “Vanish” and HBO Talk

Jim and A.Ron are here to talk about HBO. Both in general terms, because we’re not big fans of the way the new executive overseeing the network is talking about our baby, and in specifics, namely the new mini-series, Sharp Objects. Based on the novel by Gillian Flynn, it features Amy Addams as a journalist who returns to the small town she grew up in to investigate a series of killings. Giving us strong True Detective vibes, the mystery is intriguing and the characters are vivid and well developed just one episode in. We’ll be back with weekly coverage of Sharp Objects, if you’d like to join the conversation, use the links below!

Bald Move Pulp - Incredibles 2 (2018)

Cecily and A.Ron are back to discuss Incredibles 2, a sequel that’s been a long time in the making. Brad Bird returns to direct the original cast and some fun new cameos. If you liked Incredibles, this is more of it in every way.  More supers, bigger action scenes, more Mr. Incredible angst, super teenage dating, and the best animal control scene in movie history. The script is literally the same script from the first, with the same twist at the mid-way point, but the plot is really secondary to the pleasure of watching the characters metaphorically and literally bounce off each other.

Bald Move Pulp - The Terror

Jim and A.Ron have seen AMC’s The Terror, the epic horror/historical drama set in the mid-nineteenth century that tries to answer the question of what went wrong during the doomed Franklin expedition to the arctic circle. These intrepid men were looking for a path through the sea ice that would open up speedier (and more profitable) trade to the new world and eastern markets, but instead they find themselves trapped in a frozen hell for years. Which will run out first? Their supplies or their sanity? To make the situation worse, they are steadily hunted by an mysterious creature. The show is gorgeous, it’s extremely well acted with Bald Move TV vets such as Jared Harris, Ciarán Hinds, and Tobias Menzies, and features genuine moments of psychological dread and horror. We talk about the show itself, and briefly talk about what the ensuing anthology AMC has recently green-lit might look like.

Bald Move Pulp - Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

We’ve seen Solo: A Star Wars Story and… really liked it! Maybe it was low expectations, maybe it’s just impossible to hate on Han, Chewie, and Lando dashing around the galaxy doing derring-do (although…), all we know is that we found ourselves grinning like idiots throughout huge chunks of this movie.  Maybe you will too? It’s hard to tell, I feel like I used to know what a Star Wars fan would like, but after the prequels and The Last Jedi, I just don’t know. The big takeaway is that we’re both back to being pretty excited to see what kind of storytelling can take place in this universe, which is something we were afraid wasn’t possible anymore.

Bald Move Pulp - Deadpool 2 (2018)

We have seen Deadpool 2!  If you saw Deadpool, and liked it, well, here is more of it.  It is arguably even better, or at any rate, just as good.  We loved Deadpool, and had an even better time with 2.  There are more jokes, more over the top action, better cameos, and truly shocking and original things put on screen that you’re just not going to see in other franchises, all done in a very brisk, slick, and above all else, entertaining fashion. The trailer does not ruin this film, there are plenty of fresh jokes and action you’ve never seen.  If you didn’t like Deadpool, nothing here is going to change your mind.

Bald Move Pulp - Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

It took ten years of careful buildup to make the massive undertaking that is Avengers: Infinity War possible, but was all the effort worth it?  Hell, yes.  This is hands down the most epic comic book film ever made, and it is full to bursting with Marvel Studios hallmarks; funny interactions within the heroes, inventive and imaginative fight scenes, jaw-dropping, awesome world and universe building, and genuine character beats.  The final act contains some effective gut punches that Jim and I are both more than a little skeptical of, but in the moment really work well, and can only really be judged after we see what comes next.  At this point, I’m not willing to bet against Marvel.

Bald Move Pulp - Hackers (1995)

Max commissioned one of his beloved films from high school (shout out to the Class of ’95!), Hackers.  Directed by Iain Softley and starring Jonny Lee Miller and Angelina Jolie, Hackers is a mostly ridiculous look into mid-90s hacker culture that’s core plot is a rehash of Office Space, which is to say it’s a rehash of Superman III.  We discuss the film as contemporary computer nerds and as grown men looking back at the naivety of early hacker culture and the weird prescience the move shows. 

Bald Move Pulp - Ready Player One (2018)

We saw Steven Spielberg’s 80’s nostalgic fun fest, Ready Player One, and we were surprised that it managed to be a good film.  We’d heard nothing but shaky things leading up to it, but with our appropriately set expectations, we had a lot of fun with it.  It’s not perfect, the ending in particular is a bit of a mess, but it works if you want it to work, and if you’re in this movie’s target demo, you’re going to want it to work.  Since we’re both pretty much at ground zero of that target, we can’t say how well it would hold up if you’re safely outside the film’s nostalgia blast wave.

Bald Move Pulp - It Follows (2014)

Today’s commission is courtesy the kind support of Sean Ray, a five time commissioner!  He selected It Follows, an extremely clever and inventive horror flick written and directed by David Robert Mitchell.  It has big ideas, and while it struggles to live up to them in places, the concept and performance of the plucky cast of likable yet relatively obscure young actors really makes the film shine.  It’s fun to watch, it’s fun to think about, and it’s fun to talk about.  How would you survive being hunted by “It”?  That and a few beers is a topic that can easily kill a whole evening of hanging with your friends.