Fix Your Hearts or Die!
January 20, 2025 9:14 AM   Subscribe

FANFARE THIS WEEK... A special event thread for live commenting on the US inauguration. New movies: apocalypse musical The End; a queer examination of Kevin Smith's 90s romcom in Chasing Chasing Amy; Barry Keoghan and Nykiya Adams in the social realist drama Bird; and a woman becomes romantically entangled with her stepson in French drama Last Summer. In TV, Severance is back, Silo season two is wrapping up, and Stephanie Hsu's ex-lovers are dropping dead, in order in Laid. Also inside: FF's complete David Lynch wrap-up...

FanFare Posts for the Work of the late, great David Lynch: See also: obit post on the blue.

Recently Released Movies
  • Last Summer - French remake of the Danish drama about a woman in an affair with her husband's son from a previous marriage.
  • Chasing Chasing Amy - Filmmaker Sav Rogers examines the film Chasing Amy from a queer perspective.
  • Bird - Acclaimed director Andrea Arnold's coming-of-age drama stars Nykiya Adams, Barry Keoghan.
  • The End - Tilda Swinton, Michael Shannon star in an apocalyptic musical about a fractious family in their bunker.
  • Instruments a of Beating Heart - Oscar-nominated short documentary about Tokyo elementary schoolers putting on a performance of "Ode to Joy."
  • Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 The first part in Kevin Costner's planned western saga about settlers trying to establish a town called Horizon.
Other Current Movies in Theaters, with Previous Threads Older releases, new to FanFare:
  • Big Game - 2014 flick stars Samuel L. Jackson as the motherfucking president, stuck in the woods after Air Force One is shot down, with only a teenager on his side.
  • Birdy - 1984 Alan Parker drama about two friends returhing from the Vietnam War, one with PTSD, the other obsessed with becoming a bird. Matthew Modine and Nicholas Cage star.
  • Chasing Amy - Kevin Smith's 90's love triangle (with lesbian) about comic book artists.
  • Slade in Flame - Beloved 70's UK glam band stars as fictional band Flame in this musical-by-way-of-kitchen-sink drama.
  • Year of the Dragon - 1985 Michael Cimino crime thriller in Chinatown with Mickey Rourke.
  • Altered States - The wild 1980 sci-fi drama about sensory deprivation tabnks and repressed memories.
  • Trenque Lauquen - Expansive (and lengthy!) 2022 Argentinian mystery about two men on the road trying to locate the missing woman they both love.
  • Band of the Hand - Five juvenile lost causes are sent to the Everglades where a war veteran tries to reform them using survival tactics. From director Paul Michael Glaser (The Running Man). An 80's cult action flick with a theme song by Bob Dylan.
  • The Stuff - Larry Cohen's bonkers 1985 food industry satire as goopy horror about an ice cream-like substance that may be eating the people who eat it.
  • The Suspect - 1944 noir about a genial shopkeeper (Charles Laughton) whose wife turns up dead, drawing in both a detective and a blackmailer.
  • Desire - 1936 romcom stars Marlene Dietrich as a sultry jewel thief.
  • Phantom Lady - 1944 Robert Siodmak noir thriller based on the Cornel Woodrich novel about a man accused of murder whose alibi has been sabotaged piece-by-piece.
Previous Films with New Comments on Fanfare Current TV shows under discussion:
  • Laid - Peacock comedy mystery about a woman whose ex-lovers are all dying in the order she slept with them.
  • Silo s02e09 & s02e10 - Season two of Apple TV's post-apocalyptic mystery comes to a close.
  • The Pitt - Noah Wyle stars in this post-COVID ER drama on Max.
  • Severance - The season two return of the hit Apple TV mystery/drama about team of office workers whose memories have been surgically divided between their work and personal lives.
  • AEW Collision and All Elite Wrestling Dynamite - Your wrestling fan buddy The Pluto Gangsta keeps you up-to-date.
  • Skeleton Crew - Jude Law stars in this Star Wars spinoff on Disney Plus.
  • Peacemaker - Finnish thriller about a UN negotiator is on Hoopla, Kanopy, Apple TV.
  • American Primeval - Netflix's new hit Western limited series.
  • The Agency - Paramount Plus espionage series with a star-studded cast, based on an earlier French series.
  • The Great Pottery Throw Down - Max is your home for all competitive pottery reality TV challenges.
Current/Recent Shows People Are Still Discussing in Recent-ish Posts Vintage TV Shows and Rewatches: Podcasts Special Events
posted by DirtyOldTown (33 comments total) 21 users marked this as a favorite
 
Rejected jokes from this week's wrapup:
-"Last Summer, a French drama for people whose porn searches include the word "stepson.'"
-"Special Event: American Democracy (Series Finale)"

As ever, if you appreciate this post, do me a solid and click into one of the links and comment something!
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:25 AM on January 20 [10 favorites]


Thanks so much for doing this DOT, I appreciate the time you take to curate!
posted by Carillon at 9:29 AM on January 20 [1 favorite]


You rock DOT.
posted by whatevernot at 9:29 AM on January 20


this morning i awoke from a decent dream to the sound of circus music. the anouncer then said that they were seating the supreme court.
posted by wmo at 9:36 AM on January 20 [3 favorites]


It was nice to see so many people posting and commenting this week!
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:42 AM on January 20 [1 favorite]


Red Rooms is streaming on Shudder, but geoblocked in Canada (Canadian streamer 'Crave' has the rights). BOO.
posted by Jessica Savitch's Coke Spoon at 9:53 AM on January 20


As ever, these posts are very long with many links and a lot of text. If you see any typos or errors, just flag with a note so the mods can assist.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:10 AM on January 20


My two hour a day self imposed time limit for television viewing means I will never be able to watch all these.
posted by Czjewel at 10:21 AM on January 20


Mod note: A couple of typos fixed. Thank you for this amazing summary, DOT.
posted by loup (staff) at 10:34 AM on January 20 [1 favorite]


Listen, Shepherd is indulging me in a rewatch of the 90s sitcom Wings, and when we're done, it's all over for you people. (It was a comfort sitcom when I was a teen.)
posted by Kitteh at 10:35 AM on January 20


Really appreciate you driving traffic to FanFare DOT! I'm already fairly active there so I'm doing my part ;)
posted by Alex404 at 10:35 AM on January 20 [1 favorite]


Also, the David Lynch short film What Did Jack Do? Currently streaming on Netflix.
posted by 1970s Antihero at 10:55 AM on January 20 [3 favorites]


Mod note: [Added to the sidebar and Best Of blog!]
posted by taz (staff) at 11:09 AM on January 20 [1 favorite]


The Agency is a top-notch show.
posted by NoMich at 11:11 AM on January 20


I really wanted to love The Dead Don't Die, as Paterson isn't one of my favorite films of all time. But while it wasn't bad, it was sadly so mid. Just a pastiche that mostly comes together ok, but I think needed to pick a lane more strongly. Very different films, but Shaun of the Dead is both a zombie film and a loving sendup. This isn't really either, and while it doesn't have to be, I think I'd have appreciated it more if it was more action, more comedy, or more of a hangout film.
posted by Carillon at 11:18 AM on January 20 [2 favorites]


the title to this week's FF megathread is sublimely apropos, thank you DOT for all you do
posted by ginger.beef at 11:31 AM on January 20 [3 favorites]


I really love your Fanfare This Week posts, DirtyOldTown!

I often get lost in Fanfare and don't make it to all the threads that would interest me, so this is a fantastic thing.

Thank you so much for putting these together, with so much awesome detail! You're the best.
posted by kristi at 3:15 PM on January 20 [2 favorites]


If anyone would like the definition of love, I've found it:
Shepherd is indulging me in a rewatch of the 90s sitcom Wings
I guess that's better than Coach, but not by much.
posted by Ashwagandha at 6:32 PM on January 20 [1 favorite]


DoT you’re our hero!
posted by Isingthebodyelectric at 7:34 PM on January 20 [1 favorite]


AEW Collision and All Elite Wrestling Dynamite - Your wrestling fan buddy The Pluto Gangsta keeps you up-to-date.

For those who may not be aware, both shows are available in multiple ways:
Dynamite: Wednesdays LIVE 8e/7c on TBS + Simulcasted on HBO MAX
Collision: Saturdays LIVE 8/7c on TNT + Simulcasted on HBO MAX
For those in the UK, it's carried by ITV
In many European countries it might be carried by DAZN, but I'm not positive on that.

I usually start each episode's thread a few minutes before the show starts and post comments as live reactions, but when I don't I usually post the following day with excerpts from Wrestling Observer and links to YouTube clips.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 8:13 PM on January 20 [1 favorite]


Still in cinemas here and on FanFare: A Real Pain. I thought it was an absolute gem of a movie, tiny but perfectly observed.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 11:31 PM on January 20


a rewatch of the 90s sitcom Wings
I am currently in the middle of Benson. During the pandemic, I caught up on a lot old tv that I never watched during the first run, like Soap and Glee. I have the entire run of Family Ties ready to go, but that is a different one since I did watch it regularly.
posted by soelo at 7:36 AM on January 21


If anyone would like the definition of love, I've found it:
Shepherd is indulging me in a rewatch of the 90s sitcom Wings
I guess that's better than Coach, but not by much.

this is Lowell Mather erasure and I will not stand for it
posted by Kitteh at 7:44 AM on January 21


Lowell Mather erasure

Thomas Haden Church will always be Flint Marko to me.

the entire run of Family Ties ready to go

A few of the horror films starring Scott Valentine (who played the boyfriend of Mallory, Nick on Family Ties) have been released in the last few years which would make a fun film festival.

I'm impressed people can binge watch old sitcoms, that would be very difficult for me. I'm forcing myself to watch more movie comedies this year in order to better understand my fellow humans and it has been a challenge (which probably tells you something about me).
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:10 AM on January 21 [1 favorite]


Is Wings considered a poor-quality show? I do appreciate that it launched Tony Shaloub and THC. I would not put it high on my personal list but comparing it to Coach? That is just cruel!
posted by soelo at 8:19 AM on January 21 [1 favorite]


Is Wings considered a poor-quality show?

It is probably for the best to take my opinions on TV comedies of the past with a grain of salt.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:26 AM on January 21 [1 favorite]


Side note: a lot of the comedies people once watched in huge numbers are disappearing from the zeitgeist where younger people are concerned because they just. can't. abide. laugh tracks.

My teenager and his friends would rather poke their own eyes out than submit to five minutes of a laugh tracked show. And it's not a highbrow vs. lowbrow thing, or even a middlebrow vs. lowbrow. They'll watch Young Sheldon, but they won't touch The Big Bang Theory. Hate those or love them, they're from more or less the same bucket qualitatively, so it's not a matter of being "above" cheesy sitcoms. It's the laugh tracks.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 8:39 AM on January 21 [2 favorites]


Is Wings considered a poor-quality show? I do appreciate that it launched Tony Shaloub and THC.

We're only watching a handful of episodes a week so it will be classic slooooooow going to finish it. The fashion? Chef's kiss 90s perfection (it bugs me Helen tucks in her sweaters but Brian's surreal ties are so good). I mean, it's a pretty bland plot so far as these things go: two bickering brothers running a small airline on Nantucket Island. One is uptight and Type A, one is a Lothario who wants no real responsibility. The supporting characters hit the common beats: a slightly ditzy older female employee, a blustering airline rival, a mechanic that's not the sharpest knife in the drawer (but so funny), eventually Tony Shaloub as Antonio, an Italian immigrant cabbie, and of course, the Hackett brothers' best friend from childhood, Helen, who runs the lunch counter at the airport.

What I like about the show: A potential love triangle between the brothers is dispensed quickly. It stops being a plot device early in season 2. Lowell Mather--played by THC--is just the gentlest weirdest character and I love him. The humor is pretty inoffensive for the time period with the exceptions below.

What I don't like: Helen used to be overweight and I always hate it when this is referenced; I don't care if she often does it at her own expense. Roy Biggins' son comes out as gay in season 2 (played by Abraham Benrubi) and I will say his characer is written nicely, but there's the usual homophobia from his dad. I mean, it's not the worst example I've seen on 90s TV but it does remind me of how different it was then.

oh my god has anyone ever written this much about Wings
posted by Kitteh at 8:40 AM on January 21 [2 favorites]


laugh tracks
Fascinating, honestly. This is something I rarely recognize and sometimes appreciate. Golden Girls would not be the same without the laughing audience - real or fake.

oh my god has anyone ever written this much about Wings
I love your write up, even as someone with a middling opinion of it. I would certainly stop on an episode if I was channel surfing in a hotel. Anyway, I forgot all about Roy and did not remember that storyline. Sounds like the typical ignorant stuff from that era. It is really annoying, but also a good reminder about how far we've come. But Abraham Benrubi makes me think of Parker Lewis Can't Lose. That is one I have tried to obtain in many ways over the years. Might be time to try again. I always forget to check YouTube.
posted by soelo at 8:50 AM on January 21 [1 favorite]


where younger people are concerned because they just. can't. abide. laugh tracks.

I'm certainly not young but yeah they are impossible for me to get past. Incredibly distracting and off putting.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:55 AM on January 21 [2 favorites]


Shepherd and I have added Parker Lewis Can't Lose to our rewatch list as we too only think of Benrubi in that show. "Synchronize Swatches!"

Again, Wings is safe cozy TV and right now I dig it. I used to watch it in reruns on USA Network.

I don't mind a laugh track; it was a different time then.
posted by Kitteh at 8:57 AM on January 21 [1 favorite]


I'm currently working my way through the One Piece anime. I had no idea what a journey I had begun. It's how many seasons? Even money which of us finishes first, me or Luffy.
posted by SPrintF at 9:14 AM on January 21


If you get the chance, watch the M*A*S*H DVDs with the laugh track turned off. It's a completely different show.
posted by xedrik at 5:11 PM on January 21 [1 favorite]


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