CITY LIFE
FILM
Some insomnia-induced viewing choices JIM KEOGH
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ast week I underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in my knee. I was tempted to play this up as though I’d narrowly averted a full amputation, but the reality is I had the procedure done in the morning and was doing work stuff by the afternoon. The pain was so minimal I didn’t even need Tylenol. There’s something a little sad about this, actually. Modern medical technology has so advanced the healing process that it robs us of an excuse to take a mini-vacation. Prior to my surgery, a coworker, anticipating an extended couch-potato recovery for me, asked if I’d put together my Netflix playlist. Fat chance. But ... the lingering anesthesia in my system mixed with my unsettled sleep schedule did allow me to indulge in a limited amount of off-hours viewing. Here are capsule reviews of what I managed to watch as the rest of the world slumbered. “Fear City: New York vs. the Mafia” – This three-part docuseries
on Netflix chronicles the federal government’s valiant quest to take down the five Mafia families who controlled the city in the 1970s and ’80s. In fact, “controlled” is too mild. The wiseguys dominated New York, squeezing billions of dollars (when a billion really meant something) out of every major operation in the boroughs, from the construction of skyscrapers to the collection of trash — no builder could pour concrete on a project valued at over $2 million without paying tribute. The men and women who infiltrated this closed and bloody society are humble heroes; some of them even acknowledge a grudging respect for their criminal counterparts as worthy adversaries. Want to hear a chilling story? Try the one about the FBI wiretapper who posed as a phone repairman to install a bug in a mafioso’s phone while the guy hovered over his shoulder watching his every move. “The Go-Go’s” — Showtime’s documentary is an often raucous and sometimes moving account of one of the most successful all-female rock
Tippi Hedren stars in “The Birds.” UNIVERSAL PICTURES
bands in history, from their riotous punk roots to their multi-platinum success to their contentious breakup. There’s an obvious “Behind the Music” vibe to their trajectory, yet the particular details of the band’s story make for compelling viewing:
the heroin addiction that threatened to derail guitarist Charlotte Caffey, disputes about unequal pay (the band’s songwriters earned far more than even lead singer Belinda Carlisle), and the momentous decision to abandon their punk origins and
embrace pop superstardom (the vote to do so was not unanimous). The bandmates are forthright, thoughtful, and, at least for now, reconciled. “The Birds” – I’ve seen Alfred Hitchcock’s avian-invasion classic probably five or six times, but it has a hypnotic quality that makes channel-surfing past it almost impossible. This is still a fun watch (and the 1963-era effects hold up), made more so by the fact the residents of the seaside village of Bodega Bay are sweet, stupid people prone to illogical behavior. A flock of murderous crows perches on the playground equipment outside the local school, so the teacher played by Suzanne Pleshette urges her young students to bolt from the safety of the building and try to outrun their winged attackers. It doesn’t go well. A man flicks a lit match into a river of gasoline pooling around his feet. That goes even less well. And why does Tippi Hedren enter the bedroom where the birds are waiting to peck her to pieces? Because Hitchcock told her to.
NEW ON DVD
‘Swallow’ takes deep dive into homebound malaise
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A U G U S T 6 - 12, 2020
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spellbinding feminist horror film tops new DVD releases for the week of Aug. 4. “Swallow”: Seemingly effervescent Hunter (the brilliant Haley Bennett) is swept out of working retail and into a comfortable life with a wealthy family via husband Richie (Austin Stowell). It quickly becomes evident that he and his boundary-free parents (Elizabeth Marvel and David Rasche) see her as less of a human being and more of a prop, while she’s largely stuck at home with domestic tasks and ennui. So when mom Katherine gives Hunter a self-help book, “A Talent for Joy,” after Hunter becomes pregnant, Hunter reads a tip about doing something unexpected every day and turns to props of her own. It starts as a compulsion: She swallows a marble. Then onto a thumbtack, a battery, each new object compounding the risk.
Bennett is mesmerizing, her facial expressions so masterfully exposing the addiction cycle: the boredom, the initial compulsion, the fight against temptation, succumbing to it, then shame but ultimately private joy, her secret, the one thing that’s all hers. The dreamy score by Nathan Halpern and pristine production design by Erin Magill compellingly add to the battle between mental numbness and order disguising more complicated layers underneath. It’s an entrancing, gripping excavation of trauma, one that’s distressingly relevant in the quarantine era. ALSO NEW ON DVD AUG. 4 “Dead Ringer”: A cover band lead singer (Tom Sizemore) takes over a spot in a famous boy band in this modern take on “The Prince and the Pauper.” “Dispatches From Elsewhere, Season 1”: AMC anthology series follows a group of strangers who get swept into a mysterious game. Stars Sally Field, Richard E. Grant, Andre
Benjamin and Eve Lindley. “His Dark Materials: First Season”: BBC One series tackles the popular book trilogy by Philip Pullman as Lyra (Dafne Keen) attempts to rescue her generation from an oppressive system that attempts to limit their magical qualities. “NCIS: Los Angeles: The Eleventh Season”: Picking up from the previous season of the CBS series, Callen (Chris O’Donnell) and Sam (LL Cool J) remain on the USS Allegiance, seeking out spies onboard. “The Good Doctor”: The hit ABC series follows the challenges and unique abilities of a young surgeon with autism (Freddie Highmore). “The Resistance Fighter”: The film follows Poland’s uprising against the Nazis near the end of World War II. In Polish and English. “Satan’s Slaves”: A woman (Tara Bascro) fights to protect her brothers from their mother’s ghost. In Indonesian. “Shanghai Triad”: A digitally restored version of the 1995 classic in
Haley Bennett stars in “Swallow.” IFC FILM
which a teenager is recruited into his family’s criminal ties. In Mandarin. “The Soul Collector”: A man whose job it is to collect souls (Tshamano Sebe) asks for forgiveness. “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan – Season Two”: The Amazon Prime Video series starring John Krasinski as the Tom Clancy hero continues with political war in Venezuela.
OUT ON DIGITAL HD AUG. 4 “Ballbuster”: A suspended basketball star (Jerry O’Connell) embarks on a wild tour with a charity league. Look for it on DVD and Blu-ray Sept. 8. “CRSHD”: A college freshman (Isabelle Barbier) and her two best friends (Deeksha Ketkar, Sadie Scott)
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