(Life Through the Lens - Photo Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

“Telling the truth can be a bitter herb.”

***

Let’s start with an analogy: “An inflexible army does not triumph / an unbending tree breaks in the wind” (Lao Tzu). Let me take that analogy one step further into metaphorical territory: We are the army in turmoil – we are the tree in duress.

A clergyman with conviction is one thing, but a clergyman with an all-consuming fire is another. If that fire chokes out relationships, clouds judgment and burns up bridges, he is destined for defeat. That fire has transformed his passion into something unhealthy, unproductive and unsafe. He has lost sight and will eventually lose his battle.

An athlete with purpose is one thing, but an athlete with fixed drive is another. If that drive demeans their surroundings, denigrates the people around them and damages their character, they are doomed for a downfall. That drive has dehumanized them into a runaway locomotive – their set direction is increasingly lonely and vain. The storm will surely break them.

American culture would have us believe that rigid is respectable and immovable is impressive. Our lines in the sand tend to get deeper, and our ruts become canyons. Sides have become front lines while “wants” have become militarized into “musts.” There is much ancient wisdom to caution this way of thinking: Inflexibility and unbending will result in fracture. It is the supple, the yielding, the soft, the pliant that will survive the storms of life. Bend or break.

***

You can take the man out of the boxing ring, but you can’t take the ring out of the man … or so Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor) has been told. His past – the violence, the aggression, the bloodshed — it haunts him … but his future holds strictly peace and forgiveness as a Catholic priest. After an unfortunate punch lands on a terribly annoying deacon, Jud is sent to a probationary position in upstate New York as the assistant pastor to the infamous Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin).

Jud is quickly introduced to the church’s lore. Wicks’ grandfather once ruled this church with an iron fist. When his only daughter (Jefferson’s mother) got knocked up, the grandfather forced her to remain at the church to receive her inordinately large inheritance. After years of verbal shaming and public abuse, the grandfather dies and withholds the inheritance withheld, and the daughter goes recklessly mad! Legend holds that the inheritance up-and-disappeared.

Now caught up, Jud is introduced to the congregation and climate … both pretty stagnate. Wicks preaches nothing but hate and rage; it seems his weekly goal is to make any visitors leave in disgust. The flock is a small army of devotees, each more twisted than the last. The assembly is rounded out by a zealous congregant (Glenn Close) and a piously quiet groundskeeper (Thomas Haden Church). Each week, the outside world gets pushed further away while the icy heart of the church gets harder.

Jud is appalled and convicted — this church must change! The more he tries, though, the more he sees the truth of the situation: it will only change over Wicks’s dead body….

Then Wicks gets killed! Enter famous detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) to solve this impossible murder-mystery.

I am a huge fan of writer/director Rian Johnson’s 2019 instant classic “Knives Out.” it had something so fresh to offer the world, something sorely missed. Now … here is every genuine creator’s uphill battle: How do you do THAT again? “Glass Onion” (2022) was fun … but not quite magical. Third time’s a charm?

“Wake Up Dead Man” was a return to form! It regained much of what I loved about “Knives Out.” The story was sharp, the characters (for the most part) were richly entertaining, and the questions asked were often thrilling. Johnson even used his script to dig into some very interesting spiritual realms and realities.

The cinematography by Steve Yedlin had some stunning images and imaginings. The composition by Nathan Johnson is vital and inviting.

Craig is consistently awesome as Benoit Blanc; this character is fun every single time. As the only mainstay in the series, he never seems to get old. O’Connor is the sympathetic straight man needed as Father Jud. Close is creepily affective as Martha Delacroix. Brolin is a scene stealer as Jefferson Wicks. Everyone else was fine … but forgettable.

When done well, “whodunits” remain just as fun as always. “Wake Up Dead Man” can be streamed right now on Netflix.

REPORT CARD: “Wake Up Dead Man.”

Grade: A-

Assessment: Good luck figuring this one out!

***

Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) knows, deep in his bones, that he is destined to be more than just a shoe salesman. He was put on this earth to play table tennis. Period. The only catch, one that rears its head daily, is that America doesn’t give a rip about table tennis. Great? So. World’s best? Yawn.

Marty will not let this monumental slight slide — he will become renowned or he will die trying.

Marty has some people in his corner, but his greatness-blinders rarely allow him to pay them much attention. His “best friend” Dion is merely a means to get funding. His “love interest” Rachel (Odessa A’zion) is simply a receptacle for his frustrations (among other things). His new “fling” Kay (Gwyneth Paltrow) is just a shortcut. He avoids his family, manipulates his friends, exploits the needy and will do anything for a buck.

When his dreams are dashed in the British Championships, he vows revenge at the World Championships. Before he can do that, this unbending-tree begins to receive hurricane-level winds from every direction. Money is lost, reputation is stained, pride is threatened, pregnancies are revealed, a million lies are spouted, and Marty finds himself struggling to stand.

And all for what? Table tennis, you say?

In 2019’s “Uncut Gems,” a masterpiece of discomfort and dependance, the Safdie brothers unleashed a force into the world of cinema. “Marty Supreme” is director Josh Safdie’s follow-up … and it is just the same movie over again — same theme, same plot, same tension, same shenanigans. One glaring difference, though: It isn’t nearly as good. As with “Uncut Gems,” I appreciate Safdie’s style — it is punchy and controlled. Safdie knows when to twist the knife.

Safdie also penned the script with Ronald Bronstein, loosely based off the real table tennis hustler from the 50’s. Half of my issue comes here. No matter the climatic music, no matter the personal goals or setbacks, no matter what … we are still talking about table tennis. After nearly two-and-a-half hours, the movie’s apex is a bit laughable, because how serious can this be? It has no teeth. Marty’s desperate dream is just … dumb. Safdie and Bronstein keep the pace and have wonderful moments of drama, but the characters overall are shallow and unempathetic. I don’t feel much humanity in this one.

The other half of my issue is with casting. This is Chalamet’s best performance to date … but the dude can only do so much. Sure, sure – acting is about lines and blocking and costume, but it is mostly in the eyes. It is where depth and degree originate, and Chalamet’s eyes are dead. They just sit there. A’zion was pretty good as Rachel Mizler, Marty’s sometimes-lover. Paltrow was solid as Kay Stone, Marty’s empty affair. The rest of the cast was aggressively mediocre.

The composition by Daniel Lopatin was very intriguing (and eerily reminiscent of “Uncut Gems”). It is heavily electronic and synthesized, not fitting the time period of the 50s, but it works – it is bold and fun and full of life (even when the script can’t keep up).

I’m not sure who to blame for this, but the “table tennis action” looked bad. Never once did I believe I was watching people actually play ping-pong.

If I had never seen “Uncut Gems,” I would be impressed by “Marty Supreme” … but I have seen it. “Marty Supreme” can’t win in a war of comparison.

REPORT CARD: Marty Supreme

Grade: B

Assessment: Enjoyable but not enduring