adaptation – Page 3 – PopCult Reviews

Movie Review – The NeverEnding Story

The NeverEnding Story (1984)
Written by Wolfgang Petersen and Herman Weigel
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen

This movie is a formative piece of many of my peers’ childhoods. I think I saw it twice as a kid. I remembered parts of it vividly, but The NeverEnding Story was never a picture I sought out or felt a strong connection with. That is odd because I was also a child who spent much time alone and read many books. You would think much of the story would resonate, but it did not. I think revisiting the movie as an adult made me appreciate it more, though I could see the weak points more vividly now, too.

Movie Review – Conan the Barbarian

Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Written by John Milius and Oliver Stone
Directed by John Milius

In 1932, pulp writer Robert E. Howard began to pen the tales of Conan, a barbarian fighting in an ancient time of magic. He’d write 21 Conan stories before his tragic death by suicide at the age of 30. The trademark for the character passed through several hands over the following decades, leading to numerous reprints of the original stories and new authors adding to the mythos. Marvel Comics acquired the license in the 1970s, leading to Conan finding his widest audience yet. During much of this time, John Milius had been a fan of what he read. This would lead to a film adaptation that was undeniably made by people who loved the source material.

Patron Pick – Tell It To The Bees

This special reward is available to Patreon patrons who pledge at the $10 or $20 monthly levels. Each month, those patrons will pick a film for me to review. If they choose, they also get to include some of their thoughts about the movie. This Pick comes from Bekah Lindstrom.

Tell It To The Bees (2018)
Written by Henrietta Ashworth and Jessica Ashworth
Directed by Annabel Jankel

If you are looking for a passionate love story about two women, might I recommend two other, better films – Desert Hearts and A Portrait of a Lady on Fire. The reason why I promote those films over this one is because they are just simply much better made. From the writing to the directing of the actors to the cinematography, those movies don’t just deliver a lesbian love story; they are masterfully executed films. In discussions about representation in the media, I hate that there’s this rallying cry that groups which have been marginalized should be present in the utter shit that the cis white straight people make. I don’t know why anyone would want to set the bar so low. I want queer people, Black people, Indigenous people, disabled people, et al., to not just be in movies but to be in the best movies.

TV Review – The Sympathizer

The Sympathizer (2024)
Written by Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, Naomi Iizuka, Mark Richard, Maegan Houang, and Anchuli Felicia King
Directed by Park Chan-wook, Fernando Meirelles, and Marc Munden

The portrayal of communism in Western media is fraught with contradiction. It has to be because to honestly present communism would mean capitalism would be critiqued in detail. Part of the ongoing American imperialist project is ensuring no cogent critiques of the dominant economic system happen. This means when communism is presented, it is always a brutal internment camp where people are tortured. This disregards the fact the United States has and continues to operate brutal internment camps where people are tortured. It seems that this behavior isn’t inherent to communism but something people seem to do regardless of the economic system they live under. While The Sympathizer starts out strong, its lead director steps aside three episodes in, and a very neoliberal centrist viewpoint leaves it as an imperfect creation.

Movie Review – Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias (1989)
Written by Robert Harling
Directed by Herbert Ross

The stage play-to-screen adaptation is fascinating to me. Works produced initially in the theater are restricted by money & the physical space. The original stage production of Steel Magnolias took place entirely in Truvy’s beauty salon, but we expect more movement and locations for a film. I’ve never seen a production of the play, but I felt I could still see the seams where new things were sewn on, and that wasn’t bad. It highlights how much more narratively developed the women are in this story than the male characters who don’t appear in the play. The film is much stronger when the story focuses on the relationships between the women. It falters a lot when it shifts focus to their interactions with the men.

Movie Review – Drugstore Cowboy

Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Written by Daniel Yost and Gus van Sant
Directed by Gus van Sant

Gus van Sant joins a growing list of directors who came to the forefront in the late 80s/early 90s, and I’m not sure how I feel about them. Previously, I’d discussed this about Steven Soderbergh and sex, lies, and videotape. On the most recent episode of the podcast, we reviewed Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, and I remarked how I’m very up and down with his body of work. For Van Sant, My Own Private Idaho will forever be an impossible film to beat. It is a full-fledged American cinematic masterpiece, so I was very interested in stepping back into the film just before and seeing what he had made. A considerable section of his fanbase declares this as their favorite of his movies.

TV Review – Foundation Season One

Foundation Season One (AppleTV+)
Written by David S. Goyer, Josh Friedman, Olivia Purnell, Lauren Bello, Leigh Dana Jackson, Marcus Gardley, Caitlin Saunders, Sarah Nolen, and Victoria Morrow
Directed by Rupert Sanders, Andrew Bernstein, Alex Graves, Jennifer Phang, and Roxann Dawson

You’ve bought a reprieve, but war with Empire is inevitable. In the meantime, remember this day, remember what we’re striving towards. I know a thousand years can seem like an eternity, but it’s the blink of an eye when measured against the whole of human history, and it could so easily slip through our fingers if we’re not vigilant. – Hari Seldon (Jared Harris)

Movie Review – Jackie Brown

Jackie Brown (1997)
Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino

Saying a lot has been written about Quentin Tarantino’s films would be an understatement. I think it would be safe to say that Jackie Brown is the film the least written about or regarded with the least awe. It was the filmmaker’s follow-up to Pulp Fiction, and such “next movies” can fail to live up to eager fans’ expectations. Brown is a far more muted picture than we have come to expect from Tarantino. There are a few loud stylistic flourishes, but for the most part, the picture is entirely character-driven. The result is something that still feels very fresh despite being made twenty-five years ago. Other movies will age poorly, but Tarantino’s work always feels like it could have been made today.

TV Review – Irma Vep

Irma Vep (HBO)
Written and directed by Olivier Assayas

I can’t say I have ever been enamored with the work of Olivier Assayas. I’ve seen several of his films: Irma Vep, Summer Hours, and Personal Shopper. They are not bad films by any means, but I never fell in love with his work like I have with other directors. Having just recently watched and reviewed the original Irma Vep, I decided to check out his 2022 television adaptation of the film, wondering why he would choose to revisit this and what the project would add to the original movie. Once again, I walked away, unsure how to feel. I was not unimpressed but certainly not head over heels.

PopCult Podcast – Dune Part 2/Polytechnique

It’s all things Denis Villeneuve this week. We watched his latest, the second chapter in a legendary science fiction saga. Then we went back to see a film that garnered his first major attention.