Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency’s first series is something I reckon
Douglas Adams would approve of. Though not a direct adaptation of the books the
show successfully employs the sort of high vaulting concepts Adams relished.
Souls being transferred between animals and humans, a time travelling device
being built by a Victorian inventor, a mystery inhabited by a mixture of
eccentric characters. Plus, even though the show was shot in the US, Dirk
Gently is played by an English actor which of course he should be. There are
times- especially later on- when Samuel Barnett’s fast talking as he races
around a control room could be an alternative Doctor Who but the TV series was always an influence on Adams and
appears to be on Max Landis’s script too.
It starts
straightforwardly- and gruesomely - enough by way of a multiple murder in a
plush hotel whose aftermath is witness by bellhop Todd Brotzman. The narrative
gradually eases us into the more fantastical elements while simultaneously
retaining a hard edged approach. Like a
perfectly constructed puzzle little things will be significant later on. It
comes across like a pacier Twin Peaks
at first though once the fussy Gently introduces himself to Todd - by climbing
though his apartment window- matters start to take an eerier turn. It is true
that much of the explanation for what is going on comes via Gently’s spurts of
verbosity and it is not always clear how he knows what he knows. His holistic
approach allows the script considerable narrative leeway which some may find
unsatisfactory.
As a production
though it is note perfect with an array of dazzling performances including Jade
Eshete as security officer Farah Black, Hannah Marks as Todd’s sister Amanda and
Fiona Dourif as holistic assassin Bart. Elijah Wood has history with odd shows having
starred in Wilfrid so brings his wide
eyed `what the hell is going on` look into play. The rapport between Todd and
Gently is fantastic and better still the script develops each of them as matters unfold
so you root for them as mismatched investigators on a grand scale. If Samuel Barnett’s Gently is initially
presented as somewhat hysterical, he evolves across the eight episode to become
more likeable.
With lots of
ideas and pacey time twisting plot there’s always something going on as well as
several developments that surprise you. There’s also some brilliant imagery
including a shark that leaps out of a cat and a steampunk inspired space suit.
Love, Simon brings the gay coming of age story into
the mainstream. While it may appear to re-tread other films the difference is
that this is a major studio production. Rather cleverly it uses the tropes of
the traditional high school movie to tell a gay story. Winningly played by Nick
Robinson, Simon Spier is your average high schooler except that he carries the
secret of his sexuality well hidden. However when he responds to an anonymous
post on a public forum from someone else in the school it begins a
correspondence in which he starts to reveal more while speculating as to who
this other person may be. Then when these exchanges are threatened with being
revealed to all Simon finds himself blackmailed into deceiving and manipulating
his friends.
The scenario is played for the most part with a John Hughes- like
levity by a likeable ensemble and
plenty of well- placed gags notably some fantasy sequences including one
where several straight teens `come out` to their parents and another featuring
an absurdly colourful dance routine. It also does a good job in keeping the
identity of the other person unknown until the very last minute.
This is not an
edgy, earthy film like God’s Own Country
nor does it aspire to the same poetic level as Call Me By Your Name. Also Simon seems to be surrounded by an
astonishingly understanding family and school meaning that when his secret is
inevitably revealed the handful who rag him for it are presented as a minority.
Would this necessarily be true even today? This liberal approach does tend to sugar
coat the situation though Robinson is on hand to give his all in showing how
shocked and frustrating the whole thing is for Simon whose avowed wish is just
to keep things as they have always been yet knows he can’t. The actor makes the
movie work and he’s well supported especially by Alexandra Shipp as Abby and
Katherine Langford as Leah. I suppose you could call Love, Simon the gay movie for people who don’t like gay movies but it
makes it points well and is not without an emotional pull however lightly its
characters seem to deal with what’s thrown at them. And the best scene between
Simon and his mum near the end is beautifully written.
Mick Ronson was
a talented guitarist and producer yet seems destined to be mostly remembered
solely for his stint with David Bowie during the latter’s major breakthrough
period with the Spiders from Mars. Beside
Bowie, a film by Jon Brewer suggests it might rebalance that a little and
indeed many of its interviewees reference it. However as the title suggests
Ronson’s relatively short but influential time with Bowie is the cornerstone of
the documentary with the rest of his career glossed over in the final 20
minutes. Which is a shame when you think of his work on Lou Reed’s `Transformer`,
the Rich Kids album, John Mellancamp and latterly Morrissey’s `Your Arsenal`.
Also given short shrift are his collaborations with Ian Hunter both inside and beyond Mott
the Hoople. Even Ronson’s solo albums are left un-analysed apart from a few
comments.
None of this
appears to hold much interest for Brewer even though he pushes the idea that
the guitarist had far more influence on the sound of the Spiders than he was
ever credited for. He certainly takes a more forensic approach to the Bowie era
and lines up an impressive selection of talking heads including Mike Garson,
Tony Visconti and Angie Bowie. David himself also appears in a voiceover whose
origins are never explained. Are these old interview recordings? Were they done
specially for this documentary? His voice sounds weak and he’s clearly reading
from a script so perhaps they were. Yet even this material never really gets to
the core of Mick Ronson the musician and it’s easy to see why when you see him
interviewed. He’d probably have laughed if you’d asked him about his craft. He
talks about the creation of classic riffs and songs like he’s talking about
buying a loaf of bread! Self effacing and seemingly happy to go along with
Bowie’s outre costumes he appears to be someone who was content to play sidekick.
Indeed, the film mentions that his solo albums were more or less heaped on him
by management eager to find the next Bowie which he wasn’t. While he could have
covered Ronson’s post Bowie career in more detail its probably wrong to
criticise Brewer for a film that appears to skim the surface of a subject who
was exactly as he seemed to be; a good bloke and a talented musician. And in
context that seemed to work as a perfect counterpoint to the strange, enigmatic
Bowie.
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