Master Gardener (2022) Film By Paul Schrader

Lately, many of my posts have been about older or recent TV series but occasionally I like to blog about films or movies that leave a lasting impression on me long after I have finished watching it. One such movie is the film titled Master Gardener by Paul Schrader which premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in 2022 and which was subsequently released in the US by Magnolia Pictures the following year. Actually, I was drawn to this movie after watching Jane Campion's 2021 film The Power of the Dog which was based on Thomas Savage's 1967 novel of the same name. Because The Power of the Dog was such a good movie and Benedict Cumberbatch's performance in it truly brilliant,  I was searching for another indie or arthouse film with a storyline that was just as intriguing as The Power of the Dog when I stumbled upon this movie.  By the way, those who have not seen The Power of the Dog yet should really invest in the film since Benedict Cumberbatch's performance in it is alone worth your while. Another thing that attracted me to this film was the involvement of upcoming actor Joel Edgerton and veteran actress Sigourney Weaver. Edgerton, an Australian actor, has played many diverse roles, from Pharaoh Ramesses II in Exodus : Gods & Kings to more recent ones like Richard Loving in Loving, a movie about an interracial couple in 1960s Virginia which at that time had state laws prohibiting interracial marriages. You can also catch him in the current science fiction TV drama Dark Matter from Apple TV. It is also worth mentioning here that long time actor, Esai Morales, has a small cameo role in the movie and that newcomer Quintessa Swindell's performance in the movie is also exceptionally good. For those not acquainted with Paul Schrader, he is the legendary film maker, director and screenwriter responsible for movies like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, American Gigolo, Cat People, The Mosquito Coast and the more recent 2021 movie The Card Counter starring Oscar Isaac. In my humble opinion, most of Schrader's films are truly an examination of the human condition. A fact which is further validated by this film. 

So back to the intriguing storyline of this movie (which I will try not to give too much away), Edgerton plays the role of Narvel Roth, a meticulous horticulturist who tends to a vast but beautiful estate owned by the wealthy Mrs Haverhill (Sigourney Weaver). When first introduced to the character, Roth seems very contented with the tranquil life and daily routines in Gracewood Gardens but in actuality, he hides a very dark secret. However, his ordered existence within the estate will soon be disrupted upon the arrival of Mrs Haverhill's grand niece, Maya. Roth is truly an ironic role for Edgerton as the character actually contradicts a previous role played by him, Richard Loving. Through a series of clues and flashbacks, the viewer is slowly given glimpses of Roth's past life. A complex character, Roth is a very different man from his past self and by the end of the film, we see him evolving even further. The movie also uses a lot of imagery and symbolism like the fact that Roth views gardening as a way to project the future. Something that he can control like the scheduled way he runs everything on the estate grounds. Even the beautiful and tranquil images of flowers that adorn the movie's opening credits are deceptive and seems to hide the actual violent nature of the film's story. But what actually attracted me to the movie was Schrader's (the film was written and directed by him) ability to see into the darkest recesses of the human soul but yet find something redemptive and faith restoring there. The characters, despite their huge flaws, are always portrayed sympathetically and handled with reserved judgement in his films. At the age of 77 and after some personal struggles, perhaps this film is Schrader's ode to life hence the optimistic ending of the film. Apparently, Master Gardener is the final part in Paul Schrader's "Man In A Room" trilogy of films. The first and second films being the 2017 film First Reformed starring Ethan Hawke and the 2021 movie The Card Counter with Oscar Isaac. However, when I first discovered this movie I was completely unaware that it was part of a trilogy of films. Until now, I have never seen the other two films but from articles like the one linked below from The New York Times (which contain some spoilers), I found out that these three films are actually connected and that they share some similar themes like self destruction, dormant violence and redemption.     

Living With The Men of Paul Schrader's 'Man In A Room' Trilogy by Esther Zuckerman (The New York Times) 

So, if you are curious about this movie and you want to know who Roth actually is and what happens to him in the end, check out the film and let me know what you think in the comments. I would really like to hear them.  Lastly, please note that the film received mixed but mostly favorable reviews but it contains some very adult situations, so its not for the kids or family viewing. There is a comprehensive review of this film on RogerEbert.com by Glenn Kenny which best describes this film, if you don't mind some minor spoilers, or that you can read after viewing the movie. The film garnered a 4 star rating on the website while Mr Kenny is obviously a fan of Paul Schrader. As for me, I might be tempted to explore the other two earlier films in the trilogy at a later date. 

Review on Master Gardener (RogerEbert.com) By Glenn Kenny 

Trailer Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing

(the above video contains some minor spoilers)

If you are interested, this movie is available on DVD/Blu-Ray from Magnolia Home Entertainment and via streaming on Amazon Prime. The links are provided below.

    Master Gardener Blu-Ray (Amazon US) (paid link)

 

  Master Gardener (Amazon Prime) (paid link)

The Rise of TV & Declining Standards of Film

Actually, this post is an expansion of my previous (deleted) post on 10th June 2014 which was a short commentary on the falling standards of movies and films in our local cinemas in contrast to the content on our TVs that have improved by leaps and bounds largely due to cable networks and giant streaming channels like Netflix and Amazon Prime who have invested heavily in many expensive and high quality TV movies, series and mini series (now more popularly known as limited series) that include a diverse range of stories from different parts of the world. Since 2014, I had noticed a sharp decline in the quality of movies being shown in my local theatres and have been avoiding them during outings with my family as I felt that the price of the ticket was a sheer waste of my money. Back then, movies that were being shown were mostly unoriginal and unimaginative with repetitive themes and storylines that relied instead on the big names of their stars to draw in the crowds. Remakes of old films, sequels, films based on children's fairy tales, poor adaptions of books aimed at teenagers, 'kaiju' films and superhero movies from Marvel/ DC seem to flood our cinemas until today. Although movies from the 1980s and 1990s lacked the spectacular special effects found in our current line-up of movies, they always had epic, fresh and exciting stories to tell the audience thanks to trailblazers like Spielberg and Lucas and studios who were not adverse to taking risks. Are they getting better? Honestly, not really for me as I had not gone to the cinema for nearly 2 decades. However, the only movie that got me strangely a little excited was the 2022 movie, The Batman, from director Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson. I thought it was a really good reboot of the Batman film franchise and Robert Pattinson's performance as the brooding Bruce Wayne/ Batman was surprising in a good way (he is also very good at playing brooding vampires). But the film is still another remake from the DC universe nonetheless which proves my earlier point right? The idea is if there are too many LEGO movies out there, why don't we do a movie about Barbie instead? No condemnation or judgement is reserved here for those who enjoyed these movies, but you have to admit that there is a serious lack of variety and original films in our cinemas today.

On the other hand, because of streaming platforms, movies that have just been released in cinemas are almost instantaneously available on our small screens which eliminates the need for most of us to visit the local cinema frequently. Streaming platforms also allows us to participate in "binging" apart from the more traditional 'appointment' viewing. In other words, we get to see multiple episodes or even whole seasons in one sitting at the time most convenient to us. No more waiting for episodes to be shown on weekly basis or checking the time slots for them. Personally, I feel that streaming has changed the way we watch TV and this new attachment to our TVs, home entertainment systems and mobile phones (especially after Covid-19) is a major factor that pushed for better content on our small screens. Cable networks like AMC, HBO, Showtime and FX are constantly breaking new ground with high quality classic shows like Mad Men, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, True Blood, Breaking Bad, Dexter and more recent ones like Shogun. Most of these series have achieved cult status with huge and rabid followers. Another instance of TV taking the higher ground is the cult TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer which premiered in the late 1990s. The series creator, Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Firefly). initially wrote Buffy as a movie which was screened in 1992. However, due to interference from the studio 20th Century Fox, the story was changed so much that Whedon decided to re-write a darker version of the story for TV instead. Needless to say, the series became a hit and an icon while the film received mixed and average reviews. 

TV is a medium where writers are able to develop long and complicated story arcs over the course of a few seasons. This translates to a better channel for writers to be more creative and to tell their stories at a more leisurely pace. Characters who have more time to develop are also better fleshed out. So it is hardly surprising that a lot of famous actors, talented screenwriters, prominent directors and established producers are turning to the small screen. In fact, I was further reminded of this while watching an interview of prolific American actor, Kevin Bacon, who was at that time starring in the 2013 Fox TV series The Following, with Peter Travers on ABC News. Here, he mentions about why so many actors like himself and writers are migrating to TV. By the way, the series is written by Kevin Williamson who is responsible for the Scream movies. So instead of paying for a pricey movie ticket and popcorn, I might just settle in my cozy sofa in front of the telly because there is where the good stories are😊.

(Interview Video Courtesy of  Popcorn with Peter Travers-ABC News)

Lately, I have discovered some interesting articles from Forbes that is related to this topic and have included the links to these articles for those who are interested in reading them.

How TV Viewing Habits Have Changed (Forbes) By Falon Fatemi 

5 Ways Streaming Changed Television Forever In The Last Decade (Forbes) By Toni Fitzgerald

Luther (British TV Series)

If you have been reading my blog then you would be aware that I am an avid fan of detective or crime dramas and lately I have been exploring some crime series from Europe and other non English speaking countries namely series like Memento Mori (2023) from Spain and other French crime dramas which I had talked about extensively in my last few posts. Other crime series worth mentioning is Cardinal, a Canadian series with actor Billy Campbell as the main protagonist that lasted 4 seasons (2017-2020) and the 2020 remake of Van der Valk starring Marc Warren which despite being a British TV series is actually about a police detective in modern day Amsterdam. However, before migrating to these shows, what started the ball rolling for me were mostly my affinity for British crime series and there have been many over the decades. More recently shows like Temple (2019-2021), a medical crime drama (based on the Norwegian series Valkyrien) about a respected surgeon who runs an illegal clinic that treats criminals in the abandoned service tunnels below London's Temple Underground Station to fund his research on a cure for his terminally ill wife, and the ongoing crime drama Grace, set in Brighton and starring John Simm, has resuscitated my interest in them. However, there are a few shows that are standouts. Among them is a relatively newer series which I will reveal later but here I'm going to talk about an older series that until today many outside the UK or in the US might still be unaware of although many Americans are familiar with the lead actor for his role in the HBO series The Wire. Of course, I'm talking about the Neil Cross TV Series Luther and Idris Elba who plays the titular character DCI John Luther. Firstly, a little background on showrunner Neil Cross. He is a prolific British novelist and screenwriter for many TV projects including the pre-apocalyptic crime series Hard Sun (2018) produced by BBC One and Hulu which unfortunately lasted only one season. His other involvements also include the British series Spooks and Doctor Who. However, the force that catapulted both him and actor Idris Elba to fame was largely attributed to this series. So why is this series different from other crime British dramas? Besides the fact that both the show's lead characters are played by the very charismatic Idris Elba and accomplished actress Ruth Wilson (Jane Eyre, The Affair, His Dark Materials), the series is not exactly a "procedural police crime drama" and can be more aptly defined as a "psychological crime thriller". Personally, I feel that many British crime dramas that fall in the earlier category can sometimes be too mired in the details of the investigations or cases which makes them a little dry, humorless and meandering which ultimately makes viewing them a drudgery. Fortunately, this series does not suffer from this. In fact, from the opening scene and the first episode, the viewer is already aware that he/she is watching something very different. The series, which lasted 5 seasons, was aired on BBC One from 2010 to 2019. Because each season consisted of only 2 to 6 episodes, the story is fast paced with our main protagonist often embroiled in tense and challenging situations back to back. So who actually is DCI John Luther? Luther is a Detective Chief Inspector working for the Serious Crimes Unit. Intelligent but often obsessive and compulsive to the point of being detrimental to himself, he is often faced with demented criminals who are often then not also killers. He is also prone to using violence and questionable means to apprehend/ stop them if necessary which often lands him in trouble.

It would seem (up to this point) that this series is not very different from other British crime dramas. However, later in the first episode of the first season, we are introduced to Alice Morgan, a female psychopath and killer who has managed to commit the perfect murder. Here is where this series diverges from the others. Despite the series being named after the titular character, Luther is not only about DCI John Luther and the many criminals and killers he is up against but the it is also very much about Alice Morgan and her complicated relationship with Luther throughout the series. Many might know that Elba won numerous awards for his portrayal of Luther but if you have seen this series, you would know that Ruth Wilson is truly mesmerizing when she appears onscreen as the brilliant, dangerous and complicated Alice. Needless to say, most scenes when they both appear together are often sexually charged and tense while the conversations between them can be liken to those between Dr Lecter and Agent Starling, albeit in a more understated manner. For those not acquainted with the series, Alice eventually becomes Luther's constant nemesis, romantic interest, companion and confidant throughout the seasons. As I mentioned earlier, the line between right and wrong is often blurred for Luther which makes him a fallible character and an interesting watch. Besides the interesting relationship between both leads, the series also offers enough action scenes and surprises in the course of Luther's investigations to hold the viewer's attention. Most of Luther's high profile cases involve insane serial killers and violent criminals. All episodes are written by Neil Cross who manages to put his own (and often unexpected) spin on each story. Each season is either centered on a single case or multiple cases depending on the number of episodes in each season which can vary greatly from only 2 to 6 episode and because the gaps between each season can be lengthy, the first episode of each season usually picks up with Luther in different stages of his life/ work.

By now you might have noticed that I did not mention about the film Luther : The Fallen Sun which is a feature film sequel to the series released in selected cinemas and later streamed by Netflix in 2023. The reason being that I had purposely avoided the movie despite being an avid fan of the series. Why? Because when most of my favorite TV series were adapted into feature films in the past, they always disappointed me and were lacking in some aspects (e.g. Joss Whedon's TV series Firefly which later spawned a feature length film of the same name). TV is a medium that is suitable for long story arcs and when TV series are adapted into film, the story is often rushed and this often changes the dynamics of the storyline. The other deciding factor was the absence of Ruth Wilson/ Alice Morgan whose role played a crucial part in the series. So despite being written by Neil Cross and produced by Idris Elba, I still gave it a skip. A personal choice on my part but don't let me discourage you from checking it out if you are a fan of the series or even if you have never seen the series before. Lastly, if you're looking for a good British criminal drama that is different from the norm, this series should be your top choice. A story from one of the most promising British screenwriters of our times and career defining performances from Elba and Wilson ensures that this series will remain a favorite among many for a long time.  

(Video Courtesy of BBC Studios)

For those who are seeking this series to watch for the first time or simply to re-visit it, all five seasons of the series is available on Amazon Prime US. The Blu-Ray Boxset for Luther Season 1-5 is available on Amazon US. However, the set is the UK version in Region B/2. The feature film Luther : The Fallen Sun is currently unavailable on Amazon US. 

Luther Season 1-5 Amazon Prime (paid link)

Luther Season 1-5 Blu-Ray (Region B/2) (paid link)