Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter in the film ‘Fight Club’

A cup of toxic masculinity today? A side of questionable mental health and an unreliable narrator? How about a slice of did she really exist? Also a possible stand in for other metaphorical equivalents, the film Fight Club (1999) is the subject of today’s review. This review includes spoilers; know that I recommend you watch the film. Continue reading now or come back after watching the film.

(From left, Edward Norton as Narrator Jack and Meat Loaf as Robert Paulson in the 1999 film Fight Club).

Edward Norton stars as the unreliable narrator who we in the audience come to know as Jack through the course of the film Fight Club, which is based on the 1996 book Fight Club: A Novel by Chuck Palahniuk. We’re introduced to the notion that our noble narrator might have some emotional struggles early on as he moves from support group to support group, regardless of having the underlying issue at the core of each group. It is in this environment where Jack meets Bob Paulson, later Robert Paulson and portrayed by Meatloaf. It’s also in this environment that we meet Marla Singer as portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter.

(From left, Helena Bonham Carter as Marla Singer and Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden in the film Fight Club).

It is in the relationships with Paulson and Singer that we begin to get a notion for discreet disconnects in the personality of Jack. The nature of the disconnects become much to obvious to ignore when we meet the character Tyler Durden as portrayed by Brad Pitt. If you’ve never watched Fight Club, or you are up for another viewing, offer special notice of the relationship Jack has with Singer and Durden in particular. Notice also the ancillary details offered in these performances, as the story really excels at the subtle offering of clues along the way.

(Zach Grenier as Richard Chesler in the film Fight Club).

Richard Chester, as portrayed by Zach Grenier, is Jack’s boss for an automobile company. Chester witnesses the truth of Jack’s character, as revealed fully to the audience, perhaps first among the many characters in the movie. The storytelling means of revealing this information is expertly accomplished because the dialogue and action explains exactly how the world experiences Jack. Chester’s response in the face of what is unwell in Jack stands in well for the audience in addition to being the critique of the culture underpinning the actions of Tyler and Jack.

(From left, Brad Pitt and Fight Club director David Fincher at a promotional event for Fight Club).

David Fincher directed Fight Club, bringing the dark edge to the full expression of the film that has been something of a signature of his films. In offering an additional twist not explicitly spelled out by the film, yet suggested explicitly and interestingly by That Film Theory, is it possible that the big reveal we get at the end of the film regarding Tyler Durden and Jack aren’t the only dramatic plot twists? Is it possible that Marla Singer also exists only in the mind of Edward Norton‘s character? The video included with the link to That Film Theory offers an interesting take with observations from the film. Even the closing dress of Jack and Marla to close the film leaves this possibility open.

(From left, Edward Norton as Narrator Jack and Helena Bonham Carter as Marla Singer in the film Fight Club).

The film Fight Club offers much for the careful film viewer looking to be entertained. The subject matter is not for everyone, for sure. If this film might be your style, you will be rewarded with the viewing. I rate Fight Club at 4.5-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Wednesday, August 5, 2020

Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins and Season Three of ‘Justified’

We first introduced you to the FX television series Justified (2010-2015) with our look into the first season last July. We followed with a look into season two in September. The third 13-episode season of Justified brings an exiled Detroit mobster to Harlan through Lexington, Kentucky to establish the oxycontin trade. Meanwhile, a couple of other criminal feuds breakout with allegiances changing with rapid fire, ending up with Nobles Holler playing a decent part in the larger story.

(Natalie Zea as Winona Hawkins, left, and Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens in the television series Justified).

Timothy Olyphant continues to star in season three of Justified as the righteous yet rule-bending lawman morally mixed-up with his ex-wife Winona Hawkins, as portrayed by Natalie Zea. The story involving Gary Hawkins, as portrayed by William Ragsdale, is one worth keeping an eye on through the season.

(Left to right, Neal McDonough as Robert Quarles, William Ragsdale as Gary Hawkins and Jere Burns as Wynn Duffy in the television series Justified).

The exiled Detroit mobster Robert Quarles, portrayed by Neal McDonough, interplays with Dixie Mafia enforcer Wynn Duffy, as portrayed by Jere Burns. The banter among these characters highlights cultural differences between the Midwestern United States and Appalachia, aiming for humor in the approach.

(Left to right, Joelle Carter as Ava Crowder, Raymond J. Barry as Arlo Givens and Walton Goggins as Boyd Crowder in the television series Justified).

Old feuds surface in the telling of the story of introducing new players into the vacuum caused by the deaths of Mags Bennett and others in the second season of the series. The feud between Boyd Crowder, as portrayed by Walton Goggins, and Dickie Bennett, as portrayed by Jeremy Davies, is a central part of that tale. Ava Crowder remains in league with her former brother-in-law, Boyd, while Arlo Givens joins the Crowders, including wheel-chair bound Johnny Crowder, in that process. Joelle Carter plays Ava Crowder. Raymond J. Barry plays Arlo Givens, the father to Raylan. David Meunier plays Johnny Crowder.

(Todd Stashwick as Ash Murphy, left, and Jeremy Davies as Dickie Bennett in the television series Justified).

Almost everybody through the third season of Justified has an interest in the money that Mags Bennett has left in trust with the Ellstin Limehouse in Noble’s Holler. Dickie Bennett believes himself to be the rightful heir to the fortune, which in separate parts motivates behavior for Boyd, Johnny and Ava Crowder, Arlo Givens, Raylan Givens, Ash Murphy and Ellstin Limehouse. Ash Murphy, a Kentucky jailer, is portrayed by Todd Stashwick. Ellstin Limehouse is portrayed by Mykelti Williamson.

(Left to right, Mykelti Williamson as Ellstin Limehouse, Erica Tazel as Rachel Brooks and Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens in the television series Justified).

Law enforcement officers with the U.S. Marshals Service in Justified continue to include Rachel Brooks as portrayed by Erica Tazel, Art Mullen as portrayed by Nick Searcy and Tim Gutterson as portrayed by Jacob Pitts. A nebulous and entertaining fictional part of this series is the different degrees of gray that these characters, and all the characters to some degree, in this series occupy.

(Left to right, Nick Searcy as Art Mullen, Jacob Pitts as Tim Gutterson and Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens in the television series Justified).

The third season of this series hits another home run of entertaining for me, which allowed me to move quickly through the season. The emotional truths of different characters in the story, flaws and quirks right there for the telling, is part of what resonates in the storytelling of this season. The same has been true of the series overall, with payoffs among the different seasons as well. I grade for season three of Justified at 4.25-stars on a scale of one-to-five.

Matt – Saturday, January 18, 2020