Round-up 8: Unity through Cinema?

“So, what? No fuckin’ tariffs?” – Anthony Soprano Jr., probably. I'm kidding around, But I can’t help but give a quick perspective on the absurdity of the Trump administration over the last few weeks as the American markets have plummeted and then shot back up and ducked again. I spend the majority of my days writing and listening to people talk about the economic woes of our present day when attending classes for my degree. It’s been stressful from a different perspective than displayed by my professors or even the mainstream media; I’m still a young man, I’m Gen Z, technically speaking, and therefore don’t have hundreds of thousands in the stock market… Not even tens, nor thousands… So, what is stressful for my generation?

            Well, to begin with, we’ve been through a global pandemic that shut down the most significant part of our young adult lives. I speak for myself here, but losing the “normal” college experience was greatly demoralizing on its own, but to emerge from it into an economy and political landscape that refuses to equalize feels plain cruel. The state of politics since my coming-of-age in the mid-2010s has been an ever-growing crescendo of vileness and shit-slinging. The uncertainty around the world economy since COVID has only gotten worse, and each day since Trump's election, it’s only looked scarier. I’m not a Democrat, and I’m not a Republican. If you’d asked me a couple of years ago, I would’ve said I’m a Libertarian, but even now, I rarely fully identify with that faction. I feel that a large part of the issues we’re facing have to do with the radicalization of each of the major parties, and the masses are feeling disconnected from them because of it. It’s only fuel to the fire of uncertainty that we face and further divides us against each other. This divide has infiltrated mine and the younger generation in a different way than prior; I don’t see the same infighting I used to, and I see more conversations being had, which warms my heart considering the state of the world. Despite all this, we still are in a screwed-up position finance-wise. There's not a lot looking up in that regard. The older generations I welcome to comment on this on what they see and what they would do in our situation.

In these times, I consider myself a Classical Liberal. In some twisted sense, I’d like to think I can bridge the gap between the parties and show that we are far more alike than different. Call me self-centered. Through writing about cinema, television, and pop culture in general, I think there’s a common ground for all people to gather around. Healthy discourse begins with common ground and grows to a place where opposing opinions can be shared without the threat of an altercation arising. I think I can see myself infusing some more of these politicized insights into my work and writings, but I believe that comes with wielding opinions responsibly. So, that’s exactly what I’ll aim to do.

Back to the good stuff, what did I watch this past week? Had a rough week of school mumbo-jumbo (hence, the tariff intro), but once the mid-week rolled around, I was able to unwind and watch some good content. First, I watched Bong Joon Ho's Mickey 17 (2025) starring Robert Pattinson in the leading role. I enjoyed this a lot, but not nearly as much as expected. I think that may have been the prime issue from my end: expectations. This is entirely irrational, considering Ho’s previous achievement was Parasite (2019). All this to say I did get the message and appreciated the physical comedy, but not everything landed for me. Felt like the runtime was a little bit stretched, and while Mark Ruffalo’s Trump caricature was funny, it did lean into the SNL style a bit more than it should have to effectively convey the serious themes being put forward. The final act was full of some exciting sci-fi action but also fell apart once the resolution concluded, with too much wrapping-up being explained in longhand when it would’ve been more effective with a more concise execution.

Then, I gave Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night (2024) a rewatch, the recounting of the first-ever live showing of SNL in 1975. It was a late-night decision to watch, so I floated in and out of it, having seen it a couple of times already. What stood out to me most aggressively during this viewing, probably to do with how late it was, was how damn scary JK Simmons was as Milton Berle. Particularly, that final confrontation between him and Chevy Chase had so much weight behind it that I almost lost my breath, even knowing it was coming. Overall, a very tight piece of filmmaking that feels like controlled chaos, but not without giving its roses to the era.

The next day, I had all to myself, so I wanted to find a longer film that I knew I’d enjoy, and while there are so many big ones, I still haven’t seen my mental ailments, as always, pull me towards what I already know. With this in mind, I started the day off with a personal matinee of Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). And oh, what a fantastic time this film always is. It had been a few years since I’d seen it last, and with all that’s happening in the economics and finance world, I thought, why not give it another go? It did not disappoint, an ever-disgusting portrayal of the moral corruption that greed brings. DiCaprio’s portrayal is obviously fantastic, but what jumped off the screen was Jonah Hill as his counterpart; you can feel the energy radiating off of him for every scene he’s a part of. I credit this to his devotion to Mr. Scorsese, which clearly fueled him to go above and beyond. Tight editing and a quick pace make those three hours fly by without much thinking. The scene where Jordan gets messed up on the quaaludes and desperately tries to get home to warn Donnie that the phones are tapped never fails to crack me up.

I finished the week off with a viewing of one of my favorite films of all time: Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing(1989). It’s one of those films that change your life; you’ll always remember the first time you saw it, or at least that’s how it is for me. An ensemble cast of colorful characters from all different walks of life and cultures come together under a single neighborhood on what happens to be the hottest day of the year. What follows is tension boiling over as racial divides come between chances of unity. Blows my mind that such a great and expertly-made film could be made by someone so young, he was only thirty-two when it was released. This one has entered the docket of films I need to make a dedicated essay about, especially given the political and social landscape we’re in nowadays and how unifying I believe this particular film of Spike’s really is.

Wrapping up Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men over the next couple of days, and then I intend on rewatching the Coen brother’s adaption of it from a few years later. Kinda been bummed out since March Madness ended, I miss having an “event” to look forward to in the evenings. Here’s to creating our own. Til next week.