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Ari's Art Review 7
by Ari Armstrong, Copyright © 2025
August 24, 2025
Mr. Bates Versus the Post Office: Although released as a 2024 four-part television series, this is in essence a three-hour movie. Here is the Wiki summary of the underlying scandal: "Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 subpostmasters were wrongfully convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting based on faulty Horizon data, with about 700 of these prosecutions carried out by the Post Office." The cast of the film (as I'll call it) is led by the phenomenal Toby Jones, who plays a subpostmaster caught up in the early part of the scandal who subsequently helped the many victims fight for justice. This is, unintentionally, one of the most libertarian films ever made, about the harms of government corruption. The film is exceptionally well written (by Gwyneth Hughes) and acted, and it is one of my all-time favorites.
A Kind of Spark: I haven't read the book by Elle McNicoll, but I absolutely love the two-season TV series at BYUTV.com. (I was surprised to learn that BYU has its own streaming service, free for users.) The first season, based on McNicoll's book, is about an English autistic girl, Addie, upset about her town's history murdering witches and determined to get a memorial built for the victims. The second season, in which McNicoll was involved, is about Addie finding a long-closed bookshop and seeking to reopen it. Will Addie and her friends learn why the bookstore closed years ago? On top of this story is one about the friend of Addie's older sister, who as an autistic child had horrible experiences in Addie's town and who carries deep resentments. The entire cast is outstanding, and the three brightest stars are autistic and play autistic characters. These are Lola Blue as Addie, Georgia de Gidlow as Addie's older sister, and Ella Maisy Purvis as the resentful friend. The deep theme running through the series is the importance of respecting other people whatever their differences. The show also is about the possibility and power of redemption. This series, which manifests a deep benevolence, is another of my all-time favorites. Although the show is oriented to kids, adults also can thoroughly enjoy it.
Patience: Purvis (see above) also is the lead star in the British cop show Patience, based closely on the French show Astrid (or Astrid et Raphaëlle). I've seen the first four seasons of Astrid and very much enjoyed them. One difference is that Sara Mortensen, who plays Astrid and who is not autistic, plays the character as more obviously autistic to the outside world. That's not a complaint—autism can appear very differently in different people and in the same person at different times. Another difference is that Lola Dewaere, who plays Astrid's police partner (Astrid works in records), plays a much more flamboyant version of the character relative to the British remake. Other than that, the shows are in many respects very similar. I plan to continue watching both shows as long as they continue.
Superman 2025: James Gunn's Superman starts by showing Superman as vulnerable and injured. That's a good move. Traditionally, Superman has been so powerful and invincible that it's been hard to imagine anything that could hurt him, except for the injection of Kryptonite. I would have enjoyed a truer-to-life, grittier version of Superman. But then Gunn introduces this elaborate multiverse scenario that, to me, is a confusing distraction. But, if you get past that, there's a lot to like about the film. The film asks, Will you do the right thing or turn away? The film urges us to make our own moral judgments rather than defer to political actors, who after all may not have our best interests at heart. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan are solid as Clark Kent and Lois Lane. But the two actors who steal the show are Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific (a superhero I hadn't even heard of) and Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern. Cowen writes, "The core message is that AI, drones, biotech, and nanotech will elevate the power of private companies and individuals over states, and this is likely to prove unstable on an ongoing basis." I don't think that's the film's "core message," but it does seem to be the backdrop.
Children of Men: The 1992 P. D. James novel is vastly different from the 2006 film, even though the basic story in each revolves around the collapse of human fertility. This is quite prophetic given the current hand-wringing over falling fertility rates! The book is about the horrors made possible through cold bureaucracy. One of the greats of science-fiction.
Tetris: I'm not sure how much of the film is based on real life. The story is about the Russian who wrote the game Tetris and about the American who struggled to work with the corrupt, collapsing Soviet regime to try to obtain international rights to the game.
Conclave: I quite enjoyed this film, starring Ralph Fiennes, about a fictional papal conclave, although the ending is unrealistic. I also appreciated Two Popes, truer to life and therefore a lot more boring.
Wicked I enjoyed the film a lot more than I thought I would. Its theme is a libertarian one, about the dangers of government corruption, and about whether one will make the choice to challenge the resulting oppression.
Pangolin: Kulu's Journey: This Netflix documentary is surprisingly touching, about a man who rehabilitates and finally releases a South African pangolin, becoming quite attached in the process. The film's meta-narrative is about the alienation of an overly technological world, and about the heartbreak of an empty nest. I also mostly enjoyed Paddington in Peru, another film about the empty nest.
Black Bag: Who can say no to a subtle, psychological spy thriller starring Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett? Not me!
Dream Scenario: Sometimes hilarious, sometimes horrifying, this film is about the double-edged sword of social media stardom. The premise is that a man (Nicolas Cage) starts showing up in people's dreams. The writers didn't know how to end the film though.
IP Man: This film is a stylized version of the life of Ip Man, who taught Bruce Lee. The film becomes a basic "fight against oppression" story.
Librarians: This often-cheesy television series is surprisingly entertaining and warm-hearted. Plus I have a soft spot for Rebecca Romijn, who plays the guardian to three "librarians," tasked with keeping magical forces under control.
Murderbot: The TV series, about a cyborg tasked with protecting a group of researchers on an alien planet, is about choosing friendship and loyalty. The researchers are basically from a hippie commune, so that's funny, at least for a while.
Complete Unknown: This is a pretty good depiction of Bob Dylan's life in music. But the scene-stealer is John "Scoot" McNairy as the afflicted Woody Guthrie.
Better Man: A biopic about an English pop star (Robbie Williams), except the lead character is a CGI chimp. Very weird. The film shows Williams's struggles with substance abuse and his eventual redemption.
Unbreakable Boy: The film, at the surface about a child with brittle-bone disease and autism, really is about the boy's father's struggle with alcoholism. It's okay.
How to Train Your Dragon 2025: Almost an exact recreation of the 2010 animated film, except with live-action actors. I enjoyed it but the original is the classic.
Thunderbolts: A Marvel film about depression and the role of friends in helping to overcome it. That's at least an interesting change of pace, although I probably never will watch the film again. It was better than the latest Captain America film.
Fountain of Youth: This Apple film was surprisingly terrible. The writing is a disaster. Avoid!