Author: Ian D.

Superhero fatigue is known and understood in the Hollywood landscape. The sheer amount of movies leveraging spandex and face-punching filling the cultural cup, dare I say, has runneth over. But there is a different kind of fatigue spreading throughout Hollywood as well only slightly under the radar – nostalgia sequel fatigue.

Many comedians have spoken about “going blue.” Many comics are deft at navigating that humor (Louis C.K., Patton Oswalt, Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, etc.) and find depth and humanity in the hysterically foul. Others simply don’t go there (Jerry Seinfeld, Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan) and find just as much success. Some think blue humor is easier, that it requires less forethought to toss in a timely f-bomb. I suppose for an amateur that’s true but when you hit the pinnacle of the profession the lines aren’t so easily drawn.

On the surface there is something curiously thin about the Coen bros. new venture Hail, Caesar! It’s so fluffy and aloof at times it can feel lazy. But that’s not the Coen’s we know. Beneath the surface they are always searching for deeper themes, even under the guise of the 50’s Hollywood studio system.

Around the midway point of Andrew Haigh’s stunning new film 45 Years, Charlotte Rampling’s Kate makes a stunning revelation. It’s the week before her 45th anniversary and she has been planning the celebration for months. A week earlier her husband Geoff (Tom Courtenay) receives a letter in the mail informing him that his first love Katja’s body has been discovered.

Say the word Benghazi in the wrong company and you may very well have walked into the most awkward 15-minutes of your life. It’s a controversy that has permeated the political system for two years and promises to continue at least through the general election. So how do you approach this story from a Hollywood perspective?