Thursday, May 14, 2020

Good Morning, World

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I wish I had gotten to see True History of the Kelly Gang in a theater instead of at home -- I've had trouble writing about it (but then, in case you hadn't noticed, I've been having trouble writing about everything since this *gestures at everything* began) and I think my thoughts might've been more concrete had I been consumed by the movie in the way movie theaters have a habit of making happen. At home, on my TV, I think it lost something -- what should have felt monumental... didn't. It felt like a puffing out of the chest but not an actual honest to goodness chest, know what I mean?

I'd like to give it a re-watch though, and not just -- not just -- because Nicholas Hoult and Charlie Hunnam and George Mackay form a Transformers-like tripod of exquisite male beauty within the thing. Justin Kurzel's proven himself a challenging, surprising filmmaker every time up to bat and I think there's a chance I could connect with it better on a second go-round. All of the pieces are there. The costumes, the mythic staging, the Shakespearean bonkers of it all. We will see.

Anyway I'm not actually here for THOTKG even though I just talked for two paragraphs about it and even though these gifs you see here of Nicky Hoult are from that film -- I'm here because Nicky's series The Great with Elle Fanning premieres on Hulu tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, and I wanna tell you...
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... it's fucking dynamite. I was fairly certain it was a show made for me when I posted about it the very first time and then even more sure when we saw the first full trailer (here) but I have indeed seen the show now (all but the finale, that is) and it's My New Favorite Thing. It lives up to the trailer and more -- it's thigh-slappingly funny, stuffed with sumptuously outrageous costumes and characters (there's a deep bench of people doing very funny work) and indeed I could just stare at Elle & Nicky for a thousand more hours. I love this show like I love chocolate cake or oral sex. Chocolate cake AND oral sex, even.

Hoult here in particular continues to prove himself to be one of our best young actors -- this leans pretty hard into what he was doing with The Favourite (not a surprise given it's from The Favourite's writer) but why fix what's not broken? Give me a million shows and movies where he plays a contemptible shit-heel in ridiculous wigs (and, uhh, less -- cough cough keep an eye out for the sixth episode and you shall be rewarded) and I will sign up every goddamned time.

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