This review of “The Nowhere Inn” was first published after the film’s premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
“The Nowhere Inn” — a new meta-concert doc produced, written by and starring Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein and Annie “St. Vincent” Clark — is a collection of comedic and musical sketches that are not funny, weird or thoughtful enough to sell its creators’ insistent, but mostly trite and undeveloped, ideas about the performative nature of self-fashioning and creative authenticity.
Directed by Bill Benz (Brownstein’s semi-regular “Portlandia” collaborator), “The Nowhere Inn” is initially presented as a dramatized version of Brownstein and Clark’s real-life attempts at filming a St. Vincent concert movie. So at the start, the movie’s sketchier qualities appear to reflect both the surreal emotional peaks and troughs of a live musical tour.
Unfortunately, the movie’s cringe humor-style gags are mostly thin and monotonous, and even a few psychedelic...
“The Nowhere Inn” — a new meta-concert doc produced, written by and starring Sleater-Kinney’s Carrie Brownstein and Annie “St. Vincent” Clark — is a collection of comedic and musical sketches that are not funny, weird or thoughtful enough to sell its creators’ insistent, but mostly trite and undeveloped, ideas about the performative nature of self-fashioning and creative authenticity.
Directed by Bill Benz (Brownstein’s semi-regular “Portlandia” collaborator), “The Nowhere Inn” is initially presented as a dramatized version of Brownstein and Clark’s real-life attempts at filming a St. Vincent concert movie. So at the start, the movie’s sketchier qualities appear to reflect both the surreal emotional peaks and troughs of a live musical tour.
Unfortunately, the movie’s cringe humor-style gags are mostly thin and monotonous, and even a few psychedelic...
- 9/16/2021
- by Simon Abrams
- The Wrap
If you’ve seen Netflix‘s highly anticipated “Breaking Bad” follow-up from last fall, you know why Aaron Paul is an Emmys front-runner for reprising his role as meth-making tragic hero Jesse Pinkman. But there’s one other former cast member who appears throughout “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” that I’m hoping awards voters will also consider: Jesse Plemons.
Plemons’ role as creepy Todd Alquist, an aspiring meth cook and nephew of white supremacists, came to a brutal end in the 2013 series finale of “Breaking Bad” when Jesse broke free of his cage and choked him with a chain. But thanks to flashbacks, fans experienced even more of Todd in “El Camino,” with Plemons giving a career-best performance. Back when Todd was keeping Jesse in captivity, there was one weekend where he let the scraggly prisoner out to help him with a “favor.” As it turns out, Todd...
Plemons’ role as creepy Todd Alquist, an aspiring meth cook and nephew of white supremacists, came to a brutal end in the 2013 series finale of “Breaking Bad” when Jesse broke free of his cage and choked him with a chain. But thanks to flashbacks, fans experienced even more of Todd in “El Camino,” with Plemons giving a career-best performance. Back when Todd was keeping Jesse in captivity, there was one weekend where he let the scraggly prisoner out to help him with a “favor.” As it turns out, Todd...
- 4/5/2020
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Now that you’ve seen Netflix‘s highly anticipated “Breaking Bad” movie — and if you haven’t, stop reading this spoiler-filled article right now! — you know that Aaron Paul should dust off his awards mantel to prep for the likely onslaught of statuettes he’s about to receive for reprising his role as meth-making tragic hero Jesse Pinkman. But there’s one other former cast member who appears throughout “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie” that I’m hoping awards voters will also consider: Jesse Plemons.
As “Breaking Bad” viewers may recall, Plemons’ role as creepy Todd Alquist, an aspiring meth cook and nephew of white supremacists, came to a brutal end in the 2013 series finale when Jesse broke free of his cage and choked him with a chain. While that was the end of Todd in the TV series, he pops up in several key flashbacks in Netflix’s film.
As “Breaking Bad” viewers may recall, Plemons’ role as creepy Todd Alquist, an aspiring meth cook and nephew of white supremacists, came to a brutal end in the 2013 series finale when Jesse broke free of his cage and choked him with a chain. While that was the end of Todd in the TV series, he pops up in several key flashbacks in Netflix’s film.
- 10/12/2019
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
You’re likely only reading this if you’ve already seen “El Camino,” so this won’t be a spoiler-free review. But it also won’t ruin everything if you haven’t. Critics may not always peddle what fans want, but “El Camino” — what’s being called “A Breaking Bad Movie” and now available on Netflix (and in some movie theaters) — proves that creator Vince Gilligan is a Walter White-level master of delivering on what the devoted have been craving: a couple extra hours in sun-drenched Albuquerque’s darker corners with everyone’s favorite meth-lab work spouse turned traumatized ex Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), one of the more memorable television characters of the past decade.
Writer-director Gilligan’s plans to follow up with Jesse after his cathartic, grisly escape from brutal crystal-cooking servitude were hatched in the making of that final “Breaking Bad” episode, which Gilligan also wrote and directed.
Writer-director Gilligan’s plans to follow up with Jesse after his cathartic, grisly escape from brutal crystal-cooking servitude were hatched in the making of that final “Breaking Bad” episode, which Gilligan also wrote and directed.
- 10/11/2019
- by Robert Abele
- The Wrap
After their 2013 short film “Here and Now” was selected by Ron Howard as the winner of Canon's “Project Imaginat10n” film contest, producers Abigail Spencer, Josh Pence, Justin Allen and director Julian Higgins are reteaming on a new short film titled “Winter Light,” which will star Raymond J. Barry (“Justified”), Vincent Kartheiser (“Mad Men”), Q'orianka Kilcher (“The New World”), Michael Bofshever (“United 93″) and Pence (“The Social Network”). Adapted by screenwriter Wei-Ning Yu from a short story by bestselling author James Lee Burke, “Winter Light” is a modern-day revisionist Western set against the sweeping backdrop of the snow-covered Montana wilderness.
- 3/11/2014
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
"Breaking Bad" and "Dexter" both came as an end last month. Last night, the SAG Foundation provided an unusual angle from which to look back at the series -- by way of their casting directors. Sharon Bialy and Sherry Thomas of "Breaking Bad" and Shawn Dawson of "Dexter" appeared in conversation with moderator Michael Bofshever (who played Jesse Pinkman's dad) to talk about the casting process for both shows. Among the interesting topics touched on are the differences between working on a series from the pilot versus joining it in process, the need to accurately reflect the makeup of the populations of Albuquerque and Miami in the cast and guest stars and the search for an actor with cerebral palsy to play Walt Jr. They also talk about how casting works in general, and offer advice to actors on auditioning for casting directors. Note: The video, below, was recorded off...
- 10/26/2013
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
Over this past weekend I finally finished watching the first season of HBO's "True Blood" and I must say it is a show that gets better and better with each episode. On top of that, just yesterday I received the first four episodes of the second season, which premieres this Sunday, June 14 and in preparation I am going to put together a season one flashback piece followed by a review of the season premiere. However, we have other things to talk about right now... HBO just sent over four clips from the upcoming season and who would I be to not pass them on to you? I hope you enjoy. Features: Maryann Forrester (Michelle Forbes), Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley), Lettie Mae Thornton (Adina Porter) Set Up: Maryann meets Tara's mother for the first time and stands up for Tara telling her she is a mother devoid of human compassion. Features:...
- 6/9/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
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