“Asphalt City.” / “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.”

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“Asphalt City” (2023, Hulu) thriller drama directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, based on the 2008 novel “Black Flies” by Shannon Burke. Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan star as veteran and newbie paramedics working in New York City. The film explores the effects of psychological trauma experienced by first responders. 



       Dark, angry, gloomy. You save a life in one day, yet upon knowing others don't make it while on your watch the next day, drives you insane. The guilt isn't yours yet you own it, anyway. What a depressing movie. But admittedly well-made. 

       Tye Sheridan as the tormented Ollie Cross is a revelation. Sean Penn as Gene Rutkovsky is characteristic Sean Penn, always intensely focused but never hysterical.

       Overall credit goes to Monsieur Sauvaire. He meant to shudder, no chasers in between. Yet he didn't do much with the camera, or rattled us with sound design, or whatever. Yet I shook. Bottoms up, then puke. 🎥👍📽



“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (2022, Hulu) action comedy. Stars Nicolas Cage as a fictionalized version of himself. And Pedro Pascal as Javi Gutiérrez, a billionaire and Cage super-fan who pays Nick $1 million to appear at his birthday party.

There's really nothing much to say about this crazy movie other than I, in full biased regalia, enjoyed it. Funny, funny! Okay, okay, okay. What is the next Nicolas Cage movie? 🎥💻📽


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