An Alternate Reality: I saw Fallout

I often wonder about the stuff politicians promote. This includes wind turbines and the rise of dead dolphins and whales, but we're told it's the fault of men in rickety boats that cause the sonic pulsations that kill. Then there are those bits and pieces that seem to be ushering another world war, but we're told that there's no good guy or bad guy on either side, and if any friction exists, it's only to secure a benevolent end. Hmmm.

Fallout is an Amazon/MGM Studios series that touches upon similar, grave ambivalence. It's based on a Bethesda, if-the-Cold-War-bombs-dropped video game, but since I'm not into video games, I had to take the eight-part series (produced/adapted by Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet) at face value, after my dear friend, Leslie Foster, recommended I watch. I've got to say, based on the show's scenarios (some grim, some satirical), it makes clever use of bureaucratic claims and lies. (Gosh, maybe it's not so alternate-reality, after all.) 

Fallout consists of several, genetically enduring, Los Angeles factions: the 1950s-styled, underground, vault dwellers, whose high-tech inhabitants hope to establish a better world for the dystopic surface derelicts, and on that surface dwells an Iron Man brotherhood that abides by a revamped, Arthurian code for its merciless means to protect and serve. Beyond the knightly sect is a group of dangerous rebels, which dares to invade the subterranean annals, and there's a scattered patch of nomads called the Ghouls, who look frightful, but can heal themselves faster than the Wolverine (as long as they get a steady dose of medicinal juice to prevent them from going 28 Days Later insane). 

Those who fill these factions make the diverse plot congeal: the optimistic, vault denizen, Lucy MacClean (Ellie Pernell); her respected dad, Overseer Hank (Kyle McLaughlin); her truth-seeking brother, Norm (Mosies Arias); the ambitious, overseer-in-wait Betty Pearson (Leslie Uggams); towering, knight-by-default Maximus (Aaron Clifton Moten); his backup compatriot, Dane (Xelia Mendes-Jones); sometimes-screwy/sometimes-square squire, Thaddeus (Johnny Pemberton); the man-with-a-secret-component-in-his-head, Dr. Siggi Wilzig (Michael Emerson); and The Ghoul, aka Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins), who was once a big-time, cowboy star, but now roams the dusty plains doing what his fictional persona would've shunned. There's also Howard's wife, Barb (Frances Turner), who plays real nice when it comes to home life, but in the vault-selling business, digs deep into the apocalyptic grime. (There are many other characters who figure in, some who stay and some who go, but they each help entrench the eclectic mythology.) 

For the record, The Ghoul isn't the only one to hold a flipside. In other words, some folks who appear good turn out bad and vice versa. To add to the pervading duality, magisterial habits may sound good at the outset, but are never in the best interest of the commoners of any faction. Who caused this or that doesn't matter as much as the tireless double crossing. 

Also, by the final episode, the culmination of winners and losers is debatable due to the series' open-ended resolution, so a sequel is probable. In any event, for those craving a cynical, socio-political mix of Brave New World-meets-Logan's Run-meets-A Boy and His Dog (with a dash of Forbidden Planet-meets-The Good, the Bad and the Ugly-meets-Alternative 3), Fallout might be your cup of tea. Take a sip and see. 

I saw Lara Croft's Return...

It was only a matter of time and long overdue that Toby Gard's Lara Croft return in a new cinematic adventure. This time she's brought to life by the enchanting Alicia Vikander. To quote Bart Simpson, "Whoa, mama!!!"

Vikander already made her mark on the imagi-movie scene with Alex Garland's "Ex Machina" and Guy Ritchie's "Man from U.N.C.L.E."  The latter more than the former likely landed Vikander the Croft role, but either way, her quality track record has made her an ideal successor to Angelina Jolie. 

Directed by Roar "the Wave" Uthaug and scripted by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons, this lush, exotic reboot springs an initially reluctant Croft on a trek to locate her dad, Lord Richard (Dominic West), who appears to have met his demise in pursuit of an ancient tomb (ripe for raiding) of a Death Goddess on a mysterious island near Japan. 

The flashbacks featuring Lord Croft define the father/daughter relationship (a propelling point of young Croft's development), even if we discover their loving link has become anguished, if only due to time's passing. 

Lord Croft, however, isn't the only man to impact the young swashbuckler. Lu Ren (Daniel Wu) and Mathias Vogel (Walton Goggins) add inebriated amusement and ruthless tension to her journey and perhaps reinforce "Tomb Raider" as being more male oriented than it should be to certain modern eyes, but this only helps ensure the sojourn stays a veritable guy film. Whether people (phony-baloney SJWs, in particular) wish to admit it or not, "Tomb Raider" has always been a product designed for and aimed at guys. Nothin' wrong with that.

It's important to note, however, that the virile influence never stops our prim and proper yet tough-as-nails archaeologist from staying on valiant track, fighting the elements and fulfilling her ambitions. And rest assured, she's never ever an unidentifiable, pitch-perfect Mary Sue. That's right: This gal does at least struggle, making her victories all the sweeter when they do come. 

There is less in the way of supernatural interludes to characterize Croft's feats this time (what's conjured is at best implied), with the 2013/15 computerized reinventions dictating much of the plot. Because of this, Croft's exploits stream more in the Bondian mode, but then as many Fleming fans know, the super spy's sprees tend to bob of ethereal wonderment, even though they're served as secular.

To aggrandize the terrestrial excitement, Vikander is, of course, easy on the eyes, though I'd have preferred a few glamorous scenes. I realize the need for realistic ruggedness (and the tomb sequences demand it), but for cryin' out loud, "Tomb Raider" is the stuff of impetuous fantasy; so why not shoot the works? (Also, it didn't hurt that Jolie played up the lipstick and mascara for the role, and let's not forget Raquel Welch and Martine Bestwick in Hammer's "One Million Years B.C.", or for that matter, Gal Gadot in the recent "Wonder Woman" and "Justice League", as well as Scarlett Johansson in her many Black Widow appearances. Glamour sells {and works}, folks, and its inclusion would be sensible in any unconventional safari, so its omission here is a discernible, missed opportunity.)

Even with this vexatious mar, I remained entertained throughout (and Vikander still pulls off the charm, regardless of her many smudges and scars). Thanks to the tight script and Uthaug's adroit direction, I couldn't help but lose myself in the unbounded exhilaration. In fact, I'll go so far to say that the new "Tomb Raider" hits the spot more than "Indy and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull", and I don't mean to cast aspersions on the latter, but this Croft entry sticks more to the mission at hand, presenting its thrills with dexterous delivery, not only in the way a crackerjack video game should play, but in the way the best and most unpretentious action films and movie serials operate. 

I sure hope Vikander tackles a sequel, but even if not, she ought to be damn proud of what she's accomplished, and the "Tomb Raider" fan base would be foolish not to give her the respect and accolades she deserves. Whether one chooses to acknowledge it or not, Vikander and Croft are now intertwined; and pop-cultural history is now sealed for generations to absorb and savor.