Weekend Watch: The Phoenician Scheme, Predator: Killer Of Killers and Stick
Bad dad, alien threat and golf pro
Image Credit: TPS Productions/Focus Features
You might recall that despite a few reservations about other films in his oeuvre, I had a good time with Wes Anderson’s last film, Asteroid City.
If you enjoyed that one, chances are you’ll also find something in his latest, The Phoenician Scheme. It’s the story of wealthy, morally dubious businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio Del Toro), who appoints his only daughter, (Mia Threapleton) a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.
There are big Royal Tenenbaums resonances here, Del Toro giving off supremely funny Bad Dad vibes, yet also with a streak of real emotions. Visually, we’re firmly in Anderson territory here, with many locked-off shots and tightly composed scenes, mannered dialogue and a starry ensemble that also includes Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Bryan Cranston, Willem Dafoe, Riz Ahmed, and, fitting into the director’s world like he was born into it, Michael Cera as Bjorn, a professor that Korda hires to teach him, his daughter and his somewhat neglected batch of sons about insect life (it makes sense in the movie, trust me).
While not everyone is as well served as Cera or Threapleton (Johansson and particularly Dafoe don’t have that much to do, seemingly just showing up because they like working with the filmmaker), the underlying current is one of difficult families, and figuring out connections under the strangest of situations. Korda is almost a Scrooge figure, set in his ways until unexpected complications make him realise the error of (some of) his ways.
It chugs along well, will make you laugh and while the final turn seems abrupt, this is another success for a director who both absolutely meets and sometimes defies expectations.
The Phoenician Scheme is now on wide release in the US and should still be in some UK cinemas.
Image Credit: Walt Disney Studios
Dan Trachtenberg scored a lot of goodwill with his take on the Predator story with 2022’s Prey, which saw Amber Midthunder’s Comanche warrior battling one of the alien hunters.
The filmmaker has another live-action offering, Predator Badlands on the way this year, but he’s also dipped further into franchise extension territory, collaborating with animation and effects veteran Josh Wassung on trilogy of tales with Predators visiting Earth in different time periods to find and fight combatants.
We’re brought to three different time periods –– Viking times, the Samurai era of Japan and World War II, for very different stories that are still thematically linked (and not just because of the cloaked killers lurking) by rites of passage or troubled family connections –– the first story is a warrior looking to raise her son in the traditions of her clan, the second finds brother turning against brother and the third is a young plane mechanic with piloting skills who dreams of taking to the skies.
While all the stories have something to recommend them, that third one truly utilises what animation can offer, pitching fighter planes against a Predator spaceship.
And there is another element to the movie that I won’t explore here, but if you’ve seen Predator 2 or explored any of the wider comic book and video game mythology, you’ll know what I’m referring to. It’s a handsomely mounted, brutal and worthy addition to the Predator cannon, and, like Prey stands head and shoulders above some other efforts.
Predator: Killer Of Killers is on Hulu now in the US and Disney+ in the UK.
Image Credit: Apple TV+
While Apple TV+ always appears to have a somewhat scattershot commissioning strategy, it has certainly found the hangout comedy drama to be one of its better avenues to explore, especially since the breakout success of Ted Lasso.
We’ve seen the likes of Shrinking and now here comes Stick, which has a sports theme (golf, in this case), but still uses that as a wrap-around to tell a story of a chosen family.
Owen Wilson is the title character, Pryce “Stick” Cahill, a former pro golfer whose career was derailed by a combination of personal tragedy and anger management issues. These days, he makes ends meet working in a sports equipment store and is in denial about the end of his marriage to Amber-Linn (Judy Greer).
When Pryce discovers golf prodigy Santi Wheeler (Peter Dager), a young man with a touch of Happy Gilmore about him, with his own life issues to deal with –– not the least of his which was his deadbeat dad.
With a mixture of wanting to help the kid and live his own dreams over again, Pryce offers to coach Santi, which sets off a golf tournament road trip that also includes Santi’s mother, Elena (Mariana Treviño), Pryce’s grumpy former caddy Mitts (Marc Maron) and, along the way, Zero (Lilli Kay), who sparks up a relationship with Santi.
It’s amiable and charming enough, with Wilson on winning form and the rest adding their own flavours to the story –– Treviño is particularly fun, building an amusing chemistry with Maron, while golf fans will enjoy the parade of famous names from the sport in cameo roles. Oh, and not forgetting a supporting, antagonistic turn from Timothy Olyphant, who is always good value.
The first three episodes of Stick are now streaming on Apple TV+.