He is DIGGER

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from writer/director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and Warner Bros. Pictures is a story about a scene that is carried by DIGGER.

Digger Rockwell (Tom Cruise) is a tycoon who is about to find out what a total disaster is, that is, when he’s not worried about Maggie the cat. The discovery that a rig on an Arctic ice shelf has pretty much shaken up the whole world, literally, is driven home by Ganesh (Riz Ahmed), a scientist who had been trying to warn him of the methane leaks. Now Digger has to tell U.S. President Compson (John Goodman) that things are about to get dicey with one of our country's allies.

Considering he is supposed to be close friends with all the major world players, Digger knows what the people need to hear, and he’s more than happy to give it to them. Even if it’s not exactly what one would expect! Letting Ganesh go first, he walks in full Texas gear and tells the ugly truths no one really wants to hear.

Cruise as Digger is a man on a mission. Walking around his wealthy life, pointing fingers at everyone else and finding most people not of any use to him, a disaster seems to bring out the best in him. That is, after he’s done panicking. Watching everyone else break out into a panic is what centers him, coming up with his own suggestions. I think Cruise could not help but have some fun portraying this role. It is so far out there that it’s impossible to mess it up. The deeper the trouble, the more outrageous Cruise takes his character. The character’s basic I-don’t-give-a-crap attitude just seems to heighten the craziness and feed into Digger’s need to call out the world as he sees it. It’s not a pretty world, but damn it, Digger is going to make his space in it golden.

Ahmed as Ganesh actually gave me quite a tickle a few times. Not only does he play a character that is unexpected, but he became an unexpected character for me to watch. I loved his performance in last year's film HAMLET, so in-depth and deeply serious, and in DIGGER, he flips the script, giving us the innocent face of a scientist who refuses to be corrupted by wealth and power. That belief, however, leaves him wide open to being a useful puppet with his naivete and wanting to trust that everyone around him will do the right thing.

Goodman as President Compson is dealing with cancer of the rear end and has moments where he spaces out, turning to his equally twisted staff to call out suggestions. Remind you of anyone? He is so focused on his rear end that he doesn't see what importance a block of ice has in the grand scheme of things.

Shout out to Jesse Plemons for being the character that is there, and not there, until he’s there again with something that needs to be said. You’ll know when you know.

Other cast include Robert J. Burke as Fitzgerald, Emma D’Arcy as Lina, Corey Johnson as Jacobs, Sophie Wilde as Hannah, Danny Kirrane as Sandy Clarkson, and Sandra Huller as Emma Rockwell. Mercedes Hernandez as Digger’s housekeeper, the only hysterically sane person in the whole film.

I get what Iñárritu was trying to do using comedy and satire in a hot pot, with a dash of Wes Anderson. That being said, I’m not sure what audience he is shooting for. Of course, the trailers hint at Les Grossman from the 2008 now-cult classic TROPIC THUNDER, so that could be a draw. That audience would definitely get hints of that character, which is oddly satisfying to watch. Other than that, I don’t really know where DIGGER fits. They’d also get hints of Cruise’s 1999 Frank T.J. Mackey in the film MAGNOLIA. Nothing wrong with recycling.

The questions that will hit immediately are ‘Is this supposed to be funny?’ stretching all the way to ‘I wish this were funny.” In between questions, Cruise’s character rampages on so fast, the questions almost get set aside without realizing it. The character of Digger reminds me of someone who lives on twenty-five cups of coffee a day and little else. Jumping from climate change to oil, to distractions (whether he is creating them or someone else), to Russia, to a twisted Nicholson’s 1992 A FEW GOOD MEN Col. Jessep rant of “You want me to drill, you need me to drill!”, it is exhausting. That brings us full circle back to: who is the target audience?

The saving grace is the last fifteen minutes of the film, but sitting through the first one hundred and thirteen minutes before that is the challenge, although the set designs are fantastic. But hey, if you are willing to take a wild ride and want to feel like you’re in the Twilight Zone for two hours, then DIGGER is just the film for you.

In the end – it is a comedy of catastrophic proportions!

DUNE: Prophecy Brings Season on to 4K Ultra HD

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD, Bluray, DVD and currently on Digital from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Legendary, HBO and creators Diane Ademu-John and Alison Schapker is DUNE: Prophecy.

It is ten thousand years before the Kwisatz Haderach when sisters Valya (Jessica Barden) and Tula (Emma Canning) Harkonnen join the Sisterhood. The women are trained to be Truthsayers to the Great Houses of the Imperium. Valya (Emily Watson) eventually becomes Mother Superior and works to solidify Emperor Javicco Corrino’s (Mark Strong) bloodline while at the same time dealing with Arrakis and spice. Soldier Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) has caused a disturbance for Truthsayer Kasha Jinjo (Jihae) while Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) is being rebellious in her own way.

Empress Natalya (Jodhi May) is making claims against Duke Ferdinand (Brendan Cowell) and Valya uses Sister Lila (Chloe Lea) to reach out to a deceased Mother Superior. Constantine tells Richese (Laura Howard) the truth about Ynez husband and it is clear that Desmond is a force that no one can control as he moves like a ninja through the politics. Valya realizes that he wants to totally destroy the Sisterhood and attempts to subdue him. Valya’s past has much to do with her history with the Atredies and her sister Tula (Olivia Williams) but both are dealing with it still in the present with Lila.

Valya is now the truthsayer to the Harkonnens yet Desmond tells Javicco to remove them from the Landraad. Tula uses acolytes and their dreams to learn about Shai-Hulud but also, Lila wakes from her deep sleep. Using Theodosia’s (Jade Anouka) ability to shapeshift, Valya tries something unusual. Once Javicco makes Desmond a Bashar, he wants to find a way to catch Valya for her hand in the spice and after a raid, she gets Mikaela (Shalom Burne-Franklin) to Arrakis. Javicco decides to send Constantine (Josh Heuston) to Arrakis to quell problems.

The shock becomes who Desmond is and each of the pieces in the game change up but not before Valya, Keiran (Chris Mason) and Ynez arrive on Arrakis!

Watson as Valya is just perfection in that she is exactly how I would see a Bene Gesserit looking. She has the amazing ability to do the most underhanded things with a straight face and a glare in her eye. Her performance is intense, and adds to the mystery of the story that is constantly in flux. Williams as Tula and Valya’s sister means there is a lot of family drama to unfold in the package. Learning what she has done and what she plans to do is equally as intense as Watson and Williams make the perfect pair.

Strong as Javicco is an actor that I have followed for so many years. Each performance and character he brings to life will either be full of sympathy or wrath, Javicco is a hard package to unwrap but I am here for every second of it. Lea as Sister Lila doesn’t realize what she is in for with the Harkonnen sisters who seem to be on their own path. Then again that is true for any of the characters that get in their way.

Fimmel as Desmond, oh my gosh have I missed him on screen. He left us all emotionally stranded after the A&E series VIKINGS and he did television series work with RAISED BY WOLVES and BLACK SNOW. When I learned he was to be in this serious, I have to admit that it pushed me toward the show even more. As Desmond, he is a man on a mission even if others don’t know what that is or why. I am thrilled to see what his character is capable of next, as are the 15+ million viewers.

Other cast include Edward Davis as Harrow Harkonnen, Faoileann Cunningham as Sister Jen, Aoife Hinds as Sister Emeline, Barbara Marten as Sister Avila, Camilla Beeput as Reverend Mother Dorotea, Cathy Tyson as Mother Superior Raquella Berto-Anirul, Hannah Khalique-Brown as Sister Farouz, Tessa Bonham Jones as Lady Richese, Charlie Hodson-Prior as Pruwet Richese, Sam Spruell as Horace, Karima McAdams as Sister Nazir, Mark Addy as Evgeny Harkonnen, Polly Walker as Sonia Harkonnen, Earl Cave as Griffin Harkonnen, Milo Callaghan as Orry Atredies, David Bark Jones as Vergyl Harkonnen, Archie Barnes as Albert, Tabu as Sister Francesca.

The episodes include The Hidden Hand, Two Wolves, Sisterhood Above All, Twice Born, In Blood Truty, and The High-Handed Enemy. Also included are over an hour of bonus content, five extended featurettes including Building Worlds and Behind the Veil, and one all-new-bonus features exclusive to the 4K UHD, Bluray and DVD.

Warner Brothers is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry from feature film, television and home entertainments with worldwide distribution to DVD and Bluray, animation, comic books, videogames and broadcasting. For more please visit www.warnerbros.com.

Legendary Entertainment is a leading media company with Legendary Pictures, Legendary Television and Digital Media and Legendary Comics divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to worldwide audiences. Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand which consistently delivers high-quality, commercial entertainment including some of the world’s most popular intellectual property. For more please visit www.legendary.com.

HBO Home Entertainment brings critically acclaimed and groundbreaking programming throughout the world. Releases include the global hit Game of Thrones, True Detective, Girls, The Sopranos, Sex and the City, True Blood, The Wire and Entourage. The company's catalog contains hundreds of titles including Big Little Lies and Band of Brothers. For more of what they have to offer please visit www.hbo.com.

DUNE: Prophecy is inspired by the novel Sisterhood of Dune written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The series is a stunner or “fire” as the kids say now. As a fan of the original 1984 film, it was always a question of history for me. How and why did the Bene Gesserit start, what was their goal and why? These are just very basic questions because I actually have two sheets of paper with more. For fans of the story, they also have questions about the Bene Gesserit that I probably haven’t even thought of.

Not to mention, there are lines from the film that have found their way into every day life, like when someone says to you, “who does the/she think he/she is?” the reply would be, “he is the Kwisarts Hatarak!” and DUNE: Prophecy is well on its way. When someone asks you about today’s political climate, the response is “The Imperium is a circus of fear and rumor”. That is one way to know that your audience is being reached effectively!

DUNE: Prophecy has amazing cinematography that is absolutely part of the story. This is a world put together with the brushstrokes of a masterpiece and details that are unforgettable. To say it is a dark tale is pretty much an understatement as every character is twisting and turning the story at their own whim. As a fan of intrigue and the war of houses vying for supremacy, this series needs, honestly, more than six episodes for a season. You listening HBO?

The patriarchy thinks they are in charge and the sisterhood is fine with letting them think so because it offers them a chance to do what they want in shuffling their world. It brings about the supernatural world that each character is trying to control and bend for their own reasons. Each step is choreographed by one of the characters and in lies the intrigue and juicy scheming that audiences crave in their series viewing. The bonus to all this is the excellent casting choices that bringing all of this together in a bow of perfection. Congratulations all around and with a second season coming, DUNE: Prophecy on 4K UHD, Bluray and DVD is a great way to rewatch and catch things you might have missed!

In the end – power lies in the shadows!