'OVER THE EDGE'.......THE KIDS AREN'T ALRIGHT......

 Over the Edge (1979)

     Kurt Cobain and more than a few other rock bands felt themselves creatively inspired by this modestly produced but yet explosively provocative little movie about middle schoolers in violent rebellion. 

        But the rebels-without-a-clue in "Over the Edge" were nothing at all like the grimy, gritty tough-as-nails mean streets NYC delinquents  of "The Warriors" and "The Wanderers", also released in 1979.

         The middle class all-white 'Edge' kids, courtesy of their upwardly mobile parents, find themselves plopped down in the arid, remote, depressingly cookie-cutter, 'planned' community of New Granada, Colorado.  With its line-up of mass produced condos sitting in the middle of a flat prairie, the place looks like it could easily serve as a background for those lose-the-will-to-live Antonioni films,  dripping with ennui.

       Literally bored out of their minds, New Granada's youth turn to drugs and random vandalism.  And they're constantly harassed, pursued and arrested by the community's Police Sargent Doberman (no kidding about the name). Played by Harry Northup (one of DeNiro's cabbie buds in 'Taxi Driver), Doberman behaves like one of the cops left over from a 'Billy Jack' movie who'd been kicked in the head by Tom Laughlin....repeatedly.

       What sets apart this film, which over years established itself as a cult favorite, was director Jonathan Kaplan's unerring skill in manipulating his young cast, who appear directly plucked off the streets of 70's suburbia. (In their first roles, you can spot Matt Dillon and Vincent Spano).  

     Kaplan, who began his career grinding out Roger Corman's drive-in sludge, moved on to bigger and better things like "The Accused", "Unlawful Entry" and "Love Field".  But you can see in "Over the Edge what he learned in Corman's do-or-die school of wham-bam exploitation.....swift broad strokes of melodramatic angst with sudden eruptions of startling violence. 

        The kids are unable to connect with parents obsessed by living in their trimmed lawn bubbles. These unthinking adults no doubt expected their kids to behave like cheerful tykes from a TV sitcom, befitting their new plush surroundings. But they're left their children restless and cut off from any real outside cultural stimuli. 

     The community grudgingly gave them a pathetic underwhelming 'teen center' consisting of a few games inside a Quonset hut then yanks it away from them as a punishment tool......

.......thus lighting the fuse for the film's outrageous climax, a spectacle of fiery destruction perpetrated by the kids after they trap their parents inside their school while attending a meeting about the rising tide vandalism.  

      Supposedly inspired by a real incident, this way over the top, practically operatic fireball finale requires a certain amount of belief suspension, but still manages to pack a punch. And along the way, we had to admire director Kaplan and cinematographer Andrew Davis for their use of the stark Colorado landscapes to accentuate the lonely solitary environment the kids find themself  forced into. (Davis would later excel as a director of blockbuster thrillers like "The Fugitive", "Under Siege" and Steven Segal's "Above the Law" and "Under Siege".)

         Well worth seeing by all cinema buffs and easily available on free streaming services. 4 stars (****) for a film that more than earns its cult status.

        

MIDWEEK MADNESS WRAP-UP........U.S. BQ VISITORS: JUST A REMINDER ABOUT YOUR MIDTERM VOTING CHOICES......

 We present a fairly concise overview of the Republican field running in the midterm elections......

       Please vote as if saving democracy from Orange Diaperman and his flying monkeys depended on you.....

         Because it does....on all of us. 

'THE BRIGHTNESS'.....A STUNNING PRANK AND A MEMORABLE WEDDING FOREVER ALTER LIVES ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS.....

 The Brightness by Chad Harbach (2026)

     There's no getting around it.......this spectacularly ambitious epic of American college life, a whale of a read, does demand your time and full attention. Quite a lot of it, in fact.

     Worth it? Simple answer......yes. Even as the book's final third section began to wear me out a little, by that time I'd become so utterly immersed in Chad Harbach's cast of characters that I knew I could never stop reading till I reached that final sentence. And then those last few chapters, filled with the emotions and events of everything that's come beforehand, left me sighing in bittersweet satisfaction and actually eager to see the story continue on.

     "The Brightness" unfolds in the little picturesque universe of Westish College, Wisconsin, first brought to life in author Harbach's "The Art of Fielding". (which also serves as something of a clever meta trope in this new lengthy expansion.....) Pella, beloved only child of the college's late President, had finally escaped an impulsive bad marriage and returned to Westish to finally enroll and graduate at 27. She now finds herself living in two disparate worlds......that of the scholars of literature she's befriended and the brawny, burly world of her fiance Mike, the school's dedicated athletics director.

     Pella's dearest (and most brilliant) undergrad friend Irma, has conspired with two classmates to perpetrate an outrageous prank on several of the school's star athletes. It's a provocative, controversial stunt that not only roils the campus but captures and captivates the attention of the entire country, with repercussions that will forever affect all of the story's major characters.

     But there's way, way more upending pivotal events that await these Westish folk as they attend a grand destination wedding off the coast of Rhode Island. It's a non-stop exhausting celebration that not only consumes almost two thirds of the book, but brings about monumental, life changing decisions in the lives of Pella, Irma, Mike and those in their orbit.

      Chad Harbach crafts this saga with intricately thought out prose and insights that cover a multitude of issues.......the rise of feminism vs. the patriarchy, the sacrifices of artists for their art, the bonds of parents and children the ebb and flow of friendships, and the quest of everyone young to figure out their own fulfilling place in the world.

     "The Brightness", even with its voluminous heft of pages, still sucks you into its messy world filled with heartbreak and humor, romance and wounding betrayals, crushing grief and the promises of new paths to take. I wouldn't have missed it for anything and I'd recommend readers to stop in and stroll about the Westish quads for some bright college days..... and at times, some dark and cloudy......

      4 Stars (****).

WEEKEND MADNESS WRAP-UP.....SPECIAL EDITON..."OUR BFF VLADDY, HE'S OUR FAVORITE HUMANITARIAN! AND THE PRESIDENT LOVES HIS MUSCULAR ASS TOO!"

 

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BQ visitors......have a great, great weekend!

And this special message for Trumpanzees......Trump wants you to vote as if he's on the ballot. This is who you're really voting for if you check off a box or pull a lever for Trump's Rethuglican candidates.....

      Does this line up with your supposed Christian values?  Your Dear Leader supporting a slaughterer of innocent women and children of Ukraine, and an ally of Iran, supplying them with vital intelligence they need to kill American soldiers......is this your idea of a "humanitarian", as Trump's minion Steve Witkoff called him?  Use the 2 or 3 remaining brain cells you have left and think about it......

       

        Just askin'.......

'EAST OF EDEN' & 'BELOW'....WHO'S MORE FORMIDABLE IN THIS NETFLIX BINGE BATTLE......FLORENCE PUGH OR A GIANT SQUID?

 East of Eden (2026) & Below (2026) (Netflix series)

       By now, regular BQ visitors know how eclectic our tastes run.....

        A nice way of saying we'll watch anything, anywhere, any time with no regard to genre or particular target demographic whatsoever.....

        We've been that way since....well, since forever. We're not about to change, so here goes......we plowed through two Netflix mini-series that couldn't be more different in their execution, tone and intended audience.

          And we found a surprisingly good share of stuff to love in one of them......and only a few worthy things in the one with highest pedigree. 

        Which brings us to.....

East of Eden 

         The primary creative force behind this full adaptation of the classic John Steinbeck novel is producer-writer Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of the legendary director Elia Kazan, who helmed the 1955 film version with James Dean. 

          While the Kazan film served up only a final chunk of the novel, Zoe Kazan's scripts for seven Netflix episodes cover the full epic sprawl of  a generational saga that moves across the mid 19th century into the early 20th. 

          Though meticulous in its craftmanship and performances, the opening chapters, we're sorry to report, make for a molasses slow slog, made worse by the ruinous, impenetrable dark lighting in almost every scene. 

           We begin with the gloomy saga of two at-odds brothers Adam and Michael Trask (Christopher Abbot, Mike Faist) Kazan's glacial storytelling, combined with the equally lethargic directing of Garth Davis and Laure de-Clermont Tonnerre make the opening episodes a punishment to endure. But once this show's stunning MVP starts to shake things up, you're helpless to do anything but keep watching. 

         We speak, of course, of the can't-take-your-eyes-off-her Florence Pugh, as the force of nature, horribly broken and damaged-beyond-repair sociopath Cathy.  First seen crawling through the prairie and then into the brothers' cabin, beaten to a bloody pulp, Cathy ultimately splits the brothers apart, marrying Adam and moving to Salinas California as his unhappy, unwilling wife.   And then she proceeds to upend the lives of everyone she encounters in her psychopathic ferocity to survive by herself as a self sufficient independent woman....no easy task in an age when women are either no more than subservient baby-making attachments to men.....or whores.

          That would help explain why the unstoppable Cathy walks out on Adam, reinvents herself as Kate, and establishing herself as the all-powerful Madame of her very own thriving whorehouse. But when she fled Adam, she left him to raise Cal and Aron, their baby sons. (Adam  disregards her parting advice to simply throw them down a well)........and the boys, the restless, rebellious Cal and and innocent, good-hearted Aron, soon grow into young men old enough to encounter their mother, with fateful results for all concerned. 

          Pugh is a fearless wonder to behold as she reveals the depths of Cathy's aching rage and makes the role a crowning achievement for her that will no doubt factor into every awards conversation of next year. She should already start clearing a shelf for her expected Golden Globe, Emmy, and any other bric-a-brac handed out by awards shows.  Right next to her in excellence stands Hoon Lee as the Trask family's teacher/mentor and unofficial uncle, whose life illuminates the inherent brutal racism and bigotry toward the Chinese immigrants of early 20th century America. 

        For Pugh and Lee alone, we'll rate this show at least a 3 star (***) must stream.......but Zoe Kazan should study her granddad's movies more closely to learn how to properly grip an audience with a compelling story.

Below

     Nobody had to entice us with superb actors to get us to sign on to this one....

      A creature feature?  Oh yes, please. We were raised on 'em. You had us at the sight of the first tentacle. 

        Imagine our delight at this series additional bonuses......sharp intelligent scripts in all six episodes, a fine cast putting the drama and scares across with gusto and a skillful blending of family drama, ecological issues, and a welcome subtlety and restraint in the horror sequences.

         Josh Hartnett, sporting a salty accent, plays   Calvin Penny, a weary, struggling Newfoundland fisherman whose livelihood, due to the voracious plundering of the bay's resident Kraken, is reduced to hauling in iceberg chunks. Haunted by the death of his father (sucked down and devoured by Squidzy), he can barely keep what's left of his family together. 

         More complications arrive as Mr. Squid starts snacking on the tourists and a high-tech boatload of eco-warriors show up thinking they can track and capture the beast for greater fortune and glory. (Heh, heh, heh, heh.....)

         Calvin's forced to deal with all of this.....his fractured family, the rampaging squid, the eco-jerks, and all his neighbors being bought out and forced to move away by a corporate bigwig with his own rapacious agenda. (Not to mention a virus caused by Squid slime on the ice chunks and  Calvin finding himself shipwrecked and washed up on a neighboring island inhabited by outcasts who've actually established a working co-dependency with the Squidinator.)

        Oh and did we forget to throw in Squiddykins is a Mama, who's also tending to a whole mess 'o eggs?  So maybe eating people is just part of post-partum depression.....

          "Below" delivers a full package of thrills, melodrama, food-for-thought on the state of our world climate......and finally a satisfying, distinctly un-cheesy finale. 

          Well put together and way better than we ever expected it to be.  After several days of streaming "Below" and "East of Eden", we're convinced that Netflix moguls should find a project to team up our favorite female stars from each..... Florence Pugh and the Mommy Squid.....now that's more empowered women than you'll ever find on all the 'Real Housewives' shows put together.....

          4 & 1/2 stars (****1/2).

          

'CHAIN REACTION'......IT'S HIGH TIME THAT HI-TECH LEARNED NOT TO MESS WITH REACHER......

  Chain Reaction by Lee Child and Andrew Child (2026)

     Hardly breaking news that for all of us Reacher fanatics, 'Chain Reaction' provides another 5 star bonanza. And let me now also give authors Lee and Andrew Child a thorough round of applause for coming up with some ripped-from-the-headlines villains truly worthy of gettering Reacher-ized with a vengeance.

     In the midst of his wanderings through the USA. the big R manages (as he always does) to commit himself to an adventure that will pit him against a mix of common dumb thugs, highly trained ex-military operatives and the truly odious masterminds behind. them all. And you'll be assured to know he'll be fueling himself up with enough carb-heavy jumbo breakfasts and burgers that would send the rest of us lesser mortals into cardiac arrest.

     General Susan Turner, with whom Reacher served with (and much more...hint, hint) needs his help as she commands a new unit, a sort of Army version of the FBI. One of her men went out to investigate something odd in a middle-of-nowhere Colorado town consisting of little more than massively vast data centers and solar farms. So how did he end up brutally stabbed to death in a random mugging at the back of a seedy biker bar? Terrible bad luck? Or something far more sinister, with tentacles that stretch all the way back to white collar high-tech evil in California?

     As Reacher peels off the layers of this rotten onion, one hit team after another comes after him........ and you'll almost want to drop your book or tablet to rub your hands in uncontrolled glee as these foolhardy goons undergo plenty of well deserved maximum Reacher-ization. With so many heavily armed dopes to decimate, Reacher barely has time to fit in those steak-and-eggs breakfasts while re-kindling more than few sparks with General Susan.......

     This all leads to that much anticipated showdown with the worst of the minions and that deeply satisfying grand finale of cutting the head off the snake from which all this poison has flowed. I would doubt that any Reacher devotee will finish this book disappointed.

     For all of us armchair, lone wolf special ops Knight-Errants..........another 5 star bell ringer. Pass the steak, eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles and 2 gallons of black coffee......and throw in a burger and fries. Cause you never know when there's at least 6 more bad guys coming who need their various limbs re-positioned in all new directions...........

     5 stars (*****).

'THE KEY TO A KILLER'.....ROOMMATES, ONE LIVING, ONE GHOST, HUNT FOR THE DEAD ONE'S MURDERER....

  The Key to a Killer by Olivia Blacke (2026)

     If I'd forgotten how I became totally attached to young, newly-adult Ruby and her ghostly roommate Cordelia, this book served as a delightful reminder. . Sharing the deceased Cordelia's Boston apartment (not in the best of neighborhoods) the oddball dead & alive duo has managed to solve two murders in this this series' previous two books. The new mystery confronting them in the latest entry raises the stakes considerably. They're out to uncover who's really responsible for Cordelia's supposedly 'accidental' suicide death from a toxic mix of alcohol and sleeping pills.

     This is a finely crafted step up for this series, deepening the characters, creating a colorful cast of suspects amid the cutthroat high-tech world, and filled with underlying wit and genuine heartfelt emotion. And in the carefully created details of Cordelia's haunting abilities, and limitations, author Olivia Blacke has devised her very own unique 'Guide for the Deceased in a Tough Big City'.

     The mystery here somehow relates back to Ruby's current and Cordelia's last place of employment, a freewheeling little software development firm overshadowed by a bigger, ruthless competitor. There's enough backstabbing, adultery, and stolen corporate secrets going on to fuel an entire soap opera. So the question remains.......did any of these shenanigans lead directly to Cordelia's body being found in the apartment's tiny bathtub?

     There's endless amounts of fun, heart and ongoing suspense in Ruby and Cordelia's growing relationship. Cordelia has now devoted her afterlife to looking after and protecting the sweetly naive Ruby, who's not quite prepared to navigate adulthood. And there's more depth, some humor and understated sadness in Cordelia's encounters a fellow Bostonian ghost and her troubled but still loving ties to her wayward, chronically criminal younger bother Ian.

     That's an awful lot of stuff to be going on in one cozy mystery and that's what keeps Ruby and Cordelia's cases always 4 star reads for me. And I am pretty sure that those trying this series out for the first time, will want to catch up on the the first two right away.

      4 stars (****).....an extra high quality cozy to warm you on those upcoming chilly nights.