What Else I'm Watching: 'Thunderbolts,' 'The Last Of Us,' 'Andor,' 'The Prestige' & 'The Illusionist'
Sadly, I still haven't had time to go see 'Sinners'
When I’m not watching documentaries, I try to see whatever shows and movies are in the zeitgeist. Unfortunately, between work, family, screenings specifically for my work, parenting, coaching (an offshoot of parenting), and the fact that theaters don’t have many showtimes during the hours my kids are in school (or any in the middle of the night while they’re sleeping), I don’t have a lot of flexibility when it comes to catching new movie releases. Especially if they’re R-rated or otherwise something inappropriate for or uninteresting to children. I really hope to eventually get to see Sinners on the big screen, preferably while it’s still in IMAX, but it sure has been difficult to figure out. Just wanted to get that out of the way because… I know…
Meanwhile, here is what I’ve been able to watch at home, with or without the kids:
Thunderbolts (2025)
The latest feature installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is actually really good, which means it probably won’t do very well at the box office. Thunderbolts is a relatively standalone story involving characters that few people currently care about, though they should because this is a very important start to the next round of Avengers movies. Also because Bob. My son, who went into Thunderbolts reluctant to accompany me to the screening and clueless about most of the characters, eventually kept turning to me and saying “I love Bob” several times throughout the movie.
About being clueless about most of the characters, I will note that it helps to have seen a few films and TV shows ahead of watching Thunderbolts, including The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which I never bothered to finish, and Hawkeye, which I never started. My son hasn’t even seen Black Widow and didn’t know who Red Guardian is, but now he loves him and wants to go back and see him in that. I might need to go back and trace the narrative of Valentina, since I wasn’t clear why she was being subjected to Congressional scrutiny and possible impeachment in the movie. Do some of these movies need the equivalent of a “previously on” recap? Maybe.
A couple of brief notes about the movie. Its focus on mental health is great. It’s fantastic to see an MCU movie about something. And under Jake Schreir’s direction, it feels like it has more of a vision than most Marvel movies (the last might have been Marvels, slightly). I love its Charlie Kaufman-esque sequence inside someone’s mind. I love the way it harkens back to The Avengers with its battle outside Grand Central Station (sadly, a missed opportunity — or would it have been too distracting — to not have the Thunderbolts team do the iconic circle pose). And I also love Bob. I didn’t know who the actor was, but damned if I didn’t keep thinking he looked exactly like Bill Pullman — turns out it’s his son, Lewis Pullman.
One last thing: I did background work in Thunderbolts for two nights, and not sure if I’m on screen at all. If I am, it’s in a wide shot of a gala. My son thinks he identified me in the top right corner, which is where I was walking around. I’m going to need to rewatch this at home someday to study the shot further.
Check out my breakdown of the first Thunderbolts reviews at Rotten Tomatoes.
The Last Of Us Season 2, Episodes 1-3
I wasn’t going to start watching the latest season of The Last of Us so soon. I’ve had a lot of work stuff to prioritize. But a certain something just had to happen in Season 2, Episode 2 (“Through the Valley”). I was pretty sure I was immediately spoiled about that something, and now that I’ve watched the episode, I can confirm that I was right. It didn’t really ruin anything for me. This major event makes sense (even if I’m not familiar with the Last of Us video games), for both the show’s plot and people’s careers. Still, when that sort of conversation material happens, I have to be in the know.
With or without that happening, the first three episodes have been decent. The main storyline involving revenge for one thing followed by revenge for that thing is a little boring, but it’s handled well, particularly in the third episode with Ellie’s speech and old and crotchety Robert John Burke, of Hal Hartley movies fame (nope, not of RoboCop 3 and Gossip Girl fame). Also, Kaitlyn Dever is pretty badass so far, though her character isn’t very well-developed yet. Neither is Dina, played by Dora the Explorer movie star Isabela Merced. So far, the only addition to the cast who feels like a real character, albeit barely, is Catherine O’Hara’s Gail. O’Hara is doing the main work there. Why do I feel like we should know who her dead husband was (but don’t)?
Andor Season 2, Episodes 1-3
I’ll be quick and blunt: I am not enjoying Andor Season 2 as much as Season 1, which I think is one of the best Star Wars things ever. The first three episodes of Season 2 were released together last week since they’re a triptych set in the same year, and subsequent episode trilogies will do the same for subsequent years. The only reason I kept watching is that I know it’ll get better, and also, Diego Luna is still terrific in the title role. I couldn’t stand the sequence he’s in, though, with a lost (in every sense of the word) group of rebels suffering from infighting and lack of leadership. I get the point of their piece of the show, but the writing and acting there are awful.
The other three pieces of this section include a subplot involving Cassian’s old friends from Ferrix, who are now working as migrant mechanics on a wheat planet. It hits a little close to home at the moment, given what’s happening with ICE and deportations at the moment in the U.S. In another, Syril and Dedra have dinner with the former’s mother, and Kathryn Hunter just barely makes it worth paying attention to. Finally, there’s a subplot with Mon Mothma’s daughter’s wedding, which seems important but also mainly bored me up until the end when the future leader of the Rebel Alliance is dancing to an EDM song that’s become very popular online. I still eagerly await more.
The Prestige (2006) & The Illusionist (2006)
For my latest movie night with my son, I was excited to show him The Prestige. I’ve been waiting for this, but the movie wasn’t on any streaming services until this month, when it arrived on Hulu. My son enjoyed Interstellar so much, and I’m always trying to find him movies with twists to see if he can figure them out before I had. He predicted little things along the way, but he never saw the big twist coming. If he were better at facial recognition in general, I think he could have figured it out. Anyway, as much as I like a lot of this movie, I forgot how much I hate one thing: for the most part, the magic in The Prestige is practically plausible, but then it turns out that one of the tricks has a supernatural element, throwing off some of the story’s groundedness.
Afterward, I put on The Illusionist (also on Hulu) to remind myself how it compares. I recalled that I hated one thing about this movie, and it’s the inverse: for the most part, magic in The Illusionist is portrayed as physically impossible, especially for the time of its setting, but in the end, they try to explain that everything in the story has indeed been a practical trick. The twist is predictable yet unbelievable. I call foul on The Illusionist much more than I do on The Prestige. At least it looks great and has an okay score from Philip Glass, but Edward Norton might be giving his worst performance ever in the film, and the poorly cast Jessica Biel brings nothing at all. Paul Giamatti is enjoyable, though his final extended moment of realization is laughable.