🍿59: The Whale

Brendan Fraser makes the comeback of a lifetime in this week's feature review.

“Hey Beni, looks to me like you’re on the wrong side of the river!”

~ The Mummy, 1999

Just can’t get enough?

If you’re looking for more great Substack newsletters to fill your inbox with, Mikhail of Textual Variations has published a pretty big catalogue of the best film & TV newsletters - and we’re incredibly grateful that SP made the cut!

Click below to check out the full catalogue. Who knows, your new favourite newsletter (after Salty Popcorn of course) might be there.

The Film & TV Newsletter Catalogs

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Now for the headlines:

• Toy Story 5 gets the go-ahead and we can’t help but wonder if the Mouse House will do to Woody and the gang what it did to Star Wars… Read more.

• La La Land is being adapted as a Broadway musical. Read more.

• Gillian Anderson and Rufus Sewell are set to star in a film about Prince Andrew’s infamous Newsnight interview. Read more.

• Fans of LEGO and Lord of the Rings will be happy to hear to see a new Rivendell set has just been unveiled. Read more.

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Salty Popcorn is 100% free, but if you enjoy SP, please consider buying us a cinema ticket for just £5 per month - or a bunch of tickets for just £30 per year. Thank you!

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Upcoming Releases

Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant

UK: TBC // USA: 21 April

While on his last tour of Afghanistan, Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) is teamed with local interpreter Ahmed (Dar Salim). When John is injured in a firefight, Ahmed risks his own life to carry John across miles of treacherous terrain to safety.

Paint

UK: 28 April // USA: 7 April

Owen Wilson plays Carl Nargle (who is definitely not Bob Ross), Vermont’s beloved TV painter who is convinced he has it all: a signature perm, custom van and fans hanging on his every stroke. That is until a younger and better artist steals everything (and everyone) Carl loves.

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Fact of the week

Fans of the iconic 90’s action comedy The Mummy, starring Brendan Fraser as Rick O’Connell, will remember the scene in which he’s hanged in an Egyptian prison. But did you know he nearly died during the scene?

According to IMDB, director Stephen Sommers’s only direction for the scene was, “Look good, don't die! Action!” but Rachel Weisz reportedly said that Fraser really did stop breathing and had to be resuscitated.

Even more surprisingly, it could have been Leonardo DiCaprio with the noose around his neck as he is rumoured to have been originally offered the role of O’Connell. Apparently, he loved the script and wanted to be in the film, but the production clashed with the filming of The Beach, in which he had already agreed to star in.

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Review: The Whale

Star rating:

5 (out of 5)

Where to watch: 

USA: Only in cinemas

UK: Only in cinemas

Runtime:

1hr 57m

Director:

Darren Aronofsky

Blurb: 

Charlie (Brendan Fraser), a reclusive, morbidly obese English teacher, attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter (Sadie Sink) while dealing with crippling grief and guilt.

The review (SOME spoilers):

In this deeply moving film about love, loss, grief, addiction and self-destruction, Brendan Fraser makes a comeback, the likes of which Hollywood has never seen before.

There have been few films in recent years that match the emotional weight of The Whale and while the entire cast and production team leave their mark, it’s Fraser who makes it feel so complete. His character Charlie, a morbidly obese and reclusive teacher who refuses to address his obvious health problems, carries a quality of purity that makes him very likeable and, in an odd way, charming.

Fraser delivers every line, every movement and every expression with such authenticity and precision that it’s impossible not to be swept away with the story while developing a deep connection with Charlie. The emotions are mixed: we love him, we’re disgusted by him and we pity him - often at the same time.

It is truly tragic to watch such a seemingly positive person, who is so wrought with guilt and grief that, despite how much he tries to see the best in everyone, he cannot forgive or be kind to himself.

For a film set almost completely in one location, with such a small cast, to be so dramatic (sometimes terrifyingly so) is a testament to Fraser’s ability as an actor and Darren Aronofsky’s ability as a director.

Though this should come as no surprise as Aronofsky is, if nothing else, a very evocative filmmaker and an expert at blurring the lines between drama and horror (think Black Swan, Mother! and Requiem for a Dream). While The Whale isn’t as disturbing as some of his previous films, it shares much of the same intensity.

Though other members of the cast let the film down ever so slightly — Sadie Sink’s performance is a little forced and Ty Simpkins’s a little rigid — Hong Chau (who was fantastic as the deranged maître d’ in The Menu) really comes into her own as Charlie’s friend and begrudged carer.

To conclude, The Whale is a wholly human experience, racked with an emotional intensity we rarely see on screen. It’s not an easy watch, but it’s a great one.

Scroll down to see what’s in the next issue.

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If you liked The Whale…

The Wrestler

2008 | UK: Amazon Prime (free for Subs or £2.49) // USA: HBO Max (free for subs)

In one of Darren Aronofsky’s earlier films, ageing wrestler Randy (Mickey Rourke) struggles to keep up with life as he grows too old to continue his wrestling career. So instead, he tries to move on by coming to terms with what life has to offer while trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter.

Unlike many of the films Aronofsky is best known for, The Wrestler is more heart than trauma, and if you liked The Whale for its human touch, then I think you’ll like this.

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In the next issue:

The Son

UK: 17 February // USA: 20 January | Watch the Trailer

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