The Apple TV+ Special

Recently, I decided to waste my Apple TV+ free trial to see what was on it, and if it was overall a service that was any good. I decided to not purchase a subscription (which to be fair, I haven’t ever done with any service), but I can decidedly say that there is more quality content on Apple TV+ than there is on a couple of other services, such as [shudder] Paramount+.

Available to those who own an Apple device, Apple TV+ is in its infancy and possesses nowhere near the library of films that Amazon Prime or Netflix does. But it does pump out a steady stream of original films, which I perused for a few days out of curiosity…

First off, I should point out that Apple TV+’s servers in Australia are really, really bad – I frequently got screen glitches, freezes and had to reboot a couple of times. I’ve used the same tech for Netflix, SBS Movies, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and [shudder] Paramount+, and never had any issues until now. So be forewarned about that.

Ted Lasso

Recently taking a bunch of Emmy awards including Best Comedy Series, Ted Lasso didn’t jump out at me when I first heard about it. But then everyone (including my history teacher) gave it a recommendation, and I jumped right into it. I was not disappointed at all (at least with Season 1 – I didn’t watch Season 2, as I had to do some Biology this week).

Ted Lasso has an infectious positivity and good mood that contrasts intensely with many of the DreamWorks and Netflix comedy films of today. There’s no faux silliness, or characters acting crazy while doing dreadful things. It’s just about a wholesome, emotional man throwing everything he has at a situation he doesn’t quite understand, and Jason Sudeikis plays the role to perfection.

It’s not all just American jokes and silly accents, however – the show offers a diverse range of supporting characters, many of whom go through surprisingly compelling arcs of age, discrimination, bullying and maturity (my personal favourite being Nick Mohammed’s Nate). Jokes are based on wit and characterisation instead of merely superficial attributes, and the actors thankfully play the jokes straight instead of trying to lean into them too hard like many of these shows normally do.

The most intriguing part of this show, however, came from something that YouTuber Skillup pointed out in a video about the upcoming Far Cry 6, a violent video game dealing with rather serious themes – that apparently named its leading character after Ted Lasso’s Mexican midfielder comic relief Dany Rojas. Weird.

Cherry

Coming off the heels of Avengers: Endgame, the Russo brothers went for the mid-scale, double-A approach of Cherry, about the true story of a war veteran who turns to drug addiction, then bank robbery to support that addiction. Unfortunately, it’s nowhere near as good as Avengers: Endgame, and somehow feels longer despite being half an hour shorter.

I'm confused too.

Cherry is bloated in a way that few films are, where scenes simply drag on for twice or even thrice the length they need (often because they’re set entirely in slow-motion for no real reason). Tone slips all over the place, from satire to comedy to dark drama to romantic, all culminating in a box of distractions rather than a satisfying cohesive movie. The themes of the movie are similarly scattered and uneven, and Cherry deploys perhaps the worst use of the unreliable narrator that I’ve ever seen – barely used, overexplanatory when it is used, and utterly distracting.

But I can definitely say that I would watch Cherry over many of the bland, inoffensive, poorly shot Netflix and Prime originals, and that’s because Cherry feels like an actual director made it and wrote it instead of just a machine. It may be too flashy or bizarre (why put a camera inside Tom Holland’s anus?), but it feels like Apple and the Russo Brothers really tried with this one. I may not like this movie, but I completely respect their style and what they were trying to do.

Come From Away

Hamilton inspired a bunch of services to try and record other musicals live on stage, to be played at home during the pandemic. Apple decided to record a performance of Come From Away, the true tale of the 7000 passengers stranded in a Newfoundland town during 9/11, as it was the show’s first appearance after the theatre re-opened in New York after the pandemic. And believe it or not, it was quite fun.

The key appeal of Come From Away is its roots in real-life heroism, generosity and kindness. Throughout the play, as you see these acts of human connection and helping, whether played through comedy, sadness or fear, the reality of the premise hits you much harder than it would if it was just a story somebody made up. It feels inspiring and warm and all-encompassing, and you just want to go to this town and see the actual places where these events occurred, see beyond the small stage with 12 chairs on it.

All of this is aided by spectacular choreography and performances. The 12-ish actors onstage play multiple characters each, all with different accents, jobs, lives and motivations, and as they dance between these roles, I found myself continually engrossed in each character and amazed by each passionate actor. It’s true Broadway heart, and the opportunity to experience it at home is absolutely welcome.

Now, I don’t recommend watching it the way I did (i.e. at 3 in the morning when I can’t sleep), and more in front of a big TV, nice and loud. It will allow you to experience the large Broadway scale of the event, full of larger-than-life characters and sharp emotional turns.

Palmer

There’s plenty of movies about an older, broken guy who strikes up a friendship with a small child or teenager and both mutually improve from the relationship. It’s a story that’s been told many times, whether in snippets as part of a larger story, or encompassing an entire film. Palmer is one of these movies, and while it doesn’t have as distinct an x-factor as other films in this genre like Lawn Dogs or Raising Arizona, it has a gentle emotional core which is continually compelling.

Justin Timberlake gives a surprisingly nuanced performance as the eponymous Palmer, a convict who comes home to find himself in a position where he has to care for the son of his drug-addicted neighbours. The relationship between them is sweet, but it’s the performances of Timberlake and young Ryder Allen which really sell the film, both of them playing off each other exceptionally well.

Yes, it’s saccharine as hell, but Palmer never feels exploitative, or TV-grade, or underdeveloped. It’s a well-worn formula presented in a strong manner, and in an age where every streaming service puts out generic stuff that can’t present itself competently, Palmer is a welcome change.

CODA

Acquired from the Sundance Film Festival for a ludicrous $25 million dollars, CODA is an independently made, no-big-stars movie about a hearing girl born into a deaf family (CODA stands for Child-Of-Deaf-Adults) and her desires to break into music. It absolutely rocked with critics, sitting at a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and receiving a ton of positive buzz from YouTubers and the general public as well.

I’m glad that this film is on Apple TV+, because it means that big streaming services are willing to give smaller films a chance to draw in more serious lovers of cinema like myself. If this continues, I expect to see more independent films grabbing the spotlight on streaming instead of big budget bloaters which nobody remembers. I’m glad the film is there, but I was surprisingly not as impressed with the film as I’d thought I’d be.

CODA is not a bad film, but it’s full of frustrating moments and an overall lack of clarity in terms of presentation. It aims to show the experience of a deaf family and especially their hearing child, but it often feels like the family met 5 minutes ago and aren’t used to the others being there, acting completely dickish and without respect for the other members. Similarly to Palmer, it follows a highly used formula (child wants to go explore the world, but family wants them home, finds love etc.), but doesn’t have the same fidelity of presentation or emotionally likable characters.

But CODA can still serve up excellent moments, especially in terms of comedy, and I’m still glad that we can see films like this prioritised and shared on streaming for the whole world to see.

Well, that was my free trial experience of Apple TV+. If you have an Apple device, it is worth using the free trial now, as there’s certainly more quality content than [shudder] Paramount+.

Have a nice day.