"TV NEWS IS BLACK COMEDY OR EVEN SURREALISM: TAKE YOUR PICK"

     Lots of new Netflix films ( and series ) have come out recently, but who had time to see them? So many provocative and pertinent news events on TV have occupied our time and attention instead: the mid-term elections; Zelenskyy's Congressional address; attack on Pelosi's husband;  January 6 revealing testimony; and House Speaker stalemate.

     We needed to watch some fictional films for a change. No real-life stuff like on TV, no open-endings where conclusions are still evolving, no tragedies that we can't escape. Something a bit different, no doubt. Enter three movies trending around the same time, chosen randomly by this critic and remarkably similar in their characteristics. While these three samples give viewers a break from TV news, they can also be described as odd, unexpected and disconcerting. Just like some TV coverage. 

     The most obvious similarity among the Netflix movies ( GLASS ONION, WHITE NOISE AND WEDNESDAY ) are their mixture of somewhat similar genres, including combinations of fantasy, satire, spoof and black comedy. ( These classifications were also duly noted a few days ago by filmmaker Michael Moore when insisting that satire was needed more often in media.) Other commonalities are apparent as well: their narratives providing exciting twists and turns; their characters showing they are clearly "outsiders;" their cinematic style suggesting surrealism; and their themes proving that "Reality is often not what it appears to be."

    While "Glass Onion" is a "who-done-it" following the exploits of a famous detective ( playfully performed by Daniel Craig ), the weird protagonists have plenty of secrets often possessing more than one identity. Reality is challenged as the past and present collide on a Greek Island. Viewers are encouraged to keep their eyes and ears open so they will remember what they thought they saw and heard. No inconclusive ending here as pieces of the plot's puzzles are put into place, one-by-one.

     "White Noise" is another film which slowly appears to be a satire as it proceeds, namely because a lot of it doesn't make sense. A hapless family, headed by Adam Driver  ( who shows film clips of cars having wrecks to his students ) endeavors to cope with a cloud of toxic material heading toward town. Each family member has his/her own idiosyncratic behavior for sure, but their individual goals are probably to reconcile their sense of "outsider " status. At the end, a return to normalcy for the family ( at least their kind of "normal" ) makes even the viewers feel better.

     Finally, "Wednesday, " ( a Netflix series ) derived from "The Addams Family" and the film director Tim Burton's own childhood, becomes the perfect combination of fantasy, satire, black comedy and even mystery. The "outsider" motif is particularly provocative and enticing as the audience tries to decide if the protagonist, Wednesday, will become an "insider," thus helping her other odd friends become accepted by the town,

     In between Wednesday's adventures at her school,  Nevermore Academy, she solves a murder, experiences several rites-of- passage, and learns an important lesson: "Do Not Let Anyone Defy You." ( NOTE: Tim Burton apparently learned the same lesson as a successful director of films like " Edward Scissorhands" and "Beetle Juice." )

     Now, to perhaps the most salient issue at hand:  Is there a reason WHY some current fictional films remind us of some TV news broadcasts ?

     ANSWER: Because their content is similar, featuring elements of fantasy, satire and black comedy.

     ANSWER: Because their narratives are often chaotic, confusing and filled with people who are not " normal."

     CONSIDER the present TV news coverage capturing the election of the next House Speaker. It's chaotc, confusing, filled with " disruption from outsiders," often ridiculous, and surreal in nature. WHAT NEXT?