Derrick Bang

Davis

Writer at Freelance

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Articles

‘Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning’ - We can only hope

1 week ago | davisenterprise.com | Derrick Bang

Vanity, thy name is Tom Cruise. It has become increasingly obvious — ever since the Burj Khalifa climbing sequence in 2011’s masterfully entertaining “Ghost Protocol” revived the series — that Cruise’s increasingly flamboyant stunt sequences were becoming the tail that wagged the dog. “The Final Reckoning” brings this trend to its inevitable, lamentable conclusion. All tail, and no dog.
‘The Friend’: The best one imaginable

2 months ago | davisenterprise.com | Derrick Bang

How do you explain death to a dog? Writer/directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel have done a rare thing, in adapting Sigrid Nunez’s award-winning 2018 novel. They’ve retained the book’s heart, while making the story more accessible to a general audience.
Oscar time: Quality vs. political correctness

Mar 2, 2025 | davisenterprise.com | Derrick Bang

What a mess. “Emilia Pérez” was certain to win numerous awards, and Karla Sofia Gascón was a shoo-in for Best Actress, until folks cried foul over the film’s depiction of Mexican culture and trans individuals. Then journalists revealed Gascón’s unpalatable social media posts regarding Muslims, George Floyd and Academy Awards diversity. She subsequently made matters worse, with arrogant, overly defensive non-apologies and weak attempts at justification. Bye-bye ...
‘The Brutalist’: A monumental effort

Feb 2, 2025 | davisenterprise.com | Derrick Bang

This film is impressive in many respects. Director/co-writer Brady Corbet ambitiously tackles an overwhelming, quite possibly unattainable endeavor much the way this story’s protagonist does. Alas, Corbet’s reach ultimately exceeds his grasp. From the very first frame, this film Calls Attention To Itself. Lol Crawley’s cinematographic choice is 70mm VistaVision, a throwback logo and widescreen variant long discarded since its 1950s debut.
‘September 5’: Impressively powerful

Jan 26, 2025 | davisenterprise.com | Derrick Bang

Ingenuity under pressure is fascinating. Director Tim Fehlbaum’s fact-based depiction of what occurred during the 1972 Munich Olympics — and how those events were broadcast to the entire world — is a suspenseful and riveting docudrama: a true, edge-of-the-seat nail-biter.
‘Ghostlight’: Spiritually uplifting

Sep 14, 2024 | davisenterprise.com | Derrick Bang

Shakespeare never gets old. (That said, I’ll get back to The Bard in a moment.)Chicago-based co-directors Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson have created a superbly nuanced depiction of a family’s struggle to overcome grief: as delicately shaped and intimate a film as I’ve seen in a long time. O’Sullivan also wrote the wholly persuasive script, which never hits a wrong note.
Spotlight on Peter Gunn and Mr. Lucky

Jul 8, 2024 | screenactionjazz.com | Derrick Bang

Film music journalist/historian Jon Burlingame has been an invaluable resource over the years; he’s also a thoroughly entertaining writer. I’ve long followed his Los Angeles Times and Daily Variety articles, and I often refer to his books: 1996’s TV’s Biggest Hits, updated and expanded last year, as Music for Prime Time; and 2012’s The Music of James Bond. His just-published newest book is the perfect topic for this post: Dreamsville: Henry Mancini, Peter Gunn and Music for TV Noir.
‘Wicked Little Letters’: Hilariously entertaining

Apr 4, 2024 | davisenterprise.com | Derrick Bang

You’ve gotta love the cheeky epigram with which director Thea Sharrock opens her mischievous little film:“This is more true than you’d think.”Indeed, the vast majority of Jonny Sweet’s script is based on actual events ... including a couple of details that you’d swear he fabricated. The biggest shift from reality lies in the multi-racial casting, which makes the story more entertaining for us modern viewers. The setting is the seaside town of Littlehampton, in the early 1920s.