Entertainment
Most Perfect, Unrated Crime Thriller Is A Harrowing Tale Of Survival On The Streets
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Homelessness isn’t an easy topic to talk about because there are so many factors at play. Some people are orphaned and would rather live on the streets than get shoved through the foster system. Some people aren’t of the right mind and need to address mental health issues they can’t afford to treat before they can become stable, contributing members of society. Or, if you’re like Bug (Andrew Yackel) in 2019’s Gutterbug, you’ve simply made a series of misguided life choices, got kicked out by your parents at 18, and decided to just go with it.
Gutterbug is not an easy watch, largely because of how accurately it depicts life on the street through the eyes of a young crust punk. Seemingly living just for kicks and always chasing his next fix, Bug sleeps on the ground, causes scenes at music clubs, begs for money, abuses whatever substance he can get his hands on, and dumpster dives for food. Gutterbug really sinks its hooks in by making Bug a complex character who, at his most vulnerable, earns your sympathy, but at his most drug addled and chaotic makes you wish he would stop getting in his own way.
This dichotomy is fully explored throughout the film and may very well change your perspective on homelessness if you’re the type to think they’re all just a bunch of bums who should know better.
Aimlessness, Addiction, And Anarchy
Set in Allston, Massachusetts, Gutterbug establishes its tone by walking you through a day in Bug’s life. Approaching his 21st birthday, the timeline suggests he was kicked out of his parents’ house when he was 18 for drinking, drug use, and getting into misdemeanor-level trouble. Comfortable with the current state of things, Bug spends most of his time getting high on park benches, begging for booze money, and occasionally scoring a cheap dose of the good stuff from his affluent, drug dealing acquaintance Raleigh (Geoff van Wyck).
Along for the ride is Bug’s ride-or-die, Slim (Justin Pietropaolo), as well as his romantic interest, Jenny (Hannah Mosqueda). Together, they experience stratospheric highs when the supply is right, and soul-crushing lows when it runs dry and reality sets in. When the day is over, they will likely be sleeping under a bridge or squatting in an abandoned building. They are not necessarily happy about their living situation, but it is the best they can manage. With the help of friends in the right places, including bodega clerk Eddy (Billy Jenkins), they get by.
A Fearless Look At Homelessness
While it’s easy to roll your windows up when you’re stopped at a traffic light because you don’t want a stranger putting their face in your window, Gutterbug humanizes the homeless in a way few films even attempt that will stick with you. It would have been easy to populate the story with one dimensional background characters who exist only as loud, dangerous derelicts, but that is not what happens here.
Bug’s behavior is problematic to say the least, but the film consistently shows him trying and failing because he has no real support system. He attempts to find work and comes up empty. His parents, who regret kicking him out in the film’s B story, might as well be strangers who happen to live in the same town.
At one point, Bug is such a mess that it takes the “WE I.D.” placard at the bodega to remind him that it is his birthday. Every day bleeds into the next in his current state. While Bug’s predicament can sound self-inflicted, and in many ways it is, Gutterbug quietly points to a much larger systemic issue without ever having to spell it out.
Even if Bug wanted to straighten up, make amends with his family, find steady employment, and get mental health assistance, the path simply is not there. He has no insurance, no financial safety net, and no meaningful family support. His friends, who are living on the streets for their own reasons that the film never fully unpacks, are in similar positions. They are not homeless because they want to be, but since they are, they do what they can to survive.
Not Meant To Be An Easy Watch
What stuck with me most after watching Gutterbug is the overwhelming sense of hopelessness that comes from its realism. Bug and Slim are not likeable guys when they are deep into yet another bender. They can be cold, cruel, and self destructive. The film forces the audience to confront the uncomfortable truth that while their circumstances are tragic, their behavior often works against them, especially once the story moves into the third act.
Writer director Andrew Gibson wants you to sit with that discomfort, and he succeeds. Gutterbug offers no easy answers and no neat solutions to homelessness because that is not the point. The point is recognizing that once someone is pushed far enough to the margins, the barrier to reentry becomes so high that adaptation feels more realistic than escape.
As of this writing, Gutterbug is streaming for free on Tubi.
Entertainment
Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 trailer promises big Benophie arguments and steamy makeouts
Celebrate Valentine’s Day a day early with the latest trailer for Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2.
The trailer above explores what happened after Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) royally stuck his foot in his mouth by asking maid Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) to be his mistress. On the one hand, he certainly thought it was romantic, as it’s the only socially acceptable way for people of their differing social standings. Plus, he didn’t know that Sophie’s mother was her father’s mistress, adding extra emotional baggage to his request.
On the other hand… Benedict. Buddy. Read the room.
The trailer also explores the fallout of Benedict’s faux pas: Benedict pines after Sophie, while Sophie wrestles with her complicated feelings over the proposal. The yearning is simply off the charts.
Apparently the lovebirds aren’t apart for too long, though, because the trailer is full of passionate Benophie kisses — as well as a teaser for a steamy bath scene.
That’s not all, though. In addition to all the Benedict and Sophie drama, these next episodes will see the much-welcome return of Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley). Anthony even gives Benedict a pep talk about following his heart and going after Sophie.
Here’s hoping Benedict will actually follow through (and maybe choose his words better next time he tries for a big romantic gesture).
Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Part 2 premieres Feb. 26.
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Entertainment
A Lion for Lunar New Year
Oh Ruth, this was just perfect and made me tear up! Wishing you and all the COJ readers a xīn nián kuài lè!
Our house is all decorated for the new year, we had dumplings on little new year this past week (festival of the kitchen god), and a big family feast to look forward to next week. Celebrating the holiday is one of the things I’ve come to look forward to every year since I met my husband – we joke we have three new years now (Jewish, Gregorian, and Chinese) to get things right! 😉
P.S. Ruth- I first found your work because of your BTS comic which was perfect… how excited is everyone for the new album/tour?!
Entertainment
Kevin Smith’s Ultra Violent, R-Rated Comedy Horror On Netflix Is A Terrifying Transformation
By Robert Scucci
| Published
Long before I found my passion for digging up movies that play better than their critical reputations suggest, Kevin Smith made a little horror comedy in 2014 called Tusk that I completely wrote off and forgot about thanks to its 45 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Having since spent years reviewing movies with single-digit scores that I feel are better than some of their critically acclaimed counterparts, I finally decided to give this one a go. In my mind, 45 percent probably translates to at least a B minus based on how I personally rate films.
I’m admittedly a bit squeamish when it comes to body horror, though I’ll still check out films like Possessor and Stopmotion if the synopsis sounds compelling enough. And let me tell you something. Justin Long getting transformed into a walrus sounds pretty compelling for one very specific reason.
I used to hate Justin Long because he always plays a jerk. After watching movies like Barbarian and The Wave and thoroughly enjoying them for this exact reason, I’ve come to appreciate that this is where his talent really lies. Given how much fun he seems to have playing a jerk in nearly every project he’s in, I’ve started to believe he’s probably disproportionately nice in real life and living vicariously through his characters. Add Kevin Smith’s twisted sense of humor to the equation, and Tusk becomes essential viewing for anyone who loves violent and bizarre B-movie schlock.
Starts With A Podcast
Justin Long’s Wallace Bryton, sporting his best Anthony Kiedis mustache, is introduced through his offensive podcast, The Not-See Party, where he and his cohost Teddy Craft (Haley Joel Osment) roast viral videos. Following a lead about a Manitoba-based, katana swinging teenager known as the Kill Bill Kid, Wallace is disappointed to discover that the subject of the video committed suicide, meaning he traveled to Canada for nothing.
In an attempt to salvage his trip while still generating content, Wallace hears about a man named Howard Howe (Michael Parks), whose flyer claims travelers can live with him for free so long as they listen to stories about his life. Driving out to the middle of nowhere, Wallace prepares for what he believes will be the interview of a lifetime. Instead, he’s drugged and slowly stitched into a human sized walrus suit.
Meanwhile, Teddy and Wallace’s girlfriend Ally (Genesis Rodriguez), having not heard from him in days, receive an alarming voicemail detailing his current predicament. They enlist the help of former detective Guy LaPointe (Johnny Depp), who has been searching for Howard for as long as he can remember, under the suspicion that he’s responsible for countless missing persons cases just like Wallace’s. Determined to rescue their friend, the trio sets out to Howard’s last known address, completely unaware of the brutality waiting for them.
Production Values That Transcend Its Budget
Despite its meager, three million dollar production budget, the practical body horror effects in Tusk are more than solid. We get graphic closeups of Wallace during and after his transformation, and they’re absolutely nauseating in the best possible way. Justin Long’s look of bewildered distress really sells the entire ordeal. He starts the movie overly confident and smug, only to end up as a man trapped inside a walrus’s body.
Since I’ve personally never been sewn into a lifelike walrus suit made from scraps of my own amputated limbs against my will, I can’t say how I’d react in a similar situation. What I can say is that Long sells it convincingly, so credit where it’s due.
The best part of Tusk, though, is Johnny Depp. It feels like the role of Guy LaPointe was written specifically for him, even though reports suggest it was originally written for Quentin Tarantino, who passed on it. Depp is enthusiastic, eccentric, haunted by his past, and driven by his obsession with Howard. He carries himself like a flask-swigging, hard-boiled private detective who’s well past his prime.
While I enjoyed Tusk well enough before his arrival, Johnny Depp’s presence and ability to command every scene he’s in is what truly sealed the deal for me.
An interesting take on body horror mixed with comedy, Tusk isn’t for everyone, but I’m glad I finally got around to watching it. It has the same sick sense of humor you’d expect from Kevin Smith, but it’s focused squarely on this specific genre, showing his range in ways that characters like Jay and Silent Bob simply can’t. Once again haunted by the realization that I could have watched this movie over a decade ago and enjoyed it just as much, it’s another reminder of why you should always take what critics say with a grain of salt.
As of this writing, Tusk is streaming on Netflix.
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