(09-29-2021, 12:22 AM)Alan V Wrote: Midnight Mass on Netflix was more about religion than I like for entertainment, but I did enjoy watching religious crazies act in such horrible and self-deluded ways.I was just going to post about this. It's a limited series (7 episodes and done) and I think brilliantly made. My wife and I are still 2 episodes from finished, but I do like it very much.
There's a lot of not-so-subtle commentary on religion, the common human desire to make sense out of things that make no sense, guilt, shame, control, addiction, and more generally the limitless human capacity for self-delusion. Also on how utterly ripe some people are for manipulation by those who are so utterly INTO manipulation. It is, ultimately, a cautionary tale about religion.
It's also a somewhat unique take on vampirism, which is not easy to pull off, as thoroughly as that particular oeuvre has already been mined. And I always give extra props when vampires are depicted in the style of, and in tribute to, the original vampire movie, the german silent film Nosferatu. The fixation on Bela Lugosi's portrayal is to my sensibilities less durable a vessel to hold the concept.
The proxy for most of us here, particularly the formerly religious, is the character Riley, who is at least nominally the main protagonist. He's an atheist and former alter boy who beautifully describes what he expects death to be like for himself. It somehow manages to be more soaring and inspirational than his still-religious girlfriend's take on the matter.
There's a girl in a wheelchair because of a shooting accident who confronts the man who shot her, saying that he "reached through time and took things away from me that I didn't even have yet" and tells him how much hatred she feels for him -- yet also ends up forgiving him, "because if I can see something of worth in you, anyone can".
It's definitely an actor's tour-de-force and it's very well written and acted in almost all respects; there are many moments like this in the series.
