Note: This was accidentally posted as a Paid Subscriber Only post on Monday. I switched it to post again today for everyone.
Rob and I saw an advance screening of Tuner a few weeks ago, and we recorded this discussion in the same session as our Wizard of the Kremlin review (thus the familiar combination of shirts).
For Rob’s written review, be sure to hop over to his Substack, Not That Rob Thomas.
As mentioned in the video, Rob liked Tuner more than I did. It is a well made film, overall, but I frequently found myself frustrated by how neat and tidy it is in its storytelling. More often than not, I praise films for narrative efficiency, especially in short 90-minute gems that come together perfectly. But in Tuner, the efficiency comes across as connecting the dots, especially where the romantic relationship is concerned.
Rob and I agree about the strong performances in the film, especially from Havana Rose Liu as Ruthie, the classical pianist and composer who meets the central character, Niki (Leo Woodall) during one of her rehearsal sessions. It took me forever to figure out where I had seen Liu before. Then just a few minutes before finishing this post I discovered that she played Isabel in Bottoms, a film I admired quite a bit.
Come back tomorrow for the next Now Showing in Madison post!
