Usually, when there is a huge premiere, the rest of the contestants save their weapons for another fight. However, July 20, 2023 will be remembered for the theatrical release day clash of two of the most anticipated Hollywood auteur films of the year. ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ are the only things that will be talked about this weekend and that is, either of the two that were released alone would already have monopolized the conversation. Their confrontation, on top of that, leaves no chance for anything else. Hence, it would be rare that you hear of any other premieres, even across platforms. Even Netflix, HBO or Amazon Prime knew that releasing a valuable product today, with a headline like ‘Stranger Things’, ‘The Boys’ or ‘The Last of Us’ would be absurd. There are so many Fridays to be won, a battle not worth fighting is lost. Which is why we’re surprised Netflix hasn’t pushed up the premiere of ‘The Clone of Tyrone’.
The battle between ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ is age-old, but it came alive at the premiere as critics and the public alike became enthralled. On Rotten Tomatoes, ‘Barbie’ has a 90% critical and public success so far. ‘Oppenheimer’ holds a 93% critical and 94% public approval rating. But it is that ‘Tyrone Clone’, the movie that Netflix released over the weekend, that will not go unnoticed, with 91% media reviews and 100% satisfied audiences.
This 2023 has had a very bad line up of Netflix movies. Neither ‘Bird Box: Barcelona’, nor ‘The Mother’, ‘Across the Sea’, ‘Criminals in Sight’ or ‘The Crimes of the Academy’ have won acclaim. Only ‘Tyler Rake 2’ can claim to be “good” among the movies releasing on Netflix this year. ‘Tyrone’s clone’ is, of course, another and yet it comes at a time when very few people will talk about it. It seems that Netflix manages to produce amazing products, super productions with stars like Thai ‘Hunger’ or ‘Agent Stone’, but with a good medium level product, they no longer know what to do. ‘Tyrone Clone’ is directed by Juel Taylor, not Fincher, not Alfonso Cuarón, not Scorsese. Netflix doesn’t have letter from iconic writer with Oscar request. Its protagonists come from Star Wars like John Boyega, from Marvel like Teonna Paris or from huge careers like Jamie Foxx, but they are not stars on the level of Chris Hemsworth or Gal Gadot. This is an example of medium production cinema which film production companies no longer understand and it seems platforms don’t understand either. Only the A24 production company, which has nothing to do with the film even though it appears, understands the value and market power of this type of film. This weekend you will have to watch not two but three films.
‘The Tyrone Clone’ is an original story written by director Juel Taylor and screenwriter Tony Rettenmaier himself. His story is the least curious. First they take us to Glenn, an African-American ghetto-like criminal neighborhood where everything seems to run between pimps, drug dealers and prostitutes. Where businesses are fried chicken, hairdressers who straighten your frizzy hair or strip clubs. It is an almost clichéd version of the African-American neighborhood that so many series and movies have transferred to us. Problem is, the protagonist, a drug dealer, a pimp and a prostitute, soon learns that the entire town is part of a behavioral experiment. Yep, they’re doing Glenn’s “orange with blacks”.
‘The Tyrone Clones’ has an original story, great performances, quick, quick, inspiring dialogue full of witty references and a lot to say. On the one hand, we have a good science fiction story with lots of style Gangster, It’s as if Kubrick and JJ Abrams co-directed a movie that, unfortunately, has arrived on Netflix without claiming that it’s their best movie so far this year (though it is). True it was not very difficult).
The young filmmaker and his African-American cast take every cliché and banality of African-American fiction and society and use, transpose, glorify, and destroy them in a film that has been compared to many tearjerkers. There are more and better racial readings than comparisons. About slavery who has cried foul to win an Oscar. It is entertainment cinema, but also militant and social in the most popular sense of the word.
Raphael is an expert in movies, series and video games. His is classic and auteur cinema, although he does not leave the success of the moment on Marvel or Netflix due to professional distractions. He also has a weird side, as evidenced by his expertise in all things anime, K-pop, and Asian culture.
Sometimes it’s his turn to write hit songs of all time, from Bizarap to Blackpink, generation after generation. It also has its erotic side, but unfortunately, it is limited only to a selection of the best erotic series and movies. But it is not limited to this, as he also likes to write about gastronomy, travel, humor and memes.
After writing for Fotogramus and Esquire for 5 years, the truth is that he has already done everything, from interviews with international stars to mobile phone presentations or tasting oils, insects and, yes, with luck, wines .
He trained in Audiovisual Communication at the University of Murcia. He later continued his studies at the Carlos III University of Madrid with a master’s degree in communication media research. In addition to starting a doctorate on sexual representation in auteur cinema (which he never completed), he also studied a master’s degree in film criticism at both the ECAM and the Escuela de Escritores. Before that, he worked hard on the Cinellacarbonara blog, continuing to work in media such as Amancimetropolis, Culturamas or Revista Magnolia and dedicating all his efforts to Revista Mutaciones since its inception.
He arrived at Hearst in 2018 and managed to gain a foothold in the Photogrammes and Esquire newsrooms, with which he continues to write about everything he likes and is sent (he often corresponds). His good or bad taste (depending on how you look at it) led him to delve into the world of gastronomy and video games. Come on, he likes to entertain himself.