Quarantine Control #113: An Ambulance for a Hot Micro-Face
As time goes on, it only becomes more difficult to remember that we’re still living within the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s tough to blame anyone or the media when there are more enticing stories to cover, especially within the good-old United States of America, where the headlines have been dominated by the newest mass shooting, and the one before that one, and the one before that one. Wild, and the country is set to do absolutely nothing about it. If you’re reading this, you’re likely still watching out for COVID, which you should be considering it’s now especially killing old people who were vaccinated but not boosted.
Geoffrey Barnes
Ambulance (2022)
Source: Peacock
Episodes: 1 movie
It’s tough to remember the time when Michael Bay wasn’t constantly derided for his directorial style. This reached its zenith after the Transformers films, which introduced his name to a considerably wider audience and tore up the box office, but made new enemies in the process thanks to how large a departure the movies were from the old cartoons and comics. And don’t get me started on the last two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films. So, it’s good that he’s now made a film like Ambulance, a movie styled closer to Bay’s pre-franchise works with a little inspiration from the dearly departed Tony Scott thrown in. The end result is easily the best film Bay’s released since the glory days of the 1990s.
The film starts off by framing a realistic scenario for anyone familiar with the scam-ridden hellscape that’s the American healthcare system. Former military man Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) discovers that his wife Denise (Moses Ingram — you might know her from somewhere else these days) needs live-saving surgery that isn’t covered by her insurance, and thus demands a ridiculous $231,000 to pay for it. After long calls with insurance company representatives that have led to nothing, Will contacts his adopted brother Danny Sharp (Jake Gyllenhaal) for a loan. But before he can give him the money, he needs a big favor: Danny wants Will’s help to pull off a massive bank heist. The rest of the movie is about the pair and others outrunning and outgunning the authorities.
That description makes the concept sound paper thin, but I don’t want to sell the movie short. It’s a well-paced good time that almost always keeps the focus on the frenetic action as the adoptive brothers try their best to outrun local and federal officers in a stolen ambulance (hence the name). Will was never fully into the idea of robbing banks and putting innocent people in harm’s way, which creates drama and tension with both Danny and the EMT (Eiza González) taken along for the ride thanks to being in the ambulance at the wrong time. It’s not a short movie at about 138 minutes, but the pacing and action keep it rolling along.
It was especially remarkable how I felt like I was watching a Tony Scott film at the time. Bay clearly admired his directorial style, including the lighting usage for several scenes and the action direction. It works well when combined with Bay’s own proclivity for action and explosions. It’s a shame some of the CGi usage is a little below par (as Bay made sure to note before the film released), perhaps partially due to its $40 million budget, a very modest sum for an action film these days. That just makes it more amazing to see what the production crew was able to do with it.
It’s just a real damned shame that the best Bay film in a good while was also the least successful one, given its box office returns. But that’s just the world we live in, one heavily (though, to be fair, not entirely) dominated by franchises. The hope here is that the movie was profitable enough through the box office, digital release, and whatever they’re making from Peacock now, to ensure that Bay and others can make more movies like this in the near future.
Angela Moseley
Long time, no see! About 21 Quarantine Control columns ago I found myself running out of material that I’d watched. Now I have the opposite problem of trying to get back into watching, playing, and reading mountains of content. I’ve been making some progress since my last column in November, but I’ve found myself so far behind in writing that I had to skip out on some of my original plans. Anyway, I’ve rediscovered a happy medium and hopefully I can keep my writing efforts on track.
The Mysterious Micro-Face (2022)
Source: Planet Money/NPR
Episodes: One comic book (so far)
Physical comic books aren’t something I buy very often. These days I prefer to go digital with my tablet and even then, the bulk of the comics I’ve been reading are webcomics. That said, The Mysterious Micro-Face came to me in a rather unconventional matter.
I’m an avid consumer of podcasts, especially NPR (National Public Radio) podcasts. In early 2021 the podcast, Planet Money began a series on how they bought a superhero. As someone who’s been listening to this podcast since it launched in 2008, Planet Money’s attempts to buy things in order to explain how the economy works is fairly familiar. This crew of public radio reporters have purchased cotton to make limited runs of t-shirts, Christmas trees to sell around the holidays, a few barrels of oil, and they’ve even sent stuff to space in a satellite. So Planet Money trying to purchase a superhero wasn’t unexpected. The entire ordeal is cataloged in a five part series.
After months of delays with the delivery of the comic book, a copy of The Mysterious Micro-Face showed up at my door in late May on my birthday. I don’t think I could have asked for a better surprise from public radio if I tried. And before I get into the plot summary, Micro refers to the fact that his powers are sound-based thanks to the technology in his signature helmet, not the size of his face. Think of his powers as mildly similar to Present Mic from My Hero Academia or Black Canary from the DC Heroes universe.
New York City NPR reporter Sam Salazar is live on air reporting the daily financial news when breaking news that hits close too home reaches his desk. His grandfather’s tech company, Wood Family Inventions has been acquired by the private equity firm, Golden Age Private Equity. Stunned and saddened, Sam decides to investigate the firm after their strange behavior catches his attention– i.e. buying companies and doing nothing with them. (Normally private equity firms sell off the assets they purchased.) In the meantime, his friend and fellow reporter Amina is working on a piece about an old superhero named Micro-Face who fought crime in the 1940s, but then stopped because of the Red Scare. As Sam digs through his own story about Golden Age, Amina realizes their two stories are actually connected.
Sam’s quest to get to the bottom of Golden Age’s activities take a turn for the interesting when a package is delivered to his apartment. Inside is a letter from his deceased grandfather and a superhero costume. Sam is confused until Amina quickly realizes his grandfather WAS Micro-Face and he wanted his grandson to have the costume. The delivery to Sam would be triggered automatically if some company completed a hostile takeover of Wood Family Inventions. Before the two reporters can process what’s happening, Corporal Raider, a supervillain employee of Golden Age attacks them at home in an attempt to steal the Micro-Face helmet.
Sam and Amina escape, but they realize the private equity firm is involved in something much larger and more sinister than just buying tech firms. Sam takes up the mantle of Micro-Face in order to thwart the firm’s plans.
Honestly, The Mysterious Micro-Face is a love letter to fans of Planet Money and those interested in finance. This is easily one of the nerdiest works I’ve read in quite some time. There are tons of references to Planet Money stories down to a shout out to the LLC they incorporated in Delware. Heck, Planet Money even has an in-universe counterpart delightfully named Planet Moolah and they reference said t-shirt project. Even better, this story also pays tribute to the original Micro-Face comics by acknowledging his backstory as Sam’s grandfather.
All and all, the new Micro-Face is an enjoyable read from start to finish. I can’t imagine the appeal being too broad beyond fans of Planet Money, finance fans, or fans who enjoy reading about long forgotten superheroes. Fortunately, the heavy use of financial terms don’t get in the way of a good story. The comic does end on a bit of a cliff-hanger, paving the way for future comics. Hopefully Planet Money follows through with this project. If not, what we got is still amazing.
Joseph Daniels
It’s that time again, the start of a new month. With the start of a new month comes your regular reminder to take things easy in this Year of the Tiger and look after yourself.
As temperatures here in North America start to climb and summer makes itself known, it’s the perfect time to go outside and soak up some sun. One phrase I’ve seen used in recent months is “touch some grass”. It can be used very derisively, but I think it can have a positive meaning, too. Go outside, lay down in your yard, maybe on a beach towel, and let the sun’s rays warm you.
Safely, though. With sunscreen on. No one wants sunburns.
Also, don’t forget to hydrate. Many streamers on Twitch realize that it can be easy to get so involved in their game that they don’t partake in water or whatever their beverage of choice is, so they make hydration a channel point redeem. It can be easy to forget to drink water, but as the days get hotter, please remember to bring a beverage with you if you’re going to do something like hiking or sunning on the beach or in your backyard, and especially if you’re doing work, like in the garden. If this year is anything like last year, temperatures are likely going to soar once more. Heat waves like the one that occurred last year in the last week of June can be deadly, so definitely take extra care.
Anyway, I’ll see you next week, when I’ll discuss another tiger-related anime that is also related to one of last week’s shows.
The world is in a perilous state, and it doesn’t appear that will improve time soon — if it ever will. This is far from the most positive note to end this post on, but it’s tough not to be honest about everything happening now. Cherish every little bit of good news you get.
About The Author
dcstaff
The collective will of the Damage Control staff combined into a single article.
