Marvel’s criteria for hiring directors differs from other blockbuster studios in that they don’t require filmmakers to have big-budget experience. This is because Kevin Feige understands that indie directors can be taught to use greenscreens, but blockbuster directors can’t be taught to develop well-rounded characters or tell emotionally engaging stories. The directors that Marvel hires for its movies and streaming shows usually have a couple of great low-budget movies under their belt before they join the MCU. Taika Waititi directedBoybeforeThor: Ragnarok; Ryan Coogler directedFruitvale StationbeforeBlack Panther; Chloé Zhao directedNomadlandbeforeEternals; and Destin Daniel Cretton directedShort Term 12beforeShang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings.
The third, fourth, and fifth episodes ofHawkeyewere directed by filmmaking duo Amber Templemore-Finlayson and Katie Ellwood,better known as Bert & Bertie. In this three-episode run, Bert & Bertie brought some of the best elements to the series. They deepened the mentor-mentee relationship between Clint Barton and Kate Bishop – capitalizing on the terrific on-screen chemistry shared by Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld – and helmed some of the series’ most spectacular action sequences, like the single-take car chase andthe rooftop fight between Clint, Kate, Maya, and Yelena. But before working onHawkeye, Bert & Bertie helmed the heartwarming coming-of-age dramedyTroop Zerofor Amazon Studios.
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Set in a rural Georgia town in 1977,Troop Zerorevolves around a ragtag group of elementary-school outcasts who form their own Birdie Scout troop after being rejected from the existing ones. Mckenna Grace, who recently gavea fantastic performance inGhostbusters: Afterlife, stars as Christmas Flint, a fiercely independent but socially awkward outsider struggling to fit in (in other words, a universally relatable protagonist). Christmas connects with her late mother through a shared fascination with the possibility of extra-terrestrial life and the belief that her mom is living with aliens. Since the winners of an upcoming Birdie Scout talent show will have their voices included on the Voyager Golden Record – which Christmas believes will be heard by aliens – she’s determined to lead Troop Zero to victory.
Troop Zero And Hawkeye Are Surprisingly Similar
On the surface,Troop ZeroandHawkeyemight not seem very similar. One is about kids practicing for a talent show in rural Georgia and the other is abouta tracksuit-clad crime ringtrying to kill a pair of archers on the streets of New York. But some ofTroop Zero’s strengths are prevalent inHawkeye. For starters,Hawkeye’s central father-daughter dynamic ofClint encouraging Kate to follow her dreamswhile trying to save her from getting hurt has parallels withTroop Zero’s own father-daughter dynamic, played beautifully by standup comic Jim Gaffigan opposite Grace. Unlike Kate Bishop, Christmas has two mentor figures. Her dad’s secretary Miss Rayleen, played brilliantly as always by Viola Davis, saves Troop Zero from being shut down by becoming its troop mother.Troop Zero’s villain, Miss Massey – played with pitch-perfect coldness by Allison Janney – is an even more ruthless, sadistic, and hateable bad guy than the Kingpin.
Another strength that can be seen across Bert & Bertie’s work is their use of music to evoke emotion. WhileIron Man 3had taken place around Christmas (just like every other Shane Black movie),Hawkeyewasthe MCU’s first true Christmas story. Bert & Bertie’s soundtrack choices evoked the warmth and nostalgia surrounding the yuletide season with a mixture of Christmas carols like “Jingle Bells” and “O Christmas Tree” and holiday hits like “Father Christmas” by the Kinks, “A Marshmallow World” by Brenda Lee, and “Sweet Gingerbread Man” by Sammy Davis, Jr.Hawkeye’s festive soundtrack was a big part of its infectious Christmas spirit.
Troop Zerosimilarly uses familiar pop hits to get an emotional response from the audience. Rob Lord provides a great original score and there are licensed tracks by such legendary artists as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and Diana Ross, but the movie’s most memorable musical moments involveDavid Bowie’s greatest hits. “Rebel Rebel” is used to capture Troop Zero’s rebelliousness, “Starman” is used to capture Christmas’ relationship with outer space (and, by extension, her relationship with her mom), and the climactic interpretive dance is set to “Space Oddity.”
Bert & Bertie Are Working On A New Movie
The duo is currently working on their next film,Queen Bitch & The High Horse, about the largest municipal fraud in U.S. history. New Republic Pictures is co-producing the movie with Dirty Films, Cate Blanchett’s production company. This will surely be another gem from the directors with plenty of heart, humor, and emotional resonance. In the meantime, check out their existing work.Troop Zerois streaming on Prime Video andBert & Bertie’sHawkeyeepisodesare worth a rewatch on Disney+.
