December TV Watch: The Sex Lives of College Girls, Landscapers, Hawkeye

Looking for a TV show to watch this week? Well, look no further. Whether you want an American college comedy, British drama, or a Marvel superhero series, there’s something for everyone.

The Sex Lives of College Girls: This is one of the best shows I watched this year. HBO would drop a couple of episodes every Thursday and I looked forward to them like it was Christmas morning. Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, the show follows four young women (played by the amazing quartet of Pauline Chalamet (yes, she's Timothy's sister), Amrit Kaur, Alyah Chanelle Scott, and Renée Rapp) as they navigate their first year of college. I’ll confess, as someone who went to a women’s college and never left campus to attend a single frat party, there wasn’t a lot I could relate to in terms of this particular college experience. But setting aside all the raunchy bits that the title of the show promises, I could 100% relate to the premise of young women becoming fast friends and leaning on each other in times of trouble. This show is an embodiment of my personal motto of hos before bros and I was here for it through all ten episodes. 

Like with any Mindy Kaling show, there is oodles of plot and each one of these women is navigating some sort of intense personal crisis that is at times profound and then silly in equal measure. I don’t want to give away a single detail because the show is paced beautifully and keeps the cliffhangers coming as it doles out the twists and turns - honestly, you are SO lucky that all ten episodes are out now so you can just binge it all in one sitting rather than having to wait for each morsel like I had to. The four leads are superb and charismatic, and I would find a new reason to relate to each one of them in every episode (though we can all probably agree that I am mostly a Kimberly). The writing is whip-smart and so, so funny. One of my all-time favorite exchanges was when one of the girls is trying to think of a birthday present for a guy and suggests a journal. This suggestion is derisively shot down with the following, "A journal?! Hot guys don't write journals. They just let their thoughts fade away. That's what makes them hot." If you LOL'd while reading that, then head on over to HBO Max and start bingeing. 

Landscapers: This is a weird and moving four-part miniseries about the true story of David and Susan Edwards, a British couple that were convicted of murdering Susan’s parents and burying them in the garden. They were only caught fifteen years later in 2013 and despite their conviction, they still maintain their innocence, claiming it was manslaughter and not murder. Written by Ed Sinclair and starring the powerhouse actors Olivia Colman (Sinclair's real-life wife, a fun trivia tidbit!) and David Thewlis, this show takes an empathetic look at this mysterious couple and how they ended up in prison.

The show makes many whimsical storytelling flourishes, based on the fact that the Edwards' were big fans of classic cinema. In one episode, their romance is portrayed as a French new wave film that Truffaut would have been proud of; in another, the events of the killing play out like an old Western. Because we already know what the law and society decided about this couple, this is a story that is solely interested in what the couple themselves might have been thinking and the life experiences that could have let them to this horrible crime. With Colman’s eyes perpetually brimming, you’d be hard-pressed to not fall for the hapless Susan and understand her side of the wretched story. Ultimately, this is a character study about a truly bizarre story. It’s an interesting and compelling way to spend four hours and you will certainly have some conflicted feelings when you’re done.

Hawkeye: The most exciting thing about this show is that it is set in New York at Christmas time. So you should watch it for that reason alone. But fine, if New York and Christmas aren’t your two most favorite things in the world, I suppose you can also watch it because it’s a Marvel TV show and it’s quippy and fun with some great action sequences and the introduction of Kate Bishop (played by the great Hailee Steinfeld) to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Kate is an expert archer and mixed martial artist, so she’s the natural protégé to the weathered Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) who just wants to get home to his family. And oh, if you did not watch Black Widow, you might want to get on that, because a character shows up halfway through that you may otherwise not recognize.

The show is a lot of fun, with some great Marvel gags involving a terrible Avengers musical that is playing on Broadway and Kate lamenting Hawkeye’s very poor brand recognition (as they walk through Times Square, she thinks she spots someone cosplaying as him only to have him wryly correct her that that’s Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games). There’s action galore, twists and turns, and many villains and side characters to contend with, including Marvel's first Deaf lead character, Echo (played to perfection by Alaqua Cox, who is about to embark on her own spinoff series). This show takes one of the most boring Avengers and makes him fun again, which is a service to us all. And at a crisp six episodes, it doesn’t require a massive time commitment. It’s quick and easy, delivers just enough plot and action to keep you satisfied, and doesn’t overstay its welcome. And the season finale is an absolute showstopper. I was fairly ambivalent about this series until I got to that final episode and it was like someone went hey, what would a peak Christmassy New York episode look like? The action set pieces are wild, the jokes are thick and fast, and the post-credits scene is a joy. So check it out and give it a quick binge. As Steve Rogers would say, "I could do this all daaaaaay." 

Spider-Man: No Way Home: A Raucous Joy

I know the omicron variant is spreading through the world and the last thing I should be advocating for is that people pack themselves into a crowded movie theatre to watch Spider-Man: No Way Home. But man. That is how I watched this movie, and I regret nothing. No other movie I have watched this year has been more of a boisterous crowd pleaser with a ton of surprises all the way into the third act that kept us endlessly cheering. In fact, I might need to re-watch this movie at home when we're all in lockdown again because I missed so much dialogue when the crowd was whooping away. 

The movie picks up right after the last one where Peter Parker's identity as Spider-Man has been broadcast to the whole world. So naturally, Peter and his friends are thrown into a bit of turmoil. Spider-Man is having a PR crisis, and Peter and his associates face a barrage of abuse - apparently no one in NYC believes he is their friendly neighborhood Spider-Man; instead, they think he destroys everything he touches. In a fit of despair, Peter visits Dr. Strange to see if he can cast a spell to turn back time. Obviously Strange puts the kibosh on that (can't mess with the space-time continuum dontcha know!) but they hit upon a loophole where he could just make the world forget they know Spider-Man's identity. Unfortunately, magic is a tricky thing, and he ends up causing various rifts in the multiverse that lead to people who knew Peter in other universes now showing up in this one.

What this means is that this movie is a string of cameos of villains from every iteration of Spider-Man you've seen before. There have been so many Spider-Man reboots in my lifetime, and it is has become quite the running gag about how Hollywood keeps restarting this franchise, but in a bizarre way, it feels like all those reboots were part of a cosmic plan to eventually give us this movie where all the universes unite and Tom Holland has to fight two decades' worth of villains. It's such amazing fan service, but also hilariously well-written and plotted (this script is written by Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna, and I just discovered McKenna wrote the best episode of Community, Remedial Chaos Theory...which makes a lot of sense). I've never rewatched any of the Spider-Man movies and I'm sure there are a lot of references and nuances I missed, but who cares? I was still ready to cheer with the rest of the crowd when another surprise guest would pop in from some other universe and cause some mayhem.

I'm deliberately not spoiling the best part of this film; you'll have to discover that for yourself. But in general, this movie is firing on all cylinders. Tom Holland continues to be a fabulous Spider-Man who can worry in one scene about how to save the world and then in another scene be preoccupied about his MIT college applications. Zendaya and Jacob Batalon are reliably wonderful as MJ and Ned, his girlfriend and best friend who will help him sort out this mess, while Marisa Tomei gets a LOT to do as his stalwart Aunt May. And all the surprise guest appearances are pitch perfect, a plethora of actors who are simply happy to be a part of the Marvel juggernaut and ready to ham it up and have a good time in a weird costume. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home is the epitome of a Marvel superhero movie. It is bursting with jokes, surprises, and some hefty emotional moments that will tug at your heartstrings until the next stunning action sequence. It deftly synthesizes two decades of Spider-Man movies and lore, and ropes in Dr. Strange to set up his 2022 movie that will feature even more mind-bending hijinks. The visual effects are superb, the stunt choreography is epic, the NYC settings are great (now that I'm dating a man from Queens, my movie excitement extends to recognizing streets and subway stations outside of Manhattan), and overall, I have no notes. This was quite simply a great time at the movie theatre that delivered exactly what it said it would and then a little bit extra. Inject it all into my veins. 

West Side Story, Wolf, & Licorice Pizza: Nip Down to the Theater

Last weekend was another busy time at the cinema. Strap in, I’ve got a musical, a weird psychological thriller, and a languid 70s nostalgia piece to tell you about. There’s something in this schizophrenic selection for everyone.

West Side Story: Directed by Steven Spielberg, an adaptation of the iconic musical that is inspired by Romeo & Juliet with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It's a slam dunk! This thing has prestige brimming through its veins and the final product is a thing of beauty. The casting is particularly spot on, with Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler acquitting themselves admirably as the star-crossed lovers (she is a better singer, but he emotes well enough to keep up), but I was far more compelled by the secondary characters of Riff (Mike Faist) and Anita (Ariana DeBose) who almost seemed to command more screen time than the leads and got the best choreography to showcase both their singing and dancing chops. And lest we forget, the magical Rita Moreno, who played Anita in the original 1961 movie, is back in this version as Doc’s wife, a neat little subversion of the original character of Doc since she is playing a Puerto Rican who married a “gringo” and therefore straddles both lines of this insane rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks.

The smartest thing Spielberg did in this adaptation was ensure the Puerto Ricans were all played by Latinx actors (what a concept). What this also means is that parts of the film are bilingual with no subtitles, forcing audiences to steep themselves in this world and truly understand there are two distinct cultures at play here. While the cops and the Irish act as expected when confronted with a Spanish speaker and demand that they “speak English,” along with other racist taunts, it’s interesting to note that even the Puerto Ricans will often stop family members from speaking in Spanish and demand they practice their English in order to assimilate. This movie is set in 1957, but it might as well be set today to reflect the attitudes that some Americas continue to have about English being the national language and that Puerto Ricans aren’t real Americans.

The look and feel of this film is predictably spectacular. Spielberg plays a lot with darkness and shadows, but the love scenes then brim with light and color. The costumes by Paul Tazewell are a riotous joy (give me all of Anita’s dresses), and the balletic choreography by Justin Peck is stunning. I am always intrigued by the juxtaposition of the violence of these alpha male gang members and the graceful and delicate twirls in their dances. If only everyone kept singing and dancing and stopped stabbing each other, this movie could be a splendid romcom instead of a dark tragedy. But ah well, I enjoyed it nonetheless. And hummed "America" for about four days straight after I was done. 

Wolf: George Mackay stars as Jacob, a young man who has species dysmorphia, a mental disorder in which a human firmly believes they are an animal. In Jacob’s case, he is convinced he is a wolf, and his desperate parents check him into a mental institution that specializes in treating this disorder. Jacob truly wants to get better, and when he first enters the facility, he does his best to contain his lupine nature. But then he meets "Wildcat" (Lily Rose-Depp), a young woman who lives in the institution but has some sort of hybrid patient-staff status, and things quickly start to unravel.

Written and directed by Nathalie Bianchine, this is a weird, visceral, and fascinating movie. I wouldn’t ever rewatch it but I was certainly compelled from start to finish during my one viewing. Whoever trained these actors on animal choreography deserves some kind of special category of Oscar because it was amazing to see how Mackay moved when he was on all fours, with his haunches jutting out in a way that made me almost believe he had morphed into a wolf. There’s a boy who thinks he’s the most adorable German Sherpherd, another who is a terrified squirrel, a woman who is a horse with the most amazing whinny, and a host of others. And in the midst of all of this is cinema’s most horrific villain, Dr. Mann (Paddy Considine). He’s the psychologist who runs this place with a brutal method of shame and cruelty that is reminiscent of the horrors of conversion therapy and the film quickly devolves into torture porn as we see what Jacob and his fellow patients will be subjected to in the name of being cured. 

The score by Stefan Wesolowski is appropriately unsettling and certain scenes will make you squirm. But overall, it is inventive and well-acted. It is an unusual look at what it means to be human, and offers up a compelling vision of what it would be like if we all just went feral and chucked it all away. Which, frankly, given how humans act these days, is becoming an increasingly tantalizing proposition.

Licorice Pizza: Oh Paul Thomas Anderson. Here is a straight white man who has been writing and directing movies for ages, and at this point, it is clear that you know what you’re going to get. This man is mostly consumed by his own worldview and nostalgia, and since most movie critics are straight white men, they eat his stuff up with a spoon. But I went into this film warily, expecting I would probably be bored stiff by its preoccupations with maleness. I was cautiously optimistic as the film is his first to actually feature a female protagonist, Alana (a role specifically written for Alana Haim), and the only other PTA movie I enjoyed was Phantom Thread because it featured two incredible performances from Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville, to balance out the tortured male genius motif from Daniel Day-Lewis. However, while I didn’t actively dislike this movie, once I left the theater, I realized that mostly all I got here was a story about a teenage boy (the very likable Cooper Hoffman, looking unsettlingly like his father, the great Philip Seymour Hoffman), and his much-older manic pixie dream girl friend (a dynamic that just seems icky given the age difference and potential illegality of a romance between the two.)

The entire thing is set in California in 1973 and it is resplendent with “vibes” of that era, including ample bralessness. Listen, I haven’t worn a bra for most of the pandemic, but it’s a definite choice to ensure your lead female actress will have her nips out for the majority of the movie, including on all promotional materials in theaters. Frankly, despite all my hopes that PTA might deliver something fresh and nuanced, the minute I saw Alana Haim in a white T-shirt on the movie poster, I knew my hopes would be dashed. There isn’t much plot but a string of vignettes as this boy goes through his life as a child actor and Alana serves as chaperone and then business partner, and is basically a woman who is aimless and needs to be rescued by the love of a good man. Because to auteurs like PTA, isn’t that the lot of all women? 

Go see this movie if you want an indulgent mood piece. And the soundtrack is stellar (plus the score is by Jonny Greenwood, who seems to be doing the score for everything these days). It’s definitely light-hearted and funny, and not as much of a slog as other PTA movies. In fact, I was deceived into thinking I liked it during the act of watching it, but the minute I left the theater I was like wait, that movie has some problems. There’s also a weird subplot involving a Japanese restaurant that is overtly racist but played for laughs, and there’s no point to it except I think PTA is still stuck in the 70s and thinks this is amusing stuff? I don’t know man. My patience has worn thin for movies like this. Can we just let women take the reins and get some fresh narratives in the cinema? I'd like to see some manic pixie dream boys for a change.

Weekend Watch: House of Gucci, The Power of the Dog, Encanto

This weekend I have yet another trifecta of deliciously different movies for you to sink your teeth into. There's animation, Western, or batshit crazy "Italian" so pick your fancy. There's plenty of entertainment up for grabs.

House of Gucci: I give you my one-word review of this film: Boof! Oh wait, does that not mean anything to you? Well you're not alone, as that is a completely made-up word that Jared Leto inexplicably decided to deploy throughout this movie in his weird supporting role as Paolo Gucci. In the lead we've got Adam Driver as Maurizio Gucci, one of the heirs to the Gucci family business and fortune, and Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani, the woman who marries him, has high ambitions, and (spoiler alert) will ultimately plot his murder. 

Jeremy Irons, Al Pacino, and Salma Hayek round out this cast and every single person is doing their own version of what they think an Italian person sounds like. Some are more successful than others (like Lady Gaga, natch), but what with this and The Last Duel, I have become convinced that director Ridley Scott is not the man you go to if you care about accurate accent work. However, you can certainly still go to him if you want a spectacle, and that's what this film delivers. It is completely over-the-top and insane, oozing with high fashion and luxury at every turn and then the soapiest melodrama as the relationships between all these characters get convoluted and chaotic. The only thing more bonkers than this film is that it all actually happened in real life, but presumably the real-life people had more believable accents.

This is definitely a great movie to watch in the theater with an audience who knows that they've come there to experience a comedy rather than a serious drama. We laughed so much at every "Boof!" and it was a very communal experience to revel in this movie that is so terrifically bad that it is amazingly good. So watch it, and then send up a thankful prayer to "Father, Son, House of Gucci." 

The Power of the Dog: If you want some tonal whiplash, watch this movie right after House of Gucci. Written and directed by Jane Campion, this is a quiet, eerie, and deliberate Western set in 1925 Montana and tells the story of two brothers named Phil and George Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons - two great actors I would watch in anything). They are wealthy ranchers but George is more of the money man who glad-hands politicians while Phil is rude and rowdy and sticks to the ranchwork. When George falls in love with the widowed Rose (Kirsten Dunst - a cute piece of casting as she and Plemons are married in real life) and brings her home to the ranch, it sets off tensions as Phil thinks Rose is only after George's money. In the meantime, Rose's son from her previous marriage, Peter (the deliciously disturbing Kodi Smit-McPhee), has a very testy relationship with Phil, and watching how all of that unfolds makes for a creepy and compelling two hours of cinema.

This movie is a bit of a mood piece - there's not a ton of dialogue and Campion is reveling in the landscapes and feel of these wide open and lonely spaces. You will also get to see some Cumberbatch nudity, if that's a selling point that will get you to watch this film. But aesthetics aside, this movie grew on me. At first I was worried it would simply be artsy and meandering, but as the tensions thickened between these characters and their motivations became increasingly murky, the movie almost took on a fascinating horror quality as I waited for something terrible to happen. It also features an absolutely stunning score from Jonny Greenwood, who I just mentioned on this blog for his score for Spencer. Like with that movie, this music has the effect of slightly unsettling the viewer and never quite making it clear what genre of film you might be watching.

This movie is an acquired taste. But since it's on Netflix, you can easily give it a try and see whether Campion is your kind of filmmaker. To me, it was very clear that there was a woman behind the camera, making a Western that focused on interpersonal relationships and high drama without the need for gun battles and shootouts. This is a rugged and spare movie that surprisingly gets its hooks in you and I was certainly glad I got to see it.

Encanto: For a colorful and blissfully enjoyable time at the movies, you can't go wrong with this animated Disney movie about the magical Madrigal family, who live in an enchanted house in Colombia and all have special powers, except for Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz). She never received a special gift, but she is still a chipper and lovely young woman who tries to help out her family, even if she can't do so in any superhuman way.

However, one day, their house starts to develop cracks, and it becomes clear that the magic they possessed is starting to wane. I won't go into any details, but suffice to say, Mirabel is going to be our heroine, the only person who can figure out what is wrong and how she can save the family. And the lessons that she learns and imparts to her family members are deeply resonant in that classic Disney way. The script by Charise Castro Smith and Jared Bush (who also co-directed with Byron Howard) is delightful, a reminder that even people who seem hyper competent need to take a break and recharge once in a while and that there's no shame in asking for help when you need it. There is so much to unpack in terms of intergenerational parenting styles (the beautiful short film, Far From the Tree, that preceded the movie already teed up that theme), living up to family expectations, and trying to find one's purpose in life. And it is all told via funny, beautiful, whimsical animation, and of course, some fantastic songs composed by Germaine Franco and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Yes, most of the story is told through the songs, so you had better pay attention to these rapid-fire lyrics. Honestly, I could barely catch the words myself and wondered how little kids would fare. There's enough wonder and magic on screen to distract them, but I fully bought into this film as an adult who has issues with her grandmother and subsequently left the theater feeling like oh maybe I should give Grandma a call.  For Latinx viewers, I hope this movie offers up some joyous onscreen representation, with some bilingual songs and plenty of Spanish sprinkled in throughout the film. And, if I may, there was one scene where I spent a solid minute just marveling at how good we have become at animating hair. Every strand of hair on Mirabel's head looked so thick, luxurious, and alive - I know we've done some terrible things with technology, but I'm glad the Disney animators have deployed it to such greatness to capture all the beauty a human head can possess. So watch Encanto. Whether it's the music, the animation, or the story that will tug at your heartstrings, you will fall under its spell.

November Netflix Round-Up: The Harder They Fall, Meenakshi Sundareshwar, Tick, Tick... Boom!

It has been another busy month on Netflix and there are a slew of movies awaiting your perusal. Perhaps you are happily making your way through the glut of whimsical holiday movies. But if you need a break from the mistletoe, here are some quickfire reviews of a rock musical, a Western, and a Bollywood romcom to diversify your December viewing.

Tick, Tick... Boom! Directed by Lin-Manual Miranda and written by Steven Levenson, this is an adaptation of the semi-autobiographical musical by Broadway composer Jonathan Larson. Starring Andrew Garfield as Jonathan, this is a beautiful but heart-rending story of a man who is struggling to live out his ambitions and stay true to his dreams in the harsh environs of New York City. 

The movie takes place in the week leading up to Jonathan’s thirtieth birthday and the angst is palpable. He is so close to success but in such danger of burning too many bridges before he achieves it. He has a loving girlfriend (played by Alexandra Shipp, the woman with the greatest smile on the planet), who is starting to get tired of her daily grind in this unforgiving city. He also has a best friend, Michael (Robin de Jesus), who "sold out" by giving up on acting and moving to advertising, a fact that will become increasingly problematic as the story goes on. And we will see these relationships evolve, blossom, and sour over the course of two hours. Every song in this musical is either witty or devastating and Garfield turns in an immaculate performance, capturing all the energy, passion, and devastation that Jonathan must face on his quest to greatness. 

This could be a very affirming and joyous movie, but given Larson’s early death before he ever knew how much fame he would achieve via Rent and this musical, this is a movie tinged with so much sadness. It’s a celebration of a man who would have given us so many great things, but instead we must make do with the few things we did get. Which, thankfully, are excellent. So watch Tick, Tick… Boom! and let your inner Broadway geek nerd out for a while while you experience the thrilling highs and lows of the bohemian quest to create great art. You may also notice some very familiar Broadway cameos along the way. 

The Harder They Fall: Directed by Jeymes Samuel, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Boaz Yakin, this movie is a Black Western that boasts one of the most incredible casts going around. You’ve got Idris Elba, Regina King, Jonathan Majors, Lakeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz…the list goes on. And they’re all riding around the Wild West seeking vengeance, robbing banks, and shooting each other up. What’s not to love?

Well, apparently if you’re me, that is not enough to keep you compelled for two hours. This movie is aesthetically pleasing, with great production design (there’s a “white town” that made me laugh with the literal interpretation of its aesthetic) and excellent costumes, but plot-wise, it was a bit of a meandering mess. The trouble with having so many fantastic actors is that you want to ensure they all get time to shine. But I found my attention constantly wavering with the multitude of plots and sub-plots that ultimately didn't tie in together. In the tradition of most Westerns, it’s violent, there are a LOT of gun battles, and frankly, there’s only so much shooting a girl can take. Also, this is Samuel's feature film directorial debut and he really telegraphs a lot of moments; there are several pregnant pauses in scenes where I could immediately foretell what was going to happen next. Which can be fun, but ultimately starts to wear on you.

Watch this movie if you need some escapism and need to watch a great cast of actors whale on each other. But this is more style than substance. If you’re looking for a tight script and compelling storytelling, I would look elsewhere. 

Meenakshi Sundareshwar: It has been ages since I’ve watched a new Bollywood movie. So watching this one served as a reminder of everything that can be alternately cute and cringey about them. Directed by Vivek Soni (a Karan Johar acolyte) and starring the delightful Sanya Malhotra and Abhimanyu Dassani, this is a tale about what happens when two people named Meenakshi and Sundareshwar get hitched (via an arranged marriage,  natch) and then have to deal with the ensuing complications of being married to someone you don’t know that well.

The highlight of this movie for me is that the characters are South Indian. So while this is a Hindi movie, there are lots of random Tamil interjections throughout the film. Now of course, most of these actors are NOT South Indian, so without subtitles, I wouldn’t have understood what on earth they were saying as their pronunciation was fairly awful, but it was still a nice change from the usual North Indian fare. Apart from that detail, however, there is nothing particularly fresh or new about this plot. Sundar has to move to Bangalore right after he and Meenakshi get married, and the two of them spend a year apart, without even having consummated the marriage because of…random reasons that only make sense in Bollywood. It’s a spectacularly silly plot but the charm of the actors involved is almost enough to sell you on it.

Of course, there is a lot of regressive bullshit to wade through, and this movie does feel like it could be from a previous era, except we all know that some people in India still very much live like this. While it was painful to see a woman get married to a relative stranger and then have to move in with his family, who have very traditional ideas about a woman’s place in the household, Meenakshi does prove to be a mildly feminist upstart who could serve as a decent starting role model to any Indian girls watching this film. She is fiery and ambitious, and at one point, when told she needs to respect her elders, she declares that they need to treat her with respect too and dashes off, a sentiment that should be echoed a hell of a lot more in Indian society where old people are often treated with a deference they absolutely have not earned. So watch this movie if you want to spend a very silly but very charming two hours in the company of some multilingual lovers and their family shenanigans. Your mind won’t be blown, but it will certainly be tickled.

Thanksgiving Weekend Watch: King Richard, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Spencer

There are TOO MANY movies coming out these days. There are several on my list for Thanksgiving, but as I make my way through those, here are some reviews of the ones I’ve managed to plow my way through already, so you can consider them for your long weekend. It’s a rough job, but someone’s got to do it.

King Richard: This movie is exactly what you expected from it. Written by Zach Baylin and directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, it’s a great biopic chronicling how Richard Williams (Will Smith) and his wife Brandy (Aunjanue Ellis) raised their family of five daughters and coached Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) into becoming the tennis legends we know today. The movie does not fall into the traditional biopic pitfall of trying to tell us a sweeping story from birth to death. Instead, it hones right in on when the girls were teenagers and how Richard used to coach them and eventually finagled an introduction to Paul Cohen (Tony Goldwyn) who coached Venus through Juniors competitions, and then their contract with Rick Macci (Jon Bernthal) who coached both girls as they turned pro.

Sidney and Singleton are absolute stars and you have no trouble believing they are going to grow up to become tennis powerhouses. It is impossible to tear your eyes away from every swing of the racket and every game of tennis they play. The script does a wonderful job of capturing the camaraderie between these two sisters, and while it acknowledges the frustration Serena feels at being second fiddle while Venus gets to forge ahead, she is still wildly supportive and knows that she has to bide her time until it is her moment to shine. And of course, Will Smith offers up a classic performance, conveying how much this man has invested in his plan for his family, but also proving that he is first and foremost a loving father. Yes, Richard clashes with his daughters’ coaches and can have unorthodox opinions on how their careers should be managed. But his overarching ambition is to make sure his daughters are smart and happy and are able to have a proper childhood without getting burnt out like other young tennis stars who become famous too quickly.

This movie also has many insights about race and what this family had to endure in the all-white world of tennis. They faced discrimination in country clubs, but also had to battle doubters in their own neighborhood who couldn’t understand what this family was up to and their wild ambitions. Ultimately, you probably won’t be surprised by anything this movie has to say, but it tells its story compellingly, with some great actors. And, if you are a tennis lover like me, there is some spectacular tennis to behold. So it's a win-win-win.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife: I have been seeing the trailer for this movie for two years. It was meant to be released in the summer of 2020 but that all fell by the wayside when Covid hit. So it was a thrill to watch it at last and realize that the trailers simply did not do it justice. They made it seem like a much more serious enterprise, but instead, this is a very fun, engaging film with an amazing cast of child actors at the helm. 

The main heroine is McKenna Grace, who plays 12-year old Phoebe. She has moved with her mother, Callie (Carrie Coon) and brother, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) to the small town of Summerville, Oklahoma after her grandfather dies and leaves them a farm. Callie had no relationship with her father, but she is broke and the family has been evicted from their apartment, so they might as well move to this creepy farm and figure out next steps. Well, turns out things are amiss and they are about to get caught up in all manner of ghostly shenanigans thanks to an ancient Sumerian god who is looking to take over the town. And that dead grandfather? He was Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), one of the original Ghostbusters. Now that ghosts are afoot, the kids are about to find a whole lot of devices stashed around their home to help them save the planet. 

I don't remember much about the original movies from the 80s, but this iteration offers up a great time regardless of whether you're a super fan or a newbie to the franchise. Paul Rudd pops in as Phoebe's lackadaisical summer school teacher, and overall, there's simply this fun, comic energy permeating the film from start to finish, with Phoebe periodically telling some of the best/worst jokes you've ever heard in your life. It's silly, charming, and refreshing, not too scary, but still very exciting in the action sequences when everyone is chasing ghosts around a small town. If all you're looking for is a good time, this movie will absolutely deliver. What could be better for Thanksgiving?

Spencer: This movie is a mood piece. So, you already know your mileage may vary depending on how you feel about films that aren't particularly plot-driven but will absolutely steep you in emotion and make your soul stir in uncomfortable ways for two hours. Set in December 1991, this is about the three days when Princess Diana (the luminous Kristen Stewart) visited the Queen's Sandringham Estate for Christmas. This is pre-divorce but post discovering that Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles are an item, so suffice to say, things are...fraught. 

From the outset, the score by Jonny Greenwood is supremely unsettling, a strange cacophony of instruments that doesn't seem to match the prestigious and stuffy tone of the people on screen, and as the movie progresses, we quickly see that this is going to be a tale about a woman whose mental health is teetering, in a family that is renowned for their stiff upper lip cruelty. We are going to watch her unravel and come apart at the seams. But bizarrely, even though we all know how Diana's story ultimately ended, this script by Steven Knight does an extremely clever and kind thing by focusing on this specific part of her life story. It captures Diana in one of her lowest lows, but also gives us the chance to see her fight back before that final tragedy befell her. 

Kristen Stewart has to nab a Best Actress nomination for this performance - while the hair and makeup folk deserve much kudos for helping her with the physical attributes, she absolutely nails the voice and posture and Diana's general mien. This is not a loud and triumphant performance, but oh boy is it a heart wrenching portrait of a woman going through psychological hell. This movie is all about what's going through Diana's mind, but Stewart manages to make her brain visible to us through this performance. Part of that is also due to this wonderful script that I hope gets some awards love, along with the impeccable direction by Pablo Lorrain. There are a lot of unusual choices being made here and what could have been a very conventional biopic is turned into a surreal work of art through his weird and inspired directorial choices. Finally, shout out to the production design by Guy Hendrix Dyas and costume design by Jacqueline Durran (aka the costume designer I shout out the most on this blog - at this point I should take it for granted that if I love a movie's costumes, Durran is responsible.) This movie needs to be aesthetically perfect and capture the iconic look and feel of these people and places as known to the public before the film then deconstructs them into the mass of emotions and drama that the public didn't witness. So Sandringham is appropriately grand and chilly, while Diana's outfits are miraculous and familiar, while still offering up a psychological portrait of this woman who is defying convention by wearing her red coat instead of the green. 

Spencer is an odd and eerie movie. I can't promise that you will love it, but I can promise that it's not going to be what you expect. It has a singular vision that takes everything you knew about Princess Diana and makes it seem newly horrific. This movie will engage all your senses, but most of all, it will hit your empathy hard, making you feel for this woman and everything she was put through. It's a remarkable tale, and just when I thought there were no new ways to tell it, they found a way. 

The Baby-Sitters Club: Sweet & Sassy

Last year, I binged the first season of The Baby-Sitters Club and was delighted. But it was 2020 and I was bingeing all the things in a desperate effort to distract myself, so I never got around to blogging about it. Well, now the second season is on Netflix, and yet again, I was so charmed that I simply had to write a review. If you've been sleeping on this show, wake up and give it a shot. It is so worth it. 

Most women my age probably encountered the Baby-Sitters Club book series as children. I was more of a Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys person, but I do recall reading a few of these books. The premise is simple enough: Kristy (Sophie Grace) decides to start a club with her friends where they will babysit for the neighborhood kids and make money off the desperate parents looking for a night out on the town. In each episode, a different girl takes the spotlight, sharing a story of who she is and what’s going on with her family at the time, and it all adds up to a shockingly good time. Kristy has a lot going on since her mother (the ever-charming Alicia Silverstone) is in a relationship with a wealthy man (the equally charming Mark Feuerstein) and their family might have to adjust to a whole new way of life. There's Mary Anne (Malia Baker) who is biracial and lost her mother at a young age so must deal with her wildly overprotective white father (played by the always fantastic Marc Evan Jackson) and tell him that maybe she would like her hair to be done a bit differently now that she's older. There's Claudia (Momona Tamada), who is Japanese-American and has a lovely relationship with her grandma (the adorable Takayo Fischer) even if she can't quite relate to the rest of her family. Stacey (Shay Rudolph) is the new girl from New York City who seems very fancy but has a whole tale to tell about why she had to move to Stoneybrook, Connecticut. And finally, there's Dawn (played by Xochitl Gomez in season 1 and Kyndra Sanchez in season 2), a Hispanic-American who moved from Los Angeles and is all about embracing socialism and progressive causes. 

This show is deceptively amazing. It is rated G (not even PG!), which is extraordinary in this day and age, but despite being so family-friendly, it still packs in so much wisdom and modern-day sass. My favorite line from the second season was in response to someone saying another girl was so nice: "Yes, this isn't an 80s movie, coolness and cruelty are no longer synonymous!" There's also an aside about how Kristy, who is white, was crowned as a beautiful baby in the town's annual Baby Parade instead of Claudia and Maryanne, thereby signaling how "white mediocrity" triumphed over "babies of color." These girls are interesting, diverse, and fierce feminists in their own special ways, and while the things they are struggling with can be very particular to the growing pains of adolescence, the lessons they learn are applicable to anyone regardless of age. Whether it’s coping with anxiety, a chronic illness, complex interpersonal dynamics, divorce, or first love, there is a lot to digest here in terms of how to be a human and how to survive in this world. All told with pitch perfect production values and cozy scripts.

The casting on The Baby-Sitters Club is excellent and creator Rachel Shukert, along with her team of writers and directors, does a remarkable job of updating these books for a modern audience while preserving the innate charm of these characters and the setting for those who need to indulge in some nostalgia. The show is an inexpressible comfort that isn’t quite an escapist fantasy, imparting valuable lessons and making you feel less despairing of humanity. I know it might seem corny, but seriously, you won't know what you're missing until you've tried it. Underneath that chipper exterior, there lies a depth of feeling and warmth that will seep right into your bones. Now that winter is coming, isn’t that a feeling we are all desperately seeking?