August Movies Part 1: Lorne & Miss You, Love You

I was home alone last weekend so I caught up on a bunch of movies I had missed earlier in the year. Here are my thoughts on two very innocuous films that could prove to be of interest when you're lying on the couch.

Lorne: Directed by Morgan Neville, this is a documentary about Lorne Michaels, the notoriously private man who created Saturday Night Live and has been bestowing comedy legends and talk show hosts on us for 50 years. Given how notoriously private he is, however, you can imagine how this documentary turned out. It's a fairly superficial overview of SNL's history and the man, the myth, the legend, and while it is very fun to get behind-the-scenes footage of recent episodes of SNL, you're not necessarily going to learn a whole lot of new information. Though I did discover he was married with three kids. Who would have thunk.

There are lots of talking heads with famous actors and comedy people, and everyone tells their stories and does impressions of Lorne. Everyone seems uniformly shocked that Lorne would even give permission for this documentary to happen, and there's a lot of mystery that even they are reckoning with as they debate...does Lorne have pets? What does he do on his blueberry farm? Wait, his Wikipedia article has been wrong about his origins this whole time? While folks don't seem to know that much about him, the one constant is that they all do love him and credit him for their careers. There is a lot of talk about his loyalty and John Mulaney shares how Lorne called him up when he was in rehab and just said he would stay on the phone as long as he wanted. The man may be a mystery, but he does seem to be a mensch. If you enjoy SNL, you'll probably enjoy this documentary, but don't expect to get much out of it.

Miss You, Love You: Written and directed by Jim Rash, this is a quiet comedy-drama about grief and family that commands two very excellent performances from Allison Janney and Andrew Rannells. Janney plays Diane, a woman whose husband has just died. Instead of her son coming home to comfort her and help make the funeral arrangements for his stepfather, he sends his assistant, Jamie (Rannells), instead. Naturally Diane is prickly about this whole arrangement, but as a PA, Jamie seems very used to dealing with demanding clients, so what follows is a masterclass in managing Diane's sarcastic jibes and eventually gaining her begrudging respect.

This is a movie that mostly runs on vibes. As far as plot is concerned, expect these two to snipe at each other, reluctantly become friends, feel horribly betrayed by revelations, snipe at each other some more, and then reconcile. It's also a wonderful look at what it's like to lose the love of your life, the expectations you have of your family and friends, and what's it like to find your chosen family. It's a movie you marinate in so you can feel all your feelings, and it is at times gentle, acerbic, sweet, and funny. Enjoy.

August Binges: The Hawk & Alice and Steve

Have I been bingeing more TV shows on streaming services? You know it! I've got two comedies for you - one is very American, and the other is very British, so pick your poison.

The Hawk: Created by Will Ferrell, Harpet Steele, and Chris Henchy, this is a show about a has-been golfer, Lonnie "The Hawk" Hawkins (Ferrell), who keeps playing at various tournaments with failing success in an effort to get into the US Open and finally win the career Gland Slam that eluded him in his prime. Matters are complicated by the fact that his son, Lance (Jimmy Tatro) is now also a pro golfer and is a rising star on the PGA Tour. Over the course of the season's ten episodes, father and son will miraculously find themselves playing against each other in the same tournament, and that will unpack a lot of parental baggage.

The supporting cast includes Fortune Feimster as Sam, a woman who suddenly becomes Lonnie's caddy, despite having no golf knowledge - you can imagine how that goes. And Molly Shannon, who plays Lonnie's ex-wife (well they haven't signed the divorce papers yet, so it's more of a long-standing acrimonious separation), and Lance's helicopter mom. The casting tells you all you need to know - these are a bunch of comedy folk who aren't exactly renowned for their subtlety so expect very broad humor, much of which feels like an SNL skit that is somehow being stretched out into a half hour of comedy for each episode.

Is this show high art? No. But did it provide sufficient diversion when I needed something to watch over the weekend that wouldn't require too many brain cells? Of course. Pop it on while you're doing your chores and have a chuckle!

Alice and Steve: I started this show in the afternoon, had to leave to meet some friends for dinner, and then binged it all when I got back home. It's only six half-hour episodes, so a very manageable day-binge, and well worth it. Though I certainly have certain quibbles that we can get into.

Created by Sophie Goodhart, this is a story about two fiftysomethings in London who are best friends, Alice (Nicola Walker) and Steve (Jemaine Clement). They have a raucous and loving friendship that is turned completely upside down when Steve starts dating Alice's 26-year-old daughter, Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith). This causes an upheaval that threatens everyone in their immediate vicinity, including Alice's patient but downtrodden husband, Daniel (Joel Fry) and their young son Dom (Tyrese Eaton-Dyce). It is British cringe comedy in its purest form, awkward but hilarious, with absolutely biting one-liners that kept me laughing for ages. 

This is such an unusual premise, and it's told with such wit and verve that I can't help but recommend it to everyone I meet. Unfortunately, the season does end on a horrendous cliffhanger, and the show hasn't yet been picked up for Season 2, so my recommendation does come with that caveat. I thoroughly loved the journey, but the destination was a little wanting. I dearly hope this show gets another season, because these actors and these characters are phenomenal and I desperately want to know what happens next in their extremely chaotic lives. But for now, I'm just glad I at least got a glimpse into their world for one season.

July Movies Part 3: The Dink & Spider-Man: Brand New Day

July is nearly at an end but I managed to squeeze two more movies in. Want to go to the theater or want to stay on the couch? I've got both options covered!

The Dink: Written by Sean Clements and directed by Josh Greenbaum, this is a very silly and fun movie about what happens when a bunch of pickleball enthusiasts demand more courts at a tennis club. Ed Harris plays Chuck Boyd, the owner of the tennis club, while his son, Dustin (Jake Johnson) is a tennis player who injured his wrist early in his career and now has to make do as a tennis instructor at the club. He still thinks of himself as being an elite player (with a lot of beef with Andy Roddick), but really he's just a sad little man who needs to boost his ego. 

Due to various circumstances, Dustin is forced to start playing pickleball, a sport he regards with the utmost contempt. Further, he is playing with three older women, and his partner is Candace (Mary Steenburgen), a divorcee who has taken up a lot of hobbies to try and get on with her life. My favorite thing about this movie is that there ends up being a little bit of a May-December situation between Distin and Candace, which is amazing, because come on, Mary Steenburgen's still got it. Putting that storyline aside, however, this is ultimately just a movie about a showdown between pickleball and tennis. If you're a pickleball enthusiast, there will be a lot of references and jokes that I'm sure will delight you, but if you only have a passing familiarity with the sport (like me), this movie may seem pretty mid. The actors are fun, the premise is wacky - it's a perfectly acceptable way to pass an afternoon. But it is definitely some serious pickleball propaganda.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day: I don't know why, but I keep forgetting that Spider-Man is from New York (specifically Queens - Let's Go Mets!) but this movie absolutely does not let you forget that fact. It is SUCH a New York movie and has such beautiful shots of the city throughout every amazing action sequence or just those wonderful shots of Spidey commuting around by slinging webs at tall buildings. Even the end credits are this lovely little ode to New York - according to my husband, the only thing missing was a shot of Zohran as Mayor. So yes, I loved this movie immediately, just for that.

But of course, there's a whole story we need to discuss so let's get into that. Written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, this movie picks up after the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, so poor Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is no longer remembered by his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalan) and girlfriend, MJ (Zendaya) after Dr. Strange cast a spell to make them forget him (don't question the Marvel logic, I don't remember any of the previous movies either). Now, he's very sad and depressed, working closely with NYPD Detective Jean DeWolff (the delightful Liza Colon-Zayas), and eschewing any work-life balance whatsoever in his unrelentless quest to put criminals away so he doesn't have to think about his complete lack of a personal life. He's also reluctantly working with Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal), a man with some sort of dark past who is now a vigilante with a lot of guns (apparently this character is the Punisher - a fact that completely blew past me while watching this movie).

There's Michael Mando as Scorpion, but then it turns out there's a different villain who can mind control people, so they become slightly more important to deal with. Just rest assured there's some great action, a lot of emotion, and it will be worth your time. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, but also, Instagram has been constantly serving me reels of Holland and Zendaya so I just spent this movie swooning over those two as my favorite Hollywood couple. I don't know if this is a movie that comic lovers and Marvel purists will care for (there ARE some great cameos from certain Avengers), but if you're simply looking for spectacle and good ol' fashioned Hollywood razzle-dazzle, this movie serves that up in spades.

July Movies Part 2: The Invite & The Odyssey

This week I watched two of my favorite movies of the year. They were spectacular and you need to jump on the bandwagon right away. What are you waiting for?!

The Invite: Adapted by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack from a Spanish film, Sentimental (that was itself adapted from a play), and directed by Olivia Wilde (who also stars), this movie is an incredible cringe comedy that had me and my husband gasping and laughing out loud for 100 minutes straight. Wilde and Seth Rogen play Angela and Joe, a couple that have been married for too long and can't seem to stop bickering with each other. Angela has invited the upstairs neighbors over for dinner, a fact that she failed to mention to Joe, so they're fighting about that as the neighbors, Pina and Hawk (Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton) arrive. Which already makes for an awkward start to the evening, but you have no idea how much more awkward things are going to get from there.

If all four of these actors receive an Oscar nomination next year, it would be welcome. The dialogue being bandied about back-and-forth is exhilarating. It's like watching a very tense tennis match with occasional pauses to burst out laughing. I can't get into the plot because you need to just experience it ratchet up and escalate continually for yourself. But what a well-made movie! It's beautifully shot, with every scene meticulously framed and composed, and the music by Devonte Hynes offers up a perfect accompaniment to these couples and their chaos. There's one scene in particular, that is set to Habanera from Carmen, and I definitely want to watch a masterclass when Wilde dissects how she perfectly choreographed the dialogue, music, and blocking to create a visually stunning and hilarious piece of cinema. 

Fair warning, this is a great movie to watch if you're in a stable relationship but may bring up some uncomfortable discussions if you're on the rocks and arguing all the time. But maybe even in that case this movie will bring you both together because you'll finally be laughing as one. Get to the theater - you have received an invitation.

The Odyssey: Written and directed by Christopher Nolan (based on Homer's epic poem, of course), there was a lot of hype around this film, and what can I say? The hype was thoroughly well-deserved. This movie is three hours long, but with this deft script that keeps weaving in and out like Penelope's loom through all of the different scenes of Odysseus' journey, the Trojan War, and the troubles in Ithaca, you simply won't notice the time passing by. It's a singular cinematic achievement and I can't begrudge all the Oscars it's bound to receive next year.

The cast of this film is pitch perfect. I had my doubts about Matt Damon as Odysseus, but he does an incredible job - he is just the right amount of old and weary but still has a trick or two up his sleeve to try and survive this perilous journey home. Tom Holland is wonderful as his son, Telemachus, who has to protect his mother, Penelope (Anne Hathaway, in what is definitely her best role this year), from the greedy suitors (including Robert Pattinson as the very evil Antinous) who have posted up at their palace in Ithaca and want to marry Penelope so they can be king. The other big-name stars in this movie mostly have extended cameos, but damn do they deliver in their scenes. I was particularly astonished by Samantha Morton as Circe - there was something so eerie and menacing about her voice that even if you didn't know anything about this character, you'd suss out within ten seconds that something very bad was about to happen to Odysseus's men.

I've been obsessed with Greek mythology since I was a child; I've taken many courses on it and read The Odyssey as well as modern retellings of Homer's work, so I have a great familiarly with this story and the various characters and settings. I don't know if someone with zero knowledge of The Odyssey would love this film as much as I did, but I think they would still be completely mesmerized by the spectacle of it. The extended sequences with the Trojan horse are stunning, watching the sailors get tossed around on a vengeful ocean is harrowing, interacting with the varied cast of characters is a constant delight. I found myself astonished simply by the armor that different characters wore - Agamemnon in particular, has the most foreboding armor I've ever seen, and it chilled me to the bone every time he was on screen. And is it weird that everyone has an American accent? Sure, for about ten minutes. Then you just put that aside and let yourself be swept away by this ancient tale. The locations are dazzling, the practical effects are glorious, the script is immaculate, the actors are captivating. You can see the blood, sweat, tears, and love that went into every frame of this movie and the result is truly a wondrous thing. Nolan went on quite the odyssey to give us this film, and I'm so glad he did.

July Binges: Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed & Nemesis

This month I have binged two very different but rather entertaining shows, both of which end on a cliffhanger that promises much more hijinks for a second season. Ready to add yet more shows to your schedule? Follow me!

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed: Created by David J. Rosen, this show stars Tatiana Maslany as Paula, a divorced woman in Queens who is going through a messy custody battle with her annoying and hapless husband, Karl (Jake Johnson). She's fighting to get a promotion at work, she's fighting to retain custody of her daughter, so amidst all that stress, the lady naturally decides to have a few online sessions with a camboy named Trevor (Brandon Flynn) to relieve some of that tension. 

Unfortunately, Trevor then gets violently attacked during one of their sessions. Paula records it all on video and reports it to the police (specifically to a detective played by Dolly de Leon, an actress I have loved since I first saw her in Triangle of Sadness, and who continues to be excellent here) and is told that it is probably all just part of a scam. When Paula gets a call demanding money, or else Trevor will be killed, she is mad that she did fall victim to such an obvious scam. But then...turns out Trevor IS dead. So what's going on?

For ten episodes, you're in for a twisty treat, where more and more shadowy characters come into play and the conspiracy around this whole nightmare keeps spiraling into oblivion. In the meantime, she still has to keep up appearances at work and with the other soccer moms. Maslany is an incredible actress and her ability to portray a woman who is holding on by her fingernails as she investigates criminals, coaches kids' soccer, battles with her ex, and dodges murderers is brilliant to behold. And lest I forget, this is a very funny show. It's not all just thrills and murder, so you'll have a nice chuckle as you get swept along for the ride. It's well worth your time, and given how everything ends, it's going to be well worth your time for Season 2.

Nemesis: Created by Courtney A. Kemp and Tani Marole, this is a very twisty cops-and-robbers show about a criminal mastermind named Coltrane Wilder (Y'lan Noel) and LAPD Lieutenant, Isaiah Stiles (Matthew Law), who is determined to arrest Coltrane and put his small gang of co-conspirators behind bars once and for all. Isaiah has been tracking Coltrane's crimes for a few years, convinced that there is one small group of four criminals who have been orchestrating incredible heists in the LA area that all seem unrelated. His boss and partner all think he's crazy, but he knows he's right, and he also has a personal vendetta against them to up the stakes.

There's also a lot of family drama that both men are experiencing with their wives. Coltrane's wife, Ebony (Cleopatra Coleman), recently had a miscarriage and no longer wants to help out with any of his heists, even though her sister is the woman who comes up with these jobs for him and his gang to execute in the first place (yeah, it's really a family affair). In the meantime, Candice (Gabrielle Dennis), is very frustrated with Isaiah's obsessive devotion to his job instead of showing up to his son's basketball games and is seriously contemplating a divorce. And oh yeah, somehow these two women know each other socially and become friends. That's not going to complicate matters at all, right?

It's all very tangled and delicious. It's also a very Black show, so your mileage may vary if you have opinions on how often you want to hear the n-word deployed. Also, the white characters who show up to play cops might be the most hilariously stereotypical white actors I've seen in a while. The whole thing reminded me a bit of a Bollywood movie - a little larger than life, a little too much emotion, but damn if I wasn't thoroughly entertained for eight episodes. If you're looking for something engaging and slightly ridiculous to while away the hours, you may have found your next binge!

July Movies Part 1: Supergirl & Moana

July is here, with a brand-new set of summer blockbusters. We have the latest superhero offering from the DC Universe, and then Disney's latest live-action remake. Looking for original IP? Move right along!

Supergirl: Written by Ana Nogueira and directed by Craig Gillespie, this movie stars Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who is Superman's cousin. She is turning 23, so you may ask, why is she a "girl" and not a "woman"? That is a meta question this film also seeks to ask and answer. But first, we must give our poor heroine a purpose, because as this movie opens, she is on an epic pub crawl and has no desire to save the universe.

This film is only 108 minutes long, so I won't give away scads of plot. There's a young girl, Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is seeking revenge after the brutal murder of all the members of her family, and she crosses paths with the reluctant Kara, who is persuaded to help her for her own reasons. Naturally, our heroine is full of ennui and doesn't think there's any point to being a superhero, but she will eventually get her redemption arc and start to crawl out of her depressive funk. Prepare for lots of action sequences, many repetitive rescues of the hapless naif, and some cameos from a very concerned Clark Kent (David Corenswet) as he video calls from Metropolis to keep tabs on his wayward cousin. Oh, and also Jason Momoa shows up as an alien mercenary character called Lobo, for some reason.

This movie is rather forgettable. Now that James Gunn runs the DC Cinematic Universe, you can see his fingerprints all over it in terms of random music choices during various scenes and a desperate attempt to keep things light, even when we're talking about a lot of heavy themes. Alcock and Ridley are a great duo, and they are both very personable, even whilst their characters are being extremely angsty, and the action choreography is wonderful. But overall, this movie thoroughly failed to captivate me, and I almost forgot I watched it a few days later. It exists, and that's about all I can say about it.

Moana: Written by Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller and directed by Thomas Kail, if you're a fan of the original animated film, then you'll be perfectly happy with this live-action remake, i.e. just like my husband. I do not care about Moana as much as he does, but I still found myself captivated by this movie. 

If you've never seen the original before, I suppose a short plot summary is in order. Catherine Laga'aia plays the titular Moana, the daughter of the chief of Motonui, a Polynesian island. Her whole life, she has been forbidden from venturing too far out into the ocean, but her grandmother (Rena Owen) believes the ocean has chosen her for a crucial journey. When the island is stuck by a blight, she tells Moana that she needs to set sail and find the demigod Maui (Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson who voiced this character in the original film), who can then help her restore the heart of Te Fiti, the goddess of Nature.

The cinematography is beautiful and enchanting, the songs (both English and Polynesian) are rousing and wonderful, and the actors are fully committed and having a great time - it's particularly great to see the Rock do his thing in live action this time around. Is it almost identical to the animated film? Of course. Did that dampen my enjoyment at all? Nope. Disney is gonna do its thing, but when they do it with a movie this beloved, it's hard to really screw it up, you know? There has been a lot of uproar about why we need this remake, which is the same uproar we have been getting for every single Disney remake to date, but I found myself bopping along for the ride. I know most critics are in absolute disagreement with me on this one, but I don't care. Sometimes it's just nice to get some Polynesian comfort food.

June Movies Part 2: Toy Story 5 & Disclosure Day

It's summer and all the blockbusters are hitting the theaters. I had surgery on June 10th, but I willed myself to recover quickly so I could walk over to the theater and check out the following movies. If that's not dedication, I don't know what is!

Toy Story 5: Pixar's back baby! I'm on the record as having loved Toy Story 4 (long live Forky), and it was hilarious to re-read my review from 2019 where I declared this was the final installment in the Toy Story franchise. Such naivete. But boy am I glad that director Andrew Stanton, who co-wrote the screenplay with Kenna Harris, has given us this fifth installment. It serves as a much-needed commentary on what technology has done to our lives and is wondrous.

Instead of Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz (Tim Allen) being the leads, this movie features Jessie (Joan Cusack) as the lead Toy instead. She is desperately trying to help the little girl Bonnie (Scarlett Spears) make some friends, but this is proving to be a challenge. All the other children in the neighborhood seem to have gotten tablets and other electronic devices, and they no longer just want to play with toys and each other - they're too mesmerized by their screens. Increasingly concerned about their child, Bonnie's parents cave and buy her a LilyPad tablet (voiced by Greta Lee), hoping that will help her fit in more with her peers. And initially, this seems like a great idea - Lilypad "friends" kids from her dance group online, and this seems to offer up opportunities for more in-person interaction. But what's the point of in-person interaction if you're all just sitting on the couch staring at your screens? 

Is the story a little heavy-handed? Sure. Does that make it any less true? Nope. It's inventive, playful, insightful, and a little emotional, like all the best Pixar films. And as an avowed Conan O'Brien fan, I was delighted by his character of Smarty Pants, a potty-training device that ends up being very useful to help resolve some of the dilemmas Jessie and the other toys find themselves in over the course of the movie. This movie is remarkably even-keeled - it's not encouraging us all to be Luddites, but it's certainly advocating for a far more judicious application of technology. As I sit here on my laptop with my phone to the side, I'll certainly try to take its lessons to heart. I fear it may be too late for us all, but at least put your devices down for two hours and go watch this movie! 

Disclosure Day: Steven Spielberg's back baby! With a screenplay by David Koepp, the veteran director is here to present us with an engaging sci-fi movie about a secret government corporation led by a man named Noah Scanlon (Colin Firth) that is trying to hide the truth of extraterrestrial life from the rest of the human race, and the resistance that is on the run with all the evidence that they want to make public. 

Josh O' Connor plays Daniel, a man who used to work for the evil corporation, but has now defected with the help of a fellow-absconding colleague, Hugo (Colman Domingo). Daniel now has to figure out how he's going to release this information while keeping his girlfriend, Jane (Eve Hewson), safe from the evil overlords, who are using her as a pawn to get to him. Meanwhile, Emily Blunt plays Margaret, a Kansas City weatherwoman who suddenly wakes up speaking myriad languages and has the ability to immediately know what another person is going through and speak to their deepest secrets and vulnerabilities. She has no idea what's going on, but she knows that evil people are after her, so she goes on the run until Hugo reaches out and tells her how to connect with Daniel. Will our heroes meet up? And will they be able to make their grand disclosure? Not much of a spoiler alert: yes, yes, they will.

This is the type of movie where the journey is the destination. There are some brilliant action sequences, but there's also a lot of dialogue where people have to explain all the complexities of what's going on. What elevates this from a mid-tier slog to a top-tier blockbuster, is Blunt's performance. She is absolutely magnetic on screen and that charisma cannot be denied. I will be furious if this woman doesn't get an Oscar nomination for this performance, because despite all the great actors in this movie, she is single-handedly carrying this film on her back and giving it all the heart and depth it needs to avoid becoming just another generic piece of science fiction.

This is also an extremely Spielbergian film. Bless him, but the man is still living in an age of optimism, and his aliens are as humanoid and old school as possible. Watch this film if you want to feel really nostalgic and hopeful. There's no room for cynicism on Disclosure Day!