November Movies Part 3: A Different Man & The Substance

Do you need more body horror in your life? Well, I am here to deliver. I watched two similar yet strikingly different movies this week, both of which deal with people who are dissatisfied with their bodies and then have to face the consequences when they get the new body they thought they wanted, only to realize that maybe this wasn't really what they wanted after all. One of these movies is written by and about a man, while the other is written by and about a woman, and no points for guessing which one I think is better. Be warned: the two reviews that follow will be quite spoilerific, so if you want to watch the movies first and then get back to this post to tell me why you agree or disagree with all my thoughts, go right ahead!

A Different Man: Written and directed by Aaron Schimberg, this film stars Sebastian Stan as Edward, a man whose face is disfigured by a mass of tumors due to a genetic illness called neurofibromatosis. He still pursues his dream of being an actor, but is mostly just cast in HR workplace videos about how to treat hideous-looking coworkers. A playwright named Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) moves into the apartment across from him, and she tries to connect with him, but he can't act on his romantic feelings, ashamed of how he looks. However, when his doctor tells him about a new experimental treatment, he signs on, and as you can imagine, the treatment turns out to be a cure. Over time, his skin starts peeling away, the tumors fall off, and all of a sudden, he's just a handsome man.

At this point, we jump a few years into the future. Edward has changed his name to Guy and become an enormously successful realtor (a winking nod to how being a realtor seems to be more about curating your own image than selling houses). But he then reconnects with Ingrid who no longer recognizes him. Turns out she is putting on an off-Broadway play that is all about a disfigured man named Edward. "Guy" auditions for the part and get its, then starts sleeping with Ingrid (natch), and it seems like maybe he got the life he wanted all along. But then a British actor named Oswald (Adam Pearson) shows up, who also has neurofibromatosis, and a similarly disfigured face like Guy/Edward used to have. [Sidenote: the actor Adam Pearson really does have this condition, so this film is essentially built around him.] Initially, Ingrid takes him on as an advisor for the play, but over time he ends up supplanting Guy as the lead, and also ends up in a relationship with Ingrid. And our hero is left a miserable wretch, who realizes that he never needed to get handsome to land the girl, he just needed to be a nice guy. Some violence and drama ensues, but that was ultimately my final takeaway.

This movie is extremely low-budget and just felt like a weird little film about how men can get women just by having a good personality, and that you shouldn't let personal appearance drive your insecurities. It doesn't feel like it has much else to say about Edward or his life, and in classic male fashion, it really all comes down to whether or not the man can get laid as a determinant of personal success. The fact that Adam Pearson does truly have neurofibromatosis certainly makes this a much more meaningful film, but I found the plot to be kind of trite and boring. This film is offbeat and odd, and once I watched The Substance, I realized, oh, this story could be told in such a better way.

The Substance: Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, this film stars Demi Moore as Elizabeth Sparkle, a once-famous Oscar-winning actress, who is now 50 and past her prime as far as Hollywood is concerned. She has been relegated to hosting an aerobics TV show, but the evil producer (played with cartoonish misogynistic glee by Dennis Quaid), is ready for a hot new thing and doesn't want to see Elizabeth's haggard body on TV anymore. To be clear, if you watch the first ten minutes of this movie and think that Demi Moore's body is anything less than smoking hot, you must be blind. But a 50-year-old woman is anathema to Hollywood, so that brings us to our current predicament.

Elizabeth is devastated that she is being sidelined so brutally. Then, she mysteriously is introduced to something called "The Substance," that promises she could spend a week in a younger, hotter body, as long as she keeps interchanging with her regular body for a week after. She heads into a shady warehouse, picks up a box of supplies from a mailbox, and heads home to inject herself with the substance. Which leads to a young, hot clone bursting out of her back. This clone names herself Sue, and is played by Margaret Qualley, who is quite ideal casting for a younger Demi Moore.

There is very little dialogue in this movie. Instead, it's an extremely physical and bonkers romp set to an intense techno score by Raffertie with hyper-colorful and lush cinematography by Benjamin Kracun that makes this whole story feel visceral and oh-so enjoyable. Over time, Sue, enjoying all the power and privilege her hot new body gives her, tries to push the boundaries of The Substance, seeing if she can remain as Sue for an extra hour, then an extra day, and then maybe...forever? Obviously, it doesn't work that way, and during the weeks when Elizabeth takes charge of her body, she discovers that Sue's selfishness is resulting in her aged body becoming even more decrepit. Eventually, things come to a head, and the final sequence of this film will treat you to an absolutely ridiculous monster that deserves an Oscar nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

It's clear that The Substance is working with a much higher budget that allows it to turn this premise into a thoroughly surreal extravaganza. A Different Man is operating on a lower tier and a much less ambitious scope. But ultimately, do I want to see a man moping around about his appearance all because of his need to get a hot woman to like him? Or do I want to see Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley get taken down by the patriarchy because they work in an industry where appearances are all that matter? It did strike me that in A Different Man, the idea is that men don't need to be hot to get ahead in the world, while in The Substance, it is very clear that all that matters is that women must be attractive. Ultimately, The Substance is a much more fun and audacious movie, but I welcome your thoughts on what you got out of watching these films and who does a better job of getting their point across. 

November Movies Part 2: Here & Heretic

This week I watched two rather lackluster movies that both had good pedigrees but fell a bit flat on execution. If you're curious about these films, read on about these films, or go watch them first and then come discuss them with me in the comments!

Here: Directed by Robert Zemeckis, who co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth, based on Richard McGuire's graphic novel of the same name, this is a story that is mostly set in the living room of an American house. We travel back and forth in time focusing on this one square patch of land, so there is one sequence when we are literally seeing dinosaurs roam across it, then others where we see some Native Americans exploring the area. But the majority of this film is about the families who occupy the house that was eventually built on this land at the turn of the 20th century.

The meat of the story focuses on the Young family, consisting of a World War II veteran, Al (Paul Bettany), his wife, Rose (Kelly Reilly), and their children, one of whom grows up and marries a woman and continues to live in the family home. That couple is played in young (and old) adulthood by Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, and offers up a story about what happens when you get married too young and have to sacrifice your ambitions for a life of painful domesticity. And also reveals how de-aging software continues to evolve, as we first see Hanks and Wright as teenagers - let's just say I was not convinced.

This movie feels like it's made for our TikTok age, when no one can focus on a story for more than a few minutes at a time. Instead, we get fragments of story, told in short bursts, drunkenly weaving across time periods, covering some major historical events and milestones, some emotional milestones, but largely feeling like a gimmicky exercise in storytelling that doesn't have much of a story to tell. There's nothing particularly new and compelling that this movie can convey about its characters; it's just trying to tell their stories in a novel way that feels a bit forced and clunky. I won't lie, I definitely kept my eyes on the screen the whole time since I never knew where things were going next. But at the end of the film, did I feel like I had watched something worth leaving my own living room for? Nope.

Heretic: Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, this is a story about what happens when two Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), end up at the house of a seemingly charming British man named Mr. Reed (played by the always deceptively charming Hugh Grant), who then proceeds to terrorize them as he has his own ideas about religion. 

Obviously, I watched this movie because of Hugh Grant - I am 100% here for his villain era and was dying to see what he was going to do in this weird little horror film. His performance is thoroughly delightful, charming the women into his home and then quickly turning that twinkle in his eye into a manic glint. The two women also deliver excellent performances, East offering up a brilliant turn as a naive and sheltered missionary who is desperate to make a new convert and is hysterically polite even as it becomes clear that Reed is an absolute lunatic, while Thatcher is wonderful as the more suspicious woman who knows she shouldn't trust this man but now has to figure out how they can fight him. Interestingly, both East and Thatcher were raised as Mormons, though they aren't currently practicing. Unfortunately, there's only so much actors can do if there isn't much more to the story.

Ultimately, this script did not do it for me. There were some great monologues for Grant to chew on, but at the end of the day, this movie has nothing novel to say about religion and seems to struggle to find any point of view. It's basically a horror movie that's flailing for a premise and doesn't land on anything too exciting. Even as a horror film, I didn't find myself particularly enthralled - sure, there are plenty of quiet steps into dark places and you're waiting for something to go "Boo!" and scare the crap out of you. But that's about it - this movie is one long series of horror movie tropes and nothing beyond that. Like me, if you want to be a Hugh Grant completist, go ahead, but otherwise, I wouldn't expect this movie to blow your mind. 

Fall Binges Part 2: Rivals, English Teacher, Kaos, Agatha All Along

There has been an explosion of TV over the past month as I try to juggle new series with returning ones. Here are some reviews of the new shows that have kept me occupied and might suck you in too!

Rivals: I binged this show in one giant gulp and it's the best thing I've watched in ages. Based on the 1988 novel by Jilly Cooper, it is a raucous and over-the-top British delight. Insanely raunchy (there's nudity from the very first scene, so be forewarned), and hysterically devious, this is the story of what happens when Lord Tony Baddingham (played by David Tennant, who relishes in putting the "Bad" in Baddingham), the owner of a TV studio in the idyllic English countryside, hires Declan O'Hara (Aidan Turner, who I last drooled over in Poldark), a feisty journalist, to host his own chat show on his network. Declan moves down with his family, which includes his bored wife, Maud (Victoria Smurfit), and two daughters, the oldest of whom, Taggie (Bella Maclean), catches the eye of the local bad boy aristocrat, Lord Rupert Campbell-Black (Alex Hassell). Rupert is cartoonishly horny, and has quite the reputation, but as the series progresses, there's the sense that perhaps this rake can be reformed. But maybe not, because man, he shags a lot of women over the course of eight episodes.

Every single character on this show is having an illicit affair or lusting after someone, and the soundtrack is filled with some great 80s pop tunes, with some heavy breathing thrown in. There are a LOT of characters, who all have their own agendas, but everything weaves together seamlessly and entertainingly and there is just oodles of plot to keep you occupied in between sex scenes. The whole thing also ends on an enormous cliffhanger, so I will be first in line to binge all of Series 2 as soon as it's available. Until then, treat yourself to Series 1, and then maybe, watch it all over again. 

English Teacher: Created by Brian Jordan Alvarez who also stars, this show is like the anti-Abbott Elementary. Alvarez plays Evan, a gay English teacher in Austin who is disenchanted by the profession but still going through the motions and trying to get his life together. His love life is a mess, and he constantly seems to be choosing the wrong men to sleep with or find attractive. In the meantime, his fellow colleagues have their own little dramas, including his best friend, Gwen (Stephanie Koenig), and their hapless principal Grant (Enrico Colantoni). Over the course of eight episodes, we get to follow the adventures of this motley crew as they try to navigate the modern world of teaching and grow up themselves while they're trying to help their students grow up too. I wouldn't say this show is "heartwarming," but it's definitely silly and fun, and it's worth a binge when you need a good laugh on a lazy afternoon.

Kaos: If you're a fan of Greek mythology (and who isn't?!) then this is the show for you. Created by Charlie Covell, this is a sprawling series that is set in a modern-day version of Mount Olympus, where the gods still hold sway over humans but also have their own petty squabbles. Meanwhile, there's an ominous prophecy that binds several mortals together, and if they achieve their destiny, they might topple Zeus, which naturally makes him very antsy. It's all very cryptic, and there are many threads to unravel, but as the eight episodes progress, you'll start to see how all the disparate pieces come together despite Zeus's best efforts to thwart all anarchy. The production design is excellent, the actors are superb, the cinematography is splendid, but Netflix decided to cancel the show, so all we have is this one glorious season. It's still worth a viewing, because the season does feel like we get a bit of a resolution, even though there certainly would have been plenty of story to cover in future seasons. But if you simply want to indulge in one tight season of inventive and audacious Greek lore, start watching this show. You won't be disappointed.

Agatha All Along: Do you remember everything that happened in WandaVision? Yeah, me neither. Anyway, at the end of that show, it turned out a witch named Agatha Harkness (the glorious Kathryn Hahn) was the big bad who wanted to steal the Scarlet Witch's powers. So now, in this show created by Jac Schaeffer, we follow what happened to Agatha after the events of WandaVision. The supporting cast features all-stars like Aubrey Plaza, Patti LuPone, Ali Ahn, Sasheer Zamata, and Debra Jo Rupp, as fellow witches who accompany Agatha on a quest to follow the Witches' Road, a Wizard of Oz-style endeavor that is meant to help each of these women regain something that they have lost. But they are also accompanied by a mysterious teen (played by Joe Locke), who seems fascinated by magic and this quest, but can't explain to anyone what he's doing there. 

Unravelling the teen's identity and Agatha's ultimate endgame is the point of this show, and it is appropriately eerie and spooky, with quite a few jump scares thrown in to make it perfect for Halloween. However, as is typical of much of the Marvel Televisual Universe, it was so stuffed with lore and jimjams that I found myself wildly confused most of the time and decided to just watch for vibes rather than any understanding of the plot. The first episode has a great conceit, and then Episode 7 is a standout that has some great narrative devices that truly kept my eyeballs glued to the screen. But can I tell you what happened on the rest of this show and whether it all got satisfyingly resolved? No, I cannot.

October Movies Part 1: My Old Ass, Sing Sing, Wolfs, Saturday Night

So far, October has been a bit more promising on the TV front than movies. But there are still some options for you in the theater or on streaming so let's get to them!

My Old Ass: This is a genuinely wonderful movie that people should be watching in droves. It has flown a bit under the radar because it doesn't have any big-name stars attached apart from Aubrey Plaza, but it is a sweet, funny, and moving film. Written and directed by Megan Park, it tells the story of 18-year-old Elliott (the brilliant Maisy Stella), who is spending her last summer at home with her family on their idyllic cranberry farm before she leaves for university in the big city (Toronto!) and can finally begin her life. When she does shrooms with her best friends, she has a trip where she is visited by her 39-year-old future self (played by Aubrey Plaza). Future Elliott has some good advice, mostly around cherishing this time she has left with her family, and to not be so desperate to grow up. But there is also some more cryptic advice that you will spend the rest of the film worrying about until the surprising conclusion. 

This is one of those films where you shouldn't pay too much attention to the science fiction implications of time travel: future Elliott puts her number into present Elliott's phone as "My Old Ass" and the two of them are still able to communicate after she is done tripping - don't think about that too hard. Instead, just go along for the splendid ride to experience a beautiful story about living in the present and not worrying too much about the ramification of your choices. Also, Elliott is unapologetically gay and has a great support system, so this is a great movie for queer kids and other folk who would like to just enjoy the fantasy of seeing a gay kid live their life without too much drama. This is a gem of a film and while it seems too small to get much recognition at awards season, I do dearly hope it might get a nod for Park's screenwriting or Stella's lead performance. Everyone, please run to the theater and watch it immediately.

Sing Sing: Speaking of powerful lead performances, it should come as no surprise that Colman Domingo is great in this film. Directed by Greg Kwedar, who co-wrote the screenplay with Clint Bentley, this is the story of the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA) program at Sing Sing prison in upstate New York. This program has been running for almost 30 years, and the focus of this film is on  John "Divine G" Whitfield (Domingo), a prisoner who joined RTA and became a playwright and director, while he also fought his wrongful conviction and tried to secure his release. Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin also co-stars as himself, and we get to see how Divine G scouted him to join the RTA program, gradually molding him to become a star actor in the program, after overcoming his initial skepticism.

This is a film about the transformative power of the arts and the important work RTA does to get these prisoners to process their emotions and learn new ways to express themselves instead of the old standbys of anger and violence. Sing Sing is a maximum security prison, and many of these men are serving life sentences with little or no hope. But participating in RTA gives them joy and a new purpose in life. I listened to a podcast with Maclin and it's wonderful to hear this man, who had such a rough start in life and was sentenced to 17 years in Sing Sing for robbery, speak about what this program did for him and how he is now taking the work forward by helping prisoners and at-risk youth with these skills. I can't say that I always found this movie engaging, but the actors (most of whom are actual RTA alumnae) are captivating and the story they are telling is compelling and important. And the final scenes when you get to see some of the real-life plays that RTA put on through the years is enough to make you believe in humanity after all.

Wolfs: Oof. Written and direct by Jon Watts, and starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, you would have thought this movie would be great. But it's an Apple TV+ production and is "aggressively mid" as I once heard NPR's Linda Holmes describe a lot of their catalogue. Clooney and Pitt are playing "fixers" who get called into a Manhattan District Attorney's hotel room when she accidentally finds herself with a dead body and doesn't know what to do next. She called Clooney, while Pitt was called in by the hotel owner, and now these two lone wolves must work together to clean up the situation. Which leads to a wild night across New York City as they unravel the plot of how this "dead" man ended up in that hotel room, and other tangled conspiracies that ultimately relate to who they work for in the first place. 

Honestly, I cannot tell you much more beyond that, because I barely understood this convoluted plot, the cinematography was so dark I could barely see any of the action, and apart from the very end, in a diner scene, when it felt like I could finally see Clooney's facial expressions and be reminded me of why he's such a great actor, I was thoroughly bored. I was expecting the two leads to recapture the old Ocean's Eleven magic, but their banter felt forced, and every line of dialogue just fell flat. Pitt also seems to be an increasingly sketchy public figure who needs to account for his terrible behavior towards Angelina Jolie and their children, and while he ordinarily whitewashes his reputation by producing excellent movies, this movie is such a dud that his luck has run out. So don't bother watching this film, and let's just all band together for a Pitt boycott instead. That would be a much more worthy use of our time.  

Saturday Night: Directed by Jason Reitman, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Gil Kenan, this is a movie about the 90 minutes preceding the airing of the very first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. As we swoop through the studio and Rockefeller Center, following creator Lorne Michaels (played by Gabriel LaBelle) around as he deals with recalcitrant actors, peeved writers, a righteous censor, eager comedians, doubtful studio executives, and...a llama, it's an absolute whirlwind of chaos. As someone who watches SNL every week and is a fan of the many iconic comedians and characters that got their start on this show, this movie is a veritable who's who of famous names. But it felt like watching The Bear, an anxiety-provoking hellscape where you just want to be like "man, is this even worth it." And oddly, it also felt like watching Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, where everyone's laughing at the supposedly hilarious sketches, while I just sat there thinking, "huh, this doesn't seem that funny." 

Obviously, SNL is an institution, and that first episode WAS really funny and led to this show still being on the air 50 (!) years later. But this movie is such a hagiography, such a self-aggrandizing piece of "yeah, it's us against the establishment, man!" that it's a bit hard to swallow, given that SNL now IS the establishment. The movie is trying to convey how this scrappy little show was going up against the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, with all these counter-culture comedians that no one had heard of, and it was so risqué and daring. But in the cold, hard light of 2024, it no longer feels fresh or innovative, a lot of the jokes feel sexist and tired, and apart from Lamorne Morris's delightful turn as the lone Black cast member, Garrett Morris, this just feels like a sea of white people patting themselves on the back for sticking to their guns. I really did want to like this movie, and while I do think it's a technical marvel with the way it conveys all the frantic energy and endless fires (figurative and literal!) that Lorne has to put out until this show can finally go live, it ultimately didn't seem to have anything new or exciting to say. Which is probably what most people say about SNL these days.

September Movies Part 2: The Wild Robot, Transformers One, His Three Daughters

I was felled by Covid for a good part of this month so didn't go out to the movies as much. But I have rallied in this final week. One of these movies is the best thing I've seen in a long while, and the other two were equally engaging in different ways. Dive in to find out which!

The Wild Robot: I didn't know much about this animated film going into it, apart from the fact that Lupita Nyong'o voiced the main robot. But oh, was I in for an absolute treat. Written and directed by Chris Sanders, based on the book by Peter Brown (a book that you can be sure I have now requested from my local library), this is a sumptuous and moving story about what happens when a robot named Roz is shipwrecked on an island that is only inhabited by wild animals. Designed to help humans, she must adapt to speak to these animals, who are all understandably scared of her, and figure out her place in the world. 

Roz befriend a fox named Fink (voiced by Pedro Pascal) and accidentally becomes "mother" to a gosling that she hatched after crushing his nest. That gosling grows up to be Brightbill (Kit Connor), and Roz is determined to help him learn how to swim and fly so he can get ready for his annual migration with the other geese. Along the way, we get a story about being an outsider, becoming a family, conservation, protecting the planet, using technology for good rather than evil, and just a whole host of other themes and topics that keep swirling around and overwhelming you with their complexity and narrative richness. 

Overlaying all this narrative is the drop-dead gorgeous hand-painted animation that deserves to be in a museum. The way Roz moves and navigates this island is fun to watch, but every single animal, tree, and river is also depicted lushly and beautifully. This is a very funny movie -- Matt Berry voicing an annoyed beaver and Catherine O'Hara as an opossum who is burdened by her many children were particular highlights -- but it is also an incredibly moving film that made me teary at multiple points (I was probably also nudged to tears by Kris Bowers's sublime score). It is so wonderfully sweet and delightful, and I demand it receive an Oscar nomination, because it's one of the best animated movies I've seen and profoundly stirred my heart.

Transformers One: Before going to this movie, I read a few sentences that said this was the origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron on the planet of Cybertron. I was vaguely aware of those words, but as someone who has never watched a Transformers movie and has only hazy recollections of the cartoons from when I was nine, I will confess that I was probably not this movie's target audience. Unlike my husband, who proceeded to enjoy this movie thoroughly.

The voice cast is great, with folks like Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, and Jon Hamm, who are all adept at providing ample amounts of comedy at the beginning and then high drama towards the end. The animation is also fantastic, particularly during battle/racing sequences when the inventiveness of these Transformers and their ability to morph into different shapes is on full display. It's also a fun and engaging story, even for someone like me, who had no idea who these characters were or any of the lore but could easily spot the classic tropes of an origin story and figure out where we were headed. This is a film that probably has a lot more appeal to Transformers fans, but if you're just a casual moviegoer who is desperate to see something new, this film offers up a perfectly entertaining time.

His Three Daughters: Written and directed by Azazel Jacobs, and starring the powerhouse trio of Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olson, and Natasha Lyonne, this is a story about three sisters who are taking care of their father during his final days as he enters home hospice care. I know that sounds grim, but this is more of a story about family dynamics and the extremely complex relationships between sisters. Each of these women are incredibly different, and they each have unique bonds with each other, further complicated by the fact that two of them are biologically related while the other is "only" a half-sister but is the one who has been taking care of their father all along. 

I won't say much more, because this is very much a character study where you need to get all the little pieces of family history revealed to you bit by bit to put together a complete portrait of the little resentments and misunderstandings that have been building up in these women over the years. They love each other, but that love is complicated by all this prior history and baggage, and watching them air it all out in this extremely fraught setting is both stifling and exhilarating. This is also a very New York movie, taking place in that claustrophobic apartment, and the soundtrack of a passing subway train or the buses and garbage trucks rumbling by made me feel right at home. 

This film has been hyped and lauded by many critics, and while it is phenomenally acted, I did find myself left a little cold. Yes, it's a great story, but the climax felt a bit overwrought to me, and overall, I had a sense that this would make a better play than a movie. Perhaps it's because I have never been particularly fazed by the idea of mortality, but I found myself more fascinated by the psychological complexities of the characters while not actually moved by their difficult circumstances. Please watch this film and then enter into a raucous debate with me about why I should feel differently!

September Movies Part 1: Blink Twice & Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

I got back from my honeymoon and immediately headed to the movie theaters to see what September had to offer. So far, I have been pleasantly surprised!

Blink Twice: The directorial debut of Zoe Kravitz (who also co-wrote the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum), this movie really threw me for a loop. I spent the first hour thinking it was entirely too vibey and going nowhere, and then all of a sudden, things took a thrilling (but somehow also hilarious) turn that had me on the edge of my seat with a big smile on my face.

Naomi Ackie and Alia Shawkat star as Frida and Jess, two women who are waitresses at an event for Slater King (Channing Tatum), a tech billionaire. Halfway through the party, they change into fancy dresses and infiltrate the party as guests, where they quickly get thrown into King's friend group. They all have a great night, at the end of which, King invites Frida and Jess to fly back with him and his friends to his private island. This is the stuff that dreams are made of, right? Well, yes, but also...nightmares.

For the first half of the film, everything is a bit of an ethereal drunken and drugged up bacchanal on the island and everyone seems to be having a great time. But then, Jess starts to feel like something is a little bit off. And that's when the fun/horror begins. This movie proceeds to be an amazing feminist romp and takedown of the patriarchy, and there's a particular line that Frida delivers to a character played by Geena Davis (yes, she's on the island too!) that feels like it is a commentary on how women of color feel all the time when a white woman chooses to ignore their plight in favor of a rich white man instead. This is an extremely weird but self-assured little movie, and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice: I had no memory of the original 1988 film, so I first watched it in the morning before I saw this sequel in the afternoon. If it's been a while since you've seen the original, I highly recommend you do the same, because I do not think anything in the sequel would have made much sense to me if I hadn't prepped beforehand. I'm sure the story can stand alone, but it's a much richer tale when you already know who all these characters are and what happened to them thirty-six years ago.

The sequel is essentially a retread of the original, except this time around, Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), is all grown up and now has a teenage daughter of her own, Astrid (Jenna Ortega). Astrid is a typical teenage girl who hates her mom, and now Lydia can empathize with her stepmom, Delia (Catherine O'Hara), for the hard time she always gave her as a teenager. When they have to return to Winter River for a funeral (natch), Astrid gets into trouble, and the only way Lydia can save her is by invoking Beetlejuice's name three times. And thus, much mayhem ensues.

It's silly but perfectly entertaining if you loved the original. Special effects have obviously improved a great deal since 1988, but this film still keeps some of the kitschy special effects from the 80s for peak nostalgia value. And the soundtrack is particularly delightful, including a nod to one of my favorite Bee Gees songs. If that's sufficiently intriguing, head right over to the theater and check out what happens when the juice is loose!

More Summer Binges: The Outlaws, Angry Young Men, The Perfect Couple, Sunny, The Change

Yes, yes, you didn't think I spent the summer just bingeing Emily in Paris did you? I found many more random old and new shows to catch up on, and now here are my suggestions for what you should be streaming next.

The Outlaws: Created by Elgin James and Stephen Merchant (who also co-stars), I had never heard about this show before, but when I started watching, I ate up all three seasons with a big ol' spoon. My god, what an astonishing delight. The show follows a group of Brits (and an American expat, played by THE Christopher Walken!) who all find themselves doing community service for a range of infractions. There's a socialite Instagram influencer, an Indian-Polish teenager who crumpled under the pressure to be a perfect student (can anyone here relate *cough*), a nightclub bouncer who is trying to make a better life for him and his sister, a former conman, a mediocre lawyer, a strident Black community activist, and a white middle-aged businessman who is fed up of the woke police.

As you can tell, they all have different agendas, wildly different worldviews, and at first, it seems impossible that this group is ever going to get along. But then...stuff happens. I can't tell you what, because with only six episodes a season (five for the third), this show is economical and brimming with twists and turns that you need to experience for yourself. Suffice to say, this motley crew will have to band together after they get into trouble and need to dig themselves out of an ever-deepening hole. Every actor is doing impossibly great work, and the writing is pitch-perfect, with my particular favorite nuance being the fact that Merchant takes every opportunity to have various people mock the way he looks. It is just an absolute joy from start to finish, funny, touching, and a thrilling caper that will keep you on the edge of your seat. And as a compliance professional, let me just say, I greatly enjoyed the deep dive into money laundering that you will get along the way. 

Angry Young Men: This is a three-part documentary series about the Bollywood writing partnership of Salim-Javed, i.e. Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar, who wrote a series of blockbuster scripts in the 1970s that came to define an entire era of Bollywood cinema. Now their kids, namely Salman Khan, Farhan Akhtar, and Zoya Akhtar, have produced this documentary, helmed by director Namrata Rao, to give us some insight into how this partnership came about and what makes these two men tick. I have of course heard of these films, like Deewar, Sholay, Seeta aur Geeta, etc. but had no idea they were all written by the same duo. I had no sense of what a tour-de-force they were in the 70s, particularly instrumental in making the career of Abhishek Bachchan and other actors who are now household names. 

Yes, this is a hagiography, with many talking heads from famous actors, directors, and critics raving about their work, but the most fascinating moments are when we get to hear directly from the men themselves, as well as their ex-wives and current wives. For men with convoluted love lives, they seem to have really lucked out in terms of the women they married, and the film paints a rather cheery portrait of non-traditional families. But the best part is when we just get to hear these men speak and share a little bit about their difficult childhoods, and their deep desire for fame and recognition. Were they arrogant and brash? Yes, everyone agrees on that. But were they absolute geniuses? Yes. If you have the slightest interest in Bollywood, this documentary is a wonderful ode to Hindi cinema and these two remarkable writers who were the first to demand attention for the craft of screenwriting that was hitherto considered an inessential component of filmmaking. Unfortunately, the documentary makes the point that writers still don't command much respect in Bollywood, but Salim-Javed are still the gold standard that all writers aspire to when penning their scripts. 

The Perfect Couple: This just came out two days ago on Netflix and I've already binged all six episodes, so that's all you need to know. Developed by Jenna Lamia, directed by Susanne Bier, and starring Nicole Kidman, this is a perfectly paced murder mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously. Kidman stars as Greer Garrison Winbury, a rich author of detective novels who has a "cottage" on Nantucket, where she spends the summer with her wealthy family, which includes her supposedly doting husband, Tag (Liev Schriber), and their three sons. One of those sons, Benji (Billy Howle) is getting married to an outsider (i.e. working-class person) named Amelia (Eve Hewson), so the show takes place during that wedding weekend. When a body washes up on the shore, the whole family is thrown into disarray and every possible person comes under suspicion as they have excellent motives and nebulous alibis. 

It's sumptuously shot, excellently acted, and the Bollywood actor Ishaan Khatter even shows up as a close family friend, which was an utter surprise to me (though might explain why the title sequence of this show is reminiscent of a Bollywood number). Every episode ends on a delicious cliffhanger that will have you slamming the Play Next Episode button at regular intervals, and everything is wrapped up in a satisfying bow - no spoilers, but I promise you won't be left with any irritating loose ends. The show is based on Elin Hilderbrand's novel of the same name, which I have not read, but the show does deviate from the novel in numerous ways that all sound much better to me. So hop on the couch and get excited for a fun summery mystery.

Sunny: Created by Katie Robbins, based on a 2018 novel by Colin O'Sullivan, this slightly futuristic show stars Rashida Jones as Suzie Sakamoto, an American expat in Japan who is plunged into grief when her husband and son are killed in a plane crash. When her husband's company presents her with a "homebot" (a robot that can help you around the house) named Sunny to help her during this difficult time, she is initially resistant, but she gradually starts to warm up to this robot. And in doing so, she discovers her husband designed Sunny, and had a whole life that she knew nothing about. Her mother-in-law (played by the lovely Just Ongg) keeps evading questions about his past, and as Suzie gets Sunny to try and dig into her memories, they find themselves going deeper into a mystery that involve the yakuza and all manner of shady dealings. Over its ten episodes, the show is pretty vibey and has a somewhat erratic tone, sometimes playing into robot comedy, and then veering into dark drama and mystery. But it was compelling enough to keep watching from week to week, and now you can binge it all in one fell swoop. If you're a fan of mysteries, Japan, futurism, or Rashida Jones, this should be the next show on your watchlist, but if you're looking for a tidy narrative with a satisfying conclusion, you might want to try The Perfect Couple instead.

The Change: Created and written by Bridget Christie, this is a weird but weirdly touching little show about Linda (Christie) a woman who hits 50, starts the menopause, and decides she needs a break from being a wife and mother for a while. She packs up her stuff, hops on a motorcycle, and heads off to the Forest of Dean, on a quest to find a time capsule she left in a tree when she a little girl. Which tree? Who knows, let's hope she find it! When she gets there, she rents out a camper van from some strange sisters (played by Minca Dolan and Susan Lynch) and finds herself getting more and more involved in the bizarre lives of the local town's inhabitants. Meanwhile, back home, her incompetent husband, Steve (Omid Djalili), is overwhelmed as he discovers how much silent labor his wife has been putting in over the years to keep their lives tidy and functional. If you enjoy British "comedies" and aren't looking for a huge commitment, you can easily knock this show out in a few hours and have a few chuckles and quiet moments of profundity along the way. 

Mystery Binges: Presumed Innocent & True Detective: Night Country

Are you ready to sink your teeth into a murder mystery? Then I’ve got two different flavors of murderous mayhem to share with you!

True Detective: Night Country: I was never a big fan of True Detective and was only able to watch 1.5 seasons because it felt a bit too male and self-aggrandizing under the aegis of creator Nic Pizzolatto. Well now, Issa Lopez has taken over as showrunner, and cast Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro, two Alaskan cops who must investigate a VERY creepy incident involving some scientists from a local research station who disappear and are then found outside in the snow, frozen to death. Also, all of this is taking place in December as their town of Ennis, Alaska experiences its last sunset and plunges into endless polar night for a few weeks. Eek.

Our diligent duo have to deal with a whole mess of wild characters, as well as navigate their own fractious relationship and past secrets. This incident seems related to an old unresolved murder investigation of a local Inupiaq woman named Annie Kowtok, but as they delve deeper into the case, they keep throwing up more questions than answers. And also, there are a lot of spirits and supernatural jump scares that will ensure you always get freaked out at least once per episode.

Only six episodes long, this series is dark, scary, and riveting. I was worried that the mystery would not have a proper resolution, but the final episode wrapped everything up beautifully. Yes, the hour-long episodes can feel a little slow and bloated at times, but then something super scary will happen and you will jump from your seat and wish you could go back to just calmly staring at a snowdrift for some time. Foster and Reis are incredible, and the show does a good job of slowly doling out backstory until it all comes to a head in the finale. It’s an atmospheric thriller packed with literal and figurative chills and while I could only manage to watch an episode a day, so I didn’t get too scared, it was worth the sacrifice.

Presumed Innocent: All eight episodes are now available for one big binge, but I personally enjoyed watching this show from week-to-week. Based on the novel by Scott Turow (I never saw the 1990 movie adaptation starring Harrison Ford), the series was adapted for TV by David E. Kelley, the master of the legal drama. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Rusty Sabich, a Chicago prosecutor who must stand trial when his colleague (who he was secretly having an affair with) is found murdered and he is the key suspect. What follows is an intense drama both inside and outside the courtroom that ultimately culminates in a rather pleasing finale where all is finally revealed.

I love a courtroom drama, so the second half of this show, that takes place almost entirely during the trial, was very enjoyable for me. It’s also fun to see Peter Sarsgaard play Tommy Molto, the prosecuting attorney who hates Rusty’s guts. Sarsgaard and Gyllenhaal are brothers-in-law in real life, so I like to imagine they had a lot of fun playing these warring characters who can’t stand each other. Ruth Negga is also phenomenal as Rusty’s wife Barbara, a quiet, long-suffering woman who thought his affair was over and now must deal with his betrayal while still supporting him in public for the sake of their children.

The finale doesn’t disappoint, and you will get a satisfying answer to the mystery, though I was more engaged in all the preceding legal battles and grandstanding before the judge and jury. I will admit to being a little distracted by the purported American accents deployed by O-T Fagbenle and Renate Reinsve in the supporting cast who in real-life are English and Norwegian respectively, but you know what, you can’t have everything. Overall, this is a great, well-acted, tense show that has a lot of cliffhangers that will leave you clamoring for more. 

July Movies Part 2: Kinds of Kindness, Twisters, Deadpool & Wolverine

It must be summer because I watched a movie about chasing tornadoes, a Marvel movie with two superheroes, and...a weird little Oscar contender from Yorgos Lanthimos. Let's get into it!

Kinds of Kindness: I think that I like director Yorgos Lanthimos's movies when he doesn't write the screenplay himself. But he definitely wrote this movie, and I don't know what to make of any of it. This film is an anthology of three different stories that star the same cast of actors, and each tale is weirder and gorier than the last. You've got Emma Stone, Margaret Qualley, Jesse Plemons, Willem Defoe, Hong Chau, Mamoudou Athie, and Joe Alwyn, rotating through a series of increasingly weird and outlandish characters, and if you came here looking for answers, I'm afraid I have none to give you.

There's a lot of body horror in all three stories, and a lot of heightened comedy that plunges into abject tragedy. You have a lot of characters who think they have their lives all figured out only to face crippling doubts and then face heinous consequences as they try to forge a new path for themselves. Everyone's flying too close to the sun, and everyone comes crashing down to earth, and at the end of the day, you'll walk out of the theater going, "Well, that was certainly an experience!" Your mileage may vary, but if you're looking for an absolutely bonkers night at the movies, this movie should be your top pick.

Twisters: If you're looking for an absolutely predictable and entertaining night at the movies, then this is the movie you go for. Written by Mark L. Smith and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, this film follows two teams of tornado chasers in Oklahoma who have different agendas but will ultimately have to team up if they want to save some desperate townsfolk from the ravages of climate change. There's riveting action, there's great visual effects, and there's Glen Powell walking through the rain in a white T-shirt. Check, check, and CHECK.

Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos, and Glen Powell play Kate, Javi, and Tyler, three separate storm chasers who are all operating under slightly different motivations. Kate and Javi go way back, and Kate has agreed to help him out for a week for a special project that she thinks could help people and Javi thinks will help him make money. Tyler is a YouTube star known as the "Tornado Wrangler," who likes to make theatrical videos of his storm chases, so obviously Kate thinks he's a moron. But if you've ever watched a movie or read a book before, you can imagine that their relationship is gonna take some...twists (sorry, I couldn't resist). This movie is a great popcorn flick, and it presumably has important things to say about the climate and taking care of our planet, but I don't live in tornado country, so I didn't really pay attention to that. I was more mesmerized by the white T-shirt in the rain.

Deadpool & Wolverine: Well, it's another Marvel movie. Directed by Shawn Levy, this film teams up the irreverent Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) with the grumpy Wolverine (Hugh Jackson), who are up against an evil stooge from the Time Variance Authority (you may remember the TVA if you watched Loki, but otherwise...just go with it), played by Matthew Macfadyen, who is certainly delighting in being a Marvel villain. If one British villain wasn't enough, we also get Emma Corrin as a secondary baddie, and there is lots of action and adventure and R-rated hijinks.

At this point, I definitely have Marvel fatigue, so I'm not going to pretend this movie was a rollicking delight. It has an absolutely banging soundtrack, and it featured some incredible cameos that truly perked me up, including a shoutout to Wrexham that was very cheering. But I could not keep up any level of enthusiasm for the 2-hour runtime of this movie. The whole snarky Deadpool shtick was novel the first time but has worn out its welcome at this point. It's less funny than just very silly, and while it was clear to me that this movie is probably going to be an absolute riot and joy to the die-hard comic book fans, if you're a casual Marvel movie fan like me, you're probably not going to care that much. The music and cameos were my personal highlight, but that seems like a bit of a waste for a movie that was supposed to make me excited about Deadpool and Wolverine instead.

July Movies Part 1: Fly Me to the Moon & A Quiet Place: Day One

Yes, my varied cinematic interests know no bounds. Today, I bring you two excellent movies, one a sci-fi horror, and the other a 60's romcom. Both feature charismatic actors giving dazzling performances, but if you're more into animals, both also feature prominent performances of the feline variety. Intrigued? I should hope so.

A Quiet Place: Day One: I have greatly enjoyed the Quiet Place franchise, movies about what happens to Earth after it has been taken over by an alien race with a superior sense of hearing. The aliens instantly kill any humans that make a sound, but otherwise cannot see them, so the first two movies followed the fortunes of a family with a Deaf daughter who could converse in sign language and were more prepared than most to handle this particular catastrophe. Well now Lupita Nyong'o stars in this prequel that takes us back to the very first day the aliens landed and the carnage they unleashed on the unsuspecting populace. More particularly, we see what they did to the island of Manhattan, which, as you can imagine, I ate up with a big ol' spoon.

Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski (John Krasinski does get a story credit), this movie does a wonderful job of imagining how the attack took place and how quickly humans realized the need for silence. It is an ingenious look at human adaptability and resilience (turns out thunderstorms and fountains make for excellent auditory camouflage), but also their innate decency and desire to help others. Yes, there's a lot of killing and jump scares, but this movie is also imbued with so much optimism and faith in the human race that it served as quite a balm to my jaded soul. Unsurprisingly, Nyong'o delivers a mesmerizing performance as a terminally ill woman with a service cat, who just wants a slice of pizza before the aliens destroy everything. She is ably assisted by Eric (Joseph Quinn), a British man who is in New York for law school and is absolutely friendless and alone as this apocalypse unfolds. 

This is a sad but somehow still weirdly hopeful movie and I was never bored for a se
cond. And there are some moving moments towards the end that genuinely made me shed a tear. The aliens get a lot more screentime than they did in the previous films, but they are deployed to good effect. The action sequences are tense and innovative, and as always, I greatly enjoyed how quiet the theater got as the entire audience felt afraid to breathe lest we disturb an alien around the corner. I love, love, love how these movies play with sound and silence, and this was a worthy prequel to show us how all of that began.

Fly Me to the Moon: If horror's not your thing, then surely a charming romantic comedy is precisely what you seek? Set in the 1960s, Scarlett Johansson stars as Kelly Jones, a brilliant advertising saleswoman, who is hired by the Nixon administration to improve NASA's public image and ensure they get enough public and congressional support to continue the Space Race and put a man on the moon. Channing Tatum plays Cole Davis, the NASA launch director, who is devoted to the Apollo program and is not too happy about this marketing woman with an elastic definition of the truth trying to sell his work to America. The two butt heads over Kelly's marketing tactics, but they are also two extremely attractive people who are definitely attracted to each other, so get ready for some real enemies-to-lovers intrigue.

The first half of the movie is all about the marketing shenanigans and motivations of our main characters. There's also a black cat that keeps running around the NASA buildings, which greatly worries the superstitious Cole. Then, Kelly gets told to prepare a Plan B, a fake moon landing set that can be broadcast if the actual moon landing fails. So, in the second half, we get to see how all of that pans out, with plenty of jokes that are sure to delight (or maybe anger?) conspiracy theorists. All along, costume designer Mary Zophres is doing phenomenal work, especially with Johansson's absolutely delicious dresses, while production designer Shane Valentino is knocking it out of the park with having to capture a 1960's aesthetic as well as bring the entire Space Program to life.

This movie is funny, moving, and honestly compelling if you're a space nerd who can't get enough about the Apollo missions. It captures the global collective awe at one of man's greatest achievements, but also manages to be super swoony and romantic. There are so many genres at play here, but director Greg Berlanti corrals everything together seamlessly, thanks to Rose Gilroy's script. Sure, it feels like there are some superfluous characters and some plot points that could be judiciously pruned, but I was too swept away by it all to notice. What can I say? I'm a real sucker for a romcom.

June Movies Part 2: Inside Out 2, Brats, Am I OK?

Seeking a psychological breakthrough this week? So are the protagonists of these three movies!

Inside Out 2: I mean, do I even need to say it? We all loved Inside Out, and the sequel (directed by Kelsey Mann and written by Dave Holstein and Meg LeFauve) gives us more of the same. Now, our girl Riley has turned thirteen, and is officially entering the big bad world of puberty. As such, a new set of emotions enter into her brain alongside the old stalwarts of Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear, and Anger. The new emotions consist of Embarrassment, Envy, Ennui... and they are led by Anxiety. You can probably see where this is going.

When Riley and her best friends head to an overnight hockey training camp, Anxiety takes over the console and starts driving her actions, overthinking and catastrophizing every interaction she has. In the meantime, Joy & co. embark on a journey through Riley’s brain to find and restore her Sense of Self. Along the way we get some beautiful metaphors about core beliefs, as well as some hilarity involving sar-chasms and the stream of consciousness.

Much like the original, this movie is marvelously inventive and poignant, finding ways to talk about the difficult emotions that overtake us in adolescence and often persist into adulthood. It is particularly meaningful how Anxiety overtakes Joy - much of adulthood feels like a desperate bid to reclaim the Joy we felt during childhood after all. The movie arrives at a wonderful conclusion, but we can all only hope to have such emotional balance as Riley eventually achieves. So watch this film and then call up your therapist - there’s a lot of work left to be done!

Am I OK? Max has weirdly classified this film as a romantic comedy, and I’m not quite sure why, apart from that label providing a reassurance that the ending won’t be terribly devastating. But otherwise, this is a gentle and lovely movie about a 32-year-old woman, Lucy (Dakota Johnson), who has only just realized that she is gay. As if that weren’t enough to be dealing with, her best friend, Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) has gotten a promotion at work and will be moving to London. So, Lucy's life is somewhat imploding, and we get to watch how she navigates it all.

Written by Lauren Pomerantz and directed by Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne, you can let this movie gently wash over you. It’s a funny and moving coming out story. It also serves as a reminder that no matter what your gender or sexuality, dating strangers is always a horrifyingly stressful proposition; and in this case, the hurdles feel especially difficult. But this is less a story about Lucy's love life, and more about her loving friendship with Jane. The two women are such wonderful friends, supportive and usually aware of each other’s every thought. This movie serves as a perfect chronicle of the highs and lows of female friendship and how two besties can navigate a rough patch, only to come out with an even stronger bond. So, watch this film and then give your BFF a call. Or better yet, watch this movie with your BFF and revel in the most romantic relationship of all: friendship.

Brats: Directed by Andrew McCarthy, this is a documentary about the origin of the term Brat Pack and the subsequent impact it had on the 80s actors who were considered to be a member of the Pack, including McCarthy himself. I was expecting this movie to consist of McCarthy thoughtfully interviewing fellow members of the Brat Pack, but not really participating in the movie himself - after all, wouldn’t it be meta to just have the documentarian be a Brat Packer who is showcasing that this is the direction in which he took his career? But alas, ‘twas not to be.

Instead, we get what feels like a 90-minute therapy session where McCarthy hogs the majority of the screen time. He does interview other folks, but no one seems as obsessed as him with unravelling what this term did to their career. They’ve all moved on, but McCarthy seems determined to hold on to a grudge. He does eventually have an interesting tete a tete with David Blum, the journalist who wrote the infamous article that coined the term in 1985, but at that point, their conversation just feels like a re-hash of all the other conversations he has had with Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Demi Moore, Rob Lowe, etc.

If you are an ardent fan of the Brat Pack, maybe this movie will move the needle for you. But overall, it feels like a bit of fluff with very little substance. Judd Nelson and Molly Ringwald declined to take part in the film, and all that does is make me wish I was watching a documentary about them instead. Spare yourself the trouble and just watch The Breakfast Club for the true Brat Pack experience.

May Movies Part 2: Girls State, I Saw the TV Glow, Furiosa, Babes

I spent a lot of time catching up on returning TV shows in May (yes, I am all caught up on Bridgerton, thank you very much), so my movie watching was very erratic. So settle in, I've got a real hodgepodge of reviews for you today!

Girls State: Dust off your Apple TV+ subscription because this documentary is absolutely worth it. I watched its predecessor, Boys State, in 2020, and re-reading my review of it, I'm struck by how one of my criticisms involved the boys talking about abortion rights in purely political terms. Well now, we have this movie, where the Girls get a chance to take part in this week-long immersive program to learn how the different branches of government operate. And given that the program kicks off in 2022 right when the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade was leaked, it is thrilling to see how these young women react and discuss this seismic policy shift that will have very real implications for their bodily autonomy.

This movie follows the 2022 Girls State program in Missouri, and interestingly, the decision was made to run the Boys and Girls program during the same week, which has never happened before. The two are still separated, but a big part of the narrative of this movie involves the girls seeing how differently the boys program is run, with the boys spending a lot more time on policy-making, while the girls seem to be saddled with cupcake parties and more frivolous discussions, while also being tyrannically forced to abide by dress codes and curfews. We follow a diverse (both ethnically and politically) group of young women who are passionate about their interests, but also navigating the awkwardness of teenage social etiquette, and over the course of the week, it is so heartening to watch them gain more confidence, speak up for their beliefs, and make deep connections with other young girls. And more importantly, point out the inequities in Boys State vs Girls State. 

This is a moving, thrilling, fundamentally wonderful documentary that should remind us all that the kids are all right. Yes, they all have varying beliefs and some of their political ideology can be ridiculous, but the respect and kindness they show one another is something we can only hope continues into adulthood. It should serve as a template for us all on how to behave in our current fractured political climate.

I Saw the TV Glow: OK, I did not really get this movie. My fiance assures me that it is wonderful, and deep, and very meaningful, so if you are super into vibes and the narrative of "escaping your smalltown America existence" this movie might be the best thing you watch all year. But if you're like me and prefer movies that have more straightforward plot and dialogue, you might leave the theater more perplexed than when you walked in. 

Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun, this is a movie about young Owen (played by Ian Foreman as a seventh grader, but then Justice Smith from high school into adulthood), a loner kid who runs into Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), a slightly older ninth grader, who is a lesbian and is very into a TV show called The Pink Opaque. Owen is not allowed to stay up that late in his own home to watch this show (his father also derides it as being a "show for girls"), but he manages to visit Maddy to watch an episode. This TV show forms the basis of their connection for the next few years of school. Then, the two of them have to deal with their individual realities, and their paths diverge.

The production design and aesthetic of this movie are truly excellent - the episodes of The Pink Opaque that we get to see are so ridiculous and perfectly capture the terrible special effects, silly dialogue, and earnestness of teenage fantasy dramas of the 90s. This is a film that manages to capture what nostalgia feels like and the intenseness of loving something passionately when you're a teenager because it feels like the only exciting thing you have going on in your life. But subsequently, the movie takes a turn, and the second half felt a bit more jumbled up and incoherent to me. If you're queer, this film might resonate a lot more with you, as the vibes are probably dialed in perfectly to your frequency. It's a trippy, weird, movie, and while it wasn't for me, it certainly is an ambitious film that could be perfect for a lot of other viewers. 

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga: I can't believe I reviewed Mad Max: Fury Road back in 2015 - oh how time flies. At the time, I waxed lyrical about how this movie was truly all about Charlize Theron's character, Imperator Furiosa. Well now, writer-director George Miller (with co-writer Nico Lathouris) is back and giving the people what they want - a prequel that gives us Furiosa's origin story. 

Anya Taylor-Joy plays the older Furiosa, but the first half of the movie mostly stars Alyla Browne as her younger self. She has grown up in the Green Place, one of the few areas that still has water and agriculture after the rest of the world has turned into a radioactive wasteland following global catastrophe. However, she is abducted by raiders, and becomes the prisoner of a warlord named Dementus (played with evil glee by Chris Hemsworth, who presumably was very excited that he could use his Australian accent on film again). What follows is two and a half hours of action, car chases, and mayhem. 

As with Fury Road, the production design is simply epic, and watching this movie on a big screen is a real treat. We get more lore of this world, where the tyrannical Immortan Joe controls food and water supplies, but also trades with other "fortresses" like Gastown and the Bullet Farm (because fuel and ammunition are the only other major necessities in an apocalyptic wasteland). The actors are great, but the focus is not on dialogue - we're here to watch things blow up and people get killed in increasingly unhinged ways. I would say I was captivated by this film for most of its runtime but it started wearing on me towards the end. It could stand to be an hour shorter, but I would then probably miss out some wildly inventive stunts and action sequences, so it's hard to know what to edit out. This is a movie that delivers exactly what you expect, so why not head back to this apocalyptic hellscape? You'll never be more grateful for the air conditioning in the theatre than when you're watching all these people trying to survive in the brutal heat and dust of the wasteland. 

Babes: After I watched this movie, I texted my best friend Laura and said, "apart from the baby part, this movie totally reminded me of us." To which she replied, "isn't this movie just all about the baby part?" And yes, that is true, but to me, a fervently child-free woman, I still thought this was a brilliantly funny and incisive movie about female friendship in New York City. That is also concerned with pregnancy and babies, but in a way that is very real and accurate, as opposed to portraying motherhood as some sort of idyllic dream. 

Directed by Pamela Adlon and written by Josh Rabinowitz and Ilana Glazer, the movie follows Eden (Glazer) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau), childhood best friends who are still integral parts of each other's lives even as Dawn has gotten married and is now pregnant with her second child. The movie opens with Dawn giving birth to Baby #2, and the movie perfectly captures the disgusting nature of labor - there are many fluids, and sometimes solids, involved as you are pushing that baby out of your uterus. Subsequently, Eden becomes pregnant after a one-night stand and decides that she wants to keep this baby and embrace single motherhood. What follows is a story of her pregnancy, her reliance on Dawn as the most stable person in her life, and Dawn's struggle with being a wife and mother to two children while also trying to be a supportive best friend. 

This movie is a hilarious, touching, and very R-rated portrayal of what it can be like when two best friends are in very different stages of their lives but desperately trying to make time for each other. It also captures the bodily hell that is pregnancy and labor - there are many times when Eden exclaims "this is not what it's like in the movies!" and girl, preach. As someone who had to deal with loads of pregnant and laboring women during an OB-Gyn rotation in medical school, I have never found that whole phase of a woman's life to be anything but horrifying. It isn't some magical and wonderful time when you are brimming with the miracle of creating another human - it is gross and your body is breaking down at every turn, with fluids constantly leaking out of you. Obviously, this movie is still pro-having children, but it at least offers a realistic depiction of the toll that having a child takes on a person. This is an activity that you cannot do alone - you need people and resources, and it will suck up your life. And remember boys and girls, you can still get pregnant if you have sex on your period!

A Slew of Binges: The Gentlemen, Shogun, Ripley, Baby Reindeer, Fallout

A number of epic shows have been released on various platforms recently, and I have been diligently watching them all. Now, it’s your turn.

The Gentlemen: Spun off from Guy Ritchie’s movie of the same name, this is a series about what happens when Eddie (Theo James), the second son of a Duke, returns home when his father dies and discovers he has inherited the entire estate instead of his older brother, Freddy (Daniel Ings). That would be enough drama to be getting on with but turns out his father had partnered with a drug crime family to grow marijuana on the estate, so Eddie has also unwittingly inherited a drug empire. For various reasons, he has to team up with Susie (Kaya Scodelario), the woman who manages these illegal operations, and what follows are eight episodes that always end on a cliffhanger and are just straight up bonkers from start to finish. This show is funny, violent, and constantly surprising, and the lead performances are a delight. Give it a shot!

Shogun: Created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks and based on the novel by James Clavell, this is a sumptuous and dramatic show set in 16th century Japan. Cosmo Jarvis plays John Blackthorne, an Englishman who arrives in Japan to establish a trade route, but unwittingly finds himself becoming an ally of Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada). A bunch of warring factions are fighting for the title of Shogun, aka ruler of Japan, and over the course of ten episodes you will be treated to a lush, detailed, and vivid depiction of this period of Japanese history, featuring incredible performances and awe-inspiring production design. The show is almost entirely in Japanese, so be prepared to read those subtitles, but it's well worth the effort. It's also only a limited series that completely wraps up its storyline in this one season, so if you're looking for something that packs a lot of prestige but won't require a prolonged time commitment, this should definitely be your next binge.

Ripley: Based on Patricia Highsmith's novel, this limited series, created by Steven Zaillian, is gorgeous and riveting. Shot completely in black and white, and starring Andrew Scott as Tom Ripley, a conman who takes everything a step too far when he ends up murdering a wealthy American in Italy and taking over his identity, this is a delicious cat-and-mouse game that tells this story in a fresh and exciting way. Johnny Flynn is great as the clueless Dickie Greenleaf, while Dakota Fanning is wonderful as Marge, Dickie's girlfriend who is always suspicious of Tom but can never quite catch him in an outright lie. But most importantly, Andrew Scott is simply impeccable, somehow managing to make this man seem timid and insecure and then morphing into a homicidal maniac who will do anything to keep his newfound extravagant lifestyle going. The cinematography by Robert Elswit is insanely lavish and as you take a tour of 1950s Italy, you might never want to return to real life. In fact, book a trip to Italy right now - you'll be glad you did once you finish watching this show.

Baby Reindeer: Created by and starring Richard Gadd, this is a true story based on his own experiences. In the show, his character goes by the name of Donny Dunn, and he is an aspiring stand-up comedian who works as a bartender. A customer named Martha (Jessica Gunning) takes a shine to him, and what begins harmlessly enough suddenly devolves into a dangerous and frightening situation as this woman begins to obsessively stalk him and harass him day and night. But if you thought that was the extent of this man's troubles, wait till you get to Episode 4, when we get a flashback to an incident in Donny's past. I won't spoil what happens, but it is raw, visceral, and the most harrowing 45 minutes of television I've seen all year. It made my skin crawl and I felt so much awe for Gadd's bravery in taking this horrific incident and sharing it with the world. The show is twisty, disturbing, and remarkable, and there's a reason everyone's talking about it. It's challenging to watch, but it's well worth the effort.

Fallout: Created by Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet and based on the popular video game franchise, this show is set in a post-apocalyptic future (natch) after the Cold War devolved and nuclear bombs were dropped in the Great War of 2077. The action picks up 200-odd years later and we follow three separate characters who have all led very different lives in this but will now find their paths intersecting. Lucy (Ella Purnell) grew up underground in a Vault, an underground bunker designed to protect people from surface radiation. However, when her father is kidnapped by surface dwellers, she ventures out into the unforgiving wasteland, where she will encounter Maximus (Aaron Moten), a squire for the Brotherhood of Steel, an organization that dons militaristic armor and purports to defend the populace, but obviously has their own nefarious schemes. She will also meet The Ghoul (Walton Goggins), a man with a complicated past from the beforetimes who has now become a mutant (kudos to the hair and makeup department) and is out for vengeance and answers regarding what happened to his family. The plot is complicated and engaging, and the production design is simply unparalleled. There's a great deal of violence and but plenty of humor - it would certainly be a vibrant and unique addition to your watchlist.

April Movies Part 5: Abigail, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Challengers

April is finally at a close and I somehow managed to watch three more movies in the theater. Whether you're jonesing for horror, action, or sexy tennis, I've got every possible genre covered for you in this post!

Abigail: I only like funny horror and my fiance only likes vampires, so this movie was the perfect intersection of our horror movie preferences. If you've seen the trailer, you already know what to expect. A group of criminals have been recruited for one lucrative mission - kidnap a little girl and hold her in a mansion for 24 hours until her father pays a princely ransom. Each kidnapper gets a generous cut of the ransom, and the girl is returned to her father. What could go wrong?

Well, turns out the little girl is actually a deadly vampire. So...mayhem ensues. This movie is thoroughly entertaining, gory but funny, and with great performances delivered by every single actor, especially Alisha Weir as the murderous but adorable ballerina vampire. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and written by Stephen Shields and Guy Busick, who were inspired by the 1936 film Dracula's Daughter, this is a splendidly silly film that does not seem to follow much coherent logic in terms of what vampires can and cannot do, but don't let that bog you down. Just settle in for some laughs, jump scares, and buckets of blood. 

The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare: Directed by Guy Ritchie, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, and Arash Amel, this is a heavily fictionalized account of a true story. Set in 1941, at the height of World War II, Winston Churchill needs some way to get rid of the German U-boats that keep sinking supply ships that are carrying aid to the struggling UK. He recruits a ragtag bunch of commandos to conduct a special raid on a Spanish island where a boat containing all the supplies needed to keep the U-boats running is docked. What follows is a very complicated but exciting mission where our stalwart heroes must outsmart the Nazis.

This is a Guy Ritchie movie, so you should know exactly what you're going to get. There's lots of action, lots of broad comedy, and lots of lovable rogues. The cast includes folks like Henry Cavill, Alex Pettyfer, Cary Elwes, and Henry Golding, and they are all having a whale of a time. Could this film be edited more judiciously? Of course. Is there a ton of exposition and some unnecessary twists and turns just so we can have a bit more shooting and punching? Naturally. But at the end of the day, do you want a film where you just sit back and watch a bunch of hot British men fight Nazis and look effortlessly cool while doing so? You bet!

Challengers: I walked into the theater with my arms crossed, all set to hate this movie. Based on the trailers, I thought this was going to be "Hot Threesome: The Movie" and prove to be an insufferable treatise on ethical non-monogamy or some such nonsense. However, written by Justin Kuritzkes and directed by Luga Guadagnino, I was instead treated to a remarkable character study of three very twisted people who are suffering from crippling work-life balance issues. And when the work in question is professional tennis, you get a compelling and thrilling film that is kinetic and exciting and manages to be both sexy and funny.

The screenplay is written brilliantly with a flashback structure that means we keep getting the back story of our three main characters in tantalizing bursts. We always get just enough information to advance the plot further by one more step, but it's only until we get to the very end that we finally have the culmination of everything these people have been to each other and the current state of their entanglements. In my screening, there were two men who clearly thought they were coming to this movie to watch Zendaya take her clothes off, and instead, they became markedly agitated as the movie proved to be rather homoerotic, with far more attention being paid to her sweaty male co-stars, Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor. 

This movie is shot beautifully, and I have never been more engaged in watching tennis in my life. The soundtrack is genius, always providing a propulsive beat that gets you excited for the next tennis match or the next complicated sex scene where you get to see the true value of an intimacy coordinator who knows how to choreograph not just the physical act, but all the emotional complexities it represents. The actors are sublime, each representing a complex and screwed up human being with thwarted ambitions, and the evolving nature of their relationships from past to present is stunningly portrayed. This movie was a real revelation - go into it knowing as little plot as possible and you will be thoroughly rewarded.