THE WEEKEND WARRIOR May 3, 2024
THE FALL GUY, TAROT, THE IDEA OF YOU, EVIL DOES NOT EXIST, JEANNE DU BARRY, UNFROSTED
I had a tough time deciding whether I was going to write a column this week, because I already had reviewed one of the wide releases and the other one I won’t have a chance to see until God knows when (maybe this weekend)... and of course, I already write about the box office over at Gold Derby, so it’s not like I need to spend a lot of time doing that here.
Anyway, you can read my review of David Leitch’s THE FALL GUY (Universal) here, and I won’t be seeing TAROT (Sony) until I can find the time to do so (probably this weekend), so this Weekend Warrior will be focusing more on indie and streaming, I guess.
Oh, also, this weekend sees a re-release of STAR WARS EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE (Lucasfilm/Disney) so we’ll have to see if that does any better than Alien or The Mummy’s anniversary re-releases last week.
Anyway, before we get to any reviews, here’s…
THE BOX OFFICE CHART
1. The Fall Guy (Universal) - $41.5 million N/A
2. Challengers (MGM) - $7.8 million -48%
3. Tarot (Sony) - $6.5 million N/A
4. Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire (Warner Bros.) - $4.6 million -36%
5. Unsung Hero (Lionsgate) - $4 million -48%
6. Civil War (A24) - $3.8 million -45%
7. Abigail (Universal) - $2.8 million -47%
8. Kung Fu Panda 4 (Universal) - $2.5 million -35%
9. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony) - $2.1 million -35%
10. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (Lionsgate) - $2 million -48
Not sure I’m gonna have an official “Chosen One” this week, but I did like a few movies, including…
THE IDEA OF YOU (Prime Video)
In this adaptation of Robinne Lee’s novel, Anne Hathaway (who shockingly, is 41 years old!) plays Solène, a 40-year-old single mom, who begins a romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell, the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet, as played by Nicholas Galitzine from Bottoms. (Or at least, that’s the only thing I’ve seen him in.)
Solène gets roped into taking her teen daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin) to Coachella where August Moon is headlining, and Solene accidentally wanders into the trailer of Galtizine’s Hayes Campbell, before they meet again later at a VIP meet ‘n’ greet. Hayes is fascinated by Solène, so he seeks out her art gallery in Silverlake and proceeds to buy all the art, with the intention of trying to get to know her better. He’s clearly smitten by her while she’s just as curious about Hayes and his fame. He eventually convinces her to come visit him in England, and then she goes on tour with him, while keeping the relationship a secret from her daughter and ex-husband Daniel (Reid Scott).
I was pretty nervous about this one, especially since it begins at Coachella, which I’d normally say is the most pretentious thing about California, and yet, I’d be a massive hypocrite in saying so, since next week, I’m actually going to an all-day music festival in California myself. That aside, the way they meet some a little ridiculous, but fortunately, the two actors are so good on-screen together that you immediately buy into their chemistry. They also play so well off of each other, Hathaway bringing a surprising youthful energy that we may not have seen since her Princess Diaries movies. In trade, Galitzine brings such great things out of her while also being quite charming and not being afraid to lean into the drama aspects of his role.
The movie does get a bit predictable as we head into a bit of an on-again off-again thing between Solene and Hayes, but there were a few later scenes where I was completely tearing up, because that’s how convincing these actors make their characters, despite the somewhat unbelievable situation they find themselves in.
Lee’s novel is adapted by director Michael Showalter with Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein), and though I haven’t read the book, I think they really nail the right tone and mood for this piece in terms of balancing the romance and drama and eroticism without ever getting too heavy. I was especially impressed with Showalter’s evolution into a filmmaker who can constantly make audience-friendly commercial films, and I think this will do very well on Amazon Prime when it launches on Thursday. (It will also open in a couple select cities, for Oscar consideration?)
ADDED: I almost completely forgot to mention the great work by Music Supervisor Frankie Pine, who received an Emmy nomination for a similar role on Amazons’s limited series, Daisy Jones and the Six. The music produced for August Moon to perform and other song choices were just fantastic!
At times, straddling the line between cheesy and corny, The Idea of You still benefits greatly from the dynamics between Hathaway and Galitzine that makes the movie an effective modern-day Notting Hill.
Rating: 7.5/10
EVIL DOES NOT EXIST (Sideshow/Janus Films)
Following his Oscar win for Drive My Car, Japanese auteur filmmaker Ryûsuke Hamaguchi returns with a smaller film that has an intriguing title that doesn’t really seem to have very much to do with the actual movie… or if it does, then it definitely went over my head. I remember this playing at the New York Film Festival last year, though I didn’t have the patience to sit through the press screening. I gave it another chance more recently, and I’m glad I did, because this movie is the definition of a “slow burn.”
We meet Hitoshi Omika’s Takumi as he’s doing some woodsy outdoor endeavors like chopping wood and collecting water. He’s also the single father of a young daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa) though the biggest concern for his community is the fact that a corporation is planning to build a “glamping” site upriver from the main farming village, which could pose problems for their lifestyle. The villagers all attend a debriefing session that goes horribly wrong for the hosts, Takashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Ayaka Shibutani’s Mayuzum, who then have to relay how poorly it went to their boss. It’s suggested they return and try to convince Takumi to be the caretaker for the glamping site, though things don’t go quite as planned.
Even though I felt there wasn’t a ton of story involved in Evil Does Not Exist, a lot does happen. In fact, so much happens that I’m not even sure I want to go into too much detail, since it does go into some surprising directions that might be better to experience while watching.
One thing that really caught my attention was that the movie wasn’t going to be told fully from Takumi’s point-of-view after we follow the consultants back to their offices and then Hamaguchi’s camera stays on them for quite a bit more time as we learn more about their personalities and interests in this endeavor.
Another thing I found interesting was that Hamaguchi conceptualized this film with his composing partner Eiko Ishibashi, who also acts as a producer. Her music is certainly lovely, though the score frequently just stops abruptly, which seems like a strange decision if it was an inspiration for the film.
I can’t say that I fully understood where Evil Does Not Exist goes or where it ends up – does it help the title make more sense? I couldn’t even tell you – but I enjoyed the characters and dialogue enough to not get as bored on second viewing, since it goes to more interesting places after the first 45 minutes or so.
Rating: 7/10
Evil Does Not Exist will open at the Film Forum and Film at Lincoln Center (with a sold out QnA with Hamaguchi) in New York City, where Drive My Car helped build its audience on its way to winning the Oscar.
JEANNE DU BARRY (Vertical/Fathom)
I had a feeling it might be tough to review this movie, not because it’s being seen as Johnny Depp’s “comeback,” but because I once had a horrible interview with the film’s director and star, “Maïwenn,” where she must have been high, because she just laughed at every question I asked her, making the interview pretty much unusable. That was quite a long time ago for her earlier film Polisse, which was quite good, which is the only reason I was really interested in this movie which opened the Cannes Film Festival almost exactly a year ago with quite a bit of controversy (due to Depp starring in it). We’ll ignore all that for now, and just focus on the movie, which is actually quite decent.
The title character, played mostly by Maïwenn, is the mistress of King Louis XV, as played by Depp, and we spend a little time following her childhood and move to Paris where she quickly uses her position as a courtesan to blend in with the wealthy snobs in wigs before finally being introduced to the king.
I don’t want to seem ageist (especially considering how old I am), but at first, I wondered whether the 48-year-old Maïwenn may be too old to pull off this character, especially since there are notoriously so few roles for actors over 40 – not that it has hurt Anne Hathaway, who may have one of her best roles in years this week. Clearly, this is a historical figure that the filmmaker discovered and whose life story she wanted to explore
I’m not sure Maïwenn gives the most convincing performance, but she is a talented actor who really sells the character and makes you curious what she’ll do next. This is a very different movie than something like Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette and Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, even though it generally takes place in the same world and time period.
Anyone seeing the movie solely for Depp may be disappointed since he doesn’t show up for a good 30 to 40 minutes, and the movie is not specifically about his character, even though the king does give Jeanne a lot of freedom. While her scenes with Depp are fine, I actually preferred Jeanne’s playful relationship with the king’s assistant (?), who I think was the character played by Benjamin Lavernhe, but I’m not 100% sure.
As with most costume dramas, the crafts for this film are fantastic, from the costume and production design to the score by Stephen Warbeck and cinematography by Laurent Dailland. Despite my own personal feelings about the filmmaker as an interview subject i.e. terrible, I do have to commend her abilities as a filmmaker, especially in putting together such a luscious period piece that stands up to others like The Favourite.
Jeanne Du Barry is a fine addition to that costume drama genre, mainly since Maïwenn is a terrific filmmaker, able to pull out what could have easily (at least in theory) been a one-woman show but really awes as a big-screen experience.
Rating: 7/10
Jeanne Du Barry opens today in select cities, including the Village East in New York City. I imagine it will play well on the big screen.
I SAW THE TV GLOW (A24)
I will freely admit that I did not get Jane Schoenbrun’s Let’s All Go to the World’s Fair when I saw it virtually at Sundance a few years back, and because of that, I did not like it. Heck, I may not have even gotten through the whole thing. So hearing that their new film was potentially more commercial and better, I gave it a chance, helped out by the fact that it starred Justice Smith, who I’m quite a fan of from his movies that range from Jurassic World: Dominion to the recent bomb, The American Society of Magical Negroes.
To explain the plot for the movie is another story, since it verges a bit into the Ari Aster Beau is Afraid realm, with Justice playing a character across a number of decades. We first meet his Owen (played by Ian Foreman as a younger teen) when he’s obsessed with a television show called “The Pink Opaque,” though he’s never been allowed to stay up late to watch it. When he meets Brigette Lundy-Paine’s Maddy, who is reading an episode guide for the show, he makes a new friend who will videotape the show for him to watch. Not long afterwards, Maddie (who is gay) vanishes, leaving Owen confused about what happened to his new friend.
Unlike World Fair, I can’t outright say that I didn’t like TV Glow, as much as I just didn’t get it. The fact that I had to have a CIS male friend explain to me that the whole thing is a trans allegory, potentially semi-autobiographical with elements from Jane’s own journey, is something I may have liked to know while watching the movie as I might have understood it better. (Not that it matters, but Schoenbrun is non-binary and trans.) Basically, my friend told me that Owen is seeing another version of himself on the other side of his television, and doesn’t feel quite like himself in the regular world outside “The Pink Opaque,” which is something that’s regularly experienced by trans people before coming out. I see how that connects now, but the filmmaker is far vaguer about their intentions than the recent The People’s Joker, which at least made its intentions clearer even though if it was a horribly-made movie.
Aspects of TV Glow reminded me of movies like The Greasy Strangler and Strawberry Mansion and Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, other Sundance debuts that were just too weird and eclectic for my own personal tastes. I generally like my movies to have some level of storytelling and characterization that tends to get lost with filmmakers who seem to mostly be inspired by David Lynch’s weirder phases. The movie is also VERY loud at times, and I say that as someone who regularly goes to loud rock concerts. In this case, it seems to be done mainly to make the viewer uncomfortable, and it worked.
I Saw the TV Glow is likely to appeal to a certain demographic with very specific tastes, of which I am definitely not one of them. I can certainly appreciate it for the craftswork of Schoenbrun and their team, but never quite felt I could connect with Owen or the story being told, mainly because I didn’t understand it.
Rating: 5/10
UNFROSTED (Netflix)
Jerry Seinfeld makes his feature film directorial debut with this comedy, which he co-wrote, that explores the invention of the Kellogs’ Pop-Tart, in a similar way as other recent “How were they made?” movies like Flamin’ Hot, Tetris, Blackberry, The Beanie Bubble and many more. I mean, at this point, it’s more than a trend, because we’re getting so many of these, and they seem to be the type of movies that actors use for their directorial debuts.
Mini-Review: During the pandemic, I ended up buying a case of Pop-Tarts, a decision that I ended up regretting, even though I ate all 144 of them by myself over the course of a few months. I also got back into the habit of watching Seinfeld every single night sometime in the past couple years, even though I’d already seen every episode a dozen times or more. So, Unfrosted definitely would seem like something up my alley.
Seinfeld himself plays Bob Cabana, the head of research and development for the Kellogs’ company, which is run by Jim Gaffigan’s Edsel Kellogg III with Bob’s partner in development being Melissa McCarthy’s Donna Stankowski (aka “Stan”). After having success in cornering the cereal market, their latest assignment is to beat the Post company to a toastable breakfast pastry. That’s it. That’s the plot, as the film turns into a space race for who can bring the first fruit-filled pastry to market, with an extended section on finding the right name for this product.
From the other movies mentioned above, these types of movies have led to some entertaining ventures for sure, and Seinfeld’s clout in the world of entertainment has allowed him to assemble such an impressive cast including Hugh Grant and Peter Dinklage, as well as many comedians, playing everyone from the actual Snap! Crackle! And Pop! to James Marsden, playing Jack La Lane. Marsden is one of the better cast roles, because otherwise, there are some very bad impressions, like JFK. Seinfeld himself just isn’t a very good actor, something that becomes more and more apparent as he allows others around him do all the heavy lifting.
The whole thing is just silly and not particularly funny, getting more and more ridiculous, leading up to a Jan. 6 pastiche with cereal mascots protesting the lack of a mascot for the new Pop-Tarts. The whole thing just seems ludicrous and not even remotely based on any sort of reality. Maybe that was the point, but I expected something better from Seinfeld, especially after his recent rant about there not being good comedy on television due to “woke culture.” I imagine Netflix gave him complete freedom with this one.
I honestly can’t believe how bad Unfrosted is, and it just reminds one how much better Al Yankovick’s Weird was at doing a similar form of satire in a way that’s actually quite funny. You know, Jerry, if you’re going to criticize “woke culture” for killing comedy, maybe you should try to make something that’s actually funny again sometime soon.
Rating: 4/10
WILDCAT (Oscilloscope)
I saw Ethan Hawke’s biopic about author Flannery O’Connor (as played by his daughter, Maya Hawke) back at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, but it just wasn’t feeling that it was for me – I had no idea that Flannery O’Connor was even a woman, that’s how little attention I pay to most literature – and I was hoping to get a second chance to watch it, so I could write a proper review. Standby. I might still get to it. Hawke has assembled an impressive cast around Maya, including Laura Linney, Liam Neeson, Vincent D’Onoffrio and more.
A few I didn’t get to…
CATCHING FIRE: THE STORY OF ANITA PALLENBERG
NEW LIFE (Brainstorm Media)
NYC REPERTORY
It’s May, which means that the Metrograph launches a slew of new repertory series with some really great stuff to get you off your butt and down to my neighborhood on the Lower East Side. (I can recommend lots of great places to eat if you do come down here.)
“Euro-Heists” launches with screenings of Jonathan Glazer’s Sexy Beast (2000), a bonafide classic, as well as Jules Dassin’s 1955 crime-noir Rififi. Speaking of “noir,” there’s also “‘90s Noir,” which will screen the Wachowskis’ erotic thriller Bound (1998) and Bill Duke’s Deep Cover from 1992, starring Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum.
This month begins “Animal Farm: Moles,” which will screen Jodorowsky’s trippy Western, El Topo (1970) and Wes Anderson’s animated Fantastic Mr. Fox (2016) – the moles aren’t always the animal in this series.
Another interesting series is “Ethics of Care,” which will screen Ozu’s Floating Weeds (1959) – called by the late Roger Ebert one of his “Ten Greatest Films of All Time” – as well as MIchael Haneke’s Oscar-winning Amour (2012).
Getting more esoteric with “Dream With Your Eyes Open,” which will screen Richard LInklater’s animated Waking Life (2001) while “Small Town, Big Dreams” will screen Bi Gan’s Kaili Blues (2015)... what? Again?! I really didn’t like this movie at all, yet it’s playing almost non-stop at the Metrograph.
In connection with the release of their latest film, I Saw the TV Glow, “Jane Schoenbrun Selects” will screen the horror films Messiah of Evil (1974) and Return of the Living Dead (1981), the latter directed by Alien screenwriter, Dan O’Bannon!
I don’t know enough about “Oscar Micheaux and the Birth of Black Independent Cinema” to comment on this new series which runs from Friday, May 3 through May 9, but I’m sure there’s some interesting stuff in there. This weekend’s “Film Forum Jr.,” for those parents who don’t want to endanger the wrath of child services by taking their kids to see Star Wars Episode 1, is the original Star Wars! (No, I’m not going to call it “Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope” because it wasn’t called that when I saw it in 1977!) Oh, and little surprise… it’s already sold out. Sorry! Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï has been extended through May 9.
I didn’t see this coming, but IFC is doing a series called “Bob Fosse: It’s Showtime, Folks!” showing many of the classic films by the choreographer and filmmaker behind movies like Cabaret, All that Jazz, Sweet Charity, Kiss Me Kate, and more. They’re also beginning the series, “Let’s Go Crazy: Cult Musicals” with the classic 1986 remake of Little Shop of Horrors with late night screenings on Friday and Saturday nights. “Late-Night Favorites” will show the original anime, Ghost in the Shell, also on Friday and Saturday late nights. They’ll also be showing Brian De Palma’s Scarface on Weds, May 8, with my pal Glen Kenny talking about his new book, “The World is Yours: The Story of Scarface,” which isn’t sold out yet, but I expect it to soon.
On Thursday night, the basement movie theater is showing Seconds (1966) and Eddie Murphy: Raw (1983) in 35mm, the former hosted by One Grand Film Society, the latter part of the series “It Boys,” which will also screen on Friday. The Film Stage also rescreens House of Tolerance (2011) on Friday, and then over the weekend, they’re showing Night Tide (1961), The Lats of the Mohicans (1992), and Michael Mann’s Thief (1981). The Outsiders (1983) and Bully will screen on Monday. Roxy has some pretty cool programming.
This afternoon and tonight, you can see the Oscar-winning classic, Amadeus, as well as on Sunday. Prince’s Purple Rain is also being shown as part of the theater’s tribute to 1984, as is Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense… which will actually be debuting on Max this Friday, so… huh?!? On Wednesday, the Academy’s Editing Branch will screen Bonnie and Clyde (1967) in 35mm (even though, the Metrograph just screened it as part of its series honoring editor Dede Allen).
Still showing James Cameron’s The Abyss: Special Edition a couple times this weekend (on Friday and Sunday afternoons), as well as beginning “Hiroshi Shimizu Part 1: The Shochiku Years” about the Japanese filmmaker I’m not even remotely familiar with. The series will continue at Japan Society, starting on May 16.
Hey, guess what? I’m adding another theater to this section, as I branch further outside of the city with this great indie theater in Huntington, Long Island, and that’s because they have some great repertory programs including “Night Owl Cinema” and “Cult Cafe” on Fridays and Saturdays, respectively. This week’s “Night Owl Cinema” kicks off a series on Giallo horror with Mario Bava’s Blood and Black Lace (1964) and then Saturday’s “Cult Cafe” is Bill Murray in Ivan Reitman’s Meatballs (1979). Yeah, I know it’s a bit of a schlep, being an hour-long train ride out of the city, but trust me. It’s worth it!
BAM (BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC)
And bringing back another theater outside my Manhattan comfort zone, since BAM is presenting a new series called “Uncharted Territories: Black Britain on Film 1963 - 1986,” leading up to the new 4k restoration of Horace Ové’s Pressure, which will premiere at BAM on May 10. The films in the series include Menelik Shabazz’s Burning an Illusion (1981) and Franco Russo’s Babylon (1980), which had a long run at BAM a few years back.
Besides The Rocky Horror Picture Show on Saturday night, they’re also showing Barbra Streisand’s musical Funny Girl a few times on Monday.
An interesting program beginning on Friday is “Seeing the City: Avant Garde Visions of New York,” pretty self-explanatory, if you ask me.
That’s it for this week. Next week, we get Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and … Not Another Church Movie, starring Jamie Foxx and Mickey Rourke.