But first, a couple great movies are out this weekend:

• You, Me & Tuscany, a delightful slice-of-Italy romantic-comedy starring Halle Bailey and Regé-Jean Page, satiated my fill for a hearty comfort watch. Read my review.

• Mother Mary is a relationship drama, gothic ghost story, pop musical, horror, or a genre all its own. It may be undefinable, but it’s definitely is clear-eyed in its search for raw intimacy in creative collaboration (with a side of pop divadom). Read my review.

Streaming on Paramount+

“Strange Darling”

What it’s about: A woman—only credited as “The Lady”—is relentlessly chased by a determined pursuant—credited as “The Devil”. But reader I assure you, nothing is as it seems.

Why you should watch it: The title card for Strange Darling splashes onto the screen paired with the subtitle “a thriller in six chapters” before cheekily jumping to chapter three. From that moment, director J.T. Toller keeps you guessing as he grabs you by your collar and takes you on a frenetic maximalist romp. When you think it is going to zig, it zags. When you think it’s going to jump, it soars. The opening chapters of the movie, shot in glorious 35mm by Giovanni Rabisi, are an assault on the senses. With saturated cinematography bringing a mad technicolor world to life and crisp near-deafening sound underlined by Craig DeLeon‘s discordant bass guitar score thrumming it feels like you’re on the fury road—and you might as well be. Read my full review here.

Recommended if you like: cheeky plot twists, simple suspense, heavy metal thrills

97 mins. Watch the trailer.

Streaming on HBO Max

“Kimi”

What it’s about: Tech worker Angela (Zoë Kravitz) thinks she uncovers a crime while reviewing audio recordings for her job. Suffering from agoraphobia and with the pandemic raging outside, Angela has to face her fears when a deeper conspiracy unveils itself.

Why you should watch it: Few movies have been able to capture the anxiety of the pandemic age quite as viscerally as Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi. While it’s mainly a techno-thriller that’s Rear Window—that is, if the window was actually a smart speaker—by way of The Conversation, the most interesting part of the movie is the subtle flourishes that immerse you. The claustrophobia of lockdown with the eerie omniscience of technology pervades throughout the entire movie. So when it turns into a more classic crime thriller, you’re able to sink yourself deep into the intrigue.

RIYL: classic crime thrillers, surveillance paranoia, corporate intrigue

89 mins. Watch the trailer.

Streaming on Netflix

“Shiva Baby”

What it’s about: Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a college student and seemingly never-good-enough daughter, attends a family shiva where her relatives constantly accost her with questions about her life, her ex-girlfriend looms large, and, oh yeah, her sugar daddy is there with his family. It turns out just as well as you think.

Why you should watch it: Okay, maybe Shiva Baby isn’t quite a thriller, but what is more suspenseful than a family gathering where anything can happen. Still, Shiva Baby takes the same approach as a thriller. The camera creeps around corners and Ariel Marx’s terrific score amplifies the suspense-filled mood with discordant strings where the horrors of family—that aunt that can’t just help but comment on your weight—lurks in the shadows. But director Emma Seligman doesn’t go full-tilt horror. She toes a precarious line between comedy, drama, horror, and tragedy. Let’s be honest. We all know what it feels like to come home for a family gathering. Shiva Baby captures that feeling with a witty sense of humor that will make you laugh through your trauma.

RIYL: melodramas, familial dry humor, cringe thrills

78 mins. Watch the trailer.

That’s all for today. Have a thrilling weekend!
Karl

📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.
🔗 Find me on Letterboxd and Twitter.

Happy Friday and for those reading from the northeast, I’m sorry for your loss. I’m of course talking about the gorgeous 78 degree weather that has been so unceremoniously taken from us and replaced with the cold and dreary rain.

However, that fleeting bit of summer has me thinking of the freedom of warmer weather. So, for today I’m continuing my best movies of the decade series with some recommendations about the intoxicating feeling of freedom. You can see my volume one recs here.

I wrote this newsletter listening to Snail Mail’s terrific and limitless new album “Ricochet”. Have a listen here.

Streaming on Prime Video

“Lovers Rock”

What it’s about: It’s the 80s. West London. A group of teens and twentysomethings scurry about a house making preparations for a party that night. Once the sun goes down and the records come on, they leave the world at the door and give themselves up to the irresistible feeling and emotion of music. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: For most of his career, Steve McQueen has dealt heavily with trauma (“12 Years A Slave, “Blitz”). But with “Lovers Rock”, the standout entry in his “Small Axe” anthology series, he focuses on the visceral weight of joy. Set over the course of a single night at a 1980s house party in West London, the film trades a traditional plot for a sustained, rhythmic mood. It is an all-out sensory immersion: the smell of goat curry wafting through a cramped kitchen, the sight of condensation dripping down wallpaper, and the tactile friction of bodies swaying in a blue-lit room.

In one scene, the party’s DJ is playing Janet Kay’s “Silly Games.” He slowly fades the song out, but like they’re in a trance the people on the dance floor continue to move. With closed eyes they dance, they hold each other, and they sing. It’s a moment you want to live in forever. “Lovers Rock” surrounds and consumes you as you watch the partiers dance, fall in love, and feel unbridled joy. Just bodies in a room moving together making you want to join in.

68 mins.

Streaming on HBO Max

“Flow”

What it’s about: In a near future (or alternate present), a solitary black cat living in the ruins of what seems to be human civilization is faced with a catastrophic flood. Seeking refuge on a drifting sailboat alongside a capybara, a lemur, a dog, and a secretarybird, the unlikely band of misfits have to find a way to survive. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: Not a single word is spoken in Gints Zilbalodis’ extraordinary second feature, and honestly? It doesn’t need any. Built entirely in open-source software by a Latvian director still in his twenties (like show-off much), “Flow” starts, well, flowing and doesn’t stop. The nonstop plot is reminiscent of “Mad Max: Fury Road”. Just trade the post-apocalyptic desert for a post-apocalyptic great ocean and the last survivors of human civilization for a ragtag group of animals.

It has the visual grammar of a dream and the emotional pull of something deeply human. Watching that cat inch toward its fellow survivors, sharing fish, learning to steer, you feel something loosen in your chest. Cinema doesn’t always need language. Sometimes it just needs a cat and its friends on a boat at the end of the world.

85 mins.

Streaming on Hulu

“Thelma”

What’s it about: When 93-year-old grandmother Thelma Post (June Squibb) is conned out of $10,000, she takes matters into her own hands to get her money back. With help from her retirement home friend Ben (Shaft himself, Richard Roundtree) and his motorized scooter, she treks across Los Angeles to reclaim her money and prove she can do it all on her own. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: “Thelma” is one part delightful comedy of manners that only gets wilder and funnier as it goes on. June Squibb’s performance as the headstrong (but sometimes technologically-challenged) Thelma is hilarious as she tries to navigate a dangerous world (and yes, a set of stairs are the danger). Josh Margolin treats Thelma’s journey like an entry in the “Mission: Impossible” franchise, except instead of skydiving from the Burj Kalifa she’s trying to get a box from a high shelf.

However, what makes “Thelma” great is the other part of the story. One about resilience, the dignity of getting older and how our family’s underestimation can cut deep at any age. Delightfully mad, surprisingly moving, and constantly entertaining, it’s one of the best movies of the decade.

98 mins.

In Movie News

There were a slew of new trailers this week:

• “Mother Mary”: David Lowery (“A Ghost Story”, “Pete’s Dragon”) returns to with a psychological drama-thriller-horror-musical (forgive me if I left off a genre). Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel with music by Jack Antonoff, Charli xcx, and FKA Twigs. Trailer here.

• “Backrooms”: I guess they’re making 4chan threads into movies now! The infamous “backrooms” internet meme is coming in the form of a horror-thriller starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, and Mark Duplass. Trailer here.

• “Masters of the Universe”: You know that twink from “Red, White, and Royal Blue”? He’s buff now… and playing He-Man. The comic book superhero turned queer TV icon finally has his own movie. And yes, the blonde bob is bobbing. Trailer here.

That’s it for this week. Love you. See you next week!

Karl

📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.
🔗 Find me on Letterboxd and Twitter.

In addition, we’ve excitingly migrated the entire Smash Cut site to Substack. You can now access all of my (and a few guest writers) reviews, analyses, lists and more at smashcutreviews.com (bear with me while we get the site up-to-date).

To kick off this new era, I’m going to spend the next few weeks recommending some of my favorite movies of the decade available to stream.

You can let me know what you think of the newsletter, any movie recommendations or just to say hello by replying to this email or karl@smashcutreviews.com. Enough yapping, without further ado today’s first recommendation is…

Streaming on HBO Max

“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”

What it’s about: While driving home from a party, Shula (Susan Chardy) comes across the body of her uncle Fred lying in the middle of the road. There’s no hysterics, she simply calls her dad to let him know as casually as telling him she’s going to be late for dinner. Did I mention she’s dressed like Missy Elliot in the “Supa Dupa Fly” music video? In this surrealistic and darkly comedic family drama, Shula navigates her complicated family dynamics as secrets threaten to interrupt the funeral services. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: Every person from or born to someone from the “worldwide Latina belt” knows the mysterious and mystical force of “aunties” in the family — in my Filipino family they were known as “the titas.” These woman hold the matriarchal power of the family in their tightly knit circles and protect their people with steely (and hilariously sassy) authority. But what happens when the protection of one family member harms another? In Rungano Nyoni’s sophomore feature, she explores that dynamic through a would-be family drama that has a tone closer to offbeat comedy than the movie’s themes would suggest. And while it’s a surprisingly entertaining watch, it digs into the thorny dark truths of Zambian society without holding back.

95 mins.

Streaming on Hulu

“Twinless”

What it’s about: Dennis (James Sweeney) and Rocky (Dylan O’Brien) become fast friends after meeting (perhaps meet-cute-ing?) at a twin grief support group after losing their respective twin brothers. They quickly fall into an intimate friendship, but a secret from Dennis’s past threatens to tear them apart. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: The male loneliness epidemic has manifested itself in media in many ways, but none quite as delightful (and profound) as James Sweeney’s odd couple platonic rom-com. While we delight in the pair’s shenanigans ranging from Hockey games (the players aren’t the only people getting in brawls…) to house parties (featuring a cheeky cameo by “Heated Rivalry” star Francois Arnaud), an early-movie twist that I’ll keep hush hush casts a pall over the pair’s budding friendship. Through all the wry laughs and silly gags, “Twinless” is about finding connection in a world where it seems harder to be yourself, and in that you’ll find yourself falling for both of these characters (especially O’Brien who gives one of the finest performances of the decade).

100 mins.

Streaming on HBO Max

“Godzilla Minus One”

What it’s about: It’s post-World War II Japan and the country is picking up the pieces from the destruction. Sure hope a giant mutant sea creature that breathes fire doesn’t complicate matters. Well… it does. In an origin story for this iconic movie monster, a ragtag group of heroes have to save the country from destruction (again). Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: You know him. You love him. You’ve seen hundreds of thousands people (including Matthew Broderick) running from him. It’s Godzilla! With these long-running franchises you come to expect each reinvention to be more epic than the last. But, staying true to its name, “Godzilla Minus One” is one of the finest movies of the decade because it scales things back. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of city-wide destruction rendered in stunning (and Oscar-winning!) CGI. But director Takashi Yamazaki scales things back and presents the movie from human perspective. It feels more akin to “Jaws” than it does the classic black-and-white originals from the 50s. It hits every beat you want a major blockbuster to hit. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cheer. And at the end you’ll be hoping that the big guy finds a way to rise again.

125 mins.

Watch: The VFX artists behind the movie breakdown the stunning CGI.

In Movie News

“Forgotten Island” brings Filipino culture to Hollywood

There have been plenty of Hollywood animated movies about and featuring Asian culture — “Mulan”, “Turning Red” and, most recently, “Hoppers” — but Southeast Asia hasn’t gotten the treatment… until now. DreamWorks Animation, the studio behind “Shrek” and those annoying yellow things with the overalls, are bringing us to the islands of the Philippines in a colorful and mystical journey through memory. The movie is slated for this fall. Here’s the first trailer:

That’s it for this week. Love you. See you next week!

Karl

📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.
🔗 Find me on Letterboxd and Twitter.

Today I’m recommending a couple of AI-themed movies ranging from thriller to comedy to something in between.

New trailer: The trailer for psychological horror HIM, produced by Jordan Peele, just dropped. Watch it here.

With love,
Karl

Streaming on Max

Companion

Iris (Sophie Thatcher), who is head over heels for her boyfriend Josh (Jack McQuaid), is anxious to spend a weekend in a mountain chalet with his friends who don’t seem to like her very much. However, things take a nefarious turn when it’s revealed one of the guests is a robot which throws things for a deadly loop. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: Under its glossy modern surface that plays like an edgy romantic-comedy, there’s a sense of dread underneath Companion. So when it turns into a bleakly comedic thriller, it is both entertaining and just feels right. With its never-ending but constantly satisfying twists, witty dark humor and surprisingly profound existential exploration of AI, it’s a thought-provoking crowd pleaser that is perfect for a movie night.

• 🎬 Directed by Drew Hancock

• 🖊️ Written by Drew Hancock

• 🎭 Sophie Thatcher, Jack McQuaid, J. D. Lifshitz. Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén, Rupert Friend

• ⏱️ 97 min

⏵ Stream on Max

Streaming on Hulu

Robot Dreams

It’s 1984 in an alternate universe New York City where anthropomorphic animals rule. Dog, who lives in a railroad-style apartment in the East Village, lives a mostly solitary existence. In an effort to cure his loneliness, he purchases a robot friend from a TV ad. After a glorious summer friendship, the pair is separated leading to an exploration of love, loss and friendship. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: As odd as Robot Dreams sounds with its gloriously bizarre world-building where a Central Park hotdog stand is managed by a Weiner dog, it’s maybe one of the most human movies ever made. It’s delightful to explore its shockingly accurate portrayal of New York City complete with easter eggs that will make any New Yorker chuckle, but its real charm is the deeply felt and complex characters of Dog and Robot. Though wordless, their journeys of self-discovery and existential crisis is painfully relatable but thoroughly entertaining in its joy.

• 🎬 Directed by Pablo Berger

• 🖊️ Written by Pablo Berger

• ⏱️ 102 min

⏵ Stream on Hulu

Streaming on Netflix

Upgrade

In the near-future, technology controls almost every aspect of life — including our bodies. After a robbery gone wrong leaves his wife dead and himself paralyzed, Grey (Logan Marshall-Green) gets an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that gives him the ability to walk (an upgrade, if you will). Unexpectedly, though, he also gets superhuman strength and agility, which he uses to seek revenge. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: Part revenge flick, part techno horror, part film noir, Upgrade is an amalgamation of ideas and genres that actually works. Director Leigh Whannell (best known for his work on the Saw and Insidious franchises) balances a twisting plot with flashes of humor, well-choreographed action, and world-building that begs the question: when do we get Upgrade 2?

• 🎬 Directed by Leigh Whannell

• 🖊️ Written by Leigh Whannell

• 🎭 Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson

• ⏱️ 100 min

⏵ Stream on Netflix

ICYMI

‘Sinners’ is the best movie of the year. Read my review →

📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.
🔗 Find me on Letterboxd and Bluesky.

Today I’m recommending three short dramedies for a quick 90 minute movie night (or double feature).

In theaters: The Monkey, the newest movie from Longlegs director Oz Perkins, is in theaters this weekend. I’ll let you know if you should watch it below.

With love,
Karl

Streaming on Max

Tangerine

What it’s about: It’s Christmas Eve. Sin-Dee Rella (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), freshly out of a one-month prison stint, discovers her boyfriend and pimp Chester (James Ransone) hasn’t been faithful. Along with her friend Alexandra (Mya Taylor), they trek across L.A. to find him. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: Before director Sean Baker received mainstream acclaim for Anora (his Oscar-nominated masterpiece), he was known as the quintessential indie director. That was no better demonstrated than his scrappy, heartfelt and delightfully entertaining Tangerine. Shot completely on iPhones through the streets of L.A. and frenetically edited by Baker himself, it is as independent as things get.

The movie throws you headfirst into the dreamy L.A. underbelly—and literally underneath the famous Randy’s Donuts donut. It’s almost surreal. However, within that dreamscape are characters so daringly planted in reality. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor imbue their characters with both bite and heart, as their mission brings them through several debauched hijinks. At its core, however, Tangerine is a love letter to these trans women. Their strength, tenacity and vulnerability.

• 🎬 Directed by Sean Baker

• 🖊️ Written by Sean Baker

• 🎭 Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan

• ⏱️ 87 mins

▶ Stream on Max

Streaming on Prime Video

Dìdi

What it’s about: A coming of age tale about Chris (Izaac Wang), a shy, acne-suffering 13-year-old facing down the summer before his first year of high school. He verbally spars with his sister, argues with his mother (Joan Chen) and tries to find a group to fit in with at school—which involves firecrackers, crushes and AIM drama. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: Through a hilariously (perhaps painfully) accurate reconstruction of the late 2000s—AIM, early Facebook and Billabong shirts—Dìdi explores the intricacies of ones early teenage years. Capturing the nuances like changing your relationship status on Facebook, your embarrassment of your parents and the specific feeling of not doing anything right.

As a second generation Asian-American, the movie was an entertaining, affirming, slightly cringy but ultimately healing experience. Wang takes threads about boyhood, the Asian-American diaspora, the American dream (or illusion of) and race and releases them. Not to remove them from his narrative, but to feel at peace. I'm not sure whether the story of Dìdi is something Wang experienced first hand or simply a way to work through his own generational traumas, but what he did was heal mine just a bit. If anything, just to be known and seen for 90 minutes.

Read Full Review

• 🎬 Directed by Sean Wang

• 🖊️ Written by Sean Wang

• 🎭 Izaac Wang, Joan Chen

• ⏱️ 91 mins

▶ Stream on Prime Video

Streaming on Netflix

Shiva Baby

What it’s about: Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a college student and seemingly never-good-enough daughter, attends a family shiva where her relatives constantly accost her with questions about her life, her ex-girlfriend looms large, and, oh yeah, her sugar daddy is there with his family. It turns out just as well as you think. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: There’s a new trend of family dramas presented as horror movies, which just shows the current millennial mental state when it comes to our families. Shiva Baby takes the same approach. The camera lurks around corners and Ariel Marx’s terrific score amplifies the dread-filled mood with discordant strings.

But director Emma Seligman doesn’t go full-tilt horror. She toes a precarious line between comedy, drama, horror, and tragedy. Let’s be honest. We all know what it feels like to come home for a family gathering. Shiva Baby captures that feeling with a witty sense of humor that will make you laugh through your trauma.

• 🎬 Directed by Emma Seligman

• 🖊️ Written by Emma Seligman

• 🎭 Rachel Sennott, Molly Gordon, Polly Draper, Dianna Agron

• ⏱️ 78 mins

▶ Stream on Netflix

In Theaters

The Monkey: Slays or DOA?

What is it about? When twin brothers (both played by Theo James) find a mysterious wind-up toy monkey, a series of outrageous deaths tear their family apart. Years later, the monkey has resurfaced forcing one of the brothers to track down its whereabouts to stop the killings.

Is it good? Director Oz Perkins, best known for last year’s horror Longlegs (read my review), has a knack for coming up with great premises. The Monkey is no exception with its fascinating lore that combines Final Destination with Annabelle. And while he has some success in executing (pun intended) on that premise with generally delightful and bloody kills, they’re not enough to make up for the slog of a story. Theo James, playing a dual role, gives a terrific performance that helps the movie along, but is marred by the surprisingly thin plot.

Should you watch it? If you’re looking for kills and only kills, The Monkey should be enough to whet your devilish appetite. But if you’re looking for much more, maybe skip it.

📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.
🔗 Find me on Letterboxd and Bluesky.

Now more than ever we don’t only need escape, but something to reflect and project our reality onto. In that way, movies are therapy.

This week, a couple uplifting movies to keep you going. Plus, a review of Wicked.

Love, Karl.

Streaming on Hulu

Thelma

Today’s first recommendation is one of my favorite hidden gems of the year, Josh Margolin’s comedy caper Thelma.

What’s it about: When 93-year-old grandmother Thelma Post (June Squibb) is conned out of $10,000, she takes matters into her own hands to get her money back. With help from her retirement home friend Ben (Richard Roundtree) and his motorized scooter, she treks across Los Angeles to reclaim her money and prove she can do it all on her own. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: Thelma is one part delightful comedy of manners that only gets wilder and funnier as it goes on. June Squibb’s performance as the headstrong (but sometimes technologically-challenged) Thelma is hilarious as she tries to navigate a dangerous world (and yes, a set of stairs are the danger). Josh Margolin treats Thelma’s journey like an entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise, except instead of skydiving from the Burj Kalifa she’s trying to get a box from a high shelf.

However, what makes Thelma great is the other part of the story. One about resilience, the dignity of getting older and how our family’s underestimation can cut deep—at any age. Delightfully mad, surprisingly profound, and constantly entertaining, it’s one of the best movies of the year.

• 🎬 Written and directed by Josh Margolin

• 🎭 Starring June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Richard Roundtree, Clark Gregg, Parker Posey, Malcolm McDowell

• ⏱️ 98 mins

▶ Stream on Hulu

Streaming on Hulu

Support the Girls

Today’s second recommendation is Andrew Bujalski’s dramedy Support the Girls. In a time where things feel hopeless, this movie reminds us of the power of community.

What’s it about: Support the Girls follows a group of women that work at Double Whammies, a sports bar and breastaurant (apparently this is the official term) in Texas, managed by underpaid and overworked Lisa (Regina Hall). But she loves her girls. Over a few days, we watch their highs and lows. Watch the trailer.

Why you should watch it: When it comes to movies with heart, Support the Girls might have the biggest heart of all. There’s not much of a plot to speak of—it’s just a day in the life of this diverse group of women—but what it lacks in story it makes up for in complex and deeply human characters that leave you wanting to be a better friend, co-worker, and person. It also helps the Regina Hall gives the best performance of her career (even better than this) and one of the best of the decade.

As one character notes, you cry until you laugh and you laugh until you scream. If Support the Girls wants you to walk away with one thing it’s that it’s okay to do all those things. Life is frustrating. Just take it one day at a time. Read my full review.

• 🎬 Written and directed by Andrew Bujalski

• 🎭 Starring Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, James LeGros, Shayna McHayle, Dylan Gelula, AJ Michalka

• ⏱️ 91 mins

▶ Stream on Hulu

In Theaters

‘Wicked’ defies expectations, a fearless movie-musical

In recent years, there's been a troubling trend of studios shying away from marketing their movie-musicals as… well, musicals. The Mean Girls remake famously didn't show any songs in its trailer (and some audience members were shocked when the characters started singing), and director Todd Phillips humorously insisted his movie Joker: Folie à Deux wasn't a musical. When asked to describe it he basically defined what a musical is. That's why director Jon M. Chu's adaptation of the Broadway hit Wicked(sometimes subtitled The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz) is such a refreshing and magical experience. With expansive, dynamic musical numbers that fill the screen, a fast-paced rhythm, and larger-than-life characters, Wicked is proudly and unapologetically a musical.

Read the full review →

📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.
🔗 Find me on Letterboxd and Bluesky.

To celebrate, I’m recommending an unsung romantic-comedy and a couple other articles to get you through this chilly evening.

With love, Karl.

What to Watch: Plus One

Today’s movie is Jeff Chan & Andrew Rhymer’s rom-com Plus One. For those yearning for the days when you’d have to go to ten weddings a year this one will hit your right in the gut. Don’t worry, when this is all over you’re in for one hell of a wedding season.

What’s it about: Plus One follows two single friends (PEN15’s Maya Erskine and The Boys’ Jack Quaid) — one recently dumped and the other a commitment-phobe — who agree to be each other’s plus one for the ten weddings they have to attend that summer. One thing leads to another and… well, you know how it goes.

Why you should watch it: The rom-com works best when it’s character-driven and has a fresh perspective, both of which Plus One has. However, it also helps that the movie is so incredibly funny and filled with sharp one-liners delivered with precision by Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid. But it’s Erskine who really steals the show with one great sarcastic quip after another. Read my full review.

“I cried… but I cry every day, so it doesn’t mean anything” — Me (but also Erskine in the movie)

It’s not perfect. The story drags in the third act and it falls into some genre cliches. But, for the most part, Plus One is a hilarious and, dare I say, relatable take on the classic romantic comedy formula with enough gags to keep you hooked.

▶ Where to stream Plus One

What to Read: Analyzing Past Lives

Best Picture nominee Past Lives crosses decades and cities to tell the story of two childhood friends that may have missed their chance at true love. Or did they?

My best friend and fellow movie over-analyzer Ana breakdown the romance, what it means and whether there is a “right person.”

Read the article →

What to Listen to: A Playlist Inspired by Call Me By Your Name

Yearning for a forbidden love? Trying to get over an ex? Dreaming of a perfect Italian summer? We’ve got a playlist for you.

Inspired by Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 romance Call My By Your Name, Ana curated a perfectly tailored playlist to bring you through the love, confusion, longing and heartbreak of the story.

Listen to the playlist →

Bonus! Bottoms is now on Prime Video.

Emma Seligman’s vision of high school in Bottoms is equal parts satiric and surreal. Like if Luis Buñel directed The Breakfast Club or Andrei Tarkovsky directed Clueless. The pure absurdity of Bottoms is something to marvel at. Like the movie’s tagline suggests — “a movie about empowering women (the hot ones)” — it’s completely aware of the near-parody that it is. And thanks to Ayo Edebiri and Rachel Sennott’s performances that cement them even further as our brightest rising stars, Bottoms rides on top for most of its runtime.
Read my full review →

📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.

This week’s newsletter is sponsored by our gorgeous friends at Paramount+. Try Paramount+ free for one week and stream some of my faves like Babylon, Black Bear, Top Gun: Maverick, Scream, and much more.

Today’s movie: Rye Lane ❤️‍🩹

▶︎ Streaming on Hulu

What it’s about: Quiet pushover Don (David Jonsson) and energetic extrovert Yas (Vivian Oparah), two recently-singly twenty-somethings, fatefully meet in an art gallery. What starts as a stroll through their neighborhood Rye Lane turns into a mission to get back at their exes, karaoke jam, and maybe romance? Here’s the trailer.

Why you should watch it: There’s magic in the way that director Raine Allen-Miller portrays the South London neighborhood Rye Lane. It’s a splash of color and music and personalities. As Don and Yas stroll through the neighborhood, much like Jesse and Celine in Vienna in Before Sunrise, there’s something interesting going on in the background. Whether it’s kids playing or a couple arguing there’s life happening around them. Meanwhile, Dom and Yas’ lives are on pause. Their conversation, constantly charming, funny and poignant, challenges both of their beliefs around love and intimacy. With quippy one-liners, hilarious flashbacks, and two nightmare exes, Rye Lane is impossible resist.

🎬 Raine Allen-Miller // 🖊 Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia // 🎭 David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah, Simon Manyonda, Karene Peter, Benjamin Sarpong-Broni, Malcolm Atobrah, Alice Hewkin, Poppy Allen-Quarmby

🍷 Loved Rye Lane or already watched it? Try:

• When Harry Met Sally | Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) share a ride from Chicago to New York City where they’re both starting new chapters of their lives. Over the course of their journey they discuss love, sex, and friendship — little do they know that conversation will go on for eleven years. Streaming on HBO Max.

Bonus: Babylon 🎭

▶ Streaming on Paramount+ (Click here to try free for seven days)

What it’s about: Starting in the 1920s silent-era of movies and ending in the 50s Golden Age, Babylon follows a group of dreamers from New Jersey-born aspiring actress Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie) and Mexican-American film assistant Manny Torres (Diego Calva) through the rise and fall of silent movies — and the magic (and mess) of Old Hollywood. Here’s the trailer.

Why you should watch it: By the time the title card for Babylon roars onto screen we’ve seen every bodily fluid imaginable—blood, sweat, tears, cum, bile, spit, shit (both human and animal). There’s song, dance, contortion, acrobatics, and an elephant. Welcome to Hollywood circa the late 1920s. The film industry is hitting its stride and dreamers from all over converge to have their hopes crushed and realized. But that’s what all of the films in director Damien Chazelle’s short but prolific filmography are about—people fighting to realize their dreams. As Jean Smart’s character describes Nellie, Babylon is “a confluence of bad taste and pure magic.” Read my full review here.

📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.

Like every other 90s kid, I grew up watching Kenny Ortega’s 1993 fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus every Halloween season. My sister and I would buy the Pillsbury precut spooky-themed sugar cookies (the lil ghost was my favorite), light up a fire, and settle in on the couch every year well into adulthood. I’d hazard a guess that we’ve seen the Sanderson Sisters resurrected in modern-day Salem more than I’ve seen any other movie. There’s real magic (pun intended) captured in the movie. It’s like capturing lightning in a bottle. A perfect spooky-not-scary tone, both intentionally and unintentionally hilarious lines, outlandish running gags, and three iconic performances from Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker came together to make the perfect Halloween classic. To say Hocus Pocus 2 had a lot to live up to is an understatement. However, director Anne Fletcher and screenwriter Jen D’Angelo not only delivered a worthy sequel to the original. They also perfected the 90s nostalgia sequel.

More often than not, sequels to 90s IP that we have nostalgia for fail—Space Jam: A New Legacy, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Independence Day: Resurgence (they just love a subtitle). There are two reasons. First, because they try to mimic the original—whether out of reverence or an unsubtle attempt at leveraging our nostalgia for money—yet often misunderstand what we loved about it. Second, they try to one-up the original, again resulting in a misinterpretation of what made it good in the first place. Hocus Pocus 2, on the other hand, doesn’t ape the original. It doesn’t try to outdo it either. It completely understands the tongue-in-cheek tone and weaponizes it in an updated way without feeling like a grab for relevancy.

At the same time, it expands the lore of the first movie as it opens with more backstory for our three favorite witches—Winnie (Midler), Mary (Najimy), and Sarah (Parker). We learn that from their youth they have been outcasts, albeit aimless. That is until Mother Witch (Hannah Waddington) gives them the famous booooOOOOOk that gives them their powers—while also warning them against using a magica maxima spell to become all-powerful. In the present day, we meet our own rambunctious group of outcasts, Becca (Whitney Peak), Izzy (Belissa Escobedo), and their recently estranged friend Cassie (Lilia Buckingham). However, unlike Max in the original film, Becca and Izzy are ostracized for being into the occult.

Well, maybe the other students—including Cassie’s boyfriend Mike (Froy Guttierez)—are onto something.

That’s because while performing a ritual for Becca’s birthday on sacred ground with a candle they’re gifted from Gilbert, owner of the Olde Salem Magic Shoppe in the Sandersons’ home, they accidentally resurrect the sisters… again. This time, though, they enter with a musical number. Like “I Put A Spell on You” from the original, they sing a version of Elton John’s “The Bitch Is Back” reworked as “The Witch is Back.” As Becca and Izzy are hiding watching the witches sing their song they wonder, “who are they performing for?” That question is answered when Mary suddenly appears beside them and says, “you!” In an attempt to save themselves from the sisters, the girls convince them they are actually 40, witches, and can help them get the souls of children.

Of course, hijinks ensue. In what is easily my favorite scene of the movie and an instant classic, the Sanderson sisters take on all of our nemesis: a Walgreens. Just like the “black river” in the original, Winnie hilariously takes on the automatic door—”the gates parted for her,” she snarls in amazement when Becca walks through—before our young heroines convince the sisters that the beauty products have the souls of children in them to keep them youthful. As they start to eat the product, Sarah delivers my favorite line of the entire movie, “retinol, what a charming name for a child.” And while a lesser movie would try to hit the original’s jokes beat for beat, Hocus Pocus 2 creates its own gags and jokes—including lines I’m going to quote forever.

However, what this also did is immediately signal to us that this isn’t going to just be a retread of the original’s plot. There’s added complexity including a revenge storyline involving the town’s mayor (Tony Hale), a coming-of-witch plot with Becca, and a reintroduction to our old friend Billy (Doug Jones). While the plot of the original was relatively simple, Hocus Pocus 2 expands the parameter of the world in new ways while maintaining its campy tone.

That’s not to say there aren’t references back to the original like an onstage performance by the trio—complete with drag queen versions of them played by Kahmora Hall, Ginger Minj, and Kornbred—a trap set up by our teenage heroines, and the sisters’ unconventional broom choices (did Roomba have a sponsorship?). However, the movie doesn’t rely on them to keep the movie interesting. It forges its own way while allowing Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker to have fun and live in these roles that have been so iconic in their careers.

Hocus Pocus 2 is nostalgia done right because it doesn’t rely on our nostalgia to keep it afloat. Instead, it casts its own set of spells to bewitch us in the same way it did 30 years ago. Watching this movie with my sister decades older in her home in New York City (but still with the cookies) just felt right. Like it fits in with the same routine we’ve been doing for years. I already can’t imagine a Halloween without it. Call me a sap, but this was the sequel my inner child didn’t know it needed—but maybe it’s just really just a bunch of hocus pocus.

More movies, less problems

• In All Quiet on the Western Front war has never looked worse and never looked better

• The Woman King redefines the historical epic

• Drama be damned, Don’t Worry Darling works (just barely)

📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.

2022 has been the first movie year since the pandemic began that we’ve seen some semblance of normalcy. However, many the movies on this list feel like they were born out of the societal, political, and ~*vibe*~ shifts we’ve experienced in the pandemic era resulting in an eclectic mix of faves.

Over the next three weeks, in no particular order, I’m going to share my 15 favorite movies of the year so far. Let me know your favorites by responding to this email! Maybe I’ll include it in a future edition (or maybe not, it is my newsletter after all). Have a great weekend. ❤️ Karl

Fire Island

For me to review Fire Island objectively is nearly impossible, because no movie has ever captured my lived experience quite as closely. However, isn’t that in itself the point of movies? To capture something familiar, dissect it and explain it back to you? Wait, maybe that’s therapy. But that’s what makes Fire Island great. What it lacks in polish the Andrew Ahn-directed rom-com makes up for in a well-observed deconstruction of the experience of Asian men in the gay community. In particular, the movie translates the feeling of being trapped in a glass box in the middle of a crowded party. Like you’re there. You’re seen, but not quite allowed to participate in it yet. Fire Island is far from perfect, but it makes up for its flaws with a big gay beating heart. See what happens when you let marginalized people tell their own stories?

▶︎ Streaming on Hulu

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

It’s a wonder that Good Luck to You, Leo Grande wasn’t adapted from a play because its very straightforward “one room, two people” concept would lend itself perfectly to the stage as it explores themes of loneliness, age, and sex. And while the conversations between retired schoolteacher Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) and her hired escort Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack) are indeed the centerpiece of the movie, the subtle ways that director Sophie Hyde captures the intimacy—both physical and emotional—between the two is what elevates it to one of the best movies of the year so far.

▶︎ Streaming on Hulu

X

On its surface, X seems like a detailed and well-studied recreation of 70s exploitation B-movies and the Golden Age of the slasher genre, right down to the film grain. However, director Ti West does more than emulate—he chops and screws the genre’s formula. He adds his own darkly comedic tone to mine some real laughs between the carnage and presents us with a surprisingly complex pair of villains that turn what we know about slashers on its head. Nostalgic cinematography, an unsettling Carpenter-esque score, and deliciously camp performances—particularly from Brittany Snow, Mia Goth, and Martin Henderson—make X a gloriously bloody and entertaining throwback. Like Boogie Nights by way of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Read my full review here.

▶︎ Available to Buy or Rent

Kimi

There’s a scene in Kimi when protagonist Angela (Zoë Kravitz) puts her AirPods on to drown out the sounds of her Seattle loft—similarly to me watching the movie with my headphones to drown out the noise from my NYC apartment. When she put her right earbud in, my right headphone went quiet. When she put on the left, my left went silent. It’s a small detail, but one that was crucial to my viewing experience. That was the moment I knew that Kimi was something special. First of all, for its immersive quality. Second, unlike many movies made in the pandemic era, Kimi doesn’t shy away from living in that world. Actually, the pandemic helps drive the plot — a twist on the classic Rear Window-esque psychological thriller. Kimi grapples with many of today’s issues — information security, big tech, trauma, homelessness, civil unrest, pandemic anxiety — but it never overstays its welcome and never overstates its purpose. Soderbergh knows that this is a popcorn movie and it’s all the best for it. Read my full review here.

▶︎ Streaming on HBO Max

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is the latest entry in the “nicecore” movie genre. A group of movies that presupposes the world is inherently good. Before you roll your eyes, don’t let that lack of cynicism make you think it has nothing to say. If anything, Marcel tackles the biggest question any of us will face: why am I here? This is probably a good time to mention that Marcel (Jenny Slate) is a sentient shell with one eye and, as the name implies, a pair of shoes. However, director-writer Dean Fleischer-Camp uses a keen sense of magical realism to force us to look our own lives and existence from a bird’s eye view—or a tiny shell’s eye view. As Marcel faces change and loneliness in an increasingly shifting world, he teaches us that with perseverance, optimism, and a a good tennis ball we will be okay.

▶︎ Playing in theaters

📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.