Dinner and a Movie
More to feast on later this week. I promise!
I had already intended to start tonight’s newsletter with an apology.
I assume most of you got the Thursday newsletter about Mike Nichols (at least on the East Coast) on Friday morning right at the stroke of midnight. Let me just pull the receipts from the site to say it was published on Thursday, so to anyone who doesn’t think I don’t take deadlines for newsletter subscribers and sign-ups as seriously as I take deadlines for other writing … actually no, that’s not the truth, Ellen!
I am not trying to make a routine out of cutting it this close — but I will always do my best to get it to you at a time at which you are likely to, you know, read it. I am grateful to those of you who have put your faith in me to deliver what you paid for and will not let you down!
I know I’m rambling, but it does just grind my gears to think that even one person thought I didn’t deliver on my promise after I busted my butt to get this out the door on time after a long day of work on Thursday! But hey, it didn’t turn out so bad — the author of Mike Nichols: A Life sent through this unsolicited praise of my reflections.
(So if you didn’t read it all the way through, maybe it’s worth taking a second look?)
And then … it happened again.
I’ve put together most of what I intended to send to you tonight. (No spoilers, because you’ll get it soon enough.) But I had some company tonight for a belated 20th-anniversary celebration of my beloved childhood classic The Princess Diaries. Below is the spread I prepared — most of which was heat me-eat me, but the corndogs I did fry myself! Everything corresponds to something in the movie … can you get all the references?
(Dessert was, of course, ice cream cones delivered from the freezer timed to the exact moment of the iconic “Lana Got Coned” scene.)
Also, before I forget, I recently became aware that Sandra Oh recreated what might be one of the greatest line readings in all of cinema. I truly think about it all the time!
This was also just days after I hosted another friend for dinner and I tried making something from his native Minnesota. For this, I turned to the unlikeliest of sources for culinary inspiration: Senator Amy Klobuchar. Back in the Iowa primaries, she got a lot of attention for hosting “hot dish” parties where she made a casserole of sorts with ground beef, tater tots, and cheese. I thought it sounded nasty, but then upon reflection, I realized that no combination of those items could really be that bad. So I suckered this colleague into coming for dinner so I could try this monstrosity under the guise of a movie night. I paired it with the Coens’ A Serious Man, which only grows in my estimation with each rewatch.
I’m sorry that I can’t send leftovers to your inbox! You aren’t signed up to get food stories (although if you stick around long enough, I do have something cooking around this topic that I think you’ll really enjoy). This is not an excuse, only to say that most of my prep has been in the kitchen and not over the keyboard.
I stressed and stressed about this all day, wondering when I’d find the time to put the finishing touches on an idea that has been bouncing around in my head for weeks. But around 9:30 PM or so tonight, I decided I wasn’t going to apologize for not having fully written Marshall and the Movies — because I was out living the spirit of Marshall and the Movies, connecting with people and creating memories through the art of cinema.
(On that note, last call for NYC folks to join me on Tuesday 8/10 at 8pm for Film Forum’s 35mm screening of the amazing Hitchcock thriller Shadow of a Doubt!)
So, tonight I’m just going to send along the recurring Monday features. I’ll work on finishing the big feature … as well as a better way to incorporate this into my normal routines. (It was a whole lot easier doing The Distancer when I had no life!)
WHAT I WATCHED
I may have a problem 🤷🏻♂️
Most of what I watched was in preparation for my coverage of the Venice Film Festival next month, although seeing some premiere titles from the film festival circuit has already started! (I’m not allowed to talk about one movie above at all.)
I did see some new releases, though!
Free Guy, the latest Ryan Reynolds flick that will open exclusively in theaters on Friday 8/13, gives you exactly what you expect from a project toplined by the superstar. It’s a big “your mileage may vary” title, largely dependent on how much you enjoy his schtick. I took a friend of mine to the screening who’s obsessed with Reynolds, and she seemed to enjoy the movie a good deal! I wouldn’t say I disliked it, but I do have some quibbles with the undercooked writing and thematic elements. I also find Reynolds’ commitment to sarcasm and irony equal parts impressive and exhausting, so take that as you will.
One thing you’ll definitely hear more from me on from this newsletter is Annette, the new movie musical featuring two of my absolute favorite working actors: Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard. This eccentric flick from French director Leos Carax is definitely going to rub a lot of people the wrong way, but I think it’s possible to squeeze a lot more enjoyment and meaning out of it if you’re primed to watch it in the right way. Stay tuned on that front prior to the film’s August 20 release on Amazon Prime…
Stay far away from John & the Hole, which is now available on VOD and in some select theaters. This wannabe edgy drama about a ~misunderstood~ and ~malevolent~ child who traps his family in a deep hole is so out of its element trying to channel austere, chilling cinema of cruelty like Michael Haneke and Yorgos Lanthimos.
Also, if you’re looking to prepare yourself for the imminent release of sci-fi spectacle Dune in two months, I’d start with the wonderful documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune. This tribute to the greatest science-fiction movie never made is a charming, captivating look at how a failed vision to adapt the novel nonetheless trickled into the drinking water of pop culture. It’s available to rent from multiple online providers.
WHAT I HEARD
Last week’s randoms:
Some podcast episodes I loved:
Talk Easy breaking down the stage of the pandemic with Dr. Ashish Jha.
This Had Oscar Buzz examining why A Most Violent Year didn’t score with the Academy.
(This episode also features a plentiful discussion of a GIF that more and more people need to start including in their standard rotation.)
New York Times film critic A.O. Scott popped up on WTF with Marc Maron … I’m a sucker for shop talk like this, but maybe you’ll find it intriguing as well!
I also was positively jamming to this Whitney Houston dance remix playlist today for her birthday! In this house, we recognize and celebrate a queen (who also produced The Princess Diaries!)
WHAT I WROTE
…a lot of emails to publicists about Venice trying to get things organized, most of which are almost certainly doomed to go nowhere.
This is the short way of me saying that I had nothing new published this past week! In lieu of a new link, might I share with you some streaming guides that I’ve been putting together over the course of the year (August updates to each coming soon) — feel free to bookmark these for 200 Marshall-recommended movie nights!
Peacock (free with ads)
WHAT I READ
I am absolutely devouring Thomas Savage’s novel The Power of the Dog, which I’m reading before catching the world premiere of Jane Campion’s film adaptation in Venice. (You may sense a theme for my culture diet right now. It’s dictated by necessity.) Apparently, there is a book of the same name by Don Winslow, so make sure you get the right one if you’re looking to read it as well.
Something I found really enlightening: Matthew Belloni broke down what that eye-popping $900 million deal for Reese Witherspoon’s company really means.
OK, off to sleep! I promise you’ll get what I teased soon — and don’t intend to keep you waiting like this regularly. Life and movies just happen sometimes, and who am I to stop either?
Yours in service and cinema,
Marshall