April showers bring … new streaming arrivals for now. Here are 10 worth your time this month!
All or Nothing, Amazon Prime Video
It speaks to how highly I value the work of Mike Leigh that I’d still recommend his movies even after he was so crabby in our interview. The British director finds an incredibly lifelike texture to put on screen, something he develops in tandem with his actors over the course of an intensive rehearsal period with his actors. All or Nothing is not necessarily a film routinely brought up among his greats, but I thought this story of a working-class couple who rediscover their affection amidst adversity was quite moving. (Also, yes, that is bébé James Corden.)
Blood Ties, HBO Max
I should say that I have not seen the theatrical cut of Blood Ties, so perhaps take this recommendation with a grain of salt. But when I saw the original version at Cannes, which ran about 20 minutes longer, I still loved this sprawling ‘70s New York crime saga. and had no complaints about the length. If you’re into brothers on both sides of the law and have run through the usual suspects in the genre, try this underseen gem out for size.
Blow Out, Amazon Prime Video
Like my recent recommendation The Conversation, Brian de Palma’s Blow Out is another aural thrill that’s best watched in a setting where you can hear all the nuances of the film’s sound. This gripping political thriller charts the consequences of John Travolta’s sound technician unsuspectingly capturing the assassination of a presidential hopeful on tape. Both the story and the craftsmanship of the film will have your stomach in knots until the film’s stunning payoff.
Brigsby Bear, Hulu
If you’ve enjoyed the off-kilter sensibilities of Kyle Mooney on SNL but feel like the show hasn’t always made the best use of his talents, Brigsby Bear is the movie for you. Directed by his pal and comedic simpatico Dave McCary (AKA Mr. Emma Stone), the film locates humor and heart in a story marked by trauma and confusion. Mooney stars as James, a man stuck in arrested development who must grapple with the realization of a sinister secret buried inside the titular television show around which he organized his life. I was stunned by how unblinkingly this movie stares into the abyss of the soul and still finds a way to see the light.
Compliance, Amazon Prime Video
If you ever took a college class that allowed you to learn about the Milgram Experiment testing obedience to authority, then you should get a kick out of Compliance. Craig Zobel’s movie is basically a feature-length illustration of the phenomena identified by Milgram, transposed onto workers in the thrall of a mysterious caller at a fast-food restaurant in Kentucky. This is also the project that catapulted the great Ann Dowd into the highest echelons of character actress stardom, so appreciate the film for that if nothing else.
Her, Netflix
There’s a moment in Her that I find myself coming back to all the time. It’s not a particularly significant moment in Spike Jonze’s affectingly utopian vision of a world where humans and AI can develop feelings of romance and tenderness, but I think that makes the scene’s power all the more remarkable. Joaquin Phoenix’s Theodore asks Amy Adams’ Amy a deeply existential question about the nature of his relationship with Samantha, his operating system. She gently replies, “I don't know, I'm not in it.” What a moment of clarity and wisdom we should all carry with us — we must be careful not to judge what we do not know.
The Last Detail, HBO Max
I went through a bit of a Jack Nicholson kick during the pandemic, and I highly recommend you do the same. The man had one of the all-time cinematic heaters in the early ‘70s working with some of Hollywood’s best and most subversive talents. Though my all-time favorite Nicholson role will forever be in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, I’m developing a bit of a soft spot for his work in Hal Ashby’s The Last Detail as well. As a navy lifer charged with escorting a young officer to a long punishment, the film showcases Nicholson’s unique blend of salty, sweet, and strong that makes him such a volcanic screen presence. (This movie is not always the easiest to stream, too, if that helps push you to watch it.)
The Last Picture Show, Criterion Channel
I’m overdue for a rewatch of The Last Picture Show in the wake of director Peter Bogdanovich’s passing. This devastating drama captures the slow dissolution of communal bonds in a tiny Texas town as epitomized by the one movie theater closing thanks to the encroachment of television. With each new watch, I’m caught off-guard anew by the depth of characterization that spans generations and genders. Every single person on screen conveys an inner sadness visible to us but often missed by the people around them in their own myopia. The film is a catalog of people trying — and failing — to connect. Though the tragedies may be intimate, they are no less affecting.
New York Minute, Netflix
You can’t time travel back to the mid-aughts. But you can watch New York Minute, whose plot revolves around a Simple Plan concert and whose climax involves a dramatic recitation of Avril Lavigne’s “Complicated.” So that’s basically as close as you can get. The Olsen Twins’ final cinematic hurrah is the kind of breezy Big Apple adventure you seek when you want some mindless fun.
Saved!, Amazon Prime Video
This one goes out to everyone who went to a parochial school or had at least some toe dipped in the pools of cultural Christianity. Saved! sends up Bush-era mores as the unexpected pregnancy of Jena Malone’s ironically named Mary rocks her religious high school. Though satirical in execution, it’s ultimately sincere in intention as it exposes the often-wide divide between a community’s morals and actions. This unsung great of the high school movie genre works as both a time capsule and timeless lesson on how to love thy neighbor.
WHAT I WATCHED
No one told me you start sympathizing with Emily in The Devil Wears Prada when you start managing people. For further elaboration on this point, see me after class.
Also, after seeing the original West Side Story on the big screen this weekend, I have come to the definitive conclusion that Spielberg’s version improves upon it in just about every necessary way. There’s one regular reader of this newsletter who will likely take umbrage at this claim, and I welcome you to debate me over this! (You know who you are.)
WHAT I HEARD
No real cinematic tie-in (except maybe the ending of Fight Club), but Miley Cyrus put out an album of live tracks on Friday … and it’s been buzzing around in my ears ever since.
Also, my friend and fellow critic Leila Latif shared a wonderful perspective on the whole slap situation from a perspective going vastly underexplored: that of Jada Pinkett Smith.
WHAT I READ
I know we’re all exhausted by The Slap ™️ discourse … unless, of course, you’re Amy Schumer and want to center the most important thing: her feelings. But Wesley Morris’ breakdown of the Oscars incident is just staggering stuff.
WHAT I WROTE
For Slant, I interviewed director Justin Kurzel and actor Caleb Landry Jones (best known as the creepy brother in Get Out) about their collaboration on the new movie Nitram. Admittedly, I was a little underwhelmed by the movie — its insistence on avoiding the depiction of mass shooting violence (as well as its perpetrator) feels like little more than an intriguing concept. If you want to know why the interview reads a little … off, we can chat offline.
Also, LOL, I reviewed Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for The Playlist. Sure.
Back to you later this week — subscribers, that is — with something about stardom!
Yours in service and cinema,
Marshall