Cheers to a holiday weekend, American readers!
I’m not sure what’s in your forecast for the 4th of July — if you’re like me in New York, there are clouds and storms in store. Whomp whomp. If that’s the case for you, too, then maybe it’s a good time to cozy up with one of the 10 movies below that are new to their respective streaming services!
Alien: Covenant, Hulu
Some people will tell you to be fearful of Alien: Romulus coming later this summer because Alien: Covenant was bad, and those people are wrong. This most recent installment in the franchise boasts two obvious strengths. The first and most obvious is its fidelity to the body horror of Alien, moving away from the more restrained suspense and action-style trappings of its predecessor Prometheus. Ridley Scott is unabashedly trying to scare us, and it works. (He also leverages a whole lot of chilly and weirdly charismatic Michael Fassbender as a sentient robot.)
American Psycho, Netflix
Picture the most annoying and sketchy friend who would tell you they love American Psycho … and be sure you do not associate me with them telling you to watch the movie. I’m not one of *those* people who don’t get the satire. And to prove it, I talked to the film’s director Mary Harron in 2019 when she made that year’s other movie about Charles Manson and drew some interesting parallels to Christian Bale’s murderous yuppie. “I’m very interested in personal stories set against history and how history informs what happens,” Mary Harron told me, “It’s not just their characters or emotions, it’s the way the time they’re living in has an impact and effect on them.” It’s fascinating to see that symbiosis in the film between Bateman and the revitalized New York of the ‘80s.
Blue Steel, Criterion Collection
Ah yes, one of the many other movies for which Jamie Lee Curtis really deserved that Oscar! (The #1 is, of course, Freaky Friday.) This fascinating feminist text by Kathryn Bigelow begins when Curtis’ policewoman Megan Turner gunning down an armed robber in a convenience store, and it quickly spirals into so much more. Her bold gesture piques the interest of a bystander who becomes bizarrely inspired — or threatened — by Turner’s aggression. In turn, he begins committing strange deeds in her name to get her attention. We never quite get a logical reason for his breakdown, but we don’t need one to be terrified and riveted by his sociopathic quest. Picture an erotic thriller where the love is entirely one-sided and unrequited, and you’ll get something like the thrill of this top-notch film.
Bonnie and Clyde, Max
Critics are loath to ensure they are not the story when it comes to reviewing films, but they couldn’t help themselves back in 1967 when Bonnie & Clyde hit screens. I think the easiest way to understand just how revolutionary and controversial this movie was in its depiction of sexuality and violence is to take a look at some of what was written about it at the time. A recent Vanity Fair piece sums up the various arguments, but read Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert in depth. It takes a great movie to inspire such vigorous debate.
The Deep End, Criterion Channel
Tilda Swinton has become notorious in recent years for taking on some eccentric and chameleonic roles. But a movie like The Deep End serves as an excellent reminder that Swinton need not take such drastic measures to hold the screen with such forceful power. As a mother living a quiet life around Lake Tahoe, the placidity of her existence gets jolted by the potential of her son committing a serious crime. The resultant cover-up and payoff test the limits of the supposedly limitless love a parent has for their child, and Swinton wrings every last drop of tension from her high-strubng character.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Amazon Prime Video
There’s no filmmaker who believed in the potential and the promise of the American century quite like Frank Capra. He’s such an earnest believer in the country that there’s a popular term tossed around by critics to describe films that aspire to his level of zealotry but don’t have the goods: “Capra corn.” The director’s famous Mr. Smith Goes to Washington has such an unabashedly patriotic and idealistic streak that it almost plays as a parody in our divided, cynical country. But there’s such sincerity to his conviction that it inspires a sense of nostalgia and endearment rather than eye-rolls. It’s a film that makes you want to live up to what Capra sees in the American flag and the pageantry of Washington, D.C. architecture.
Postcards from the Edge, Amazon Prime Video
For some reason, I’ve gotten hung up on rewatching a specific line reading from Postcards from the Edge. That reading is Shirley MacLaine denying that she lifted her skirt in public, insisting instead that “It TWIRLED up!” This dramatization of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher’s tumultuous mother-daughter relationship has many such ecstatic moments of theatricality delivered by MacLaine and Meryl Streep. Yet it avoids devolving into a pure diva-off thanks to Mike Nichols’ ever-steady direction and consistent focus on the raw humanity both women shared with each other.
Romeo + Juliet, Criterion Channel
There’s a great gag in the new release Ghostlight (which you should all watch as soon as possible) where a teenager mentions to her dad that they should watch “the old” Romeo & Juliet. And the second those words left her mouth, I knew she was about to drag millennials for filth by the “old” version being the Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes version.
Reader, I was right.
Anyway, I like this movie a lot! For all its bombast and Bazmataz, it’s one of the rare modernizations of Shakespeare that finds a way to naturally graft the Bard’s dialogue into a different time and place.
The Sound of Silence, MUBI
If you miss truly independent cinema that doesn’t feel like it fits neatly into the A24 or Neon brand mold (not that there’s anything wrong with that), you’d be well-advised to watch The Sound of Silence. Michael Tyburski’s quiet oddity walks a tonal tightrope for the entirety of its 85 minutes following Peter Sarsgaard’s sonic expert Peter Lucian, who serves as a “house tuner” for New Yorkers. His attunement to the rhythms of space to help its dwellers calibrate their mood feels like the kind of schtick that would be played as “quirky” in most other movies. But in Tyburski and Sarsgaard’s hands, this gift becomes both mysterious and marvelous.
Twister, Max
If anyone else was waiting patiently like me for the original Twister to become streamable before this month’s Twisters, you’re in luck! It’s finally available on Max. I watched it for the first time this week and had a nice time with a fun (?) disaster movie that knows just how seriously to take itself. I’m excited to see this concept executed with today’s VFX wizardry!
For Slant Magazine, I talked with directing duo Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala about their terrifying new film The Devil’s Bath (now streaming on Shudder). While it’s not explicitly horror, this tale of a woman struggling with depression whose milieu drives her to desperate measures may give you the same vibes.
You can keep track of all the freelance writing I’ve done this year through this list on Letterboxd.
You can always keep up with my film-watching in real-time on the app Letterboxd. I’ve also compiled every movie I’ve ever recommended through this newsletter via a list on the platform as well.
This interview with Eddie Murphy was a surprisingly good listen — maybe because the actor has traditionally never done many big sit-downs like it.
Whatever the mood at your 4th of July festivities, this playlist has you covered.
As someone who has nearly taken an entire shelf in my apartment to display all my Criterion Collection discs, I was obviously pleased to see Slate reporting on physical media becoming a true fandom.
In honor of this week’s passing of legendary screenwriter Robert Towne, read this great article from The Atlantic about how Chinatown explains contemporary America.
Finally, if you’ve got some time for a longer read (and don’t mind some charts to back up assertions), cozy up with Matthew Ball’s data-driven analysis of what’s going on with theaters in the post-COVID environment.
Next week: not the Olympics newsletter you’re expecting.
Yours in service and cinema,
Marshall