Below, Marshall Shaffer’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man:
Make a Glenn Close out of me (except maybe don’t tease me for four decades with the prospect of the highest honor in my field without giving it to me). Here are 10 movies worth watching that are new on streaming in September.
A Cinderella Story, Netflix
I am fully aware of the problematic tropes in which it trades, but in my head, Regina King’s Oscar is just as much for her indelible turn in A Cinderella Story. She’s the encouraging fairy godmother to Hilary Duff’s would-be princess Sam, except her magic isn’t anything resembling that of a sorcerer. It’s that she cares. She has such a radiant love (and killer wit aimed at those who cross Sam), and it proves entirely winning.
Aline, Amazon Prime Video
The movie so “WTF” bonkers that it required an entire newsletter to unpack is now available to stream. Aline, the kinda-sorta-maybe biopic of Celine Dion, is not exactly a movie I would recommend. But the visual effects used to convince us that the same actress can play the global superstar from toddler to present-day simply must be seen to be believed.
Father of the Bride, Disney+
This has actually been on the Mouse House’s platform for over a month now, but I just wanted to make sure you knew that Father of the Bride was available to stream for the first time since I can ever recall. I’m glad that Only Murders in the Building has led to a resurgence of appreciation for Steve Martin and Martin Short, but as for me and my household, we have always loved and recognized them. My family can probably quote this entire movie, and we frequently use bizarre Franc pronunciations to the bafflement of the others. (Also: bébé Roman Roy is in it!)
High-Rise, Hulu
This high-concept social thriller is similar to Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer, using an extensive visual and narrative metaphor for class stratification. In Ben Wheatley’s High-Rise, adapting a novel by J.G. Ballard, that hierarchy the form of the titular building. Each floor is a new wonder for Tom Hiddleston’s Robert Laing to discover as the residents’ entropy begins to assume a destructive quality. Full disclosure that I haven’t seen this since 2015 when I caught it at Fantastic Fest, so I’m not entirely sure how well it holds up. But if nothing else, that Portishead cover of ABBA’s “SOS” is a jam.
If Beale Street Could Talk, Netflix
Hot take: I think Barry Jenkins topped Moonlight with If Beale Street Could Talk. His adaptation of James Baldwin from page to screen captures all the swooning beauty and devastating insight of the author without sacrificing his own style. I understand why his Best Picture-winning triumph has clouded out everything that’s come in its wake; even Jenkins himself has expressed some misgivings about how he tackled this material. Nonetheless, I think it’s absolutely masterful and deserving of continued attention and reappreciation.
Notes on a Scandal, Hulu
Is there anything more glorious to behold than Cate Blanchett just absolutely tearing into a scene? In Notes on a Scandal, she’s over-the-top in the best way as Sheba Hart, a teacher who gets caught up in a web of lies after sleeping with an underaged student. Her complete emotional breakdown in the film’s conclusion is pitched at an 11 in the best possible way. When she screams her final line, I wanted to begin applauding. This is how you do a nice domestic drama, in my opinion.
Petite Maman, Hulu
The movie that inspired my own take on “Short Ass Movies,” Céline Sciamma’s film is a petite treat at 72 minutes. Petite Maman is a quaint, quiet tale of a young girl who gets to meet the childhood incarnation of her mother through a magical realist plot gambit. The film’s majesty is nearly undermined by its modesty, but the emotional impact is undeniable.
Rescue Dawn, Amazon Prime Video
This would have made my “Sweaty Cinema” list had this not disappeared from streaming in August ever so briefly! Werner Herzog’s Rescue Dawn is a thrilling POV story of Christian Bale’s Dieter Dengler, an American pilot taken prisoner during the Vietnam War. It’s a fantastically thrilling “prison break” movie done with craft and humanity by the masterful Herzog. While Bale’s physical transformation here is of course the most eye-popping element of the film, don’t discount the amazing work of Steve Zahn, a forever-underappreciated supporting player deserving of the world.
The September Issue, Criterion Channel
‘Tis the season! R.J. Cutler gives us the real The Devil Wears Prada as he takes viewers behind the scenes with Anna Wintour as she assembles Vogue’s all-important September issue. It’s a fascinating procedural at all the labor required to put together such a sprawling tome, with a particular emphasis on the unsung heroes toiling in the shadows like Wintour’s longtime lieutenant Grace Coddington.
Varda by Agnès, HBO Max
RIP Jean-Luc Godard.
Do what the late French New Wave giant couldn’t do: appreciate Agnès Varda. This self-directed biographical documentary uses the structure of her late-career masterclasses to welcome curious viewers into her vast, varied filmography. Whether you’ve seen one or none of Varda’s films, Varda by Agnès is an illuminating look at a true trailblazer in cinema told with all the warmth and empathy of her work.
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.
I would highly recommend the other Venice edition of the Truth & Movies podcast with three of my festival flatmates!
By far the best round-up of the Don’t Worry Darling Venice drama came courtesy of Hunter Harris on her newsletter:
As someone who’s written fairly extensively about the screen persona of Tom Hanks, I really liked A.A. Dowd’s Vulture piece on how his villainous casting in Elvis went so wrong.
As promised, here’s the final Venice Film Festival piece I wrote for Slashfilm: “What We Learned About Film History From The Venice Film Festival.”
During the festival, I also had a piece published on Crooked Marquee that I think is well worth your time if you care about the business of cinema: “Annapurna Pictures at 10: Megan Ellison’s Trajectory Is Indie Film In Microcosm.”
I’ve also started compiling all my writing from 2022 in this Letterboxd list, should you be inclined to peruse.
That’s it for today — back for subscribers later this week with some more Italian-related content because I just can’t quit the country.
Yours in service and cinema,
Marshall