We’re doing something a little different this week as there isn’t much big movie news to report and I really only have one film I want to talk about: Matt Johnson’s new Anthony Bourdain origin-ish story, Tony. Otherwise, I’ve shared a few trailers of note below and we’ve got another update on the summer’s box office-palooza. We’ll move back to our regular format next week, but in the meantime: stay cool, see a movie, and find yourself a strong breeze or a slushie. Or both if you’re feeling particularly frisky.

- Cheers, MB

💰 Weekend Take: Aug. 7-9

• That sound you hear is Tom Holland and Zendaya’s (and I guess John Bernthal’s too) vault filling up with sweet, sweet moolah. The newest Spider-Man movie eclipsed the $1.6 billion mark worldwide over the weekend, while the homie Odysseus’ no good, very bad decade has surpassed $1.1 billion. Again, that’s a lot of moolah. Also, shoutout CatVideoFest 2026 for getting in on the action too.

🗞️ And Now, a Few Trailers

The History of Concrete: If you’re a fan of HBO’s How to With John Wilson, then I imagine this full-fledged doc from the man himself will be right up your alley.

Primetime: Could Robert Pattinson get four Oscar noms for four different performances this year? It seems unlikely, but just as he was with Odysseus, Big Bob’s role as Chris Hanson in this movie about To Catch a Predator could see him pitted against Matt Damon for another battle to the death come March.

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York: John Turturro. Small crimes. New York City. Plus, a bit of Steve Buscemi to sweeten the deal. I am psyched for this.

Paper Tiger: God damn, the Best Actor race at next year’s Oscars is going to be BIG lit. Exhibit C: Adam Driver wearing a power suit of all power suits in James Gray’s latest semi-autobiographical boondoggle. Also, Miles Teller is in this.

🍿 A Potentially-Too-Short Review: Tony

In April of last year, the world officially learned that The Holdovers’ Dominic Sessa would soon star as Anthony Bourdain in a “biopic” directed by Matt Johnson, who to that point was probably best known for making Blackberry, which is a movie about the rise and fall of a cellphone company. To say that I was concerned would be a generous understatement. Not because I doubted Sessa (The Holdovers is a great, great movie) or Johnson, who somehow made a very enjoyable film about, again, the rise and fall of Blackberry. My dread came from the fact that they were making a film about not just an extremely complicated and damaged celebrity, whose death has further catapulted him to an increasingly uncomfortable level of online fame, but also, one of the most important influences of my teens and 20s (see: THIS).

Luckily, Tony really isn’t a biopic about Anthony Bourdain beyond the fact that he shares a name with the protagonist. Instead, it’s a mostly fun, but sometimes-melancholic snapshot of a late-1970s summer, experienced through the eyes of a pompous, asshat college student who realizes he’s about to go on the journey of a lifetime, just maybe not the one he was constantly preparing for.

Of course, before that journey really begins, Sessa’s Tony encounters a variety of characters who very quickly make a strong imprint on his highly malleable young life. There’s his love interest, Nancy, played very nicely by Emilia Jones. There’s his smooth-talking, pseudo-criminal older brother figure, played by Leo Woodall in a performance that fully solidifies him as a star. And then there’s the wise mentor, played by Antonio Banderas, who is so good that it will make you wonder why we live in a world where he isn’t one of the biggest actors on the planet.

All of that being said, it’s also easy to view Tony as, “So, this is how it all started for Bourdain, the first step on his road to self destruction,” which, if you ask me, goes against the whole point of Johnson’s movie. There are no grandiose moments of euphoria that forever alter space and time in this film. Sure, Tony learns to light cigarettes in a cool way, starts to form an appreciation of and interest in food, and is exposed to the many substances that ruled his life for the better part of 25 years, but these things just happen and then he continues henceforth. While each of these experiences might be brewing inside of him, we simply just see Tony do things and then go on with his life rather than trying to visualize his evolving mind, à la some of the opening sequences in Oppenheimer.

As a semi-retired Bourdain super fan, there were nuggets from the source text — his first memoir, Kitchen Confidential — that I was certainly curious if they’d be included in the movie or not. For example, the infamous bridal scene at the restaurant was in there. As was Bourdain’s first glimpse at heroin, and the use of “Nancy,” who I believe was an amalgamation of multiple women from Bourdain’s early years, but is also the name of his first wife who was with him through the worst trenches of his pre-fame life. However, much of Tony’s actual plot is more inspired by Bourdain’s summer in Provincetown, rather than recounting what actually happened. Does this matter? Not in the slightest, and in fact, it makes it a much more enjoyable movie in the end.

There’s a final scene in the film that winks at the audience’s knowledge of who the young man depicted onscreen will eventually become, which is a moment that I both found very charming and took me out of the story completely. Why? Because there’s a cameo that serves as the lone bridge from the dramatized world of Tony to the stark reality that Bourdain left behind. However, it also serves as a bit of closure for those who still feel wounded by the selfish death of a figure that so few really knew, but that so many found so familiar. Much like Bourdain himself, Tony is both uneven and unnecessarily resplendent at times, letting all of its imperfections float to the surface for all to see. And it’s the balance of all those flavors — the bitter with the sweet, if you will — that make it such an enjoyable moment on film.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is Tony? A great summer coming-of-age snapshot that happens to focus on a guy who will one day become one of this century’s most defining pop culture figures.

Should you make time for this movie? Yes, if nothing else because it’s a nice 100-minute vacation to another time and place. Also, because both Banderas and Woodall are absolutely cooking, both literally and figuratively.

Will it win any Oscars? No, but I could see Banderas getting nominated and maybe also a nom for cinematography. This movie looks great.

What will you remember most from the film? If you’re able to separate the movie from the man, then you’ll remember how well that specific feeling of summer when you’re 20 is depicted on screen. Otherwise, you’ll remember how much Bourdain potentially meant to you. Or maybe you’ll just remember how many times Sessa gets water poured on him.

Seen anything good lately (other than Tony)? Do you know how to shuck an oyster? What will happen to Dominic Sessa’s career? Let me know by responding to this email.

We’re in a reeeeeeal thicket of big movie releases. First, the homie Odysseus posted up at a Sandals resort with Calypso for a bit. Then, his son put on his Spider-Man suit and got up to some mischief with Menelaus (it really does feel like there are 17 total actors sometimes). Now, this coming week, we get Tony. I’ve heard good things, but stay tuned to see if I have a full breakdown while watching it. The cast, director, and scope give me hope, but the overall subject matter... Well, it might be a two-bag-of-candy sort of film-going experience.

- Cheers, MB

📝 This Week We’re Covering:

🕷️ The power of Tom Holland/Peter Parker
👀 An odd move for America’s sweetheart
🗣️ 10 people’s opinions of The Odyssey
🎹 A great new-ish movie you might’ve missed, and so much more

💰 Weekend Take: July 31-Aug 2

• Spider-Man, Spider-Man, prints more money than an ATM can! For some added context, Spider Man: Brand New Day made $930 million globally this weekend, already eclipsing The Odyssey’s astonishingly impressing $912 worldwide haul. Their powers combined led to the biggest box office weekend of 2026 at $430 million, which is almost double Easter weekend’s business at number two. The power of Tom Holland, Zendaya, and even John Bernthal should never be underestimated.

🗞️ And Now, the News

Sigh. Ryan Gosling is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe to play… Ghost Rider? In a way, I kind of respect the timing of this. Look, there are many out there who love to say, “Lars and the Real Girl and Blue Valentine Gosling was the best!” And that might be true. But the Gos has realistically been offered a lot of Marvel roles over the years, and to finally sign on after 1. The biggest starring role of his career (he was second banana in Barbie) and 2. What will probably be the new biggest starring role of his career in next year’s Star Wars: Starfighter is smart. Added bonus: his wife co-starred in the first run of Ghost Rider movies in the early 2000s, so they’ll always have that together.

Speaking of Gosling, he’s apparently (partially) at the center of the holdup on Barbie 2. Although, it seems like Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, who like him didn’t have any sequel agreements in their original contracts, aren’t exactly trying to make another one ASAP either. While there appears to be some disagreements over fees (and who gets how many points from the box office), the most interesting detail is that Warner Bros. — the studio behind the $1.5 billion behemoth — will lose the rights back to Mattel if they don’t get sign-off from everyone before December of this year. Frankly, give me the BTS movie of David Zaslav losing his sh*t over this instead of the actual second film.

Reminder: This is not a TV newsletter. However, the news that Clueless is getting what is essentially a sequel miniseries is very interesting. While the movie was followed up by a TV show with several original cast members, this new one will star Alicia Silverstone as a grownup Cher, which I hope is delightful. If I had my lifetime movie-watching data, I’m willing to guess that Clueless is in my top-10 most viewed films and I just hope this… whatever you want to call it, honors that movie’s excellence.

And now, a real WTF collection of trailers:

• The Thomas Crown Affair: Yes, it’s the third version of this movie. No, I do not care, this looks f*cking sick.

• Wicker: The less I say about this, the better. However, it seems that Alexander Skarsgård’s freak-on-a-leash streak is alive and well.

• Victorian Psycho: If this title is for you, I am thrilled. Go forth and prosper!

🗣️ 10 More People Review The Odyssey

Presented without commentary, here’s a mishmash of friends, foes, and family members’ own reviews of The Odyssey:

“Feast for the eye(s), terrible script.”

“Visually spectacular, overall very decent, but it could have used a bit of the magic that made me love Interstellar (and Tenet, and all the other mind-f*ck Nolans). It felt toned down compared to his other stuff and if there was ever a story to not tone down magic, I feel it was this one.”

“A tense, miserable experience that I can never get back.”

“I don’t like thinking about him [Polyphemus, the Cyclops]. He just wanted to raise his sheep and make cheese!”

“Give me Robert Eggers’ The Odyssey! More gods, more dactylic hexameter, and way more weird sh*t, all in its original Ancient Greek. And yes, it’ll be 17 hours long.”

“Really nailed the ‘sweeping epic’ but the hard American accents, Tom Holland saying ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad,’ plus Charlize’s iPhone face, kept bringing me out of it. The Calypso part in general was done poorly.”

“Not a rewatchable Nolan movie, but definitely enjoyable. Movie score 10/10.”

“Sing to me, muse! How do you like them apples?”

“All in all a great adaptation. I couldn’t believe the cyclops and pig scenes, but Charlize was pretty forgettable and Tom Holland failed to impress me again. Agamemnon is the new Vader, and this was John Leguizamo’s apex mountain.”

“The book was better.”

👀 A Counter-Programming Recommendation

There are a lot of big movies heading our way over the coming weeks, but if you need something to enjoy from the comfort of your couch that won’t have you attempting to learn Ancient Greek or revisit Spider-Man’s extensive timeline, then may I suggest the film Tuner? A taut 100-minute drama about a child music prodigy-turned-piano tuner who learns he has the ability to open safes with his oversensitive hearing, this movie is really excellent. The top three things I liked about it:

1. Dustin Hoffman plays a very crotchety old man who is stuck in the past, which feels very apt for him.

2. Leo Woodall plays the lead and is just… really good at that? Made me much more optimistic for both Tony and 2028’s The Hunt for Golem. Whatever he’s got, he’s got a lot of it.

3. Anytime you can successfully combine heists + the world of classical music + New York City + an appearance from Jean Reno, I am going to be very, very in.

Seen anything good lately (other than Tuner)? What kind of cheese was Polyphemus making in that cave? Do you have the kind of mutant-level hearing that’s perfect for picking safes? Let me know by responding to this email.

OK, I changed my mind on how I want to do this re: The Odyssey. This week, it’s just me. But next week, I’m going full Zeus’ law by inviting each of you into this-here newsletter. So, if you’ve got a one-to-two sentence review you want to share with me, send it here or email me at maxbonem@gmail.com. Thank you in advance.

- Cheers, MB

📋 This Week We’re Covering:

👀 Marvel’s SIXTEEN-year plan
⛵️ The Odyssey, holy sh*t!
📋 Every Christopher Nolan movie, ranked
🐴 The one that’s The Iliad (sort of), and so much more

💰 Weekend Take: July 24-26

• The Odyssey crossed the $650 million mark this weekend. That is a lot of money, and while Spider-Man: Brand New Day arrives on Friday, I still think the Homeric Tom Holland and Zendaya-starring vehicle has the chance to shine against the Marvel of it all.

🗞️ And Now, the News

😎 Speaking of Marvel… Adam Driver is such a real one. The man who was Kylo Ren has supposedly passed on more Marvel movies than just about anyone else on Earth. And after everything that came with his (exceptionally good) performance in the most recent Star Wars trilogy—not to mention 65—this makes total sense. The guy might win an Oscar this year, so whatever new plan he’s on, I suggest he sticks with it.

🗓️ Double-speaking of Marvel, they apparently have their schedule planned until at least 2042. Man, I genuinely hope the new Spider-Man and Avengers movies are good, but regardless, this is… tough. Will I still be seeing these movies at 54? And will Infinity Vision continue to be a thing? Tune in 16 years from now to find out!

⚾️ Richard Linklater + Glen Powell + Baseball: Part 2 is a’go. After making one of my favorite movies this century in Everybody Wants Some!! (those two exclamation points are very important), this duo is teaming back up to make a movie about legendary Yankee Lou Gehrig that will be written by Simon Rich of all people. I like all of these dudes and I really like baseball movies so… let’s stay optimistic for now.

🚘 In terms of movies that seem more questionable, we’re getting Days of Thunder 2. BIG “theoretically” here, but this makes a lot of sense as Tom Cruise continues to try to stay in the heart of movie-going culture and after seeing the success of both Top Gun: Maverick and F1: The Movie, both of which were produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. Let’s hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and anticipate Nicole Kidman reprising her role as a neurosurgeon because… sure?

Lastly, a few unique trailers from the past week:

• Other Mommy: The less I say about this, the better. If you like creepy horror and/or Jessica Chastain, enjoy.

• Misty Green: Chris Rock’s newest directorial effort looks like a biting Hollywood critique with an excellent cast, including Adam Driver decidedly not being in a superhero movie and instead… doing whatever it is he’s doing here.

• Resident Evil: From the same mind as Weapons comes a 97-minute reinterpretation of the Resident Evil franchise that’s gonna make $500 million. Calling it right now.

• Ebenezer: Johnny Depp’s potential returning star vehicle and one of the most cursed looking films set to come out this year. Big ol’ humbug.

🍿 A Way-Too-Short Review - The Odyssey

How to even approach this? Is The Odyssey the best movie of the year so far? Potentially, yes. Is it writer and director Christopher Nolan at the absolute peak of his powers and the culmination of his nearly 30 years of cinematic work? Absolutely. But did it meet my own expectations? Well, not exactly, but that’s what I actually find most interesting about it.

With a source text that’s been interpreted by a million minds across more than 3,000 years and that’s filled with gods, mythological beings, and a lot of fornication, Nolan went very grounded with his version of Homer’s epic—deciding to leave the gods to our imaginations, make the Cyclops and Sirens highly human, and omit almost all carnal urges from anyone onscreen (although that last one isn’t super surprising for the rather proper Englishman). It’s a movie about reflection, guilt, and dogs. And, of course, time. It might also be the most decidedly human movie Nolan’s ever made.

Through all of his many choices across the three-hour journey, there are two that stand out to me most. First, the depiction of the fall of Troy, which slowly morphs and becomes clearer as the story is told by more people throughout the film, ending with Odysseus’ own version that he shares with Penelope after he’s returned. What starts as a tale of epic glory becomes one of hubris and remorse, knowing that what felt like a great victory via a clever tactic after 10 years of frustration eventually became the biggest regret of an aged man’s life. The other is Zendaya’s role as Athena, who is the only true “god” we see in the film. However, she exists only in the mind of Odysseus, somewhere between a dream, a memory, and the personification of a man’s conscience after seeing his soul pushed to its absolute limit.

Like many of Nolan’s more recent movies, I’m still chewing on this one (shoutout Circe for that reference). Something tells me in a few weeks, I’ll have a much more defined opinion of The Odyssey, and when I undoubtedly see it again, I’ll feel a lot stronger about the highs, the lows, and the moments in between. But from a sheer experience perspective, there’s no one out there right now working quite like Nolan. Between the story, the tactile filmmaking, the music, and every other small choice made throughout this film, it’s a true epic and a consistent vision from one of the world’s great living storytellers. Good thing that even if I still don’t really know how to approach this film, Big Chris certainly did.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is The Odyssey? The film Christopher Nolan has been making in each of his movies for 20 years, and also, the most important effort of his career.

Should you make time for this movie? Yes. Go see it on the biggest screen you can find as soon as humanly possible.

Will it win any Oscars? Yes, it has a legit chance to win every single one. And that is not hyperbole.

What will you remember most from this film? I’ll tell you what I’ll remember most is just the world that Nolan and his collaborators created. Filmed across Greece, Sicily, Morocco, Iceland, and Scotland, the ancient reality they Frankenstein’d together is both extremely knowable and completely mysterious. In particular, the trip to Hades is one of the most “holy sh*t” movie settings of the past… well, ever. So I guess that. What a time!

🎬 All 13 Christopher Nolan Movies, Ranked

13. Following: The one Nolan movie I haven’t seen, but I hear there’s both a Batman reference and a guy named Cobb in it, so… cool.

12. Insomnia: Imagine that your first studio movie starred Al Pacino and Robin Williams. And somehow, it wasn’t funny at all.

11. Batman Begins: Scarecrow is still 10/10. Also, that time Bruce Wayne did falling pushups was sick.

10. The Dark Knight Rises: Bane is still 11/10. And that time Michael Caine smiles? Also sick.

9. Memento: If you’ve ever wondered where Nolan’s time obsession began, look no further.

8. The Prestige: I’m not a 100% “Yo, The PRESTIGE though” guy, but I do enjoy David Bowie as Nikola Tesla.

7. Oppenheimer: Benny Safdie in zinc oxide and nuclear blast glasses 4 ever.

6. Dunkirk: Where is our Tom Hardy POW spinoff/sequel!? Where, I say!?

5. Tenet: They do, indeed, get up to some stuff—including inverted bungee jumping, which is equal parts very stupid and very awesome.

4. The Odyssey: It’s growing on me with some extremely high highs and even some very high mediums. For instance, Agamemnon as Darth Vader? Who knew I would enjoy that so much.

3. Interstellar: There’s a lot that I don’t like about this movie, but it’s got TARS, the black hole sequence, and the wave. Also, some really good Carhartt. For me, that’s enough.

2. The Dark Knight: A film that forever changed a genre, created one of the most indelible onscreen performances of the century, and lots of memes. Also, they flipped a god damn truck in downtown Chicago! I stand by it.

1. Inception: Not the best, most indelible, or important movie of Nolan’s career, but without a doubt my favorite. I love the idea, I love the execution, and most of all, I love the imperfection. Actually, most of all I love the *hits blunt twice* energy running rampant through this film. Man, Big Chris is such a real one.

👀 What the F*ck Is This Movie?

Troy: Director’s Cut (2004)

Based… loosely on arguably the greatest prequel of all time in The Iliad, Troy is a bloated, extremely hammy, and often times WTF film starring Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Brendan Gleeson, Diane Kruger, Rose Byrne, Brian Cox, Garrett Hedlund, and Brad Pitt as Achilles, which is… really something. The director’s cut, specifically, includes an extra 30 minutes of backstory, context, and blood, guts, and nudity. TBH, I highly recommend this rather silly, but enormous epic.

Fun fact: Did you know that Christopher Nolan was originally supposed to direct this movie instead of Batman Begins? One of Hollywood’s great sliding-door moments this century, but eventually, Nolan did get to see his vision through. Still though, any story that could have Brian Cox and Benny Safdie portray the same character is one that shall truly stand the test of time.

Seen anything good lately (other than the Troy: Director’s Cut)? What did you think of The Odyssey? Did Bane have a point? Let me know by responding to this email.

It’s so good to be back. I know I technically didn’t go anywhere, deciding to continue sending weekly updates throughout the never-ending World Cup. However, much like England and France in their respective erratic and disappointing semifinals, that wasn’t really me during that time. Writing through a haze of sleep deprivation and media overconsumption might be the norm for many out there, but I am someone who enjoys their rest. More importantly though, I enjoy going to the cinema, which I did for the first time this week since… March? April? Either way, it’s been far too long, but with two of the year’s biggest movies coming out before the end of July, it’s nice to feel my life returning to some level of normalcy. You know, until the European soccer leagues start up again in less than a month.

- Cheers, MB

This Week We’re Covering:

🗓️ Big release dates on the move
🍿 The fine tuning of The Invite
🎬 Other movies I like with Wilde, Cruz, Rogen, and Norton
👀 The one with four people’s names, and so much more

💰 Weekend Take: July 17-19

• Turns out, people were GD jazzed for The Odyssey. Literally, a tale as old as time.

🗞️ And Now, the News

Two big movies have been delayed: First, there’s JJ Abrams’ The Great Beyond, which will move from November of this year to an October 2027 slot that was previously reserved for Matt Reeves’ much-delayed The Batman: Part II. That movie will now come out allllll the way in February 2028. Yeesh. Then there’s also Joel Coen’s Josh O’Connor-starring Jack of Spades, which has also been bumped to next year.

Might we be “Bourne” again? Apparently Odysseus himself isn’t giving up on his beloved franchise, as Matt Damon confirmed that Edward Berger (Conclave, and a very disappointing movie from last year) is at the helm as both director and it seems screenwriter. There are also reports of Zendaya taking over the reigns, meaning we could get an Odyssey reunion in the middle of a fifth Bourne movie.

Otherwise, not a ton going on news-wise. Sure, there are some festival announcements, a weird-ass casting update, and the report that we’re heading toward the first $10 billion box-office year since before COVID. But otherwise, the entire industry has cleared out for The Odyssey, which I’ll be seeing this coming weekend. But first, I have to venture to Cincinnati, OH, which will be an odyssey in its own right.

Oh, and there were a few odds-and-ends trailers:

• Behemoth: One of the great screenwriters of our time, Tony Gilroy, who also directed Michael Clayton, made a movie about film composers that somehow looks completely enthralling. Could also be the ultimate make-or-break for Pedro Pascal’s leading-man potential. BIG in.

• I Play Rocky: Yes, this is a movie about Sylvester Stallone making Rocky, which if you don’t already know that BTS tale, is quite interesting. But this looks silly.

• The Uprising: Speaking of silly… Andrew Garfield plays a 1400s ploughman in rural England who leads a revolt against the king. He appears to be armed with a scythe and a lot of spite. Who knows, maybe this will become an in-transit instant classic. But also… maybe not.

• Avengers: Doomsday: Presented without comment.

🍿 A Way-Too-Short Review - The Invite

For a while, I considered solely writing, “Well damn, Olivia Wilde. I didn’t know you had it like that!” and calling it a day on my review of The Invite. I am exhausted and out of words after 40 days of footy fever. However, this excellent movie demands a bit more effort than basically just saying “I am le tired,” so here it goes.

Filling a role similar to The Drama from earlier in the year, to enjoy The Invite, you’ll have to be intrigued by the idea of just watching these four very famous people talk to, through, and at each other in one location for 100 minutes. If that’s your idea of a good time, then, well, come on it. If it’s not—especially knowing that this film really is a full-throttle rollercoaster of emotions—then maybe just check out The Odyssey, or perhaps Minions & Monsters is more your speed.

Sort of the antithesis of most movies that come out this time of year, Olivia Wilde’s third directorial effort is relatively taut and designed to make you think. If you’re currently in a long-term relationship, which couple of the two better represents you? Why? How did that happen? Do you want to be the other? And truly, where the f*ck is the wine? The Invite is great not just because it’s a well-made movie, but because it stays with you—both for better and worse, just like every relationship. OK, that’s enough of that. I’ll turn the firehose on next week for The Odyssey.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is The Invite? An absolute eruption of both pain and joy, a razor-sharp four-hander, and most importantly: an ode to the significance of finding the right rug.

Should you make time for this movie? If you are an adult who likes watching adults talk about adult things in an apartment—or you just appreciate Penélope Cruz as much as I do—then yes.

Will it win any Oscars? It’s an interesting question. Potentially for Adapted Screenplay or maybe Best Supporting Actor for Norton. Also, sneakily maybe Oliva Wilde for Best Director? I know it sound nuts, but she blocked the absolute f*ck out of this movie.

What will you remember most from this film? The tension, the face palms, the jámon that isn’t actually jámon, how detestable Rogen’s character is, the name “Hawk,” or maybe just the perfectly timed use of back pain. Yep, it’s the back pain.

🎬 My Other Favorite Performances From Each Person in The Invite

Seth Rogen, This Is the End or 50/50

I enjoy Rogen somewhat more as an insightful real-life dude than an actor, with a few exceptions. First was when he played the main protagonist in a movie where his character is a heightened version of himself. This Is the End was undoubtedly a half-baked idea that became an accidentally fascinating look at male intimacy, the Hollywood industrial complex, and fame. Also, such good memes.

But I think my favorite performance of his is in 50/50 where he’s the best friend of a guy who learns he has cancer and only a 50% chance of surviving. Rogen’s extremely human and overwhelmed depiction of a gent who only wants to help, but has no idea how to is really honest and maybe the best version of his “guy in over his head” persona that he went back to a few different times throughout the 2010s. Honorable mention: He’s hilarious with Bill Hader in Superbad. OK, I think we’re good now.

Penélope Cruz, Blow or Vicky Christina Barcelona

There are people who have it and people who don’t, and although I don’t think I can quantify what “it” is, Penélope Cruz has it in droves. The first time I came to this conclusion was during one of the myriad rewatches of the film Blow during high school, but mostly in college. In a movie that fits nicely—mostly in scope, but also in subject matter—between Scarface and The Wolf of Wall Street, she steals every scene she’s in, even though she plays everything at about 60%, while every bro in that movie is going at 200%. Conversely, there’s Vicky Christina Barcelona. I’m not here to defend the mind behind this film, all I’ll say is I’m a big fan of what ended up on screen, and it’s a fascinating time capsule of a couple who continue to put their marriage on full display for audiences to see. Sadly, Scarlett Johansson isn’t riding shotgun anymore, which… alas.

Olivia Wilde, Drinking Buddies or Tron: Legacy

I wouldn’t say Olivia Wilde is someone I think about super often, although I was lightly charmed by her random appearance in Babylon when I made my girlfriend watch it a few months ago, in exchange for me seeing Center Stage. We have fun. Anyway, do you remember the 2013 Joe Swanberg movie, Drinking Buddies? It came out not long after I left Chicago and was centered on four people in their 20s and 30s in the Chicago microbrewing world, which was a culture I was at least tangential to during my short stint there. Wilde plays the cool best friend who works at the brewery who is just super hot and charming and basically a fantasy of sorts, but also Swanberg’s movies are mostly improvised, so…

Option two here, however, is Tron: Legacy, which absolutely f*cking rocks. I don’t necessarily think it’s a good movie, but it is a very fun time and looks awesome on a big screen, preferably with a waft of cannabis in the air. You know, hypothetically. Also, Daft Punk did all the music and I find that moving. Oh, and yes, Olivia Wilde is in this and is sort of the romantic interest of Garrett Hedland, which… sure? Like I said, she’s not someone I think about a ton, but someone who does inhabit my thoughts on the reg…

Edward Norton, Kingdom of Heaven

Fun fact: my happiest experience during the seemingly endless World Cup was thanks to a funny moment involving Edward Norton and himself. Something about the Radiohead shirt + what I presume was a hazy IPA just really nailed it for me. And although I too enjoy Fight Club, Rounders, and his run in Wes Anderson land, to me (and probably only me), he will forever and always be the leprous King Baldwin in Kingdom of Heaven (particularly the director’s cut). Do we ever see his real face? No. Can we even know for sure that it’s him behind the mask? No we cannot, but I love that after he didn’t get one of the other roles he was up for, he asked to take this one and requested to be left uncredited, which (without knowing the guy) just feels like a very Edward Norton thing to do. Although it would’ve been sick if he’d just yelled out, “Bite the curb, mother f*cker!” at Brendan Gleeson in this scene instead.

👀 What the F*ck Is This Movie?

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1964)

The movie that walked so The Invite could sprint… kind of. Hit it, AI:

After returning to Los Angeles from a group therapy session, documentary filmmaker Bob Sanders (Robert Culp) and his wife, Carol (Natalie Wood), find themselves becoming vigilante couples counselors, offering unsolicited advice to their best friends, Ted (Elliott Gould) and Alice Henderson (Dyan Cannon). Not wanting to be rude, the Hendersons play along, but some latent sexual tension among the four soon comes bubbling to the surface, and long-buried desires don’t stay buried for long.

Having seen The Invite, there’s definitely some shared DNA here. But also… why is Dyan Cannon so f*cking small? Weird times.

Seen anything good lately (other than Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice)? Who else listens to the Tron: Legacy score on the reg? Would you date Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem? Let me know by responding to this email.

Holy moly, we did it! We’ve reached the final week of the World Cup. One hundred games down, just four to go until we complete what’s been a marathon, or dare I say… an odyssey of sorts. Speaking of which, that movie comes out on Friday, and while I won’t be seeing it until the following weekend, know that with that film comes the return of an ABO classic: the “What did 13 different people actually think of this movie” format. So, if you’re seeing Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey this weekend or next week, send a text, an email, née a messenger this way with your thoughts and I’ll be honored to include them. Just no spoilers please, or Cyclops fanfic. Big thanks!

- Cheers, MB

P.S. Big, big, big RIP to Sam Neill, who passed away yesterday. A legend for his performance in The Hunt for Red October, an icon for his role in the Jurassic franchise, and eternal for his time as Merlin in… Merlin. There’s no more, my TV movie fantasy friends, this really is the end of magic.

This Week We’re Covering:

🏜️ A very Shai Hulud Christmas
🍿 The near-romance of The Drama
🎬 Five Boston crime movies (just because)
👀 Dreaming about Nicholas Cage, and so much more

💰 Weekend Take: July 10-12

• Like I said last week, The Invite is coming in reeeeeeeal hot. That’s all for now.

🗞️ And Now, the News

Turns out, if you let young people make movies for other young people, said young people will turn the F out. Obsession passed the $400 million mark last week, making it the highest-grossing film with a budget under $1 million… ever. Just think about that for a moment. Now let’s just hope the studios learn the right lessons from its success and don’t do what happens 99.9% of the time instead.

The Ocean’s 11 prequel cast is getting very interesting. Bradley Cooper’s still-untitled 1960s heist/origin-story film added Josh Gadd (hmm), George MacKay (OK?), Omar Sy (big yes), and Vicky Kreips (whoa) recently, in addition to Wagner Moura, Monica Barbaro, and Margot Robbie. So yeah, I’m thinking we’re back.

Man, The Rock really wants that Oscar. And you know what? At least he’s using his forces for good. After not quite hitting the mark with The Smashing Machine, he’ll now team up with the duo behind Sing Sing and Train Dreams in a film about, “a Las Vegas motorcycle stuntman who conceals his dementia diagnosis from everyone as he risks everything on one last jump.” Honestly? Just makes me sad we’re not getting that Damien Chazelle-directed Evel Knievel biopic with Leo anymore. But also, good luck to Dwayne.

Ridley Scott is truly a one of one. Sir Rid has a new movie coming out soon called The Dog Stars. If you’d asked me a year ago if this movie would be a big deal, I would’ve said yes, as it’s a Jacob Elordi, Margaret Qualley, and Josh Brolin-starring post-apocalyptic drama based on a heralded novel. Instead, there’s a good chance it’s going to bomb, which is exactly why Scott is claiming it’s his best movie since 2015’s The Martian… even though he claimed 2024’s Gladiator II was the best movie he’s ever made. So… I don’t know, he’s almost 90 and has 17 movies in the works. Do your thing, bossman.

And now, some trailers that range from excellent to… sure?

• Dune: Part Three: LET’S GO, MOTHERF*CKERS!

• The Wrong Girls: Think Pineapple Express meets low-budget The Big Lebowski meets One of Them Days and you’re almost there.

• The Fox: I ran out of movie comparisons for the last one, so let’s just say… this film looks weird as sh*t.

• Digger: One more for good measure… Tom Cruise awards season marathon, incoming!

🍿 A Way-Too-Short Review - The Drama

I’m got another confession to make: I knew the twist that takes place in The Drama long before I saw the film. For anyone who remembers the pre-release marketing (ya know, besides the full-page wedding announcement in the Boston Globe), it was almost solely focused on a mysterious twist that was sure to turn heads and start conversations. How bad could it be? How gnarly will they go? How f*cked up is it really? Turns out, it was medium levels of all of those things, although my reaction to said twist—or lack thereof—may perfectly express why it made sense as a choice in the first place.

Outside of that, though, I quite enjoyed The Drama—mostly as a vehicle for both Zendaya and Robert Pattinson to just be two extremely good looking, but at least somewhat normal people. There are no capes or masks or sand worms (although maybe there should’ve been) in this movie, and instead we just get to observe two people often forced to be calm in very over-the-top circumstances actually be over-the-top in a very normal-ish reality. Also, they have a sick apartment that I’d like to live in. You know, if it wasn’t in Boston.

If you enjoy poking fun at financially comfortable big city liberals of a particular artistic-adjacent bent, or are a member of said contingent and don’t mind having a laugh at yourself (“Another bottle of the skin contact wine, please”), then you will enjoy The Drama. Yes, the twist will probably impact whether you love it or not, but don’t think of the movie simply as a vehicle for that development. Instead, enjoy watching two beautiful people unravel before finding a way back to one another, because if that isn’t a perfect distillation of modern love, then I don’t know what is.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is The Drama? A romcom disguised as a thought exercise disguised as some combination of reflections on trauma and ego. Also, it’s just quite good.

Should you make time for this movie? You should. It’s an easy movie to like, if not the easiest to love. And for those who really did not jive with it, well, maybe that’s a good sign too.

Will it win any Oscars? No, although whoever dressed their apartment deserves an award of some kind.

What will you remember most from this film? For a guy who likes to hide behind accents, transformation, and his own schtick, Bob Patts is really good at just being a precocious English man of the arts in this movie. Conversely, Alana Haim is somewhat evil in this film. And yet, both of them are great in their own way.

🎬 Five Crime Movies Set in Boston, Where The Drama Supposedly Also Took Place

The Town

There’s a great debate (amongst white dudes of a certain age who are semi-active on the internet) about what is the best Boston crime movie, and it usually comes down to two options, one of which is The Town. What I enjoy most about this Ben Affleck modern classic is its moments, its meme-ability if you will. The speech Affleck gives to Jeremy Renner about hurting people to which the incredibly unhinged Renner simply responds, “Whose car we gonna take?” The all-time line, “There goes college soccah!” or the cop who sees the four criminals pull up in a minivan dressed as nuns and simply looks the other way. I love this movie so much, but if it was a competition, this would be a close second…

The Departed

Every single thing I just said about The Town can also be said about the film that finally got Martin Scorsese his Oscar. The Departed is prestigious, impeccably cast, and includes some of the funniest banter between two non-essential characters in Alec Baldwin and Mark Wahlberg that you’ll ever see in a movie. Actually, everything Baldwin does in this movie is perfect… makes me sad. Anyway, where The Town is concise and sharp, The Departed is indulgent and expansive, much like Jack Nicholson’s last great performance as Frank Costello, a character pretty clearly based on Boston’s actual most notorious crime boss. Speaking of which…

Black Mass

Oh what could have been. From the director of Crazy Heart (good film), the writer of Edge of Tomorrow (great film), and starring (takes a deeeeeep breath) Dakota Johnson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Joel Edgerton, Peter Sarsgaard, Adam Scott, Juno Temple, Kevin Bacon, David Harbour, and Cory Stoll comes the tale of Whitey Bulger, who is played very loudly by Johnny Depp. TBH, I think everyone in this movie thought they were making the Boston Godfather, and instead, well, the fact that many of you are probably only learning about this film’s existence as you read this probably says it all. Still, it’s pretty good if everything I just said sounds intriguing.

The Boondock Saints

OK, let’s take a trip down the other side of the hill. While not nearly as prestigious or awards-worthy as any of the prior films on this list, The Boondock Saints is arguably more impactful than any of them. A tiny Boston crime movie that bombed at the box office, making less than $50,000 when released, before becoming one of the original video rental behemoths and grossing more than $50 million during that second phase of distribution, this film is about two Irish brothers who inflict harm on those they deem deserving in the Boston underworld. Also, everything Willem Dafoe does in The Boondock Saints is, well, absolute cinema to me.

The Beekeeper

Could I have told you after seeing The Beekeeper two-plus years ago that it takes place in and around Boston? Absolutely not, but a film’s location doesn’t always have to be a main character—kind of like how bees aren’t really that essential to this movie, which again, is called The Beekeeper. Instead, this is just 100% pure, uncut Jason Statham ass-kicking to the nth degree. Minnie Driver is randomly in this, as is Jeremy Irons and a character called “Lazarus,” who looks like this. This movie rips (buzzes?). No further questions.

👀 What the F*ck Is This Movie?

Dream Scenario

If you also enjoyed The Drama, and would like to experience more works from the brain behind it, consider Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario. Yes, it’s the movie where everyone on Earth starts having dreams about the same person, and that person is a middle-aged professor played by Nicholas Cage. Have a look.

Side note - There is a young actress in this movie named Lily Bird, who has three film credits to her name: The Northman, Dream Scenario, and Beau Is Afraid. If she never does another film, that is genuinely one of the most demented and incredible three-role careers of all time and I think we should all salute her.

Seen anything good lately (other than Dream Scenario)? Who will play young Saul (Carl Reiner) in the Ocean’s prequel? Why is Robert Pattinson like that? Let me know by responding to this email.

Two more weeks of 24/7 soccer world and then I’ll be back to using most of my mental capacity to do what I do best: see movies I somehow missed during the first 38 years of my life. But in the meantime, I watched what’s arguably been a top-three film for me of 2026 and even tried watching the 2004 classic Collateral in bits and bops over the past week—during the day, with the blinds open. Let’s just say, I think I saw more of my own reflection than I did Tom Cruise inquiring with the homie over whether that was or wasn’t his briefcase. Two more weeks.

Cheers,
MB

This Week We’re Covering:

🐺 King Freak Lord returns
🍿 Yes, The Sheep Detectives is delightful
🎬 A selection of other Hugh Jackman classics
👀 One more sheep film, and so much more

💰 Weekend Take: July 3-5

• HMU if you’ve seen Young Washington, which sounds like a CBS prequel to a long-running sitcom. Otherwise, I think a lottttt of people are going to enjoy The Invite once it goes wide.

🗞️ And Now, the News

Shrek Origins: Donkey is a’go. OK, that’s not the real title, but with four existing Shrek movies, two Puss in Boots spinoffs, and two more Shrek sequels in production, this franchise truly knows no bounds. All I’ve gotta say is, there better be some f*cking waffles in this origin story.

Praise be to… someone(?): Neon is releasing Artificial! Luca Guadagnino’s movie about the rise of Open AI and Sam Altman has found a new home after Amazon decided that… it might hit just a little too close to home for them. Of course, this film now has all the marketing juice it should need, but with Luca’s recent track record, well, let’s just hope it’s more Challengers and less After the Hunt. Pretty please?

Gosh, I f*cking love this weird man: According to Werfulf director Robert Eggers, none of the characters in his new film have names—except for the dog. The trailer for Eggers’ follow-up to Nosferatu is below, and I will say… this film will surely not be for everyone. It’s a dark-ages set tale of a man possessed, and that man is Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Also, Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe are back doing very Lily-Rose Depp and Willem Dafoe things. Merry Christmas, freaks.

This is just terrific news: Kneecap director Rich Peppiatt is making an Irish period piece about a time when more women were locked up in Irish prisons than men. Peppiatt wrote and directed one of my favorite movies of 2024 and the fact that he’s getting a real budget to make a much larger movie with the likes of Colin Farrell, Steve Coogan, and the queen of mischief herself, Alison Oliver, well, I just think that’s great.

And now, Trailer City USA:

• The Weight: Ethan Hawke is a prison inmate in the burgeoning Wild West who is offered a reduced sentence if he transports some gold from point A to point B by a conniving warden played by Russell Crowe. They just really don’t make movies like this anymore.

• Werwulf: Like I said, this sh*t is gonna be dark, gross, and extra violent. If you’d like some Middle-English carnage to accompany your Christmas roast beast, then have it.

• Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother: Described simply as, “A devoutly religious hit man struggles to balance work, faith and fatherhood,” and said devoutly religious hit man is played by Mahershala Ali. IN!

🍿 A Way-Too-Short Review - The Sheep Detectives

As of today, we’ve 66% of the way through the World Cup. To say it has been a long nearly four week would be… a lie. It’s been an excruciatingly long nearly four weeks, but without a doubt, the best thing I have watched during that time is The Sheep Detectives. Never in my life have I been more in need of counter-programming and my god, did these crazy f*cking bovids deliver.

If you are somehow unfamiliar with this recent phenomenon (say what you will, this movie about talking sheep with Cousin Greg from Succession as a British cop made $126 million at the box office), the title really tells you everything you need to know. Some sheep must solve the mystery of their murdered shepherd, played excellently by Hugh Jackman and whose last name has never been more apt, while all of the idiot humans squabble amongst themselves. Said sheep do this by using tactics they learned in mystery novels that Jackman read to them each night. That’s truly it and I could’ve watched 10 hours of this. Well, almost it. There’s also one of the great explanations and takedowns of human theology that’s ever been committed to film. You know, because that’s what sheep detecting is all about.

Besides Jackman and Nicholas Braun, who is constantly stumbling over himself, but also kind of charming, the cast is absolutely stacked with the likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Brett Goldstein, Patrick Stewart, and Chris O’Dowd all doing the lord’s work as voices of different sheep. Emma Thompson, Molly Gordon, and Nicholas Galatzine all pop up as dumb human beings, and you know what? They’re all delightful in their own cheeky-to-dumbfounding ways.

This isn’t complicated, just spend a night watching this very pleasant film. You will laugh way more than you think (who knew crossing roads could be so funny?) and you might even tear up (I would run through a wall for George the winter lamb). That’s all I got, but hopefully there are more cases for the sheep to solve on the horizon.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is The Sheep Detectives? Excellent, what else do you need to know?

Should you make time for this movie? Absolutely. It’s literally already on your TV. You got Prime? Then go watch these god-forsaken talking sheep!

Will it win any Oscars? It’s a good question. Unfortunately it doesn’t qualify as an animated feature, but Braun is doing a lot in human form, so maybe he’ll get a look? Maybe not.

What will you remember most from this film? Holy crap, all the weird comedy of sheep simply being in places you wouldn’t expect them to be. How Hugh Jackman might be capable of uniting all of humanity in world peace. Or, lil George the winter lamb. Yep, it’s him.

🎬 Five Other Times Hugh Jackman Showed He Can Do Anything

X-Men

Fun fact: did you know Hugh Jackman wasn’t the original choice for Wolverine? No, that would be (checks notes) Dougray Scott, who is another human being on this planet. Oh, and he’s actually married to Claire Forlani, so… things seemed to have worked out OK. Anyway, the homie Dougray had to bail because Mission: Impossible 2 went over-schedule and the rest is history. Jackman has since appeared in six other X-Men films, along with a trilogy of Wolverine movies (we’ll get there, relax), and whatever you wish to classify Deadpool & Wolverine as. But it’s his first time out as the character that made him a global star when you think, “Man, this could’ve gone so poorly, but instead, it’s actually pretty awesome.” Ya know, minus the black leather jumpsuits.

Swordfish

To those of you who just rolled your eyes, shh. Swordfish was a very big deal when it came out in 2001. You had John Travolta on comeback #17, Don Cheadle just as he was ascending with the Ocean’s movies and Hotel Rwanda, and heck, freakin’ Sam Shepard is in this nutty film that’s kind of about computer hacking. Also, Halle Berry letting it all hang out, both figuratively and literally (powerful stuff). Wow, Wolverine and Storm, together again! I hope they’re still friends. Somehow this was during an era where Jackman could serve as a semi-normal audience avatar and frankly, he did a solid job. Next!

The Prestige

Christopher Nolan has many great films, but if there’s one that’s maybe the most undervalued (and subsequently occasionally overblown), it’s The Prestige—which, as a reminder, is not the same as The Illusionist. Both good, but The Prestige, in all its weird Christian Bail² / David Bowie as Nikola Tesla wackadoodleness, is an all-timer. And a big part of that is Jackman, who sort of has to play the normal guy who doesn’t understand the twist, while also somewhat making a deal with the devil. Good look for neckerchiefs in this one, tough look for fingers.

Logan

Seventeen years after he first put on the claws, Jackman gave his iconic Wolverine character the proper sendoff he deserved. Well, until Disney backed a dump truck full of sweet cash onto this lawn for the Deadpool three-quel. Anyway, in the moment, Logan was actually a crushingly beautiful story of grief, regret, and aging wrapped inside of a Marvel movie. Jackman is so leathery and run-ragged, but is still able to bring whatever humanity is left in this indestructible butchering machine to the forefront. I gotta say, though, the kills in this movie are big, big sick.

Everything Else of His That I Simply Haven’t Seen

So, here’s the thing: Jackman has an entire side of his career that I’m completely not privy to. We’re talking about arguably the song-and-dance man of the 21st century with huge hits in Les Mis and The Greatest Showman, and heck, Song Sung Blue was in awards contention last year, a movie where he sang freakin’ Neil Diamond songs. What can’t this giant hunk of Aussie beef do? WOW, I completely forgot about Australia!

Honorary Mention: Australia

OK, on second thought, this movie is the epitome of mid-to-late era Baz Luhrmann and is pretty meh, BUT it is one of the few times Jackman got to use his normal accent. So, that’s something right? I heard this was better when they turned it into a six-episode miniseries.

👀 What the F*ck Is This Movie?

Rams

To give you an idea of how under-seen this was—a film starring one of our great actors in Sam Neill—I described the premise to my girlfriend, who responded by saying, “This sounds like a dream you had.” Well, DREAM NO MORE because this sh*t is real! Hit it, whatever AI platform spat this out:

Two estranged brothers must set aside their differences when a rare and lethal illness threatens their respective flocks of sheep in Western Australia.

Like I said, Rams exists (and here’s a trailer to prove it). But it does make me wonder why we keep making sheep movies? Is it because they’re cute and recognizable? Or because they’re easy to herd? Or maybe it’s just because we have more in common with them then we realize. Who’s to say, but regardless, sheeple unite! Also, UPDATE: this is a remake of an earlier Icelandic film that ALSO has a trailer. Dang, we’ve got early Paul McCartney solo era fans all over this planet of ours!

Seen anything good lately (other than Rams)? Which sheep detective were you most charmed by? And in the morning, who will bring me waffles? Let me know by responding to this email.

It’s been a while since I’ve been particularly excited to talk about a movie, but I actually have two absolute bangers on deck for the next few weeks—which is helpful as the World Cup is still charging as hard as the train in Unstoppable. And if that’s not a reference you get, I suggest you change that. Denzel, Pine, and a literal unstoppable freight train? I mean, come on! Anyway, more to come next week, and in the meantime, let’s talk about Luca Guadagnino’s potentially disappeared Sam Altman movie and a bunch of charming beavers.

- Cheers, MB

This Week We’re Covering:

🤔 What is happening with Artificial?
🍿 Hoppers is a wild f*cking ride
🎬 Five more fish-out-of-water films
🦫 Mel Gibson’s midlife-crisis puppet, and so much more

💰 Weekend Take: June 26-28

• Things people seem to like: toys, horror, and anime films with entirely too long titles. Things people seem to like… less: members of the greater Superman family.

🗞️ And Now, the News

This whole Artificial story is very odd. OK, this is slightly old news now, BUT in case you don’t follow this stuff as closely as I do, here’s the deal. Luca Guadagnino—director of such films as Call Me By Your Name, Challengers, and the one where Timothée is a cannibal—made a Social Network-inspired origin-story movie centered on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Originally, Amazon was set to release the film later this year in time for an awards run, but instead, they’re dumping it, which leaves Luca on the hook to find a new distributor. There are a lot of layers here, but besides early reviews saying that it’s gone way darker than originally intended, most major studios already have some kind of relationship with any number of AI giants, so… who is actually untethered enough to release what’s most likely a complete take down of the industry?

In other news, George Lucas loves the Minions so much that he has a cameo in their newest movie. Consider this your palette cleanser. Much like his good pal Martin Scorsese, who recently voiced a character in The Mandalorian and Grogu, George just wants to be a part of what he loves. And in this case, that’s the Minions’ ode to classic cinema.

Jesse Eisenberg’s new directorial effort is not a musical… exactly. Did you see A Real Pain? I did, but probably wouldn’t have given Kieran Culkin an Oscar for his performance. I was, however, very impressed by Eisenberg as a writer and director, so when it was announced that his next movie would include original song and dance numbers, I was a bit concerned. However, it appears that The Debut (you can watch the trailer below) is simply a story about community theater, rather than being an actual musical, which I am very thankful for. Paul Giamatti and Julianne Moore? Nice!

Bold move, Cotton! It appears the Danish man who made Another Round, one of my favorite movies of the decade, is potentially making a film with Tom Holland, who is def one of my top five Spidermen of the decade. I think? This is a very unlikely pairing, although Mads Mikkelsen was the lead in Thomas Vinterberg’s painfully great movie about alcoholism and aging, and he is in the rare class of actor who has appeared in James Bond, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Marvel, AND Indiana Jones. God damn, my guy Mads is l-i-v-i-n-g.

Lastly, a few trailers to enjoy this sunny/rainy Monday (I don’t know where you live):

• Klara and the Sun: It’s been a while since Taiki Waititi’s gotten a big win, so maybe this significantly delayed adaptation of a very well-received book is the answer? Unclear, but at least my mom is excited and she typically has good taste.

• The Devils: Odd that a re-release of a rarely seen 1971 horror film has me this excited, but Ken Russel’s The Devils isn’t just any old and rarely seen horror film.

• The Debut: As promised, please enjoy a look at Jesse Eisenberg’s new movie about community theater, power, and middle-age obsolescence.

🍿 A Way-Too-Short Review: Hoppers

Within Hoppers—the 2026 Pixar movie about a 19-year-old who transports her consciousness into an animatronic beaver so that she can stop the development of a new highway in her Oregon town—is a little long. At an hour and 44 minutes, the seams start to show about 60 minutes in when you think, “Wait, this is all wrapped up, the beavers hath been saved.” And then, this film for children goes in a very odd direction where a recently hatched, megalomaniacal butterfly named Titus reverses the tech and takes over an animatronic human body. Folks, this is extremely frightening sh*t.

That all being said, the highs of Hoppers, a movie that I’d recommend watching under the influence of… something, are quite high. Tom the lizard? Excellent. Diane the Great White Shark? Very good. The looks of the animals via the humans vs. each other? Quite odd, but also kinda fascinating. As long as you focus on those aspects and try not to overthink all of the other forces at play here, you will have a good time. Again, just know there are both 15-20 minutes of excess in this film, and one of the more disturbing occurrences of fictional biological reversed engineering ever committed to cinema. Other than that, fun for the whole family!

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is Hoppers? Per a scene from the actual film: “This is nothing like Avatar. OK, this is exactly like Avatar.” Just with more beavers.

Should you make time for this movie? I will admit, I laughed quite a bit, however, it’s both too long and gets somewhat convoluted by the end. Also, Titus. No thank you!

Will it win any Oscars? I don’t think so. I’d assume that Toy Story 5 will suck all the oxygen out of the Best Animated Feature race at some point, unless an unexpected dark horse rears its surprising animated head.

What will you remember most from this film? Where to even start? The lizard, Loaf, the Amphibian King, the use of emojis… I can’t decide, but it’s definitely the emojis. Beaver, beaver, log!

🎬 Five Other Movies That Do Something (Loosely) Similar to Hoppers (Kind of?)

Avatar

It is remarkable how similar Hoppers and Avatar are. You’ve got someone putting their consciousness into another form/being in order to participate in a society made up of a foreign species, all of which is tied to an ecological agenda from the invading humans. There’s a kooky female scientist and her spunky/ultra-nerdy assistants. And of course, plenty of cross-cultural hijinks, especially once local leaders get involved. As I mentioned above, they literally use Avatar as a reference point when the main character in Hoppers is learning how the technology that transports one’s mind into an animal robot works. It’s great, both from a corporate brand-cohesion perspective and (hits blunt once) because it’s nice knowing that Avatar exists in the reality Hoppers takes place in. Right? Right.

FernGully: The Last Rainforest

Although, what Avatar is to Hoppers, FernGully is to Avatar. Ya know, but with Robin Williams as a bat and Tim Curry doing… very Tim Curry things. Seriously, a logger in the rainforest gets shrunk down and encounters a fairy, who he helps save said forest from evil pollution incarnate that comes about as a result of the logging done by said logger’s company. And again, there’s a very chatty bat (think of it sort of as his warm up for the Genie later that same year). Otherwise, this 1992 animated gem has some good musical numbers, lots of forest creatures, and an oddly attractive, strong-willed female character who acts as the protagonist’s guide through this new world. Again, FernGully walked so Avatar could fly… preferably on the back of Toruk Makto.

The Last Samurai

I’m just going to come out and say it: I find this movie very entertaining—less so because of Tom Cruise as White Savior No. 1 and more because of the feudal Japan setting and the star-making supporting performances. However, Cruise really is Cruising at full speed here. From the same man who brought us Glory (very unsurprisingly), The Last Samurai uses a similar “fish out of water” construction, but this time it’s a Civil War general dropped into the world of, well, you guessed it. Shout out to Ken Watanabe and Hiroyuki Sanada though, who’ve both become Hollywood fixtures over the past 20 years and gave us two of the best Japan-centered TV shows of this century in Tokyo Vice and Shōgun. See? I watch TV sometimes.

Dune

No, I’m not talking about David Lynch’s hairspray and latex-blasted acid trip from the 80s. For me, there is only one proper theatrical version of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic and it was made by an incredibly disturbed genius from Quebec. One massive part Star Wars (or I guess the other way around really) and the other whatever foreign-savior saga you prefer, Dune and Hoppers really aren’t that far off from each other—which is a totally normal sentence to write in 2026. Man, is the World Cup over yet? If not, I hope it is by the time Denis Villeneuve’s third and final Dune movie hits theaters. Seriously, just call a thumper and feed me to Shai Hulud if not.

Pocahontas

Look, this isn’t really one of my Disney pillars, but if we’re talking about movies where someone enters a new culture, tries to assimilate, and has to join the new culture’s side in a fight against that which they left behind, you can’t not talk about the House of Mouse’s, let’s say, highly interpreted version of the Pocahontas story. On the plus side, good creatures, songs, and memes. On the negative side, well, I’ll let you go on that journey on your own time.

👀 What the F*ck Is This Movie?

The Beaver

Hopefully you have no idea what this movie is, so, uh, let’s start here:

Walter Black (Mel Gibson), the head of a failing toy company, is deeply depressed. His marriage to Meredith (Jodie Foster) is broken and his oldest son, Porter (Anton Yelchin), hates him. When Meredith finally throws him out of the house, Walter begins his final tailspin. Drunk and alone, Walter is about to commit suicide, but is saved by the voice of the beaver puppet he found in a dumpster. Wearing the puppet on his hand, Walter speaks only through it and tries to get his life on track.

Not entirely sure where this was on the Mel reclamation tour, but think of it this way: 15 years ago, he was doing talking hand-puppet movies and now he’s working on a Passion sequel that’s being described as “an acid trip,” featuring angelic and demonic battles and Christ’s descent into hell. End message.

Seen anything good lately (other than The Beaver)? Which animal would you most like to speak with? Who is ready for a Last Samurai rewatch? Let me know by responding to this email.

What’s your all-time favorite line reading? Does one come to mind? Maybe it’s “We’re gonna need a bigger boat” or “Even great things have small beginnings” or “Six years later, you’re singing ‘Surrey with the Fringe on Top’ in front of lra!” All great contenders, but for me, one towers above all the others, “I know.”

That said, “Get off my plane,” is a very close second from the exact same person, and after rewatching Air Force One last week, I am glad to see that it still really holds up. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the movie’s special effects, or concept of how large a plane is, but it’ll always have Harrison Ford executing Gary Oldman—not jut literally, but also thespianically. Hm, is that a word?

Cheers,
MB

This Week We’re Covering:

🤑 A personal fav gets paid
🍿 The importance of 48 Hrs.
🎬 Five more great buddy cop films
🤔 48 Hrs: Part Two, and so much more

💰Weekend Take: June 19-21

• Welcome to the biggest box-office weekend of 2026, brought to you by Buzz, Woody, and a not-iPad iPad. Turns out, the toys still got it, unlike the 27th iteration of Robin Hood to hit the screen in the past 100 years. I don’t actually know how many Robin Hood movies there have been, but the fact that you didn’t do a double take after reading that should mean I’m not too far off.

🗞️ And Now, the News

My guy Wagner Moura is getting PAID. After receiving his first Oscar nomination last year, for which I think he should have won, Brazil’s greatest import since pão de queijo is going mainstream. Which in this case means he’s playing the villain in Bradley Cooper’s Margot Robbie-starring Ocean’s 11 prequel. This film is set during the 1962 Monaco Grand Prix and involves a heist. I cannot be more sold.

Speaking of B-rad… He’s also set to start in Sean Penn’s January 6th drama for Warner Bros. First, take a beat and digest all of that information. Now, here’s the operative sentence from that article, “The project is being described… as an ‘unexpected story about friendship,’ but one that functions on multiple levels.” Um, what?

Looks like Austin Powers, much like Shrek (more on that below), is coming back from the dead—aka Canada’s most Canadian Canadian admits that he likes nice stuff and needs more money to afford it. Mike Myers, you are one of the funniest people of this century, especially that one time you were Winston Churchill for 90 seconds in Inglourious Basterds. But sure, do whatever you want. We (mostly) support you.

Paul Schrader Dismisses Spielberg’s Disclosure Day: “A Master Chef Makes a Soufflé Out of Leftovers.” Yes, Schrader is still A) alive, B) lucid, and C) posting on the internet. While he actually has made one rather good film this century (First Reformed 4 ever), all I can say is: leave Steve alone. He believes in aliens, he’s got a lot of thoughts about them, and now he’s ready to move on… apparently to a western.

And now, some trailers:

• Shrek 5: See? Told you there’d be more. Side note, what did they do… to all of these characters?

• The Last House: Like I said, my guy Wagner is OUT here. This premise though, of being stuck in your house with your family for literal years on end, is actually quite frightening.

• Spiderman: Brand New Day: Two things. First, this new trailer looks much better than the sloppy-slop first one. Second, it got over a million views in its first hour. The kids love Peter Parker.

🍿A Way-Too-Short Review - 48 Hrs.

Like Alien, which arrived three years prior, and When Harry Met Sally, which arrived seven years later, 48 Hrs. basically invented, if not simply redefined, a genre. There were, of course, oddly paired dude adventures before this 1982 classic, but in the history of buddy cop movies in Hollywood, there was the pre-48 Hrs. era and the post-48 Hrs. era. And while I’d love to say that’s because of the incredible chemistry between the two leads, that would be incorrect (sorry, Nick Nolte. Kind of). It’s because this was Eddie Murphy’s first proper explosion onto the big screen as he began his climb to becoming arguably the biggest comedic star on the planet.

From the first moment we see Murphy—singing The Police’s “Roxanne” from a prison cell 25 minutes in the movie—it is solely his show. Whether it’s at the police station chirping at, uh, ladies of the night or sleeping in the backseat of Nolte’s car or picking up a girl in the second-best bar scene of the film (more on #1 below), Eddie is a tractor beam, pure and simple. And if you’re someone like me who was mostly raised on Murphy’s exploits in The Nutty Professor, Shrek, and Dr. Doolittle, it’s just nice to see him as he was on the come-up and when he was still an apex comedic predator, rather than just being that very wealthy guy with a ton of kids. Hm, where does Bowfinger fit into that Venn diagram? Much to consider…

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is 48 Hrs.? An extremely racist, and at times funny, 1982 buddy cop movie more rooted in the grimy 70s than the verbose 80s built solely on the charisma of a young Eddie Murphy and… whatever Nick Nolte was bringing to the table.

Should you make time for this movie? If you’re someone like me that enjoys seeing where genres and tropes are born, then yes. If you aren’t as knowledgeable about pre-massive star-era Eddie Murphy, then also yes. Otherwise… 🤷‍♂️

Did it win any Oscars? Absolutely not, although Murphy should’ve been considered.

What will you remember most from this film? This entire scene. That is all.

🎬 Five Great Buddy Cop Movies Clearly Influenced by 48 Hrs.

Men in Black

Having now seen 48 Hrs., I really think director Barry Sonnenfeld’s entire pitch for this movie was just, “48 Hrs., but with aliens, and slightly less racism.” Still, Men in Black was one of the most pronounced cultural touch points of my youth and as a New York resident, I still think about it every time I take the Holland Tunnel, see the World’s Fair flying-saucer towers in Queens, or question someone at my local morgue. “Zed, we have a bug” or “We need cinnamon” or really any and all things Vincent D’Onofrio is doing and saying as Edgar, they’re each imprinted in the back of my brain, much like the absolutely iconic table scene. The sequel is meh and the third one is hot trash, but the original MiB is the perfect mix of Will Smith’s 90s effervescence and Tommy Lee Jones’ acidic charm. Perfect, no notes.

Rush Hour

Real talk: I f*cking love Jackie Chan. Operation Condor, First Strike, Rumble in the Bronx, I have seen each of these poorly dubbed classics infinite times. And while Rush Hour lacks some of the handmade, how-did-he-not-die-doing-that-stunt energy of Chan’s earlier films, it is a near-perfect movie. Much like with 48 Hrs., Chan and Chris Tucker balance each other with some extreme dissimilarity, but mutual admiration. It’s not just a story about two guys who are different races, ages, and personalities, but the way in which their differing cultures find their way into every single interaction is just so god damn enjoyable. That said, I have no comment on the reported fourth movie.

The Nice Guys

Mother f*cking Angry Birds, man. For anyone wondering why this perfect movie—starring Russel Crowe in his final oddly good performance and Ryan Gosling right before he really figured himself out—didn’t turn into a franchise, well, you can blame The Angry Birds Movie, which was released the same weekend and basically sunk The Nice Guys where it stood. From the same mind that came up with Lethal Weapon, another face on the buddy cop Mt. Rushmore, this movie makes about… 57% sense, and you know what? I don’t give a sh*t. Gosling’s now-iconic scream, the bathroom stall scene, everything about the wild-ass party they attend and stuff (remember, don’t say “and stuff”), it’s all terrific! Maybe they’ll make another one, I still believe. Those two would do great in the 80s, or they’d spontaneously combust. Who’s to say?

21 Jump Street

As I mentioned when the third entrant in this series was recently announced, I really enjoy this very silly, but oddly smart cinematic play on nostalgia, friendship, and law enforcement. At the time, no one thought that a movie based on an 80s TV show, starring Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, and Ice Cube, and directed by the guys who made Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, would end up as one of the funniest films of the decade, but here we are. And its perfect dissection and reconstruction of what a buddy cop movie can even be is just the magic fairy dust on top of… whatever fake drugs they take in this film.

Se7en

OK, this is sort of a joke, but David Fincher’s first masterpiece is, technically, a buddy cop movie, just with fewer laughs and more existential dread/headless Gwyneths (spoiler alert!). I don’t remember how old I was when I initially saw Se7en, but it was one of the first times I remember thinking, “Whoever made this sees the world around us in a very specific and much different way than I do.” And you know what? I was right. The mood, color, tone, and very cold/damp vibe of this excellent thriller, just everything about it, is so perfectly precise and unnerving. And while Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman made this movie their own, never forget that at one point it was going to be Denzel and Pacino instead. Also, they’re all acted off the screen by John Doe himself, but the less we talk about that gentleman, the better.

👀What the F*ck Is This Movie?

Another 48 Hrs.

In the eight years between 48 Hrs. and its sequel, Eddie Murphy became one of the biggest stars on the planet, while Nick Nolte became even more… himself. But, never one to say no to a massive franchise cash-grab, Eddie eventually said yes and thus we got this:

While trying to capture drug lord “The Iceman,” policeman Jack Cates confronts two criminals and kills one of them in self-defence. The head of internal affairs wants to prosecute Jack since there was no weapon found on the victim.

Something tells me that synopsis is just the tip of the iceberg, but even though I enjoyed 48 Hrs., its sequel does not call to me. Sorry, Eddie—maybe I’ll finally watch Beverly Hills Cop instead.

Seen anything good lately (other than Another 48 Hrs)? What can’t Wagner Moura do? Do you, like Amelia, answer to the call of the wild? Someone will get that, I think? MAN, that movie rips. Let me know by responding to this email.

Happy… what day is it? I’ve been swimming in a sea of non-stop soccer soup for the past week, which has turned the voices in my head into a weird combination of Thierry Henry’s smooth French tones and the semi-artificial crowd noise that’s being pumped into the TV broadcasts. However, I have still found some time to watch a few films as one cannot live on footy alone. Anyway, wish me luck as we begin our first week of four games per day and I try to figure out why my AC keeps randomly turning off. It was the best of times, it was… blergh.

- Cheers, MB

This Week We’re Covering:

😬 The Social Reckoning’s… casting reckoning
🍿 The glory of Dave
🎬 Five fascinating recent trailers
🇺🇸 A White House whodunit, and so much more

Weekend Take: June 12-14 💰

• I know one person who has seen Disclosure Day and they did not enjoy themselves. Still, no one does it like Spielberg, so I suspect I’ll see this some night when Curaçao and Uzbekistan play or something. Maybe.

🗞️ And Now, the News

We’ll get into the trailer below, but apparently Aaron Sorkin spent three days trying to convince Jesse Eisenberg to return for The Social Reckoning. Again, plenty more to say on this, but I wouldn’t describe this as the best omen for what already feels a bit like a cursed project. One of Eisenberg’s key reasons for declining the offer? “He doesn’t like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say ‘I’m CEO, bitch’ for him to sign.” Whoever those kids are—buy some overpriced Gardetto’s and a Celsius, take a deep breath, and don’t do that.

Just a huge “hell yeah”: 24 Jump Street is officially in the works. It has been a tough few years for Jonah Hill, and while Channing Tatum might actually campaign for an Oscar nom this fall (you’ll see), both of them seem like they could use a big commercial win. Enter: the return of one of the funniest franchises of the 21st century. Sadly, Lord and Miller (of Project Hail Mary utter domination) will only produce this one, after leading the first two, but with the two stars back, and the appointment of the director of Into the Spiderverse to lead the third entry, this should be great.

Next stop for Maxes everywhere: The Wasteland. Was Furiosa good? Well, it was certainly ballsy and weird. But after Fury Road became one of the better movies in recent memory, it just sort of paled in comparison. Luckily, Mad Max creator George Miller has an idea for a Fury Road prequel that he’s shopping around, with plans to sell the rights to the Mad Max IP and motorcade off into the Aussie sunset afterward. The man is responsible for both Immortan Joe and Babe: Pig in the City, what an incredible human.

🇺🇸 A Way-Too-Short Review - Dave

Dave is fantastic. That’s really my whole review. I wish there was more to say, but why ruin a good, pure thing? Could this 1993 film about a man who is asked to be a short-term body double for the president, before taking on the role for an extended period of time after the a*shole actual president has a stroke, come out today? Probably not, it’s way too clouded in boomer optimism and would end up becoming more of a thriller about the coup of replacing the president with a lookalike, rather than about what happens when you give a good, normal person power over the executive branch. But that’s OK.

Instead, let us simply savor how incredible Kevin Kline is as the titular Dave Kovic, how interesting it is to see Sigourney Weaver outside of a power loader, ghost bust, or Na’vi tank, and how perfect Ving Rhames is as the gruff Secret Service agent with a heart of gold. What is Frank Langella doing in this movie exactly? That is a god question, and wouldn’t all participants in this heist of the American people’s trust be sent to the Gulag? That is also a good question. But rather than focus on any of those things, instead, let us simply enjoy a good, idealistic film about a dude who runs a temp agency that teams up with Charles Groden to balance the national budget over a plate of bratwurst. Because if that isn’t what early-90s cinema was all about, than I don’t know what is.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is Dave? A super chill romp through a White House, presidency, and America that, if it ever did exist, surely doesn’t anymore.

Should you make time for this movie? Absolutely, it’s delightful.

Did it win any Oscars? No way, although it was nominated for Best Original Screenplay, which sure. Hot take: Ving Rhames deserved a Best Supporting Actor nom. I stand by it.

What will you remember most from this film? The optimism, the soft comedy, or maybe just that Kevin Kline could’ve been our biggest movie star if he’d put his mind to it. I also stand by that.

🎬 Five Massive Recent Trailers to Check Out

I Want Your Sex (7/31)

Imagine, if you will, Cooper Hoffman on all fours being walked around on a leash by Olivia Wilde. If that visual intrigues you, than I have great news. This movie looks a bit dumb, but also could be very entertaining, and with big, drama-filled years ahead for both Hoffman and Wilde (in terms of their movie choices, at least), I Want Your Sex could be the fun pallet cleanser we all need. Or you might want to take a shower afterward, who’s to say?

Heart of the Beast (9/25)

Oddly both this and the next movie on this list could’ve rolled with the title “Heart of the Beast,” but I digress. What we’ve got here is Brad Pitt continuing two recent journeys at once: his swing toward cinematic conservatism that began with F1, and his love of dogs with combat experience, which began so nicely in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Pitt plays a retired Army special forces officer whose plane goes down in a remote part of the Alaskan wilderness and his only chance of survival is putting his faith in his combat-tested German Shepherd companion. It’s OK, traumatized dads need content too.

Whalefall (10/16)

I am saying this without a single drop of irony or sarcasm, but holy sh*t, this movie looks absolutely sick. The premise? An experienced diver goes, well, diving for his missing father who he appears to have a complicated nautical relationship with. During that process, he’s swallowed by a sperm whale. And let me tell you, if you watch that trailer, you are going to have a lot of questions that I simply can’t answer. But one thing I do know is that I could not care less if this is actually feasible because, what the f*ck, there’s a giant squid INSIDE the whale at the same time!?!? I LOVE MOVIES.

The Social Reckoning (10/9)

OK this film actually comes out before Whalefall, but in order to do the names bit about “Heart of the Beast,” I had to swap them. Whatever, we’re here to talk about the “sequel” to arguably the best movie… of this millennium? As I mentioned above, no Eisenberg, coupled with absence of director David Fincher, who’s been replaced by writer Aaron Sorkin, and no score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, which… is dumb (although, shoutout Alexandre Desplat, who I believe took over. Just won’t be the same without “Hand Covers Bruise”). Man, I really want this to be good, but also, man, this movie feels so very miscast. Of course, the exception could be Jeremy Strong, who was seemingly born to do… whatever it is… he’s doing here.

Gatto (3/5/27)

Lastly, we have a sweet little look at Pixar’s first hand-drawn/painted film about a small Spanish cat and his pals. Seriously, they’re trying things out the old-fashioned way (presumably with a lot of digital touchups), which I hope is very charming. For anyone who has a cat, watch the trailer and tell me you aren’t 100% sold. I’ll be right here waiting in the meantime, enjoying a bit of stolen tuna.

👀 What the F*ck Is This Movie?

Murder at 1600

You know how there’s literally nothing better in a movie than when a character says the title within said-film? Well, boy do I have a special, Wesley Snipes-inflected treat for you:

A secretary is found dead in a White House bathroom during an international crisis, and Detective Harlan Regis is in charge of the investigation. Despite resistance from the Secret Service, Regis partners with agent Nina Chance. As political tensions rise, they learn that the crime could be part of an elaborate cover-up. Framed as traitors, the pair and Regis’ partner break into the White House to expose the true culprit.

Riddle me this: HOW IN THE RED, WHITE, AND BLUE has this movie not been remade by Netflix seven times across seven different administrations? This is (the land of the) free money we’re talking about being left on the table! This is a multi-thousand-dollar idea, at least! I can keep going!

Seen anything good lately (other than Murder at 1600)? When will Brad Pitt play a Joe Rogan-inspired podcast host? Could you survive being digested by a whale? Let me know by responding to this email.

A few bits of housekeeping before we get into things today:

First off, hi, I hope you’re doing great and trust you’ve presumably dug all of your summer clothes out of storage now that it feels like a proper swamp outside.

Secondly, there will be no review this week. Frankly, none of my recent viewings felt right for a proper review, so instead, I’m just going to talk about each of my watches from the past week below. A look behind the scenes, if you will. Neat, right?

And thirdly, the World Cup starts on Thursday, and for those of you who don’t know, I happen to work in the soccer media sphere. So, what does that mean for ABO? I am still planning to send out a newsletter each Monday, however, based on the amount of time I’m going to spend watching men kicka’ the ball and passa’ the ball over the coming days/weeks, we’ll have to see if that in fact happens.

Otherwise, be sure to subscribe to the Men in Blazers (that’s where I job) newsletter right here for daily updates during the World Cup. Who knows, we might even make you laugh once or twice between the tears. Well, unless you don’t follow the U.S. men’s team. Then the tournament should be pretty chill.

Cheers,
MB

This Week We’re Covering:

💻 Scorsese: Enemy of the state
🛑 Denzel’s delayed historical epic
🍿 Everything I’ve watched lately
🛰️ A sequel no one wanted, and so much more

Weekend Take: June 5-7

• I heard an interesting fact this weekend about Obsession: it was the first film since E.T. in 1982 to increase its box office each weekend for the first three weeks after it was released. Think about that for a second.

And Now, the News

The headline that sent the film internet into a frenzy: Martin Scorsese is embracing A.I. Look, Marty is 84 years old with upwards of eight(!) films currently in some state of production – if he wants to use AI for storyboarding and pre-viz, let the man do his thing. If AI allows him to speed up pre-prodution to give us more of the weird stuff that crawls out of his deranged brain, I support it. Just… know there’s a line.

Steven Spielberg went on The Rewatchables and it was just delightful. Maybe you listen to Bill Simmons’ movie podcast, and maybe you don’t. However, hearing Steve talk about his love of 2001: A Space Odyssey while Bill does impressions of characters from Jaws and explains the extremely puzzling categories they use in the pod to one of the great filmmakers of all time is simply great content.

Meet your 2026 holiday-season counter programming: David Corenswet’s Mr. Irrelevant. For those of you not interested in Dune: Part Three or Avengers: Doomsday (which will collectively be known as “Dunesday” for the sickos out there), then be sure to keep an eye on this movie starring new Superman as the guy taken as the last pick in the NFL Draft. It’s apparently testing bonkers well and will be the default option for every family out there with a gruff uncle who isn’t into intergalactic holy wars or, hm, what is Doomsday about it again?

Netflix pauses pre-production on Antoine Fuqua’s Hannibal epic starring Denzel Washington. I tried to think of a funny way to frame this, but there are just too many layers here. First, there’s Washington, who is 71 years old, playing the legendary Carthaginian general, and has become a large point of contention amongst Tunisians, where Carthage once stood. Not just because of his age, but also because, well… take a guess. Then there’s the fact that Netflix is rethinking its exhibition strategy, especially for $200+ million projects such as this one. And then there’s Fuqua’s recent turn as the director of Michael, a film that will probably make a billion dollars, but also because, well… take another guess.

And now, some real “we live in hell” trailers from last week:

• How to Rob a Bank: Imagine if the most popular people on social media were also bank robbers… No, really. That’s it.

• Onslaught: I’m going to just paste the official log line because I watched this one twice and still didn’t quite get it, “A mother (Adria Arjona) living in a trailer park struggles to protect her family from a threat that has escaped from a secret military facility.” Hm, yep I guess that is true…

• Ice Cream Man: It’s a horror movie called “Ice Cream Man.” Whatever you’re imagining right now is pretty darn close.

Five Movies I Watched Recently, Which Make for an Odd Group When Listed Out Like This

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Relax, this was a rewatch. However, I can’t remember the last time I’d seen it. Was it during peak Covid? Was it during a very stoney-baloney night in college? Was it on a random Thursday last year? That I do not know, but this is one of my mom’s favorite movies and guess what? It really holds the f*ck up. The dawn of man, Clavius, HAL, the transcendental light tunnel sequence that 100% shaped one of the defining rituals of my childhood, and the homie Star Child!? Can you tell this movie was made almost 60 years ago? Well, yes, but does it still look way better than 99% of the stuff made today? Also yes.

Network (1976)

This actually was a first-time watch, surprisingly, and you know what? I get it. If you’re someone who’s into watching extremely loquacious actors talk at, through, and around one another as they navigate the challenging world of corporate broadcasting, than you will probably like Network. Tonally, it took me a minute to sort of get on the right wavelength, but once I did, watching the likes of Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, and Peter Finch act the absolute sh*t out of this movie was a most excellent experience. However, they were all outdone by the actor who is both the missing link between man and walrus, and who delivers this speech with the fury of 1,000 emboldened mustaches. Ned Beatty, take a bow.

Real Life (1979)

When I say the name “Albert Brooks,” what do you think of? For many millennials and Gen Zers, I’d assume it’s Finding Nemo, where he voiced our Clown Fish protagonist, Marlin. Or maybe Drive, where he essentially plays Satan. Or double-maybe Out of Sight, for the real freaks out there. While this century has been an odd time in his career, there was an era when Brooks was a legit movie star (if you haven’t seen Broadcast News, it’s just terrific) and a bit of an auteur, with a four-movie directorial run that ends with 1991’s Defending Your Life, which if you liked Eternity from last year, you should check out. That run, however, began with Real Life, which Brooks wrote, directed, and starred in as Hollywood polyglot named… Albert Brooks, who makes a documentary about a normal American family. It’s odd and very uneven, but also the start of something great. I liked it.

Thief (1981)

If you have not seen this film, there’s a very simple way to decide if you should watch it: Do you like Heat? If so, turn on Thief immediately. If you do not, please proceed as you were. If you haven’t seen Heat, well, then you have a hell of a double feature ahead of you. James Caan plays a skilled jewel thief in Michael Mann’s first movie, all set in early-80s Chicago to the tune of Tangerine Dream. This movie is f*cking wild and completely nonsensical at times, but much like most of Mann’s work, if you stop thinking of the movie as reality and something to be dissected, and instead just let it wash over you, Thief is as smooth one of Caan’s character’s many silk shirts or $800 suits.

National Treasure (2004)

Speaking of thievery… I somehow never saw this film, which is very dumb, but also super fun, during its heyday. Instead, I watched it last week and just thought about how perfect it would be during a long flight. Sort of the last vestige of Nicholas Cage as a proper movie star, National Treasure focuses on one man’s search for the world’s biggest treasure, which was hidden by the Freemasons under Trinity Church in New York’s Financial District. Sure. Also, Diane Kruger falls in love with him after he steals the Declaration of Independence. Double sure. This movie is sort of a stoned-out romp through Schoolhouse Rock meets Indian Jones meets The Thomas Crown Affair meets AARP-era John Voigt. That’s a lot of meets! Good to see Justin Bartha in there too. That guy has National Treasure and Hangover money, which is a pretty solid way to live an inordinately comfortable life. Good choices were made.

Who the F*ck Wanted This?

2010: The Year We Make Contact (1984)

As you might’ve noticed, I changed the name of this fun, little section this week because the question “What the F*ck Is This Movie?” didn’t feel like as right as, “Who the F*ck Wanted This?” Anyway, did you know they made a sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey? Because they sure as f*ck did! If you listen to that Rewatchables episode, you’ll hear Spielberg basically dismiss this movie’s existence, even though it stars his absolute boy Roy Scheider. Could it really be that bad?

Brave explorers are headed for the far reaches of the galaxy in the continuation of the story that began with 2001: A Space Odyssey. Their destination is Jupiter, where the Russian and American astronauts will conduct their investigation. Drs. Heywood Floyd (Roy Scheider), Walter Curnow (John Lithgow) and R. Chandra (Bob Balaban), along with shipmates Tanya (Helen Mirren) and Dave (Keir Dullea), aim to uncover what led to disaster for the deceased astronauts who preceded them.

Sure. Sure. Sure. I wonder what Stanley Kubrick thought of it… Oh wait!

Seen anything good lately (other than 2010: The Year We Make Contact)? Who are you pulling for at the World Cup? Will Denzel mend his relationship with the good people of Tunisia? Holy sh*t, what a question! Let me know by responding to this email.

Do you smell that? What’s that smell? Opportunity? No, it’s money - scary, blood/vomit-soaked moolah. While I have no interest in seeing either Backrooms or Obsession, the two movies currently sweeping multiplexes the country (and really, the world) over, I am thrilled that there’s a new generation of filmmakers who are making the jump from YouTube to the big screen.

Where once this was the new route for comedy, it’s now become the fast lane for people making extremely twisted, f*cked up horror films. And to cap it all off, the two gentlemen behind the two biggest small-budget movies on the planet right now are 26 and 20, respectively. That’s right, they’ve only known a world where much of Europe has a shared currency, and what a world that must be.

- Cheers, MB

This Week We’re Covering:

👀 The (potential) return of Bo Burnham
🍿 A first-time Twilight watch
🎬 Five more R-Patts all-timers
🐴 One that’s not, and so much more

Weekend Take: May 29-31

• Backrooms made an A24 record-breaking $81 million domestically on a $10 budget in its first weekend, while Obsession continued its unparalleled run, crossing the $100 million mark in the US after getting made for under $1 million. What a time to enjoy being scared at the movies.

And Now, the News

Shrek 6! Already? In this economy!?!? According to Mike Myers, everyone’s favorite ogre (actually, surprise poll: top five favorite ogres, go! Humbaba, anyone? No? OK, fine.) will be back in our lives en masse over the next few years, with the fifth entrant to the franchise arriving in 2027. Having recently rewatched Shrek 2, frankly, sounds good to me.

Get your f*cking hands up! Bo Burnham’s finally going outside. Here’s something you should know about me: I absolutely loved Inside, Burnham’s self-made comedy special released during the pandemic. No really, I listened to “Welcome to the Internet” as recently as Saturday while on a run (don’t judge me). But ever since, I’ve wondered if there will, in fact, be a sequel. Well, now we have a production announcement with zero further details about what it actually is, other than appearing to be a film of sorts. Hopefully the ghillie suit makes another appearance.

Something no one said when they say this news: Oh good, Armie Hammer’s back. I am not here to retread the tales of feral debauchery and potential cannibalism displayed by one of Hollywood’s former favorite giant hunks of meat. You can find that elsewhere, we have standards at ABO. But regardless, this movie looks like trash and just reminds me how unexpectedly entertaining his The Man from U.N.C.L.E remake was. No, really, it’s good!

Watch Jacob Elordi’s Bond Audition Chanel Ad. I am still rather confident that Elordi will not end up as 007 (too tall, too not-English), but hey, I could also be extremely wrong. And you know what? This Alfonso Cuarón-directed spot for one of Elordi’s many brand endorsements is a heck of a reel for Denis Villeneuve to contemplate as Stephen Knight reportedly puts the finishing touches on the script. That was a mouthful.

Lastly, a few trailers that really, really cover the cinematic spectrum:

Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma: If you saw and liked/loathed/were intrigued by I Saw the TV Glow, well, director Jane Schoenbrun is back with another tale of… Well, just watch the video.

Primetime: From the director of the Ren Faire doc, comes the story of To Catch a Predator’s Chris Hanson, played by Robert Pattison, because… sure.

Fatherland: Join Sandra Hüller on a black-and-white adventure through Cold War Germany. No really, do it.

A Way-Too-Short Review - Twilight

At this point in my life, I don’t encounter that many opportunities to interact with a formative piece of nostalgic pop culture for the first time. But then again, Twilight isn’t just any old piece of nostalgic pop culture. We’re talking about a multi-billion dollar franchise, a totem of many’a millennial’s movie upbringings, and a never-ending meme machine. As such, to actually “review” Twilight might be a fool’s errand, but what I can do is appreciate it for what it is: one of the great recent examples of an actor’s miraculous ability to captivate an entire audience to such a point that they ignore the next-level absurdity of what’s transpiring on screen and simply soak in the glow of an almost otherworldly being. Yes, I’m talking about Big Bob Pattinson.

I will freely admit that I was very late to the R-Patts express. Sure, I remembered him as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but I was not aboard the train when it was passing through such stations as Water for Elephants or Cosmopolis or even Good Time for that matter. No, I instead waited until years later to discover his brilliance as an extremely handsome, but just slightly off, and sometimes malevolent, screen presence. You know, The Lighthouse years.

But still, looking back at the movie that simultaneously made and tainted his entire career, it’s hard not to be impressed. Yes, he is ridiculous, makes preposterous faces at inopportune times, and does whatever this is with his hands, but he’s also so mesmerizing and committed to the bit that I was happy to go along for the ride. And in a way, this film shows just how powerful he is, as there just aren’t that many other actors out there who could make the 17 layers of schlock displayed throughout Twilight twinkle as brightly as he does.

So, is this movie good? I think that’s besides the point 18 years on. But is it important? In a way, yes. Twilight shows the beginning of one man’s now illustrious career, and in a year only rivaled by Zendaya, who’s in three of the same sizable to extra-mega movies Bob will appear in before the end of 2026, it’s good to see where the R-Patts lore properly began. Ya know, even if that place is very silly and dumb.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿

What is Twilight? Frankly, I have even less of an idea now than I did before I saw this film. I’ll tell ya what it is, it’s a lot.

Should you make time for this movie? It’s a spectacle and absolutely entertaining. I’d also recommend some cannabis consumption before and/or during the film. Not necessary, but also… yes, it might be necessary.

Did it win any Oscars? 🤨

What will you remember most from this film? Every single choice Robert Pattinson makes. It is genuinely remarkable – not just what he does in this film, but that he did it four more times and is now one of the most respected actors on Earth. Hats off to that sick f*ck.

Five More God-Tier Robert Pattinson Performances

Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire

Does Big Bob get Twilight if not for his appearance as Cedric Diggory in HP4 aka the one with this? I think not! Much like his bizarro vampire character, Diggory is supposed to be uncannily alluring and handsome, which feels like good practice for his time in Forks. While Cedric’s role in the movie is chopped down a lot from the book, he still does play a big part in the return of Voldemort, so that’s something. I wonder if he and Daniel Radcliffe still chat.

The Lost City of Z

Which takes us to the transition era. Many would use this space to talk about Bob’s turn in Good Times, the extremely chaotic Safdie Bros. movie that came before Uncut Gems where everyone went, “Dang, that’s R-Patts?” However, I never finished Good Time, so let’s talk about his appearance as Corporal Henry Costin in The Lost City of Z instead. Outrageous beard? Check. Comical drinking problem? Also check. Way too much time spent hanging with Charlie Hunnam in the Brazilian rainforest? You get the idea. Good film, hope James Gray gets some recognition soon.

Tenet

And then, to his single best performance as the preposterously cool Neil, who both recruits John David Washington’s Protagonist (yes, that’s his name in the film, don’t @ me about the capital there) and is recruited by the same character, not to mention might technically appear in the film twice at two different ages… but that gets confusing. Look, Tenet was sort of Christopher Nolan’s post-logic exploration of time, physics, and blunt men (you know, his three favs). But Robert Pattinson provides every drop of humor, humanity, and hang-worthiness on display in this absolutely bonkers film. And he gets the best line in the whole thing to boot.

The Batman

You can already hear the Nirvana song, can’t you? Man, what a super dark (both literally and figuratively) Batman movie. On the one hand, Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman? Interesting. But Big Bob as a younger, more emo Bruce Wayne… your mileage may vary. Still, it’s cool he did it. Every actor approaching the mountain top needs that big, tentpole franchise. Bonus points if it’s darker and moodier than your traditional superhero/space opera. Double bonus points if it’s all of those things and not more Twilight! Curious to see how the second one goes now that half of Hollywood is set to join the cast.

The Dune: Part Three Trailer

Look, my guy is playing a Face Dancer named Scytale who looks like the offspring of Die Antwoord and will undoubtedly be rocking a very weird voice. I mean, just watch this and tell me you’re not intrigued. Now, for you non-Duners out there, I won’t spoil anything, but based on who he’s playing, Bob might not actually appear a ton in the film, so you better believe he will make an impression with whatever screen time he has. And yes, I know he’s also in The Odyssey this summer, but the less I know about that before I see it, the better.

What the F*ck Is This Movie?

Damsel

The year was 2018 and Robert was still in the midst of his “finding himself” era, which led him here:

Samuel Alabaster, an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope. As his group traverses the west, the once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel.

Frankly, this movie basically doesn’t exist. But while I have your attention, I just want to say: please note the mini-horse in that trailer. Thank you.

Seen anything good lately (other than Damsel)? Who else enjoyed The Man from U.N.C.L.E. remake? What’s up with Edward’s whole shimmering thing? Ya know, amongst the 183 other things I could point out here. Let me know by responding to this email.

I watched an extremely, let’s say, famous film over the weekend that I had never seen before. One could almost say “infamous,” however, it is part of one of the most successful movie franchises of the 21st century, so famous feels right. It will not be discussed this time around, but tune in next week for what will indubitably be one of my more interesting reviews in some time. You better hold on tight, spider-monkey!

- Cheers, MB

This Week We’re Covering:

🤩 My most anticipated movie of 2027
✌️ An all-time prison double-feature
🎬 Five more good/cursed SF films
🤖 Robot Williams, and so much more

💰Weekend Take: May 22-24

• I don’t want to focus on the negative here (sorry, Yoda Jr.), so instead, let me mention Obsession instead. This new horror film was made for less than $1 million, and with a box office of over $70 million worldwide, it has the chance to be one of four movies ever made to cross the $100 million mark on that budget. If you can tell me the other three, cookies are on the house!

🗞️ And Now, the News

F*ckin’ f*ck yes: A24 wraps first production in India with Dev Patel’s action-thriller The Peasant. Patel is my GUY and this is thrilling news. If you haven’t seen his directorial debut, Monkey Man, well, it’s flawed, but also extremely rad. His new movie is supposed to be a 14th-century Indian blend of John Wick and Braveheart, so yes, I am seated, as the children say, and I now have a new top film to be excited for heading into next year (I would assume).

Leave the gun, take the movie rights: another Godfather book is on the way. Sadly with less Internazionale Immobiliarei, I presume. But really, is this a good idea? The Godfather, but from Connie’s perspective? I am very pro-Talia Shire, but very… hm, I just don’t know about all this. When they inevitably make this into a movie, one that Coppola has already said he won’t be involved in (for better or worse), they’re going to have to recast everyone and it’s going to be such a thing and.. OK, I’ve talked myself into it.

Matt Damon to star in The Daniels’ $150 million sci-fi epic set in the ’80s with time travel, global warming and superhero twist. First, it was Ryan Gosling, and then 17 other dudes. But somehow, they landed on f*cking Odysseus, who is arguably an even bigger star than any of the other guys. While I didn’t love Everything Everywhere All at Once, I did really like how ambitious and inventive it was, and if they could pull that off with a budget one tenth of what they’re getting with this go around, then consider me intrigued.

Yes, the one and only Cliff Booth is going to IMAX. In anticipation of Greta Gerwig’s first Narnia film getting its own 40-day large-format theatrical release, Netflix is apparently going to run David Fincher’s The Adventures of Cliff Booth, aka the long-awaited Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel, in the theaters with the biggest of screens for two weeks starting around Thanksgiving, before releasing it on their platform two weeks later. Man, that was a long sentence. As someone who saw Fincher’s last Netflix movie, The Killer, in theaters a few years ago before it hit their streaming service, I consider this excellent news.

And now, a few strange recent trailers:

• Hope: Fresh outta Cannes, this Korean sci-fi/alien invasion film looks very cool and slightly spooky. Although apparently there’s some weird Michael Fassbender appearance that’s catching some flack, so… beware.

• Little Brother: If you’re looking for a future comedy to watch while you do 17 other things around the house, you’ve found it. Get those checks, Eric André.

• Pressure: I might’ve mentioned this one before, but this film is about the dramatic decision to not change the date of WWII’s D-Day… because of the weather?

✌️Double Feature Rec: Escape from Alcatraz & The Rock

Very rarely in cinema history does the same place play a pivotal role in two radically different movies from completely separate decades that are also not part of the same franchise. The Millennium Falcon did appear in both the original Star Wars in 1997, which was a delightful romp through a galaxy far, far away, and Solo in 2018, which was… not so much, but again, same franchise. The closest comparison I can think of is the setting of the fertilized human egg in both 1989’s Look Who’s Talking and 2025’s Marty Supreme, with the latter potentially paying homage to the former, whether intentionally or not.

However, I wouldn’t quite say the same about today’s double-feature, where both films utilize the now-defunct island prison Alcatraz in radically different ways. If you’re looking for homage, The Shawshank Redemption has much more in common with Clint Eastwood’s very good 1979 penal escape film than Michael Bay’s very him 1996 blockbuster that is actually more about breaking into Alcatraz rather than out.

But then really, what is this film where Nick Cage and Sean Connery team up to take down Ed Harris as a disillusioned Marine general who takes over Alcatraz to utilize its strategic vantage point over San Francisco, a city he threatens to unleash essentially a bio-weapon on if the U.S. government doesn’t pay him the money that he feels the families of special forces officers killed in action deserve… really even about? Did I mention Cage is the FBI’s leading chemical weapons expert and collects rare LPs? What about that Connery is a British super spy and also supposedly the only man to ever escape from Alcatraz and live to tell the tale?

Maybe that’s where these two films actually connect. In Escape from Alcatraz, which I’d never seen until recently and found to be quite good, Eastwood plays the real-life leader of a group of prisoners who, as you might’ve guessed, escape Alcatraz, but whose bodies were never found. His character, Frank Morris, is still wanted by the FBI. But maybe most interestingly, it’s the prison itself that ties the two together, as both movies were filmed on-site (well, at least partially in both cases) and really explore the nooks and crannies of what was once considered the safest place in the U.S. to send people to who couldn’t be trusted anywhere else. That is, of course, until Alcatraz was shut down soon after Morris’ famed escape because of the spotlight it put on the conditions of the prison, and because it was no longer viewed as being inescapable.

Well, anyway, these are two very different films, each of which is iconic in its own way, and both of which celebrate a place that’s long moved past its intended existence and will instead survive as a tourist destination much longer than it was ever a functional prison. But if you’re ever curious about how someone once broke out of it, or how another found their way back in, this double-feature is a great way to spend a rainy evening, or any other time that your brain is ready to be stretched on the acting scale from Eastwood to Cage.

🎥 Five More Good Ones Filmed in SF

Mrs. Doubtfire

There might be no better San Francisco movie house than the one found in Mrs. Doubtfire, the 1993 mega-comedy where Robin Williams dresses up as an old English woman in order to spend time with his kids after getting divorced, while also wreaking havoc on his ex-wife’s personal life. Still though, the house is great, as is the montage of Williams as Mrs. Doubtfire riding bikes in front of the Golden Gate Bridge with three of the most 90s child actors to ever 90s. Absolutely deranged premise, but good film. I miss that guy.

Vertigo

With the exception of maybe Bullet or Dirty Harry, Vertigo might just be THE San Francisco-set movie of the 20th century, especially because the other two came after this 1958 classic. But regardless, between the use of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Presidio, and the various art museums and cemeteries, this film almost employs the city as a character itself, providing the slightly beguiling and nefarious reputation that some would say SF carries to this day. Yes, I am that “some.”

40 Days and 40 Nights

While I definitely watched Mrs. Doubtfire a LOT of times as a kid, 14-year-old me much preferred 40 Days and 40 Nights, the 2002 pseudo-romcom about a man played by Josh Hartnett who gives up sex for Lent in order to gain clarity in his life. Yes, this is also the movie where that same Josh Hartnett has sex with Shannyn Sossamon using only a flower. What a time for cinema. For whatever reason, the look of the SF laundromat where they first encounter one another has always been etched in my brain, making me think, for a time, that all hot people in their 20s meet at old laundromats and immediately become infatuated with one another. What an era this was.

Milk

Something tells me that Sean Penn might not be who they cast as the famed first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California if they ran this one back. Just a hunch, but still, Milk is an interesting, if not bleak, film about a real hero and the contrasting worlds that he inhabited in 1970s San Francisco. On top of that, this movie was part of that insane Josh Brolin run where he went from just being one of those dudes to suddenly appearing in every big movie. Man, that guy likes to work almost as much as he likes ZYN (look it up). Where was I? Oh right, Milk takes us inside a cultural movement that many never saw and shows one of the many sides of San Francisco that’s evolved from reality into legend over the Bay’s many, many lives. Also, it gave us whatever Emile Hirsch is doing in this film, and that is also quite something.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Does everyone remember when Caesar, the chimpanzee voiced/performed by Andy Serkis, growls the word, “No!” at Tom Felton, aka Draco Malfoy, causing the guy’s brain to basically break in half? Because that sh*t rocked. There’s also the epic battle on the Golden Gate Bridge, and just a bunch of hanging around one of SF’s nicer neighborhoods with a bunch of soon-to-be sentient ape folk (or maybe just “apes”? They’re not like hybrids or anything). They made three more of these movies and there’s another reboot on the way, which I’m just not sure would’ve happened had they chosen Kansas City as the setting instead. Just a thought.

👀 What the F*ck Is This Movie?

Bicentennial Man (1999)

Later in life, Robin Williams became one of San Francisco’s most famous residents, and as such, he seemed to request to film a lot of movies there. One of those was Bicentennial Man, which… well, here you go:

Richard Martin (Sam Neill) buys a gift, a new NDR-114 robot. The product is named Andrew (Robin Williams) by the youngest of the family’s children. Bicentennial Man follows the life and times of Andrew, a robot purchased as a household appliance programmed to perform menial tasks. As Andrew begins to experience emotions and creative thought, the Martin family soon discovers they don’t have an ordinary robot.

Two things: 1. I like that they still made the robot look like Williams, and 2. This somehow feels both like a remake from the 40s or 50s and way ahead of its time. Something tells me this was a big one in Sam Altman’s house growing up.

Seen anything good lately (other than Bicentennial Man)? Do you also believe in the power of Dev Patel? Have you ever escaped from prison? Let me know by responding to this email.

I was in Montreal this past weekend, and along the way I played one of my favorite games whilst traveling: Who is the most famous person from this place (in this case I’m talking Quebec, not JUST Montreal)? The best answer (deceased edition) would be Leonard Cohen, but living, I think it’s a tossup between global singing icon Celine Dion and film director Denis Villeneuve, the latter of whom came to mind as I walked by Rue Villeneuve on Saturday. It made me wonder if they’ll dedicate a mural to him one day like they did Cohen, or maybe the city will just build a statue of Shai Hulud somewhere. Weirder things have happened…

Cheers,
MB

This Week We’re Covering:

🤔 Will Smith’s… return?
🍿 The joy of Wonder Boys
🎬 Five more cinematic trips to Pittsburgh
👀 Salinger cinema, and so much more

Weekend Take: May 15-17 💰

• The Sheep Detectives: $30 million domestically, $60 million globally and counting. That is all.

And Now, the News 🗞️

The most cursed movie sentence of the week: Peter Jackson Says The Hunt for Gollum Was Inspired by Joker. I am choosing to remain positive on this production, but something I never really wanted to imagine was, well, anything that reminded me of that cursed film in any shape, way, or form. Although, maybe they can find a way to utilize Schmiegel’s propensity for singing and dancing.

Will Smith to Star as FBI Agent in Action-Thriller from David Gordon Green. In case you’re someone who wakes up wondering about Will Smith’s whereabouts, here’s your answer. For his first non-franchise role in a very long time, the former biggest movie star on the planet is making an FBI/prison action movie with the man who has shepherded the Halloween franchise for the past decade… Sure?

This is why Bong is king: Bong Joon-ho Says You Can “Sh*t On” Him for Mickey 17: “All the Bad Parts Came From Me.” This is what we call accountability. No further comment required.

Who’s ready for a good weep? Aubrey Plaza, Adam Driver, Vanessa Kirby and Matthew Broderick to Star in Kenneth Lonergan’s Drama Tomorrow Is a Drag. Remember Manchester By the Sea? Well, the mind behind that, uh, “classic” is back with the gent who may already be the frontrunner for next year’s Best Actor Oscar.

Here we go again: Michael Fassbender Set to Star in Brady Corbet’s The Origin Of the World — His Four-Hour, X-Rated Western. Fassbender, Selena Gomez, and whatever weirdness crawls out of Corbet’s mind this time around. At least it can’t be bleaker than The Brutalist, right? RIGHT!?

And now, some trailers:

• Wildwood: For the stop-motion heads out there, this is going to be ‘uge.

• The Rivals of Amziah King: Filmed almost three years ago, we might be experiencing the beginning of the McConaissance 2.0.

• Crows Are White: I was sent the trailer for this doc by a friend last week and haven’t stopped thinking about it.

A Way-Too-Short Review: Wonder Boys 🐶

For as famous as Michael Douglas is, or really maybe was, I don’t have a role I strongly associate with him. I have oddly never seen Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, or Basic Instinct. I vaguely remember Romancing the Stone, but couldn’t tell you anything about his performance. I definitely… started The Game, and I liked him in Ant Man just fine, but mostly just thought, “Huh, Michael Douglas. What’s he up to?” Of course, I respect him greatly for marrying Catherine Zeta-Jones, but otherwise, he’s just a super famous actor that I know for simply being… that. Which is why his performance in Wonder Boys is so damn charming.

By the time this delightful little comedy drama about a writer/professor in Pittsburgh and the academic world he exists in as a pseudo has-been (or maybe never was?) came out, he was no longer the prominent force in American movies he once was. Instead, he was the perfect person to play a once-prominent author who has resigned himself to philandering and mentoring his way through academia. Coincidentally, his agent/friend, who acts as one of two sidekicks throughout the film, is played by Robert Downey Jr., who could potentially fill a similar role in Hollywood today. Well, if it weren’t for the billions he’s made for the Disney corporation as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Oddly, Douglas’ other companion in this odyssey through the Pittsburgh book scene is played by a young-ish Tobey Maguire, the year before he dawned the Spider Man suit and lit the super hero spark that Downey would turn into a roaring inferno just a few years later.

What were we talking about and how did we get on Marvel? Ah yes, so Wonder Boys. A fun romp inside the mind of an aging novelist who longs for normalcy and consistency, played out in front of a group of aspiring writers, and those who profit off them, all trying to tell our protagonist (Douglas) who he is, how he should be, and what’s wrong with him?. Frankly, there’s nothing better. On top of it all, there’s even a great late-era Bob Dylan song to boot. The only question that remains is how they didn’t get this song by Tenacious D instead? Hm, probably because it came out the following year and was about the bat from The Natural – a film Michael Douglas is not in, but man oh man would that have made for an incredible ending to this review. Alas, cue that Dylan banger.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is Wonder Boys? A comical little journey into the mind of a once-prosperous, but now stuck writer and college professor trying to figure out who to be during the latter third of his life. I think? I don’t know, you can go a lot of ways with this one.

Should you make time for this movie? You really should, if nothing else to be reminded of how good Michael Douglas was at being Michael Douglas and to remember that both Tobey Maguire and Katie Holmes were once both quite young and spry.

Did it win any Oscars? It did! And by “it,” I mean Dylan won for “Things Have Changed,” which is rad (both the song and the win).

What will you remember most from this film? Douglas’ fits (see above), how weird but sort of cliché Tobey Maguire is, the power of young Katie Holmes, how severely underused, but still charming Francis McDormand is, and just how stoned the whole thing comes off as. Also, both Alan Tudyk AND Rip Torn show up, and yet… it actually might be Robert Downey Jr. as this was one of those 2000s reminders of his possibly wasted potential, before he took that and really ran (or maybe soared via Ironman suit) with it. However you want to say it, it’s that.

Five More Good Films Filmed in Pittsburgh 🎬

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

If there’s one man who embodies the spirit of Pittsburgh (I would assume), it’s Mr. Rogers. Born in nearby Latrobe, Big Fred built his career on PBS in the Steel City and left his mark on millions of children around the world. Now, Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood isn’t quite the same, but overall the man who once starred in Bachelor Party and Bosom Buddies did a solid job as arguably the most caring guy in America. This is a pleasant film about a very nice person, and a good entry point into this sub-sub-sub genre.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Counterpoint to our previous entrant: MAN, this movie is so sad. However, it’s also an excellent collection of performances – ranging from Nick Offerman and Connie Britton as two very odd, but also very knowable parents, to the three teen leads, including Thomas Mann (the titular “Me”) and Olivia Cooke (the titular “Dying Girl”). RJ Cyler as “Earl,” also strong. For a city that oftentimes doesn’t play itself, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is very Pittsburgh “on foot,” if you will, and makes sure you know where you are at all points. Also, Jon Bernthal is excellent in this as a high school teacher, which feels extremely unrealistic when writing it out, but he just nails it. Good film!

Adventureland

Did you see Adventureland when it came out in 2009? I certainly didn’t, but have since watched it a solid five times, both because it’s very good and because it contains an extremely deep bench of people I like. In particular, this movie about a bunch of weirdos who work at a theme park outside Pittsburgh in the 1980s, and the strange mini-society that forms in a space that blends work, hormones, and a lot of anger issues. Ryan Reynolds is here (pre-Deadpool), Jesse Eisenberg too (pre-Zuck), and Kristen Stewart (post-Twilight, but pre-being the coolest). But frankly, for me, Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader steal the show as the couple running said land o’ adventure. 10/10, no notes.

The Silence of the Lambs

Did you know that The Silence of the Lambs, a film I only saw in the past two years, but quite liked, was primarily filmed in Pittsburgh? Because it was, neat right? The mental institution? Pittsburgh. The weird museum where Lecter constructs the butterfly man (you know what I mean)? Also Pittsburgh! Buffalo Bill’s house? Outside of Pittsburgh, and apparently was stuck on the market for a very long time for unknown reasons. Anyway, there’s nothing particularly Yinzery about this film, but it certainly utilizes a lot of what the city has to offer. Speaking of which…

The Dark Knight Rises

One of the great mistakes in 21st century film marketing was including the stadium detination sequence from The Dark Knight Rises in its trailer. We were all already going to go, it’s a Batman movie. You didn’t have to do that! But as someone with a lot of friends in Cincinnati and Cleveland with a burning hatred for the Steelers, there was a lot of enjoyment about watching Heinz Field get obliterated in real time. Of course, Christopher Nolan shot scenes of this film in LA, New York, and Chicago as well, but many of the bridges and the house where the cop played by Matthew Modine lives, def in the ‘Burgh. Wall Street? Not so much, nor were the sewers. I feel like Bane would like it there though. Seems like a guy who would enjoy a hearty, french fry-packed sandwich and access to lots of Warhols, don’t you think?

What the F*ck Is This Movie? 👀

My Salinger Year

There is no film version of The Catcher in the Rye (nor does it seem there will ever be), although there have been multiple attempts at… pseudo-adaptations (see: Igby Goes Down). Instead, we get stuff like this:

While working for literary agent Phyllis Westberg (Sigourney Weaver), aspiring writer Joanna Rakoff (Margaret Qualley) receives personal advice from reclusive author J.D. Salinger.

Yes, this 2020 movie does in fact exist. A film that was completely lost to time because of the year in which it was released. Who knows, maybe it’s good. I find that unlikely, but ignorance is bliss. I think Salinger said that.

Seen anything good lately (other than My Salinger Year)? Who is Will Smith at this point? How much fake pot was consumed on the set of Wonder Boys? Let me know by responding to this email.

Today is my 38th birthday, happy birthday to me. I was thinking back on all the films I’ve seen on my birthday over the course of my life and there’s one that always springs to mind first: behold, The Warriors of Virtue. Yes, this movie is about a boy who falls through a portal into a world where five legendary kangaroo-human hybrid ninjas must let their bygones be bygones to defeat an evil emperor played by Robert the Bruce from Braveheart.

It made back one tenth of its production budget, but truly lives in my brain completely rent-free. Anyway, that was sick for a ninth birthday, which I bet included pizza and ice cream, two things I’ve most certainly consumed in the past week. So even if my film tastes have changed, it’s good to see that my celebratory food choices have not.

- Cheers, MB

This Week We’re Covering:

💰 Netflix drops the bag for Aslan
🍿 Spielberg’s first big question
🎥 Five more excellent UFO movies
🛸 Spaceman David Bowie, and so much more

Weekend Take: May 8-10 💰

• My one birthday wish: I really, really need someone to see The Sheep Detectives so I can get a firsthand account of how likely it is to either warm or crush my soul. Thank you.

And Now, the News 🗞️

Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew could be Netflix’s most-expensive movie ever. For those who have more varied lives than I and might not be familiar with this information, Greta Gerwig’s new Narnia adaptation will get a proper theatrical IMAX release next year before going to Netflix… and it’s also rumored to cost more than $300 million. Frankly, who cares? Let Greta make cool sh*t that could inspire the next generation of movie fanatics.

Very here for this! Edge of Tomorrow 2 is happening, as Tom Cruise continues his sequel run. Edge of Tomorrow, which was originally known by the same name as the graphic novel it’s based on (Live. Die. Repeat.), is awesome. Cruise is good, Emily Blunt is… powerful, and it’s just a great mashup of Alien and Groundhog Day. All in all, I’m very pro, although it’s unclear if they’ll use the same structure, which would fit the repetitiveness of the film, but also… hm, I just talked myself into a circle. UPDATE: Never mind, I was sadly wrong.

Cinema! Pan’s Labyrinth and The Fast and the Furious in Cannes Classics’ Lineup. The French have opened their hearts to two important works of world cinema: one a fantasy epic that acts as a metaphor for Spanish fascism and the other that simply focuses on familia. You gotta live your life a quarter mile at a time, amiright spooky eye-hands man?

And now, some trailers for new movies that basically have nothing in common:

• Tony: I remain positive on this sort of… slice-of-life look at the year Anthony Bourdain first entered a professional kitchen. Dominic Sessa appears to be giving more Fassbender in Steve Jobs than Kutcher in Jobs, and that’s a very good thing.

• The Odyssey: I am going to do my absolute darndest to not watch a single second of this trailer for the next 10 weeks before the movie’s release. But should you not have the same resolve, by all means.

• Minions & Monsters: According to my favorite movie podcast, this Minions entrant is a backdoor love letter to classic cinema, which… sure? I bet it’s funny.

A Way-Too-Short Review - Close Encounters of the Third Kind 🛸

In exactly one month (and a day), we’re getting a new Steven Spielberg alien film, Disclosure Day. Interestingly, Big Steve has prevented any footage from the film’s third act from appearing in any marketing materials, sparking rumors that it may be a long-awaited sequel to his first alien film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I find this very unlikely, especially as it seems like the nature of the aliens in the new movie does not match that of the very friendly UFOs from the 70s classic, but regardless, it felt like a good reason to finally watch (or maybe rewatch? Tough to say) this 1977 blockbuster. My biggest takeaway: had I (knowingly) seen this movie as a kid, I would probably think it very important, but as I did not (at least consciously), it rings a bit… meh?

Close Encounters is a fascinating time capsule, a true spectacle, and a rather sad drama about a 33-year-old midwestern dad who abandons his family by exiting the planet. It’s an incredible relic of Nixon-era conspiracies, a fascinating reminder that people who looked like Richard Dreyfuss used to be movie stars, and contains arguably the most impactful piece of music that’s ever had entire film rooted around it. (Side note: John Williams reportedly created more than 300 five-note sequences for Spielberg to choose from.) While the highs of the last 20 minutes are extremely high (minus the very obvious use of children in alien suits (although the marionette being is P sick)), there is a lot of lag in this movie with the middle hour moving slower than the mashed potatoes that become a main character during the second act.

While probably not in my top five (or maybe even top 10) favorite Spielberg movies, Close Encounters’ legacy, and the impact it made on a whole generation of filmmakers who saw it as children, is indelible. It’s a classic piece of Americana, like Dolly Parton or funnel cake. We’ll see if it ends up connecting to Disclosure Day in any capacity, but at the very least, Close Encounters serves as a fascinating near starting point for the career of the most successful filmmaker of all time.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is Close Encounters of the Third Kind? Steven Spielberg’s blank-check project after completely changing the trajectory of the film business with Jaws. Also, a very interesting look at late-70s malaise in the American heartland.

Should you make time for this movie? You should. It’s rather delightfully Spielbergian in many places with some very high highs at the beginning and end of the film.

Did it win any Oscars? Indeed! After receiving nine nominations, it won for Best Cinematography and Sound Editing.

What will you remember most from this film? It’s gotta be the five-notes played back and forth between the humans and aliens. Or Dreyfuss’ recreation of Devil’s Tower in his living room. Or the India scene. Yes, let’s go with that.

🎥 Five Other Particularly Memorable Post-1977 UFO-ish Films

Alien (1979)

I can’t remember what year it was (maybe 1999?), but at some point in my late-childhood, Alien was re-released in theaters and my mom took me to see it, which in retrospect is wild to think about as neither of us have ever really gravitated towards horror. But that’s what makes Alien so special: it’s a horror movie disguised as sci-fi disguised as a thriller (or some combination thereof). After the extreme hopeful optimism found in Close Encounters, director Ridley Scott goes hard in the other direction with his foot on the intergalactic accelerator, instead positioning our first contact with extraterrestrials in about as scary a light as humanly (or xenomorphically) possible.

E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982)

Reader, I have to tell you something: my first name is not Max, it’s actually Eliot (I know, take a deep breath). While that isn’t really that interesting of a secret, it did often come into play as a child when on the first day of school or any other formal setting where legal names were being used, some kid would hear my name and inevitably hold up their pointer finger to my face and gravelly utter, “Elliotttttttt.” That’s the power of E.T. What I want to mention here though is that in the four years between Close Encounters, Spielberg’s first alien movie, and E.T., his second, he made arguably the biggest flop of his career in 1941, which he followed up with Raiders of the Lost F*cking Ark. There is only one Steven, and he is remarkable.

Species (1995)

Are you familiar with this film? If not, it’s probably for the best, but if you were a young man in the mid-to-late 90s, you probably were, which at the time was also for the best. Species is basically about a killer alien that comes to Earth to breed and assumes the form of a human, who happens to look like Natasha Henstridge in 1995. What a time for humanity, what a time for film lovers.

Independence Day (1996)

“Welcome to Earf!” Independence Day might be the most 1996 movie of 1996. Will Smith with a mustache, Bill Pullman as the president, Randy Quaid before he fully lost his mind, all combined with peak Jeff Goldblum and one of Judd Hirsch’s best performances. Also, lots of cool space stuff. I don’t really have anything smart to say about this very dumb and fun action blockbuster—where the heroes smoke cigars while walking across the dessert with their crashed space wreckage in the distance, and where the preposterously advanced aliens are highly susceptible to what appears to be a rather simple human-made computer virus—other than, like A Christmas Story on Christmas, this should just be played on loop every Fourth of July. No comment on the sequel though, we don’t know her/him/them.

The Vast of Night (2019)

From one of the biggest blockbusters of all time to… whatever you want to call this. The Vast of Night is a very cool, very stylized independent film set around two 1950s teens who are abducted by aliens after a long night of attending a high school basketball game and just sort of… going about their lives. The dialogue is extremely fast-paced and specific, the mostly anonymous actors are absolutely pitch perfect, and for only having a $700,000 budget, it looks amazing. If you’re looking for 89 minutes of wonder, this is a very good place to start.

What the F*ck Is This Movie? 👀

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

You had me at “David Bowie plays an alien,” but this film is also based on a beloved book I definitely tried to read at least once… Take it away, AI:

Thomas Jerome Newton (David Bowie) is an alien who has come to Earth in search of water to save his home planet. Aided by lawyer Oliver Farnsworth (Buck Henry), Thomas uses his knowledge of advanced technology to create profitable inventions. While developing a method to transport water, Thomas meets Mary-Lou (Candy Clark), a quiet hotel clerk, and begins to fall in love with her. Just as he is ready to leave Earth, Thomas is intercepted by the U.S. government, and his entire plan is threatened.

We didn’t get enough of Bowie as an actor (Labyrinth and The Prestige, aside) and him playing essentially the perfect being is just too… right.

Seen anything good lately (other than The Man Who Fell to Earth)? How many years will Greta spend in Narnia? Who wants to watch Species with me? Let me know by responding to this email.

Sometimes I sit down after a long, hard day with the best intentions of watching a great piece of cinema that I’ve never seen before. To no one’s surprise, I have a running list of movies I need to see with the likes of Nashville, Singin’ in the Rain, and Die Hard with a Vengeance all just waiting to be experienced. But some nights, I just don’t have it in me and instead I opt for a familiar film like Sideways or Rogue One. And then there are nights like last Tuesday when I ended up just watching Shrek 2, which was absolutely delightful and reminded me that Donkey remains undefeated. Moral of the story: Not every night needs to be a Robert Altman night, and some nights just need to be Puss in Boots nights.

- Cheers, MB

This Week We’re Covering:

⏳ The Odyssey’s surprising runtime
🍿 The anti-timelessness of All The President’s Men
🎬 Five more good journalism movies
🤔 Rosamund “Eye Patch” Pike, and so much more

Weekend Take: May 1-3 💰

• Florals? For spring?! Groundbreaking in-f*cking-deed! The Devil Wears Prada 2 made $234 globally this weekend, which is bananas. Good on all of ‘em.

• Sidenote: Anime titles are getting out of control. (I’ll let you guess which one I’m referring to.)

And Now, the News 🗞️

This is not a typo: We’re getting a Mask of Zorro (sick movie) / Django Unchained (doubly sick movie) crossover event. And not just that, it’s been personally approved by Tarantino himself with Antonio Banderas likely to return, but TBD on Jamie Foxx. Still, this sounds very weird and wild, which are two adjectives that I fully support in this context. Also, please bring back Catherine Zeta Jones in whatever capacity. She was and continues to be… very powerful.

This is just excellent: The Sheep Detectives Surprises With 96% RT Score, Becoming Hugh Jackman’s Best-Reviewed Film Yet. Please keep in mind, Hugh Jackman was in Les Misérables and The Greatest Showman, two movies that I don’t like, but that are beloved in certain circles. He was also in Logan, which is great, even if it’s not exactly my jam. On the flip side, he was in Swordfish, which (much like CZJ) is also quite important for a variety of reasons. Anyway, I very much look forward to watching this movie on a plane one day, and you should too.

Somehow, The Odyssey is slated to be shorter than Oppenheimer. OK, hear me out: technically speaking, The Odyssey only takes place over the course of 20 years, whereas Oppenheimer covers 40+ years of J. Bob’s life. Remember when he’s a fashionable young lad and then later when his wife disses Benny Safdie in the Oval? All freaking Odysseus does is grow a beard! I think? What happens in The Odyssey again?

And now, some trailers for new movies that basically have nothing in common:

• Verity: A new Colleen Hoover adaptation starring Anne Hathaway (she’s f*cking everywhere), Dakota Johnson (Sculpt Society, what’s up?), and Josh Hartnett that apparently gets rather freaky… and also includes a child named “Crew.” Did I mention it was directed by Michael Showalter? Weird times.

• One Night Only: Here’s the elevator pitch, “Imagine The Purge, but instead of murder, it’s premarital sex” and you’re basically there. Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner are both fun people to watch do things though, so who knows, could be good.

• Jackass: Best and Last: Speaking of people who are fun to watch do sh*t (someone cue the theme song). Man, these dudes are so washed, but also I really just enjoy watching Johnny Knoxville laugh his ass off. Much like Jackie Chan and Bruce Wayne, he sacrificed his body for our well-being. And now, his watch has (almost) ended.

A Way-Too-Short Review - All the President’s Men 📰

I’m going to keep this one short: All the President’s Men is one of the most important movies of the 20th century. While there had been previous journalistic dramas, there’d never quite been a film that looked at how information was sourced, vetted, and delivered in the world of modern media while covering an extremely contemporary world event before Alan Pakula’s 1976 master work. It was a true “how-to” of its time, and now it feels like a relic from another era, both in terms of the process of publishing “news” and the impact that journalism can have on the American political system.

Still though, even if you might be left wondering, “So, uh, what exactly happened at Watergate and how does this all connect to then-President Nixon?” the sheer intent of the movie, to remind us that speaking truth to power can make an impact, is an extremely important thing to be reminded of – especially in a time where it feels increasingly less so by the day. Also, prime Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, both at their true peaks in this film, are reason enough to sit down for two hours and watch them politely ask a lot of bureaucrats a whole slew of incriminating questions. What a time this was, and what a time it makes today look in bleak contrast…

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is All the President’s Men? A film about Watergate and the Washington Post, two things that most people under the age of 30 (maybe even 40) would have a lot of trouble explaining the significance of. But also, a hell of a show from Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, the two polar opposite ends of the prestige acting axis in 1970s America.

Should you make time for this movie? Yes. Even if you don’t really care about journalistic process or Nixon, it’s a fantastic time capsule of what the 1970s presumably very much looked and felt like.

Did it win any Oscars? Indeed it did! Best Supporting Actor (Jason Robards), Adapted Screenplay, Art Direction, and Sound. Strong performance, all around. Had it not come out the same year as Rocky, it might’ve done even better.

What will you remember most from this film? Hear me out: the lighting. Every single scene has a different tone, hue, and brightness that really reflects the conspiratorial feel of the movie as a whole. Or how many darts Hoffman rips in every single second of screen time. Or Redford using only two fingers to type on his keyboard, tough to say.

Five More Good to Great Journalism Films 🎬

Spotlight (2015)

“THEY KNEW AND THEY LET IT HAPPEN!” It is rather incredible that someone made a movie about this story/topic and not only is it effective and important, but the film itself is just simply good. Most journalism movies do not follow in the footsteps of All the President’s Men, which spends much of its time just showing people being actual journalists, but Spotlight does that by the gallon, which is made even better by the great performances from Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, MARK RUFFALO(!), and… that other guy. Oh and Liev Schreiber as Marty Baron AND my guy John Slaughtery as Ben Bradlee Jr., son of Ben Bradlee Sr. who was played by Jason Robards in ATPM. See that? Synergy, full circle, cohesion. I told you, “THEY KNEW!”

Green Street Hooligans (2005)

So, uh, this is a loose interpretation of the category here, however, Elijah Wood does play a journalism student in this movie about an American kid getting mixed up in soccer hooligan culture in London in the early 2000s, which was a rather messy time to be mixed up in such things. In fact, the world created in Green Street Hooligans, which is better known for launching Charlie Hunnam into the collective consciousness of many, basically characterizes “journos” as the lowest of the low – beneath cops, and even beneath Millwall fans for that matter. Which I find to be quite harsh, but it did make for some very funny times in college when me and my fellow J-school attendees would yell that word at each other incessantly. No really, it was funnier than you’re imagining right now.

Almost Famous (2000)

With the exception again of All the President’s Men, I’m willing to wager than no movie in the past 60+ years has made more people want to become journalists than Almost Famous (you’re currently reading the words of one such person). However, much like how William missed out on rock’n’roll because it was over by the time he arrived, music journalism was also kind of over by the time I arrived, minus the discourse around Vampire Weekend appropriating many forms of East African music during their early years. Anyway, this movie is perfect in every way and while it might’ve filled my head with a bit of false hope in terms of the adventures one could go on with their favorite rock band, it also introduced me to “Mona Lisas and Madhatters” and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, so, uh, thanks.

Civil War (2024)

God damn, this movie is bleak. A bunch of journalists try to get from point A to point B in a fractured future U.S. where (you guessed it) there’s a civil war going on between the whole country and… some confederation of Texas and California? Writer/director Alex Garland goes light on the details, but Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spainey both play photojournalists and are pretty good. Wagner Moura also plays a journalist and is… interesting. And Jesse Plemons plays Satan and is incredible. Also, Nick Offerman is the president, which is quite funny.

Broadcast News (1987)

Have you seen Broadcast News? No? Well, you should if you haven’t as it’s not just one of the best romcoms and workplace dramedies of the 1980s, but it’s just chuck full of great moments from all-time performers. Jack Nicholson is in this movie for probably four minutes. Joan Cusack absolutely cooks as well. But really it’s all about the three leads in Holly Hunter, William Hurt (who is NOT John Hurt, believe it or not), and the based-god Albert Brooks (Am I the first person to call him that? Probably not), who are just lights out as the three pillars of a news network that’s trying to figure itself out as much as the three of them combined. Now, once again, go see this film.

What the F*ck Is This Movie? 👀

A Private War (2018)

Please just take a moment to savor that image. I know this character is based on a very well-respected real journalist, but I mean, WHAT are we doing here, folks? What reality is Rosamund Pike living in? Truly, what the f*ck is this movie?!

Celebrated war correspondent Marie Colvin is a woman who is as comfortable downing martinis with high society’s elite as she is brazenly staring down warlords and fleeing from gunfire. Driven by an enduring desire to bear witness and give voice to the voiceless, Colvin charges into danger, constantly testing the limits between bravery and bravado.

On the plus side, the guy who plays Muammar Gaddafi looks dead-ass like Benicio del Toro. Or maybe del Toro just kind of looks like Gaddafi? I think I’ve lost the plot.

Seen anything good lately (other than A Private War)? How many times will you fall asleep to The Sheep Detectives? What is exactly up with Watergate? Let me know by responding to this email.

I just finished rewatching Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy with my girlfriend because she either hadn’t seen them, didn’t remember seeing them, or had the memories of watching those three films removed from her memory bank by visitors from another planet. Regardless, they’re quite a bit sillier than I remembered (especially the one with Bane), and while The Dark Knight still contains several moments of complete cinematic bliss, I gotta ask: Are we sure Christian Bale as Batman was good? Very strong Bruce Wayne, but with all the growling and slow punching and not wearing hockey pads, it’s all… a lot. But maybe that’s the point of the caped crusader: to just be a lot. Anyway, we’re either doing Keaton or R-Pats next, and I simply cannot WAIT until she learns about the Bat Credit Card down the road.

Cheers,
MB

This Week We’re Covering:

🤩 Some BIG sequels are officially happening
🍿 Danny Boyle’s semi-lost sci-fi rager
🎬 Five other good movies with people from Sunshine
🤔 That time John Lennon lived, and so much more

Weekend Take: Apr 24-26💰

• First, no comment. Second, The Drama crossed the $100 million mark globally and I think that’s terrific. I still haven’t seen it, but I support it.

And Now, the News 🗞️

Joseph Kosinski is a man out of time: Top Gun 3 is looking for a new director because Miami Vice ‘85 is officially a go. Two big things to dissect here really. First, we’re getting another Top Gun, which is good, with Tom Cruise in some capacity, which is also good, but with a new director, who is likely to be longtime Cruise collaborator and Mission: Impossible steward, Christopher McQuarrie. Why do they need a new director? Because the man who made Top Gun: Maverick is busy doing a Miami Vice reboot that will reportedly take place in the original ‘80s timeline. That was a lot of gobbledygook. UPDATE: That movie isn’t even coming out until 2028. Well, dang!

The man who loves to make movies on his iPhone is finally getting paid. Anora director Sean Baker is working on a new film called Ti Amo, which is apparently an Italian sex comedy of some kind starring semi-famous Italian people who most Americans will be completely oblivious to (this all sounds very Sean Baker). The twist is it’s being produced for $22 million by Warner Bros.’ new indie imprint, Clockwork. For context, Anora, which he won Best Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, and Picture for, cost $6 million. Long story short: get that sweet, sweet cash, Seany boy.

This is just funny: Sydney Sweeney cameo cut from The Devil Wears Prada 2. Sweeney was reportedly playing herself in a small scene where Emily Blunt’s character styled her for an event, but I like thinking that there was nothing logical about this decision at all. Unleash some anarchy, Meryl!

OK, this is also funny: Antoine Fuqua Dubbed “Vantoine” By Michael Crew for Working From a Van. I’m not really interested in the whole Michael… thing. Great songs, extremely complicated person, and no nuance to explain any of it - I’m good. However, the stories coming out about director Antoine Fuqua leaving after the estate demanded $50 million in reshoots, and some significantly more troubling details about the original ending, just make the narrative around this film’s production much more interesting than Michael itself.

And lastly, keeping up with my recent tradition of grouping three movie trailers together each week that have absolutely nothing in common, may I present the following:

• Clayface: The new comic book horror film focused on one of Batman’s most famous villains, Clayface. If you’re into body horror, this one’s for you.

• Coyote vs. Acme: Yes, this is a Looney Tunes movie. And if you’ve been following its journey to release, then you know it’s the one Warner Bros. canned as part of a tax write-off before selling it to a much smaller studio for release. Coincidentally, this movie is all about Wile E. Coyote sewing the giant Acme corporation, so… it feels right.

• Leviticus: OK, this kinda fits with Clayface, in that it’s a horror movie, but it also doesn’t, because it’s about conversion therapy. Believe it or not, that didn’t come up too often in the Batman oeuvre.

A Way-Too-Short Review - Sunshine ☀️

A lot of horror movies suffer from a very particular problem: Incredible setup and world building, but a lame explanation and final act. Some would say this is the biggest problem with Weapons, Zach Kregger’s horror/thriller/whatever-the-f*ck-you-want-to-call-it movie from last year that’s now regarded as one of the best films of the decade… until it’s not.

However, we’re not here to pick on Kreger, who I like a lot, or Aunt Gladys, who I do not. Instead, we’re here to talk about Sunshine, Danny Boyle’s 2007 interstellar pseudo-slasher which came close to being the best sci-fi movie of the early 2000s… until it wasn’t. Filled with an incredible ensemble cast that would go on to win Oscars, sweep the Emmys, and appear on HBO’s not-quite-hit show Ballers, Sunshine is thought provoking, incredible to look at, and weirdly believable – the plot centers on the Icarus II mission to reignite the Sun with a nuke the size of Manhattan in hopes of reversing a fatal ice age that has taken hold of the Earth. Astronauts are sent (each with a specialty, of course), hijinks ensue, and it’s all really good, until they stumble upon the Icarus I and some very… complicated horrors that persist within it.

I am not the first person to make this observation (it’s a whole thing), and even though you’re left feeling a little disappointed with the landing of the plane itself, the takeoff and journey beforehand more than make up for the rather “meh” taste left in your mouth after watching a mysterious force pick off each crew member of the Icarus II one by one (or does it?). If you enjoyed the stakes of Project Hail Mary, but found it possessed too little psychedelia, hair-brained philosophy, and murder for your liking, then definitely give Sunshine a go. I promise you, you’ll enjoy it… until you don’t.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is Sunshine? A great depiction of space travel and intergalactic cabin fever, while also being one of the best sci-fi thrillers of the 21st century (well, at least for the first 75% of its runtime).

Should you make time for this movie? You should. Especially if you saw Project Hail Mary and thought, “I just want to watch more movies featuring interesting people in space,” but with excess carnage and bright light. TBH, this movie kind of feels like it might’ve inspired the backstory of the Blip-A’s Eridian crew. Makes ya think.

Did it win any Oscars? No way, but it really should’ve been nominated for Best Score and Visual Effects. Atonement and The Golden Compass? GTFO.

What will you remember most from this film? All of the depictions of the sun. For whatever reason, it’s very seductive. Also, Cillian Murphy’s physicist character gets around the Icarus II spaceship via a Razor scooter. Thank you, 2007.

🎥 Five Other Great Films with People From Sunshine

Cillian Murphy in The Dark Knight Rises

As I mentioned above, I just rewatched these movies, and was just delighted when Cillian Murphy popped back up as the absolutely insane Dr. Crane, who’s now serving as the unelected sentencer for all of Gotham’s crimes. Fun fact: Murphy was Nolan’s backup to play Batman himself (you can see the test footage here). Seems like the director made things right with him a few years later after going a different direction.

Rose Byrne in Neighbors

Remember when Rose Byrne seemed mad stoned at the Golden Globes and thanked her husband on live TV for picking up a bearded dragon for them? Elite stuff right there. I won’t act like I saw the film she won for, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, but she’s excellent in Bridesmaids and even better in Neighbors when she really just gets to let it f*cking rip. But really this is just an excuse to talk about the bearded dragon incident, because that was rad.

Hiroyuki Sanada in Mortal Kombat

This is not a TV newsletter, but holy sh*t, did you watch Shōgun? What a fantastic, sophisticated, culturally respectful show. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about Mortal Kombat. Look, I love Hiroyuki Sanada any time he shows up (he’s quite good in The Last Samurai, for example), but as a new version of Scorpion with an actual backstory? In. This movie is super dumb and is basically a video game come to life, but it’s a great plane watch

Mark Strong in Fever Pitch

You might not have noticed, but the naked radioactive death monster who stows away on the Icarus II from the Icarus I is, in fact, Mark Strong. Mr. Strong has played all sorts of different characters in his long career, but with all due respect to his attempt at an American accent in Zero Dark Thirty, I’m quite partial to his role as Colin Firth’s hairy best friend in Fever Pitch. We don’t get a lot of funny Strong and he’s quite silly in this great Nick Hornsby movie that inspired Jimmy Fallon’s Boston-ified version 20 years later. Firth and Strong, underrated combo.

Michelle Yeoh in Kung Fu Panda 2

Oscar-winner, global cinema icon, and national treasure Michelle Yeoh lent her voice to the film Kung Fu Panda 2 as the Soothsayer, a wise, prophetic goat in the 2011 animated sequel. F*cking sick. That is all.

What the Sh*t Is This Movie? 👀

Yesterday (2019)

While we’re on the topic of Sunshine director Danny Boyle, let’s take a moment to remember one of the strangest movies of recent memory: the one where everyone on Earth forgets about The Beatles, except for a very small group of people, and one dude becomes insanely famous from singing their songs, which he claims to have written himself:

Jack Malik is a struggling singer-songwriter in an English seaside town whose dreams of fame are rapidly fading, despite the fierce devotion and support of his childhood best friend, Ellie. After a freak bus accident during a mysterious global blackout, Jack wakes up to discover that The Beatles have never existed. Performing songs by the greatest band in history to a world that has never heard them, Jack becomes an overnight sensation with a little help from his agent.

Really though, this weird film is remembered as a thought experiment where John Lennon is alive and portrayed by the super scary dude from Trainspotting. Whatever that line between visionary and nut is, Boyle does a very good job of riding it.

Seen anything good lately (other than Yesterday)? Do you think Meryl Streep and Sydney Sweeney spoke once on set? Would you be excited to see Cillian Murphy DJ (I forgot to mention, he DJs)? Let me know by responding to this email.

The first footage of Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg in the upcoming film (and pseudo-sequel to The Social Network), The Social Reckoning, has made its way out into the world and it sounds like he’s either going to win an Oscar or a Razzie and there’s no in-between. For the sake of the movie, and Strong’s career, I want it to be the former, but regardless, something tells me this film is going to be quite the topic of conversation when it comes out on October 9. I wonder if the real Zuck will take a very weird photo with Strong like he did with Jesse Eisenberg all those years ago. We can only hope.

Cheers,
MB

This Week We’re Covering:

💍 World, meet your new Aragorn
🍿 Crime 101 almost gets there
🎬 Five much more fun LA heist-y movies
🐈‍⬛ A sequel someone(?) wanted, and so much more

Weekend Take: Apr 17-19 💰

• Mario keeps Mario-ing, Hail Mary keeps Hail Mary-ing, and The Drama keeps… well, if you know, you know.

And Now, the News 🗞️

Just what we were all hoping Timmy would do next: Wonka 2: Blueberry Boogaloo is coming. OK, that’s not the working title, but the Wonka behemoth is getting a sequel, which… well, maybe it’s a good move for Timotay Chalamay as he works to reset his image a bit. Also, Hugh Grant as every oompa loompa was funny. Double also, Saorise Ronan is rumored to be joining for this one, so don’t think of it as Wonka: Part Two, think of it as More Little Women.

(Screams internally) A24’s Anthony Bourdain “biopic” is heading for reshoots. OK, I am trying to remain open-minded on this, as I really like the director Matt Johnson (Blackberry) and the star Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers), and I like that they’re solely covering the 1970s summer when Bourdain worked in his first restaurant, rather than some cradle-to-grave thing, but MAN, I just don’t know. Tune in throughout the year for more precious freak outs on my part.

Well, this is something: Jamie Dornan to Play Aragorn/Strider in The Hunt For Gollum. Weeks ago, I included a story about Leo Woodall picking up the sword (which is named Andúril) for Viggo Mortensen, but those reports were incorrect. Instead, f*cking Christian Grey Gardens himself, Ireland’s most handsome man J-Dornan, will take over the role. And honestly? I’m kinda into it.

This is really only kind of “news,” but I just enjoyed the header a lot: FernGully Live-Action Remake Set With Marielle Heller Directing — But Why? And a few more quick hits: Dang, Adria Arjona as Wonder Woman?! And I can’t decide why exactly, but I’m fully onboard: Cate Blanchett playing Martha Stewart in Good Thing.

Annnd a few trailers:

• If Godzilla Minus Zero is half as good as Godzilla Minus One, then we are all in for a kaiju-sized treat.

• Then there’s The Mountain, the most recent film to make the world think, “Damn, New Zealand is stunning.”

• Lastly, one of my most-anticipated movies of the year, The Dog Stars, just dropped its first trailer post-CinemaCon. And it looks… OK? Something about “Academy Award Nominee Jacob Elordi” is still kind of funny to me.

A Way-Too-Short Review - Crime 101 🚔

Man oh MAN, does Crime 101 try to be interesting, thought-provoking, and, well, good. But unfortunately, it comes up a bit short in all of those categories. However, I’m not here to pan movies with aims of normalcy, or maybe… un-exceptionalness. It is clear that this LA crime/heist/thievery/cops-and-robbers thriller knows what it is and is just trying to be the best version of that. But rather than delivering the joy of the metaphorical ice cream sandwich that it so clearly tries to, Crime 101 just makes you realize how good people like Steve McQueen, Kathryn Bigelow, Christopher Nolan, Matthew Vaughn, and Edgar Wright are at doing something very similar, but better from just about every conceivable angle.

This film from director Bart Layton — probably best known for his very interesting movie, American Animals, from a few years back — has its moments. The opening jewel heist is cool to watch. The tip-toeing into the American foster care system is intriguing. Also, Halle Berry is in this film and I am a fan of that. But between the class warfare and simultaneously under and overwhelming performances from Chris Hemsworth and Barry Keoghan, this movie just isn’t that fun. And when you sit down to watch one of the rare recent films to actually be shot on location in LA, complete with car chases and dirty cops and unhinged dudes on motorcycles demanding large sums of money from well-insured jewelers, you want it to be just that: fun. So, if Crime 101 isn’t really that impressive or entertaining, then what does it want to be?

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is Crime 101? An LA crime movie featuring Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Catwoman, and the Joker/Druig (shoutout Druig!) that tries to balance themes of classism, neurodivergence, wellness, morality, the foster care system, trauma, and Tate Donovan, without ever quite getting there.

Should you make time for this movie? I watched all 140 minutes of it over three nights, which was fine and should tell you all you need to know.

Will it win any Oscars? It will not!

What will you remember most from this film? How criminally underused Monica Barbaro and Jennifer Jason Leigh are, how great Halle Berry looks, Barry Keoghan’s… schtick, or Tate Donovan. He really makes an impression.

Five Significantly More Fun Crime Movies 🎬

Point Break (1991)

With all due respect to the 2015 gritty remake, I’m here to talk about Johnny Utah being an FBI agent, and nothing else. In the pantheon of LA crime films, Heat might be the best, but Kathryn Bigelow’s sun-kissed masterpiece is undoubtedly the most fun. It’s two hours of dudes surfing, playing football, pulling off crimes, and looking very early-90s cool while doing it. Swayze and Keanu both appearing in this film is almost too much, but you could say the same thing about Point Break as a whole. I wouldn’t, but someone could.

Widows (2018)

If you’re looking for a poignant crime film about privilege, sexism, and trying to find a better life for everyone around you, please watch this criminally under-seen movie from Steve McQueen – who seems to be more focused on WWII than just about anything else these days, but also once made this dynamite piece of robbery cinema. I don’t want to give away too much, but by saying that a group of thieves all die on a job and then their wives have to complete it in order to pay off their debts gets you about 10% of the way there. Also, incredible dog performance.

Baby Driver (2017)

Crime 101 goes to great lengths to try to make its car chases feel super realistic, but (respectively) I have to ask: why would you want your car chases to be realistic? I want style, I want completely unlikely, but still technically feasible, drifts and turns. Basically, I want whatever spice Edgar Wright sprinkled all over his pop-noir heist movie, Baby Driver. Maybe it’s just that I respond more strongly to The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion rather than the Calm app as a soundtrack for high-stakes driving, and even though this movie has a ton of flaws, it’s also got endless style, which is sometimes all I want.

Fast Five (2011)

Anyone else just want to yell “This is BRAZIL!” at the top of their lungs whenever they see this movie mentioned? Just me? OK, fine. Continuing in the direction of over-the-top absurdism, Fast Five, which is the fifth entry (get it?) in the Fast & Furious franchise, is the last of these films that even attempts to stay rooted in reality, aka there are no scenes of cars hopping between buildings or trips to space here. Instead, the climax of the movie involves two cars pulling a giant safe through the streets of Rio, which is equal parts impressive and stupid, and exactly what I want from an LA-based crime film that heavily relies on four-wheeled vehicles going fast.

Layer Cake (2004)

Damn, ya know what movie rips? Layer Cake. This was the first time I saw Daniel Craig and the first time I watched a movie from Matthew Vaughn, the man who would go on to create Kick-Ass and the Kingsman franchise (and Argyle, but shhh). Also, Sienna Miller is… powerful. But man, this film has style, the right tone, the perfect pacing, and just enough British funk to make it a few degrees more fun than it probably needs to be. Also, Dumbledore plays a gangster and I think that’s nice.

What the F*ck Is This Movie? 👀

Den of Thieves 2: Pantera (2025)

For those who don’t spend a lot of time around the greater garbage crime canon, there is a film called Den of Thieves that is basically… dumb Heat + even dumber Usual Suspects. And you know what? That’s great, it’s a very enjoyable LA romp featuring Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, 50 Cent, and Ice Cube’s son that involves a hell of a twist. But the sequel… is not that.

According to Gemini (not sponcon!): As the mafia prepares to strike the Federal Reserve Bank with an unprecedented heist, the LAPD’s top unit steps into a tense race against time, determined to foil the scheme and take down the leaders.

The AI is underselling this because unlike the very confined world of the original, Pantera takes a page out of the Fast & Furious playbook by going global, which really does not serve the absurd, but small world created by this story. Still, Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. are funny-ish and they do talk a lot about the Federal Reserve’s soft security… Makes ya think.

Seen anything good lately (other than Den of Thieves: Pantera)? On a scale of one to schnozzberry, how excited are you for Wonka 2? Anyone else trying to pull a heist? Let me know by responding to this email.

Yes, it happened again. I moved last week, and while I had planned to squeeze in the time to write a newsletter for last Monday, that idea was quickly swept off to sea by an ever-watchful swell of boxes and bins. But alas, we’re now back to our regularly scheduled movie watching and blabbering. Anywho, I finally got around to watching Pillion last week, which I missed in theaters over the winter and was genuinely… Well, I’ll get into all that, and much more, below.

Cheers,
MB

This Week We’re Covering:

🍽️ Zendaya’s disappearing act
♥️ What Pillion’s really all about
🎬 Five more unconventional romance movies
🐒 Skarsgård’s movie star attempt, and so much more

Weekend Take: Apr 10-12 💰

• Boo Super Mario Galaxy Movie, hell yeah Project Hail Mary (which crossed the $500 million global box office mark this weekend), and WTF/LOL to the Vulture headline, “You, Me & Tuscany Is a Rom-Com Simulation.” Strong work all around.

And Now, the News 🗞️

A lot to unpack here: Steven Soderbergh to Direct Wagner Moura in Spanish-American War Movie That Will Use “A Lot of AI.” So, I’m really into the first 85% of this sentence, and then of course there’s the last piece. That said, maybe there’s a positive we can take out of this: Soderbergh admits he’s no longer getting $100 million to make a movie (unless it’s the Ocean’s sequel he’s not interested in directing), so maybe this is a way for him to still take big swings at scale, but without the financial resources he no longer has access to. Right? Perhaps? Woof, we’ll see.

Avatar 4 and Avatar 5 Producer Says The Sequels Are “Full Speed Ahead.” (Extremely deadpan John Oliver voice) Cool. I didn’t see the last Avatar, but it still brought in a buttload of money, and if Disney can find a way to make them even more financially lucrative, well, who knows how many trips to Pandora we’ll get. BEHOLD, an update! There’s a caveat, they must be “shorter and cheaper.” I knew it!

F*cking bellissimo! Martin Scorsese is potentially shooting a second movie this year, and it’s about the first Italian crime syndicate in America. You had me at “Scorsese, but New Orleans.” As one of the world’s biggest… admirers(?) of Gangs of New York, I would be very excited for the sequel: Gangs of New York 2: This Time in NOLA, but Still with Gangs. And before you freak out, they’re shooting in New Orleans because that’s where the American mafia started, NOT because of the Louisiana tax breaks. Although those probably don’t hurt.

Honestly? HONESTLY?! I get it. Zendaya Plans on “Disappearing” and Going “Into Hiding” After Her Stacked 2026 Release Schedule. As a reminder, she’s got a Spiderman film, The Odyssey, Dune: Part Three, and whatever’s going on with The Drama, not to mention the return of some mediocre, unhinged TV show she was in. So, I too might disappear for a while after all that.

Finally, a few big trailers from the past two weeks (Disclaimer: Despite the evidence below, this is NOT A24 sponcon.)

• First, a film I will most likely not see, but I am convinced will be very big amongst the horror community, Backrooms. Psyched that Renate Reinsve is getting (slightly) bigger checks though.

• Then there’s Mother Mary, which I really thought would have a moment, but might end up going very under the radar. Still though, Anne Hathaway is the only actress giving Zendaya a run for 2026 over-saturation with five movies coming out before the end of the year.

• And lastly, The Invite. Between the return of Olivia Wilde, the big bidding war out of Sundance, and the overall off-kilter nature of the film itself, this movie is going to be a very hot topic later this year. And you know what? Count me in. You know what else? Penelope Cruz with bleached hair is… powerful.

A Way-Too-Short Review - Pillion ⛓️

The word “pillion” is defined as “a seat for a passenger behind a motorcyclist.” And if the idea of going on a ride of sorts for 106 minutes with Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling by your side sounds intriguing, than have a seat because that’s exactly what this very well-made gay romance/dom-sub exploration/sexual-awakening drama is: a ride.

If you’ve heard of Pillion, which comes from first-time filmmaker Harry Lighton, you probably just know it from the premise: the rather odd-looking Colin, played by Melling, begins a dom-sub relationship with the baddest biker in town, Ray, played by Skarsgård. And yes, there are some very visceral, and at times rather funny, sex scenes, but what I actually found super engaging about this movie is what it’s really about: discovering who you are and learning what you want, which is exactly what happens to Colin after engaging in this form of relationship with his much more experienced “romantic” partner.

Skarsgård is the absolute perfect person for this role and he’s got the look, confidence, and presence to, well, make people do whatever he wants, when he wants, and how he wants, but it’s Melling as the main character who I actually found more captivating. He’s such a distinct-looking person and not who you’d expect to find in this situation, which makes his performance, and therefor the movie, more approachable and more easy to identify with. And in a film that involves ass-less wrestling uniforms, a prominent genital piercing, and a Christmas one character will surely never forget, that’s important.

While there are plenty of sequences in Pillion that might make one feel like a tourist in a subculture that they’ll never know, it’s actually the movie’s non-sex scenes that are the most memorable and impressive – one involving a family lunch, and another towards the end of the film when the story’s central couple takes a day “off,” if you will. That second scene in particular is one of the most jarring, but kind movie sequences you’ll see all year, which is actually a good way to define Pillion as a film. Every moment of the movie that feels a like a further turn into the unknown or unfamiliar is met with something so human that you never feel completely out of your element. And on a ride like Pillion, that’s what separates cult appreciation from a romantic film that has the potential to continue finding an audience for years to come.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is Pillion? A gay romance film about finding community, and yourself, in suburban England. Also, 106 minutes of Alexander Skarsgård dom energy (ya know, if that’s your thing).

Should you make time for this movie? I quite liked Pillion and I bet you will too. But please note, have a good think about who you watch it with. That is all.

Will it win any Oscars? It will not, although I’m very excited to see what director Harry Lighton does with his career. He’s definitely got “it,” whatever “it” is.

What will you remember most from this film? Skarsgård’s Skarsgårdiness, just how good Harry Melling is as the lead, and how this really looks like it could’ve been a sequel to one specific storyline from the Harry Potter films. Or maybe you’ll just remember a certain camping sequence, who’s to say?

🎥 Five More… Unconventional Love Stories

Her (2013)

The closer we get to omnipresent AI, the more predictive Spike Jonze’s Her really looks and feels. These days, it’s still weird to hear about a person developing a romantic relationship with AI, but it’s not impossible, and another decade from now… Sorry, where was I? Oh yes, this movie is very good and probably my favorite Joaquin Phoenix, or maybe it’s just his least alienating performance, which is interesting because it’s about a very isolated person. Also, interestingly they filmed the whole movie with Samantha Morton’s voice (the pre-cog who hung out in milk in Minority Report) before having Scarlett Johansson re-record everything after. Makes ya think.

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Now that he’s one of the biggest movie stars on the planet, it’s funny to revisit this era of Ryan Gosling’s career. Post-Remember the Titans, but still pre-swol and silent, this is when he was doing the weird, and no film better defines that than this one. It’s very hard to play charming when you’re a man in love with what’s basically a mannequin, and yet, Gosling does so absolutely perfectly.

Harold and Maude (1971)

Somewhat similarly, if Harold and Maude wasn’t such an extremely charming movie, the entire plot would be beyond creepy. Instead, it’s one of the great… I don’t even know what genre to define this classic as, but whatever it is, it’s the best version of it. A suicide-obsessed 20-year-old princeling of sorts falls for an 80-year-old kook, all to the sounds of prime Cat Stevens. Director Hal Ashby really was one of one.

Black Bag (2025)

One of the best recent films about the complexities of marriage, Black Bag is a tight, 90-minute spy-craft thriller that primarily takes place in an office or at the lead couple’s dining table. And yet, it was one of the most criminally under-seen movies of 2025. As with everything else happening in the film, you never quite know what’s up with Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender’s marriage, besides the fact that they’re beyond devoted to each other, but also both think that the other one might be a double agent. There’s also a very funny scene where Fassbender forces Marisa Abela to help him spy on his wife using a satellite because in the film Black Bag, Abela is a satellite surveillance technician. Steven Soderbergh is elite for that.

WALL-E (2008)

Real talk: I get served multiple WALL-E memes per week focused on how obsessed WALL-E, who is a robot, is with EVE, who is also a robot. I’m not sure what that says about me, but I look at it as a good thing. The whole second half of this movie is very odd, but everything involving those two lovable pieces of machinery is really tip top. Make more good films, Pixar! Please and thanks.

What the F*ck Is This Movie? 👀

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

OK, so The Legend of Tarzan fits into the rare category of a film I’ve seen that also made me ask, “WTF is this movie!?” I bet I even paid to see this in a theater, which maybe means we should be asking WTF is up with me? Anyway, if you’ve ever been perplexed by Alexander Skarsgård’s less mainstream roles from the past decade, know that many of them are a response to how this experiment went quite poorly. It’s probably the closest the big Swede ever came to being a big franchise leading man, and is also most likely the reason we’ve never seen him in any kind of cape or super-suit. Also, Margot Robbie is here. What an odd choice for all involved!

Seen anything good lately (other than The Legend of Tarzan)? How short should the next Avatar be? When will Her basically be our reality? Let me know by responding to this email.

Well, I picked a heck of a time to take just my second week off in the 15 months since starting this newsletter. My most anticipated film of the year based on one of my all-time favorite books is now the biggest movie in the country and I am thrilled that millions more people are now familiar with the legend that is Rocky. (Saw Project Hail Mary again over the weekend, this time in IMAX, and it was just terrific.) There were also some mega trailers, a lot of interesting film announcements, and I watched Stand By Me for the first time, which was also really nice. Yep, that’s my whole review. Anyway, more on all the rest below.

Cheers,
MB

This Week We’re Covering:

🚀 Dang, the people love Project Hail Mary!
🍿 The crossroads of L.A. Confidential
🎬 Five more LA movies I quite like
👤 A forgotten Soderbergh film, and much more

Weekend Take: Mar 27-29 💰

• Suck it, Hoppers! My space boys are just keeping the magic going. Amaze, amaze, amaze indeed!

• The only other note: five of the top 10 movies this past weekend were either horror or horror-adjacent, which is just kind of wild. That is all.

And Now, the News 🗞️

• We are so back! Audiences Want Originality, Hope, and Ryan Gosling – That’s Why Project Hail Mary Is Soaring. I have walked amongst you and learned that some are not interested in seeing this film. And you know what!? That’s perfectly fine, you do your thing, but I am simply thrilled that this movie I was equally excited for and in a way dreading in fear of disappointment was just great and is doing very well. However, it might be doing too well and there are already rumors of a sequel, which if you’ve read the book or seen the film, you know that could be… a challenge. As long as Andy Weir is involved, I’m onboard.

• OK, I was wrong. NOW we’re so f*cking back. Stephen Colbert to Write New Lord of the Rings Movie Set After the Trilogy. I will admit, this is about as up my alley as possible as I really dig Colbert’s Colbertness, especially his encyclopedic knowledge of Tolkien, and I love those GD movies. And after getting the shaft from CBS for extremely dumb reasons, I am psyched that this is how he’s going to spend the next five+ years of his life,

• Speaking of people doing exactly what they should be: Kirsten Dunst Joins Minecraft 2 After Saying She Wanted the Role to “Make a Pile of Cash.” My take: Kiki stays elite. Get that sweet Minecraft 2 cash, make something for your kids, and act in a movie that actually makes money (her words, not mine, read the article). Wait, I think I hear the sound of a dump-truck full of greenbacks heading back towards the Dunst-Plemons home as she’s also joined the cast of The Housemaid 2, which will undoubtedly provide a second pile of said cash. Good for her.

• This is way more exciting than Digger: Tom Cruise Eyed to Play the Villain in Joseph Kosinski’s Miami Vice. It is time for this weird, very fast man to properly enter his villain era. We saw it in Collateral and he stole every scene he appeared in. We saw it (kind of) in Tropic Thunder and it was terrific. We saw it in… hm, I was going to make a “real life” joke about him and Katie Holmes, but that’s not really what we do here, so I’ll just leave you with two examples. TC – Do the right thing and battle Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler’s forces for good, it’ll be worth it.

• And finally, some absolutely MASSIVE trailers arrived while I was gone:

• First up, Dune: Part Three. Fun fact, I considered writing this whole newsletter just about this trailer because it’s that intriguing and the fact that Warner Bros. dropped it less than 48 hours after Timmy’s cursed Oscar run ended was just perfect. BLUE LSD, BLUE LSD, BLUE LSD!

• Then we have our first glimpse of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which doesn’t look great to me personally, but also set a new world record with 718 million views in 24 hours. Sidenote - Zendaya has two more movies coming out this year and one of them is The Odyssey. She really is Meechee!

• Last, and maybe least, but still very intriguing: Wild Horse Nine, the new spy-craft thriller from Martin McDonagh which appears to primarily take place on Easter Island. I’m calling it now, this is getting a Best Picture nom and McDonagh is going to gun for that Best Director slot. Ya heard it here first!

A Way-Too-Short Review: L.A. Confidential 🍿

L.A. Confidential is a very good 1950s-set crime movie that looks at the scandals and corruption gripping the LAPD during a very formative time in its history. But beyond the film itself, what interests me most about this movie is how it was a true “fork in the road” film for its two young stars: Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce.

If you looked at the two of them at this time in their careers, Crowe was 33 and Pearce 30, it would’ve been easy to assume that Crowe was beginning a career as a notable character actor, whereas Pearce was born to be a future leading man. But oddly, the exact opposite happened and Crowe would soon become arguably the biggest movie star in the world. Three years after L.A. Confidential, Crowe was Maximus Decimus Meridius–who, in case you forgot, was commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius, while also being father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and was set on getting his vengeance, in this life or the next. Then came A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man, Master and Commander (all-timer), and American Gangster, not to mention The Insider in 1999, which is arguably his best performance.

Meanwhile, Pearce became the movie star who never was. Now, he’s been in a ton of films, ranging from Memento to Iron Man 3 to the nine projects he currently has in production. But really, it wasn’t until last year when the movie-going public was reminded of his talent, after appearing as the sadistic benefactor in The Brutalist, which may explain his recent casting as Rupert Murdoch in Danny Boyle’s forthcoming Ink.

On top of the acting career what-ifs, however, is the long-rumored sequel to L.A. Confidential, which was supposed to star Chadwick Boseman with Crowe and Pearce set to return in smaller roles. But much like how we’ll never know how their careers would’ve turned out if things had gone a bit closer to what seemed like two defined paths at the time, we’ll also never know what good or bad could’ve come from a second go at this franchise. And just like some of the plot lines in L.A. Confidential itself, some of those storylines are better left unsolved anyway.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is L.A. Confidential? A crime noir set in 1940s Los Angeles, but also the big-bang moment for Russell Crowe, who would soon go on one of the biggest eight-year runs in movie history. Also, also, Danny DeVito is in this film.

Should you make time for this movie? I think you should. L.A. Confidential was huge when it came out, and while I wouldn’t quite label it a classic, I think it’s overall very enjoyable.

Did it win any Oscars? Yes! It won two of the nine it was nominated for, which went to Kim Basinger for Best Supporting Actress and it also won Best Adapted Screenplay. Unfortunately, this movie came out the same year as Titanic, which won all seven of the other awards it was nominated for.

What will you remember most from this film? How young Russell Crowe is, or maybe just James Cromwell’s entire schtick. How that man is American, I do not know. But also… it could just be how good Kevin Spacey was. Tough beat for all of us on that one.

Five More Great Films That Taught Me About LA 🎬

Clueless (1995)

This is without a doubt the single movie set in Los Angeles that I have seen the most times and that I most attribute to giving me an idea of what it’s like there. Take that as you will. Either way, what a f*cking classic this is. What a cast, what a star performance from Alicia Silverstone, and what a time for the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and the word “sporadically.” Also incredible that Paul Rudd mysteriously still looks just about the same, but much like asking how Wallace Shawn ended up in this film, some questions are better left unasked and unanswered.

La La Land (2016)

Did you know this movie made $500 million? That’s crazytown. Did you know it was originally supposed to be Miles Teller and Emma Watson as the two leads? That’s crazytown part deux. I was very late to the La La Land train and I remember starting it at home for the first time and the opening scene of all the people singing in stopped traffic on the 405 came on and I thought, “Nope, no thank you.” But even after I got past that, I still found myself completely immune to its charms for the first hour and 45 minutes or so. But man oh MAN, did the epilogue/memory montage in Gosling’s club… well, that just absolutely killed me. And after now having listened to the score a few hundred if not thousand times while working, it’s become a very important movie I return to in chunks quite often.

Lords of Dogtown (2005)

Gather around children and I’ll tell you of the time when Emile Hirsch was destined to become one of the next great actors. Wait, hold up, this dude has SEVEN movies in production!? Man, E-Hirsch loves to work. Anyway, Lords of Dogtown is a great little hang of a film about the birth of aerial skateboarding and the little sh*ts that were the real tip of the spear. Hirsch plays one of them, as does one of the cofounders of Crisp Denim from the excellent show How to Make It in America. But the real star here is Heath Ledger, who was just starting to show that he was more than just a very handsome wad of charisma. He also wears dentures in the movie and uses a crazy accent, both of which are terrific. Good film.

Heat (1995)

You guys like Heat? I know I do, but even though I think I’ve only seen it twice in my life, I exist in a particular crevice of pop culture where this movie is ubiquitous, it is everywhere. Hell, I made a custom tank top when I ran the New York Marathon with the quote, “For me, the action is the juice,” stuck to the front of it, which subsequently slipped off over the course of the first 10 miles. Anyway, this absolutely deranged and beautiful meditation on aging masculinity, one’s purpose in life and society, AND Al Pacino “pretending” to chip blow all day is such an exquisite document of storytelling. Will the sequel be good? Who knows, but will it be fascinating? It couldn’t not be.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

OK, now for a little change of pace from my very white, very bro movie list, let’s talk about The Big Lebowski. Is it my favorite Coen Brothers movie? No, that would be O Brother, Where Art Thou? And is it the most important Coen Brothers movie? No, I’d say that’s No Country For Old Men. But is it their most memorable? Yes, and it’s not even close. This is one of the truly rare films where you could turn on any scene from any point in the story and something truly iconic has either just happened, is about to happen, or is currently happening. We’ve got nihilists, shabbos, bowling, the little Lebowskis, Credence, milk, ferrets, and Tara GD Reed, not to mention about 1,000 other weird details that could only come from one set of brains. It is perfect no matter which way you slice it.

What the F*ck Is This Movie? 👀

The Limey (1999)

Right after Steven Soderbergh made Out of Sight, which is great, and right before he made Ocean’s 11, which is eternal, he made The Limey, which… well, let’s let AI tell you:

“The Limey follows Wilson (Terence Stamp), a tough English ex-con who travels to Los Angeles to avenge his daughter’s death. Upon arrival, Wilson goes to task battling Valentine (Peter Fonda) and an army of L.A.’s toughest criminals, hoping to find clues and piece together what happened. After surviving a near-death beating, getting thrown from a building and being chased down a dangerous mountain road, the Englishman decides to dole out some bodily harm of his own.”

It sort of sounds like a darker version of Taken, but shot almost exclusively in the daylight around Los Angeles. This is a film for the real heads and freaks out there, and if you’re someone who’s had the chance to see it, I’d love to know your thoughts.

Seen anything good lately (other than The Limey)? Is this the beginning of Tom Cruise’ elderly villain era? Seriously, how are they going to make a Project Hail Mary sequel? Let me know by responding to this email.

Well, we did it – we made it to the end of the 2025 Oscars’ 37-month campaign. And with it, we can officially say goodbye to a pretty good movie year. Did everyone enjoy the show last night? Overall, I thought the telecast itself was… fine to good? Shoutout to Leo’s mustache, Jessie Buckley dropping some Irish bars as she walked off stage, and Jesse Plemons being the last person the camera panned to after Michael B. Jordan won for Best Actor. Texas for-f*cking-ever! Unfortunately, I did miss the under on how many cigs Sean Penn would rip from his seat as he was apparently in Ukraine rather than showing up to receive his third gold statue.

Picks-wise, my predictions from last week’s newsletter went 18/24, whereas my updated choices last night netted me 20/24. My prediction for this coming year: 24/24 for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, including all the shorts. If he can shoot an entire scene with the Cyclops practically, I’m not ruling anything out.

Cheers,
MB

This Week We’re Covering:

🤩 Some LOTR & Star Wars updates (exciting!)
👾 How pleased I am with Project Hail Mary
🎬 Five more great intergalactic field trips
🤢 Ryan & Jake go to space, and so much more

Weekend Take: March 23-15 💰

• My only notes: way to go Kiki and cowabunga, indeed!

And Now, the News 🗞️

• Well, at least the kids get Grogu: RIP to James Mangold and Beau Willimon’s Star Wars movie. On the one hand, as I mentioned last week, Willimon is busy taking Game of Thrones to the big screen, while Mangold (he of A Complete Unknown, Logan, and Ford v Ferrari fame) is in pre-production on his motocross heist movie with Timotay Chalamay, which sounds sick. But hear you this: “Mangold and Willimon’s Dawn of The Jedi was supposed to explore the origins of the Jedi.” And if that doesn’t sound equally as sick, well, then I don’t know what to tell ya.

• F*cking Kate Winslet is going to Middle Earth! Last week, it was basically confirmed that Leo Woodall would be taking the reins as the new based Númenórean God himself, Aragorn, after original actor Vigo Mortensen decided he was too busy living his life to potentially be pulled in for another New Zealand-based trilogy. Which, fair. But now we get one of the greatest actors of her generation joining what could either be awesome (like the original LOTR trilogy), or completely terrible (like everything else that’s come from this IP since) in this new set of prequels. Here’s to hoping it’s the former.

• Hmm, sure? Billie Eilish to Star in Sarah Polley’s The Bell Jar Adaptation. This is… not in my element, as I haven’t read any Sylvia Plath (potential apologies to my mother and sister), nor do I listen to Bill Eyelids (fewer apologies to my family members for that one). All in all, this feels peculiar, but hey, maybe it will be great! Maybe?

• Talk about a heist: Bradley Cooper in Talks to Write, Direct, and Star Ocean’s 11 Prequel… after (potentially) ousting the original director. If, like me, you’ve recently wondered, “Sup with B-rad Coops these days?” even though he legit just directed and co-starred in a movie (one that I know some of you have seen), well, here’s your answer. Sack and Barbie (Margot Robbie will also be present) as George Clooney’s parents, getting wild in 60s Vegas. Please be good.

• It was a real “inside me there are three wolves” kind of trailer week here at ABO, but here we go. First off, it’s In the Grey, which is Guy Ritchie’s “newest” action comedy (in that it was filmed in 2023) starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill, and Eliza González. Honestly? This looks like a future plane movie hall of famer. Then there’s Power Ballad with Paul Rudd and a Jonas brother, which sounds awful on paper, but John Carney directed it and I like John Carney’s other movies about people making music. So, sure? Lastly, the first proper trailer for Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, which is giving increasing Invasion of the Body Snatchers energy. Take that as you will.

A Way-Too-Short Review - Project Hail Mary 🚀

🚨 (This is a spoiler-free review.) 🚨

For the amount of media I consume, there isn’t a lot of IP that I have the unique and often times unhealthy relationship of having read before seeing someone else’s depiction of it on screen. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was already out there with summersaulting Gene Wilder before I knowingly read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Lord of the Rings already existed as the weird 1970s animated Hobbit and two-part LOTR bad acid trip (seriously, it is frightening) that I saw as a kid before I read any of the books or saw Peter Jackson’s first trilogy. Even with Harry Potter, I might’ve read or had some of the books read to me before the first movie came out, but whatever my imagined version of Hogwarts was has simply melted into the version put on screen.

Which brings us to Project Hail Mary. With the exception of one other book that will sadly never grace the big screen, there is no piece of written IP that I have read more times and thought about as mechanically as Andy Weir’s third novel about a guy who wakes up in space with amnesia, but slowly starts to remember that he’s there to save Earth from an extra-terrestrial plague that’s dimming the Sun. And when the movie was announced a few years ago with the directors behind 21 Jump Street and the Spider-Verse films—not the mention the original version of Solo, which got taken away from them mid shoot—at the helm with Ryan Gosling of all people playing the lead, I was dubious. Lucky for all of us, it turns out, sometimes I am very dumb and wrong.

Project Hail Mary is the first great movie of 2026. You’ll leave the theater wishing it was actually longer than it’s 156-minute runtime, and when’s the last time you had that thought? It doesn’t possess quite the same whoa-sized scope of Interstellar, which it will undoubtedly be heavily compared to. Or the more mechanical nature of The Martian, which was written by the same novelist and adapted by the same screenwriter, but what it might not quite possess in those two areas it makes up for in two things that are harder and harder to come by in mainstream movies these days: heart and humor.

Go see this movie in the biggest, loudest, fullest theater you can. You will laugh, you may tear up, and if you ever doubted the power of Gosling, prepare to rescind your stance. While Project Hail Mary the movie could never have perfectly mirrored the book, it’s an adaptation that opens itself up to a much larger audience than the novel and the more people who can experience this depiction of Dr. Ryland Grace floating through the cosmos, the better – no matter how I or anyone else saw his mission play out in our minds beforehand.

The TL;DR

Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿🍿

What is Project Hail Mary? Just a delightful space epic that’s comical, thrilling, and insanely human. The directors, Lord and Miller, really threaded the giant intergalactic needle perfectly.

Should you make time for this movie? Yes. A massive, massive yes.

Will it win any Oscars? I could see a nomination for Production Design and/or Special Effects (and I don’t just mean the CGI), MAYBE Best Supporting Actress for my girl Sandra Hüller, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Drew Goddard should’ve won for his Martian script, I think he’ll get another look here.

What will you remember most from this film? The textured feel of everything in the movie or Gosling’s oddly emotional performance. Actually, there is one thing above all else that you will remember: a character who I will not elaborate on for the sake of those who haven’t read the book or seen the film yet. But trust me, you’ll know.

🎥 Five More Great Space Movies

The Martian (2015)

In a lot of ways, Project Hail Mary only exists because of The Martian’s success, both as a book and film. This originally self-published, rock-hard sci-fi novel became an incredible movie thanks to the screenwriting stewardship of Drew Goddard, who also wrote PHM’s script, and Matt Damon’s unique ability to be completely interesting while marooned on a barren planet, presumably by himself. Fun fact: I often watch the last 20 minutes of this movie when Damon gets rescued by his crew just to feel something. Double fun fact: It came out the same day as Sicario, which could go down as one of the great same-day double-features of all time.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Modern space movies do not exist without Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. It is the alpha, it is the omega, it is numero uno. If you’ve ever seen a space ship filmed, it’s because a director watched Kubrick do it first. Our entire culture’s (well, most of it anyway) suspicion of AI can be traced back to Hal. Our contempt for intergalactically traveling through space and time… Well, you get the idea. If you need a refresher on just how technically influential this film was, take the time to watch this.

Moon (2009)

If you saw The Martian, or read my review of Project Hail Mary, and thought, “Man, I just love watching dudes alone in space,” then may I recommend arguably Sam Rockwell’s best movie, Moon? Centered on an astronaut living in isolation aboard a lunar space station, he realizes that all is not quite as it seems as he begins to fade into madness… or does he? As a bonus, it was directed by David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, who eventually made Source Code, which was pretty good, and Warcraft, which… yeah.

Interstellar (2014)

In a way, Christopher Nolan’s space epic that served as the peak of the McConaissance shares more in common with Project Hail Mary than any other movie on this list. You know, there’s a guy in space on a pseudo-suicide mission and he encounters all sorts of things he can’t explain while traversing through places and times unknown to the human mind. But also, I could just listen to this all day – preferably with the homie TARS by my side.

Contact (1997)

“Whatever it is, it ain’t local!” Other than Star Wars and maybe Back to the Future, Contact was one of the first sci-fi movies to really make an impression on me as kid, and not just because I kept wondering why young McConaughey sounded like he did (and the whole William Fichter playing blind thing, but I digress). What I remember most is being so blown away by not just the end sequence, which may or may not just happen in Jodie Foster’s mind, but also the idea that aliens could potentially communicate with humans through the use of math, which is truly wild to contemplate (it’s at this point I realized that Arrival might’ve been a good choice here, but it’s time for Robert Zemeckis to get his flowers). If you have read or seen Project Hail Mary, you’ll know why this matters, and if you haven’t, you should change that very soon.

What the F*ck Is This Movie? 👀

Life (2017)

Does this movie even exist? I mean, it clearly does, but does anyone, and I mean anyone, have a place for this movie in their hearts? Let’s go to the AI log-line:

Astronauts (Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds) aboard the International Space Station are on the cutting edge of one of the most important discoveries in human history: the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. As members of the crew conduct their research, the rapidly evolving life-form proves far more intelligent and terrifying than anyone could have imagined.

Yes, you are currently thinking, “Did I see this? How did I miss this? Was it good?” and that’s OK! I love one of those actors, fear another, and know the third is very good at selling phones and soccer documentaries. And you know what? That’s fine, sometimes movies—even ones that seem right up your alley—slip right through, only to never be discovered again. Such is Life.

Seen anything good lately (other than Project Hail Mary)? Will Cate B. give Kate W. any Middle Earth recs or tips? How did you do with your Oscars picks? Let me know by responding to this email.