Welcome to this month’s FREE Friday newsletter! At the end of every month, I’ll drop a list of what I’ve been working on. Without further ado:
In Challengers, life is a competition and tennis is sex
Tennis, much like sex, is a transference of power – a relationship, if you will. It’s a back and forth where the momentum changes constantly, where you’re on top one moment and on the bottom the next. Challengers takes that power struggle and injects it through the whole of its characters’ lives, showing what it looks like to vie for the top dog position both on the court and between the sheets. The result is one of director Luca Guadagnino’s best, a ferocious outing that buzzes with eroticism, somehow leaving you wanting more while feeling like you could run a marathon by its end.
The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is a fun, if disjointed entry into Guy Ritchie’s canon of handsome men living dangerously
When all is said and done, the secret mission at the core of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare doesn’t necessarily come across as dangerous as it certainly must have been in real life. The ability of this small, eccentric bunch to take on legions of Nazis and come out unscathed is on the level of superheroes, leading to a much more straightforward adventure than one might expect. But, as with many a Guy Ritchie movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare lives and dies by its ensemble of handsome men – and despite their superhuman skill and the film’s ragged edges, this group is charming enough to keep you entertained.
The Greatest Hits buckles under the weight of its magical realism
The Greatest Hits not only investigates the power of nostalgia, but deals quite heftily in its own nostalgic feel as well. There’s an old school sensibility to the film’s strengths, particularly in the way its characters use their pop culture references to communicate their feelings – seriously, some exchanges feel straight out of a Dawson’s Creek episode, and I mean that in the best way possible. But despite the charming banter and the chemistry between the leads, The Greatest Hits loses itself in its magical realism, so much so that its strongest themes end up lost in the shuffle.
Civil War doesn’t capitalize on its most interesting themes
There’s a moment toward the beginning of Civil War where Lee (Kirsten Dunst) lends a voice to the larger naïveté and denial that befalls even the hardest boiled of journalists in this world. But, while this particular brand of American exceptionalism, the idea that you are safe from conflict simply by virtue of who you are, is lightly explored throughout the rest of the film, writer/director Alex Garland mostly leaves that theme hanging by movie’s end, preferring instead to make a broader, less interesting thematic point about the ways in which we’ve become numb to violence.
Wicked Little Letters is a delightfully crass comedy about the thrill of being naughty
A cheeky sort of naughtiness is embedded in the DNA of Wicked Little Letters, a delicious vulgarity that, despite your best efforts, is sure to make you chuckle. The mystery of the letter writer itself is a bit less fun than the film’s overall tone, a bit too easy to see coming. But the film never loses its sense of humor, a wonderfully funny script from Jonny Sweet boosted by a great supporting cast. If nothing else, Wicked Little Letters offers you a great opportunity to see the cream of the crop of British talent curse their brains out.
In conversation with Jenna Kanell, star and co-writer of Faceless After Dark
Make a movie about a killer clown, they said. But Jenna Kanell made something a little different. Kanell co-wrote the film Faceless After Dark, which is playing at this year’s Atlanta Film Festival, with Todd Jacobs. When director Raymond Wood originally approached her, he said he wanted a movie about a killer clown. But Kanell, who is known for her role in the cult classic horror movie Terrifier, wasn’t really interested in making yet another movie about clowns that kill.
So, using the concept of a killer clown as a jumping off point, Kanell and Jacobs decided to make something a little more meta and a little less focused on the prototypical villain. I got the opportunity to interview Kanell recently, which you can find at the link above.
Emily Saliers on Fox benefit concert and Indigo Girls renaissance
From playing shows to seeing artists like Janelle Monáe and Greta Van Fleet, Emily Saliers – one half of the Atlanta-based duo Indigo Girls, along with Amy Ray – has a plethora of memories that she could share about the historic Fox Theatre. And she’s about to be able to add one more. On April 28, Indigo Girls will headline the Fox’s Revival Benefit Concert, along with special guests Charlie Starr and Benji Shanks of Blackberry Smoke. I got to speak with Emily before the show – you can find the link to that conversation above.
In conversation with Lewis Pullman, star of Lessons in Chemistry
Based on Bonnie Garmus’ book of the same name, Lessons in Chemistry stars Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott, a woman working as a lab tech in the 1950s who dreams of being a scientist. Eventually, Elizabeth will go on to host her own cooking show, but at the beginning of the series, her aspirations continue to fall flat, time and time again. That is, until she meets Dr. Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman). Over the course of the show’s first two episodes, the relationship between Elizabeth and Calvin evolves from cordiality between colleagues to a blossoming romance between two people who, up until this point, were perfectly content to be alone. I spoke with Pullman, who was one of the most laid back interviews I’ve ever had (in the best way), about his role. You can find that interview at the link above.
Thanks for reading!
Tennis based movies, and car race movies, usually fall flat on their face because capturing the excitement of the sport on film is virtually impossible. Your review shows it is possible if the story is strong. Thanks Sammie.....awesome roundup 😁
Ok - well that just ripped the hell out of me. Ep two! So now I went back and read your interview. My biggest takeaway was how Brie (Elizabeth) never smiled - until she opened up with Calvin. What a great love story - and now I am hoping I can deal with Six Thirty telling us the rest. But - that made me so sad.