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Happy Saturday of Memorial Day weekend! And is it ever a busy one. You may have plans for the beach, and that sounds perfect. (But please wear sunscreen. I wish I could go back and tell this to my 20-something self, driving around carefree in her convertible, blissfully unaware of the need for a dermatologist. She wouldn’t have listened.)
If you have plans to go see a movie, though, I’ve got you covered. There’s a variety of great choices, and they’re not all a Star War.
Anyong!
Here’s what we reviewed this week on our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel and podcast. Take us with you as you’re enjoying the three-day weekend, and maybe leave a review and a few stars if you have a moment. It helps people find us in the vast podcast ether.
THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU. Now it’s officially summer. This is the film version of “The Mandalorian” series on Disney+ (which we recapped all three seasons of on our Patreon) and the first “Star Wars” movie in theaters since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker.” It’s getting wildly mixed reviews — as Alonso puts it, no one hates “Star Wars” like a “Star Wars” fan — but we had a great time. Mark your calendar for a LIVE spoiler chat with us on Tuesday at Noon Pacific. In theaters.
I LOVE BOOSTERS. Boots Riley follows up his debut feature, 2018’s “Sorry to Bother You,” with another wildly imaginative absurdist comedy. Keke Palmer, Taylour Paige and Naomi Ackie star as boosters: young women in the San Francisco Bay Area who steal designer clothes and sell them at a discount. It’s rollicking and unpredictable, but falls apart in the third act. See it for the costume and production design alone. Demi Moore and LaKeith Stanfield are among the inspired ensemble. In theaters.
TUNER. The best new movie of the week is the kind they don’t make as much anymore: a mid-budget, character-driven drama for grown-ups (although I brought my 16-year-old son with me and he loved it, too). Leo Woodall stars as a New York piano tuner who realizes that his extra-sensitive hearing makes him the perfect safecracker. This is the feature filmmaking debut from director Daniel Roher, who won a best-documentary Oscar for “Navalny.” See it in a theater for the music, and for Johnnie Burn’s immersive sound design.
IS GOD IS. So many people asked us to catch up with a review of this stylish thriller, and I’m so glad we did. Alonso loved it, so I was happy to find time for a matinee. Writer-director Aleshea Harris’ bold filmmaking debut is an adaptation of her stage play about twin sisters who go on a bloody, cross-country revenge journey. Kara Young and Mallori Johnson are both tremendous, and Sterling K. Brown, Vivica A. Fox and Janelle Monae are among the strong supporting cast. A true original and a contender for one of the year’s best. In theaters.
OBSESSION. This is another movie that our viewers requested for us to review — we are here for you! And it’s truly become a phenomenon. YouTuber-turned-filmmaker Curry Barker writes and directs this horror movie about a dweeby dude (Michael Johnston) who secretly pines for his vivacious co-worker (an incredible Inde Navarrette). When he makes a wish for her to love him back, it does not turn out as he planned. In theaters.
MOVIE NEWS LIVE! This was an extra-long Friday livestream because it had been a couple of weeks and there was so much to talk about: “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” “The Boys” series finale (more on that below), the last Stephen Colbert show, the Cannes Film Festival and more. We plan to do these more consistently throughout the summer, so join us on Fridays at Noon Pacific at our channel.
Plus, I had the pleasure of reviewing several of these movies and many others on FilmWeek on LAist. This was a really fun episode, because not only did I get to share the studio with my longtime friend Lael Loewenstein, but my new friend and neighbor, the brilliant Maureen Lee Lenker, is now a part of the team, as well. You can also take us with you in podcast form.
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Alonso and I also did a quick, out of the theater reaction after seeing “Backrooms” on Friday night. Like “Obsession,” this horror movie comes from a YouTuber who’s turned his content into a feature film. The difference is, Kane Parsons is only 20 years old. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as the manager of a San Jose furniture store who discovers a sprawling, hidden realm on the other side of a wall; Renate Reinsve is his therapist, who gets sucked into this world, as well. The aggressive blandness of the rooms is creepy enough, but the harsh fluorescent lighting and hideous ‘90s furniture makes these office spaces even more unnerving. Everything is just … off, in increasingly surreal ways. If you are claustrophobic in the slightest, this will be difficult for you. It is serious nightmare fuel, and it lingered with me during the long drive home and beyond. I can’t wait to get into this further. We’ll have a full review once the embargo lifts on Wednesday morning.
Did you watch “The Boys” series finale this week? Or did you go see it in a theater, as Nic and I did Tuesday night? Like the “Stranger Things” finale, you could watch the last episode of this superhero show with an audience, and I’m so glad we did. Tickets sold out quickly, in part because it was only playing in places equipped with 4DX. I realized once we walked into the auditorium at CinemaWest Beach Cities that … oh … I’ve never done 4DX before. And now that I’ve done it, I’m not sure I’d do it again. You’re constantly bracing yourself for the next jolt or blast of wind. Is my giant Diet Coke going to spill? Am I officially an old person? Anyway, it was very cool experiencing this with a packed, rapt audience. Nic watched every episode, and while I wasn’t nearly that dedicated, I knew what was going on and thought it was an efficient, satisfying conclusion. Satire is so hard these days when reality is so extreme, as the makers of “The Boys” have discovered repeatedly. But fans don’t have to miss this world for too long: the prequel series “Vought Rising” is coming to Prime Video in 2027. Maybe things will look even more different then — for the better.
That’ll do it for me for this week. But first, a quick scheduling note: If you’re a member of our Patreon at the Lunch Date level, our May meet-up will be this Wednesday at Noon Pacific because Monday is a holiday. You should have received a link in your DMs. And if you’re not already a member or you’d like to upgrade to join us in these intimate, monthly chats, you can find out more at the Membership tab.
Thanks so much for sharing some of your time with me. If you’ve enjoyed my newsletter, I hope you’ll share it with someone else. And if someone shared it with you, I hope you’ll subscribe. Saturday Matinee is always free. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.
