Happy Saturday, and Happy February (Finally)

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Happy Saturday, friends. Man, it feels good to turn the page on the calendar. (That’s a funky-fresh cultural reference for all you kids out there.) But I am feeling optimistic as I continue to ride the high from that incredible FireAid benefit concert on Thursday night. Did you catch any of it? A mind-boggling lineup of musicians performed at two venues in Los Angeles to raise money for wildfire relief.

Part of what was so cool about it was that these artists were often playing songs you’ve heard a million times before, but they felt thrilling and new in this setting for this purpose. P!nk absolutely tore up a cover of “Me and Bobby McGee.” A mini Nirvana reunion was insane and unexpected. Stevie Wonder and Sting performing “Higher Ground” was a blast, with Flea on bass (a nice touch). Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September,” a song you’ve heard at every wedding, bar mitzvah and accounting firm Christmas party ever, felt particularly joyous here. And I wasn’t familiar with Anderson .Paak, but he was a total highlight, especially alongside Sheila E. and Dr. Dre. I made it until 11:30pm Pacific time, when Olivia Rodrigo took the stage, knowing that Lady Gaga, Billie Eilish and more were still in store.

But I caught up with the rest online the next morning, and you can, too. The entire FireAid concert livestream is available on several YouTube channels, and you can either donate there or at FireAidLA.org. All the money raised will go toward rebuilding the lives and cities that were devastated by last month’s wildfires.

January was brutal in a lot of ways, but several surprisingly good movies came out during this time, which is usually a dumping ground. We reviewed a bunch of them this week on our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel and podcast. We’d love to have you join us there if you haven’t already (and maybe give us a quick review over at Apple podcasts if you have a moment — it helps folks find us!).

• YOU’RE CORDIALLY INVITED. This extremely R-rated wedding comedy from writer-director Nicholas Stoller (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “Neighbors”) is getting wildly mixed reviews. Several of our friends and colleagues hated it, but Alonso and I laughed out loud quite a bit, until it turns gooey at the end. This is the kind of broad crowd-pleaser with bankable, A-list stars (Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell) that you’d ordinarily see in a theater. Now, it’s streaming on Prime Video.

• COMPANION (WITH SPOILERS!). We couldn’t figure out how to tell you how much we enjoyed this movie without going into full-on spoilers, so here we are. It’s best to know as little as possible heading into this thriller (although the most recent trailer gives away a lot). We can safely say it’s got lots of clever twists, and Sophie Thatcher is great in it. In theaters.

• THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE. This gorgeous and harrowing Danish film was on my top-10 list from 2024; now, it’s an Oscar nominee for best international film, so we wanted to catch up with it. We pride ourselves on reviewing all of the international feature nominees every year at our channel, so stick around for that throughout February. “The Girl With the Needle” is still in some theaters and streaming on Mubi.

• LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH. You know the silky-smooth sounds of Luther Vandross, but do you know the isolation and torment that lurked beneath those ‘80s and ‘90s R&B hits? Director Dawn Porter explores the late, legendary singer’s life and career in this warm-hearted documentary. If you’re a Luther fan, you’ll love it. And if you don’t know much about him, you’ll come away with an appreciation for his singular talent. In theaters now, streaming Feb. 7 on OWN and Feb. 8 on Max.

No Movie News LIVE! this week because one of my absolute best friends since I was 11 years old was in town, so I dropped everything to have lunch with her. But there’s SO much going on, especially with all the “Emilia Pérez” madness, so come on back next Friday, Feb. 7, and we’ll get into it all.

But of course there were some duds in January, too, and I had the unique pleasure of reviewing one of them this week for Ebert. “Like Father Like Son” is the movie that inspired me to start my worst-of-2025 list. It’s a stilted and surreal display from writer-director Barry Jay, the Barry’s Boot Camp founder turned filmmaker. This unintentionally hilarious cautionary tale is both ineptly crafted and uncomfortably earnest in a way that recalls “The Room,” but it’s not nearly as fun as the Tommy Wiseau cult favorite. Dermot Mulroney plays a man with homicidal rage issues who passes them onto his son (Dylan Flashner, as the most boring serial killer ever). Somehow this movie is in theaters and available digitally and on demand.

If you want to see a bona-fide masterpiece, “Parasite” is coming back to theaters — in IMAX! — for the five-year anniversary of its historic Oscar best-picture win in 2020. Director Bong Joon Ho’s exploration of South Korean economic disparity is thrilling, stylish and horrifying, and if you’ve never seen it projected, IMAX is an excellent way to go. I haven’t seen it since it came out, and I can’t wait to show it to Nic. Tickets for its one-week run starting Feb. 7 are available here.

Finally this Saturday, I’d like to leave you on an uplifting note — literally. For January’s Off the Menu poll on our Patreon, we revisited “Dirty Dancing,” the 1987 musical drama that became a massive cultural phenomenon. It’s bizarre to imagine that it was ever a tiny indie, but “Dirty Dancing” won best first feature at the Spirit Awards from Film Independent. As a 15-year-old girl in the summer of 1987, I was the perfect target for this ultimate summer-that-changed-everything movie, and recall sobbing uncontrollably during packed matinees at the now-defunct UA Warner Center in Woodland Hills. Decades later, “Dirty Dancing” remains hugely entertaining, and a perfect fit for everything the late Patrick Swayze could do. What are your memories of this movie? Thanks to our members for voting, and keep an eye out for February’s poll, where we’ll honor the recently departed David Lynch.

I love being an ambassador for Athletic Brewing Company, because I drink their non-alcoholic beers all the time, and I’ve enjoyed sharing them so much with friends. People are always shocked to discover how good they are — how they taste like actual beer — but with the benefit of fewer calories and zero hangovers. So with the Super Bowl coming up next weekend, I wanted to pass along my discount link and code again. Take 20% off at Athletic with code CHRISTYL20. Shipping is free on orders of at least $50. You don’t want to be wasted by halftime and miss Kendrick Lamar and SZA, do you? Happy to answer any questions you may have, and hope you enjoy.

Thank you so much for sharing a few moments with me. If you’ve enjoyed my newsletter, or just found it to be a useful distraction, I’d be honored if you’d share it with a family member or friend who might like it, too. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.

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