Happy Saturday From Stanford

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Happy Saturday from the Bay Area. We’re up here to watch the SMU football team play Stanford, now that they’re both in the ACC, although neither school is anywhere near the Atlantic Coast. My Mustangs have been tearing through the conference in their first year, though, beating Florida State and Louisville in recent weeks to reach the No. 21 spot on the AP Top 25.

(And you thought this newsletter was just about movies. We contain multitudes here at Saturday Matinee.)

But! Because I am me, I scrambled and squeezed in time to review some of the week’s new movies before leaving town. That was more of a challenge than usual, given that I was stuck at the Inglewood courthouse for several days before (finally!) being rejected from jury duty. We’ll be back to normal next week, I promise. Until then, here’s what you can find at our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel and podcast.

• ANORA. Believe the hype out of Cannes. Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner is one of the year’s best: a rollicking Cinderella story where the princess’ glass slippers are seven-inch stripper heels. Mikey Madison gives a star-making performance as a Brooklyn exotic dancer who gets swept up in a whirlwind romance with the party-boy son of a Russian oligarch. Baker displays an incredible mastery of shifting tones here: “Anora” will make you laugh and break your heart. In limited release now, opening wider in November.

• SMILE 2. Speaking of thrilling, demanding performances, Naomi Scott does tremendous work at the center of this sequel to the 2022 horror hit “Smile.” She plays a pop star who falls prey to the fatal smile monster, just as she’s about to go on a world tour. Our good friend William Bibbiani helps me out with a review of Parker Finn’s film, which is a terrifying riot. In theaters.

• PIECE BY PIECE. We’re so glad we caught up with this LEGO-animated documentary, which explores the life and career of prolific producer/singer/songwriter Pharrell Williams. Telling his story in LEGO form makes total sense, given the playful quality of his music. This movie is pure joy: I brought Nic with me to see it, and we were dazzled again and again by the clever use of design, color and lighting. Plus: LEGO Snoop Dogg is adorable. In theaters.

Tom Petty would have been 74 years old on Sunday, but “Heartbreakers Beach Party” captures him and the band as they’re reaching peak rock god status in the early ‘80s. The documentary is Cameron Crowe’s feature directing debut, and it only aired once: on MTV, in 1983. But it’s been restored and is now playing in theaters nationwide on Sunday afternoon. (It also had a one-night run this past Thursday.) If you love Tom Petty like we do in our house, you will love this intimate time capsule. He and the Heartbreakers sound awesome, and Crowe gets great access to them both on stage and off. You can find out here if the film is playing near you and buy tickets. And if not, “Heartbreakers Beach Party” will be streaming sometime next year.

If you’re looking for a great film to watch at home now, I highly recommend “Woman of the Hour,” Anna Kendrick’s directing debut. She also stars in this thriller, which was inspired by the true story of Rodney Alcala, a serial killer who appeared as a contestant on the ‘70s show “The Dating Game” in the middle of his murdering spree. Kendrick is terrific as always as the bachelorette who matches up with him, and unsurprisingly, she draws great performances out of her well-chosen cast. I also really liked the decisions she made as director: where to put the camera, what to show us, what not to show us. Plus the period clothes and production design are groovy. “Woman of the Hour” is streaming now on Netflix.

Once you’ve seen “Anora” (and you really should), check out my dear friend Tim Grierson’s profile of writer-director Sean Baker in the Los Angeles Times. Baker speaks to Tim at the Gardena Cinema, a single-screen arthouse here in Southern California, the kind of place we like to champion in our Movie House Shout-Outs on our channel. Tim takes a comprehensive look at Baker’s career, which includes “Tangerine,” “The Florida Project” and “Red Rocket,” and explores the filmmaker’s interest in telling stories about people on the fringes who are striving toward the American Dream. He’s one of our great indie auteurs, and he’s inspired me to finally make a trip to the Gardena Cinema myself.

Speaking of Southern California arthouses, there’s still time to get your tickets to hang out with me and Alonso at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana. We’re showing John Carpenter’s 1980 horror classic “The Fog” on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 2pm Pacific. Then stick around afterward and watch us record a podcast review of the film. We know several of our longtime viewers already have made plans to join us, and I’d love to see you, too, if you’re in the area. Tickets are available here. Come get into the spooky spirit with us!

Thanks so much as always for sharing some of your time with me this weekend. I love doing this newsletter, and it’s been so gratifying to see it grow. If you’ve enjoyed this and found it useful, I’d be honored if you’d pass it along to a friend or family member. Have a great week, Go Ponies, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.

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