Happy Saturday From the Emerald City

Although since I'm only 5 feet tall, I should probably stick to Munchkinland

Happy Saturday, friends. It’s Thanksgiving Week: a busy time for many of us, but especially in the movie world with so many big holiday releases coming out while families are gathering together. In case you missed any of the many, many films we discussed this week on our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel and podcast, here they are in one tidy place:

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande know about popular.

  • WICKED. Or rather, I should call this “Wicked: Part 1,” since it’s only the first half of this saga; the film ends where the intermission would be in the Broadway musical, with Part 2 coming in November 2025. We’re split on this prequel to “The Wizard of Oz”: I found it visually dazzling but tonally awkward, while Alonso didn’t like it at all. Still, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande are tremendous together. I also had the pleasure of expanding on this movie a little further in my review for RogerEbert.com, in case that interests you. In theaters now.

His name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. You know the schpiel.

  • GLADIATOR (2000). With “Gladiator II” in theaters this weekend, we wanted to go back and review the original “Gladiator” to see how it holds up nearly a quarter century later. Ridley Scott’s 2000 film, which won five Academy Awards including best picture and best director for Russell Crowe, is a solid, old-fashioned historical epic. It’s not my favorite best picture winner by any means, but I can see why it won, particularly given the makeup of the Academy back then. Alonso had never seen the whole thing in its entirety, so being the good friend that I am, I made him rewatch it. Let me know what you think in the poll below, and in case you missed our review of the sequel, here it is.

What are your thoughts on the original "Gladiator"?

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Barry Keoghan is not winning any World’s Greatest Dad awards in “Bird.”

  • BIRD. Writer-director Andrea Arnold (“American Honey”) dips into magical realism within the British squalor in this grungy indie drama. A 12-year-old girl is torn between two forces: her charismatic drug addict dad (Barry Keoghan) and a mysterious stranger who leads her on an adventure (Franz Rogowski). In theaters now.

Javier Bardem and Nicole Kidman reunite, but this is not a sequel to “Being the Ricardos.”

  • SPELLBOUND. One of the two big Netflix movies we reviewed this week is this extremely mediocre animated musical. Rachel Zegler stars as a teenage princess trying to save her parents, the king and queen, who’ve been turned into monsters. It’s colorful and vibrant enough that it’ll be suitable for kids to watch while you’re cooking. Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, John Lithgow and Nathan Lane co-star. Streaming now.

John David Washington leads an all-star cast in “The Piano Lesson.”

  • THE PIANO LESSON. This is a much better Netflix choice: an adaptation of the Pulitzer prize-winning August Wilson play. John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Samuel L. Jackson, Corey Hawkins and Ray Fisher star in this drama about an African-American family in 1930s Pittsburgh debating what to do with a piano that’s an important heirloom. Streaming now.

  • MOVIE NEWS LIVE! We discussed the week’s major releases, Sebastian Stan, Jussie Smollett and more. We won’t be here next Friday because of the holiday, but come back and see us at our YouTube channel at Noon Pacific time on Dec. 6.

Don’t make Emily Watson use The Voice on you in “Dune: Prophecy.”

Over at our Patreon, we’ve begun recapping “Dune: Prophecy,” the HBO series that takes place some 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, or Muad’Dib, or the Kwisatz Haderach, or whatever you’d like to call him. This is the origin story of the Bene Gesserit: the powerfully psychic sisterhood that rules behind the scenes at all the great houses. Emily Watson is chilling once again in a mother superior role, as she was earlier this month in the Irish drama “Small Things Like These.” The first episode is dense with exposition — you’ll feel the need to take notes, as if there will be a final exam at the end — but it’s beautifully made in the striking and substantial tradition of Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” movies. New episodes air on Sunday nights and we’ll recap the following Tuesdays, if you’d like to watch along with us.

And if you’re not a member of our Patreon but you’re interested in our TV recaps, Off the Menu reviews and other goodies, they’re now offering a cool a la carte service where you can purchase individual pieces of content or entire collections. This is a helpful way for you to catch up with our thoughts on some of your favorite shows, such as “The Last of Us,” “The Bear” and “Ripley,” without committing to a monthly membership. You can check out everything we have to offer at our Shop tab.

A few things to put on the calendar!

  • If you’re a Patreon member at the Lunch Date level, our next live chat is at Noon Pacific time on Monday, Nov. 25. We love our monthly meet-ups with our folks, and we’re always delighted when new people join us. We talk about movies, holidays, travel, whatever’s going on in our lives. And it’s a fun, casual setting to ask any questions you may have for me and Alonso. You can find out more at the Membership tab.

Come watch this twisty thriller with us!

  • Alonso is hosting a screening of the 1948 Hitchcock classic “Rope” at Vidiots in Eagle Rock — and I’ll be there too! The movie is scheduled for 4:15pm Pacific time on Saturday, Dec. 7. Alonso will do an introduction beforehand and sign copies of his new book, “Hollywood Pride,” afterward. If you’re in Southern California, come hang out with us. Any opportunity to support the fine folks at Vidiots is a good one. Tickets are available here.

  • Cameo is doing a Black Friday sale: Just $20 for any video requests made between Friday, Nov. 29 at 6am Pacific and Saturday, Nov. 30 at 10pm Pacific. The offer is good for the first 30 people who sign up through the Cameo website, not in the app. I make an excellent stocking stuffer for the movie lover in your life. Find me on Cameo here!

It’s always golden hour when this goddess is around.

Finally, enormous congrats to one of my dearest friends, Amy Nicholson, on being named the Los Angeles Times’ new film critic. Amy is a brilliant and insightful writer, and she consistently offers a perspective on films I hadn’t pondered before. Sharing the air with her on FilmWeek on LAist is always a blast, because she’s such fun to play off of and she’s so quick-witted. Plus, I just love hanging out with her. Here’s the LA Times announcement of her hiring if you’d like to read it. It’s nice to have some good news for a change.

Thinking of starting your own newsletter, or maybe just sprucing up the one you already have? I’ve loved using beehiiv. It’s been so fun and easy to navigate, and hopefully you find it fun and easy to read. Plus they have a great Black Friday deal starting soon: From Monday November 25th, 12AM EST → Monday December 2nd at 11:59PM EST, you can lock in 20% on all annual plans. Plus they have a free level to get you started. Find out more here.

(Some links are affiliate links, which means if you purchase something, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.)

During this season of gratitude, I’m especially thankful for the time you’ve shared with me here. I hope I’m providing value to you as you try to figure out what to do on the weekends, particularly as things get busy during the holidays. If you’re enjoying Saturday Matinee (or just appreciate the brief distraction), I’d be honored if you’d pass it along to friends and family. Have a terrific Thanksgiving, however you’re spending it, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.

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