Happy Saturday From The Fog

Happy Saturday, friends. I’m so excited this weekend is finally here! If you’re in Southern California, join me and Alonso at The Frida Cinema in Santa Ana for a screening of John Carpenter’s 1980 horror classic “The Fog.” The movie begins at 2pm Pacific on Sunday, then we’ll record a review for our podcast right afterward. We’ve been planning and thinking about this for months, and now we finally get to see our folks in person and enjoy a scary movie together, just in time for Halloween.

Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, Hal Holbrook and John Houseman co-star in this thriller about a mysterious fog that sweeps across a Northern California coastal town on the 100th anniversary of a shipwreck. Carpenter directed and wrote the script with Debra Hill, plus he composed the chilling score. Alonso’s never seen it, and I haven’t seen it in decades, so our first in-person event is also a Was It Great or Were You 8? review. Plus, our LA Film Critics Association colleagues just selected Carpenter as this year’s recipient of our Career Achievement Award, so our timing is impeccable. Hope to see you.

As for new movies we discussed on our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel and podcast, they are truly random:

• VENOM: THE LAST DANCE. The third and easily the worst entry in this Spider-Man-adjacent franchise. It’s fun when Tom Hardy is bickering and bantering with his gooey, symbiotic BFF, but the pacing is erratic and the action sequences are murky. I also wrote about this movie for RogerEbert.com. (Somehow, I ended up reviewing all three. I’m on the “Venom” beat.) In theaters.

• CONCLAVE. A juicy, twisty airport novel come to life on the big screen. It has the sheen of awards-season prestige, but it’s actually what my mom would have called “good trash.” When the pope dies, all the cardinals have to get together and vote for a new one. Backstabbing and intrigue ensue. Ralph Fiennes and Stanley Tucci lead an impressive ensemble cast. In theaters.

• MOVIE NEWS LIVE! It had been a couple of weeks, so we had lots to catch up on with our folks. We’ve been in and out traveling but I believe we’re here for the rest of the year now, so consider this a standing date for Fridays at Noon Pacific time.

Over at our Patreon, we honored the late, legendary Maggie Smith with our October Off the Menu poll. Our members picked “Gosford Park,” Robert Altman’s sprawling ensemble murder mystery. The 2001 film planted the seeds for Oscar-winning screenwriter Julian Fellowes to develop “Downton Abbey.” Both feature delightfully withering performances from Smith as an elderly, out-of-touch aristocrat. “Gosford Park” earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress, one of six she received throughout her lengthy career with two wins. Altman weaves in and out of the film’s many storylines masterfully, and the incredible cast includes Helen Mirren, Clive Owen, Michael Gambon, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kelly Macdonald, Emily Watson and Bob Balaban. It’s available for streaming if you’ve never seen it or it’s been a while

Also this week, I watched “Carville: Winning Is Everything, Stupid.” The documentary follows the outspoken, veteran political consultant James Carville, whose catchphrase “It’s the economy, stupid” helped catapult Bill Clinton to the presidency in 1992. Carville is a hoot, and director Matt Tyrnauer’s film features intimate access as he walks his dog through the streets of New Orleans and travels to speaking engagements nearly non-stop at age 79. He also was among the earliest voices calling for Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race earlier this year. As is often the case with documentaries in which the subject is a) alive and b) a willing participant, “Carville” is an adulatory portrait. Among the many high-profile figures from Democratic politics singing his praises are Paul Begala, Donna Brazile, George Stephanopoulos, Mitch Landrieu and Clinton himself. But Carville’s longtime wife, Republican strategist Mary Matalin, keeps things grounded with her assessment of his strengths and their marriage. It’s an entertaining film, and an extremely timely one with the 2024 election coming in (gasp) 10 days. Playing in limited release now, streaming on Dec. 3.

A few other tidbits for you before I wrap up:

• October’s Lunch Date for our Patreon friends at that level is this Monday at Noon Pacific. I love doing these live meet-ups over Zoom each month, where we chat about the movies we’ve seen lately and anything else that’s going on in our lives. It’s a good group! If you’d like to know more about the perks we offer at the Lunch Date level, you can visit the Membership tab.

• Our friends at Lodge Cast Iron have a great sale going on through Oct. 31. Take up to 20% off their sets, from cooking to baking to grilling. Stock up now for your holiday entertaining!

• One of my favorite Coffee Bros. roasts is back in stock, and it’s on sale. The Kenya Peaberry has notes of candied grapefruit, rosemary and grilled pineapple. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tasted from them, but if you’re looking for something a little more adventurous, this is a great one. Take 20% off with code KENYAPB20. Shipping is free on orders of at least $50. And the Holiday Blend, which I also love, will be coming back soon, so I’ll keep you posted on that. (Some links are affiliate links which means if you purchase something, we may receive a small commission at Breakfast All Day.)

Thank you so much for sharing some of your time with me this weekend. It’s a nutty, uncertain period for so many of us, with holidays and the election coming in addition to all the usual busyness of our daily lives, so I truly appreciate you spending a few moments with me. Shout-out to my friend and fellow critic Chuck Wilson for saying hi on Thursday and sharing such kind thoughts on my newsletter! Have a great week, Go Dodgers, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.