- Saturday Matinee With Christy Lemire
- Posts
- Happy Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend!
Happy Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend!
Good luck to you if you're traveling
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/efbf263a-a083-4168-8f5f-7306b9d67e92/Saturday_Matinee.png?t=1701440276)
Good morning, friends. We have a long, three-day weekend ahead of us, which means you’ve got plenty of time to catch up on movies you’ve been meaning to see. If you’re heading somewhere fun, I wish you well: I saw a story on TV about how traveling this Memorial Day weekend will be even nuttier than it was last year. As for us, we’re staying home as I hobble around and prepare for my knee surgery on June 7.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/c2b108ca-f307-4992-9f61-53645c7448a1/furiosa.jpg?t=1716641878)
They’re right behind me, aren’t they.
But! I do plan on taking Nic and Chris with me to see “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” in IMAX later today. Alonso and I reviewed George Miller’s prequel as early as we possibly could last week because we were so excited about it, and I can’t wait to revisit the film and bask in all the gnarly detail. “Mad Max: Fury Road” is a movie we always stop to watch whenever it shows up on cable, so I’m excited for my family to see this. Let me know what you think of “Furiosa” when you check it out.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/a8aaf73f-abd3-4afd-bc37-4b688e96c2dc/hitmanpic.jpeg?t=1716642172)
Trust me. I’m a (fake) assassin.
As for the other new movies we discussed this week on our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel, with the help of Alonso’s hilarious and insightful husband, Dave White:
HIT MAN. Glen Powell is a freaking movie star, and this sexy, modern-day noir about a real-life fake hit man gives him a great showcase for everything he can do. Powell is very much on the same wavelength as director Richard Linklater, with whom he wrote the script. This movie is entertaining as hell. In theaters now, streaming on Netflix starting June 7.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/52e03e40-7e58-4f3d-a46a-6d3851588179/altaspic.jpeg?t=1716642847)
(Tap tap tap.) Is this thing on?
ATLAS. Jennifer Lopez is also a freaking movie star, but this sci-fi thriller fundamentally misunderstands what makes her such an appealing screen presence. She’s miscast as a misanthropic analyst who must track down a rogue terrorist AI. JLo in space should be way more fun than this. Streaming now on Netflix.
POWER. Oscar-nominated writer-director Yance Ford (“Strong Island”) explores the complicated topic of policing in America with this thought-provoking documentary. A tough but necessary watch. Streaming now on Netflix.
MOVIE NEWS LIVE! Dave also sat in with me on news while Alonso is nursing a cold, and it was so much fun to bounce topics off of him. We discussed Morgan Spurlock, Scarlett Johansson, Graceland, Dabney Coleman, great LA movie theaters and more. Join us here every Friday at Noon Pacific time.
And as always, all these reviews and discussions are available in podcast form at Apple and all the places where you find the content you like to put in your ears. Take us with you on the go!
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/1356dcf5-0f68-482a-a17c-5e8a138aa144/victim.png?t=1716643165)
There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you …
Over at our Patreon, we reviewed the 1961 noir “Victim” for May’s Off the Menu selection. Alonso’s new book, “Hollywood Pride,” is out there for your enjoyment, so to celebrate, he curated a poll of some of the queer films he writes about for our members to vote on. It was close, but “Victim” was the winner. I’d never seen this movie, about a closeted British barrister on the rise who risks his career to take down a blackmailer who’s targeting gay men. Dirk Bogarde (who was in the closet himself at this point) gives a stirring performance, and director Basil Dearden’s suspenseful film has a rich sense of place. It’s streaming on Max and The Criterion Channel.
![](https://media.beehiiv.com/cdn-cgi/image/fit=scale-down,format=auto,onerror=redirect,quality=80/uploads/asset/file/cdd7e945-8454-4baf-87ee-6c09df6c35d0/will_leitch.jpeg?t=1716645408)
If you’re enjoying reading this, you will love The Will Leitch Newsletter. The author and founder of Deadspin has a real knack for vivid storytelling. Will mixes personal tales with big-picture ideas in a way that’s elegant and engrossing. Plus, he’s just a lovely guy, and he happens to be the lifelong best friend of one of my favorite people, my fellow film critic Tim Grierson. Set aside some time and check it out.
I promise this newsletter is not a place where I will constantly accost you with stuff I’m trying to sell you. But I am proud that we work with several brands we love at Breakfast All Day, and I always want to pass along the great deals they offer. Lodge Cast Iron is having a Memorial Day Weekend flash sale where you can take 15% off everything online with code SKILLETSUMMER. We use our Lodge products pretty much every day around here, from scrambling eggs to sautéing vegetables, and they last forever. The sale runs through May 27, so jump on it and make something delicious.
Thanks so much for sharing some of your time with me this weekend! I know you’re busy, so I don’t take it for granted. If you’ve found value in my newsletter, I’d be honored if you’d pass it along to a friend. Have a wonderful holiday weekend, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.