Happy Saturday, and R.I.P. Shelley Duvall

Good morning and Happy Saturday to you. How is it possible we’re at the halfway point of summer? A month from today, my kid goes to his high school orientation. 😭 Feels like this summer is flying by faster than usual, even though my days are mainly filled with screenings and physical therapy. A quick knee surgery follow-up, then we’ll get to it. I started driving this week — really driving, like the 405 at rush hour driving, not just running little errands in my neighborhood. I never thought I’d be so happy to merge into traffic. It’s just so nice to be self-sufficient again — and there are so many movies to see.

It was a particularly busy week, with our great friend Tim Grierson helping out on a couple of reviews over at our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel. Here’s what we discussed:

• LONGLEGS. Tim phrased it beautifully when he said he felt like he was truly in the presence of evil watching this film. Writer-director Osgood Perkins’ thriller is deeply unsettling, with expert use of sound design and lighting. Maika Monroe stars as an FBI agent on the hunt for a serial killer, played by a supremely creepy Nicolas Cage. In theaters (which is where you should see it so you can be scared with other people in the dark).

• HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA - CHAPTER 1. I mentioned seeing this briefly in last week’s newsletter, but here, Tim and I really get into what went wrong with this first installment in Kevin Costner’s four-part Western extravaganza. Well, that was the plan anyway: We learned this week that Chapter 2 has been pulled from its scheduled Aug. 16 release, with no new date in sight, so who knows what’s up with Chapters 3 and 4. Still, people feel strongly about this one in the comment section of our review. In theaters.

• FLY ME TO THE MOON. Speaking of movies that are too long, this romantic comedy/satire/drama tries to stuff way too much into its 2 hours and 12 minutes. During that time, Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum are individually beautiful and appealing, but have zero chemistry as opposites who fall for each other against the backdrop of the moon landing. The ‘60s costume design is great, though, thanks to longtime Coen brothers collaborator Mary Zophres. In theaters, and streaming eventually on Apple TV+. (And if you’d like like to read my RogerEbert.com review of “Fly Me to the Moon,” you can do that here.)

• SING SING. Colman Domingo gives a lovely, stirring performance in this drama, which is inspired by the theater program at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. Several prisoners, past and present, play versions of themselves as they learn to use drama as a means of getting in touch with their emotions. This could have been maudlin, but instead is effective in an understated way. In theaters.

• MOVIE NEWS LIVE! We’re back after taking off last week for the July 4th holiday. Among the topics we discussed were Alec Baldwin’s involuntary manslaughter trial (which since has been dismissed), the “Gladiator 2” trailer featuring Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal, and the late Shelley Duvall (more on her in a bit). We’re doing this as often as we can in the summer, even though Alonso and I are kind of all over the place.

Also this week, I had the pleasure of joining my friend and fellow critic Tim Cogshell on FilmWeek with Larry Mantle. This is the first time I’ve been in studio at the NPR station since my skiing accident in April, and while Pasadena is a bit of a schlep from Palos Verdes, the conversation is always so much livelier when we’re in person and can play off each other. You can listen here at the LAist website or download the podcast.

And speaking of podcasts, you can always listen to our Breakfast All Day reviews on the go, here and in all the usual places.

Finally, I wanted to chat a bit about Shelley Duvall, who died this week at 75. The Texan was a singular screen figure with those enormous eyes and her lanky frame. Duvall could use her presence and physicality to exude sweetness and vulnerability or an unexpectedly unsettling vibe, and she had an incredible output over just a couple of decades, between her early work with Robert Altman, “The Shining” and “Popeye,” where she was the perfect Olive Oyl. Stories of Stanley Kubrick’s abusive treatment of her on set are unfortunately legendary, but as my dear friend Amy Nicholson argues in this insightful appreciation in The Washington Post, Duvall was no victim. And over at Ebert, my colleague Nell Minow offers a beautiful tribute to Duvall’s naturalism and fearlessness. Her story had a sad ending, but her legacy lives on.

Thank you so much for sharing some of your time with me this weekend. I especially appreciate it when I know we’re all running around — hopefully, you’re jetting off somewhere fun or hopping in the car for an adventure. If you found value in my newsletter, I’d be honored if you’d share it with a friend. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.