Happy Saturday, With the Finish Line in Sight

In partnership with

Happy Saturday, friends. I don’t know about you, but this week has felt like a much-needed breather. The LA Film Critics Association voted on Sunday, and prepping for that is like cramming for a final exam. Now that we’ve finished, I’ve seen pretty much everything I need to see before the end of the year, so when I watch movies it’s because I want to, and not necessarily for an assignment. More on that below.

As for our LAFCA picks, I was thrilled to see “Anora” do so well. It’s one of my absolute favorite films of the year, and apparently many of my friends and colleagues love it, too. “Anora” won best picture, lead performance for Mikey Madison and supporting performance for Yura Borisov. Sean Baker also was runner-up for best director and screenplay. I’ll get the honor of presenting Madison with her award at our dinner next month, which will be a treat. I’ve moderated a couple of Q&As with her and she’s a sweet, soft-spoken young woman — the total opposite of the brash, Brooklyn stripper she plays in the film. Plus she’s from the same town where I grew up in the Valley, Woodland Hills, so I’m rooting for her a little extra.

Turning to this week’s new movies, it was a random mix over at our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel and podcast, including a special guest appearance!

• BABYGIRL. Nicole Kidman won best actress at the Venice Film Festival several months back, and the buzz for her performance — and the movie as a whole — have only grown since then. Kidman stars as a corporate CEO who falls into an intense affair with her much younger intern (a seductive Harris Dickinson). This is either the best or worst first-date movie ever. In theaters Christmas Day.

• KRAVEN THE HUNTER. The brilliant Tim Grierson filled in for Alonso to review what may be the last Sony Spider-Man movie. Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the son of a Russian oligarch who gets attacked by a lion and emerges with animalistic strength and agility. This is a massive waste of a deep bench, including Alessandro Nivola, Ariana DeBose and Christopher Abbott, but it’s also inadvertently funny. In theaters.

• THE ORDER. Alonso and I did not agree on this film, which is based on the true story of a white supremacist group that robbed banks to fund their militia in the 1980s Pacific Northwest. Nicholas Hoult, Jude Law and Tye Sheridan star, with Marc Maron playing a brief but crucial role as slain radio DJ Alan Berg. Director Justin Kurzel’s film has a rich sense of place and chilling present-day relevance. In theaters.

• No Movie News LIVE! this week because Alonso is at Christmas Con in New Jersey, but check back with us next Friday at Noon Pacific. It’ll be the last news livestream we do before the end of the year, so we’d love to see you.

And speaking of the holiday, we’ll be doing our annual Christmas Movie Livestream on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at Noon Pacific time. Alonso has literally written the book on this subject — several, to be exact — so we welcome your questions and memories about your favorite holiday films. Link will be up soon at our YouTube channel. We hope to see you!

Also next week, it’s our monthly Lunch Date with our Patreon members at that level. We’re doing it a little earlier because of Christmas, and we’re doing it on a Wednesday, which is unusual. Join us at Noon Pacific on Dec. 18. We love catching up with our folks about the latest movies and whatever else is happening in our lives. It’s a good group! To find out more about the perks we offer at various levels, you can visit the Membership tab.

And on Dec. 22, Alonso is hosting a screening of “Carol,” Todd Haynes’ lush, lesbian romance, at the Los Feliz 3. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are both excellent in this drama, which is rich with retro holiday design. If you’re in Southern California and you’ve never seen it on the big screen, this is a great opportunity. Plus, Alonso will be signing copies beforehand of “Hollywood Pride” and “Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas.” Details and tickets are available here.

While we’re in classic Christmas mode, I had the pleasure last night of watching 1945’s “Christmas in Connecticut” for the first time. We have amazing libraries where I live, and the one in my neighborhood often does cool programming like this. The legendary Barbara Stanwyck stars as a popular magazine columnist who writes about her idyllic life as a homemaker; in truth, she isn’t married, doesn’t live on a farm and can’t cook. When her demanding publisher (Sydney Greenstreet) arranges for her to entertain a war hero (Dennis Morgan) on Christmas, madcap hilarity ensues. This is a well-paced farce that’s lively and full of surprises, and Stanwyck’s delivery is consistently inspired. I brought Nic with me, along with one of his friends and his mom, and while both kids enjoyed it, Nic remarked afterward: “I know it was the 1940s, but their morals were all over the place.” I’m just delighted that I got a couple of 15-year-old boys to watch a black-and-white movie on a Friday night. “Christmas in Connecticut” is available to rent online through Apple TV, Prime Video and various other platforms.

If you’re looking for something to stream with the family over the holidays, “Blink” is a great choice. The documentary follows the Pelletier family of Montreal as they take their children on a journey around the world. Three of the four kids have retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative and incurable disease that will eventually deprive them of their eyesight entirely. Before that happens, their parents hope to fill their brains with images and experiences to remember. Back in October when the film had its theatrical run, I had the honor of moderating a couple of Q&As with two of the film’s producers, Mel Miller and Diane Becker, as well as consultant Jaimee Kadish. “Blink” is beautifully shot and genuinely moving. It’ll begin streaming Dec. 17 on Disney+.

Finally, Alonso and I got to be on the receiving end of questions for a change as guests on the Surprise Cast podcast. Dubya, who hosts the series, often interviews artists and musicians but was nice enough to have a couple of film critics on this time. He asked me things I’ve never been asked before, which was a nice surprise (no pun intended), and I learned a lot about Alonso, too. This was a really fun conversation. I’ve linked the YouTube video above, but he shares his interviews in podcast form, too. Hope you enjoy.

Thank you so much for sharing some of your time with me this weekend. These are crazy days heading into Christmas and News Year’s, so hopefully I provided some guidance on what to watch or maybe a little distraction from the errands you need to run. If you’ve found value here, I’d be honored if you’d pass my newsletter along to friends and family. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.

Receive Honest News Today

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Sign up today!