More Good News On This Saturday

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Happy to see you this Saturday!

So, a quick health update: I found out this week that I don’t need to undergo radiation. Like, at all. My radiation oncologist did genomic testing on the cancer that was removed from my right breast, and it determined that the likelihood of recurrence is the same with or without radiation, only about 5%. So … I’m done. I’m on the other side of this. It’s kinda crazy.

There is one tiny known unknown that remains: I have to see my oncologist in a couple of weeks about starting estrogen blockers, because my DCIS was hormone-positive, and then I’ll be on those for the next five years. This will suck, because I am frightened of turning into the crypt keeper without all that delicious estrogen swirling though my body. But it’s better than the alternative.

In theory, this is the last cancer update you’ll get from me. Again, enormous thanks to everyone who supported me and my family over the last several months. Time to take a breath and start fresh. Summer can’t come fast enough.

Things are pretty much back to normal over at our Breakfast All Day YouTube channel and podcast, though. Here’s what we offered this week:

• THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME. One of Wes Anderson’s emptier exercises in style over substance. It has some very funny moments, and his usual star-studded cast is up for the rigors of his dense, deadpan dialogue. But this is one of my least favorite of Anderson’s films, and “Rushmore” is top-5, all-time for me. In limited release this weekend before opening nationwide June 6.

• BRING HER BACK. Alonso’s husband, Dave White, filled in on a discussion of this thoroughly grody, deeply disturbing A24 horror movie. The Australian Philippou brothers, Danny and Michael, follow up their 2022 hit “Talk to Me” with another film that explores the desperate need to connect with people we’ve lost. It’s extremely well-made, but be warned, it’s also extremely difficult to watch. Sally Hawkins is chilling as the world’s worst foster mom. In theaters.

• MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE LIVE SPOILER CHAT. Eventually, we’ll stop talking about Tom Cruise, but today is not that day. We had a great turnout this week for our live spoiler discussion about the latest “Mission: Impossible,” and we’ll look for more opportunities to do these as summer movie season continues. We always love hearing your thoughts.

Now that my schedule is settling down a bit, I’m back to writing reviews for Ebert. This week, I had the pleasure of writing about “Ghost Trail,” an intimate study of trauma that plays like a gripping spy thriller. Adam Bessa gives a quietly powerful performance as a former prisoner in Syria’s notorious Sednaya prison who goes undercover as part of a cell to find the torturer who brutalized him. Director and co-writer Jonathan Millet creates an understated tension in his feature filmmaking debut. and he uses music and sound design in an immersive way. “Ghost Trail” is playing in limited release starting this weekend.

We finally got out of Gilead — at least for now — with “The Handmaid’s Tale” series finale. Alonso and I did a recap of this last episode of the Hulu series on our Patreon, and we found it hugely satisfying. Elisabeth Moss directed these last couple of episodes, which wrapped up everyone’s storylines in ways that were tidy and efficient but still meaningful. Whenever the sequel series “The Testaments” begins, we’ll be there.

And speaking of finales, we also talked about the end of “The Last of Us” season 2. This wasn’t quite so satisfying, as it ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. We’re not totally sure what happens to Ellie, but we do know that season 3 will begin from Abby’s perspective, showing us what her life was like over those three days in Seattle. If you’ve played the game, you know way more than I do (and please, no spoilers!). But Kaitlyn Dever is great in this role, so I look forward to seeing more of her, whenever the HBO series continues.

One of my favorite things I’ve done in the past several months is get involved with the South Bay Film Society. They show arthouse movies and documentaries down here at the AMC Rolling Hills 20 in Torrance, which is great for folks who don’t want to schlep up to LA to see films that are a little more substantial or challenging. I’ve had so much fun moderating Q&As and leading discussions after these screenings — it’s always a smart, engaged audience. This past week, I chatted with Rachel Elizabeth Seed about her poignant documentary “A Photographic Memory.” Rachel’s mom, the respected photographer Sheila Turner Seed, died suddenly at age 42 when Rachel was only 18 months old. This film is Rachel’s exploration of the mother she never knew, through volumes of photographs, videos and audio recordings. It’s extremely personal, but it will speak to anyone who lost their own mother too soon. I loved talking with her and definitely related to a lot of what she’s gone through: Both of our moms would have turned 88 this summer. “A Photographic Memory” opens in limited release in Los Angeles starting June 9, then expands to more cities in the following weeks.

Gonna wrap it up here and go for a walk on this May Gray morning. One of the best part of recovering from surgery is that I can start running again next week. The FOMO is real! Thank you so much for spending time with me this weekend. If you’ve enjoyed my newsletter, I hope you’ll share it with the movie lovers in your life. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday.