Favorite First Watches of January & February 2023
Surreal Altman, a childhood classic, River Phoenix, a mélange of cultures in Mississippi, Mr. Movies, and more
Happy March aka Dr. Richard “I didn’t kill my wife!” Kimble Evading U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard by Putting on a Dumb Bowler Hat and Walking in the Chicago St. Patty’s Day Parade in the Classic 1993 Film The Fugitive Month!
I only celebrate the important holidays like The Fugitive Day (or St. Patty’s Day for the boring plebes) and The 25th Anniversary of Titanic
I spent all of January and a little of February doing a full-length play here in New York which ate up pretty much my entire life. But fear not! I did make it a point to see the Greatest Motion Picture of All-Time, Titanic, in IMAX 3-D for its 25th anniversary, and you can hear me discuss all my thoughts and especially feelings on this landmark, generational touchstone with my pals over at Hit Factory Podcast. I have probably seen Titanic a hundred times but this was the first time seeing it in a theater since 1997, and let me just say: it’s breathtaking. It’s the reason movies were invented. It’s romantic and political and funny and devastating and just this huge sweeping epic that never really feels like it’s 3 hours long. James Cameron has an uncanny ability to blend genres while also keeping the characters hearts on their sleeves. I truly think it’s Cameron’s insistence on earnestness in the face of perhaps the most cynical period of history that makes his movies stand out from the pack. It’s just beautiful and cathartic.
Anyway, it’s been a lighter cinematic start to 2023, but I’ve already seen a couple flicks I know are going to stay with me for quite awhile.
As always, you can view the full list on my Letterboxd.
Favorite First Watches of Jan/Feb 2023
3 Women (1977, dir. Altman)
Robert Altman’s films are definitely one of my bigger cinematic blind spots; something I’m attempting to slowly but surely rectify. This one in particular is one I’ve heard about for years from a few good friends who are pretty split on it, and it’s not difficult to understand why. 3 Women is the kind of film that reveals itself slowly, eerily, and with increasing oddity—Altman claimed the entire plot of the film came to him in a dream. The film does feel dreamlike with its trio of women constantly reversing roles, some seriously strange murals, and its stark California desert setting. Shelley Duvall is truly sensational in the movie as Millie, a self-absorbed but deeply lonely chatterbox who becomes roommates with the shy, obsessive Pinky (Sissy Spacek) whose entire personality changes after a botched suicide attempt. The way the film challenges your perceptions of each character and their relationships to each other reminded me a lot of Abbas Kiarostami’s 2010 movie Certified Copy. While I’d say 3 Women is perhaps one of Altman’s more “challenging” movies, it has really stayed with me and is one I’ll eagerly revisit.
3 Women is available to stream on The Criterion Channel and to rent on various streaming platforms.
Matilda the Musical (2022, dir. Warchus)
This was fun. Did I think the directing choices were good? No. I’m begging directors and editors to go back and watch classic movie musicals (from the 1950s thru Fosse’s work in the 70s) to learn how to stage, film, and edit musical numbers in ways that actually tell the story and highlight the choreography and don’t just feel like nonsensical cuts to create faux energy. The kids in this movie + Tim Minchin’s brilliant score provide more than enough actual energy! You don’t need to do the same amount of cuts as Bohemian Rhapsody lmao. Just ridiculous. Anyway, I loved Emma Thompson, Andrea Risebourogh, and especially Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey. For what it lacked in good direction, the film made up for in being bright and colorful (for once).
Matilda the Musical is available to stream exclusively on Netflix in the U.S.
The Black Stallion (1979, dir. Ballard)
Little known fact about me: I was once a horse girl. I never actually rode horses as a kid, but I went through a phase where I watched Black Beauty like once a week on VHS and to this day cannot hear Alan Cumming’s voice and not think of horses. Even when he played the Emcee in Cabaret on Broadway. Anway, the first half of The Black Stallion is maybe one of the most beautifully shot, moving “children’s films” I’ve ever seen. The second half is a little more of a standard underdog sports movie, but it is nonetheless still great. I miss when Hollywood made these kinds of live action films for families that didn’t spoon-feed meaning and emotion to kids. The Black Stallion is smart and emotive without being overwrought. It’s just a lovely, lovely movie.
The Black Stallion is streaming for free on Tubi and available to rent on multiple platforms.
My Dinner With Andre (1981, dir. Malle)
A small film about big ideas that is thrillingly alive despite the fact it’s also just about two old friends reuniting over one long dinner. Though this film has long been the butt of many jokes (including a very funny one in Waiting for Guffman), it’s also one of the best depictions I’ve seen of two people—both friends and artists in their own right—realizing just how many differences they have and how those kind of create a spiritual chasm that may or may not ever be bridged again. Andre (played by Andre Gregory) opines at length about the many esoteric, spiritual experiences he has had while traveling the world and doing experimental theater. Wally (played by Wallace Shawn), a struggling writer/playwright, is far more pragmatic, stating that it takes a certain kind of privilege to have the experiences Andre has had and that most people just look for beauty in simple things which is itself profound. It’s the kind of movie where no doubt your perspective changes each time you revisit it.
My Dinner With Andre is available to stream on HBO Max.
Running on Empty (1988, dir. Lumet)
One of those lovely mid-budget domestic dramas nobody makes anymore that mostly only exist as streaming shows now. Featuring quite possibly Naomi Foner Gyllenhaal’s (yes, Jake and Maggie’s mom) best script—that sears with deep emotion—this drama about a family perpetually on the run due to the parents’ involvement in an act of anti-Vietnam War domestic terrorism back in the 60s and the talented son (an unbelievable River Phoenix) who longs to put down roots is just wonderful. Christine Lahti is amazing as the matriarch who is forced to reconcile her past with what’s best for her son’s future, and perpetual fave Martha Plimpton delivers a heartfelt performance as the teen girl who provides stability and real compassion to Phoenix’s teen pianist. A gem.
Running on Empty is available to rent on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
Mississippi Masala (1991, dir. Nair)
I loved this beautiful mélange of a movie about prejudice, reconciliation, the meaning of home, and above all, love. Forced to flee their home in Uganda during Idi Amin’s 1972 takeover, Mina’s (Sarita Choudhury) family settles in Mississippi alongside a host of other Indian families who often clash with the Black community. When Mina falls for Black carpet cleaner Demetrius (Denzel Washington), it causes a rift in their families and communities. The pair have to redefine the meaning of home and consider their own places within not just their separate cultures but a white supremacist country. It’s also really, really sexy! I promise!
Mississippi Masala is available to stream on the Criterion Channel.
Effie Gray (2014, dir. Laxton)
This must have totally escaped my attention back in 2014, which is wild considering the screenplay is penned by Emma Thompson (who also appears in the film in a small, supporting role) and stars her real-life husband Greg Wise and Dakota Fanning as real-life Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teen bride Effie Gray. Fanning is well-suited to this kind of period work where the emotions are more internalized—perhaps that’s why she went on to star in the 1890s-set TNT series, The Alienist—and she holds her own against Wise’s unfeeling, much older Ruskin, who puts his work above even the well-being of his young wife. I do wish this had a little more dramatic heft, but I like how it emphasizes the particular hell of 19th century loveless marriages and how the ruthless pursuit of art often comes at the expense of others.
Effie Gray is available to stream on Netflix.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022, dir. Kosinski)
Tom Cruise! Acknowledging his own mortality! Romancing a woman much closer to his own age! We all know I am a sucker for the Mission: Impossible series and that I also have a soft spot for a lot of other Tom movies (Minority Report, Eyes Wide Shut, Magnolia, Jerry Maguire, etc), but I’ve never really been as big of a Top Gun person mostly because I just find it so silly. However, this might just be the only legacy sequel that has worked in this recent slew of making legacy sequels, and it is entirely because Tom Cruise is unwavering in his commitment to the big screen experience (including death-defying stunts and having his co-stars all really fly their jets) and also because it actually acknowledges the passing of time, i.e. people getting older. Another pro: finally finding a perfect big screen deployment of Jon Hamm post-Mad Men. Watching this is an old-school gas, and it makes me hopeful that Tom may be gearing up to say goodbye to this extended period of his career as The Action Guy and finally shift back into Tom Cruise: Actor in Interesting Adult Dramas. A girl can dream.
Top Gun: Maverick is available to stream on Paramount+.
Thanks so much for reading. If you enjoyed this, please consider a paid subscription as even labors of love still involve labor. xoxo