THE END OF OAK STREET is the perfect popcorn flick.
After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.
Set in 1982, THE END OF OAK STREET is a suspenseful and action-packed film full of ravenous dinosaurs and murderous creatures that try to hunt down the family and their neighbors the entire time. When the neighborhood gets transported into a prehistoric world full of murderous dinosaurs it all happens in the blink of an eye.
Even with their flaws, you like the Platt’s. Denise Platt, played by Anne Hathaway, has two children. She has Audrey, who has a love for astronomy and science, played by Maisy Stella, and teenage son, Brian, who’s a good kid and played by Christian Convery. She’s married to Greg Platt, played by Ewan McGregor. And they have their dog, Starbuck. They’re a very normal family. They live in a small suburb. They eat dinner together. They go to block parties. They take part in potato sack races. The kids have secrets. Greg has a secret. Denise has a secret.
One day, the Platts and their entire neighborhood wake up, and everything looks the same, but it’s different. It’s their street, but the power’s not working and the water’s not working and suddenly they start to hear screams, and everything feels very strange. And then things get really, really weird. So, it’s a story about a family, when suddenly these supernatural things happen.
Unlike many dinosaur films, THE END OF OAK STREET intentionally features species from different prehistoric eras. Rather than striving for strict chronological accuracy, Mitchell embraced a mix of dinosaurs to heighten the mystery surrounding the film’s supernatural time-travel portal, reinforcing the idea that creatures from across millions of years of Earth’s history have been pulled into the same neighborhood. The giant snake-worm that slithers through the house is the stuff of nightmares.
There will be much discussion amongst viewers about the entire plot. The family, the singular cause of the time displacement, the nature of time travel, paradoxes, the difference between the people who step up in extreme circumstances, and those that succumb to to fear and panic. It’s not just about the when and where, but about the who, and how they react. Nobody is safe, but the relationships they cling to can be the difference between survival and death. Don’t judge anyone in this movie by your first glance. Sometimes fire destroys, but sometimes it tempers the hardest steel.
Audiences are brought into this total thrill ride by Mitchell’s team that includes director of photography Michael Gioulakis, production designer Maya Shimoguchi, editor John Axelrad, music supervisor George Drakoulias, composer Michael Giacchino’s score and costume designer Erin Benach.
THE END OF OAK STREET is an amazing Summer romp, a family story, and adventure, with terror, and fire and peril, but also a lot of humor, a thought-provoking time travel tale, and a darned good investment of your Summer movie money.
THE END OF OAK STREET is in theaters and IMAX August 14.
Movies often describe themselves as epics but Christopher Nolan’s THE ODYSSEY truly is an epic, both because it is based on a storied ancient tale that defines the idea of epic and because it is a cinema masterpiece with the sweep and grandeur the title implies, a piece of film-making that succeeds on all levels, artistically and technically. In his follow-up to OPPENHEIMER and with a brilliant cast led by Matt Damon and including stars such as Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson and more, Oscar-winner Christopher Nolan, who adapted Homer’s classic for the screen as well as directing, creates a world of gods and monsters and men, where myth, action and human struggle combine in a tale of a flawed hero. That story both transports to another time yet is timeless, as it explores post-war trauma, moral issues, and the longing for home. These topics are explored against at canvas of men at sea on an adventure into the unknown, shot in breathtaking cinematography by Oscar-winning Director of Photography Hoyte Van Hoytema, the first film shot entirely on 70mm film in an IMAX format. Filmed at numerous striking locations and at sea, with a preference for practical effects over CGI (although those CGI visual effects present are amazing), Nolan keeps the energy high and emotional power gripping with spot-on dramatic pacing, so that one hardly notices the epic’s nearly 3 hour length. THE ODYSSEY is a true epic from the start, a colossal cinematic achievement where all the stars align, in storytelling, performance, creativity and technology soaring to create an astounding cinema epic truly worthy of that title.
Director Christopher Nolan directs this epic tale brilliantly, keeping the pacing and excitement high while allowing space for the human emotional arcs and internal struggles. At just under 3 hours, THE ODYSSEY is epic in length too but it is so well structured and paced that one does not feel that running time. Shooting entirely on 70mm film in IMAX meant technical challenges for the director and Director of Photography Hoyte Van Hoytema. The film generally sticks to the story of Homer’s great epic poem about the travels of Odysseus (Matt Damon), the king of Ithaca, as he wanders while trying to get home after the end of the ten-years-long Trojan War described in The Iliad. We get snippets of the Trojan war in flashback, and like the book, the film opens in the story’s middle, at Odysseus’ Greek palace in Ithaca where he was king, with his wife, Queen Penelope (Anne Hathaway) and son Telemachus (Tom Holland) waiting for Odysseus’ return from the war while besieged by a horde of suitors who have been camped out in their home for years. The suitors are waiting for Penelope to give up on Odysseus and pick one of them to re-marry, making that suitor the new king of Ithaca. Chief among the suitors is local noble Antinous (an excellent Robert Pattinson), a slick, slippery fellow who tells a story of being turned down for service in the war by Odysseus, a claim we learn early is false.
The suitors have been living on Penelope’s hospitality since the ten-year-long Trojan war ended ten years ago, abusing the Law of Zeus that instructs hosts to welcome strangers. They have grown bold over the years, and Penelope and her teen-aged son Telemachus endure rude and obnoxious behavior from their unwelcome guests. Meanwhile, loyal Penelope puts off the suitors clamoring for her hand by telling them she will chose one of them after she completes a weaving she is making for her father-in-law, a weaving she secretly unravels by night. Meanwhile, young Telemachus grows restless and longs for news of the father who he has never known, a man gone for 20 years.
The story then shifts time and place, in a flashback to the end of the Trojan War, where we see a beach and a wooden horse awaits in the sand. The beach appears is nearly deserted, except for one young Greek, Sinon (Elliot Page). A collection of Trojan soldiers approach, and Sinon tells them the wooden horse in a gift for the goddess Athena.
In the aftermath of the fall of Troy, and its violent sacking and destruction, the Greeks prepare to set sail for home. Odysseus tells the crew of his three ships that they are going home too, but he is done taking orders from others, so they will take a different route. Instead of the faster, familiar route back to home that Agamemnon (Benny Safdie), the king of Mycenae and the Greek forces he leads, are taking, Odysseus wants to take a way less traveled to see something of the world before going home. His crew enthusiastically agrees, trusting their clever leader.
Why Odysseus doesn’t head straight home is one of the recurring questions the film raises, as it peels back the layers of this complex character. Odysseus is a flawed hero: smart, innovative, even sometimes cunning, he is a charismatic leader who sometimes makes bad choices, but someone who can be selfish and even a liar.
The film follows Odysseus and his crew on that adventurous voyage, which they begin in high spirits but where they encounter unknown dangers and unexpected tragedy. THE ODYSSEY has most of the monsters and tribulations of the book, including the cyclops, sorceress, giants, and sirens, and the wrath of gods, as the film also explores moral and human issues, including the value of hospitality, a longing for home, and human failings of a flawed hero.
We sometimes hear about the Greek gods in this epic but see very little of them, apart from Athena (Zendaya) who appears only to Odysseus. The Greek gods are very present in the classic tale but here they are distant, more talked about than directly seen. The only one who is seen is Athena (Zendaya), Odysseus’ protector, who appears to him at times.
Visually and technically, THE ODYSSEY is astounding. The 70 mm film IMAX gives the film an unparalleled realism and grandeur, a much richer and detailed image that is best appreciated on the biggest screen possible. To get the best, more realistic, and impressive images, Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema shot on real locations in Greece, Morocco, western Sahara, Scotland, Italy, Iceland and Malta. Location shooting, the use of practical effects and keeping CGI to a minimum retains the high image quality and realism of the images, as Nolan recreates the ancient world of Homer. Filming in IMAX on film presented challenges for both director, DP and the actors, as the camera was bulky, encased on a device to muffle its noisy operation, and in that the camera only held three minutes of film, requiring frequent reloading. Despite the challenges, the results are magical and stunning. In short, epic.
The acting is outstanding as well. Matt Damon carries the biggest load for the film, as his character evolves over the harrowing journey, going from a confident, selfish charmer to someone less sure of his own brilliance, humbled by experience and tormented by pain he caused. Flashbacks give us insights on the trauma of war that Odysseus carries, after both ten years of war and then witnessing the brutality of the sacking of Troy after his trick, which violated the rules of hospitality by concealing a danger in a gift for the gods. Besides that trauma and guilt for his unethical trick, he increasing is haunted by guilt over the fallen men under his command, particularly those he did not give proper burial rites, which the Greeks believed were essential for the afterlife.
Likewise, the rest of the cast deliver remarkable performances. Anne Hathaway is moving as Penelope, strong as she stands against the suitors exploiting her home and consuming her wealth, steadfastly loyal to her husband but wracked with pain over his continued absence and fears that he won’t return, and worries over her nearly-grown son. Tom Holland succeeds as her son, young Telemachus, coming of age under the threat of the suitors that would take his throne and obsessively longing for the father he doesn’t remember, driving him on the risky actions. Robert Pattinson is villainously perfect as the lead among the suitors, as the smooth, deceitful Antinous, who presents a noble face to Telemachus while plotting to take his crown.
In standout supporting roles, Samantha Morton is perfect as the vengeful, calculating sorceress Circe, and Lupita Nyong’o is strikingly memorable in her dual roles as Helen of Troy and her sister Clytemnestra. As the goddess Athena, Zendaya wordlessly speaks volumes with her eyes and her expressions.
Other supporting roles deserving of note include Elliot Page, who as touching young soldier Sinon, Himesh Patel as Odysseus’s first mate and friend Eurylochus, and John Leguizamo is moving as Odysseus’ loyal blind swineherd and former teacher Eumaeus. Jon Bernthal, largely unrecognizable in full beard and bald head, is striking as King Menelaus, who helps young Telemachus, and Charlize Theron is unexpectedly touching as Calypso, who falls in love with Odysseus and keeps him on her island.
THE ODYSSEY is a spectacular epic, a film that gives audiences thrilling moments and jaw-dropping visuals, but also something that makes you think. For the best experience, see it on a big IMAX screen, or better yet, in 70mm at one of the theaters offering that option. Either way, do not miss seeing this one in theaters.
THE ODYSSEY opens in theaters on Friday, July 17, 2026.
Watch this latest featurette at THE ODYSSEY with Christopher Nolan, Matt Damon, Zendaya, Tom Holland, & Robert Pattinson.
In a new interview over at GQ, Robert Pattinson, Matt Damon & Tom Holland discuss THE ODYSSEY.
See GQ’s full Summer cover story with the stars of The Odyssey: Matt Damon, Robert Pattinson, and Tom Holland https://gq.visitlink.me/UtzeNw
Christopher Nolan’s next film, The Odyssey, is a mythic action epic shot across the world using brand new IMAX®film technology. The film brings Homer’s foundational saga to IMAX® film screens for the first time and opens in theaters everywhere on July 17, 2026.
The Odyssey stars Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson and Lupita Nyong’o, with Zendaya and Charlize Theron.
The Odyssey is produced by Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan for their company, Syncopy. The executive producer is Thomas Hayslip.
Today’s running theme in movie news seems to be dinosaurs and as it’s National Dino Day, have a first look at the new trailer for THE END OF OAK STREET, starring… DINOSAURS!
This is gonna be crazy good!
After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.
Starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, THE END OF OAK STREET also stars Maisy Stella and Christian Convery. The film is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell and produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, David Robert Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper. The executive producers are Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, Joanne Lee and Leeann Stonebreaker.
Mitchell’s team behind the camera includes director of photography Michael Gioulakis, production designer Maya Shimoguchi, editor John Axelrad, composer Michael Giacchino and costume designer Erin Benach.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Bad Robot Production, A Jackson Pictures Production, A David Robert Mitchell Film: THE END OF OAK STREET. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, only in theaters and IMAX in North America on August 14, 2026, and internationally beginning 12 August 2026.
Anne Hathaway plays a Madonna-like mega-pop star called Mother Mary, who is at a turning point with her career, and turns to her long-estranged friend, Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel), the costume designer who gave the star the signature look that helped launch her career. Sam, now a top fashion designer, has not heard from Mother Mary for ten years, not since the star ended their professsional and personal partnership during Mother Mary’s rise to the top. Now Mother Mary is seeking a comeback, after a disastrous accident, and she returns to Sam, begging her to design a new dress for her. On the surface, at least, that is what is going on in writer/director David Lowery’s visually lush but mysterious drama.
Writer/director David Lowery, whose previous films include the mysterious GREEN KNIGHT, weaves similar dreamlike material here for MOTHER MARY. Beneath the surface of two people, who started their careers together but parted on bad terms, are many questions – about their personal relationship, forgiveness and betrayal, limits of friendship, maybe even about life and death. And, perhaps, about whether what we are seeing is real or imagined.
MOTHER MARY is filled with gorgeous imagery, a joy to look at and a dream-like drama, but it is also a film that asks a lot of its audience, while tantalizing rewards for those who stick with it. What it does deliver upfront are spectacular acting performances, from Anne Hathaway certainly but particularly from Michaela Coel, who is a complete “wow” and a revelation as Sam Anselm.
It actually helps to know that MOTHER MARY is based on a stage play, because it makes it a bit easier to find a way into its mysterious, talkative film. It is pretty safe to assume that the play likely begins with a scene grounded in the real, with the pop star walking into the fashion designer’s office, a start that gives the story concrete foundation before it veers off into its more surreal territory.
However, the movie starts not with that but with scenes of Anne Hathaway’s Mother Mary (she is always called by both names in the film), as the pop star endures fittings for costumes that are lavish but unwieldy and different but somehow all the same, plus the grind of touring with elaborately staged performances that also are somehow all the samen. Some event is hinted at, with vague images, something on stage that went very wrong, which sends Mother Mary running back to her friend Sam Anselm.
Well, “former friend” would be more apt. Sam Anselm, now a very successful as a fashion designer and head of a design empire of her own, greets Mother Mary politely, but the currents of coldness and irony underneath are palpable. Sam has not heard from the singer in ten years, yet here she is, unannounced, with no prior appointment, something Mother Mary did deliberately so Sam couldn’t dodge seeing her. Unexpectedly, after a tense few moments, Sam suddenly agrees to design a dress for Mother Mary, a decision delivered in a matter-of-fact tone, but we have the sense that there will be a price to pay, and that an apology will be the bare minimum.
Sam whisks the star off to a large, old barn-like structure, where they can work alone, away from the bustle of her busy fashion studio, which is preparing for a big show. In the half-lit old barn, Sam is business-like, and while her assistant Hilda (Hunter Schafer) takes measurements, Sam asks the pop star questions about the dress: Do you need to move in it? What color do you want? Mother Mary replies: anything but red.
The answer is significant, as we eventually learn. After Sam sends away her assistant Hilda, the two really get down to work, professional and personal. Of course, old feelings come out, but strange things happen too.
As good as Anne Hathaway is, and she is very good in this, it is Michaela Coel who it the bolt of lightning in this film. Michaela Coel has a striking, expressive face and makes full use of it, along with her voice, bringing acres of nuance and subtext to every line, often dripping in sarcasm or resentment, as she wrings out every ounce of meaning in the well-written lines. Coel’s face transforms minute by minute, her eyes piercing, as she delivers her lines with surgical precision, while she radiates a powerful presence and palpable charisma from the screen. She is simply hypnotic to watch.
The art direction is lush and expansive, and the film is packed with symbolic scenes, which are lovely, sometimes with dresses or fabric floating through the air, and sometimes with flashbacks exploring the singer’s grueling life on tour, as the pop star wears down from constant work and repetition. The performances are extravaganzas and the costumes are too, but there is a repetition that we see is grinding her down. The film itself is loosely-structured, mysteriously vague, and even nearly amorphous, making it hard to get a handle on, as theses two talk and only drop hints for us about what is really going on, in what was clearly both a professional and personal relationship, although details are elusive.
Clearly, both Mother Mary and Sam know Sam is owed an apology, although that may not be enough. Even though Sam was Mother Mary’s friend and professional partner, she replaced her without notice or seeming feeling. Sam not only survived but the abrupt break allowed her to launch her own very successful fashion design career, perhaps even eclipsing her pop-star former friend at this point. Still, the pain remains.
Sam agrees to design the dress but repairing the relationship is another matter. As she and Mother Mary set about that work, Hathaway’s character clearly longs to re-establish their long-severed connection, even seeming to want to pretend there was no break.
The dialog is sparkling, and the air crackles with anger and other long-buried emotion. As they talk, we get glimpses of Mother Mary’s world of relentless tours and physical stress, all presented in beautifully symbolic images. As the film progresses, we learn more about their shared past but little is clear about what is really going on in the present.
There is a tagline for the film, that says it is not a romance and it is not a ghost story, which means you can’t help but wonder about both those things. Sam talks about how she once loved Mother Mary and now Mother Mary seems desperate to regain the connection, which appears must be through Sam’s work, her creations. But the two seem divided by a wall. Is it only the pain of the past, or is it something larger, more profound?
MOTHER MARY, for all its visually beauty and powerful performances, gives away little, only a few brief hints, meaning it asks a lot of the audience. Not all will be willing to give what it asks, and for some, the opaqueness may just be tiresome, especially with a long running time. If you saw the play, you may have an edge here, but a film is supposed to be able to stand on its own. Still, I’m curious enough to want a second look at the film, and I wonder what my reaction will be to that second viewing. Audiences will have to judge for themselves, but MOTHER MARY does deliver striking, sterling performances from both Anne Hathaway and Michaela Cole which delight as they mystify, and Coel is a lightning-strike of a revelation, and a performer I hope we will see again soon.
MOTHER MARY opens in theaters on Friday, Apr. 24, 2026.
Warner Bros. Pictures has dropped the first teaser for the upcoming thriller THE END OF OAK STREET.
After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.
Starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, THE END OF OAK STREET also stars Maisy Stella and Christian Convery. The film is written and directed by David Robert Mitchell and produced by J.J. Abrams, Hannah Minghella, Jon Cohen, David Robert Mitchell, Matt Jackson and Tommy Harper. The executive producers are Chris Bender, Jake Weiner, Joanne Lee and Leeann Stonebreaker.
Watch for the dinosaur!
For those of us who grew up with a healthy dose of THE OUTER LIMITS, this new film is very much like the iconic episode “Feasibility Study”. Watch the episode below.
Find out when the film opens in theaters and IMAX on August 14, 2026, and internationally beginning August 12, 2026.
Mitchell’s team behind the camera includes director of photography Michael Gioulakis, production designer Maya Shimoguchi, editor John Axelrad, composer Michael Giacchino and costume designer Erin Benach.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Bad Robot Production, A Jackson Pictures Production, A David Robert Mitchell Film: THE END OF OAK STREET.
Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures (L-r) EWAN McGREGOR as Greg Platt, CHRISTIAN CONVERY as Brian Platt, MAISY STELLA as Audrey Platt and ANNE HATAHAWAY as Denise Platt in in “The End of Oak Street,” a Warner Bros. Pictures Release.
With the tsunami of action blockbusters flooding the multiplex, you might think that the movie studios have forgotten that Spring (despite some near ninety-degree days) is the season for romance. So, where are the love stories? Actually, this new one is only streaming, though it’s certainly worthy of a theatrical run, After all, it stars an Oscar-winning actress and its director has made two films that “took home the gold” (not for him, but for the lead actress and a pair of married screenwriters). Plus it’s based on a popular novel, though in many ways it’s a modern media gloss on a fairy tale. Mind you, the “princess” is unlike any we’ve met as this is more of a MAY/DECEMBER pairing (minus the tons of angst of that flick from last year). Like that classic Nat King Cole tune, each of these unlikely lovers is smitten with THE IDEA OF YOU.
We first meet one of the “yous” in the film’s opening scene. She is Solene (Anne Hathaway) a forty-year-old (we drop in on the big B-day festivities) divorced mom who runs a small retail art gallery in the LA suburb of Silver Lake. To treat herself after the milestone, she’s going on a solo camping trip while her almost sixteen-year-old daughter Izzy (Ella Rubin) will enjoy a VIP pass (along with her two best pals) at the Coachella music festival courtesy of her remarried lawyer Papa Daniel (Reid Scott). Naturally, after the “hand-over” drop-off to her ex, just as she begins to load the car, Daniel pulls up with the trio saying that a work emergency popped up and she needs to be their escort. Aaargghh! Solene’s no fan of the line-up, which is topped by Izzy’s former faves, the “boy band” August Moon, but she’s a good mom so she drops them off in the audience’s grounds, while she retreats to the VIP pass-holder tent. After getting some confusing directions to the restroom, she enters one of the main trailers and is soon shocked when there’s a tapping on the bathroom door. Turns out that she’s in the private deluxe digs of one of the heartthrobs of “AM”, 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine). The duo engages in some flirty small talk before Solene joins Izzy and her crew for AM’s “set” (where Hayes makes strong eye contact with Solene during a song dedicated to “someone special he just met”). Ah but it’s soon time to get back to the “grind” for her at the gallery. Things are pretty normal until they get a very special “customer”: Hayes. With the pretext of needing to fill the walls of his new home, the two spend most of the afternoon together, going from an artist’s storage space to Solene’s home for Lunch. After a tender kiss, she pushes him away, saying a date would be absurd, so Hayes departs after leaving his pricey wristwatch behind. This gives him an excuse to text her and invite her to join him on AM’s world tour. Hmm, he bought out the gallery spurring a temporary closing, so why not? Solene doesn’t tell anyone, even Izzy, and the duo enjoy a whirlwind worldwide secret romance. Can they make it work despite the big age gap? More importantly, what will happen when the paparazzi finally catches them?
The role of Solene proves to be a terrific showcase for the talented Ms. Hathaway, who we’ve not seen enough of on the big screen (she took some ‘family time”). Coming off her work as the slinky, seductive Rebecca in last year’s EILEEN, Hathaway now puts a spin on a down-to-Earth working woman who gets a new chance at romance and the “glamorous life”. So, it’s a bit of a spin on Cinderella, though Solene needs no magical fairy godmother, nor does she need to be rescued. We can see her delight in really being appreciated by Hayes, which leads to a big conflict. Hathaway shows us that Solene’s not sure if she really deserves it (she so does). We see that battle between her mind and heart in her expressive eyes. Plus Hathaway uses her sharp comic skills, whether bantering with Hayes, dealing with a long line of dull, but age-appropriate suitors on her birthday, or giving her ex a verbal smack-down while rebuffing her new wife’s desire to start a friendship. At one point, Solene is intimidated by the twenty-something girlfriends of Hayes’ bandmates, though we can see that she should harbor no insecurities. Hathaway’s a dream for any suitor.
And Galitzine fulfills that part very well as the soulful dreamboat Hayes, who descends from his “castle” to reach new heights of passion with the ‘stunner from Silver Lake”. Sure, he projects confidence, yet he somehow has a vulnerable side, not sure if Solene will accept him. And in another twist on Cinderella, he’s the one leaving a glass slipper behind, though it’s a sparkly bit of male jewelry. On the other end of the male spectrum, Scott oozes smarm and arrogance, much like his “Veep” role, as the pompous ex-hubby Daniel. It’s no wonder his current spouse, played with great comic disgust by Perry Mattfield yearns to be pals with Solene. But her BFF is daughter Izzy, played with great energy and humor by Rubin. That’s until the news breaks on her mom’s new beau. She conveys the hurt in Izzy’s eyes, not at the pairing but at the pain of her mother not confiding in her. The story also benefits from the comic work of Annie Mumolo as Solene’s other pal Tracy, though her screentime is reduced to make room for the romance.
The lauded director I mentioned earlier is comic actor Michael Showalter, and those Oscar-winning films are THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE and THE BIG SICK. He also worked with actress Jennifer Westfeldt in adapting Robbine Lee’s book, which expertly mixes wit (though boy bonds are a fairly easy target for laughs) with a swoony, delirious romantic fantasy. Hey, who wouldn’t want the “high-life” though the story shows that it comes with a price. This occurs when the relationship is “out”, allowing Showalter a chance to skewer social media in a dizzying montage that uses clever pixelation of screens, phones, and pads, where Solene is digitally dragged through the mud by anonymous vultures pecking at her flesh (and moral character). She’s now a conniving callous cougar that has ensnared the naive tunesmith. Daughter Izzy is even caught in the firestorm at school. But Showalter doesn’t let the “influencers’ drag down the “high spirits” of the story’s bouncy “meet cute” or the verbal dance of the duo in the art world. The director and the writers provide us with fun, and frivolity while actually taking a sharp stick to online outrage. And they never lose focus on the engaging couple that is the beating heart of the tale, who also bring that simmering chemistry, that often makes us lightheaded at THE IDEA OF YOU.
3 out of 4
THE IDEA OF YOU streams exclusively on Amazon Prime Video beginning on Thursday, May 2, 2024
Based on the acclaimed, contemporary love story of the same name, THE IDEA OF YOU centers on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected romance with 24-year-old Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of August Moon, the hottest boy band on the planet. When Solène must step in to chaperone her teenage daughter’s trip to the Coachella Music Festival after her ex bails at the last minute, she has a chance encounter with Hayes and there is an instant, undeniable spark. As they begin a whirlwind romance, it isn’t long before Hayes’ superstar status poses unavoidable challenges to their relationship, and Solène soon discovers that life in the glare of his spotlight might be more than she bargained for.
Coming to Prime Video on May 2nd.
The St. Louis advance screening is 7PM on Wednesday, May 1st at the Hi-Pointe Theatre. (Suggested arrival at 6PM.)
Finally, we’re entering into the first weekend of the final month of 2023. So naturally many of the films hitting the multiplex have the big holiday at the end of December as a setting or backdrop. Of course, they’re all upbeat celebrations full of family togetherness. Well, not always as proven a few weeks ago with the release of one of the year’s best films, THE HOLDOVERS. It’s a dark comedy centering on a split family ignoring a son. So indeed it is a bit dark, compared to this weekend’s flick, which is nearly pitch-black, closer to a film noir than comedy. And it’s a tragic drama as we observe the dismal life of a young woman named EILEEN.
Right at the start of this tale, we’re introduced to Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie), a lonely woman in her twenties living in the Boston area around sixty years ago. We first see her silently watching amorous couples in a “lover’s lane” from her wheezing ancient auto, From there she begins her daily routine, starting her “9 to 5” job as a secretary at the local boys’ detention center (and enduring loads of verbal abuse from her co-workers). Luckily she can fantasize about a hunky guard. From there she returns to the squalid shanty she shares with her boozing papa Jim (Shea Whigham), former police chief of the village. Of course, he wakes from his drunken stupor long enough to toss off some insults and bemoan the loss of his wife, Eileen’s mother. At the day’s end, she trudges up to the attic, enjoys some candy (she sucks away the coating and spits the rest out), and passes out on a flimsy cot. The alarm barely rouses her at dawn, giving her just enough time to prepare breakfast for Dad (he sticks to his bottle as he belittles her), and hope that the battered car will get her to work. Ah. but today is different. A new therapist has arrived, the blonde, sophisticated Dr. Rebecca (Anne Hathaway). After all the welcoming hoopla is done, Eileen is stunned when the sultry doc expresses interest in her life. Eventually, the two share a lunch break and even meet for a post-work cocktail at the local “watering hole”. But aside from Eileen, Dr. Rebecca is focused on one “juvie” in particular, Lee Polk (Sam Nivola), who is there after murdering his father. But will her work turn into an obsession, leading to more time “after hours” with her new friend? And could this “relationship” lead to true “freedom” for Eileen?
The title role marks another interesting performance by one of our most promising young screen actresses. Since arriving just over five years ago with her dazzling debut in LEAVE NO TRACE, McKenzie has given us several memorable characters, always smart, but often soft-spoken. The latter trait is taken to extremes by her work as the painfully shy, often “blending into the woodwork” Eileen, eyes downward as disdain is heaped upon her. She’s slowly suffocating from a yearning for human connection in order to breathe. And when that happens, McKenzie alters her facial expressions and body language to convey Eileen’s “blooming”, bursting out of that “shell”. As the instigator of that change, Hathaway ignites the dull drab settings in an interesting twist on the iconic icy “cool blondes” that Hitchcock adored. Rebecca projects an aloof superiority to those at work, so it’s a surprise when she “zeroes in” on the ignored office “drone”. Is it a seduction, perhaps even a bit of “grooming” (comparisons to Cate Blanchett as CAROL arise), or is she “playing” with Eileen, much like a cat “toying” with a mouse before the final “pounce”? It’s a splendid departure from her usual “likable” roles and Ms. Hathaway truly rises to the challenge. Rounding out the film’s “trifecta” is the always engaging Whigham who somehow is able to inject some level of sad humanity into the blustery drunkard who has basically “checked out’ of life, save for spewing venom at his daughter, and only leaving his hellish abode to stagger the street, waving his pistol while ranting about the non-Catholic “interlopers” (“Them Lutherans!”). Whigham is often a “rough around the edges” charmer, but this punishing papa adds more fuel to Eileen’s interest in her new (maybe more than) friend.
With his second feature film (hard to believe it’s been seven years since LADY MACBETH), director William Oldroyd creates a dark grimy psychological character study, working from the screenplay adaptation of Otessa Moshfegh’s novel by her and Luke Goebel. But much like his last film Oldroyd again provides us with an offbeat central woman at the story’s core, though there’s also a supporting player to empower and transform her. Plus he’s adept at throwing us a “curve” since it appears to be a somber look at some in deep emotional stress, perhaps with a real “sexual panic”, then veers into an erotic “game”, but diving into an exploration of guilt and justice (and much like a parking garage, nothing “nice” ever happens in basement settings of a movie). And though it’s set in the mid-1960s, there’s no nostalgic “glow” to be seen, rather it’s a dirty stale smoky haze with ugly dangerous cars and stifling attire. This story is full of interesting heroines and strong performances, but the last moments of the third act feel rushed and vague. Of course, we don’t always need to know the exact futures of the leads, but it just seems as though too many threads are left to dangle and fray in that cold Boston breeze. Fortunately, this uneasy finale doesn’t distract from a powerful monologue in that basement (closer to the bowels of Hell) and from the superb actresses involved who invest us in the unusual “bond” between Rebecca and EILEEN.
(L to R) Michael Banks Repeta as “Paul Graff” and Anthony Hopkins as “Grandpa Aaron Rabinowitz” in director James Gray’s ARMAGEDDON TIME, a Focus Features release. Courtesy of Anne Joyce / Focus Features
Well, it’s been over two years now. I’m talking about the near-global pandemic “time-out”. So, do you recall what you did to pass the hours? Was “recall” part of it, as in revisiting old memories and childhood experiences? It appears that many “creatives”, including lots of filmmakers, took a “sentimental journey”. Of course, that’s not rare as many movie makers have opened up about their past, from Fellini to Scorsese (sure it’s the story of Henry Hill, but there’s a lot of young martin in GOODFELLAS). And now, with a few years put into making them, the nostalgic film “floodgates” are opening up. In the next few weeks, we’ll delve into the recollections of Sam Mendes and Steven Spielberg. This weekend another artist gives us his “take” on the “coming of age” saga. Ah, but things aren’t bathed in a “rosy haze” in this work. Which explains its title, ARMAGEDDON TIME.
The time in question is the Fall of 1980. Aspiring comic book artist Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) shares his artistic gifts with his eight grade classmates via a cartoon of their teacher Mr. Turkeltaub (that name just begs for a human/ poultry hybrid sketch). Of course, Paul is busted but luckily another student, Johnny (Jaylin Webb) defends him. Being the only black student there, due to recent “busing” rulings, Johnny “butts up” against the school faculty. But he and Paul forge a strong friendship, leading to lots of after-school adventures and mischief. Johnny’s ailing and addled grandma (his sole parent) lives far across town, so Paul lets him stay in the clubhouse shed behind his Queens, NY home. It’s the site of many Graff family dinners, prepared by mother Esther (Anne Hathway), who’s involved in the PTA, and hosted by electrician papa Irving (Jeremy Strong). Oh, Paul’s older brother who attends a swanky private school, Ted (Ryan Sell) is there. But the most revered guest is Esther’s father, beloved grandpa Aaron (Anthony Hopkins). He and Paul bond over their shared love of art and model rockets. And yet the lad continues to get into trouble both at school and at home, which is on edge due to the upcoming elections (“That movie actor will have his finger on the button”). When the antics of Paul and Johnny get more serious, the Graffs decide that public school is not working for their youngest. Can Paul fit in with the “swells” at that stuffy elitist place? And what will happen to his friendship with the “unsupervised” Johnny?
Despite the “heavy hitters” in the cast (at least two Oscar winners), the focus of the story is Repeta as the impulsive Paul. The young actor seems relaxed and very natural in the role. Oh, and very real as he can turn from endearing and sweet to annoying and cruel “on a dime”. Sure, he’s the “center” but he’s not truly the hero. Much of that also applies to Webb as Johnny who projects an aura of tough apathy, which deflects any further disappointments and frustrations. He has big dreams that would take him far from the “mean streets”, but he knows that the odds are against him, along with almost everyone in the inner city. Supporting Paul on the homefront is Hathaway as the nurturing Esther who wants to be a progressive, but fears for her lil’ guy as he pushes against her protective embrace. The most complex parent may be Strong as Irving who must temper his affection for “his guys” with the need to be the “final word”. Strong convey a nerdy warmth as he sings a song (aided by banging a pan) to wake his lads, then becomes a terrifying “rage monster’ while dealing with Paul’s latest escapade. He truly scares the boy, but we can see in Strong’s eyes that he’s also unnerved by his out-of-control anger. Then in the final act, Irving insists on staying in the car with the boys during a memorial service, though not for their benefit as he suppresses a sob. But Repeta truly shines in his scenes with Hopkins as the ultimate grandpop’, full of patience and grumbly good humor, eager to be Paul’s sidekick in mischief. Though he seems an unlikely choice to play a Jewish family patriarch, Hopkins commands the screen as he regales his precious children with old songs or rivets them with his horror stories of survival and escape. Plus you just might feel your heart melt as Paul addresses him as “my good man”.Oh, and another big talent provides a most compelling cameo as a real figure from the era (with a big connection to the present).
All of this flows from the mind and memories of writer/director James Gray, who has fashioned an engaging “memory piece” that expertly invokes an era with almost no sentimentality. Yes, these years are full of wonder, but they’re also infused with anxiety. that mood is best seen as the adults discuss the presidential elections which may surprise younger filmgoers. Reagan may seem like an affable uncle in archival footage, and too soft now for his old political party, but for many at that time he was seen as the fellow who could bring about…the movie’s title. But the tale’s real tragedy may be the “arc” of Johnny, who will not get the second and third “chances” afforded to Paul. He’s the sacrifice to make the “system work”. The pace of the piece is problematic as it seems to lurch from one “dire incident” to the next with little coherence. Perhaps some more interaction between the parents would give a better understanding of the family. Or at least it would explain their inconsistent disciplinary strategies, especially when Paul really goes “over the line” and rebels at the first big family meal. Kudos to the production team for re-creating the hairstyles and fashions of the era (being a middle-class family, they wouldn’t be sporting the big “disco duds”). It’s worth seeing for the superb cast, but a wobbly script that just seems to abruptly stop drains the drama out of ARMAGEDDON TIME.
3 Out of 4
ARMAGEDDON TIME opens in select theatres on Friday, November 4. 2022
