In Audrey Diwan’s Happening (L’Événement), Anamaria Vartolomei plays a young university student in the 1960s contending with an unwanted pregnancy when abortion was still illegal in France. The Golden Lion-winning film was also nominated for four César Awards, including Best Film (Vartolomeo won for Most Promising Actress). Our London correspondent Ella Kemp was blown away: “Peerless filmmaking… stuff like this doesn’t come around often.” (Ella also spoke to Diwan for us about the eerily timely story and its source memoir by Annie Ernaux.) Carrie warns that it’s “a really difficult watch” and “an incredibly intimate experience. You feel like you are experiencing this with her.” (In US theaters now.)

With the insane success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, audiences were perhaps even more primed than they would otherwise have been (which was already a lot) for the next official MCU film (sorry Morbius, you don’t count): Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Many of us have been curious about what Sam Raimi may bring to his first superhero film since helping to kick-off the modern comic-book explosion with the original Spider-Man trilogy—beyond his Oldsmobile and a Bruce Campbell cameo, of course. The results are in and Multiverse of Madness has a solid 3.45-star average, reflecting the chaotic fun had by most. “There are parts of this that they let Sam Raimi direct,” quips Kyle. “It’s bloody, dark and not for kids,” writes Rachel. “Good time.”

Comedian, actor and now feature-film director Jerrod Carmichael is having a big year. Coming off the heels of his headline-grabbing comedy special Rothaniel, he makes his cinematic directorial debut with the (CW) suicide-pact dark comedy On the Count of Three, in which he also stars, alongside intense-actor-of-the-moment Christopher Abbott. Jack calls it “a wholly unique, darkly humorous suicide-buddy-dramedy that looks at friendship in the midst of despair.” “I found myself so enthralled by this,” writes Nabeel. “Complex, troubling and deeply, incredibly sad.” (In US theaters and on VOD now.)

After a sojourn into television with the transcendent Devs, Letterboxd fave Alex Garland (Annihilation) re-commits to cinema with the intriguing Men, which has one of the creepiest trailers of the year. Jessie Buckley stars in the psychological thriller as Harper, recuperating from a personal tragedy in the English countryside. As the supremely unnerving trailer reveals, every male character she encounters is played by Rory Kinnear, who has game in this area, coming fresh off his other dual role as the Badminton brothers in HBO’s pirate rom-com Our Flag Means Death. (In theaters May 20.)

Considering the degree to which America continues to be officially freaked out by sex (as opposed to violence, which is all good), it’ll be interesting to see how Ninja Thyberg’s confronting porn-industry drama Pleasure goes down now that it’s in theaters. An expansion of Thyberg’s 2013 short, the film follows a young Swedish immigrant calling herself Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel), who arrives in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming a top porn actor. Unflinching to a degree that makes Red Rocket look like The Parent Trap, no aspect of modern porn is shied away from. “A perfect example of an uncomfortable film being rewarding and artistic underneath,” writes Lucy. “A little Larry Clark, a lot Abel Ferrara,” is Jacob’s take.

Hold Your Fire is a documentary about a hostage siege in Brooklyn in 1972 that occurred after a gun battle between four young men and the NYPD. The resulting standoff had a lasting impact on police negotiation tactics, which had previously been based on a two-step, ultimatum-then-shoot process that often got everybody killed. “A story of 50 years ago that’s still important. Strong stuff,” writes Brian Tallerico. “Will get your blood boiling as it gives a platform to lying, racist cops yearning for the ‘good old days’,” promises Andrew Jupin. (In theaters and on VOD May 20.)

Barrow hive rise up: Downton Abbey: A New Era, the second big-screen continuation of the period drama (following 2019’s Downton Abbey), checks back in with the Crawley household as they contend with the horror of a movie being filmed at the estate. Where’s a fainting couch when you need one? Fair warning: Matthew Goode is heard of but never seen, but Hugh Dancy and Dominic West liven things up in a very British homage to the talkie politics of Singin’ in the Rain. Jesse reckons it’s a “much better film than the first one”, but cautions that “you need to know the characters”. (Hamish and Sol disagree.) What the people do need to know is: when will local schoolteacher, serial scene-stealer and film fanatic Mr Molesley tell us his four favorites? (In theaters May 20.)

With a near-future in which almost all intellectual property is sure to be controlled by the Disney corporation, we can perhaps take some encouragement from the playfulness displayed in the trailer for Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers. The involvement of two thirds of comedy trio The Lonely Island—Akiva Schaffer (who directs) and Andy Samberg (who voices Dale)—alongside their old SNL buddy John Mulaney (as Chip), is pleasing, as is the presence of people like Eric Bana (who doesn’t get to be funny often enough), Tim Robinson (who should be showing up in more movies by this point) and Paula Abdul, who is going to be dealing with MC Skat Kat jokes for the rest of her life. (Streaming on Disney+ from May 20.)

2021’s favorite music teacher Eugenio Derbez takes the titular role of The Valet in the US remake of a 2006 French film about a valet who is roped in to pose as the boyfriend of a world-famous star (Samara Weaving). Yes, we’ve already (somewhat) been here before this year, and likely will again, since ‘pretend relationship’ is second only to ‘hate to love’ in the annals of rom-com tropes—shout out to Carleigh for those exhaustive lists. (Streaming on Disney+ from May 20.)

Robert Eggers’ The Northman, co-written with Sjón, is unquestionably one of the biggest, boldest, most Letterboxd-y films of the year, and we have interview features with Eggers (who speaks to Isaac Feldberg about the influences that went into his new film), and co-star Anya Taylor-Joy, who returned to work with Eggers after they both broke out with his 2015 masterpiece, The Witch. “I’ll put on Arrival if I’m feeling very depressed about the state of the world,” she tells us, before going into a reverie about the manicures in Interview with the Vampire.

You know what an underrated TV show is? Happy Endings. It’s about six pals who hang out a lot and it’s way better than Friends. Seriously. And Elisha Cuthbert is a revelation in it. She is much funnier than she is mostly given credit for. Anyway, Happy Endings does not come up in this Journal feature, in which Cuthbert, co-star Eoin Macken and writer-director Brendan Muldowney talk to Isaac Feldberg about their new horror The Cellar, which is currently in theaters. They also throw House of Wax a little long-overdue love (who else has fond memories of the undignified death suffered by Dean from Gilmore Girls in that movie?)

In other recent stories from our crew, Sailor Dinucci-Radley made her Journal debut with this feature on Jane Schoenbrun and her online gaming-centric We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (plus chats about the films of Harmony Korine, Charlie Kaufman and David Lynch). Paris, 13th District director and co-writer Jacques Audiard talked to Ella Kemp about his new black-and-white romance, which he co-scripted with Céline Sciamma and Léa Mysius (both notable directors in their own right), for this feature. Speaking of Sciamma, please carve out some time for her utterly lovely conversation with Mitchell Beaupre about her latest, Petite Maman.

There’s more! Annie Lyons chatted with partner-filmmakers Karan Soni and Roshan Sethi about their pandemic rom-com 7 Days (starring Geraldine Viswanathan) for this feature. Jack Moulton had an illuminating, film-centric interview with actress and now director Charlotte Gainsbourg about watching films with her dad, making a documentary on her mother, and living with the great Agnés Varda’s cameras in her home. “I just hated the fact that there was a film crew in our house, morning ’til night, every day for a year.” And our editor-in-chief, Gemma Gracewood, talked to Sam Jones (who made that great Wilco documentary) about his new film Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off. Make Journal a regular stop for more filmmaker conversations and big-picture features.

You know who we like around here? Kristen Stewart. Dan Owens has put together a list of films Stewart has mentioned as personal faves, including her faves of the films she has worked on. Check out K’s Favorite’s, a pretty expansive list that reveals a charming affection for stoner comedies.

We’re big fans of how, in many old films, the only response to any kind of extreme situation is to have a drink and mull it over. Many examples of this sort of behavior can be found in the movies on Quit Crying And Get Me Some Bourbon, taken from a list of bourbon movie quotes that Marya E. Gates has been compiling for more than a decade. Skol!

Film writer Robert Daniels has an affection for actor David Strathairn playing characters from a specific period of the twentieth century. Nothing sexier than a corrupt baseball player or a union miner—check out Robert’s list, David Strathairn Movies Set Between 1919-1959 (AKA excuses for David Strathairn to look slick as hell). Although, in truth, Strathirsters agree that David is one of cinema’s great stealth sex symbols in any decade—including the fashion-awkward ’90s, when he appeared in one of the best heist capers of all time (in my opinion—and that of fellow Sneakers lovers).

Something that’s more fun to witness than experience is being kicked in the gonads. Paul D is no doubt well aware of this, and so he has created a surprisingly long (873 films! That’s 1,746 battered ball sacks!) list of relevant films he has titled Kicked In The Balls: A Cinematic History of Testicular Trauma. Makes it sound almost regal.

Do you ever think about, like, the world?

But, then again…

It’s time for Dom’s Pick! Each month, Call Sheet editor Dominic Corry ends with a film for your watchlists. This month: Mark Pellington’s Arlington Road (1999). Dismissed as preposterous upon release, this splendidly overwrought domestic terrorism thriller remains a fun, tense watch with wonderfully hammy performances from Tim Robbins and Joan Cusack. It’s a fascinating insight into post-Oklahoma City (but pre-9/11) concerns. Borrows multiple plot elements from my all-time favorite movie, The Parallax View.