| Second-generation smolder: Margaret Qualley in Sanctuary. | | Happy watching,
The Letterboxd crew | | | | Opening Credits | | In cinemas and coming soon | | | | | This big-budget (reportedly $65 million) sci-fi thriller from indie icon Robert Rodriguez seems to have come out of nowhere, but it’s exactly the kind of movie we often lament the absence of: an original genre film with decent production values and a snappy running time (92 mins, hallelujah!). Joe calls it an “enjoyably schlocky romp with some great practical stunt work and car crashes”, while Connor warns that it’s “the very definition of a mixed bag”. (Now in US theaters, in UK theaters from May 26.) | | | | | Acclaimed New Zealand director Niki Caro (Whale Rider) follows up her live-action Mulan remake with this straightforward action thriller starring Jennifer Lopez as an assassin attempting to protect her long-lost daughter from a variety of baddies. Fans of the film are focusing on the lead, with Coleman describing Lopez as “brimming with star power and screen presence”, though Astrasa may be damning The Mother with faint praise by calling it “a great one-time watch”. (Now on Netflix.) | | | | | The first of a two-part finalé (that may now be a three-part finalé) brings Jason Momoa into the Fast & Furious… family… as flamboyant villain Dante Reyes, who is seeking to make Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel) suffer for past deeds. I caught up with Momoa in Auckland just ahead of the film’s premiere, where he shared his four favorites and discussed his love for the modern New Zealand classic Once Were Warriors. (Now in theaters globally.) | | | | | Legendary screenwriter (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) turned incendiary writer-director (Hardcore, First Reformed) Paul Schrader just keeps churning them out, bless his socks. His latest film is yet another examination of a man attempting to outrun his own torment—in this case, a horticulturalist played by Aussie actor Joel Edgerton. “A tricky, difficult movie about recovery,” is how Hunter sees it, while Sean describes it as “the most Paul Schrader-y movie to ever Paul Schrader”. Senior editor Mitchell Beaupre had a long chinwag with Schrader for Journal. (In US theaters this week and UK theaters next week.) | | | | | A film seemingly reverse-engineered to appeal to Letterboxd members, this single-location thriller stars scorching up-and-comers Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley as a banking executive and a dominatrix, respectively, who come to blows when the former attempts to sever ties with the latter. AmandaTheJedi liked what she saw at the film’s Venice premiere last year: “As a pervy little weirdo this is perhaps the best of fest?” “An incredible, contained film that keeps you intrigued till the very end,” offers Cameron. (In US theaters now.) | | | | | Writer/director Nicole Holofcener (Lovely & Amazing, Friends with Money) is one of America’s foremost depictors of complex contemporary female characters. She returns to the big screen following 2018’s little-seen The Land of Steady Habits and a bunch of TV work with a dramedy about a faltering marriage starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who shone in Holofcener’s 2013 film Enough Said) and Tobias Menzies (Outlander, Game of Thrones). Early reviews indicate Holofcener is in fine form here: Sara calls it “a witty dramedy with a perfect ensemble. Both breezy and introspective.” “This just healed a little piece of me,” says Brother Bro. (In US theaters from May 25.) | | | | | | Star Wars | | One star vs five stars, fight! | | | | | | | “The Guardians of the Galaxy films are generally understood to deviate from the algorithmic processing and corporate approximation of the MCU’s typical blockbuster and franchise demands, though I guess Marvel fans think that attaching colorful yet generic cosmic images to your Spotify playlist counts as a ‘personality’. It doesn’t help when James Gunn has demonstrated little to no aptitude for a textural, compositional or dramaturgical manner of filmmaking. None of the comedy is funny because the ‘jokes’ are mostly concerned with identifying themselves as things to be laughed at, pausing at calculated intervals to allow the audience to laugh obnoxiously. The film never plays with the incongruity between the expectations and results within a comedic setup.” | | | | | | | “This was so much sadder than I was expecting it to be LOL. Who would have thought that if you get talented people to make these and actually let them make the film they want to make without micromanaging them and forcing it to connect to ten Disney+ shows that only seven people will actually watch then they end up being very good? If I could give this an extra five stars for the Florence & the Machine needle drop then I would.” | | | | | | Dom’s Pick | | A recommendation from the editor | | | | | It’s time for Dom’s Pick! Every edition, your humble Call Sheet editor closes with a recommendation for your watchlists. This month: Identity (2003). Newly available to stream on Hulu, this high-concept whodunnit from director James Mangold (whose new film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, literally just premiered at Cannes) doesn’t hold up to much logical scrutiny, but it’s an extremely entertaining exercise in style and atmosphere carried along by a murderer’s row of potential killers. Ray Liotta and John Cusack bring the star-power, but top-tier character actors like John C. McGinley, John Hawkes, Alfred Molina and Clea Duvall bring the texture. | | | | Receive this monthly email by joining Letterboxd, the social network for film lovers.
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