#11: The Saturday 411 ☎️
What else do Tory and Heather have in common besides loving film & tv?
Today’s Saturday 411 is brought to you by our one and only ! And I know we have some new subscribers since my review of Thelma for Salty Popcorn — welcome, friends!
The Saturday 411 has been our column for keeping you (and ourselves) up to date on what’s coming out that we want to pay attention to. Of course, Tory and I have a particular taste, and you won’t find us putting horror movies on our list (unless it’s the Quiet Place franchise). So here you’ll discover a little slice of what we like and what we tend to watch. At the same time, I hope that you are making your own lists and taking note of what interests you.
Now, I have to be honest: in the past few weeks, I haven’t been watching much of anything new that I didn’t mention in last month’s 411. And that’s because I’ve been in the process of interviewing for and accepting a teaching position for the fall. Which is the other thing I have in common with Tory, who will be leaving the U.S. in a couple of weeks to teach English in Budapest, Hungary! I will be heading the opposite direction, but I haven’t signed the contract quite yet. When it’s truly official, I’ll share the news.
With that, I’ll hand things over to Tory to tell you what she’s been watching and what she’s looking forward to.
~ Heather Wright
What I’ve Been Watching
Fly Me to the Moon (Theaters & Disney+): This movie would make a solid rental. It’s fun, it’s got a great enemies-to-lovers romantic storyline, and it plays around with historical touch points in a clearly fictional way that also makes you think, “What if..?” Scarlet Johansson is awesome in it, showcasing that she’s gracefully transitioning into shall we say “more mature” feminine roles — and I mean that in a good way. Channing Tatum is poorly cast here, but he’s likable and has great chemistry with ScarJo. Sometimes you just need a movie that offers a good time, and nothing more. This is it.
Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot (Theaters): We’ve got another gem from Angel Studios. This time, it’s a true story about a family that adopts children from foster care, inspiring their whole town to do the same. It’s a story of agape love defeating darkness. And yes, it does drag on a little long, and yes it is a little preachy, even propaganda-like. But WOW it’s a profound story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It’s inspiring without shying away from the hard things it takes to be great.
Kinds of Kindness (Theaters): This one has all of director Yorgos Lanthimos’s weirdness, but seems to lack the mainstream appeal that his recent hits The Favorite and Poor Things had. The cinematography is unreal, and the three-story format brought a welcome uniqueness to my viewing experience. But the story didn’t stick with me in a way that a lot of Lanthimos’s other works have. I’d only recommend this one for people who have a high tolerance for artsy, weird films. Also, Jesse Plemons’ performance is unreal — let’s all save ourselves some time and just send him an Oscar now.
Looking forward to:
Mother’s Instinct (7/26): Two queens of the big screen, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway, star in this intense drama about motherhood, womanhood, and female relationships. In the story, two best friends are living idyllic lives in a perfect neighborhood, until tragedy strikes, testing their friendship and their places in the world. This movie looks dark, and honestly somewhat unpleasant, but my confidence in Chastain and Hathaway with difficult material like this makes me want to see it.
It Ends with Us (8/9): I’m halfway through the book that this movie was based on, and I’ve gotta say, the casting is perfect. I’m especially excited to see Blake Lively and Jenny Slate take on the roles of Lily and Alyssa, respectively. The story is equal parts romantic fantasy and precarious danger, which makes for an emotional ride. From what I’ve seen, the movie will be able to capture the book’s complex essence.
The Union (8/16): Halle Berry plays a spy who recruits her old high school sweetheart (Mark Wahlberg) to help when her organization has been compromised and is forced to recruit civilian help. Berry’s character has to get Wahlberg’s character spy-ready. Do they fall in love again? Probably. It sounds like a good time to me, and the perfect summer action comedy romance flick. The best part? It’s a Netflix original.
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