by Josh Sewell
Challengers
(Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity. Opens in theaters on April 26.)
The premise: Luca Guadagnino, director of the acclaimed Call Me by Your Name, helms this scorching drama (written by Justin Kuritzkes) centering on Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), a tennis prodigy who becomes a coach following a devastating injury. Her husband Art (Mike Faist) is a champion on a losing streak, so she devises a surprising strategy for his redemption: he’ll face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor), his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, she must figure out what it costs to win.
The verdict: Although Challengers focuses on incredibly self-absorbed characters who are difficult to love, it’s an engaging and endlessly fascinating movie. I don’t think I glanced at my watch once during the 131-minute running time.
In short, I loved it. We’re a third of the way through 2024 (crazy, right?) and it’s my favorite movie of the year so far. Zendaya – also one of the film’s producers – is nothing short of incredible in an absurdly difficult role. We’re talking Oscar good; I’ll be stunned if she’s not a frontrunner when awards season kicks off this fall.
In fact, it’s theoretically possible she could find herself listed in both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress thanks to her other fantastic performance in last month’s Dune: Part Two. I’d say she’s having a pretty decent spring.
Zendaya is backed by equally strong work from Faist and O’Connor as her romantic and professional rivals. They all fully embrace the passion and toxicity of characters who love and loathe each other in equal measure.
On the other side of the camera, Guadagnino’s frenetic directing style, along with Marco Costa’s editing, practically gave me an anxiety attack – which I consider high praise. Furthermore, Kuritzkes’ biting, intelligent script plays with chronology in ways that bounce viewers back and forth through time like a tennis ball. He carefully doles out crucial information about the characters’ agendas and motivations throughout the various stages of their relationships, ensuring viewers’ allegiances never stop shifting.
Finally, the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is beyond incredible. The propulsive industrial/techno beats evoke the best stuff from the ’80s and perfectly fits the tone of the film. It’s easily their best cinematic work since The Social Network, so of course I was already searching for the soundtrack on my phone as I walked out of the theater. This one’s going to get a lot of play in my car this summer – I’ll try my best to avoid a speeding ticket.
Grade: A
Boy Kills World
(Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, language, some drug use and sexual references. Opens in theaters on April 26.)
The premise: In this comedic action flick, Bill Skarsgård stars as “Boy,” who has devoted his life to avenging the murder of his family. The perpetrator is Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a post-apocalyptic authoritarian state that left the boy orphaned, deaf and voiceless. Driven by his inner voice (H. Jon Benjamin), he trains with a mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is set loose on the eve of the annual culling of dissidents.
The verdict: I liked parts of Boy Kills World a lot, particularly the droll voiceover from Benjamin and Skarsgård’s surprising knack for physical comedy. However, the flick ultimately feels disjointed and tonally inconsistent – especially when the plot takes a deadly serious turn in the third act.
Still, it’s good to see the former Pennywise play someone who isn’t a creepy villain. The rest of the ensemble is fun too, particularly Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman and the criminally underrated Jessica Rothe. I honestly don’t know why she’s not a bigger star, but hopefully her work here will help to rectify that.
Boy Kills World will certainly prove divisive. I can see some embracing it as a cult favorite, while others will be immediately turned off by the graphic ultraviolence. A lot of it works, but the parts that don’t? They really don’t.
Grade: C
Sasquatch Sunset
(Rated R for some sexual content, full nudity and bloody images. Now playing in select theaters.)
The premise: In an unnamed North American forest, a family of Sasquatches (played by Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Christophe Zajac-Denek and Nathan Zellner) embark on an epic, hilarious and heartbreaking journey over the course of a year. These mysterious giants fight for survival as they find themselves on a collision course with the ever-changing world around them.
The verdict: Directors David and Nathan Zellner, who also made the sadly underseen Damsel, have crafted a weird, poignant Bigfoot story that plays out almost like a Planet Earth-style nature documentary. Well, except for the lack of narration: perhaps the boldest choice in a movie filled with them is that Sasquatch Sunset has no dialogue whatsoever.
That means recognizable actors like Keough and Eisenberg are buried under tons of latex and fur, communicating only through grunts and gestures. As you might expect, the film is the epitome of “not for everyone.” However, adventurous viewers will certainly have a memorable experience with Sasquatch Sunset. It’s incredibly bizarre and gross – so many bodily fluids! – but also surprisingly heartfelt. I didn’t expect a dialogue-free movie about a family of Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) to make me so sad.
Grade: B
Downtown Owl
(Rated R for language, some drug use and sexual references. Now available to buy or rent on Digital.)
Based on a novel by Chuck Klosterman, this dramedy centers on Julia (Lily Rabe), a woman searching for a break from her life in Milwaukee. She arrives in the small Reagan-era town of Owl, North Dakota for a one-semester high school teaching job, but it turns out to be a wonderland of wannabe poets, smoldering Marlboro Men and a social hierarchy that echoes high school. Once she gets to know her surroundings, Julia doesn’t know if she’s come to get away from home or find it. The film also stars Ed Harris, Vanessa Hudgens, Henry Golding and Finn Wittrock.
Steel Magnolias
(Rated PG. The 35th Anniversary Edition is now available on 4K Ultra HD.)
Hollywood icons Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts star in this hilarious and heartwarming story of life, love and loss in a small Louisiana parish. At the center of the group is newlywed Shelby Eatenton (Julia Roberts), who learns she is pregnant – despite the fact that her diabetes could make childbirth life-threatening.
Terrified and angry at the possibility of losing her only daughter, M’Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field) relies on her closest friends as she battles her fear and joins Shelby in celebrating the miracle of new life. Special features include audio commentary from director Herbert Ross; “Remembering Steel Magnolias” featurette; 10 deleted scenes; theatrical trailer; and the pilot episode of the 1990 television adaptation.
(Rated R for language throughout, some sexual content and graphic nudity. Opens in theaters on April 26.)
The premise: Luca Guadagnino, director of the acclaimed Call Me by Your Name, helms this scorching drama (written by Justin Kuritzkes) centering on Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), a tennis prodigy who becomes a coach following a devastating injury. Her husband Art (Mike Faist) is a champion on a losing streak, so she devises a surprising strategy for his redemption: he’ll face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor), his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, she must figure out what it costs to win.
The verdict: Although Challengers focuses on incredibly self-absorbed characters who are difficult to love, it’s an engaging and endlessly fascinating movie. I don’t think I glanced at my watch once during the 131-minute running time.
In short, I loved it. We’re a third of the way through 2024 (crazy, right?) and it’s my favorite movie of the year so far. Zendaya – also one of the film’s producers – is nothing short of incredible in an absurdly difficult role. We’re talking Oscar good; I’ll be stunned if she’s not a frontrunner when awards season kicks off this fall.
In fact, it’s theoretically possible she could find herself listed in both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress thanks to her other fantastic performance in last month’s Dune: Part Two. I’d say she’s having a pretty decent spring.
Zendaya is backed by equally strong work from Faist and O’Connor as her romantic and professional rivals. They all fully embrace the passion and toxicity of characters who love and loathe each other in equal measure.
On the other side of the camera, Guadagnino’s frenetic directing style, along with Marco Costa’s editing, practically gave me an anxiety attack – which I consider high praise. Furthermore, Kuritzkes’ biting, intelligent script plays with chronology in ways that bounce viewers back and forth through time like a tennis ball. He carefully doles out crucial information about the characters’ agendas and motivations throughout the various stages of their relationships, ensuring viewers’ allegiances never stop shifting.
Finally, the score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is beyond incredible. The propulsive industrial/techno beats evoke the best stuff from the ’80s and perfectly fits the tone of the film. It’s easily their best cinematic work since The Social Network, so of course I was already searching for the soundtrack on my phone as I walked out of the theater. This one’s going to get a lot of play in my car this summer – I’ll try my best to avoid a speeding ticket.
Grade: A
(Rated R for strong bloody violence and gore throughout, language, some drug use and sexual references. Opens in theaters on April 26.)
The premise: In this comedic action flick, Bill Skarsgård stars as “Boy,” who has devoted his life to avenging the murder of his family. The perpetrator is Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen), the deranged matriarch of a post-apocalyptic authoritarian state that left the boy orphaned, deaf and voiceless. Driven by his inner voice (H. Jon Benjamin), he trains with a mysterious shaman (Yayan Ruhian) to become an instrument of death and is set loose on the eve of the annual culling of dissidents.
The verdict: I liked parts of Boy Kills World a lot, particularly the droll voiceover from Benjamin and Skarsgård’s surprising knack for physical comedy. However, the flick ultimately feels disjointed and tonally inconsistent – especially when the plot takes a deadly serious turn in the third act.
Still, it’s good to see the former Pennywise play someone who isn’t a creepy villain. The rest of the ensemble is fun too, particularly Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman and the criminally underrated Jessica Rothe. I honestly don’t know why she’s not a bigger star, but hopefully her work here will help to rectify that.
Boy Kills World will certainly prove divisive. I can see some embracing it as a cult favorite, while others will be immediately turned off by the graphic ultraviolence. A lot of it works, but the parts that don’t? They really don’t.
Grade: C
(Rated R for some sexual content, full nudity and bloody images. Now playing in select theaters.)
The premise: In an unnamed North American forest, a family of Sasquatches (played by Riley Keough, Jesse Eisenberg, Christophe Zajac-Denek and Nathan Zellner) embark on an epic, hilarious and heartbreaking journey over the course of a year. These mysterious giants fight for survival as they find themselves on a collision course with the ever-changing world around them.
The verdict: Directors David and Nathan Zellner, who also made the sadly underseen Damsel, have crafted a weird, poignant Bigfoot story that plays out almost like a Planet Earth-style nature documentary. Well, except for the lack of narration: perhaps the boldest choice in a movie filled with them is that Sasquatch Sunset has no dialogue whatsoever.
That means recognizable actors like Keough and Eisenberg are buried under tons of latex and fur, communicating only through grunts and gestures. As you might expect, the film is the epitome of “not for everyone.” However, adventurous viewers will certainly have a memorable experience with Sasquatch Sunset. It’s incredibly bizarre and gross – so many bodily fluids! – but also surprisingly heartfelt. I didn’t expect a dialogue-free movie about a family of Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) to make me so sad.
Grade: B
Home Entertainment Spotlight
(Rated R for language, some drug use and sexual references. Now available to buy or rent on Digital.)
Based on a novel by Chuck Klosterman, this dramedy centers on Julia (Lily Rabe), a woman searching for a break from her life in Milwaukee. She arrives in the small Reagan-era town of Owl, North Dakota for a one-semester high school teaching job, but it turns out to be a wonderland of wannabe poets, smoldering Marlboro Men and a social hierarchy that echoes high school. Once she gets to know her surroundings, Julia doesn’t know if she’s come to get away from home or find it. The film also stars Ed Harris, Vanessa Hudgens, Henry Golding and Finn Wittrock.
(Rated PG. The 35th Anniversary Edition is now available on 4K Ultra HD.)
Hollywood icons Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis and Julia Roberts star in this hilarious and heartwarming story of life, love and loss in a small Louisiana parish. At the center of the group is newlywed Shelby Eatenton (Julia Roberts), who learns she is pregnant – despite the fact that her diabetes could make childbirth life-threatening.
Terrified and angry at the possibility of losing her only daughter, M’Lynn Eatenton (Sally Field) relies on her closest friends as she battles her fear and joins Shelby in celebrating the miracle of new life. Special features include audio commentary from director Herbert Ross; “Remembering Steel Magnolias” featurette; 10 deleted scenes; theatrical trailer; and the pilot episode of the 1990 television adaptation.
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com
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