The Filmic 5
Your Weekly Film Superlatives By Critic and Film Scholar Jack Hanley
I hope this finds you all well! I'm thrilled to be back from a bit of a sabbatical working and attending some Fall Film Festivals (my favorite time of year!). Let's get into the 5 for the final stretch of Spooky Season!
I. Film I Am Loving This Week
SATURDAY NIGHT (2024) Dir. Jason Reitman
Don't let the initial spate of mostly insipid and cynical critical takes dissuade you- Saturday Night is superbly acted, impeccably paced, and meticulously crafted. More importantly, it's also just a goddam delight to relish in the madness- and miracle- that is a live production.
Reliable auteur Reitman (JUNO, YOUNG ADULT, UP IN THE AIR) always unabashedly wears his heart on his sleeve- and it works perfectly for this frenetic experiment. In an ensemble where EVERY performance is brilliant, look for standout turns by Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith (who eerily channels the best- and worst- of Chevy Chase), Dylan O'Brien, Tommy Dewey, and the marvelous Nicholas Podnay (although I am convinced Billy Crystal somehow time traveled back for this production).
If you have EVER pulled off a live event against the odds, or been that underestimated soul who wrestled a moment of greatness from the anarchy, or have ever been that eager theater kid who finally found their family, then this film is for you.
Hilarious, heartfelt, and joyful, Reitman reminds us of the old showbiz adage that many of my fellow critics seem to have forgotten- that it takes "a lot of hard work and to make something look so goddam easy".
II. Second Film I Am Loving This Week!
THE APPRENTICE (2024) Dir. Ali Abbasi
Filmmaker Ali Abbasi (Shelly, Border, Holy Spider) is in the business of deconstructing monsters- and while his latest horror masterwork THE APPRENTICE offers little new nuance about OUR Monster, it refreshingly places the focus on its creator Roy Cohn- the proto-fascist specter that has somehow haunted our nation through at least four administrations.This grimy Shakespearean American horror story is anchored less by a grand narrative and more on assured and stylistic filmmaking and the simply transcendent performances of Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong (both due all the nominations and accolades that will elude them).Is there ultimately anything new here under the sun? Serious and informed students of American history should not be shocked to discover that this 21st century Monster cobbled from corpses and let loose to wreak havoc on the countryside was itself animated by a 20th century post-modern Prometheus with a fetish for frog figurines.Perhaps most devastating to MAGA acolytes will be the "emperor-has-no-clothes" revelation that their savior ultimately proves little more than a wholly unremarkable little meat-puppet fiendishly operated from the beyond by the gnarled and ghoulish claw of perhaps America's greatest villain...and perhaps OUR most devastating moment is the realization (and grand indictment) that we have failed future generations in our inability- or refusal- to finally exorcise the demon Cohn from our grand experiment.THE APPRENTICE is a vital modern-horror masterwork that is equal parts essential and nauseating that feels a bit like staring transfixed in horror at the spider you encounter in the shower as you slowly turn on the hot water to dispatch it- an exercise both grotesque and appalling, yet utterly necessary.
III. Book I Am Fascinated By This Week
I am a latecomer to this amazing work and have been unable to put it down- a must read for cinephiles, history buffs, and horror fans alike.
"From King Kong to Candyman, the boundary-pushing genre of horror film has always been a site for provocative explorations of race in American popular culture. This book offers a comprehensive chronological survey of Black horror from the 1890s to present day.
In this second edition, Robin R. Means Coleman expands upon the history of notable characterizations of Blackness in horror cinema, with new chapters spanning the 1960s, 2000s, and 2010s to the present, and examines key levels of Black participation on screen and behind the camera. The book addresses a full range of Black horror films, including mainstream Hollywood fare, art-house films, Blaxploitation films, and US hip-hop culture-inspired Nollywood films. This edition also explores the resurgence of the Black horror genre in the last decade, examining the success of Jordan Peele's films Get Out and Us, smaller independent films such as The House Invictus, and Nia DaCosta's sequel to Candyman. Means Coleman argues that horror offers a unique representational space for Black people to challenge negative or racist portrayals, and to portray greater diversity within the concept of Blackness itself.
This book is essential listening for anyone seeking to understand how fears and anxieties about race and race relations are made manifest, and often challenged, on the silver screen."- Available at Audible and bookstores everywhere.
IV. Cinema Retrospective That Captivated Me This Week
Every Academy Award for Best Actress: A Complete History of the Winners
Learn more about every best-actress Oscar winner from 1929 to today, including all of the details about the speeches, the stars—and even a tie.
An essential resource from Chris Feil via our friends at Vanity Fair.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE!
V. Film Primer I Am Obsessed With This Week
Everyone who knows me well knows that at SOME POINT I will corner them at a party to tipsily declare my love of the great Italian horror sub-genre GIALLO.
I was fortunate to host a few film series on the topic at both the Denver Art Museum and the University of Colorado. Critic Samm Deighan examines the "Italian Art of Violence" in a lovely essay for the Criterion Channel that I highly recommend if you are new to- or unfamiliar with- the genre.
Read all about the pulpy pleasures of Giallo by clicking here!
That's all for this week. Get out there and watch something LIFE-CHANGING.
Jack Hanley is a Boulder-based film scholar, podcaster, and critic. He is a programmer with the Chicago Underground Film Festival and Boulder International Film Festival. He is one-half of Blindspotting: A Film Discovery Podcast and Flicker with Jack and Scott on YouTube. Find him at Kinophilia on Medium and at HanleyOnFilm.com
