4 Favorites: June
Something for everyone: A '70s period horror thriller, a screwball comedy, an inspirational sports movie and a male tearjerker
The Letterboxd four favorites series continues!
Welcome to July. I watched more new movies this month than last month, so there was a lot of competition for the Top 4 slots for June. I also didn’t have a lot of time for freelance work last month, so I have no new links to show. If you want to read more of my stuff from Book & Film Globe or my site, have at it!
Honorable mentions for things this month that didn’t make the cut:
Hulu’s “Under the Banner of Heaven,” a miniseries adaptation of a true crime book about a Mormon detective (Andrew Garfield) investigating a gruesome fundamentalist LDS murder in Utah in the ‘80s. Technically ineligible because it’s a miniseries, but everyone in this, even the villains, are so good. Garfield is racking up a nice stable of roles playing conflicted men of faith (see also: “Hacksaw Ridge,” “Silence,” “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”).
“Mad God,” VFX wizard Phil Tippett’s grimy, 30-years-in-the-making, stop-motion, dialogue-free, passion project about a man known as The Assassin who descends into the depths of hell to kill the Devil. (I think.) I respect this film’s journey to the screen more than I like the finished product. However, there’s a lot here to chew on thematically and visually.
But now, on to the Top 4!
“The Black Phone”
Didn’t expect this one to end on such a cathartic, hopeful note.
Finney (Mason Thames), a resourceful 13-year-old kid who is dealing with horrors at school (bullies) and at home (an abusive, alcoholic dad) becomes the latest victim of serial child abductor/murderer The Grabber (Ethan Hawke), in 1970s Denver. The Grabber, always clad in some kind of terrifying mask, locks Finney in a basement and starts to play increasingly twisted mind games with him before he tries to kill him. After years of not standing up for himself, Finney must now rely on his resiliency and wits to survive.
He’s aided by a black phone in the basement that rings only for him. The callers on the other end are The Grabber’s former victims, reaching out through the afterlife to show Finney how to get out alive.
He’s also aided by his sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), who sometimes gets prophetic dreams from Jesus. This time, her dreams involve Finney and The Grabber and how to help him escape.
Director/writer Scott Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill take Joe Hill’s short story of the same name and double down on its viciousness and unease. They also double down on the story’s theme of hope and communal sacrifice; I was genuinely moved by the end and started thinking a lot about everything (both known and unknown) that has to go right and all the people that have to collaborate and advocate for us in order for something good to happen.
Currently in theaters
“His Girl Friday”
Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) is an ace ex-reporter looking to get out of journalism and move to something that pays better, like PR. (Was this made in 1940 or 2022?) She’s also newly engaged to Bruce Baldwin (Ralph Bellamy), an insurance salesman.
Walter Burns (Cary Grant) is Hildy’s ex-husband and ex-editor. He’s trying to get her back in the newsroom to land a big interview with a man sentenced to die for killing a cop. Walter is also trying to get Hildy to break up with Bruce and get remarried to him. Hijinks ensue.
Taylor showed this one to me after I told her I had never seen it. I loved the jokes, the characters and the dialogue (apparently this was the first movie to feature overlapping dialogue, which fits the setting of a newsroom perfectly). I also loved the satire of the news industry, which has only gotten more salient over time.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime, Hoopla, Kanopy, Paramount+, PureFlix and Tubi
“Hustle”
Imagine if “Rocky” were about basketball. Now imagine if that movie were told from Paulie’s perspective. That’s “Hustle” in a nutshell, but it’s so much more than that.
“Hustle” feels like a throwback to straightforward, earnest sports movies, bolstered by two great performances. The first is from Adam Sandler as Stanley Sugarman, a Philadelphia 76ers talent scout who’s been on the road way too long. The second is from real-life NBA player Juancho Hernangomez as Bo Cruz, the Rocky to Sandler’s Paulie. Hernangomez was recently let go from the Utah Jazz. If he wants to start an acting career, this isn’t a bad place to begin.
There’s hardly any trace of the potty humor Sandman persona here; this feels like a way for Sandler to put in another great dramatic role while also getting to shoot hoops with his friends. The dream, honestly.
This movie makes no secret what it’s about and how it goes about it. There’s no doubt as to what’s going to happen at the end, but the fun part is in how the movie gets there. “Hustle” is all about redemption — for ourselves, for others, for our teams, for our families — and it’s a joy to watch. Hopefully, Sandler makes more heartfelt films like these as a part of his massive Netflix deal in the future.
Available to stream on Netflix
“Only the Brave”
In my review of this year’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” I said that the movie is more of a sports movie than a war movie. There is a clear objective, the protaganists must learn to work together as a team, and the audience is never in doubt as to what the team is trying to achieve. 2017’s “Only the Brave,” also helmed by “Maverick” director Joseph Kosinski, operates in much the same way and even features some of the same actors.
The film tells the true story of the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who battled, and eventually died, in Arizona's Yarnell Hill Fire in June 2013. “Hotshots” are the best of the best in their field; they’re elite crews that fight wildfires with chainsaws, shovels and sometimes fires of their own.
“Only the Brave” pays tribute to them by telling the story of the crew’s inception as leader Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin) fights for his team’s legitimacy with the county and navigates his relationship with his wife Amanda (Jennifer Connelly). It also tells the stories of the men on Marsh’s crew, most notably Brendan McDonough (Miles Teller), Christopher McKenzie (Taylor Kitsch) and Jesse Steed (James Badge Dale).
Kosinski’s sober direction, adherence to real life and refusal to resort to hagiography for any of these men (unlike, say, Peter Berg, who has lately relied on made-up characters and a lot of hero-worship to tell stories of Important Men Doing Important Things) make this a must-watch. This is a workmanlike homage to blue-collar characters that elicits true performances from everyone involved, especially Teller, Brolin and Connelly. Besides “Whiplash” and “Spectacular Now,” this may be my favorite performance from Teller.
But knowing what happens to these men doesn’t make the ending pack less of a punch. If anything, it highlights it. I’m now going to go see what else Kosinski has directed. He’s 3-for-3 for me so far.
Available to rent on VOD
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