Cora Bora – Hannah Utt (script written by Rhianon Jones)
Catch the NYC and LA premieres this weekend!
Megan Stalter reminds me of Catherine O’Hara when she was getting started in films like “After Hours,” and “Heartburn.” You saw this spark in her as a character actor, and knew there was a lot beneath the surface to show in a leading role. I’ve been loving Megan as Kayla, the assistant to Jimmy in “Hacks.” As her character grew and developed into a multi-dimensional character during season 3, it made me want to see more of her. I felt the same way when I saw her in “Sometimes I Think about Dying.” As the lead in “Cora Bora,” she has proven through this role that she has star power, and there is A LOT beneath the surface (no spoilers!).
Her comedy chops are tight, and at the same time, she shows a relatable vulnerability. Her comedy in this film starts with a cringe, which always takes me a bit to catch up to, but the more the film went on, I started to connect deeper with the story and the character. The film is layered, and as the comedic ride ensues, every reveal takes you into new lanes. That always pleases me when a film breaks genre conventions. If you’re patient with the character, you’ll get rewarded. The absurdity of some of the scenes really enriches the film as a whole. To boot, there are some amazing cameos from comedians I love including Margaret Cho, Chelsea Peretti, and Darrel Hammond.
Fancy Dance – Erica Tremblay
Coming to Apple TV + on June 28th.
Another award-winning worthy performance by Lily Gladstone. I feel like my connection with filmmaker Erica Tremblay is kismet. I first saw her short “Little Chief” at Sundance 2020 and loved the film as well as Lily Gladstone’s performance in it. I read the book ‘Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman’s Search for Justice in Indian Country“ and fell in love with it and interviewed the author, who then connected me with Erica. I interviewed Erica and she mentioned she was working on developing a film called “Fancy Dance”. She laid out the plot and how it touched on her story, which made me so excited about this project. I covered the inaugural “Of A Certain Age” Grant when I interviewed filmmaker Megan Griffiths in 2020 after the passing of Lynn Shelton and Erica would become the recipient of this grant in 2021. When I found out that “Fancy Dance” was to premiere at Sundance this year, also starring Lily Gladstone, I was so excited. After watching it, I could feel and see the heart and work behind it through the performances, particularly the amazing breakout work from Isabel Deroy-Olson, the gorgeous cinematography, and the script. I am so grateful to have followed the legwork on this project, and I feel privileged to follow and champion this filmmaker. She’s another person who has broken 40 and is killing it. 40s are the best. Love!
-Rebecca Martin Fagerholm (Letterboxd review: Sundance Coverage 2023)
Am I OK? – Tig Notaro, Stephanie Allynne
Now playing on Max!
I can’t even attempt to look at this with any sense of reasonable objectivity. I came out late!! I feel like I’m still in this bizarre middle space a lot of the time where I’m forever coming out late and like I never know what I’m doing!! When I started coming out to people, it noticeably changed certain relationships within my life in ways that I still haven’t fully been able to process and deal with!! Being queer is so special, but sometimes it feels so lonely!! Am I Ok? captures all the things I feel and plasters them on my TV for almost exactly 90 minutes. I cried a lot!!! I loved it!!! YAY for a sapphic film breaking out of movie jail and arriving during Pride!!! Think I will go stare at my wall and spiral about my queer and trans identity a little as a pre-bedtime treat now!!!
-Claira Curtis – Letterboxd
Inside Out 2 – Kelsey Mann
Now Playing in Theaters
I honestly had great trepidation walking into last night’s preview screening to see the sequel to not only my favorite @pixar movie, but one of my all-time favorite films, period: Pete Doctor and Ronnie del Carmen’s 2015 Oscar-winning masterpiece, “Inside Out.” Thankfully, I am pleased to report that first-time feature director Kelsey Mann, screenwriters Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein, and their entire team have knocked it out of the park with “Inside Out 2.” Kensington Tallman does a wonderful job taking over from Kaitlyn Dias as Riley, a character loosely inspired by Docter’s own amazing daughter, Elie Doctor. Now a young teenager faced with new and whole relatable challenges, Riley’s emotions multiply once again, introducing Joy and the gang to the perfectly cast foursome of Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser), who just might make an ideal power couple with Sadness (there’s also the mighty June Squibb as Nostalgia lurking about). Like its predecessor, this film is as remarkably insightful about human psychology as it is uproariously entertaining. If Pixar can maintain this level of quality, I’d gladly come back for more sequels (a colleague of mine said he’s looking forward to the film where Riley has menopause). Rebecca Martin Fagerholm and I saw “Inside Out 2” with a theater full of kids who remained transfixed through the entire film before giving it a spirited ovation at the end. Between this and Kelly O’Sullvian and Alex Thompson’s “Ghostlight” opening around the country on Friday, this will be a great weekend for going to the movies.
Matt Fagerholm – IG Post
