There’s an old notion in pop culture that says movies are one of the ways we talk to ourselves, as a people, about our fears and anxieties. If so, recent films suggest that we’ve hit a critical moment in that conversation—that awful tipping point where we’re muttering darkly, laughing bitterly, and about to lose our shit.
Case in point: Bugonia, the latest from Greek filmmaker and provocateur Yorgos Lanthimos, is a black comedy about two young men who kidnap a powerful CEO. Jesse Plemons plays the ringleader, a conspiracy-minded beekeeper who’s convinced that the executive (Emma Stone) is a space alien intent on destroying the planet. Then things get really weird.
Bugonia is technically an English-language remake of an older South Korean film. But like Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle after Another, it’s really a redirected energy scan aimed at the heart of our global nervous breakdown. The film might look like a standard kidnapping thriller. But check the trailers online and you’ll clock the familiar 21st-century concerns: ecological collapse, sociopathic corporations, political violence, ambient dread.
The good news is that—also like One Battle after Another—you’re in for a ride. Lanthimos is a fearless and funny filmmaker, especially if you like your humor dark and deadpan. Look, these are laugh-or-cry times. Might as well laugh.
Or dance! Dancing is good! Another movie-night option has presented itself this month: For two nights and two nights only—November 5 and 8—hip-hop soul icon Mary J. Blige is beaming her first-ever concert film exclusively to theaters. (There will be no streaming or digital release.) Mary J. Blige: For My Fans showcases Blige’s historic sold-out performance at NYC’s Madison Square Garden back in April.
According to promotional materials, the idea behind the theatrical release is to get fans up on their feet, out in the world, and watching together in a shared space. It’s a great idea—concert films always play better in a crowd, and the sound will be better than anything you can get at home. The film will also feature behind-the-scenes footage and surprise guests. For My Fans has been booked at several area theaters. Check online listings for ticket information.
Two additional options this month for the more intense culture vultures: Director Richard Linklater (Boyhood) is releasing his latest two films more or less simultaneously. The historical drama/comedy Blue Moon follows famed songwriter Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) as he reflects on his life over the course of one boozy evening. The evening in question, unfortunately, is the 1943 opening night of the musical Oklahoma!, the new hit from his former songwriting partner Richard Rodgers. Advance reviews from the festival circuit say: sad and witty.
Linklater’s other film forms a kind of historical diptych on the creative life. The comedy/drama Nouvelle Vague depicts the filming of Breathless, the 1960 film from director Jean-Luc Godard. French actor Guillaume Marbeck plays the maverick young director; Zoey Deutch plays his muse, the American actress Jean Seberg. Shot entirely in France, the film is presented in black and white in the old 4:3 aspect ratio. Advance reviews from the festival circuit say: stylish and witty.
Quick Picks
It Was Just an Accident, the latest film from the impossibly courageous Iranian director Jafar Panahi, took home the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Shot in secrecy, the film is structured as a fictional thriller concerning political prisoners and reciprocal violence. Panahi has been imprisoned twice for making movies like this in his home country.
The indie Sarah’s Oil tells the true story of Sarah Rector, a young Black girl who was accidentally allotted oil-rich Oklahoma land in the early 1900s. Everyone tries to steal it, of course. Happy spoiler from actual history: Sarah became one of America’s first Black millionaires at age 11.
The documentary The Librarians chronicles the efforts of library workers in Texas and Florida as they work together to fight America’s latest surge of book-banning initiatives.
Russell Crowe stars as Hermann Göring in the historical drama Nuremberg, concerning the famous trials of Nazi leaders after World War II. Rami Malek plays the psychiatrist tasked with determining whether Göring is fit to stand trial. Also in the cast: John Slattery, Richard E. Grant, and Michael Shannon.
Lest this month seem too heavy, don’t forget about Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, the third installment in the improbably fun heist film franchise featuring rogue illusionists and wily magicians. Most of the original cast is back, including Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, and Morgan Freeman.
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