Arrival 🛸 // The Master ⚓️ // Doubt ⛪️
Happy Friday! Today I’m recommending movies starring one of the best actresses in the business today: the red-headed, Oscar-less Amy Adams. Not to be confused with Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard, or Isla Fisher.
In movie news: Ding dong the witch is dead. The Golden Globes a.k.a. the worst awards show will not be airing in 2022 after NBC canceled the broadcast after increasingly embarrassing revelations about the group behind it.
Have a terrific weekend! Hot girl summer is upon us. Stay safe out there.
Arrival 🛸
▶ Streaming on Hulu and Prime Video
Arrival begins as twelve alien spacecraft — reminiscent of a Cadbury Creme Egg — land above various cities across the globe. Every 18 hours the doors open allowing us to take a peek inside. This is where Louise (Amy Adams), an expert linguist, comes in. She’s tasked by the military to understand why they’re here, what they want, and if they come in peace. Here’s the trailer.
Why it’s great: What separates director Denis Villeneuve — we’ve also recommended his film Enemy — from a director like Christopher Nolan is that he grounds the science fiction spectacle of a film like Arrival in the human condition. I can feel an eye roll coming. But that’s truly what makes the film great.
You’re treated to incredible feats of sci-fi and mystery filmmaking while finding a surprisingly emotional and profound undercurrent that keeps you invested. The movie doesn’t get lost in its concepts because those concepts are rooted in us — humans. If you don’t get what I’m saying, listen to this Max Richter piece used in the film and just feel. 116 mins.
The Master ⚓️
The Master begins immediately after World War II, which bestowed veteran Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix) with PTSD and a heavy drinking problem. Aimless and volatile, he finds some semblance of a path when he meets Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and his wife Peggy (Amy Adams), founders of a new “religion.” Here’s the trailer.
Why it’s great: Paul Thomas Anderson is best at studying difficult characters. Specifically difficult men who fall into the trap of over-emphasizing their own self-importance. In The Master, which clearly has some basis in Scientology, Lancaster Dodd truly believes the religion he’s created. On the other hand, Freddie wants to find something, anything to believe in. Meanwhile, Peggy is after control and power.
Anderson treats the film as a challenge to the viewer. It’s often frustrating as you think you’ve unraveled the characters, but then they subvert your expectations. But with that frustration comes an oddly hypnotic and engrossing narrative that doesn’t overshare and is quietly powerful save for some of the best acting setpieces ever made. 137 mins.
Doubt ⛪️
▶ Streaming on HBO Max and Prime Video
In 1963, a Catholic school nun (Meryl Streep) questions the relationship between a priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and a young troubled student, which leads to a series of confrontations that question morals, authority, and power. Here’s the trailer.
Why it’s great: Take four of the greatest actors of our time, give them character-rich dialogue, a morality-driven plot, and let them act. Then, add in Roger Deakins' subtly communicative cinematography and small directorial flourishes to heighten the verbal spars between characters. Then, you have one of the great play to film adaptations.
John Patrick Shanley, who wrote the screenplay for Moonstruck, understands what makes a compelling character drama. It’s almost as if the text lives in the subtext, as many of our conversations do. That decision to make so much of Doubt play out just beneath the surface makes it a wildly captivating morality play that leaves your heart pounding and emotions high. 104 mins.
📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.