Coherence 🏓
💫 Happy Tuesday!
Some of my favorite sci-fi movies are the ones that subtly introduce elements of the genre — think The Twilight Zone. So today, I’m recommending a movie that reminds me of the iconic “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” episode.
In movie news, the new Batman movie is close to casting two key roles and a new (and dramatic) Adam Sandler movie has a trailer.
What it’s about: A group of friends gathers for a dinner on the night a comet is set to pass overhead. However, as the comet approaches, weird events start to happen — the power goes out, their phone screens shatter, and they find a box with pictures of them in it. Soon they realize they have to question everything they think they know about their world.
Why it’s great: Coherence was shot over five days on a microbudget of $50k. However, that doesn’t make it any less impressive or riveting as the most expensive science fiction epic. The movie is a puzzle that both the characters and the audience need to solve. There are clear clues and directions that will help lead you if you look closely enough to see them. In a way, it feels like a low-budget Christopher Nolan movie — sleek, intriguing, confusing as hell, but rewarding when you figure it all out.
The key players:
🎬 James Ward Byrkit
🖋 James Ward Byrkit & Alex Manugian
🎭 Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon, Lorene Scafaria
The details: ⏳ 88 minutes // 🗓 2014 // 📺 Trailer // 📝 My review
Fun fact: The movie was shot without a script with the actors improvising most of their dialogue. Each day, they’d receive a secret goal they needed to achieve similar to how The Blair Witch Project was filmed.
Don’t have Prime Video or Hulu? Coherence is available to buy or rent on Prime Video, iTunes, and YouTube.
In movie news: Jeffrey Wright and Jonah Hill are in talks to join the cast of The Batman
🦇 DC’s reboot of The Batman with director Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader is close to casting two key roles. Jeffrey Wright is circling the role of Commissioner Gordon (taking over for J.K. Simmons, who played the role in Justice League) and Jonah Hill is in talks to play the movie’s villain.
Rumor has it: Hill is being considered for one of two iconic roles — The Riddler or The Penguin. Honestly, nothing can top Danny DeVito’s take on The Penguin in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns, but Hill could have an interesting take.
💎 The trailer for the latest film from the Safdie Brothers — featured in the newsletter a few weeks ago for their movie Good Time — is here. Uncut Gems stars Adam Sandler as a jewelry dealer to the rich and famous who must find a way to pay his debts when his merchandise is taken from his girlfriend.
Thanks for reading! 🎉
Karl (@karl_delo)