Robert Pattinson III: Damsel š“ & Good Time š„¤
Plus, a rundown of the movie trailers you should watch this week
š Happy Friday!
Today is the last day of our week dedicated to movies starring Robert Pattinson, so Iām recommending a double feature. One of the movies, recommended by Marcus Moretti ā he writes Flow State, one of the best newsletters Iām subscribed to ā is so good we had to recommend it again. In his words, āit's the best movie of all time pending Uncut Gems coming out.ā
Okay, hereās day 3ļøā£.
Movie #1: Damsel
STREAMING ON HULU
What itās about: It's the Wild West, circa 1870. Samuel Alabaster (Robert Pattinson), an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope (Mia Wasikowska). Accompanied by his miniature horse, Butterscotch, and drunkard companion, Parson Henry (David Zellner), the lines between hero, villain and damsel in distress become more and more blurred.
Why you should watch it: Damsel is slow and sometimes plodding. However, like The Sisters Brother āĀ recommended as part of our Jake Gyllenhaal series āĀ once you get on the wavelength of its weird mix of comedy, drama, and western it becomes a delight to watch. A lot of that is thanks to Pattinsonās endearing performance ā and wild accent. It loses some narrative fuel towards the end, but that doesnāt mean the journey isnāt entertaining.
Details: š¬ David Zellner, Nathan Zellner // ā³ 113 minutes // š 2018 // šŗ Trailer
Fun fact: Pattinson passed on the project originally after reading the script because he couldnāt imagine anyone financing it. After watching the Zellnersā debut movie Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter he took the part.
Also available on: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
Movie #2: Good Time
STREAMING ON PRIME VIDEO ā¢ Recommended by Marcus Moretti (Flow State)
What itās about: Robert Pattinson plays Connie Nikas, a career criminal with a Queens accent and a mentally disabled brother, Nick (Ben Safdie, who also co-directs, co-writes, and co-edits). When a job goes south, Connie spends most of his night conning and grifting his way through the city to make things right. It doesnāt go well.
Why itās great: Good TimeĀ is a great time. It'sĀ a masterclass in propulsive writing and efficient editing. Pattinson's Connie is a sociopathic pragmatist, whose (usually illegal) solutions to problems create further problems, ad infinitum. The Oscar-deserving performanceĀ has been calledĀ a real-life Grand Theft Auto. The occasionally beautiful, occasionally stressful score is by electronic innovator Oneohtrix Point Never. With appearances by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Barkhad Abdi, and breakout Buddy Duress.
Details: š¬ Josh & Benny Safdie // ā³ 99 minutes // š 2017 // šŗ Trailer
Fun fact: Robert Pattinsonās hair was bleached and dyed so much for the movie that it started falling out in chunks š±.
Also available on: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
In movie news: Three trailers you should watch
Originally developed as a part of Universalās Dark Universe, The Invisible Man updates the classic monster story to follow a woman (Elizabeth Moss), who thinks her abusive ex-boyfriend may be stalking her even though he committed suicide. The movie is written and directed by Leigh Whannell āĀ I recommended his last film Upgrade as part of our Dystopia series āĀ making this one of my most anticipated movies of 2020.
Pixar regular Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc., Up, Inside Out) returns with what is bound to be another tearjerker. Soul follows a middle school music teacher (Jamie Foxx) who is transported to a center where souls are trained to develop a passion before being whisked off into a newborn on Earth. You know, classic kids movie stuff.
Eight years after Beasts of the Southern Wild (and its surprise Oscar success), director Behn Zeitlin is back with Wendy. A reimaging of Peter Pan, the movie takes place on an island where time and aging have become āunglued.ā There, Wendy (Devin France) fights against the perils of growing up.
And thatās it for our week dedicated to Robert Pattinson! If you watch any of my recommendations, let me know what you think!
šØ Some housekeeping: Iām going to be on vacation next week, so no newsletters. Iāll be back on November 18th with a new theme and fresh set of recommendations!
Have a fun weekend!
Karl (@karl_delo)