Watch this weekend: Lovers Rock 🎶, Once 🎹
Watch this weekend: Lovers Rock 🎶, Once 🎹
Happy Thursday! Starting next week, the newsletter will be sent weekly on Thursdays. Don’t worry, I’ll still be recommending two or three movies each week.
Today I talk about one of the films in Steven McQueen’s great Small Axe anthology series and an underrated Oscar-winning indie favorite.
In movie news: The Screen Actors Guild Awards, one of the three major Oscar precursors, will be pre-taped and aired over one hour after the *ahem* weird Golden Globes Ceremony this past weekend.
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Have a great weekend and see you next week!
Lovers Rock 🎶
Lovers Rock takes place over one night at a reggae house party in 1980 in West London where young Black partiers are able to feel safe, have fun, and let go. There Franklyn (Micheal Ward) and Martha (Amarah-Jae St. Aubyn) meet and fall for each other.
Why it’s great: In one scene, the party’s DJ is playing Janet Kay’s “Silly Games.” He slowly fades the song out, but like they’re in a trance the people on the dance floor continue to move. With closed eyes they dance, they hold each other, and they sing. It’s a moment you want to live in forever. Lovers Rock surrounds and consumes you as you watch the partiers dance, fall in love, and feel unbridled joy. Just bodies in a room moving together making you want to join in.
🎥 Steven McQueen // ⏱ 68 mins // Trailer
Similar to: American Utopia, Amazing Grace
Once 🎹
Once follows an Irish busker, only known as “Guy,” (Glen Hansard) and a Czech immigrant (Markéta Irglová), known as “Girl,” who have a chance meeting on the street. Bonded by their love of music, they team up to collaborate on an album — and slowly fall for each other.
Why it’s great: Though the film is best known for its Oscar-winning song “Falling Slowly” (listen to the Broadway musical version here) the movie surrounding it is just as worthy of its greatness. The sweet love story at the center of the film unfolds slowly between the equally matched and quick-witted Guy and Girl and is bolstered by a soundtrack of truly terrific songs and two charismatic lead performances.
🎥 John Carney // ⏱ 86 mins // Trailer
Similar to: Weekend, Sing Street, La La Land
📽 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.