What to Watch: Valentine's Day Edition
Plus, a review of Apple TV+'s The Gorge.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
In movie news: Last weekend, Anora won (in a bit of an upset) the Critics Choice Award and Producers Guild Award for Best Picture. Additionally, Sean Baker won Best Director at the Directors Guild Awards. That firmly sets everyone’s favorite escort-turned-wifey as the frontrunner at the Oscars. You can read my gushing review here.
Today we’re recommending two streaming movies about different kinds of love: romantic and friendship. Plus, a review of Apple TV+’s new science fiction romance The Gorge.
With love,
Karl & Ana ❤️
Streaming on Hulu
Fire of Love
Today’s first romantic recommendation is for Sara Dosa’s Oscar-nominated documentary Fire of Love.
What it’s about: Using their own footage, this documentary follows two volcanologists as they venture to uncover the geological mysteries of our planet. All the while, we watch their love for each other heat up. Watch the trailer.
Why you should watch it: Fire of Love is less a love story between Katia and Maurice Krafft—which is, yes, very much the primary theme of Sara Dosa’s 2022 documentary that chronicles their lives as intrepid adventurers and daredevil volcanologists—and no, the love story isn’t with the volcanoes they research, though they definitely do love them. Their obsession consumes their entire lives—both figuratively and literally—as (spoiler) their lives reach their end at the site of a volcanic eruption.
There’s a moment in the film, mostly composed of illustrations and the Kraffts’ own archival footage, that shows Katia and Maurice’s perfectly chosen red beanies adorning their sunburnt faces as they trek up the side of an active volcano, and I realized—this is a love story to us. They aren’t just volcanologists; they’re artists, perfectly aware of their image in spite of their insane human feats in the pursuit of scientific research. To be a scientist and an artist doesn’t necessarily have to be mutually exclusive—if anything, I think their mission was intricately aligned with what they wanted to express: a sheer love for this planet that most of us struggle to understand, and many have a hard time simply appreciating. Read Ana’s full love note to Fire of Love →
🎬 Directed by Sara Dosa
⏱️ 93 mins
Streaming on Max
Flow
Today’s first recommendation is one of the best movies of 2024. Gints Zilbalodis’s Oscar-nominated Flow.
What it’s about: Facing rising waters in its surrealistic animal world, a dark grey cat finds itself marooned on a boat with a capybara, secretarybird, lemur and dog finding a way to survive the flood. Watch the trailer.
Why you should watch it: Flow is wordless but speaks volumes. Rendered in beautiful 3D animation that immerses you in its surrealistic animal world that features ruins of (perhaps) human civilization, it is possibly one of the most human films in recent memory. As our silent hero (or heroine) makes their way by boat across the water-filled landscape, it learns to live with its fellow passengers despite their differences. Gorgeous, emotional and profound. Yes, a cat and capybara’s friendship will make you tear up.
🎬 Directed by Gints Zilbalodis
🖊️ Written by Gints Zilbalodis & Matīss Kaža
⏱️ 85 mins
New Release
Review: Romance sci-fi thriller The Gorge hits its mark
Yes, The Gorge is about a mysterious, gigantic crevasse guarded by multiple countries that, as one character puts it, “is the door to hell, and we're standing at the gate.” And yet, it is one of the most romantic movies of the year. There isn't an easy label to slap on director Scott Derrickson's latest film, which is streaming on Apple TV+ starting (appropriately) on Valentine's Day. It dips into high-concept science fiction, survival thriller, creature horror, and, yes, romance. Somehow, it never feels like it's shortchanging any of those genres. It is basically a Hallmark romance… just with tree-like zombies that crawl out of a giant hole in the ground.
📽 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.
🔗 Find me on Letterboxd and Bluesky.
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