"Good Night and Good Luck" and Jon Hamm Post "Mad Men"
Greetings all,
This week, we got news that Rick Linklater’s new film “Nouvelle Vague” will be on Netflix like his last three films. I am very excited to see this narrative film about the making of “Breathless.” It will probably be in theaters for a few weeks to make it Oscar-eligible, before it arrives on your screen. Rick is someone who loves film, loves film history, and loves to see films in a theater. He founded the Austin Film Society so that he and his friends could watch classic films.
I think we should all see it in a theater when it comes out. It would be great if some theater in Dallas screens Breathless, so you could see that in a theater. Perhaps they could have this new film and the classic as a double feature.
However, before seeing this, you should re-watch the film.
You can see it on Max, or if you see it on The Criterion Channel, you can see several great films about the film, including D.A. Pennebaker, Mark Rappaport, and Jean Seberg herself talking about the film.
While “Breathless” was not the first French New Wave film, it was probably the most influential. It introduced jump cuts as a narrative device, helped create a new cinematic language, and inspired many generations to pick up a camera and make a film. One can make the case that Rick’s first film, “Slacker,” inspired another generation to pick up a camera.
In other streaming news, Max has released “Mountainhead,” the new film from Jesse Armstrong, the creator of “Succession.” After making a successful series for Max, he made a feature-length film about four tech bros, going from the evils of the people running right-wing TV to the evils of our right-wing tech lords. It’s amazing how annoyingly similar and destructive they are. The title is a reference to “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand. You can read the book or see the film (on many services, but none for free.)
The film is about these four tech heads who regularly gather and have rituals, like putting their new worth on their chests with lipstick. As they gather, the world is falling apart because one has just released an easy-to-use high-res AI that allows anyone to make convincing Deep Fakes, meaning that nobody, anywhere, can trust that anything they see is true. These guys party as the world burns, and that is just the setup. It is depressing to watch but enlightening to understand the world of Musk and friends, who have too much power. I find it interesting that most of the tech culture is toxic, except for Apple.
Something new is happening this week in streaming. CNN is running the popular play “Good Night and Good Luck " on June 7 at 6pm. Central Time. You can see it on CNN or Max. Like “Mountainhead,” this film speaks to our time and the issues we are facing.
Also, this week, we have ”The Phoenician Scheme,” a new Wes Anderson Film that seems to be playing in most theaters around town. I am looking forward to experiencing it.
“Dogma,” the 1999 film by Kevin Smith and an all-star cast, has been remastered and is also playing at many theaters. It is a fun ride and worth revisiting, no matter your religious preference or practice.
Spacey, Dallas’ micro cinema, is showing “The Seduction of Mimi,” the classic film by Lina Wertmuller, on Wednesday, June 4 at 7pm. Spacey is at 1300 South Polk Street, 160a.
We have a new episode of “Frankly Festivals” out now on marketing for festivals.
-Bart
Jon Hamm seemingly has done everything since leaving “Mad Men” and Don Draper behind a decade ago.
He played a key supporting role in the mega-blockbuster “Top Gun: Maverick.” Was Santa Claus in a series of 2022 World Cup soccer promotions. Also had co-starring roles in FX’s “Fargo,” Paramount TV’s “Landman” and Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show,” the latter as a pre-Trump Elon Musk-type character.
Plus he dropped in for episodes of Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and Nickelodeon’s “SpongeBob Square Pants,” where he voiced Don Grouper.
Add his appearance as a contestant on Jimmy Fallon’s version of “Password,” a self-deprecating series of Progressive Insurance commercials with Flo and a fourth hosting stint on “Saturday Night Live,” where of course he was in the audience of VIPs for the show’s 50th anniversary special. Believe me, we’re only scratching the surface.
One box remained unchecked, though. Hamm had yet to return as the lead star in his own drama series. In early spring that at last became a reality with his front and center role as hedge fund manager Andrew “Coop” Cooper in Apple TV+’s “Your Friends and Neighbors.” Its nine-episode Season One ended on May 30th, with a second season already ordered.
It’s a very solid, twisty-turny outing for Hamm, whose character is railroaded out of his lucrative job in Episode One before resorting to, well, you’ll see. Coop also is on the rebound from his wife’s affair with a fictional NBA basketball star, with whom she now lives. Imagine Jon Hamm being cuckolded.
The supporting cast includes the always good Amanda Peete as Coop’s ex-wife, Olivia Munn as the new woman in his life and a virtually unrecognizable Corbin Bernsen (formerly the heart-throb on NBC’s long ago “L.A. Law” series) as his amoral, duplicitous former boss.
Through it all, Hamm shows off both his acting prowess and his innate ability to wear the living hell out of a suit, a tux or, for that matter, the dark togs of his new enterprise. In short, he again makes the sale.
-Ed
Howdy,
There’s only one thing on my mind this week and it’s the opening of “The Phoenician Scheme” this Friday. Wes Anderson is our most consistent living filmmaker, he hits every single time. For the past few years he’s been quite prolific, with a new movie every year or so. This latest film is being heralded as a “return to form” but I don’t really think he’s ever stopped being his idiosyncratic self.
With “The Phoenician Scheme” he’s introducing some new players into his repertoire with Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton (Kate Winslet’s daughter) joining for the first time, along with Benicio Del Toro, who had a part in “The French Dispatch.”
The logline: “Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.” I’m sold.
Over at the Modern in Fort Worth, we are showing the new documentary parody “Pavements.” Its a bit of a documentary about the 90s indie band Pavement, with some recreated footage starring current indie singer Joe Keery (who performs under the name Djo) along with some fantastical band history (what if Pavement was the most influential band of all time?) If Wes didn’t have a new film out this week, this would be my most anticipated film of the summer. Check out the trailer below and have a great week.
-Elijah