What to watch: Zoe Kravitz’ directing debut ‘Blink Twice’ is one big surprise
Some late-summer goodies — both of the streaming and theatrical variety — arrive this week, from a crafty feminist-fueled thriller to one of the year’s best horror films.
Here’s our roundup.
“Blink Twice”: For her altogether fierce, downright furious and darkly funny directorial debut, Zoë Kravitz eviscerates insincere tech bros and their creepy hanger-on buddies, and does it in the form of a wicked thriller that delivers more than its premise initially promises. What’s so unexpected about Kravitz and co-screenwriter E.T. Feigenbaum’s snake-in-the-grass summer surprise is how it seductively wraps itself around its audience and lures viewers into assuming it’s another Agatha Christie-style puzzler with a dash of “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” thrown in. Then the creators unleash the beast: a switcheroo in its direction that’s shocking and makes its point. Naomi Ackie stars as Frida, a gig worker with big dreams and a small bank account. She’s enchanted one evening by a “woke,” extremely hot tech billionaire named Slater King (Channing Tatum, giving his best performance yet) while working a catering job with friend Jess (Alia Shawkat). The Prince Charming-like Slater takes a shine to Frida and whisks her and her chum away to an island paradise he just happens to own. It’s a wild, horny 24-hour party scene to which a group of attractive women have flocked to cavort, drink, eat, spa and sunbathe — to bacchanalian excess. Actor Adria Arjona gets a particularly meaty part and devours it, just as her character devours an assortment of privileged men (one played well by Bay Area native Simon Rex). Ensuring that everything flows well — including the copious champagne — is Slater’s extra-busy and flustered personal assistant, and sister, Stacy (Geena Davis, a sly casting move). But underneath the decadent opulence is a venomous, ready-to-strike snake (a biblical allusion, of course). It bites, of course, but “Blink Twice” sinks its own fangs deep into you two-thirds in, spilling a lot of blood with a provocative turnaround and satisfying finale that’ll make you want to dissect and talk about what went down for days. Kravitz has come up with one of the best directorial knockouts of the year. Details: 3½ stars out of 4; in theaters Aug. 23.
“The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat”: Tina Mabry’s celebration of Black sisterhood serves up generous portions of sentiment, drama and comedy in this satisfying cinematic gumbo ideal for a group watch with some of your own besties come Saturday night. Based on a best-selling novel by Edward Kelsey Moore, it covers the enduring friendship of three young Black women who found a special spot at that diner of the title. The threesome is made up of the speak-her-mind, musically inclined Clarice (Abigail “Abi” Achiri/Uzo Aduba); the withdrawn, abused caterpillar-to-butterfly Barbara Jean (Bay Area native Tati Gabrielle/Sanaa Lathan) and the fearless Odette (Kyanna Simone Simpson/San Francisco native Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor). Their friendship helps the three weather rough patches in life: a cheating hubby, untreated alcoholism, an unexpected pregnancy and a life-changing health diagnosis. Mabry has a gift for giving all the actors — the young cast from the ‘60s and their 1999 middle-aged versions — a chance to show their acting chops. While the guys here — Mekhi Phifer as Odette’s husband James, Oakland native Russell Hornsby as Clarice’s football-player husband Richmond and Julian McMahon as Barbara Jean’s lover Ray — play important roles, they are secondary to the women involved. As they should be; it is these resilient Black women’s story to tell and “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” tells it so well. Even though it does hit familiar emotional chords at times, Mabry and Cee Marcellus’s screenplay never feels manipulative or phony. What’s on the menu here is something Hollywood doesn’t order much of: comfort, joy, cathartic tears and an incredible team of talented Black female actors knocking it out of the park. Details: 3½ stars, available to stream Aug. 23 on Hulu.
“Lie to Fly”:
It’s a story that shocked and disturbed a nation. An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot from Pleasant Hill — Joseph Emerson — freaked out while a passenger on a plane bound for San Francisco and attempted to shut off the engines. This New York Times-produced documentary recounts that horrifying act but also takes a big-picture view, going beyond the obvious outrage over the incident to look at the pressing problems that likely make air travel more perilous: out-of-touch FAA rules and policies for pilots needing mental health treatment, specifically prescriptions. That hardline policy, as this documentary reveals, sometimes leads pilots to not seek treatment for problems — creating a bigger risk. “Lie to Fly” reflects on how off-duty pilot Emerson experienced a “perfect storm” of events on Oct. 22, 2023 — unresolved grief over a best friend’s death, stress from not seeing his family, a microdose of mushrooms that led to paranoia and an out-of-body feeling. While Emerson and his family await ensuing trials, incremental steps are being made in regards to current policies. “Lie to Fly” does an expert job of going beyond the headlines to put a shocking act into perspective and spotlight a system that needs to change. Details: 3 stars; premieres 10 p.m. Aug. 23 on FX, available the next day on Hulu.
“Pachinko Season 2”: There’s been a significant time gap between the first season (March-April 29, 2022) and the second of showrunner/executive producer and writer Soo Hugh’s audacious adaptation of a critically praised novel. So much time has elapsed that we do need a recap given the series’ large cast of characters. You won’t get that when you tune in. I suggest you brush up on what happened in Season 1 before diving into this season — which is just as eloquent, exquisite and somber as the first. It, too, does not tie up all the storylines, all but promising another season. The multi-generation epic concerns the members of a Korean family that emigrated to Japan and had to prove themselves in a new culture that wasn’t always welcoming. Season 2 jumps between events in the Osaka region in the mid-‘40s and Tokyo during the 1989 financial boom that was galloping toward a cliff. The central character remains tireless parent and provider Sunja (an understated, devastatingly good Minha Kim in the ‘40s and Oscar winner Youn Yuh-jung in the ‘80s). She’s raising two children on her own while trying to keep the secret about who is the wealthy, very married father (Lee Min-ho) of one of her children. “Pachinko” shifts a decade later with Sunja’s ambitious, ethically challenged grandson Solomon (Jin Ha) deceiving others over a real estate deal, which draws in his coworker/girlfriend (“Shogun’s” Anna Sawai). There are many other developments in the lives of secondary characters’ in a transcendent series that so precisely evokes two different eras and illustrates the painful decisions and sacrifices that loved ones make that can haunt them through life. It remains one of the most meticulously crafted series running. Details: 3½ stars; first episode drops Aug. 23 with one additional episode dropping every Friday through Oct. 11.
“Strange Darling”: Don’t breathe a word to anyone about the twisty, ever-changing plot of JT Mollner’s shattering horror feature. It’ll spoil the viewing experience offered by one of the best genre films of 2024. What I can reveal is that it’s about what transpires after two attractive people (Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner) hook up for a bit of kinky sex. The genre-efficient scenario sprouts into something much more that gives its two sensational leads, as well as director Mollner, cinematographer Giovanni Ribisi (yes, the actor) and editor Christopher Robin Bell the opportunity to mine the material for all its worth. Shot in 35 millimeter, “Strange Darling” is an alluring, deep-red visual masterpiece reminiscent of the best of David Lynch. A unique score and new songs from Z Berg create a mood to match the impeccable lead performances and stunning visuals. In a genre weighed down by cheap thrills and lazy plotting, “Strange Darling” rivals much of the best of what the genre’s given us in recent years. Details: 4 stars; in theaters Aug. 23.
“The Forge”: It’s been a tremendous year for quality faith-based features (the historical epic “Cabrini,” the inspiring “Ordinary Angels” with Hilary Swank and Alan Ritchson, and the moving, quite inspirational “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot”). The well-intentioned but unremarkable “The Forge” wilts compared to those former films, which navigated mixing drama and faith without forsaking one for the other. Director Alex Kendrick’s (2015’s popular, award-winning “War Room”) work feels like a sermon rather than a film. Co-written by his brother Stephen Kendrick, “The Forge” is set in North Carolina and centers on a spiritual awakening in the less than purposeful life of 19-year-old Aspen Kenney (Isaiah Wright in an impressive performance). Raised without a fatherly presence, Isaiah devotes most of his time to playing videogames and shooting hoops. His mom (Priscilla C. Shirer) all but pushes him to get a job, one he lands at a bustling but competitive fitness equipment business. It is there that this diamond in the rough young man gets mentored by the company’s owner (Cameron Arnett). “The Forge” takes a long time creating any dramatic tension and spends too much time on cliched tropes — the addictive nature of videogames – to make its point. Rather than being enlightening, the film suffers from being all too predictable. Details: 1½ stars; opens Aug. 23 in area theaters.
“Between the Temples”: The odd couple casting of Wes Anderson regular Jason Schwarztman and veteran comedian Carol Kane proves ingenious in Nathan Silver’s enjoyable, edgy comedy about two endearing, sometimes irritating eccentrics. Schwartzman plays a grieving single man who has all but lost his voice as a cantor after his wife died. He runs into his quirky former music school teacher Carla (Kane) and she’s determined to get her bat mitzvah, and wants Ben to help make that dream come true. Carla, of course, is much older than the traditional age for a bat mitzvah and, in some folks eyes, for Ben. In earnest, Ben’s moms (Dolly De Leon and Caroline Aaron) try to set him up with eligible women, but Ben doesn’t click with any of them. He does, however, click with the frazzled Carla – a connection that doesn’t quite go over well. Silver zooms in on the faces of all his fine actors, giving “Between the Temples” both an intimate, claustrophobic feel. It suits the material well. But the real attraction here is the interplay between the two leads, which makes “Between the Temples” sing. Details: 3 stars; opens Friday in area theaters.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.