New York City is often a town of extremes. It can be too hot; it can be too cold. It can be too loud; and it can be painfully quiet on occasion. Yet there are times where it is absolutely perfect, and this June was no exception.
With the Tribeca Film Festival in its 25th year, Robert De Niro’s pride and joy has added a lot of character to Lower Manhattan, especially in recent iterations during one of the city’s most glorious months. June is still springtime in the big city, and between sunny weather, Pride parades, and overdue New York Knicks victory laps in the NBA Finals, it’s a perfect time for a film festival that celebrates the fun, the festive, and sometimes the frightfully poignant in its narrative and documentary selections. This year, we were not able to cover everything in our hometown fest, but we saw enough to realize, as always, sometimes this city is just right.
Chris & Martina: The Final Set
The real ones—tennis fans who follow both the men’s and women’s tours from grass to clay and hardcourts all over the world—know the fierce rivalry between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova is perhaps the greatest the sport has and will ever see. Chris & Martina: The Final Set definitively sets the record straight. This is one of the greatest stories in all sports, period, but not for the reasons you might think. Director Rebecca Gitlitz deftly uses archival footage of their on-court battles, which spanned three decades and 80 matches, and an eye-popping 60 finals, while chronicling their dueling recent bouts with cancer, and the off-court friendship that helped them persevere. – Chris Longo
Cotton Fever
When it comes to stories of addiction, audiences are often met with tales that focus on one or two characters. It’s a play of someone aiding their battles while the rest of the world revolves around them. With Cotton Fever, writer-director Daniel Blake Schwartz took his short, which was also based on his own life, and turned it into a rainbow of expression for a group of people, not just a singular human.
The film’s two stars, Kyle Gallner and Sosie Bacon (reunited after their time together in the horror film Smile), can be seen as the protagonists for easy breakdowns. Yet Cotton Fever is a tapestry of six main characters all dealing with the same troubles while finding themselves in startling different situations.
Cotton Fever is a film that bravely has both happy and sad endings, depending on how the viewer wants to dissect each character’s journey. There are no official answers handed to the audience, just honesty. – Matthew Schuchman
Doc Meets World
For television viewers of a certain age—specifically elder and mid-range Millennials—the 1990s were defined by a handful of shows. At the top of that list with a bullet is Boy Meets World, the funny and surprisingly tender coming-of-age dramedy that aired on ABC from 1993 to 2000. It represents a time of wonder and joy for many who grew up with it, as well as more complicated emotions for the folks who made it, including stars Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel, and Will Friedle.
All three have been on a bit of a reverie of late thanks to their podcast Pod Meets World, which sees the trio revisit the series episode by episode. And now that journey culminates in Doc Meets World, directors Chris Levitus and Zane Rubin’s curious snapshot of media navelgazing. On the one hand, the documentary is a kind of a testimonial of a culture and generation stuck in the past, with the actors returning to a series they spent much of their adult lives trying to put away. Conversely, their fans eagerly bask in the show again and again with their own children via rewatch parties, live podcast presentations, and even ‘90s nostalgia conventions.
Yet the movie represents a bit of healthy introspection and public therapy, too, for its three leads who are now ready to reconsider their youth with affection, some regret, and a newfound awareness of the culture and influences that shaped their lives. Ours too. – David Crow
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
Many folks think of Los Angeles as a kind of fairy tale Oz full of magical realms, folks of good cheer… and also relentless celebrity sex appeal. So leave it to David Wain and Ken Marino, the happily filthy minds behind good clean comedy fun like Wet Hot American Summer and Childrens Hospital, to give that contradictory fantasy uproarious life in Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, a chipper, song in its heart remix of The Wizard of Oz, only with a lot more celebrities and sex.
Based on the purely nonsense premise of a Midwestern gal (a winsome Zoey Deutch) who discovers her fiancé slept with his celebrity crush because of the joking “pass” many couples have, Gail Daughtry follows its eponymous character and her sassy BFF (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) as they go to LA so she can get even by pursuing her girlhood crush from Mad Men days: Jon Hamm. And yes, he’s in the movie playing himself. As is John Slattery and a host of other celebrity cameos who all play folks shockingly empathetic and eager to help Gail on her quest, as well as riffs on her own Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion (Slattery).
It’s maximalist absurdism comedy that cashes in a lot of favors and friendships on Wain and Marino’s part—be on the lookout for Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, and Jennifer Aniston cameos, among others—making for a laugher that’s ridiculous, a little frisky, but pretty wholesome in the main. – DC
Humpty Dumpty X
Never in my life have I ever experienced something so inane and sloppy, yet in the same breath mindnumbingly brilliant as Humpty Dumpty X. Even if you are familiar with the turbulence behind the production of some people’s favorite movie of all time, American History X, nothing could prepare you for what History X and Dumpty X director Tony Kaye has in store in his official documentary about what “really” happened when he made his jump from commercial to feature film director.
For someone who wants audiences to be on his side, Kaye can’t help from shining a big bright light on himself. And I don’t mean the stage spotlight, but the big hot one that cops turn on during an interrogation. One minute he is humbling you with admissions of mistakes and missteps, followed immediately by him contradicting those statements. At times it clearly seems like he is in on the joke and playing into it, and at others it feels like he is completely clueless to the way anything in this world works.
The majority of the film is told through old camcorder footage from the time of his battle over control of American History X. He apparently recorded every moment. There are shocking revelations (though not intended for audiences to hear) from indie filmmaker Mike Figgis at the start of the film—which come after Tony plays full six-minute clips of commercials that made him famous. There is even a point where we are treated to footage of Kaye and Marlon Brando filming each other as they have a conversation. This is all punctuated by a follow up interview 20 years later with the head of TIFF while Kaye films the interview on an Arri Alexa, but the only footage we see is from a cell phone recording from behind the scenes.
I couldn’t have asked for a more absurd experience than what I got with Humpty Dumpty X. Trying to explain the madness in a few short paragraphs is almost impossible. And even worse, I can’t tell you if it is the single messiest documentary I’ve ever seen or the single most amazing.- Matthew Schuchman
The Leader
In its opening shot, The Leader is instantly recognizable. Sitting square in frame is Marshall Applewhite (Tim Blake Nelson), co-founder of the Heaven’s Gate cult that committed the largest mass suicide on U.S. soil. In a time when true crime documentaries are frequently hitting the number one spot on streaming service’s top 10 lists, The Leader offers a look at the infamous members of the cult through the lens of writer and director Michael J. Gallagher.
In a performance that expertly captures the film’s theme of the desire to belong, Vera Farmiga plays Marshall’s Heaven’s Gate co-founder, Bonnie Lu Nettles, who passed from cancer before the cult’s tragic end in 1997. With supporting performances by Jim Parsons and Grace Caroline Currey, The Leader accomplishes what it sets out to do: leave you unsettled and heartbroken over the members of Heaven’s Gate. – Emily Cappello
In Memoriam
There is perhaps no better way to capture the fleeting nature of fame than and the obsessive qualities it possesses than with the story of a dying actor who measures his importance in the adoration of his fans. In Memoriam shows Marc Maron in his first leading role as Langston Stanford, a somewhat has-been actor hellbent on making it into the Oscars’ “In Memoriam” segment after his recently diagnosed terminal cancer will soon take his life. Real-life Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone is a shining light as Langston’s end-of-life therapist Samantha, and Talia Ryder gives a moving performance as his estranged teenage daughter.
Writer and director Rob Burnett has managed to capture the age-old tale of the importance of family legacy versus the hollowness of celebrity with a freshness that is not just engaging but emotional. With colorful performances by Judy Greer, Sharon Stone, and a hilarious Justin Long, In Memoriam is likely to have viewers excited for what’s to come from Maron’s acting career, and will certainly have them checking in on their loved ones. – EC
The Long Haul
Grief comes in many forms. The Long Haul follows truck driver CJ (Margo Martindale) who 25 years later is still grieving her daughter’s murder and seeking comfort through constant movement on the road. Hell-bent on doing things her way, she is forced out of her usual routine when she takes a job with a young truck driver (Cole Sprouse) who is better at gaining social media followers than doing his actual job.
While CJ captures our attention from the moment she comes on screen, it’s her beautiful performance alongside Yalitza Aparicio that truly brings out the heart of the film. Ending with a brilliant and heartbreaking monologue as CJ faces her daughter’s killer, The Long Haul is a film that highlights the importance not just of forgiveness, but of resilience. – Emily Cappello
Only What We Carry
Sometimes a film succeeds on pure emotion. Sometimes it can succeed on the strength and camaraderie of its cast. The new film from Jamie Adams, Only What We Carry, definitely succeeds on both fronts.
Famed dancer Charlotte Levant (Sofia Boutella) seems to be stuck in a bit of a rut. Having an article released from her former choreographer and partner Julian Johns (Simon Pegg), doesn’t help. A specific line in Julian’s recent interview sticks like a thorn in Charlotte’s side. Along with her sister, Josephine (Charlotte Gainsbourg), Charlotte heads to face Jualian about what he said and their past. What follows is a weekend of discovery and soul searching between the group who are joined by Julian’s publisher John Percy (Quentin Tarantino)..
If you’re new to the films of Jamie Adams, Only What We Carry follows in his tradition of a script that outlines a structure, but a film built mainly from improvisation. Simon Pegg described the work in our studio as “a process of discovery… and that’s really exciting because you are uncovering the story as you’re making it.” It also leads to some very authentic scenes of characters just caught up in discussion.
With that said, the approach could be a little less fun for actors like Boutella, who are tasked with playing the “sour one” when every other character is full of exuberance. “I felt nuts, absolutely crazy,” she tells us. “I kept looking for the colors of our dynamic, but [Pegg] was just so nice.”
Like a modern day The Big Chill, Only What We Carry has a great number of highs and lows to wow audiences. And when you see it, be on the look out for that damn fog on Simon’s glasses. You’ll know what I mean once you see it.- MS
Ponderosa
David Lynch once famously said his films don’t make any sense, but “people get used to a film that explains itself 100 percent, and they turn off that beautiful thing of intuition.” Finding films that take this idea to heart and produce a worthwhile result are few and far between. But this year’s Tribeca Film Festival provided a gem that not only exudes this ideal, but wormed its way into my mind and nested there.
Ponderosa is a movie that best works without explanation before you see it, but on its surface, it revolves around Zeke (Jack Dylan Grazer), a quiet, somewhat introverted teen who is drifting through life. Zeke’s mother (Alexis Beldel in her return to the screen after a short hiatus) works at the aging restaurant Ponderosa to keep the two afloat. After stopping for a meal at said establishment, Zeke catches the eye of George (Bill Camp) who thinks he can offer young Zeke some guidance and stability.
The movie that commences will probably confuse some viewers, but that is done on purpose. During our chat, writer-director Rob Rice even explains that the film has “a traditional narrative structure, something to do with two characters having a conflict with each other.” But it is the one-sided conflict that creates some of Ponderosa’s greatest ambiguities and strengths. George as a character is frustrated with Zeke’s seemingly unending apathy. And watching Camp become exceedingly more unhinged because of it is brain candy. – MS
X-Men ‘97 Season 2
X-Men ‘97 hit comic and animation fans like a thunderbolt two years ago. While revivals of long dormant and beloved TV shows from the 1980s and ‘90s are a dime a dozen these days, X-Men ‘97 came rip-roaring out of the gates with the sincerity of the original Saturday morning cartoon that ran on Fox Kids from 1992 to 1997, but the audacity and ambition of an adult drama. Or for that matter a comic book melodrama. With more gusto and angst than 90 percent of live-action MCU movies, this was an animated series that captured the epic grandiosity of folks in colorful costumes grappling with the highs and lows of life, death, and powers approaching godhood.
The first two episodes that premiered on the last day of the Tribeca Film Festival carry on that tradition while rather bullishly adapting the kind of trenchant, lore-heavy timeline shenanigans that ultimately made X-Men comics so labyrinthine by the end of the 1990s. With at least three timelines in the episodes we saw—one with X-Men sent two thousand years into the future, another with a different group of heroes sent four thousand years into the Egyptian past, and one still based in 1997—there are competing factions, characters at different ages in their lives, and at least two off-shoots of the main team. And just wait until you see how the X-Force are introduced!
Through it all remains a sense of purpose that we are building to a moment of epiphany and revelation in these characters’ lives, which might be fitting since they are up against a biblical threat this season via Apocalypse. As X-Men ‘97 executive producer Brad Winderbaum told us at the premiere, “Apocalypse is an exciting character, [and I’m] so happy to bring him back to the screen. He represents, I think, a horrible future and destiny for the X-Men that they’re always trying to avoid. So he serves a very specific, and very awesome purpose.” – DC
