Welcome to Earth!
Friday, July 3 — Happy Friday, everyone, and Happy almost 4th of July! In light of the holiday, today’s Scene will be a bit truncated. I’ve got a pool to hit, and I’ve also got to get started on my annual rewatch of “Independence Day” – I’m at my most patriotic watching Will Smith punch an alien, it seems. But, here’s a little news to start us off!
Without further ado … Action!
🌳 A documentary about Atlanta’s tree canopy has caught the attention of lawmakers in Brookhaven.
💔 Actor Danny Glover, known for his roles in films like “Lethal Weapon” and “The Royal Tenenbaums,” revealed on “Today” that he has been living with Alzheimer’s disease for a number of years.
🤖 “Artificial,” Luca Guadagnino’s biopic about Sam Altman and OpenAI, has found a new buyer in Neon. The film was recently dropped by Amazon MGM just months after Amazon signed a $50 billion deal with OpenAI (maybe unrelated, but still feels relevant!).
🇬🇧 The British are coming! The U.K. government has signaled that it is likely to intervene in the $110 billion merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery.
📺 Comcast is breaking up into separate public companies, one based around cable and internet and the other centered around NBCUniversal and media.
🐴 If you want a little more context and great depth on why Universal’s decision to bypass influencer screenings for “The Odyssey” matters, check out David Ehrlich’s great piece on IndieWire.
This week’s newsletter has two movie reviews and a list of what’s playing at the movie theater this week. Thanks for reading, and remember – we will not go quietly into the night!
Thanks for reading!
Sammie
‘Minions & Monsters’ is for cinephiles with kids, and no one else
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
📽️ About halfway through Pierre Coffin’s “Minions & Monsters,” we see an old-timey news reel. The film is set in the 1920s, and the news reel tells us a few important things about the time we find ourselves in: the economy is thriving, everyone is happier than ever, and the minions are the biggest draws the box office has ever seen.
Most of this does not apply to the world we actually live in. But the minions are a huge financial success. Combined with “Despicable Me,” the “Minions” franchise has made about $5.6 billion globally – and that doesn’t include the hundreds of millions in merchandise they’ve sold.
“Minions & Monsters” feels like the type of movie you only get to make when you have those kinds of numbers to back you up. The results may vary, depending on who you are. But “cinephiles with kids” feels like the core demographic – and for the most part, “Minions & Monsters” hits that mark.
👾 Read my full review here.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
🎨 You’ve seen Amy Sherald’s iconic portrait of Michelle Obama. Now, her largest exhibition to date comes to Atlanta, featuring rarely seen paintings and monumental portraits spanning nearly two decades.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime is now open, bringing one of the leading artists of her generation back to Georgia. Secure your tickets before it’s gone.
Can only make it in the evening? We’ve got you covered. The show stays open after hours every Friday. Grab a drink, snag an exclusive exhibition poster, and explore the galleries at your leisure.
‘Maddie’s Secret’ pays homage to melodrama and its queer history
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
🍳 In March, I reviewed the film “Reminders of Him” – an adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel that, despite numerous flaws, at least attempted to capture the dying genre of melodrama in all its glory. But now, we have a true homage to the likes of melodramatic masters such as Douglas Sirk in the form of “Maddie’s Secret.”
Written by, directed by, and starring comedian John Early as the titular character of Maddie – an online cooking personality who is secretly struggling with bulimia – “Maddie’s Secret” is filled to the brim with humor and camp. But while I think you’d be forgiven for filing it away in the Lifetime parody bucket while watching its first few minutes, it quickly becomes apparent that “Maddie’s Secret” takes itself incredibly seriously, without a false note or wink at the camera.
🎭 Check out my full review here.
At the Movies!
If you’re looking for a movie to see in theaters this week, here’s what you’ve got to look forward to!
Movies releasing this weekend:
👹 “Minions & Monsters”
👩🍳 “Maddie’s Secret”
🇺🇸 “Young Washington”
🌹 “Rose of Nevada” (pictured)
🐍 “The Python Hunt”
🏝️ “Honeyjoon”
Special Events:
🏜️ “Lawrence of Arabia” in 70mm @ The Plaza (Saturday-Monday)
💀 “Jason and the Argonauts” @ The Plaza (Saturday-Wednesday)
🛷 “Citizen Kane” 85th Anniversary @ The Tara (Sunday-Wednesday)
🦈 “Jaws” @ Springs Cinema & Taphouse (Sunday-Monday)
🖊️ Today’s Scene was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
