Venice, meet Telluride
Friday, Sept. 3 — Happy Friday, everyone! Two of the biggest film festivals of the awards circuit kicked off this week – the Venice International Film Festival, which continues through Sept. 12, and the Telluride Film Festival, which starts today and runs through Sept. 7. Cannes technically kicked us off back in May, but the joint arrival of these two makes me feel like we’re in full Oscars swing already. Be on the lookout over the next couple of weeks for news about these fests and what I’m looking forward to movie-wise as we head into the fall.
Without further ado … Action!
🦸 Dragon Con continues in Downtown Atlanta this weekend, with the parade tomorrow and plenty of panels and events to attend throughout the weekend.
🎥 Despite a county-wide moratorium on the construction of data centers – and growing local and national distaste for them – the film studio Shadowbox Studios recently pitched the local community on pivoting parts of their campus to a data center. WABE has more here.
✏️ SCAD AnimationFest takes place in Atlanta from Sept. 23-25.
🏆 The Georgia Latino International Film Festival will honor Roberto Sanchez with its Excellence in Filmmaking Award on Sept. 30. The festival itself will run Sept. 30-Oct. 4.
🎧 Soul Cinema Sundays is planning a special screening of “Juice” on Sept. 20 at the Plaza Theatre, in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of rapper Tupac Shakur’s death.
📽️ In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Atlanta Film Festival this year, the Atlanta Film Society is bringing back its SOUND + VISION exhibition at the LOOP event venue on Sept. 12.
💸 President Trump endorsed the idea of a federal film and TV tax credit on his social media platform Truth Social. No word on how big that tax credit would be or how it would work.
🍿 AMC recently launched its own film distribution label, Leawood Films.
This week, we’ve got a new edition of my series Indie Spotlight, along with an interview with Golden Globe winner Regina Taylor. We’ve also got two movie reviews, a look at what’s coming to theaters this week, a new edition of Spotlight, and some reading and listening recommendations for your lunch break.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your long weekend!
Sammie
🍃 Visit Atlanta’s newest outdoor public space this fall for free fitness classes, artisan markets, lunchtime events, live music + more. Midtown Green is located in the heart of the city at 98 14th St., near MARTA and deck parking. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Indie Spotlight: Actress Toni Bryce reflects on career and post-strike lull
🏳️⚧️ In 2022, actress Toni Bryce hit a milestone in her career. After appearing on the television series “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” a friend on Facebook told her that she thought she might be the first Black openly trans person to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Bryce was shocked, so she did a little research to try and confirm. Trans actors had appeared in Marvel properties before, but – as far as Bryce could tell – she was the first out Black woman of trans experience to have a speaking role in one of the world’s most popular franchises.
“She-Hulk” happened at a fruitful time in Bryce’s career. She’s probably best known for her role as Nineveh on the Starz drama “P-Valley.” She has also appeared on the drama series “The Chi,” and appears in the film “Takeover,” which filmed in 2022 but hit theaters in May of this year. But lately – specifically, since the 2023 actors and writers strikes – Bryce feels like her opportunities have run a bit dry.
🎬 For this month’s Indie Spotlight series, I spoke with Bryce about her journey through the industry. You can find that piece here.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART
🎨 You’ve seen Amy Sherald’s iconic portrait of Michelle Obama. Now, her largest exhibition to date is here in Atlanta, featuring rarely seen paintings and monumental portraits spanning nearly two decades.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime is in its final weeks, marking the last chance to see one of the leading artists of her generation on view in her home state. Get your tickets before the show wraps.
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.
Regina Taylor heads to Spelman with one-woman show ‘Exhibit’ on Sept. 5
🎭 Golden Globe winner Regina Taylor is slated to close out the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival at Spelman College on Sept. 5.
The festival, which runs from Sept. 3-5, will feature a plethora of theatrical work, including Taylor’s show “Exhibit.” Written and performed by Taylor, “Exhibit” is about Iris, a Black visual artist faced with the threat of her work completely vanishing from existence. The show reckons with where America stands today in the decades after the Civil Rights Era.
🗣️ I recently spoke with Taylor about her inspiration for the show. You can find our conversation here.
🍃 Visit Atlanta’s newest outdoor public space this fall for free fitness classes, artisan markets, lunchtime events, live music + more. Midtown Green is located in the heart of the city at 98 14th St., near MARTA and deck parking. Learn more here. SPONSOR MESSAGE
‘Onslaught’ is an ’80s riff that fails on a structural level
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
🪖 With his new film “Onslaught,” Adam Wingard is open about his influences. And, on its face, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
There are sections of “Onslaught” (written by frequent Wingard collaborator Simon Barrett) that are inoffensive in their clear reverence for the films of John Carpenter, James Cameron, and a slew of action/horror films from the 1980s. Like many of those films, “Onslaught” sets you up for a story about someone – in this case, army veteran Celeste (Adria Arjona) – who has been screwed over by the U.S. government and now has to take on a terrifying new enemy brought on by that very same U.S. government – in this case, genetically engineered super soldiers with nothing but killing on the brain.
The synth-driven score, the presence of actors Michael Biehn (“The Terminator”) and Reginald VelJohnson (“Die Hard”), the general distrust in the American system – it all screams ’80s action film. (Not that distrust in the government is a feeling that solely belongs in that decade, but, in a lot of ways, “Onslaught” feels terribly relevant). However, “Onslaught” might be a little too interested in its reference points and not interested enough in the basic film structure that helps make the movies it so reveres work.
🪚 Read my full review here.
‘Dear You’ proves that a heartwarming story doesn’t always make for an interesting movie
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
🇨🇳 “Dear You,” directed by Lan Hongchun, is a historical film centering around qiaopi, or letters and money sent by Chinese workers overseas back to their families on the mainland – specifically, qiaopi sent by Teochew immigrants in Southeast Asia throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
The film, which is spoken primarily in Teochew and features a slew of nonprofessional actors, became a sleeper hit in China, and opens in Atlanta this weekend. It’s an admirable attempt on Lan’s part to bring attention to a segment of history that, if you didn’t grow up in China, you might not know much about. But, an admirable story doesn’t always make for an interesting movie. And “Dear You” suffers from poor pacing, structure, and characterization.
📨 Check out my review here.
Spotlight: Leo Woodall in ‘Tony’
🦪 It feels like since Matt Johnson’s “Tony” came out, everyone is talking about Antonio Banderas’ Oscar chances – rightly so, I might add! Banderas elevates a pretty standard mentor figure in the Anthony Bourdain biopic to something more tender, more complex, and – if I do say so myself – more sexy.
I love Antonio Banderas, and I would be perfectly happy to see him rewarded for his work. But, the further I get away from the film, the performance I keep coming back to is Leo Woodall (pictured on the right above).
Woodall plays Sal, a fellow cook at the New England fish shack where young Tony (Dominic Sessa) works for the summer. I mentioned this in my review, but the introduction to Sal tells you everything you need to know: One morning, looking handsomely disheveled and just the right amount of greasy, he pops an oyster into his mouth, immediately throws it back up, and then throws a saucy wink at Tony from across their shared workspace before cheerily calling him the f-slur.
If that’s not ’70s Massachusetts energy, I don’t know what is. But the thing about Sal that really sticks out to me is he’s the kind of archetype you see a lot in coming-of-age films, but he’s not really the type of guy who actually exists – a guy with a whole host of very serious issues who manages to be equal parts wildly charming, casually cruel, and unbelievably handsome.
And so, Woodall perhaps doesn’t necessarily have a ton of depth to work with right off the bat – it’s hard to imbue an archetype that doesn’t really exist outside of the movies with something human. But he manages to give that archetype not only a bit more seductive edge than it usually sees, but also a more honest understanding of the demons that plague this guy – even without telling us what, exactly, all of those demons are.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie takes place between Woodall and Banderas, after Banderas’ chef character fires Sal when he shows up late for work, clearly still a little toasted from the night before. In the face of Banderas’ extreme tenderness – the way he looks at Woodall towards the end of their fight is heartbreaking – I find it remarkable how unwilling Woodall is to let Sal give into that warmth, how staunchly he holds back the pain he’s clearly feeling. These characters’ push and pull over Tony gives life in this sequence, and Woodall’s performance pulls you in as much as it repels you.
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:
🔫 “By Any Means” (pictured)
🪚 “Onslaught”
🇨🇳 “Dear You”
🏌️ “Filipiñana”
🧂 “The Salt Path”
🇺🇸 “Teaching America”
🎑 “Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day”
🪈 “The Marching Band”
🧗♂️ “Fall 2: Deadpoint”
Special Events:
🇫🇷 “Gandahar” in 4K @ The Plaza (Saturday-Tuesday)
💉 “The Wailing” @ The Plaza (Saturday-Monday)
🚣♀️ “Funny Games” @ The Plaza (Saturday-Sunday)
🩸 “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” @ The Plaza (Saturday)
📽️ A Capella Books Pop-Up “Sunset Boulevard” @ The Tara (Saturday)
Lights, Camera, Action!
🚕 I mentioned that “Blank Check” had started their series on the films of Martin Scorsese in a previous newsletter, but last week they released an episode on “Taxi Driver” – one of Scorsese’s most important works – with guest Tracy Letts. It’s definitely worth a listen.
📺 I’m first and foremost a movie girl, but I’ve been slowly getting back into television as of late, watching shows like “Sterling Point,” “The Pitt,” and “Widow’s Bay.” Once I need a new show, I’ll be referencing Vulture’s list of the best television shows of the year so far. Check it out here.
😱 We (and everyone else) have talked at length about the success of “Obsession” and “Backrooms,” two horror movies from young filmmakers that have jointly grossed nearly a billion dollars. A new entry into the Gen Z horror canon, Alex Ullom’s “It Ends,” recently hit theaters, prompting the “Critics at Large” podcast to go deep on what makes these movies so successful.
🖊️ Today’s Scene was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
