This week on The Movie Gourmet – I’ve been previewing both of next week’s film fests – San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM), the longest-running film festival in the Americas, and the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival (SLO Film Fest), a brilliantly curated regional film fest, with what may be unique surf and skate film elements. Both SFFILM and SLO Film Fest are screening Power Ballad, the latest from John Carney, writer-director of Once, Sing Street and Flora and Son, and Sender, .an absurdist psychological thriller fresh from SXSW, starring Britt Lower (Severance), Rhea Seehorn and Jamie Lee Curtis. Here’s my pre-fest coverage:
CURRENT MOVIES
- The Drama: the darkest romantic comedy that I’ve ever seen.In theaters.
- Is This Thing On? uncoiling the bewilderment of a break-up. Hulu (included,) Amazon, AppleTV.
- Heel: don’t try this at home. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, Fandango.
- La Grazia: it’s time to get past his malaise. Amazon, AppleTV.
- The Bride!: a funnier Bonnie and Clyde, with monsters.In theaters and VOD.
- Fackham Hall: silly, low-brow, and that’s okay. HBO Max (free), Amazon, AppleTV.
- A Private Life: a shrink and her own issues. Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube.
- Mercy: not as good as the premise. Amazon (included with Prime), AppleTV.
ON TV
Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell in HIS KIND OF WOMAN
On April 18 and 19, Turner Classic Movies presents another of my Overlooked Noir and one of the most fun to watch: His Kind of Woman. A down-and-out gambler (Robert Mitchum) is offered a deal that MUST be too good to be true; he’s smart enough to be suspicious and knows that he must discover the real deal before it’s too late. He meets a on-the-top-of-the-world hottie (Jane Russell), who is about to become down on her luck, too. Witty entertainment ensues. Bonus: this will be on TCM’s Noir Alley, with intro and outro by Eddie Muller, the Czar of Noir.