Challengers (2024): I am a big tennis fan, so movies about tennis, no matter how dodgy they may seem, pique my my interest. This, of course, did more than that, because of its exciting director, Luca Guadagnino, and a trio of fun stars, leading with one of my up-and-coming favourites, Josh O’Connor, alongside Zendaya and Mike Faist. The trailer suggests a playful love-triangle situation, but the movie plays out in unexpected ways, with a focus that isn’t always very sharp. It’s in these areas of ambiguity that the movie is both interesting and frustrating, because it’s not very obvious what you should feel towards this trio of characters. They are all burdened with privilege, agendas and cravings, in different ways. While I was thoroughly engaged and entertained by the rhythmic scenes, ridiculous tennis and Trent Reznor’s soundtrack, the love triangle had a strange preformative veneer to it that didn’t really feel true. But I don’t think it had to, in the aesthetic and interior monologue of Challengers. 8
The Last Stop in Yuma County (2023): There’s something just so perfectly familiar and true to Francis Galluppi’s first feature film. It’s an old-school, minimalist heister, with great tempo, some sweet tunes and a golden desert vibe that makes the viewer sweat it out – almost literally. Relying on a cast of exceptional character actors, including the likes of Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Michael Abbott Jr. or Richard Brake, Galluppi’s story hinges on randomness, bad luck and opportunism, only to ask some serious morality questions in its finale. It might not explore the unexplored, but what it invests in generates tension, relief and sweet nostalgia, in a Western that doesn’t skip a beat, finding the perfect pitch to its tale of woe. 8
The Fall Guy (2024): David Leitch had recently directed Bullet Train, the Brad Pitt led action bonanza that just tried too hard to be funny in order to succeed at it. Still, a moderately entertaining movie, which is what The Fall Guy builds upon to deliver a well rounded and satisfying affair. It’s really one of those movies that does exactly what it says on the package (i.e. trailer), and with leads like Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling, you know it can’t go far wrong. The set-pieces are spectacular and fun and the plot is serviceable enough to offer them the bombastic weight they deserve. It’s also a nice touch that the film doesn’t forget its stunt protagonists, who get their own feature in the end credits (and it did, inevitably, bring back to mind the heartfelt documentary about David Holmes). A good vibe movie to step into the early summer blockbuster mood. 7
Roland Ratzenberger (2024): Peter Levay produced this hour-long tribute documentary, available in 15-minute episodes on YT, during which he interviews people close to the former F1 driver, Roland Ratzenberger. It’s a short retelling of his path into the top tier of racing, at a time when these things happened very differently than to just having a path through a driver’s academy, almost always bolstered by massive financial backing. Ratzenberger is typical of his generation, a hard-working guy who made it come together through grit and determination – only to tragically end on his third F1 race weekend. As fate had it, his death basically coincided with that of Ayrton Senna, whose passing inevitably overshadowed that of RR. With input from people who knew Roland, family, friends, teammates, and a significant amount of archival footage, this documentary is small, unassuming and devoted to its subject. 7
Shortcomings (2023): Randall Park’s feature film directorial debut tries to tell a story about more two unlikable leads, but he doesn’t nail it very well. Ben is this cliche, know-it-all cinema lover who is just an atrocious partner to Miko and likes spilling the tea with his arguably equally flawed friend, Alice. The movie gets credit for trying to approach the romcom playbook differently, but it also loses points for creating a lead character that’s very hard to root for. That’s kind of the problem with most of the characters, a generally unpleasant bunch of people, just floating around and being uncomfortable on screen. Still, the movie does have some good moments of insight and levity, particularly in the set-up, adding up to a decent genre fare. 6
tributary stu 