'Heat 2': The Prose, the Cons, and the Stars Lining Up for Michael Mann’s Crime Sequel, From Leo to Austin Butler

Happy Tuesday, fam!

Last night, I saw Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman, which I quite liked! It doesn’t reinvent the wheel or anything, but it features a charming performance from Channing Tatum and a lovely turn from Kirsten Dunst. Writer-director Derek Cianfrance successfully juggles a few different tones, and though my pulse never really quickened, the movie still works because it features a really good story. And story is what matters most in my book.

Following Roofman, I checked out Ronan Day-Lewis’ moody feature debut, Anemone, which stars his Oscar-winning father, Daniel Day-Lewis, as well as Sean Bean. The two play estranged brothers who reunite under trying circumstances, and while there were elements I adored, including DDL’s performance (thank god he’s back), the stunning cinematography from Ben Fordesman, and what may be the year’s best score, courtesy of Midsommar composer Bobby Krlic, the end result wasn’t really for me. Anemone represents a promising debut for the younger Day-Lewis, but he’ll need a stronger script next time around, as his father’s immense talent masks some of the holes here.

This morning, I saw Park Chan-wook’s South Korean thriller No Other Choice, which, like Anemone, was also gorgeously photographed. I was impressed with the lead turn from Lee Byung-hun, and I appreciated the film’s message about the existential threat facing the workforce today, but ultimately, this 139-minute movie was a little too long and too slow for my taste.

Meanwhile, over the weekend, I binged Monster: The Ed Gein Story, which I plan to write about in-depth soon. Once again, you can expect me to go against the grain on that one, as critics have always been afraid of what they can’t understand. I plan to argue that there’s much more going on than meets the eye in Season 3 of Ryan Murphy’s anthology series.

I also watched the first four episodes of Season 2 of Netflix’s lucrative competition series Squid Game: The Challenge, though I’m under embargo for now, as well as the Season 51 premiere of Saturday Night Live, which I thought was a little weak.

Obviously, Lorne Michaels brought in a lot of new writers and cast members this season, and I’m sure it’ll take a few weeks or months to find their footing, but last week’s episode of SNL left much to be desired in the laugh department.

Speaking of which, there are zero laughs in Paul Greengrass’ The Lost Bus, but it may still be the best movie I’ve seen all year. I was riveted when I watched the movie alone on my couch this weekend. Not only did Greengrass have me wondering how he shot the movie, whose characters are engulfed in flames for half the running time, but what impressed me most was that he stuck the landing emotionally, as my lower lip quivered at the very end when two characters are reunited at last.

That’s when I knew the movie worked, and I’d be wary of dismissing it as a Best Picture nominee going forward, as I have a feeling that voters will well up with emotion if they give The Lost Bus a chance. It’s easily one of the year’s best films, so don’t miss it!

This week, I plan to watch the upcoming French-language series The Hunt on Apple TV+ before diving into screeners for HBO’s It: Welcome to Derry, which I’ve heard good things about from colleagues who have already taken the plunge into the sewer.

Tonight’s top story is about Heat 2 and Leonardo DiCaprio’s potential casting, and there are also items about Glen Powell being eyed to replace DiCaprio elsewhere, Nicole Kidman’s latest project with Elle Fanning, Amazon MGM’s Polly Pocket movie, Chris Pine’s new indie with Jenny Slate, and James Bond’s magically disappearing and reappearing gun. Plus, a look at the trailer for Lynne Ramsay’s psychological thriller Die My Love starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson.

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