Alison Stewart: This is All Of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. All week long, we are talking about the sights and sounds of summer. We talked about music on Monday, podcast yesterday. We'll talk about art tomorrow. Today, we are talking movies. On deck, you have your summer staples of superheroes and gangsters, but there are also films about political strife, horror movies involving kids, and the big reunion of Denzel Washington and Spike Lee. Joining us is movie critic for Vulture and New York magazine, Alison Willmore, to walk us through some of the most anticipated movies of the summer. Hi, Alison.

Alison Willmore: Hi. I'm so ready.

Alison Stewart: All right, listeners, we want to know, are you ready as well? What movies are you watching this summer? What are you excited to see? 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC. You can call in and tell us your thoughts or, or you can text them to us as well. First up on your list, we have Superman. This Remake comes out July 11th. It stars Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, and sort of this newish kind of Clark Kent, David Corenswet. For a film that has been done and redone, what is the premise for the film in 2025?

Alison Willmore: Well, it's not a groundbreaking premise per se. It is going to be about a young alien who crash lands on Earth and then is raised to become a superhero with a secret identity. Maybe in that sense, it's not going to break things wide open, but this is an attempt to restart the kind of very all over the place, general DC universe. It's directed by James Gunn, who did all of the Guardian of the Galaxy movies and who is in charge of the larger DC vision. This is the start of a new phase. For someone like me who has definitely been experiencing some superhero fatigue, what interests me about this movie, beyond the that James Gunn is like a legitimate dork who really loves this stuff, is that this looks like an attempt to return to a really idealistic, more naive version of superheroes. We've done a lot of kind of gritty, dark ones, realistic ones. I think that this film, in addition to Fantastic Four, which is coming out not long afterwards, seems to represent a more throwback vision, to an idea of superheroes as people just trying to do good in a very straightforward sense.

I'm really curious about that, and the trailer was a little moving to me. You know, I'm on board. I'm ready.

Alison Stewart: Let's listen to a clip from Superman.

Superman: Miss Lane.

Lois Lane: Recently you've come under a lot of fire for what some might.

Superman: I know, it's a lot of fire.

Lois Lane: It's a lot. Today the Secretary of Defense said he was going to look into your actions. That's funny.

Superman: My actions? I stopped a war.

Lois Lane: Maybe.

Superman: Not maybe. I did.

Lois Lane: In effect, you illegally entered a country.

Superman: This is how you're going to be?

Lois Lane: I'm not the one being interviewed, Superman.

Alison Stewart: All right. How does David Corenswet do as a superhero?

Alison Willmore: I have not seen this movie yet. I'm seeing it next week, so I don't know. He is not someone whose work I've been very familiar with yet. You know, he's been on some Netflix series. He was on Politician and Hollywood, those Ryan Murphy shows. He is like a relatively new face. I think that was part of the point, you know, to cast someone who didn't necessarily come with a lot of like, he wasn't like a so familiar face, that he has a lot of other previous associations. I don't know, but he looks the part in that he's kind of beefy and all-American looking and they dyed his hair.

I am also very excited for Rachel Brosnahan of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel as Lois Lane. It looks like they have some real kind of like old fashioned banter and I do enjoy that.

Alison Stewart: Our next up is Eddington. It comes out July 18th. It's a new Ari Aster movie. It's set in 2020. A small town has to deal with political unrest, COVID 19. A Face off between the mayor played by Pedro Pascal and a sheriff played by Joaquin Phoenix. Those are two big names sharing a screen. How do these actors-- What do you anticipate about these actors working together?

Alison Willmore: Well, this one I have actually seen. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. I mean, they're just two incredible actors and Joaquin Phoenix, I think I always enjoy. He is playing a character who is very emblematic of, let's say, this period in which it felt like any pretense that we had a shared reality as a country kind of splintered into multiple different and sometimes very paranoid realities. His character is a very difficult character and I think he plays him very well. Pedro Pascal also does a great job as his kind of counterpoint and foil.

Yes, this is the first COVID movie I've seen that really feels like it has enough distance to not just depict what it was like to be during lockdown, but also to grapple with the ramifications and what it has to do with how our reality right now.

Alison Stewart: Aster's movies are usually horror movies. There was Hereditary and Midsommar. This one, if you look it up online, it's classified as a western Black comedy. How does his history with horror play out in Eddington?

Alison Willmore: It is a funny movie, but it is a very dark movie as well. I would say that there are definitely traces of horror there. There are these bursts of violence, but there's also this really, I think, grim sense of just how much stress the situation put on everyone and how everyone kind of fractured in different ways emotionally and in some cases mentally. I think it is actually a very sharp depiction of that, if you are prepared to go back to that time, which I think some people just maybe are not ready for that, at least not yet. I think it's, it's really a good depiction of what that's like, which is to say it is a bit horror adjacent.

Alison Stewart: Yes, it's interesting because the reviews have been mixed since it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. What did you think of the film?

Alison Willmore: I feel like it was both something that I think was like very accurate in terms of like what it is diagnosing. At the same time I don't know that I would say I liked it. I think maybe that's a bit intentional. It is a very deliberately off-putting movie. No, I'm a huge fan of Ari Aster's horror films. I've had a more complicated relationship with the two non-horror films he's made since then. I think he is an incredibly talented director. There is very interesting stuff here, whether I think it works and not all of it does.

Alison Stewart: We're speaking with film critic Alison Willmore on the upcoming summer movie releases. Listeners, we want to hear from you. What movies will you be watching this summer? What are you excited to catch on the big screen? Our Phone number is 212-433-9692, 212-443-WNYC. You can call in and join the Alisons on the air, or you can text to us as well. All right, I'm going to play the trailer for this next one that freaked all of us out. It's called Weapons. It's coming out on August 8th. It's a thriller that asks the question, what would happen if all the children in the same classroom disappear?

Movie Excerpt: This is a true story that happened in my town. So this one Wednesday is like a normal day for the whole school, but today was different. Every other class had all their kids, but Mrs. Gandy's room was totally empty. And do you know why? Because the night before, at 2:17 in the morning, every kid woke up, got out of bed, walked downstairs and into the dark and they never came back.

Alison Stewart: Oh, my gosh. Who is this movie for? Is this for parents? Is it for angry kids? Is it for horror film fanatics?

Alison Willmore: I would like to think it is for people who like to feel deliciously creeped out in the depths of summer, which is, I think, a lot of us. Yes, it certainly seems to be. I haven't seen it yet. I don't know of anyone who's seen it yet, though. It's coming from a filmmaker who made Barbarian, if you remember that film the other year, a really terrific horror movie that was about an Airbnb. This one I think really plays on, one, a lot of fears about, obviously, if you're a parent, about children. Also, it almost seems like it has this Pied Piper mythology, the idea of all of the children kind of suddenly leaving together as if called or summoned by some mysterious force.

Yes, that trailer is very creepy. I've heard rumblings that this is played very well for test audiences, which doesn't always mean anything, but I think in this case I'm definitely looking forward to it.

Alison Stewart: We have a call from Robert in Manhattan. Robert, thanks for calling All Of It.

Robert: Yes, good morning. I'm sorry, Good afternoon. I'm very interested in the Superman film for one reason. Without giving any spoilers, do we find out the origin of why Lex Luthor and Clark Kent or Superman have this hatred between them? Do we find out the story of how--? Well, you know what I mean?

Alison Willmore: Yes.

Robert: Does the movie tell us why Lex and Superman hate each other?

Alison Stewart: Do you know anything about it?

Alison Willmore: I think it explains it. It does not, I think, go back into the past, but I think it explains why their fundamental beliefs about the world are seen as clashing. I do not also mention, but this movie also famously features now a super dog. Superman has a superpowered dog [laughs].

Alison Stewart: Wait, bury the lead, did you?

Alison Willmore: I know. I can't believe I left this out. That's another thing, in addition to its version of Lex Luthor, who's played by Nicholas Hoult, who I love, is that we're also going to get, I think his Name is Krypto the Superdog.

Alison Stewart: This one says, "I saw the trailer of the Roses, a remake of the War and Roses, looks so funny with Olivia Colman.

Alison Willmore: Yes, I have only seen that trailer as well. Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman bickering and slowly escalating towards all out marital warfare. I think that looks, that sounds delightful.

Alison Stewart: We're talking about summer films with critic Alison Willmore. She writes for Vulture and New York magazine. We'll have more after a quick break. This is All Of It.

[music]

Alison Stewart: You are listening to All Of It on WNYC. I'm Alison Stewart. We're speaking with film critic Alison Willmore on the upcoming summer movie releases. Listeners, we want to hear from you. What movie are you waiting to watch this summer? Our phone number is 212-433-9692, 212-433-WNYC. I'm excited about this one. Spike Lee's Highest 2 Lowest. Tell us a little bit more about this film.

Alison Willmore: Well, you've got Spike Lee reuniting with Denzel Washington. I think it's their fifth film together. They've worked together like throughout their career. They've had this incredible collaboration. This one I think is like a bit. It's coming from the perspective of like being in a real place of success and then trying to figure out what's next. It's a remake of a Akira Kurosawa film, a thriller about a kidnapping and a corporate takeover. In this case, though, it's set in Brooklyn and stars Denzel Washington as this music mogul who's still very successful, if maybe not quite as like at the cutting edge of things as he used to be.

He's preparing for this big business deal when he gets word that his son has been kidnapped. From there, it takes a lot of twists and turns. This movie features Jeffrey Wright and It also features A$AP Rocky in this actually an incredible role. I think he's like watching it. I was like, if he wants to be a movie star, he can be a movie star. Yes, it's a really, it's a great combination of a crime thriller and a meditation on what it means to be an older artist and whether you feel the pressure to keep keeping up with whatever is the latest trend, versus just pursuing what you love the most.

A great movie and got an incredible action piece, like action set piece set on a subway.

Alison Stewart: That's coming out around August 22nd. You also listed a documentary called My Undesirable Friends, and it follows journalists amidst the war with Russia and Ukraine. Tell us a little bit more about the film.

Alison Willmore: Yes, I wanted to make sure I got a documentary in here because we've got a lot of fun movies. Not that documentaries can't be fun. This one's maybe more of an incredibly tense experience. It premiered at the New York Film Festival last year. It's from Julia Loktev, who was born in the USSR, has grown up in the US and goes back to Russia to visit with some friends who are part of a dissident TV outlet, who are feeling the squeeze more and more. Then, as she is there, Russia invades Ukraine.

You have this incredible portrait of a group of journalists who are already being labeled 'foreign agents' and targeted and surveiled, and increasingly then start to wonder, like, do we stay and keep reporting on and be the only outlet that is reporting on the truth of what's happening, or do you flee because your life is potentially in danger? Not an easy viewing, but certainly one that is very relevant, I think. At what point do you feel like your country has really, really, turned on you or made it unlivable? Yes.

Alison Stewart: This text we got said, "I saw an early test screening of Weapons, and without saying too much, it's incredibly nerve-bending with legitimate jump scares. The audience was screaming at the characters on screen. I cannot wait to see the final results.

Alison Willmore: Love to hear that. I love a rowdy horror screening. I feel like horror is one of those things that is so fun to see in a theater because of that.

Alison Stewart: Well, we've got another sort of horror movie together. It's about a couple that moves the country and weird things start to happen, and actually stars a real life couple. Yes?

Alison Willmore: Yes, Alison Brie and Dave Franco, who are married in real life, and then play a couple who in this case, this is maybe it's just-- the moral of the story is don't leave the city, because they move out to a remote house in the country. Then things start going wrong. Maybe both with their relationship, but also because they encounter a strange, mysterious, supernatural cave in the woods near their property. It starts having, let's say, body horror-ish effects on the two of them. I won't go into it any deeper than that, but let's just say things get gnarly, but also funny.

Alison Stewart: How does their relationship affect how they work together on screen?

Alison Willmore: I think you really see their history. I think it's difficult to always portray a long term couple on screen because you're just having to carry this idea of a lot of written history and putting that up in between the interactions that you're having on screen. I think they do that so well. They portray people who are extremely connected to each other and know each other very well, which also means at times that they know exactly how to needle each other.

Alison Stewart: Now, the team behind Together has been caught up in a little bit of a copyright lawsuit. The producer of The Better Half called Together 'a blatant ripoff' of their film. How do you think this will impact it at the box office?

Alison Willmore: Yes, it's a good question. Often times when there are lawsuits like this, they tend to go away because you read about them or they end up in front of a judge and the judge says, like, this is not enough similarities. We often all think that we're the first people to have a certain idea and unfortunately we aren't. In this case, I think there are some details, if you read-- some of them are spoilery. If you read about the case, there are some details that feel very not like coincidence. They feel very hard to justify as just two people thinking of the same thing.

I am curious about-- I don't think it's probably going to affect the box office just because I don't know that people pay attention to the trades as much as-- so, I don't think people are aware of it. I do wonder what the outcome will be because this seems like the actual rare one of these lawsuits that could really get traction.

Alison Stewart: I do have to talk about the Naked Gun featuring Liam Neeson. I couldn't believe it. I was in the movie theater last week. I was like, Liam Neeson is in a remake of the Naked Gun? You, as a film critic, Liam Neeson of Taken and Schindler's List taking over for Leslie Nielsen in the Naked Gun. What did you think?

Alison Willmore: I haven't seen this yet. It is the movie I am most looking forward to the whole summer. I thought the trailer was so funny. It is also like, it is directed by Akiva Schaffer from The Lonely Island, who has also directed-- He directed Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping which I think is one of the funniest movies of the last decade. I just actually love the idea of Liam Neeson as this very deadpan hero of this extremely silly movie. Leslie Nielsen, the late great Leslie Nielsen was also someone who started famously as a serious actor and then used that ability, that extreme deadpan so well in comedy.

I think that I have really high hopes for this. Also, I would love, you know, like-- big screen comedies have not had an easy time for a while. I would love for there to be a hit. I would love for there to be just a straight comedy as a hit. I'm rooting for this one.

Alison Stewart: In our last minute, we have a movie called Caught Stealing. It's about a New York City bartender who finds himself in the middle of a bunch of gangsters who are out to get him. Who's in this one?

Alison Willmore: We've got Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, a lot of people. This looks like an incredibly rowdy comedy, or not comedy. Incredibly rowdy crime thriller with bits of comedy that just travels all over New York. You've got all these different kinds of gangsters. You've got a former baseball player turned bartender, turned guy on the run. It's from Darren Aronofsky, who, of course, famously grew up in Brooklyn and knows Brooklyn very well. A great director, but I'm really looking forward to seeing him just do something that looks really fun and energetic and that just looks like a love letter to New York in the grimiest, rowdiest way possible.

Alison Stewart: Our guest has been Vulture and New York film critic Alison Willmore with upcoming movie releases. Hey, Alison, thanks for joining us.

Alison Willmore: Thank you so much for having me. Go to the movies.

Alison Stewart: That is All Of It. All Of It is produced by Andrea Duncan-Mao, Kate Hinds, Jordan Lauf, Simon Close, L. Malik Anderson, and Luke Green. Megan Ryan is the head of Live Radio. Our engineers are Julianna Fonda and Amber Bruce. Our interns are Francesca Bazzi and Sam Schmia. Luscious Jackson does our music. I'm Alison Stewart. I appreciate you listening and I appreciate you. I will meet you back here next time.