We’ve deprogrammed from Sundance, and the best medicine to come down from all the independent films seeking distribution out of Utah is, well, television. On this week’s episode of “Screen Talk,” hosts Anne Thompson and Ryan Lattanzio catch up on the wealth of fabulous, complicated TV happening right now.
There’s “True Detective” on HBO, now heading into its penultimate episode as of this weekend (which also happens to be Super Bowl weekend). The Issa López-led series starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis is ramping up the supernatural stakes. Then there’s “Expats” on Amazon — two episodes in and yielding another rich performance from Nicole Kidman as what else but an unraveling wealthy woman. “The Farewell” filmmaker Lulu Wang created the series.
And don’t forget FX’s “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans,” with an all-in performance from Tom Hollander as a dissipated Truman Capote punching the last keys on his never-finished novel, “Answered Prayers,” in which he betrayed all his socialite best friends. At the center of it all, though, is Naomi Watts in a career-crowning performance as Babe Paley, Capote’s close friend and confidante for a time and whose personal turmoil the author threw under the bus, under the guise of fiction. Hollywood has struggled to figure out what to do with Watts after her Oscar-nominated turns in “21 Grams” and “The Impossible.” The Gus Van Sant-directed Ryan Murphy limited series is a reminder of her greatness.
There were other industry rumblings this week, too. We take a look at Metrograph Pictures bringing former A24 exec David Laub on board to shepherd acquisitions and financing for the budding film company, which has a brick-and-mortar theater in Lower Manhattan dedicated to repertory re-releases.
Also, coming back to theaters (which it never really left, anyway) this weekend is Will Gluck’s romantic comedy “Anyone but You,” a Shakespearian riff on “Much Ado About Nothing” starring Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney. What has made this film sizzle so much? Since opening on December 22 from Sony last year, the comedy has grossed over $152 million and continues to sell out screens. Do Powell and Sweeney have the stuff to become actual movie stars? We think so.
Watch the full episode above or listen to it below.
Screen Talk is produced by Azwan Badruzaman and available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify, and hosted by Megaphone. Browse previous episodes here, subscribe here, and be sure to let us know if you’d like to hear the hosts address specific issues in upcoming editions of Screen Talk.
