In theaters on December 25 from A24 is ‘Marty Supreme,’ the latest film from director Josh Safdie and loosely inspired by real-life ping pong players who struggled with their own ambition and their sport’s viability in the 1950s.
Since deciding to go their separate ways after making the likes of stress-inducing dramas ‘Good Time’ and ‘Uncut Gems,’ who can say they expected the Safdie siblings to both put out sports-connected dramas months apart?
On the heels of Benny Safdie’s bio-drama ‘The Smashing Machine,’ here comes brother Josh’s ‘Marty Supreme’ which is more of a fictional screwball effort, albeit inspired by real-world ping pong players. But can it find more of an audience than ‘Smashing,’ which has struggled to connect?
Script and Direction
Director Josh Safdie and actor Timothée Chalamet on the set of ‘Marty Supreme’. Photo: A24.
Safdie, working with longtime collaborator Ronald Bronstein (‘Daddy Longlegs’) here brings a similar level of intensity to his latest, albeit the hysteria even further cut with comedy. It’s certainly made for a watchable movie full of great lines and outrageous moments, though it really will ignite debate over the central character, who is clearly talented but also treats people like dirt on his way to find sporting glory.
Safdie continues his ability to find interesting people to cast in both lead and minor roles and he imbues the whole affair with real energy.
Cast and Performances
(L to R): Tyler Okonma, Timothée Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme’. Photo: A24.
Chalamet is the big draw here, and he’s all quirky power charisma and greed, and manages to make you root for Marty even when he’s being an absolute monster to those he claims to love and beyond.
But there are also great performances littering the film, including Gwyneth Paltrow as a former movie star grasping back towards success, ‘Shark Tank’ veteran Kevin O’Leary as an odious business type who spots an opportunity in Marty.
Final Thoughts
Odessa A’zion in ‘Marty Supreme’. Photo: A24.
‘Marty Supreme’s rhythms (and indeed its main character’s behavior) definitely won’t be to everyone’s taste. But it’s still a fascinating look at someone who puts their own needs over everyone else’s until they can’t.
‘Marty Supreme’ receives 75 out of 100.
Timothée Chalamet in ‘Marty Supreme’. Photo: A24.
What’s the story of ‘Marty Supreme’?
Marty Mauser, a young man with a dream no one respects, goes to hell and back in pursuit of greatness.
(L to R) Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Christopher Guest in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
(L to R) Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
More than 40 years ago, Rob Reiner made his feature directorial debut with ‘This is Spinal Tap,’ a faux documentary – or a mockumentary – about the final American tour of an aging, dysfunctional, and generally tacky British heavy metal act called Spinal Tap. Featuring Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer as the three main members of the group, and Reiner himself as filmmaker Marty Di Bergi, who is ‘directing’ the doc, ‘This is Spinal Tap’ not only was a brilliantly funny satire of documentaries but an acidic look at the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle that is required viewing for heavy rockers to this day.
Four decades and many projects later for all involved, the venerable metal squad returns in ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues,’ in which the band – due to a contractual glitch – have to reunite for one last show despite not speaking with each other in 15 years. It’s a difficult lift to try and recapture the absurdist magic of the original film, and Reiner and company don’t quite do that. But they manage to pull together a bunch of funny moments and create an affectionate and warm tribute to the ‘band’ that will leave fans smiling.
Story and Direction
(L to R) Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
As in the first film, the ‘story’ is only a loose thread on which to string together the various sketches and character bits that paint a portrait of the now elderly group (and their even more elderly wigs). Following the original documentary, Spinal Tap saw a resurgence in their career that they managed to milk for another 25 years – until one day, 15 years ago, lead singer David St. Hubbins (McKean) suddenly stopped talking to guitarist and co-founder Nigel Tufnel (Guest) for reasons unknown to everyone, even Nigel.
David now writes hold music and plays with a mariachi band in Morro Bay, California, while Nigel runs a ‘cheese and guitars’ shop in Northern England and bassist Derek Smalls (Shearer) is the proprietor of a London glue museum. But due to the management contract now held by Hope Faith (Kerry Godliman), daughter of late Spinal Tap manager Ian Faith (the late Tony Hendra), the band is obligated to play one more show. Can they pull it together, and will we find out why David ceased communicating with his elementary school pal Nigel?
The answers are revealed — and really don’t matter (the latter revelation is especially perfunctory and ill-staged). The real joy of ‘Spinal Tap II’ is seeing these comedians once again don the personas of this permanently addled, perpetually mediocre musical act. There are lots of nods to the original film: for instance, the band can’t find a new drummer – Questlove and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich are among those they approach — because all are terrified of joining the nearly dozen who have died in the past. Instead of his amps going to 11, Nigel now has a cheese grater hidden in the back of his guitar for a mid-concert snack and an ever-expanding collection of floor pedals.
(L to R) Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
Their new PR consultant (Fran Drescher’s Bobbi Flekman passes on returning in a brief cameo), an obnoxious blowhard played by Chris Addison, reckons that the best thing would be for one of the members to die onstage during the concert. That bit touches on the film’s underlying idea: when is enough enough? In an era where audiences are taking out second mortgages to go to one ‘farewell’ concert after another from aging rock legends, should these guys know when to stop?
Don’t think too deeply about that, because the film doesn’t. Reiner stages it just like the first one, with ‘candid’ footage of the band’s misadventures cut between interview sessions conducted by the rather clumsy Mr. Di Bergi. It fits pretty seamlessly with the first one stylistically, but the reversals and some – not all – of the jokes seem a bit tired. Still, the ones that land are often still hysterical, and despite what we said above, there’s something fun and comfortable about seeing these lads go at it once again.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
‘Spinal Tap II’ really belongs to McKean and Guest, with Shearer and Reiner there as steady support along with a boatload of cameos. It’s Guest who is perhaps the most surprising, as the befuddled Nigel displays another side to his personality that finds him yearning to be back in his cheese shop with his wife. McKean’s David still suffers from lead singer disease, most noticeably when Paul McCartney sits in with the band during rehearsals and offers some advice on how to strengthen a song – advice which David does not take kindly to (“He has a toxic personality,” sneers the frontman later about the affable, soft-spoken musical deity).
McCartney seems to enjoy being in on the joke, and there is a moment in that sequence where you can palpably feel McKean, Shearer, and Guest’s amazement that they’re jamming with a Beatle. The same goes for Elton John, who shows up late in the film but also proves a good sport in a twist on one of the first movie’s most famous sequences.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Christopher Guest in ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Photo: Bleecker Street.
We went into ‘Spinal Tap II’ thinking that Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer couldn’t pull it off, and that it would be a flat-footed debacle. That’s hardly the case. As we noted earlier, ‘This is Spinal Tap’ was a sort of lightning-in-a-bottle scenario, and at times ‘Spinal Tap II’ labors too hard to recapture that vibe. But we would also be lying if we said that this rusty but pleasant contraption of a film didn’t tap into our sense of nostalgia more than once – just like the bands it still sends up.
‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ receives a score of 80 out of 100.
(L to R) Chris Addison, Kerry Godliman, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
What is the plot of ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’?
Some 40 years after his film ‘This is Spinal Tap’ chronicled a doomed U.S. tour by an over-the-hill British metal band, film director Marty Di Bergi creates another documentary of the band’s reunion and final show.
Who is in the cast of ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’?
(L to R) Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean in Bleecker Street’s ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’. Credit: Bleecker Street / Kyle Kaplan.
Suzanne Somers. Photo courtesy of Suzanne Somers’ Instagram.
Preview
Stars and friends take to social media to remember the actress
Suzanne Somer’s career in popular TV sitcoms such as ‘Three’s Company’
The star’s long battle with cancer
Known for her roles on ‘Three’s Company’ and ‘Step by Step’, Suzanne Somers lost her battle with breast cancer just short of her 77th birthday. Friends of the TV actress took to social media to mourn and remember the actress.
‘Three’s Company’s Official X page writes:
“We are extremely saddened… Of the loss of Suzanne. She passed this morning… Day before her birthday….. We send condolences to her family, friends & rest of her fans. May she rest in peace….”
Fellow actress and SAG president Fran Drescher posted a photo of the pair together on Instagram in remembrance of her friend:
“The heaviness of this past week’s horrors just got worse with the loss of friend Suzanne Sommers. She was a sweet & talented woman, a wife and mother. Survivor and thriver for more than 2 decades. But so sad to say she passed away today. Life is very hard, wherever we can bring joy, love, empathy and kindness as we move thru each day, do it! RIP dear Suzanne, you will long be remembered.
Born in San Bruno, California, in 1946, Suzanne Somers rose to TV stardom in popular shows such as ‘Three’s Company’ and ‘Step by Step’. She had been battling breast cancer for over 23 years.
“Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” Somer’s longtime publicist R. Couri Hay made the statement on behalf of her family.
“Suzanne was surrounded by her loving husband Alan, her son Bruce, and her immediate family. Her family was gathered to celebrate her 77th birthday on October 16th. Instead, they will celebrate her extraordinary life and want to thank her millions of fans and followers who loved her dearly.”
Somer’s got her start in a small role in ‘American Graffiti’, as a beautiful blonde in a white Thunderbird, catching the attention of Curt Henderson (Richard Dreyfuss). She didn’t have a line in the movie. Rather, she mouthed the words “I love you” to Dreyfuss’ character, but that was the spark that kickstarted her career.
Later, Somers played Chrissy Snow in ‘Three’s Company’ alongside John Ritter and Joyce DeWitt. She was on the show from 1977 to 1981, when the highly publicized salary dispute caused her to be written out of the show in its fifth season. Somers reportedly asked for a pay increase from $30,000 per episode to $150,000 per episode, the same as her co-star John Ritter.
The actress went on to play Carol Foster Lambert in the family sitcom ‘Step by Step’ alongside Patrick Duffy. The show ran for seven seasons, from 1991 to 1997. Aside from acting, Somers is also known as the spokesperson for the leg-toning device Thighmaster and the author of several books based on nutrition and natural health.
Suzanne Somers in ‘No Laughing Matter.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.
Somers was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000. 23 years later, the cancer had returned. Somers wrote in an Instagram post:
“As you know, I had breast cancer two decades ago, and every now and then it pops up again, and I continue to bat it down. I have used the best alternative and conventional treatments to combat it. This is not new territory for me. I know how to put on my battle gear and I’m a fighter.”
WGAW member urges “AI Protections Now” at 9/12’s Showrunner Solidarity picket at Fox. Photo courtesy of WGA.
Hollywood –– at least, the part that relies on scripted material featuring actors –– has been largely at a standstill since May of this year, as the Writers Guild, followed, by the actors/performers union SAG-AFTRA went on strike for a better deal from the studios, as represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
It has been 146 days since the start of the writers’ strike, but on Sunday, after a long stretch of negotiations before the weekend and through it, a deal has been agreed, at least on paper.
This doesn’t however, mean that the strike ends immediately. While picketing has been suspended by writers, the union’s members still have to vote to ratify a new three-year contract featuring the improved terms negotiated.
Assuming the guild approves the deal, the strike could be officially over by the end of the week.
WGA speaks out
WGA + SAG-AFTRA members walk the line at Showrunner Solidarity picket at Fox on 9/12. Photo courtesy of WGA.
This is what the WGA’s leadership sent to members once the deal was finalized:
“What we have won in this contract — most particularly, everything we have gained since May 2nd — is due to the willingness of this membership to exercise its power, to demonstrate its solidarity, to walk side-by-side, to endure the pain and uncertainty of the past 146 days. It is the leverage generated by your strike, in concert with the extraordinary support of our union siblings, that finally brought the companies back to the table to make a deal.”
The actors’ strike, which began on July 14th, follows similar action by the Writers Guild of America, the workers looking for a better deal.
The WGA went on strike on May 2nd, after its own contract ran out with the AMPTP.
Much like the Writers’ Guild, the actors’ unions had been negotiating with the AMPTP to secure a new contract. Actors have long been unhappy with reduced residuals brought about by streaming services and are displeased by studios claiming they can’t pay more while company CEOs earn millions. And roughly 12% of actors working today make the minimum required to trigger health benefits and keep their livelihoods.
Here’s SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher on the actors’ strike announcement:
“The gravity of this move is not lost on me or our negotiating committee or our board members who have voted unanimously to proceed with a strike. It’s a very serious thing that impacts thousands, if not millions, of people all across this country and around the world.”
Another key issue has been studios’ concerning efforts to bring in new technology to replace physical performers. When the strike was called yesterday, SAG-AFTRA revealed one pertinent detail of a studio offer –– digitizing the likeness of background players (or extras), paying them for one day’s work but then being able to use their image in perpetuity and however they please with no other payment.
Now, at last, it appears everyone is on a path to get back to work, which means an end to movies and TV series being delayed, a return for shows to the air and fresh development on new projects.
Hundreds of showrunners gather for group shot at Showrunner Solidarity Day at Fox on 9/12. Photo: J.W. Hendricks.
Hugh Jackman will return as Wolverine in Marvel Studios’ ‘Deadpool 3.’
Given how much of the ‘Deadpool’ movies have been written on the fly, you might have expected the latest –– ‘Deadpool 3’ to shut down when the Writers Guild of America went out on strike earlier this year. And yet… it kept going, with no official explanation other than the fact that the script had already been written.
But now, as SAG-AFTRA –– the union that represents actors –– joins the writers on the picket line, ‘Deadpool 3’ is among the productions shutting down.
The third ‘Deadpool’, which also features Hugh Jackman’s return as Wolverine, had been shooting in the UK, and it’s clear the strike is having a global impact as other productions, such as the ‘Mortal Kombat’ sequel, which had been filming in Australia, are also shutting down.
Many movies and shows had already been delayed by the writers’ strike, and the actors’ action promises to affect output even further. This represents the first time in decades that two branches of filmmaking unions have been on strike at the same time.
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What’s happening with the actors’ strike?
SAG-AFTRA on strike. Photo courtesy of SAG-AFTRA.
Much like the Writers’ Guild, the actors’ unions had been negotiating with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to secure a new contract. Actors have long been unhappy with reduced residuals brought about by streaming services and are displeased by studios claiming they can’t pay more while company CEOs earn millions.
Here’s SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher on the strike announcement:
“The gravity of this move is not lost on me or our negotiating committee or our board members who have voted unanimously to proceed with a strike. It’s a very serious thing that impacts thousands, if not millions, of people all across this country and around the world.”
Another key issue has been studios’ concerning efforts to bring in new technology to replace physical performers. When the strike was called yesterday, SAG-AFTRA revealed one pertinent detail of a studio offer –– digitizing the likeness of background players (or extras), paying them for one day’s work but then being able to use their image in perpetuity and however they please with no other payment.
The AMPTP replied to that with the following statement:
“The claim made today by SAG-AFTRA leadership that the digital replicas of background actors may be used in perpetuity with no consent or compensation is false. In fact, the current AMPTP proposal only permits a company to use the digital replica of a background actor in the motion picture for which the background actor is employed. Any other use requires the background actor’s consent and bargaining for the use, subject to a minimum payment.”
Loopholes
(L to R) Emma D’Arcy as “Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen” and Matt Smith as “Prince Daemon Targaryen” in ‘House of the Dragon.’ Photograph by Ollie Upton/HBO.
Not everything that had been shooting is shutting down, however –– some productions have been able to keep going through the writers’ strike (which started on May 2nd) because their scripts are complete. That includes HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones’ spin-off ‘House of the Dragon’, which is continuing to shoot through even through the actors’ strike as much of its cast is British and covered by the Equity actors’ union. And while some Equity members have promised to abide by the strike in solidarity with SAG-AFTRA, they have no legal protection if they end up fined or fired by companies they’re working for.
Welcome, then, to the summer of strikes…
(L to R) Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in ‘Deadpool 3.’ Photo courtesy of Ryan Reynolds Instagram account.
