With the Cannes Film Festival behind us, the summer film season has begun. Yes, “The Little Mermaid” and “Fast X” are already out, but this week, two more releases add another variable to the theater calendar: Oscar potential.
With the release of ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,’ came the long-awaited sequel to the animated film that became the first (and so far only) superhero film to win an Oscar. Critical acclaim proves the long delay has not been in vain. As IndieWire’s Kate Erbland writes in her review: “In a genre built on the literally super and special, these films aren’t afraid to stand out and do something truly different, something that pushes the envelope, to showcase the genuine range available to this subset. of stories and feeling damn good in the process (and look, dare we say, even better).”
The film is poised to do well commercially and follow its predecessor into awards season, but moviegoers looking for a quieter option this weekend needn’t stay home, as A24’s Sundance hit “Past Lives” also arrives in cinemas. Playwright Celine Song’s acclaimed debut is an autobiographical riff on her experiences as a Korean immigrant reconciling with a mate from her past. As IndieWire’s Anne Thompson wrote earlier this week, the big surprise of the film is that she Song proves to be just as talented in filmmaking as she is with the stage.
On this week’s episode of Screen Talk, Thompson and Eric Kohn reunite to discuss these new films and why they’re injecting fresh energy into the release calendar. They also look forward to the release of Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City’ and hit several more Cannes highlights this month, including Palme d’Or winner ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ and Martin’s ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Scorsese, both of which have award prospects of their own.
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, subscribeHereand be sure to let us know if you’d like hosts to address specific issues in future editions of Screen Talk.
