Two new movies — one small and intimate, the other gargantuan — are recommended.
Nolan’s nonlinear screenplay follows Odysseus (Matt Damon), the Greek king of Ithaca, from his Trojan horse victory through a string of obstacles — a cyclops (Bill Irwin); the witch Circe (Samantha Morton); the nymph Calypso (Charlize Theron) — on his two-decade journey back to Ithaca. There, the long-absent Odysseus is presumed dead, and his devoted wife, Penelope (Anne Hathaway), is under pressure to remarry. Her uncouth suitors include odious frontrunner Antinous (Robert Pattinson), who plans to kill Penelope and Odysseus’ son, Telemachus (Tom Holland), and claim the throne. Expect a predictable but compelling homecoming and showdown.
“The Odyssey” delivers little emotional charge. Its impact is more sensorial than moving. As a Nolan protagonist mired in a war, Odysseus lacks the tragic feel of Nolan’s J. Robert Oppenheimer. Still, the movie is bang-up, intelligent entertainment, with gripping set pieces, stellar performances and worthy real-world subject matter, including the ever-relevant topic of moral compromise caused by war. As Odysseus, Damon is in top form. He’s believable as a traumatized war hero who has killed many and is haunted by his transgressions and also convincing as a weary, middle-aged warrior who still has what it takes to save the day.
Other standouts include Morton, whose Circe changes men into pigs and nearly steals the movie despite her minimal screen time, and John Leguizamo, affecting as Odysseus’ blind devoted servant, Eumaeus. The cast also includes Elliot Page, Benny Safdie, Mia Goth, and Lupita Nyong’o, who plays both Helen of Troy and her sister, Clytemnestra.
It’s just a movie, but it’s a wow. “The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan’s mammoth and exhilarating action adventure adapted from Homer’s epic poem, is in theaters. Nolan has streamlined and modernized Homer’s work, altering some details and emphasizing human powers over the godly and supernatural. Athena (played by Zendaya) is the only deity shown onscreen.
Ross McElwee’s “Remake,” opening Friday at the Roxie in San Francisco, is built around a failed effort by McElwee to turn his 1986 documentary “Sherman’s March” into fictional entertainment. Yet it’s foremost a moving reflection by McElwee on the death of his son, Adrian, of a fentanyl overdose at age 27.
Through voice-over and home-movie-like footage shot by both father and son, McElwee explores Adrian’s life and identity. He’s a cheerful boy growing up with his parents and sister, then a morose teen developing his own voice, and finally a 20-something budding filmmaker battling addiction.
McElwee, an award-winning director, examines his own filmmaking methods, which involve turning his camera on family members and editing his footage into documentaries to be seen by the public. Did subjecting Adrian to this practice affect Adrian’s mental health and sense of self? McElwee asks. “I used to be a filmmaker, I used to be your father,” McElwee states repeatedly, his voice laced with grief. There’s lots more in this multi-stranded film, from divorce and brain surgery to visits from old friends who worked on McElwee’s previous projects, including the entertaining “Sherman’s March.”
“Remake” is a fascinating, heartbreaking documentary about grief, memory, responsibility and parental love.
The Vogue Theatre host its third annual celebration of 2000’s “Groove,” the cult classic set in San Francisco’s underground rave scene, on Saturday and Sunday. Both evenings include socializing at 9 p.m. and the screening at 10 p.m. Greg Harrison, the movie’s writer-director, appears on both nights. Visit voguemovies.com for details.
The San Francisco Jewish Film Festival continues through Aug. 2, and, as of this writing, tickets are still available for some screenings. Visit sfjff.org for more information. Options include:
- “The Mad Dog of Europe” screens at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco. The documentary looks at screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz’s unproduced anti-Hitler film project, and at how it was derailed by 1930s Hollywood.
- “Cuz You’re Ugly” shows at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the San Francisco JCC and 3:30 p.m. July 31 at the Piedmont Theatre in Oakland. On a mission to lose her virginity, a young naval trainee changes course when learning that her 15-year-old sister is pregnant in this Israeli drama.
- “The Soundman” is at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday at the San Francisco JCC and 8:30 p.m. July 30 at the Piedmont. A skilled sound engineer and a talented Jewish actress are drawn to each other in this period dramedy set at a Nazi-era Brussels radio station.
- “Oxygen” screens at 6 p.m. Saturday at the JCC and 6 p.m. July 27 at the Piedmont. A mother takes extreme action to protect her son, whose military unit is preparing to enter Lebanon, in this Israeli drama, which is screening as part of a Director Spotlight on Netalie Braun.
- “American Doctor” is at noon July 30 at the Piedmont. Three American doctors from different backgrounds take immense risks to enter Gaza hospitals during a humanitarian mission in this documentary.
The Roxie Theater hosts a program celebrating the Americans With Disabilities Act at 1 p.m. Sunday. It includes screenings of “Sign 504 Now!” and “Vivien’s Wild Ride,” plus a panel discussion. Visit roxie.com.
Oakland’s Paramount Theatre at 7 p.m. Friday presents 1941’s “The Maltese Falcon,” John Huston’s noir classic based on Dashiell Hammett’s San Francisco-set novel. Humphrey Bogart stars as detective Sam Spade; Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, and Sydney Greenstreet costar. Visit paramountoakland.org.
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