The Drama

When Hollywood pigeonholed actor Matthew McConaughey into playing romantic lead roles in often goofy rom-coms, he stepped back and waited 18 months before scripts started coming in for things like Mud, Dallas Buyers Club, and True Detective. A risky but smart call. There is nothing wrong with rom-coms, but McConaughey didn't want to make them and I don't want to watch them. Which brings me to Robert Pattinson, best known for his teen Twilight saga vampire role of Edward Cullen. Like McConaughey, Pattinson has been making smart film choices post pale neck-sucker phase (as has Kristen Stewart), such as Goodtime, The Lighthouse, The King, The Batman, Die, My Love, and now, The Drama. The Drama might be considered a rom-com, albeit a completely twisted and messed up one. And I loved it. I was trepidatious going in, like Indy in The Last Crusade when he takes a leap of faith, Pattinson caught me off guard - maybe even off-guard twice. What's it all about? Emma (Zendaya) and Charlie (Robert Pattinson) are about to get married when at wedding menu tasting, the activity becomes: "confess the worst thing you've ever done." Emma is the last to disclose. She drops a bomb and the real drama begins. Without giving away anything, the confession leads to some serious marital jitters. The Drama goes places I didn't expect and it's darkly funny at times. You will want to get hitched to this one - catch it like a bouquet of razor wire in theatres now or rent it from Movies 'N Stuff.  

Challengers

This was not what I was expecting. I thought I was going to be served (let the tennis puns begin) a dumb teen romance movie that was cutesy and by the numbers, LOVE-15. It was not. What was fired over the net was more akin to "Saltburn" than "10 Things I Hate About You." This was sexy, arty, but without the pretention. With a pounding electronic score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and dazzling visuals, this movie will get your pulse up. What's it all about? A love triangle between double players Art Donaldson (Mike Faist) and Patrick Zweig (Josh O'Connor) who become rivals over tennis star Tashi (Zendaya). The story is told back and forth, switching from present to past; this editing choice seems intentional. Everything here is a rally, a back and forth, a fight. The tension is as taut as the net strung across the court, both sexual and for the outcome of the match at hand. This is the "Tombstone" of tennis. There hasn't been a lot of good films to watch in the theatres recently. This is a match to catch. It's an ace down the center line.