An unusual and particularly mischievous week for me: a beverage summit hosted by Oatly, the Screen Slate Gala, and Prada Mode, where Nicolas Winding Refn and Hideo Kojima held forth on life, death, and clubbing with guests like Michael Musto and Amanda Gorman. The whole thing was an all-day odyssey in the Chelsea Hotel that deserves its own post (forthcoming, I promise). In other words: I am spent.
So today we’re kicking off a new summer interview series about what else but movies and food.
Lately…
I didn’t think Backrooms was very good, and wrote about why and what to watch whether you liked it or not.
Fans of John Early and women over 30 must watch She Keeps Me Young—fun, with a bit of a mean streak—the feature debut of Doron Max Hagay, who I believe is Alison Roman’s former videographer.
The most provocative film I’ve seen in months is Blue Film, so transgressive it was rejected by most major U.S. festivals and which I strongly recommend seeking out. It kept me awake for hours afterward.
If I weren’t spending Saturday revisiting my Saddle Creek-obsessed youth, I’d be attending an unstructured discourse with Jean Pierre Gorin and watching Poto and Cabengo…
…or listening to Steve Buscemi discuss his directorial debut, Trees Lounge, a film I remain quite fond of.
Brooke Callahan makes clothes that are highly functional yet not exactly plain. The extremely flattering cotton tie pants, worn by a certain subset of women and a source of satisfaction to people who like all manner of rises (I like my pants low), are the kind of garment that spreads through a friend group until everyone owns a pair. (I have two, through this domino logic.)
Last month, Brooke was in town with her fellow L.A. designers for a pop-up that I penciled aggressively into my weekend. My friend Clara made it there first—just before our plans to catch Elaine May’s A New Leaf at IFC—and discovered that Brooke had not only seen the movie but is a fan of the director in general. (Clara also purchased another skirt; this marks three.)
Brooke, as it turns out, is a cinephile and Michael Mann girl after my own heart. She’s also convinced me to watch the Mark Wahlberg movie The Gambler.
[UPDATE: Brooke tells me she meant the 1974 James Caan movie, not this one. I should’ve known since I brought up Thief, Michael Mann movies being the topic du jour and always, but to be fair she also brought up Den of Thieves!! In addition to Hard Boiled and The Friends of Eddie Coyle. Like I said, woman knows her stylish crime dramas and then some.]
How did you get into movies? Is there a gateway film or theater experience that turned you into the person you are about this?
I think I really got a crash course when my first year in NY and the first (and I think only?) year of Movie Pass (RIP!!!!) coincided. I was making, I think, truly the lowest possible salary they can give a person in the city, and it was the first year of dating my now-husband. We probably saw 3+ movies a week for free; it was basically all I could afford.
How do you decide what you’re going to watch?
I feel like I’ve still seen so little that I can still work through the filmographies of directors I’ve enjoyed in the past. I sometimes trust Letterboxd. I’m an avid user, and anything scored 3.8 or above is at least worth trying.
What’s your preferred way to watch a movie?
Either on the couch with my husband or in a packed theater.
You can only have one streaming service… which one is it?
Well, the real answer is Paramount+ so I can rewatch Survivor. But I should probably say Criterion.
Fill in the blank. I’ll watch anything that ______: stars Al Pacino.
Has a film ever changed how you think about clothes, or how you dress?
The Devil Wears Prada did psychological damage to so many millennial women. We all thought we needed to work in PUBLISHING. But the clothes: I would be lying if I didn’t mention it.
Trainspotting was also another huge one for me. Movies in general are always influencing the way I dress and design, maybe more than anything else! Most recently, I watched The Hit, which really helped solidify my stance that wayfarer is the only truly cool sunglass shape.
Is there a character whose wardrobe you’d like to steal?
Erika (Isabelle Huppert) from The Piano Teacher for the trench coats.
A movie that makes you laugh: My GOAT comedies are Birdcage, Zoolander, Superbad, and Austin Powers, obviously.
The last movie that devastated you: Nashville
Your favorite New York movie: After Hours. One of my favorites period. I could live in that New York, and I wish I could afford a Soho loft.
Your favorite sexy movie: Sex, Lies and Videotape as well as Crash. James Spader at his prime really was the sexiest to ever do it.1
What’s been languishing in your watch queue: Cabaret, Come and See, Terms of Endearment
A film you’ve seen the most times: The Social Network
The last movie you couldn’t finish: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead
The best movie of the decade: Tar
DINNER AND A MOVIE: Brooke Callahan
To watch: Rope is my #1 Hitchcock and probably one of my favorite movies ever. It’s a tight 83 minutes, and all takes place in a perfect Manhattan penthouse. There’s a lot of Martini drinking, and Jimmy Stewart is at his very best.
To eat: Any classic Midtown steakhouse works to chase this vibe. Keen’s will always be #1. Pretty impossible to beat, but last month I tried Gallagher’s, which was wonderful and a much easier reservation. I actually don’t care too much for steak at all—I’m there for the vibes! If there is a burger, I’m doing that medium rare. If there’s no burger, I sometimes have to go for what are surely the less popular items: Beef stroganoff at Smokehouse in LA, tuna steak at Gallagher’s. But a Martini, a Caesar, and either cheesecake or tiramisu for dessert are constants.
Rope is playing at Quad Cinema this month!
Is there a food scene in a film that’s stayed with you?
The 2014 movie Chef randomly meant a lot to me. He cooks a grilled cheese with so much butter. A life-changing scene. I wish I made grilled cheese more. I would use sourdough from Clark St. Bakery, a ton of Kerrygold, and some sharp cheddar to keep it classic.
Where are you a regular? Red Lion Tavern (had to replace Taix, RIP), Figaro, Valerie in Echo Park.
What’s your diner order? Pancakes, bacon, grapefruit juice.
Take-out order? Span and egg + a spicy tuna roll from Rice & Nori. Or Chick-fil-A spicy-deluxe with a side of mac and cheese.
Your parents are in town. Where do you take them? Musso and Frank, of course! I get the chicken parm.
What about your friends? Musso and Sonoratown.
Preferred treat or pick-me-up? Mint chocolate ice cream or Whole Foods carrot cake slice.
Follow Brooke on instagram here.
Sexy movies are on my mind, because I worked on this book for A24 and you can order it now!
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