Photo from Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. 

Today is Friday the 13th, and tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. This doesn’t happen every year, so to mark the special occasion, I’d like to recommend two films that speak to both days in very different ways.

First, horror. This is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re ok with a lot — and I mean a LOT — of gore, drop everything right now and go check out 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the latest installment in the 28 Days Later film series. In the movie, the world is living through an ongoing zombie apocalypse, and Ralph Fiennes plays a doctor determined to figure out what caused the zombie plague. Throw in a pack of roving, murdering devil worshippers in blonde wigs, and a friendly zombie who kinda just wants to vibe out, and you’ve got a crazy kind of classic on your hands. Come for Ralph Fiennes dancing to Iron Maiden while spinning fire in the middle of a literal bone temple, but stay for the beautiful direction from a creative I’m obsessed with: Director Nia DaCosta.

She embodies the Alex Garland script with a thoughtful, patient eye. She’s also maybe one of my favorite guests on my show since we started it. In our chat (which is out now!), we spent a lot of time discussing how directing is all about editorial vision, but is also maybe even more team management. Hearing Nia go deep on how she approaches team dynamics and leadership, especially as a Black woman, was really eye-opening. She also got really existential with me, riffing on how The Bone Temple is all about the very nature of evil. “Evil is a thing that people do, but evil doesn't really exist,” she told me. “We exist, and we make choices. And I think that's the nature of evil. Evil is a choice. And I think those choices are a response to the meaninglessness [of life] and how we organize, and how we organize that weight, and how we share that weight, and in so doing, find meaning.”

On the entirely opposite end of the spectrum, if you need some love in your life this weekend, please go see Pillion, the new Alexander Skarsgard film. It’s a rom-com with two big twists: the couple is gay, and one of them is a dom in a queer biker gang. The traditional beats of a rom-com are fully present in this film, it’s just wrapped in chains and locks and sub play and domination and gay sex in allies. Making all of that work is a remarkable feat. It helps that consent is present the entire time in the film, and that the friction present, in the bedroom and throughout all the relationship dynamics, is part of not just sexual pleasure, but also personal growth. I’ve really got no negative notes on this one. Go see it now!

With that, happy Friday the 13th and Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m very curious: What are your Valentine’s Day pop culture go-tos? Albums, movies, etc? Lemme know, and I’ll talk with y’all next week.

Be good to yourselves,

–Sam

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