The best movie of the year is released this week

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That’s because Luca Guadagnino’s The Challengers — the (fictional) tennis tournament and movie it’s based on — is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, bringing the best movie of the year so far to a wider audience, as Screen Gab editors Matt Brennan writes in this week’s Catch Up.

Plus, “Penguin” and “The Other Man” prosthetics designer Mike Marino will be stopping by as a special guest, and we recommend two pop culture documentaries airing this weekend.

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You should read stories that you may have missed.

“Emily in Paris” gave Lucas Bravo his big break. He learns to embrace the stars.As the hit Netflix series continues its fourth season, the French actor who plays the soulful chef Gabriel is becoming increasingly comfortable with his status as the lead.

Review: Eugene and Dan Levy hosted the most positive Emmy show everThe hosts of the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards kept things light and avoided the air of self-congratulation that often permeates such events.

‘SNL’ Announces First Season 50 Host and Musical Guests: Jean Smart, Chappelle Roan and More: ‘Saturday Night Live’ announced the hosts and musical guests for the first five episodes of its 50th season on Wednesday.

In a small New York apartment, stressed-out siblings fight and audiences love the sparks: Azazel Jacobs’ latest film reunites Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen in a profound drama about family, grief and redemption.

Light

Recommendations from The Times’ film and television experts

»Hayao Miyazaki and Heron” (maximum)

Some of my favorite scenes in Hayao Miyazaki and the Heron involve Miyazaki interacting with young children. To these neighborhood kids, one of the greatest filmmakers of our time (animated or not) is simply an old man who gives them a bean bag when he visits their studio. The two-hour documentary covers the seven-plus years it took Miyazaki to complete The Boy and the Heron (also on Max), the Academy Award-winning film for which the filmmaker came out of retirement (yet again). More than a detailed behind-the-scenes look at Miyazaki’s creative process, it’s a companion piece that walks the filmmaker through his answer to the question posed by the title of the Japanese fantasy animation he’s working on: “How do you live?” Even when he’s thinking more about death, the documentary often cuts between the subject matter and scenes from Miyazaki’s films that reflect the moments, so familiarizing yourself with The Boy and the Heron, as well as other works by the Studio Ghibli founder, is recommended.Tracy Brown

“Pulp: A film about life, death and supermarkets” (Canopy, Pluto TV)

Pulp will play a series of sold-out shows in Los Angeles this week, nearly three decades after their hit “Common People” became one of Britpop’s defining anthems. The English band, led by lanky frontman Jarvis Cocker, never became as big in America as their contemporaries Blur and Oasis. But in the decades since Britpop’s heyday, they have continued to build a following in America, thanks to Cocker’s singular charisma and a sound that blends glam rock and new wave. Directed by Florian Habicht, this film follows Pulp in 2012 as they prepare for a concert in their hometown of Sheffield in northern England. It’s also a loving portrait of the band as they reunite after a decade of sudden separation and an unsettling return to the gritty Yorkshire town that spawned them. It intersperses concert footage of Cocker, his arms and legs spinning on stage like a puppet, and intersperses vignettes of the band’s local fans, such as a musician who prefers Sheffield to London because, in Sheffield, “you usually meet someone who’s going to rob you.” —Meredith Blake

Delivery

Everything you need to know about the movie or TV series everyone is talking about

New Rochelle, New York has never been more interesting than in a dramatic romantic comedy “Inviters” (Prime Video), in which former friends and current rivals Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor) and Art Donaldson (Mike Feist) battle for the title at a second-tier stop on the pro tennis circuit, and the love of Art’s wife Tashi Duncan (Zendaya), Patrick’s coach and ex-girlfriend. Written by Justin Kuritzkes and directed Within an Inch of Her Life by Luca Guadagnino, the film combines the grace of Roger Federer, the strength of Rafael Nadal and the spleen of Novak Djokovic; aesthetically and tonally, it equates the unreliability of crocodiles with an evil wheel. (At one point, the camera becomes Perhaps most impressively, the straightforward photography, pounding EDM beat, and dizzying array of jumps back and forth in time don’t drown out the lead trio’s excellent performances. Faist’s naïve, awkward Grand Slam champion is the perfect foil for O’Connor, who’s a werewolf as well as a runner, and Zendaya confirms her place as the biggest movie star of her generation, expertly placed as the web between them. With enough (bi)sexual tension, horror comedy, marital drama, and platonic love, The Challengers remains the best movie I’ve seen so far this year. Just pump your fist and yell, “Come!” –Matt Brennan

Guest accommodation

Weekly chats with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on and what they’re watching.

Mike Marino is having a better week than most people have had in years. That’s because the prosthetic makeup designer is dropping off two high-profile projects at the same time: As “Penguin,” in which he transforms Colin Farrell into gangster Oz “Penguin” Cobb, hits HBO, and Max, “The Other Man,” in which he turns Sebastian Stan into an actor with neurofibromatosis, hits theaters. But Marino doesn’t attribute his success exclusively to hard work or careful planning: His willingness to get stronger is “some kind of magic,” he says, “outside of my conscious control.” Marino recently stopped by Screen Gab to talk about The Penguin, what he’s watching, and more. —Matt Brennan

FURTHER: “The Penguin” is the latest character study of Batman’s fascinating and aggressive villain.

What have you seen recently that you recommend to all your friends?

I always recommend “The Dark Zone” (Freevee, Pluto) Series from the 60s. I think the best filmmakers are inspired by Rod Sterling. Even though he is 60 years old, he is still relevant today.

What is your “comfort watch,” a movie or TV show that you keep coming back to?

Comfort Hours (the 1990 movie) “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” (Paramount+) “RoboCop” (Max) “Legends of Beloved” and “The Wedding Singer” (VOD, multiple platforms)!

Describe the moment of inspiration when you first fell in love with the concept of Colin Farrell’s prosthetics as The Penguin.

There is a moment after collecting reference images when you clear your mind. This is when your hands move intuitively and become a form of meditation. Suddenly, a kind of magic happens. The creator comes to life and escapes my conscious control.

What aspect of your prosthetic design for the series is that people can No Tell me immediately what you are most proud of and why.

I think there’s a lot to offer within Oz’s design. In this series we went beyond his face to show more of his body and explain why they call him a penguin.