The Brutalist Exhausts You on Purpose, and That's the Point

The entertainment world moves in cycles. Prestige means suffering through runtime. Depth requires your full attention. We've heard this pitch before, and studios have beaten it to death with four-hour cuts and extended editions that nobody asked for. Brady Corbet's "The Brutalist," now streaming on A24, breaks that pattern because the exhaustion isn't a flaw—it's the engine.

Adrien Brody plays László Tóth, a Hungarian-Jewish architect who survives the Holocaust and arrives in America to build something new. The film stretches across 215 minutes, shot in VistaVision, with long takes that force you to notice composition, shadow, the weight of a gesture. Corbet refuses shortcuts. He doesn't cut away when tension builds. He holds on faces. The pacing will frustrate some viewers immediately. You'll scroll your phone. You'll wonder why nobody speaks quickly. Good. That's the point. The film examines what survival costs, and Corbet won't let you skim the emotional texture by cutting to plot beats. Guy Pearce plays a wealthy industrialist with unsettling charm, and their relationship forms the spine—a study in power, gratitude, and the impossibility of gratitude when power imbalances everything. Watch it with zero distractions or don't bother.

"The Brutalist" dominates this week, but other options exist if you want something less demanding.

Benny's Picks

Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu (Audible) — Yu's novel jumps between screenplay format and straightforward prose, following Waymond (the character everybody plays in crime dramas) as he breaks the fourth wall and interrogates his own existence. The audiobook version, narrated by Steven Yeun, hits harder than the page. Yeun delivers each genre shift with precision, making the book's formal experiments feel earned rather than clever. This works if you commute.

Chappell Roan's "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess" (Spotify/Apple Music) — Skip the discourse about parasocial relationships and her tour cancellation. The album itself moves between synth-pop hooks and genuinely sad mid-album moments. "Pink Pony Club" overshadows stronger tracks like "Femininomenon," where Roan's voice cuts through a deceptively complex arrangement. She's a writer first, entertainer second, and the songs prove it.

Shogun Season 2 (FX) — Rachel Weisz joins the cast, and the show pivots from spectacle to intrigue. Creator Justin Marks tightens the pacing significantly. Episodes move faster without sacrificing the political depth that made season one compelling.

Skip It

Anyone Still Talking About Didi Gregorius Retiring — Sports media spent three days analyzing a shortstop's retirement announcement as though the Mets had folded. The player made a choice. Extend the conversation about something that matters.

Sleeper Pick

Yazoo City Brewing's Documentary Push on YouTube — A Mississippi brewery released a three-part doc about their fight against a corporate buyout and local politics. It's unglamorous, plainly shot, and more compelling than anything with a Netflix budget this month. Niche content about niche subjects sometimes works better than prestige television.