Happy National Landfill(ing) Day! 🎁🎄🎉
GUESS THE QUOTE
"There's children throwing snowballs,
instead of throwing heads.
They're busy building toys,
and absolutely no one's dead!"
The Adam Sandler movie Uncut Gems is expanding this week. Check them showtimes if you're into it.
Speaking of release patterns, 1917 and Just Mercy are actually releasing in limited markets this weekend (gotta get that Oscar qualifying in). So unless you're in the big east or west coast cities, you'll have to wait another couple weeks for both (should be expanding January 10th).
All movies except Clemency are in theaters now.
Cutoff? Go here, click "most recent edition."
LITTLE WOMEN
AKA
"those whom you least
want to underestimate"
PG / 2 hrs 15 mins
Drama / Sony
WHAT'S THE DEAL
In One Line: The story you know, as told by Greta Gerwig, who adds a new perspective, while apparently keeping everything people love.
I get it. Good chance your first thought here was, "again? really!?" Which, is kinda fair. Louisa May Alcott's story from 1860 has gotten the film treatment, to say nothing of television, around a bajillion times (ok, maybe this is only the sixth, excluding silent versions, but that's still a lot). Especially when, for many, the Winona Ryder, Claire Danes and Kirsten Dunst version from '94 is like THE version (some will fight you on it, trust). And yet, here we are. Which, according to reviews, is a good place to be.
Because our guide this time is Greta Gerwig, who did an excellent job writing/directing her first film in 2017's Lady Bird (also starring Saoirse Ronan). Gerwig doesn't do anything that would send out the Twitter hoards, but there will be soooome plot adjustments and most notably, the story is told via time shifts vs a straight chronological jaunt. Reviewers say it perks the story up, forcing viewers to pay attention, especially welcome since many viewers know the tale so well already. Reviewers also saying there's a notable freshness and modernity to it without making it feel too modern in presentation (i.e. no one says dude or slips on Stan Smiths).
But seems the biggest takeaway from those who've seen it is that this version doesn't lose the heart of the story, the relationship between the sisters; in fact it appears to only strengthen it. It's always nice to see old friends who are just who you remember, but who've grown in their absence.
Notes: March sisters played by: Jo (Saoirse Ronan), Meg (Emma Watson), Amy (Florence Pugh, Midsommar), Beth (Eliza Scanlen, Sharp Objects). Teddy (Timothée Chalamet). IN THEATERS TODAY
REVIEWS
Getting tons of love, saying Gerwig successfully melds freshness with reverence. Expect it to be on many best of year lists (as well as Oscar nominated).
"I think Greta Gerwig has tapped into what she loved about Little Women as a kid, but made it feel really relevant. This movie tries really hard to say "Little Women matters today," and I think it succeeds." - Amy Nicholson, FilmWeek (NPR)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
(183 reviews @ publish)
WHO'S IT (NOT) FOR?
For: you've read the book 100 times or never at all
(Not): you can't read - cuz you're a baby - otherwise, see above
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SPIES IN DISGUISE
AKA
"cats.
(you see the way the way
those bastards look at you?)"
PG / 1 hr 41 mins
Comedy-Family-Animated / Fox (Disney)
WHAT'S THE DEAL
In One Line: The kind of animated movie where there will be, not just one, but multiple poop jokes.
Will Smith is a super duper uber spy and Tom Holland is a classic meek freaky good tech geek who turns Smith into a pigeon because MOVIE THINGS and blah blah blah. Look, you know how Pixar movies are (mostly) totally original and seem to (almost) always become instant classics? This ain't that. Which sure, not everything needs to be your new fave. This is more that you know what you're gonna get vibe - and that is going to be pop culture references with lowest common denominator jokes (read: poop jokes. I mean, it involves pigeons, come on). The animation will probably be pretty snazzy, but nothin crazy. But you know who won't care? Ten year olds. So if you have some, have at it.
Notes: teeeeechnically this is now a "Disney movie," but not really. It was greenlit at Fox before the big eared behemoth gobbled 'em up. IN THEATERS TODAY
REVIEWS
It may be getting a decent RT score, but seems it's more decent distraction than long lasting memory builder.
"There's a level of craftsmanship that's to be admired, even as you tick off every predictable sequence and plot point as it advances steadily to its obvious conclusion." G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 72%
(64 reviews @ publish)
WHO'S IT (NOT) FOR?
For: you have some kids you need keepin busy / you need to get the hell out of the house and don't care which movie it is
(Not): you're lookin for that Pixar animated movie quality level
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1917
AKA
"years peeling potatoes preferable
to the two hours depicted on screen"
PG / 2 hrs
Action-Drama / Universal
WHAT'S THE DEAL
In One Line: A real time vision from Sam Mendes where you see, and feel, every action taken by two soldiers trying to save hundreds more during World War 1.
War is hell. A nice little quip which is real easy to say, much harder to actually comprehend if you've never been in one (to be clear, I have not - unless 8th grade counts?). Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty), with the help of renowned cinematographer Roger Deakins, is going to try and help you understand though. I mention Deakins because the way he shot the movie is central here - it's setup to feel like it's all happening in real time, i.e. one take, no cuts. Which is cool (no, apparently it's actually really cool, see reviews), but only if what never leaves your vision is compelling. This is, most definitely, a war movie so it's true your mileage may vary, but by following two soldiers tasked with savings hundreds of others (including one of the soldier's brothers), the stakes are less about "god and country" and more about survival, both personal and communal.
Note: IN THEATERS TODAY
REVIEWS
Maybe a bit of a "critics movie," but being called by many as one of the best of the year.
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
(129 reviews @ publish)
WHO'S IT (NOT) FOR?
For: you want to smell even a whiff of what war is like, without having to deal with the horrible reality of it
(Not): you've experienced war and have no need to relive it
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JUST MERCY
AKA
"so much struggle for
what should come standard"
PG-13 / 2 hrs 16 mins
Drama / Warner Bros.
WHAT'S THE DEAL
In One Line: An earnest take on racial injustice that looks a bit Oscar baity, but critics say it still works in spite of that.
One look at the movie's poster and you can tell this isn't going to be the most subtle affair - and that's not necessarily a critique (although it could be, for some). It's the kind of movie where people stand up straight (real straight) when they deliver important and, if done well, powerful messages - often with rousing music behind the speech. When you're dealing with the film's theme of racial and societal injustice, you can understand the filmmakers desire to reach the broadest crowd possible.
Michael B. Jordan takes on the role of lead orator, playing a recent Harvard law grad working to overturn the (murder) conviction for someone who is clearly innocent (Jamie Foxx). Brie Larson joins the fight, but you'll mostly see Jordan and Foxx, who initially battle when Jordan wants to take the case (Foxx sees it as a lost cause), and then eventually, well, you'll have to wait and see. But if you've been paying attention, you know the outcome already...
Notes: film is based on the acclaimed memoir of Bryan Stevenson whom Jordan plays in the movie. IN THEATERS TODAY
REVIEWS
A number of reviews call it "earnest" and even "preachy" but they also say the message is not lost due to commited acting and the inherent rightness of the message.
"A sturdy example of this genre, in which persistence and faith lead to the righting of terrible wrongs, it will likely move younger viewers who haven't seen many like it." John DeFore, The Hollywood Reporter
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
(85 reviews @ publish)
WHO'S IT (NOT) FOR?
For: the louder the music during an unrealistic, yet compelling emotional articulation, the better
(Not): you like it when the message is clear, but you had to waid through your own mind to get there
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CLEMENCY
AKA
"not what your emotions
will get while watching"
R / 1 hr 52 mins
Drama / NEON
WHAT'S THE DEAL
In One Line: Character study on the price one human pays for overseeing the deaths of a number of others.
You ever killed anyone? Cool, don't want to know about it. But for those of us who haven't, it's hard to know what emotional toll it takes on a person to be responsible for ending the life of another. Now imagine being responsible for ending the lives of multiple fellow humans. Even if they're "convicted criminals," like they are in the case of Alfre Woodard's character - a prison warden. A botched execution sets off Woodard's long simmering crisis that continues with a prisoner fighting to prove his innocence (Aldis Hodge). Expect a level of austereness and lack of narrative hand holding that befits the coldness of the process, but also expect pertinent messages and excellent acting from Woodard mostly, but Hodge as well.
REVIEWS
As mentioned above, the acting is getting really high praise and the way it communicates the film's messages.
"Clemency's end credits arrive with relief, not because we're unengaged but because, unlike Bernadine, we're finally allowed to breathe." - Benjamin Lee, The Guardian
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
(50 reviews @ publish)
WHO'S IT (NOT) FOR?
For: you're that introspective thoughtful type
(Not): if a movie goes more than 3 seconds without someone talking or something exploding, you get antsies in your pantsies
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ALREADY IN THEATERS + BOX OFFICE
(3-Day Weekend /
Domestic Total - $ = millions)
1) Star Wars: The Rise of... ($177.3) NEW
The end to the Skywalker story
55% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
2) Jumanji: The Next... ($26.5 / $102)
Further in video game hijinks
71% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
3) Frozen II ($13 / $387)
Disney ain't lettin that $ go
77% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
4) Cats ($6.6) NEW
Ummm, it's cats, but humans, but cats. idk
17% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
5) Knives Out ($6.5 / $90)
Modern day whodunnit w/ big cast
97% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
6) Bombshell ($4.7 / $6)
Fox News sexual harassment story
67% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
7) Richard Jewell ($2.6 / $10)
Story of 1996 Olympics security guard
73% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
8) Queen and Slim ($1.8 / $37)
Couple become heroes / fugitives
83% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
9) Ford v Ferrari ($1.8 / $102)
Matt Damon & Christian Bale car movie
92% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
10) Black Christmas ($1.8 / $7)
Slasher where the victims fight back
39% RT - Trailer - Showtimes
THE GRUDGE
The remake of the remake where people die horrible no good deaths after entering a house where someone died enraged.
DOWNHILL
February 14, 2020
Remake of the swedish dark comedy Force Majeure where a husband runs away from his family during a *seeming* avalanche, and the aftermath. Julia Louis Dreyfus and Will Ferrell take on couple duties.
PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR
BUFFALOED
February 14, 2020
Zooey Dutch (Zombieland Doubletap, Zet it Up) plays a hustler who gets into debt collecting to get the F out of Buffalo NY.
PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR
THE WOMAN
IN THE WINDOW
May 15, 2020
Amy Adams plays an agoraphobic woman who sees the murder of her neighbor happen, and then shit gets weird. Basically is like The Girl on the Train.
PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR
TENET
July 17, 2020
Next Christopher Nolan movie. Looks like a Bond movie, except time can go backwards... kinda. Stars John David Washington (BlackKklansman) and Robert Pattinson.
PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR
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