Two lies and a truth.

Aug 05, 2020

"Old enough...
Old enough for what?
...to party."

PINNED: this newsletter is supposed to be a friendly recapping of the movies in, and coming to, theaters. But those movies don't exist right now. Until that changes, I'll either be suggesting old favorites to revisit, pointing out recent flicks you may have missed or calling out notable new VOD / streaming options.

Another big deal occurrence in the theatrical movie going world this week. Disney shifted the release of the live action Mulan remake from an "at some point" theatrical release to a premium home rental (aka PVOD) via their Disney + streaming service. I'll explain more about how it'll work more in a tic.

For studios, the idea of premium home rentals has always been the proverbial pot on the horizon filled with... gold? nothing? these things?? Studios have been reticent to go take a look in part because of that lack of knowledge of what's inside - that and because they have partners who threaten them if they think of straying. That all changed when "the bullshit" came upon us. Universal took what was an imminent theatrical release, Trolls: World Tour, and made it PVOD (and no cut for theaters). This was understandable, especially when much of the marketing money had been spent. And by all indications, it worked. But Universal, as well as all other major studios have been pushing back their biggest movies, waiting for theaters re-open. Until now.

Disney deciding to make Mulan, a $200 million movie, an expensive home rental (albeit, still cheaper than the cost of two tickets at a theater in LA) feels different. One, it's Disney, and they have the biggest movies. And while their CEO says it's a one off that is only based on circumstances (fair), ya can't help but feel that if it's super successful, this one off may turn into more off.

As for the specifics, some things are still unclear, but the gist is that you'll have to pay $30 to watch the movie on September 4th. But you'll also have to be signed up for Disney + (60.5 million people already are). It's possible Disney lets non +ers watch it via normal VOD outlets (e.g. iTunes), but as of now, it seems to be only through +. The big question here is whether people who already pay (the pretty low price) of $7 a month for the service will balk at paying extra for content. They did get Hamilton for free, and that was supposed to be a theatrical release soooooo. Tbd!

If you have a strong opinion either way, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Btw, I didn't mention it last week, but Beyonce released either the longest music video ever or the music"y"est narrative movie ever. And as you might expect from the leader of the beyhive 🐝 , it lives up to the buzz .

😀

Cutoff? Go here, click "most recent edition."

This week's theme is fairly loose, but can roughly be described as new movies with female leads / directors / writers that get at interesting topics in acutely short runtimes (for real. none of these movies are over 90 mins). 🤷‍♂️

Btw, I'm still here, still waiting for your emails. So feel free to email me your take(s)!

YES, GOD, YES
(2020)

Sex is everywhere, it's desired by (most) everyone, it's just plain necessary for humanity's survival and yet its particulars are oft left undiscussed in "polite culture." And there's nowhere more polite than Catholic high school or faith retreats - the settings of Yes, God, Yes.

The particulars at *ahem* hand here are masturbation. Namely the urge to masturbate by Alice, the film's lead - played by Natalie Dyer (Nancy from Stranger Things). The urges, brought on by AOL chat rooms turned naughty, steamy Titanic scenes and vibrating Nokia cell phones (yes, you guessed it, the movie takes place in the early aughts) is what pushes her to the faith retreat. All because the one in the clouds says masturbation is a sin. Well, really Alice's teachers who tell her their Catholic god says masturbation is a sin. Seems she'll have to figure out if she should trust her very (common) human feelings, or her teachers who happen to be human themselves.

And sure, we can all imagine roughly how this one ends up, but that may be in the movie's favor, as it looks to do a good job of hitting the "oh boy, been there!" mark for adults and the "oh, so I'm not alone!?" feeling for those still discovering.

And speaking of those still discovering, the R rating sounds like it miiiight be bull honky - yet another indication of society's uncomfortableness with the coitus having being discussed in pubic, I mean, public.

Note: the director also co-wrote Obvious Child, (which if you haven't seen, I strongly endorse ) was a really sweet dramedy centering on an abortion.

Details: 93% on RT (89 reviews)
R, 1 hr18 mins, Vertical

SHE DIES TOMORROW
(2020)

"Amy thinks she's dying tomorrow...and it's contagious."

Hell of a pitch for a movie. Now it very easily could be just that, a cool pitch. But based on the reviews I'm reading, it seems to have gone well beyond that and turned itself into an existential terrifying new movie that'll force you to consider your own inevitable demise while making you super creeped out (thanks to writer / director Amy Seimetz who also co-created The Girlfriend Experience TV show). Um....yay?

Yes, yay! Because while death is a certainty, movies turning out to be good, is most definitely not. Now, maybe this isn't the perfect time for a movie about anxiety induced mania since many are already living that and don't need a movie to throw it back in their friggen faces. Or maybe this is the perfect time for this movie. Cuz who knows, watching it happen outside oneself and in a theoretical manner could help one process it all. Here's hoping!

In practice this one feels akin to It Follows, an excellent horror move (I reference often) that is also built on a simple idea that expands into something much more. She Dies apparently starts with one character believing her earthly shell will shatter tomorrow. How exactly? She has no idea, just that it will (she's so certain she starts googling urns she likes). She passes this anxiety on to a friend, who initially tries to calm her and downplay it, until the friend becomes disconcerted herself. And then those who try and comfort the friend also become anxious they will die "tomorrow." And so and so forth.

It sounds like the most fucked up game of whisper ever played if you ask me. And one I am excited to watch people play.

Details: 81% on RT (57 reviews)
R, 1 hr 24 mins, NEON

I USED TO GO HERE
(2020)

That idiom "you can never go home again" is so stupid. Of coooourse you can. And I Used to Go Here is an entire movie proving that silly phrase wrong. See, Gillian Jacobs (Community) is a mid-thirties writer going through a break up with her fiancé; she goes back to her college, invited by her former professor (Jermaine Clements - Flight of the Concords), for a talk on her new book and while there, literally visits her collegiate home. See! Home <> again. But when she's there, she gets involved in the lives of the kids living at the house now, almost reliving her college years until the realities of her life presumably come crashing back to the fore.

Ohp. Yup. Just getting it. The phrase is metaphorical. DuuuuUUUuuh.

........

...oh... You already knew that? Well, you'll fit right in with this movie. Which if it looks a little bit contrite (it probably is, just like that cliché), there's a decent chance it'll make you all warm and fuzzy inside, just like when you go, well, you know.

Details: 90% on RT (29 reviews)
NR, 1 hr 20 mins, Gravitas

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