TBD

Sep 23, 2020

"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K"

PINNED: this newsletter is supposed to be a friendly recapping of the movies in, and coming to, theaters. But things be real weird right now. So until that changes in earnest, 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.

Not much going on this week box office-wise. The big discussion is how Tenet didn't "bring audiences back" to the theaters.

As noted here, Warner Bros. is trying to say it's a long game, but that's getting harder to support as an argument when WB itself (studio behind Tenet) pushes its other big movies back - Wonder Woman 1984 was moved from Oct. 2 to Christmas and Dune is in strong contention to shift as well. Universal moved the Candyman reimagining to next year and even Bond, which was supposed to be a firm date, is probably in play.

Again, all of this makes sense in that nothing makes sense right now. And you may be wondering by WB is even trying to play like Tenet will do anything reasonable at the box office. Well, it's kind of the perception game with movies. If people believe a thing is a failure, they stop paying attention quicker. Plus, it doesn't make people feel confident about the theater in general, and WB still has other movies coming out...

What's next: when are theaters in LA / NY coming back and does that has a material effect on box office? Warner Bros. says it will for Tenet as that's where they think the movie's audience is, but even that won't make up for the shortfalls the movie has seen since it's opening.

This week's theme is... are you BRIH-ish?

ENOLA HOLMES
(2020)

Girls should be well mannered.

Girls should be able to crochet.

Girls should "look pretty" and wear dresses.

Girls should... do whatever they goddamn well please.

There we go, that's better. Even typing the first three sentences made me feel gross. But this movie is sure to be a nice little palate cleanser, both for the above trifecta of falsehoods and the going-ons of today. As Enola Holmes is a sorta revisionist version of the Holmes family. See, Enola, who came to be by way of a series of novels beginning in 2006, is the much younger sister to her much more famous brother (Henry Cavill, aka Superman). Enola is here to change the latter, screw the fact she's just turned 16. Holmes is played by Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven in Stranger Things) and for most of her life it's been her and her mother, allowing for a non-traditional upbringing. Which seems like it'll serve her well when mother suddenly disappears and she has to avoid her elder brothers' misplaced attempts to send her to a finishing school, in order to find the clues to figure out what happened.

Mind you, this is a fun bright revisionism, so while there are forces working against Enola, including her well intentioned, but woefully stodgy brothers, don't expect it to dip too much into the darkness that actually existed in Victorian England. Plus, Enola herself talks to the camera kind of akin to Ferris Bueller's Day Off - but actually more like Fleabag (the director here directed nearly episode of that show) as the fourth wall breaking is apparently common and per reviews, works quite well without becoming a bother.

Give It a Shot If: you want a cheeky and forward-looking bright take on a world you know

Details: 91% on RT (76 reviews)
PG-13, 2 hrs 3 mins, Netflix

GET DUKED!
(2020)

Oi! Watchu doin over there? Come watch us peng lads get chased in the Scottish Highlands by some dodgy geezer we callin' The Duke. He thinks he can straight up murduh us after we got stuck out here because we think school is bollocks. Well, except Ian (fox head), Ian's a bit of a nerd - although his bomb makin' game is weak.

But you know we gangsta and ain't gonna let that shit 'appin mate. You've have to be bladdered to think we're not gonna make that bloke pay. We may have no idea how to survive outside of London bruv, and we may get knackered from runnin' twenty meetahs, but at least we know what shrooms will make us wavey.

So come on then, we guarantee you'll be chuffed if you chill wit us for 90 minutes.

Give It a Shot If: you thought even my weak ass attempt to infuse some British street lingo was fun

Details: 86% on RT (87 reviews)
R, 1 hr 27 mins, TBD

MISBEHAVIOUR
(2020)

One of the upsides to movies is how they can take complex / difficult issues and in a mere 90 + minutes make you feel like you understand.

One of the downsides to movies is how they can take complex / difficult issues and in a mere 90 + minutes make you feel like you understand.

Misbehaviour looks to convey both of these points as it tackles the struggle(s) of women in 1970 England. A group of whom try and convince the world, or at least the viewers of beauty pageant Miss World, that their deeply held belief of feminism, should be a universally held belief (true). And who can blame them? There's still a massive gap in equality today, but take the earth back fifty trips 'round the sun and get better things they do not. Which is why characters (based on real life women) played by Keira Knightly and Jesse Buckley (I'm Thinking of Ending Things) engage in some righteous mischief making (also based on real life events).

Thing is, there were also real life people a part of this Miss World contest thingy, women people, who could get caught in the middle. The focus here is on Gugu Mbatha-Raw (The Morning Show), aka Miss Grenada, a contestant who is black, and in spite of the minuscule chances of her winning, is working to represent for other young black women and girls.

So yeah, some real adult-pants sized issues we're dealing with here. But to make it accessible, reviews say the movie keeps a light tone - too light for some. But to make sure people understand your point, you kinda need to butter them up first... right?

Give It a Shot If: you're lookin for a positive lil pick me up to remember things can change, even when they seem like they won't (hold on to some of that RBG spirit)

Details: 85% on RT (41 reviews)
NR, 1 hr 47 mins, Shout! Studios

Highlights

Supernova - Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci are a couple dealing with one of them having early onset dementia (Tucci)

The Croods: A New Age - sequel to the cavepeople Dreamworks flick

The Opening Act - Jimmy O. Yang (Silicon Valley) tries that stand-up life, which apparently ain't easy (surprise!)

What's In Theaters +

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