TBD

Oct 21, 2020

"Great, he's completely unharmed.
You call that unharmed?!"

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 for you up here this week. And since it's been a minute, I'll ask you to think of someone that might into this newsletter and share it with them. Please. 😊 And with that, we can get on to the movies!

Wait! I did want to mention a movie that I'd love to feature, but it's one of the theatrical releases that got shifted to a premium VOD rental, so it's a bit pricey - $20. Thought that might be too much cash for some, but for those who are into it, it looks like it should be worth it.

It's called Love and Monsters, a Zombieland-esque post-apocalyptic adventure rom-com. That was, uh, a shitload of words and dashes, but they were fitting!

Check out the trailer and see if you're feelin' that vibe.

This Week's Theme: I had a theme / three movies all picked out, but then realized we had enough new & notable home releases for Friday that I shelved my choices (they'll be back).

So while the theme is kinda just "they're available," you can actually pull a bit of one out: "distinct voices."

Justin Simien, creator of Dear White People is back with another cultural critique, as is Sacha Baron Cohen - but in a markedly different approach, and finally Sofia Coppola teams up again with Bill Murray for a lighter turn. Enjoy.

BAD HAIR
(2020)

The title Bad Hair really begs the question, if there is so-called bad hair, what then, is "good" hair. And that seems perfectly fitting, because director Justin Simien is no stranger to thought provoking titles. Simien created the movie, and subsequent (excellent) TV show Dear White People. But provocation doesn't mean a lack of fun. In fact, some of the most fun is had when a few cracks are added to proverbial cultural monoliths.

Bad Hair uses a classic mix of horror and satire to murder notions that should've gotten dead looooong ago - this time surrounding gender and racial beauty standards. And speaking of the past, Bad Hair is set in 1989 at TV network aimed at black audiences called "Culture." The channel gets taken over by a douchey white guy, James Van Der Beek - not unknown for his hair (and sweater vests!) - who renames it "Cult," and places a lighter skinned black woman (Vanessa Williams) in charge, vs the previous darker skinned boss, who thinks her employees should "flow freely" in the scalp department. Anna (Elle Lorraine) is anxious to keep her job so she takes the advice and alters her natural hair to a weave. The new hair engenders all sorts of praise, but also, a body count.

The death and decay will come from the supernatural tresses, but the horror will come from the all too natural shitty human behavior.

Give It a Shot If: you're exasperated with what "society" tells people to do with their bodies / have never had to think about these things for a second (hi straight white dudes! i.e. me!)

Note: I think the RT score belies the reactions to the movie. Even those who didn't recommend it noted how they enjoyed the movie's ambitions vs "this is a dud."

Details: 62% on RT (32 reviews)
R, 1 hrs 42 mins, Sight Unseen

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
(2020)

Can I tell you anything about this movie that'll make you more or less likely to watch beyond "it exists?"

I guess I could let you know it was filmed during "the bullshit" and somehow Sacha Baron Cohen was able to hole up with a couple QAnon believers. I suppose I could tell you Baron Cohen felt so unsure about his safety he wore a kevlar vest a couple days of shooting. Perhaps I tell you he partners with Maria Bakalova who acts as his 15 year old daughter and as a "gift" for people in the US government. Maybe I tell you the most salacious bit seems to be Rudy Giuliani maybe or maybe not touching himself during an interview with Bakalova, who in the scene poses as a 15 year old journalist right-wing journalist.

One thing that is of particular note is that this is probably a bit more overtly political than the last movie, taking on "Trump's America," which really is just kind of... America. 🤷‍♂️

But really, all of that doesn't matter when it's mostly a matter of...

More Borat = really!

More Borat = really?

Give It a Shot If: you still see "the mankini" and chuckle a lil bit / are a non-Trump voter that wants to enjoy a bit of schadenfreude

Details: 85% on RT (88 reviews)
R, 1 hr 35 mins, Amazon Studios

ON THE ROCKS
(2020)

Double entendre alert! "On the rocks" could mean the status of the relationship between Rashida Jones and Marlon Wayans, a married couple with two young children that are in a bit of a marital rut. Or it could be a euphemism for imbibing, a past time of Bill Murray - father to Jones' character and a charming, but selfish playboy.

More likely? It means both.

Such is the duality of the next movie from director Sofia Coppola, architect of childhood loneliness in The Virgin Suicides, unexpected connection in foreign land with Lost in Translation (also starring Murray) as well as stylistic feminism in Marie Antoinette. All of these films have a sort of bittersweetness to them. Expect more of that here.

In On the Rocks, Coppola takes on what is maybe her most mundane subject matter, but also possibly her most real - the doldrums that can occur in lifetime commitments. Jones thinks her husband may be cheating so she asks her own philandering father for help. Setup. Nailed.

But don't expect the movie itself to suffer from the drabness that can be everyday life, not with Murray around, who encourages a sort of espionage scenario to see if Wayans actually is being lascivious. Jones is no comedic slouch either, nailing the droll straight woman during her tenure on Parks & Rec. More likely you'll get "life enhanced," just enough of the sad prosaic parts to make you feel, but also buckets of the good stuff, to make you smile.

Give It a Shot If: you want a smile with your heartache

Details: 86% on RT (167 reviews)
R, 1 hr 23 mins, A24

Highlights

The Life Ahead - Sophia Loren (in her first movie in a long time), plays a sort of madame to sex workers that helps care for their children; she takes in an orphan and they form a connection Note: Netflix & in Italian

Jungleland - kind of like a bare-knuckle fighting Warrior - Charlie Hunnam (manager) and Jack O'Connell (fighter) are brothers trying to do "one last fight"

Raya and the Last Dragon - next full on Disney Studios feature set on a sort of pseudo-earth where a young woman (Kelly Marie Tran) searches for the "last dragon" (Akwafina) to help bring stability to her world

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom - last film starring Chadwick Boseman. He stars opposite Viola Davis in a movie based on the August Wilson play about the Blues in 1920's chicago. Note: Netflix

Note: that additional Mank trailer isn't an accident, they released a full trailer a week after the teaser

What's In Theaters +

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