TBD

Jan 13, 2021

"Sticking feathers up your butt
does not make you a chicken."

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.

This week I'm doing a sorta "reboot" (re-imagining?) of the edition I sent on Christmas. That's because three of the movies I featured in that email were theatrical only at the time and now, they're not! Considering there ain't too many people trotting off to stranger filled rooms atm, figured I'd give 'em another shout.

But what's really interesting about this situation is that this may be the new normal - i.e. being able to watch movies at home just weeks after they premiered in theaters; even after "the bullshit" ends in earnest. See, two of the movies featured (Promising Young Woman and News of the World) are being released by Universal. What's special about Universal? Well, the studio was theater owners' original villain in the (terrifying) movie that was 2020, on account of Universal pushing their Trolls sequel (among other films) to home release soon after the theatrical release. Theater owners were apoplectic, on account of this breaking the traditional "window" (aka the time between when a movie is in theaters and available to rent at home). But Universal was all like, uh, pandemic broooos, what're we supposed to do? 🤷‍♂️ Tensions eventually eased and Universal cut a deal with the two biggest theater chains to shorten the window, but it was only one studio and two theater chains (albeit the biggest ones). So things were still very much in the "it's complicated" phase.

But like any good story, there's always a twist.

As you may know by now, Warner Bros dropped their massive bomb in December, announcing that all of their 2021 movies would be released in theaters and on HBO Max on the same day. Theater owners were almost more stunned than upset. This made what was once a very big deal (the Universal stuff), seem kinda quaint in comparison and the far less crazy option in the eyes of theater owners. With "the bullshit" still, well, shitting, no one expects the traditional window to come back as it was. Which idk, sounds kinda good? I love theaters (good ones at least), but I also like options. Plus, it will force theaters to compete not just on exclusivity, but on the experience. So maybe there ends up being less theaters, but the average quality increases? We'll see. Oh, and speaking of options, Netflix just announced they'll be releasing new movies every. single. week. of. the. year. They even made a fancy little trailer. Turns out the sequel to 2020 is gonna be kinda interesting too...

Heads Up - there are two other movies being released this weekend: Netflix's Outside the Wire (Anthony Mackie in a fairly average looking sci-fi action flick) and HBO Max's Locked Down (Anne, er, Annie? Hathaway and Chiwetel Ejiofor in a half rom-com, half heist flick that's also apparently, half good). They're definitely the more "mainstream" options, but that definitely doesn't make them the better ones. 🙃

NEW AT HOME
(BUT NOT LIKE, TOTALLY NEW)

(from top, left to right)

News of the World: Tom Hanks in the most Tom Hanks role - a morally sound traveling newspaper man who ends up looking after a young girl (who has been living with Native Americans) as they travel across the post Civil War west in search of her next closest relatives. It's directed by Paul Greengrass who did three of the very kinetic Bourne movies and Captain Phillips (also starring Hanks). But you'll find something a bit different here. These may seem like pejoratives, although they're not meant to be, but expect a slow"ish" western dad-flick. Although for most, it should prove to be a satisfying one.

Watch On: VOD
Trailer | PG-13 | 1 hr 58 mins
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% (Certified Fresh)

Promising Young Woman: the movie I was maybe most excited about last year based on the trailer alone (exceeept for maybe Dune). Carey Mulligan exacts retribution on men (and those who enable some of their awful behavior) after an event derails her time as a med student. But expect more than just a simple revenge movie and more an overall exploration of sexual assault. It looks intense, darkly funny, complicated, fresh as fuck and most importantly, needed. If you do watch and want more of a dive into the making of, take a look at this piece on Deadline where Mulligan and writer / director (Emerald Fennell - also the show-runner of Killing Eve S2 and an actor on The Crown) are interviewed.

Watch On: VOD
Trailer | R | 1 hr 53 mins
Rotten Tomatoes: 92% (Certified Fresh)

One Night in Miami: four black icons (Muhammad Ali, Malcom X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown) meet up after one of Ali's fight where they, among other things, discuss their roles in the civil rights movement of the 60's . It's fiction"ish" in that they were all there, but what was discussed is not known to this level of detail. It's the first movie to be directed by Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk, Watchmen) and it's supposed be a real good portrayal of the tensions and dynamics of such a fraught time. It's also worth noting that it's based on a play of the same name, written (both play and screenplay) by Kemp Powers - who also co-directed Pixar's (very excellent) Soul.

Watch On: Prime
Trailer | R | 1 hr 50 mins
Rotten Tomatoes: 98% (Certified Fresh)

Highlights

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar - Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo (who wrote Bridesmaids together) are the titular Barb and Star and they well, apparently go to Vista Del Mar! ⭐️Looks adorable and funny. Here's hoping it is (streaming next month).

The United States vs Billie Holiday - Lee Daniel (The Butler, Empire) takes on the music icon and her battle with the federal government as they try to metaphorically and literally silence her over her provocative performances. Looks good.

Stray - doc on stray dogs in Turkey which has a no-capture and no-kill policy. Looks sweet and just an adorable worable wittle movie (*ahem* sorry).

Malcom and Marie - literally only stars the two leads Zendaya (recent Spider-man movies) and John David Washington (Tenet) as a consequence of being shot during quarantine. It was written / directed by Sam Levinson, who created HBO's Euphoria (which also stars Zendaya)

What's In Theaters +

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