Whose line IS it? Anywaaaay...

Feb 03, 2021

"Don't point your fucking finger
at crazy people!"

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.

I haven't done an update on theatrical releases in a while. Probably should eh? Especially considering this email is still (for the moment?) titled What's In Theaters. But instead of saying this movie is moving from here to there, I'll summarize and tell you that, in general, the biggest movies have been pushed back to the end of this year (or next) or are going to be. The main exception being Warner Brothers' movies, which are seeing the simultaneous theatrical / HBO Max release. Yes, there will still be movies in theaters, but they'll mostly be "smaller" movies (again, WB movies withstanding), so I'll concentrate on streaming options for the foreseeable future. But trust I'll let keep you abreast of any changes. 🤓

Now, how about a (very quick) Sundance recap? Looks like the most notable movies to come out of the festival are: CODA - a "crowd pleaser" coming age flick about a young girl who's the only hearing person in her family (bought by Netflix for the most money of any Sundance movie ever). Then there's Summer of Soul... - a Questlove produced doc on a 1969 music festival in Harlem. Both movies won the Jury and Audience awards. Another big notable was Rebecca Hall's directorial debut, Passing, stars Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga (which Netflix also grabbed). It's about race and gender in 1929, also set in Harlem.

I was able to catch a few Sundance movies myself (thanks Jacob!), although none of the above. Most notable was probably The World to Come, which wasn't in competition since it played at other festivals, but I really enjoyed it (the trailer was featured in last week's edition). Also caught Superior (cool, lynchian vibe 80's flick, but def not for everyone) and Eight for Silver (solid, but not outstanding, werewolf horror movie).

Oh! The Little Things. Did anyone watch it? I heard from a few people they thought it was actually quite good. If you were considering, you might want to give it a shot. Reviews be damned.

Hot Take: I finally (begrudgingly) watched last fall's The Social Dilemma. Mainly so I could have an informed opinion. Definitely one of my least favorite films in a while. I may have a particular point of view as I've come from the world of digital marketing, but boy do I think that is some unhelpful fear mongering. Not a fan. Would have preferred more education, nuance and lot less Pete Campbell. 🤷‍♂️Writing in hopes I get some equally passionate responses so we can discuss. 😅 Trust I'll have some points to chew on, one being how the film calls out social media sites for trying to get you to spend all your time on them, while playing on... Netflix, whose CEO said they compete with sleep (to be clear, I love Netflix!).

LETS AGE IT DOWN A BIT

(from top, left to right)

The Kid Detective: You'd be forgiven for thinking this was the most aww gee shucks movie on this list. I mean, it's literally called The KID Detective (TKD). And to be fair, it does feature a child who is also a private investigator; he has a treehouse office and everything. So adorbs (although maybe not as adorbs as this). However, the movie mostly centers on the adult version of said child who is a PI. He's still actively investigating cases at 32, but no longer able to tread on the cuteness of being a, well, kid detective.

And look, many of us probably had some aspirations of what we wanted to be when we became all growed up, but chances are that most of us didn't end up with those dreams as our career. And maybe that's for the best. Because in TKD, Adam Brody (aka Seth Cohen) as Abe kinda just keeps on keepin on with cases of who stole lunch money from whom and is Bobby a damned liar for saying he met this famous baseball star (course he is). That is, until a legit (and legit gnarly - a girl's boyfriend gets stabbed 17 times) case comes along where Abe has to actually detect some stuff. But seeing as he's kind of a lump who drinks too much, and maybe isn't as good of a detective as everyone thought. Or maybe, just maybe, he'll have the chance to prove 'em all wrong.

Worth noting that reviews call out how the movie is a fair amount more macabre than at first blush, and also keeps you guessing as it straddles lines of dark comedy to plain old dark.

Watch On: VOD
Trailer | R | 1 hr 39 mins
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% (Certified Fressssshhh)

Unpregnant: When you read "unpregnant" you probably think "abortion." Which is fair! But abortion is largely the impetus and not quite the raison d'être for a movie that focuses more on road-trip buddy adventure where two (kinda former) best friends - Haley Lu Richard (Split, Edge of Seventeen) and Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) - reconnect. But even if this movie is not trying to be quite as overtly point making as say Never Rarely Sometimes Always, there is an implicit point being made by even having to take a multi-state (Missouri to New Mexico) trip to get an abortion.

One way to think of this movie is as the (much) lighter version of Never Rarely, or maybe a combination of that and Booksmart. Although, whereas in Booksmart, the two young women were already tight, Richard and Ferreira have to rediscover why they were friends in the first place. All while dealing with a cast and varied group of c.h.a.r.a.c.t.e.r.s. *breath* characters along the way.

Watch On: HBO Max
Trailer | PG-13 | 1 hr 43 mins
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Finding 'Ohana: I'm not going to say you can't watch Finding 'Ohana without kids, but I'll say you're definitely more likely to watch Finding 'Ohana with kids - and I bet more likely to enjoy yourself too. Because this is the sort of movie where it just has more, I don't know... magic? if you watch as (or with) a kid. Depending on your age, think of movies like The Goonies or Explorers (which, coincidentally, were both released in 1985). While I have no idea if this movie will go on to attain classic status like those two did, you can imagine since it's on Netflix that it will get a decent shot at being seen by as many people.

If you do give it a shot, you'll see a brother and sister pulled from Brooklyn to Oahu as their widowed mother moves them back to her childhood home, in order to help her aging father. While moving to Hawaii probably reads like not the worst thing ever, that just means you're probably not in middle or high school with established friends (and solid WiFi). In an effort to keep herself not completely bored out of her mind, the younger sibling, Pili, rifles through her grandpas stuff, only to discover... a story of hidden treasure?! If you've seen the movies I referenced above or like, any movie ever, you know what's to come. But even if the premise is familiar, you'll still probably get some freshness from the highlighting of Hawaiian culture. That, or you're just fondly imagining the mist kicking off the crashing waves as you sit on your couch for movie six bajillion during "the bullshit."

Watch On: Netflix
Trailer | PG | 2 hrs 3 mins
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%

Highlights

Night of the Kings - A young man is sent to a prison which is run by the inmates, who force him to tell a story which may determine if he lives or dies. Looks real good, reviews say it is.

Moxie - Amy Poehler directs a movie about her (movie) teenage daughter starting a zine to talk about all the bullshit women put up with.

Coming 2 America - second trailer, which shows off the setting a lot more, which which seems to be more Zamunda than America.

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar- second trailer of the goofy, but fun, looking Kristen Wiig comedy. This time you get to see their entire face. Exciting. Out next weekend.

What's In Theaters +

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