TBD

Dec 08, 2021

"Damn. That's a weak crossover,
I know you can do better than that."

PINNED: this newsletter started as a way to highlight movies coming to theaters (see: the name). Then, "the bullshit" happened. And I started featuring movies in theaters, VOD or streaming (see: the +). Point is, if there's a movie worth checking out, you'll probably find it here.

This week's release of West Side Story brought up the not so original thought of how we often hear complaints about knowing too much of the movie we're going to see because the trailer / reviews / interviews reveal more than we'd like. And yet, we pine for the movies we know and love and watch them over and over. I've mentioned it before at some point in this newsletter, and called out to research that may suggest we enjoy things even more when we know the outcome. But I'm curious as to why; especially in cases like West Side Story / Romeo & Juliet where we know the ending is tragic. We willingly go in to a story that'll make us sad. Is it because we watch with even more intent, hoping against reality that things will be different this time? Or maybe we get to go back to the beginning before things became sorrowful and we simply endure the pain? I mean, I was and am (I think??) a big fan of the 1996 Romeo and Juliet so I get it, and should just be asking myself. But then I wouldn't have anything to write here. 🤠

So what is it, why do you enjoy rewatching movies with devastating endings? Do you just sometimes need a good cry?? Does it make you feel alive?

Please, pray tell.

Extra Credit Movie(s): There's another wide release this weekend, but I'm only calling it out here. Why? Well, it just looks, I don't know, like the exact movie people wouldn't go see in theater, but might give a shot to at home. It's called National Champions and the premise is about a successful college QB who holds the national championship game hostage so he can force the college system to pay collegiate athletes. Topical, but an odd choice for a thriller. Not many reviews yet, but apparently not a total disaster. Plus, it drew a lot of decent name (and quality) actors, so give the trailer a looksy and maybe you can check it out when it gets to your TV screen. Or hell, maybe you'll be intrigued enough to happily take a trip to the multiplex.

WEST SIDE STORY
Steven Spielberg, who has never directed a musical, whose movies over the past two decades have been well received yet not achieved the culturally beloved status so many of his earlier works did, and is far closer to the end of his career than the beginning, decides to take on one of the most classic musicals of all time. I mean, what could go wrong?

Um, how about (almost) literally nothing.

At least that's what you'd gather from reviews and critics who are just plain ol' swooning over this "not a remake of the 1961 film, but modern retelling" of the original theatrical production of the 1950's New York City set tragic romance inspired by Romeo and Juliet.

Now, I've read a lot of reviews - likely thousands - and you can tell the variance between when someone is truly taken by a movie vs merely literarily shrugging with an opinion that essentially says "I mean, yeah, sure, I guess it's worth a watch." Just take a gander at some of these quotes...

"West Side Story is, I believe, Spielberg's finest film in 20 years, and a new milestone in the career of one of our greatest living directors."

"Conviction - a commitment that can't be faked, and a quality by which every musical lives or dies - is what underpins, energizes and ultimately justifies this "West Side Story."

"Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" has a brash effervescence. You can feel the joy he got out of making it, and the kick is infectious."

I can just imagine these people skipping out of the theater, enjoyably failing to mimic the dances they just saw on screen. So if you're in the target audience, get stoked, and then get your tickets. If you're a bit meh on musicals or have never seen the original film version which turned Rita Moreno into a household name ( 🙋‍♂️), then it might be worth a second look. Speaking of Moreno, who played Anita and won an Oscar for it, they created a new role for her so she's able to bridge the gap between (multiple) generations.

Other noteworthy tidbits include the fact West Side Story has been Spielberg's favorite musical since his parents bought the Broadway cast recording when he was 10 years old (thank you TV interviews), which seems to answer the "why do another version now?" question with an implicit, because he wanted to, and, nodding back to the director's career timeline, he may not have a ton of opportunities to make it happen.

It's also worth mentioning that Steven and team cast all Latinx actors in the roles of the Puerto Rican side of the story (Moreno, who is Puerto Rican, was the exception in the original version which cast mostly white actors).

Vibe: the same old story, but maybe possibly even, could it really be... better?

Out Friday
Watch Theaters
The Trailer | 2 hrs 36 mins | PG-13 | 🍅: 95%

RED ROCKET
There's a certain, I don't know, panache? to naming your movie after a euphemism for a dog boner. It also acts as a sort of wacky bat-signal to us degenerates who have no need to click the above link to understand its meaning. Now, I'm not implying you have to be a deviant to enjoy this movie, but I am implying you may enjoy its lurid tale a bit more than the normies. Because any story that centers around people who engage(d) in *gasp* p.o.r.n. is likely to cut out a certain segment of the population. A fact director Sean Baker is likely well aware of, as almost all of his movies have dealt with sex work in some respect (Tangerine, The Florida Project, Starlet).

Here Baker follows Mikey Saber, a sort of modern day"ish" (2016 technically) Dirk Diggler played by Simon Rex, the former MTV VJ who - it must be said as declared by the movie overview gods - also did a bit of sex work before he was cast in multiple Scary Movie movies and on the (former?) Music Television channel - to be clear, it was naked photographs and a few masturbation videos, but while we tend to forget a lot in this country, we refuse to forget people's nudes. Rex's own backstory pertains to his portrayal here because his character Mikey is someone who has similarly experienced the highs and lows of the industries of entertainment, much like Rex has, but in much starker, and one would hope, darker ways.

After a career in the Hollywood adjacent adult industry, Saber moves back to his Texas hometown and tries to wiggle his way back into his estranged wife's life, well, house mostly, as he need needs a place to stay. She doesn't want him there, but he's apparently a fellow with a certain charm, a fact he uses to slide through, and hopefully quickly out of, his hometown. He discovers what he thinks may be his way out in high schooler "Strawberry" who takes to his type of conversation. If you've gathered, Saber is probably not looking out for other people's interests first and that should factor in highly to what transpires.

While Baker's movies get headlines for dealing with topics we deem salacious, they're always talked about in positive terms for their treatment of the humans beneath the clickbait. Expect similar things here as critics talk about the depth Rex adds to a character that really seems like he doesn't have much on paper. They also commend director and actor for making it enjoyable, and maybe most importantly funny, to watch someone circle the drain.

Vibe: enjoyable griminess w/ a side of sad

Out Friday
Watch Theaters (Limited)
The Trailer | 2 hrs 8 mins | R | 🍅: 87%

(called out from top, left to right)

It's another Spider-Man trailer! Wait. Isn't the Spider-Man movie coming out uh, next week?? Yup. But this is for that other Spider-Man movie series. ??? The animated one. !!!! Yeah, it's the sequel to Into the Spider-Verse. !!!! Let's just hope it's as rad as the original. 🤞

There's also yet another The Matrix Resurrections trailer in there. Don't expect to learn too much more. Lots of vibey call backs to the original. Still no firm plot details. Let's just hope they don't go all Notorious BIG on us...

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