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Jan 12, 2022

"They call me Mr. Tibbs."

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.

I feel like I talk about it a lot, but the way we choose which movies and TV shows we're going to relax / scream / cry to is just so material to the whole process of watching stuff - the how, the why, with whom. Hell, I just referenced the current situation for many last week, which is the lazily clicking through services, debating or arguing with your co-watcher(s) of what to watch, often becoming exhausted before you settle on something.

I'm of an age where that wasn't always the case. Yes, I used to go to "the video store." Not Blockbuster, we had more local shops where I grew up. I'm not hear to preach nostalgic on you, but I did have some very enjoyable times wandering through the aisles, grabbing a VHS or DVD based on it's cover - the weirder the better - and reading the back, not even with intentions to rent, but just to see what the hell this random movie was about. But what was most fun was not learning about the movies, but sharing with the person with whom you'd be perusing. I often went with a good friend of mine and we'd literally walk around for hours before we picked something. We weren't exhausted after, although the people kicking us out of the store cuz it was closing probably were, we were stoked at learning about a bunch of movies we'd never heard of. Often discussing as we'd grab a pint of ice cream on the way back.

Well, it just so happens to be that friend's birthday today. We may not be able to walk around trading shock that the rental store carried Faces of Death (don't google if you don't know what that is), but I'm pretty sure we'll be talking movies for a looong time to come.

Happy Birthday Jacob. ❤️

Extra Credit Movie(s): There's a lot of talk about "the metaverse" - a place online which sort of acts like a proxy for the real world, where people can socialize, play games, even get work done at some point etc. Facebook even renamed themselves Meta to try and claim the space a lil bit (it won't work, well, not completely). We're well before the point where "regular people" are understanding or inside a place we'd consider a metaverse (by the time that happens, I doubt we'll be calling it that). But before that point, we're gonna get movies and stuff made about it, like Belle, which is a Japanese animated movie that takes place in both the real world and in a digital social space. It'll be a bit odd or melodramatic for most, but if you're an anime fan, you should give it a look. Reviews are quite good and personally seems kinda fresh from what I've seen. Here's the trailer.

And if you're in a major market, it's playing in limited theaters starting Friday.

SCREAM

I'd bet my, well, not my life, but maybe a few plucked eyelashes, that there was a debate as to whether to title this movie Scr5am or even 5cream (they did go with Scre4m after all). But there's a good reason they went with plain 'ol Scream, the exact same title as the original from 1996. That's because the Scream movies are all about meta self-parody of the horror genre, and it's a thing now to do "requels" - a sequel that's kind of a redo of the original, but not a full reboot (think the recent Halloween movies). And while that word was painful to type, and I hope never to again, the notion is something noteworthy now that we're well into The Age of Nostalgia, from (let's randomly pick) 2010 until Now (Forever?).

I mean, the first trailer indicted they'd be going this direction by showing a rehash of the iconic scene with Drew Barrymore. But when a movie series has pilloried the genre of which it's a part for so long (although this is the first movie in more than a decade) it's only fitting it comment on the times at hand. The big difference here is that this is the first in the franchise not directed by Wes Craven, who died in 2015. 😢 While Craven didn't write the movies (that was Kevin Williamson, who also created... Dawson's Creek?! Indeed!), he brought a knowledge and edge from his career directing horror classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Last House on the Left, allowing him to mess with the conventions he helped establish. The new directors are Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillet who were cinematically raised on Craven's movies and I imagine got the job in no small part because of their well liked Ready Or Not, itself a bit of a self-aware horror"ish" flick.

You might think a decade lull between movies, it being the fifth, new directors, new writers, even a new studio (from Dimension to Paramount), might mean it could easily all turn to shit. Turns out, not shit! Reviewers are saying the movie has succeeded in bringing a bit of freshness to a franchise that's a quarter century old. While there are still critics who are over the whole self-referential thing, most people responded well to the self-aware characters in the movie who reference hipper horror one offs like The Babadook, It Follows and Hereditary, and give crap to long running franchises like, oh, I dunno, Scream. 🙃

If you're wondering, the trio of Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette are back, and importantly, not just in cameo roles. Who knows, maybe they're even the killer(s)??

I dare say every genre should have a movie franchise that takes the piss out of it every few years, but horror movies, which for so long relied on unwritten "rules," do seem to lend best to the format. Then again, the recent Matrix also seemed to quite a bit of self-awareness soooo, who knows? 🤷‍♂️ But until then, we'll have Scream and its unique ability to make fun of horror movies, while sometimes doing exactly what those movies it's making fun of, do too.

So... meta.

Vibe: laughing sixty seconds after you saw someone get stabbed in the face

Out Friday
Watch Theaters
The Trailer | 1 hr 54 mins | R | 🍅: 80%

THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

It's Macbeth.

But that's not the interesting part. A high school acting class can do Macbeth. But when you have half of the greatest directing duo ever do Macbeth? That's interesting.

Half you ponder quizzically? Yeah. Apparently Ethan Coen of "The Coen Brothers" (Fargo, No Country for Old Men) didn't wanna do a movie - no "breakup" apparently, just lots of other interests - so his brother, Joel, directed a movie solo for the first time in... uh, maybe ever? But the results apparently seem to be the same as they always are when a Coen is listed as director. Fantastic.

Well, fantastic that is if you're in the mood for a visual aesthetic that strips down a play about murderous conquest to its metaphorical pillars. Just watch the trailer and you'll see each shot looks incredibly purposeful, and acutely barren. As well shot in gloriously stark black and white. Quite fitting for a play about a couple whose morals are often in short supply.

So sure, this movie ain't going to be for everybody, but no movie is, so don't let that bother you if you're intrigued and others around you are like, da fuq you wanna watch?

Probably a long shot, but maybe telling the unconvinced that Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand are playing Sir and Lady of the Scottish crown might help. Because they're not just famous cuz they're famous - they're famous cuz they're fantastic actors and reviews say their abilities are on full display here, in a context which begs for them.

So yeah, it's Macbeth, but in the spirit of the era, maybe call it Macbeth + ?? <--- Feel free to 🤮 at that.

Oh, if it matters to you, this is an A24 movie.

Notes: it's also in limited theaters (has been since Xmas). And a couple weeks ago when I mentioned this would be streaming on Netflix. I messed that up, it's Apple TV+. Oops!

Vibe: visuals that may just be good enough to accompany Shakespeare's writing, and acting

Out Friday
Watch Apple TV+
The Trailer | 1 hr 45 mins | R | 🍅: 93%

(called out from top, left to right)

You just know X is going to be a lot of fun for reviewers who like cliches, "X marks the spot on this new thriller from A24 or X couldn't find the mark for this tired horror take." Yay. But until then, you can watch the trailer about a crew (Brittany Snow / Mia Goth / Kid Cudi) trying to make a porn in a rural farmhouse, until the old couple renting them the land become... well, I don't really know. You'll have to watch.

I don't care what my parents say (hi mom! hi dad!), the Jackass movies are funny. So I'm glad there's another. If you're with me, I'd probably just avoid this new trailer and go laugh your tuchus off when it's in theaters in a few weeks (Feb 4th).

Back in the 90's, big disaster movies were kind of what superhero movies are today, except they were generally less good on the overall. Moonfall is trying real hard to forget the decade and bring back that vibe.

Bob's Burgers did a movie. Cuz it is apparently the rule of successful long running animated shows. Although we're still waiting (are we?) for a Family Guy one.

Kimi is a low budget looking movie about a crime overhead on an Alexa like device that makes you pay attention once you realize it stars Zoë Kravitz and was directed by Steven Soderbergh. Not saying it'll be good, but it's worth finding out if it is.

What's In Theaters +

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