A weekend for love.
Isn't that every weekend though?
THE QUOTE đŹ đŹ
âAre we the first ones up?â
hint: these two friends - part of a larger group brought together by another friendâs death - were in fact, not the first ones up
THINK THOUGHTS đ
So Iâm currently driving to upstate New York.
Well, Iâm not driving, Iâm sitting in the passenger seat of a dark blue Hertz Hyundai Santa Fe as my gracious partner navigates the wintery roads of New Hampshire, Vermont and, sweet but dumb deer who love headlights willing, New York.
Weâre here for a wedding, for a close friend aaaaaaall the way back from elementary school, who is (hopefully!) set to say, âI do.â This after we just drove to Colorado, and back, for Thanksgiving.
Suffice to say, Iâve been listening to a lot more podcasts than watching movies recently - new movies at least. I was able to catch half of Happy Gilmore 2 đ„±, a distracted repeat of Ski Patrol â·ïž and maybe my hundredth giggle-fest formally titled Home Alone đ.
Iâm keen to get back to theaters, because thereâs a lot of great options - from the Wicked finale to the Zootopia sequel and this weekâs Hamnet (which has been out in NY/LA, but expanding wide this weekend). I was able to catch Bugonia before this recent set of sojourns and I actually liked it quite a bit more than I expected. I really shouldnât have been that surprised considering Iâve loved every Yargos Lanthimos movie Iâve seen.
Spoiler alert. The cellular coverage within much of the Adirondack Mountain range is not great. Plus, I was sleepy after an early morning flight. So now Iâm writing from inside the Hotel Saranac in Saranac Lake listening to classic 80âs hits on commerical radio while snowflakes flitter about outside. There are worse places to be.
However, I lost my train of thought from last night, but Iâm sure it was super smart and wholly original conceptions on connections between movies and love. But now I also have a speech to write, so Iâm going to try and keep the rest of this writing nice and tidy.
But I will finish by saying, congratulations to Cameron and Lara. You probably wonât be reading this because youâre getting married. And also because Iâm not even sure youâre on the mailing listâŠ
NEWSY BITS đŸ
Margot Robbie Says âWuthering Heightsâ Director Wants Film to Be This Generationâs âTitanic,â Teases Intimate Scenes With Jacob Elordi - well no shit, Titanic has made $2.2 billion. - Variety
Warner Bros. Empire Hangs in the Balance As Second Round Bids Arrive - Neflix is offering nearly all cash, as is Paramount - the difference being a chunk of Paramountâs cash is coming from the Middle East. - Variety
NOTABLE NEW RELEASE(S) đ & đș
Hamnet
Does everything human begin and end with love? One could argue it really starts with lust and finishes with death. But letâs go with the nicer story. Especially since I kicked this edition off with such sweet sentiments.
But love also means loss. And when we experience certain causalities, it can feel impossible to communicate their affect. But if youâre William âWillâ Shakespeare, you have a preternatural talent for doing so. But âtrueâ love and loss do in fact come from somewhere - real human interactions, and not imagined fantasies.
Funny then how Hamnet is a bit of both. A mythologized version of Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) who meet, fall in love, and start a family that sadly meets tragedy, which inspires the playwright to compose Hamlet. Side note: if youâre confused why the title then, it might make sense to know Hamnet and Hamlet were used interchangeably back in the day (so Iâve read).
But great writing is nothing without equally great performances and co-writer/director ChloĂ© Zhao - who also made The Rider and Nomadland (which won Best Picture) - has picked two actors who can deliver just that. Both Mescal and Buckley are getting enormous praise (Buckley especially) for being able to make you feel exactly what theyâre feeling. Which sounds daunting when you consider the highs and lows that will occur.
Because then again, maybe feeling in totality, not just love, is what really marks the end and beginning of being human.
Out: Friday
Where: Movie Theaters
Details: 2 hrs 5 mins | PG-13 | đ : 88%
Five Nights at Freddyâs 2
Who gives a shit about bad reviews when your initial based-on-an-iPhone-game-movie turns pent up fandom into an $80 million opening weekend? Not the makers of the first Five Nights at Freddyâs, thatâs for damn sure.
And they probably wonât fret about the even worse reviews for this Josh Hutcherson starring sequel if it makes even half that. But youâll probably care if youâre an un-expecting moviegoer who walks up to the box office and grabs a ticket for what is essentially a snuff film based off a Chuck E. Cheese workerâs worst nightmare.
Well, second worst nightmare. Pretty sure the first is when a group of five years eat too much birthday cake and puke in the ball pit.
Out: Friday
Where: Movie Theaters
Details: 1 hr 44 mins | PG-13 | đ : 17%
Jay Kelly
We feel like we know movie stars because we watch them live a hundred different lives. But those same movie stars are living out a hundred different lives while they also live their own. And sometimes, things get a bit muddled.
What then is âthe last true movie starâ1 to do when he tries to reconcile with what his life represents. Who he is. This is the story of Jay Kelly, a fictional movie star, played by a real movie star (George Clooney), who just wants his life to mean something. But itâs not just his story, itâs also the other people in his life who make it up, including Adam Sandler as his manager who, as managers do, manages his emotions.
Itâs a cheeky little story conceived by writer/director Noah Baumbach and co-writer Emily Mortimer that plays on some meta (not that one) concepts and ideas Iâm sure theyâre very familiar with being in âthe industry.â
Which may explain why critics say the movie gets a bit maudlin at times instead of trying to make commentary. But fair, if movies are your life, I bet it can be hard to not get a little sentimental.
But while reviews say Clooney does what he needs to do, play the movie star, itâs Sandler that is the heart behind everything, showing the sacrifice and love that makes a movie star like Clooney, er, Kelly, possible.
Out: Friday
Where: Movie Theaters
Details: 2 hrs 12 mins | R | đ : 78%
EXTRA CREDIT MOVIE(S) đ
Oh. What. Fun. - Home Alone - mom edition. Michelle Pfeiffer stars as an under appreciated matriarch (arenât they all?) who, instead of fighting off The Wet Bandits after being left by her family, takes it upon herself to get what she needs. Which is a little fuckinâ recognition for once. The reviews say this holiday dramedy should be more fun with all the big names in it (Denis Leary, Felicity Jones, ChloÄ Grace Moritz, Jason Schartzman, Eva Longoria), but apparently isnât able to capture that classic holiday âthing.â Streaming on Amazon Prime Now
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair - a 4 hour and 41 minute version of the Quentin Tarantino murder-fest. Obviously for a a select few, which means the reviews arenât important here. But I will say, Part 1 is an all time banger. Playing in Limited Theaters Friday
Fackham Hall - basically a Scary Movie / Naked Gun style spoof of British high drama like Downton Abbey. The reviews say it drops jokes faster than Maggie Smith tossed (sometimes not so) veiled barbs as the acerbic Ms Violet Crowley. Which is one hell of a feat. Playing in Limited Theaters Friday
Rosemead- Lucy Liu plays a widowed woman fearing for a son she loves deeply. The reviews say Liu plays a difficult role fantastically and makes a tough story worth the watch. Playing in Limited Theaters Friday
The Chronology of Water - Kristen Stewartâs (yes, that one) directorial debut. An artsy look at a woman (Imogen Poots) recovering from, and growing up, after a rough upbringing, with swimming at the center. The reviews say Stewart and Poots both do an excellent job at bringing this (based on a true) story to the screen. Playing in Limited Theaters Friday
THE TRAILERS âŻ
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come - You canât hide. Iâm gonna kiiiiiillll you. And take it slowly... Sorry, title got me thinkinâ Fugees.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple - letâs hope this does well enough we get the third in the trilogy. I think it looks pretty fun to me! Note: directing duties switched from Danny Boyle to Nia DaCosta for this one.
Mother Mary - Anne Hathaway is a Lady Gaga-like pop star that needs a dress. And⊠an exorcism?
People We Meet on Vacation - Netflix tries to keep âthe youthsâ hearts, and eyeballs, on lock with more young adult book based romance.
A Privcate Life - Jodie Foster speaks French and solves a murder? Apparently so!
The Magic Faraway Tree - a magical kids tale for the parents worried about the new big bad of modernity - screen time.
Shelter - Jason Statham doing Jason Statham things. Though this one does have a British flavor to it.
Taylor Swift - The Eras Tour - The Final Show - pretty sure you got it all from the title.
My Fatherâs Shadow - a father reunites with his two sonâs during a particularly pivotal day in Nigerian politics. The UKâs entry for best International Feature at the Oscars.
there are like 20 of them btw