Do not read without a towel nearby. đŚ
In This Week's Edition: Zendaya toys with some boys, A24 pokes the internet bear and Cory Matthews gets his first WIT+ nod
THE QUOTE đŹ đŹ
âWomen, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they've got ambition, and they've got talent, as well as just beauty. I'm so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I'm so sick of itâŚ.
âŚbut Iâm so lonelyâŚâ
hint: there are two film adaptations of the book, both extremely well regarded
THINK THOUGHTS đ
Here I was set to talk about the unexpectedly big opening weekend two weeks ago of Civil War, the Alex Garland directed movie about California and Texas teaming up to battle Ron Swanson1, and how the movie had an even 50/50 audience split between self-identified liberals and conservatives.
But then A24 decided to set up shop right outside my window and taunt me with their marketing. So I decided to switch topics. Let me explainâŚ
Last week after itâs great box office results, the indie studio posted a series of posters on Instagram that depicted war scenes from notable U.S. cities - San Francisco, Miami, NYC, Chicago as well as my home city Los Angeles. And not just Los Angeles, but the sub-region of Echo Park where I live and not even just Echo Park, but the lake itself, something I look at literally every morning. When I saw the poster I thought âhah, thatâs supposed to be Echo Park Lake, but that is definitely not Echo Park Lake. Is that supposed to be a real giant swan? And why are they trying to kill it??â Chuckled and then moved on with my life.
But the internet did not move on with its life. The internet reacted as it does and pointed out that this was not just a poorly made facsimile, but an AI generated one. Ruh roh. As youâd expect, comments were made and loads of articles with incendiary headlines were written.
Was A24 deep in the shit? Did they fuck up?
If by âshitâ you mean money and by âfuck upâ you mean plan this perfectly, then yes and yes. Because while people were lamenting this supposed artistic travesty, the studio was getting exactly what it wanted - conversation. (I did a very quick data check and the post was actually one of the accountâs most âlikedâ)
I may be giving the marketing team at A24 too much credit, but I would bet they knew exactly what they were doing. They were provoking to get discussion. There hasnât been any official statement outside of this snippet from a Hollywood Reporter article saying âA source close to the movie said the images help imagine the nationwide impact of the filmâs fictional war. âThese are AI images inspired by the movie,â a source said. âThe entire movie is a big âwhat ifâ and so we wanted to continue that thought on social â powerful imagery of iconic landmarks with that dystopian realism.â
Right. But everyone knows how touchy the subject of AI is, especially within Hollywood. Itâs especially funny when you consider that the entire movie is about war photographers who are trying to capture the unaltered truth of whatâs taking place.
If I were A24, I might try and get even cheekier and point out that these types of fake yet real looking images are exactly the type of media that potentially helped fuel the conflict depicted in the movie, thus theyâre just using real life to get across the point of the movie. Itâs obviously a bit of the snake biting its own tail situation, but it could cause even more debate on whether that level of meta-ness is helpful or hurtful. Which, again, potentially helps fuel demand to see the film itself. I mean hell, Garland has questioned whether the entire film is âresponsible or irresponsible.â In his case I wouldnât assume itâs an intentional marketing line, but itâs still a good one! Who doesnât want to see a movie thatâs âirresponsible?â Boring people. Thatâs who.
But whatâs not in question is that the movie was tops at the box office again this past weekend. Now is that entirely because of these posters? No, not likely, but itâs possible they helped push the awareness up juuuust a notch such that it could stay atop the monetary podium.
And I think situation is interesting for lots of reason, but not least because weâre going to be dealing with these types of scenarios from now until we each shed our mortal meatsacks. So we should get used to it. And probably get a lot more discerning as we do.
NEWSY BITS đž
Disney reportedly wants to bring always-on channels to Disney Plus: as every article is saying, itâs basically going back to the âalways onâ mentality of cable. The report says theyâd have themed channels based around their properties (Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars etc.). This pushes traditional streamers into the territory of platforms like Tubi and Pluto TV, which are âfree ad-supported streaming televisionâ - aka FAST - services rather than the monthly fee situation you have w/ Disney + and Netflix et al - The Verge
Denis Villeneuve Answers All Your Questions About âDune: Part Twoâ: if you enjoyed the movie(s) and want more insight into his thinking, this is a fairly brief but enjoyable addendum. Enjoyed this quote in particular on translating the books to screen âThereâs so many darlings that you kill. An adaptation is an act of violence.â - The New York Times
Netflix Will Stop Reporting Subscriber Numbers Starting in 2025: âNetflix said that engagement â time spent with the service â is its best proxy for customer satisfaction.ââ They will report âmajor milestonesâ in subscribers as (if?) they happen - Variety
Quentin Tarantino Drops âThe Movie Criticâ As His Final Film: very much a âwho gives a shit?â for most, but for those hardcore fans, itâs an interesting development. Context: Tarantino has declared publicly (many times) that he is going to stop making movies after his tenth feature. Why? Because he doesnât want to be a director that ends his career with âhorrible moviesâ like he thinks most do - Deadline
EXTRA CREDIT MOVIE(S) đ
Alien - itâs a 45th anniversary re-release of the stupidly intense (and stupidly awesome) thriller. With an amazing original trailer. We already know what it is, but yes, the reviews are indeed killer. Itâs a classic for a reason. Playing in limited theaters Friday
The Feeling That The Time for Doing Something Has Passed - a relationship / sex comedy about mid(ish)-life malaise that looks dryer than the cheeks of someone engaged in the Saltine challenge, but reviews are very welcoming for director / star Joanna Arnowâs first film. Playing in Limited Theaters Friday
Humane - 20% of the humane population needs to die for the world to live, so a married couple volunteers to off themselves, until the mom rescinds her decision which means another family member has to take her place. Cue chaos. Itâs the first movie from Caitlin Cronenberg (yes, Davidâs daughter). Only a couple reviews, but mostly looks more like a fun thought experiment with a couple notables (Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire - Stevie from Schittâs Creek). Playing in Limited Theaters Friday
NOTABLE NEW RELEASES đ & đş
Challengers
From the way this thing is being talked about by critics, youâd think Challengers would be wetter than the Kevin Costner led disaster (though beloved by a young Latham) Waterworld. Hell, if I were someone trying to push a few buttons, I might even say this movie looks positively moist.
Itâs kind of unavoidable though as things tend to get sweaty in the games of love and tennis, the intertwined threads being pulled here by director Luca Guadagnino (best known for 2017âs Call Me By Your Name) in his newest feature that stars a (dom)inant Zendaya toying with the careers and hearts of best of frenemies Josh OâConnor and Mike Faist.
But let me pause for second, because when I start an overview like that you might get the wrong impression and think this whole affair is just gonna be a bunch of tawdry sex scenes. But this isnât 90âs Skinemax and Challengers is far more about the lead up than the climax - sexually or cinematically. And while you should expect the movie to be hella lusty, itâs probably gonna be less gratuitous than you might imagine, though by no means devoid of some âgratuitoâ body shotsâŚ
âIf the sex scenes in âChallengersâ would merit a PG-13 at best (in part because theyâre all either interrupted or post-coital), the tennis scenes are the stuff of a rock-hard XXX. There isnât an inch of nudity apart from some extras in the locker room showers, and yet Guadagnino shoots the climactic match with a stylistic vulgarity that suggests what sports might look like if Brazzers2 suddenly took over for ESPN.â - from the IndieWire review
đĽľ
Like the best 30 for 30, youâll come to see more about the complex humans behind the matches than the sport itself, but the on court action should act as a perfect metaphor for whatâs happening off it. Which is a lot, because these three ball smackers are wrapped together so tightly youâd think something would have to bust. But it definitely wonât be a nut. Because remember, this is the no-sex sex movie that might not even be about sex, but desire. Or better yet, the desire to desire.
PS Why shouldnât you date someone who is into tennis?
Because love means nothing to them.
đž đ
Out: Friday
Where: Theaters
Details: 2 hrs 11 mins | R | đ : 95%
Boy Kills World
Unfortunately for all of us who hung out with the squad of Cory, Topanga, Shawn and Eric growing up, this is not the long-gestating movie sequel to the TV show, Boy Meets World.
Bummer. Because thereâs definitely a not so hidden part of my brain that thinks itâd be wicked fun to see a grown up Mr. Matthews fall into a rage spiral a la Michael Douglas in Falling Down as the foot of middle age stomps upon his once tender soul.
But nope, this is - for lack of a better term - (yet) another John Wick-esque revenge focused kill-fest. These choreographed to-the-max endeavors have become ubiquitous in no small part because well, people watch âem. The combination of a fairly simplistic story paired with extremely complex fight scenes just seems to work for people. Maybe itâs catharsis for unrealized anger or maybe itâs the modern form of humans enjoying dance, something theyâve done for thousands of years. Ya know, just with a lot more blood (although the amber soaked point shoes of a ballerina post performance may disagree).
But even if theyâre similar, each one of these action ballets has a certain twist and Boy Kills World is no different. The first one is that the title character, literally named Boy - played by Bill SkarsgĂĽrd who was Pennywise in IT, is deaf and mute on account of the evil baddies who also killed his family. He does have an internal monologue though, except itâs not his own voice but a goofy one from an arcade game he played before shit went south (H. Jon Benjamin from Bobâs Burgers). The overall video game tone is apparently omnipresent with everything leading up to âthe Final Boss.â This pushes the the movie into a more comedic and sarcastic tone rather than something like the recent Monkey Man, which skirted the lines of self-seriousness.
One âproblemâ (quotes because some may not see it that way) is that with the deluge of these types of action movies, youâre almost forced to make comparisons against the best of the genre. And here, critics say that while SkarsgĂĽrd does a good job at a) getting yoked and b) emoting through his physicality, in aggregate, the action is still the focus and while itâs quite good and gets pretty bonkers, it may not make up for some of the other aspects a few reviews have found lacking.
But fwiw, the other reason people probably like these movies so much is that you donât really have to think much when watching. And the kill count here is sure to turn your brain off, even if your math skills were up to the task of counting.
Out: Friday
Where: Theaters
Details: 1 hr 51 mins | R | đ : 65%
TRAILERS! âŻ
Deadpool & Wolverine - the homoeroticism level is sky-high. As is the violence and filthy language. Count me in.
Trap - Iâll just say, watch it before you read about it. Itâs the next one from M. Night Shyamalan
Hit Man - this has extremely good reviews. And now it also has a full trailer which lays out the - (fake) hit man / cop who gets wrapped up with a potential mark - plot director Richard Linklater and star Glen Powell wrote together.
Transformers One - soooo Paramount made a Lego Movie (ish) animated prequel to the traditionally ultra serious Transformers series? Huh. To their credit, they did get a Pixar vet (Josh Cooley, who director Toy Story 4) to helm it.
Watches - first feature from Ishana Night Shyamalan, who is, yes, M. Night Shyamalanâs daughterâs, but also a writer and directer of episodes of her dadâs show Servant. Itâs a horror movie (natch) about someâŚthing / one that keeps a group of people trapped in a mysterious box inside a forest.
Blink Twice - engaged couple ZoÍ Kravitz and Channing Tatum made a movie together. Kravitz directed, Tatum stars - as a billionaire who takes people to an island where things get weird⌠er than most billionaire island excursions. I presume?
a fight they would surely lose if this was actually the case
for those chaste among you, Brazzers is a porn site
I just started rewatching Fight Club. 25 years old!