Forever Is a Very Long Time
But I wouldn't mind if some things lasted that long. Just not my movies please.
“You make a really bad first impression and a terrible second impression, but the third time was really good.”
No random “column” this week, but I am going to bring up (again) what has apparently, and kind of unintentionally?, become one of my favorite movies to talk about - Avatar: The Way of Water. I feel like my commentary has almost made it seem like I don’t want to see it (I do) and that I’m a hater (I’m not). And then last week I forgot to feature the full trailer because it somehow didn’t get added to the playlist. Oops. 😬 I swear it wasn’t an intentional slight. But I also know you 100% were not worried if it was. But regardless, if you missed it, here it is (I’ve added it to the playlist too).
It’s still fairly surface”y” in explaining what exactly the hell has and will go down on Pandora, but that’s ok IMHO, as I feel like the movie will (hopefully) help remind us of where we’re at. Whereas these trailers can just be pretty and bring the feeling and themes to the fore.
Now I mentioned that I feel like a hater because I’ve questioned a few times whether people still care about the world of Avatar. Turns out I’m not alone. The literal creator himself (no, not that one, but maybe?!) has asked himself the same question. In an interview, Jim Cameron said he’s not sure he’ll even make the fourth and fifth movies, not because he doesn’t want to, but because “how many people give a shit now?“ Phew! Hate label exorcized. Cameron, ever the business man, goes on to say, “The market could be telling us we’re done in three months, or we might be semi-done, meaning: ‘OK, let’s complete the story within movie three, and not go on endlessly,’ if it’s just not profitable.”
Have to say it’s pretty impressive he can be almost delusional in his aspirations and incredibly pragmatic at the same time. But I am hoping he gets to finish out the whole story, in part because of this other quote from Cameron “Movie 4 is a corker. It’s a motherfucker. I actually hope I get to make it.“
Me too Jim, me too.
Also a heads up there are some notable movies playing in limited theaters this weekend, but I’m going to wait until they’re either streaming (see: Ryan Reynolds’ / Will Ferrell’s Spirited on Apple TV+ and Jason Mamoa’s Slumberland on Netflix - both go next week) or playing in theaters nationwide (see: Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical The Fablemans - expanding Nov 23rd).
Extra Credit Movies:
Sam & Kate - Dustin and Hoffman and Sissy Spacek act in a movie with their real life children where they play… their children. 🤯 Kinda looks like they all hook up, but not like together of course (ew), just the respective generations do. The trailer is a bit silly, yet it looks kind of adorable and reviews, while there are only five at the moment, are all positive. Sounds like it’s a well told story with limited scope. It’s very much a streaming movie, but before that it’s… Playing in Limited Theaters this Friday.
How do you make a Black Panther movie without Black Panther - both the character and actor who embodied him, Chadwick Boseman? I can imagine returning director Ryan Coogler might’ve asked himself this question a lot as he was (quickly) altering the script for his follow up to the phenomenon that was the first Black Panther. But first he had to ask himself if he wanted to make another movie at all. Coogler has noted in interviews that he considered quitting filmmaking altogether while mourning the death of his close collaborator. But it’s memories of his friend that he said pushed him forward to make a movie that honored the legacy of Boseman, “I was poring over a lot of our conversations that we had, towards what I realized was the end of his life…I decided that it made more sense to keep going.“
That’s a lot. And yet Coogler also had to make sure his movie fit into the massive Voltron-esque movie universe that is the MCU. Luckily he brought a strong supporting cast with him, literally, as nearly the entire crew - Letitia Wright as Shuri, Winston Duke as M’Baku, Danai Gurira as Okoye, Lupita N’yongo as Nakia and Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda - from the first film returns (outside of Daniel Kayuula), and collectively helps each other, and the audience process the obvious loss of T’Challa. Reviews say that maybe most importantly, they all do an excellent job of showing reverence for actor and character, while still also providing an enjoyable adventure. But while it’s surely going to be seen by millions and make insane amounts of money, it seems the sense from critics is that it won’t have quite the same impact as the first film. Because how could it? That movie was not only critically lauded (it was the first “superhero movie” to be nominated for best picture) for it’s complex morality, but probably more importantly, the representation aspect was something that had never been seen before, especially not on that scale. And while it saw Wakanda essentially battle itself, or at least its identity, this time there is a real outside threat - the underwater nation of Talokan, which in the comics was Atlantis, but here is reshaped into a Mayan / Aztec influenced culture that has hidden from the world, similar to Wakanda, only now to be discovered.
You can watch the movie for the plot (or, ya know, read too many reviews like me), but I will tell you that it sounds like Coogler and his writing partner have created another rich antagonist in Namor (aka the Sub-Mariner in the comics), the head of the Talokan nation (empire?) whose motivations are far more than the usual, “I’m evil for evil’s sake.” And instead of me summing it all up, how about a review quote from Indiewire which will do a much better job.
“And yet, for all of the film’s shuddery pacing, thoroughly mediocre action setpieces, and the clumsiness with which it’s forced to double as backdoor pilot for Disney+’s “Ironheart” series, Coogler’s subthread of the MCU continues to operate at a significantly higher strata of thought, artistry, and feeling than the rest of Marvel’s assembly line.”
Out: Thursday
Where: Theaters
2 hrs 41 mins | PG-13 | 🍅: 86%
I once had a friend mention in conversation how saying there are “great” children’s book authors is silly because they’re writing for an audience that is not necessarily the most discerning. Which, I hate to admit, is somewhat fair. These are the same beings who are a few years removed from learning how to wipe their own butts (or in fact still learning), so the most critical eye they do not have. But it’s also a position I took / take a bit of umbrage with seeing as I am a once child myself. And one who has special memories of specific stories I connected with when I was a wee one (see: The NeverEnding Story, Labyrinth for movies in particular) and a blank spot for the ones I didn’t.
I preface because it’s so easy to write things off “for children” as being disposable. Again, I get it, kids move on quickly. But Cartoon Saloon, the studio behind My Father’s Dragon - a movie animated in such a way that at first look almost begs random Nick Jr. show #247, but on closer inspection looks to be a bit more rich - have made a number of movies that have become well liked, almost alt-animated modern classics - including The Secret of Kells, and 2020’s Wolfwalkers. This time they’ve adapted the 1948 novel about a boy running away from home only to find himself on a fantastical island (nope, not Where the Wild Things Are, that was 1963 mate!). And instead of befriending anatomically odd beings, he saddles up beside a dragon who is also basically a child. You can bet that together they are sure to learn some lessons about friendship, get into some trouble and end up a-ok at the end.
While reviews are strong, critics say this effort from the Irish animation studio intentionally targets a younger audience in an effort to transport them, and yet still has enough going for it that parents, who initially just wanted a baby trance-machine, may transport their tired heinis on the floor next to their memory creating offspring.
Out: Friday
Where: Netflix
1 hr 39 mins | PG | 🍅: 92%
It’s apparently movies with trailers AND good earl reviews in the Trailers! section this week. Lucky you. First up…
Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinnocchio - the director distinction in front of this one is crucial as to differentiate from the recent live-action Disney effort - which by all accounts, was lacking in imagination, whereas early reviews say this stop-motion take by the Mexican director has ideas and heart aplenty.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - a second trailer for the anticipated return of Mr. Benoit Blanc. Wouldn’t ya know it. This also has great early reviews.
The Whale - teaser for director Darren Aronofsky’s next movie which is being touted more for Brendan Frasier’s “comeback” and his acting as an obese man trying to make amends, than for the totality of it (reviews are just ok).
Lady Chatterley’s Lover - Netflix does their take on the saucy story. Apparently they did well with it too.
Chevalier - Kelvin Harrison Jr. keeps himself in the wig era (after Cyrano) and portrays the famed composer / violinist Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Yup, solid early reviews too.
In the full list there’s also some second and third trailers for the Whitney Houston biopic and the Jonathan Majors / Glen Powell Korean War fighter pilot movie, respectively. Check ‘em all out by clicking riiiight… here. ⬇️