Ryan Reynolds & John Krasinski form The Best Dads Ever Club
In This Week's Edition: advice on how not to view Ryan Reynolds and John Krasinski's new imaginary friend movie and Ilana Glazer returns to her Broad City roots.
THE QUOTE đŹ đŹ
âI am sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol, mannitol, calcium carbonite, soy lecithin, vegetable, triglyceride and talc. But, for expediency's sake. You can call me... Gum.â
hint: the funniest movie about food, ever?
THINK THOUGHTS đ
Youâve gotten enough of me these past few editions, think itâs time for a little break. Back at you next week though with some thoughts on how personality and curation might play into our streaming futures.
NEWSY BITS đž
Paramount Stock Falls on Report Sony Is âRethinkingâ $26 Billion Bid: the saga continues! - Variety
Adam Sandlerâs âHappy Gilmore 2â Officially Confirmed at Netflix: bet those stupid little white balls are still gonna be too good for their homes - Variety
âDune: Prophecyâ Teaser Released As Prequel Series Gets Fall Premiere On Max: not technically movie news, but if youâre a fan of the recent Dune, you might be keen on checking out this show which follows the Bene Gesserit (Paulâs mom and that creepy woman with the pain box) - Deadline
ChatGPT will be able to talk to you like Scarlett Johansson in Her: again this isnât really movie news per se, but the way AI is tied to sci-fi on the screen both for inspiration and potential outcomes necessitates a share. Plus, itâs just wild. Strongly encourage a look if you havenât seen it. - The Verge
Netflix to Show NFLâs Two Christmas Day Games in 2024: this news comes after repeated claims by Netflix they had no interest in getting into live sports even though they were doing a ton of âsports adjacentâ (their words) things like the Quarterback show, as well as similar stuff for F1, tennis and golf. To say nothing of the Tom Brady roast (which he says he wouldnât do again). Not begrudging them in the slightest, just a note to remember when they make claims in the future. Each game will cost The Flix $75 million and yes, ads will still be a part of the game, regardless of your plan. - WSJ
EXTRA CREDIT MOVIE(S) đ
Thelma the Unicorn - an animated musical journey about learning how to be yourself, but by first becoming a singing unicorn (voiced by Brittany Howard)? Directed by the same guy who made Napoleon Dynamite? Um, ok! There arenât reviews but the audience for this (8 year olds) wonât give a gosh darn. Streaming on Netflix Friday
NOTABLE NEW RELEASES đ & đş
IF
Sure, you can go always go back in time and watch them entertain us with their childlike glee, whether itâs endlessly trolling Dwight or tossing off witticisms while sporting the most 90âs hairstyle ever - but like everyone, John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds eventually had to grow up. And along the way, they had children of their own. Not like together, but with their respective⌠*flustered* you know what I mean.
And while theyâre still often hulked out for their various action roles, they came together (Krasinski writing / directing and Reynolds starring) to make IF, a story about a young girl on the verge of adulthood dealing with very grown up things helping abandoned imaginary friends find new homes, because they both said they had a desire to make a movie for their kids - but one theyâd would also want to watch with them. It started with an idea Krasinski had of wanting to convey the sense of wonderment and innocence he saw his daughters growing out of during âthe bullshit.â Ok, we geeeeet it, youâre a great comedic actor, director, husband and apparently father. Leave some for the rest of us wouldya pal?
Point of all that is to say, the intent clearly seems to be here with this one. And Iâm sure the effort too as Krasinski and Reynolds appear to be two of the harder working people in Hollywood. Which makes it somewhat sad to report that - at least from the POV of the adults out there getting paid to watch movies, aka critics - while you may see what the team was going for, you may not necessarily feel it. With reviews saying there are some great ideas in the movie, but they never quite coalesce into a coherent enough story. And beyond that, thereâs a sense of forced profundity and a cloying nature that can weigh on the proceedings.
But again, thatâs the take from adults, and this movie clearly has a split audience, so itâs hard to know what the younger set may ultimately think. I know there are plenty of movies I saw as a child that if I watched for the first time as an adult they probably wouldnât have had the same effect on me (see: Legend). So maybe itâs a movie best to see with a child, so you can see it through their eyes. No kids? No problem, just pay some random child on the street to go into a dark theater with you aaaaaand as Iâm typing this it is starting to sound like a really bad idea. Scratch that. No paying children. Because thatâs creepy and weird (to say nothing of labor laws). Instead maybe bring your inner child with you. Just make sure you save them a seat.
Out: Friday
Where: Theaters
Details: 1 hr 44 mins | PG | đ : 57%
Babes
Pregnancy is hard. Or so I hear. Because as a non-baby-making version of a human, I have absuh-fucking-lutely no clue how hard it really is. Never will. But I do have friends as well as a mother (hi mom!), who gave birth naturally to my 9 lb 12 oz ass. Why yes, my head was huge, why do you ask?
And now, I also have Babes, a âletâs talk about everything, like, everything, that no one talks about around pregnancy and make it super funny so people actually pay attention even if they get squeeged outâ movie where two best friends living in NYC go through pregnancy, motherhood and friendship. Together.
If one didnât know better, they might think this was Broad City: The Movie. But while that would be awesome and this was co-written by and co-stars Ilana Glazer, alas, it is not. Because instead of Abbi Jacobson, Glazerâs partnered up with Michelle Buteau as her bestie. But you should still expect it to have that friends first vibe, the centering on a non-familial platonic relationship which has become a quiet trend in movies recently. And one I fully support.
The reviews are fantastic, with comparisons to Bridesmaids aplenty. The only knock seems to be that because the story, directed by Pamela Adlon from FXâs Better Things, pushes the funny and supportive friend elements so hard that the drama and emotionality can be undercut somewhat. But when weâve got plenty of media where people are backstabbing each other - figuratively and literally - thereâs nothing wrong with a little love fest, right?
ââThey donât tell you about this part,â Dawn says when Eden realizes she still has to deliver the afterbirth. Turns out, thereâs a lot they donât tell you. Like the explicit adult equivalent of a Judy Blume book, âBabesâ helps to demystify taboos about the female body â a goal for which comedy proves an ideal tool.â - from the Variety review of Babes
Out: Friday
Where: Limited Theaters
Details: 1 hr 49 mins | R | đ : 100%
Back to Black
âLike so many other talented people, she was devoured by an avaricious industry, a callous culture, and an array of self-interested allies. But Back to Black isnât really willing to dig into any of this, presenting Winehouseâs demise with a sad shrug, as one of those tragic things that just sort of happens.â - from the Slant Magazine review of Back to Black
Oy. So go the reviews lambasting this Amy Winehouse biopic for not being bad in the technical sense (Marisa Abela does get some love for her portrayal of Winehouse), but worse, for having nothing interesting to say. It may be in part because this feature stands in stark contrast to the 2016 documentary Amy which was lauded for its cutting investigation into the life, career and death of the talented but troubled singer.
Yet some people just want a conveniently told story. And thatâs what the biopic genre is actually quite good at. Forming a personâs life so it fits into a nice little box. It may not be the truth of course, because how could anyoneâs entire being be constructed in a two hour film. But the best versions leave you with the sense of the person at least. Whereas it sounds like after seeing Back to Black, you may have been better off just listening to the 34 minute album the movie was named after four times over and you wouldâve gotten more insight into the human behind the music.
Out: Friday
Where: Theaters
Details: 2 hrs 2 mins | R | đ : 38%
The Strangers: Chapter 1
The American publicâs depraved desire for stories about terrible murders is unmatched in this world. Which seems to be why weâre getting not just another entry in the The Strangers horror universe, but an entire trilogy. Woo⌠hoo?
Well, your level of fervor might depend on your personal level of perversion. Personally I watched and âenjoyedâ the 2008 original (I did not partake in the sequel), but I am a sick bastard who has a tendency to laugh out loud at the most grisly parts of a horror movie.
But even I met the news of a trio of new movies with a bit of a shrug and a âhavenât we done this already?â attitude. One of the things that made the original so effective was how wholly contained it was. You knew nothing of these three masked intruders and their motivations before they terrorized a distraught couple in the middle of the woods and after the job was finished, you knew the exact same amount. Chapter 1 looks to essentially replay that first story, but intends to expand upon it in two subsequent chapters to be released later this year and early next with more of a âcharacter study.â The filmmakers have talked about all the movies as one four and a half hour long one. In fact, in a Lord of the Rings-esque move, they shot them all at once.
I canât tell you if this, let alone the sequels, is going to be any good. But if the thought of engaging in sadistic voyeurism is your idea of a âgood time,â then you might want to join the sick bastards club and grab your ticket.
Out: Friday
Where: Theaters
Details: 1 hr 31 mins | R | đ : TBD
TRAILERS! âŻ
Wicked - Be forewarned, itâs about a minute longer than a normal trailer. Which is great if you want to see ALL the things before you well, see all the things.
Thelma - June Squibb is the fucking best. I mean, have you seen Nebraska or About Scmidt?? And here she finally gets a lead role (at 94!) and apparently kills it as a grandma who gets scammed outta some money but decides to set out for some revenge.
A Quiet Place: Day One - theyâre not holding back on the action in this prequel, thatâs for sure.
DĂDI (ĺźĺź) - a Taiwanese-American kid in 2008 Fremont, California comes of age and reviews say you might wanna join his (tough but relatable) journey.
Megalopolis - whelp, Cannes is here (the movie is competing at the film festival) so Francis Ford Coppola mustâve figured why not release the trailer since reviews will be coming out soon enough. And? It looks⌠odd. But is it in a good or bad way. Leaning towards the latter, but hoping for the former.
Youâre Cordially Invited - Amazon must be stoked about this pairing because this is hella early to launch a trailer for a comedy (even if it is just a teaser).
Ghostlight - a sweet looking (and very well reviewed) story about a construction worker father who joins a stage production of Romeo and Juliet and the impact it has on his life.