Theater Boss Takes Aim At Universal For ‘Trolls World Tour’ VOD Release
"...They Are Lying To Consumers."

By
Travis Hopson
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March 23, 2020

There is a weird conflict brewing between theater exhibitors and Universal over the upcoming day-and-date release of Trolls World Tour. As you well know, Universal decided to release the animated sequel, a major release, in theaters and VOD on April 10th due to the closure of theaters during the pandemic. But John Fithian, head of the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) thinks something sinister is afoot.

In a grim interview with Variety, Fithian talks about the shutdown of theaters as more than just a momentary hurdle, but as a crisis that could end the theatrical experience entirely, especially if the stimulus package being debated in Congress fails to pass…

“The situation is that dire. Overnight, we went from an industry that makes $15 billion a year — $11 billion in ticket sales and $4 billion in concessions — to one that is not going to make a penny for three or four months.”

“Most of these theaters, not all of them, but most of them, will go bankrupt if this does not pass. If this goes through, it will provide a whole lot of help to industries that need it like restaurants and bars and bowling alleys and retailers.”

Fithian took aim at Universal in a separate interview, attacking the studio for its claims that Trolls World Tour will hit theaters and digital. The simple fact is that theaters are unlikely to be open so soon, which amounts to a straight-to-VOD release…

“Only Universal, and only on ‘Trolls,’ did one studio skip the theatrical model and go straight to the home. Universal continues to advertise to consumers that ‘Trolls’ will be released simultaneously to theaters and the home on April 10. And they are lying to consumers.”

“Universal knows that theaters will still be closed on April 10, so unlike every other distributor who must simply delay their releases in that time period, but still understand that theatrical release is essential to their business model, Universal on Trolls didn’t make that decision. Exhibitors will not forget this.”

Fithian is holding Universal accountable for any lost revenue theaters won’t get by Universal’s continued release of Trolls World Tour, and clearly sees something sinister in their motives. On the other hand, perhaps Universal is just guilty of having too rosy an outlook on the pandemic situation? All of the theaters weren’t shut down at the time they made their announcement. The situation has evolved constantly and will continue to do so, but perhaps theater owners should be more concerned about getting through this situation now than worrying about one movie?

‘Survive’ Trailer: Sophie Turner & Corey Hawkins Brave The Elements In Quibi’s Launch Series

By

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March 23, 2020

Sophie Turner, star of Game of Thrones and Dark Phoenix. Corey Hawkins, star of 24: Legacy, Kong: Skull Island, and Straight Outta Compton. They’re coming together for the upcoming Quibi thriller series Survive, one of the big shows that will be available on the streaming platform at launch.

Turner and Hawkins play two people who miraculously survive an airplane crash, but now must work together to brave the snowy mountains. As we see in this brief teaser, Turner’s character already has some issues she’s trying to get away from, which could make braving the harsh elements even tougher.

Survive is directed by Mark Pellington, whose resume includes films Arlington Road, Henry Poole is Here, and The Mothman Prophecies. Quibi is the streaming platform designed for mobile devices, with programs offered in 10-minute-long episodes. Launch is on April 6th, and as long as they keep putting out shows like this I may have to check it out.

SYNOPSIS: Jane (Sophie Turner) wants to end it all. Then a plane crash almost ends it for her. Now she’s crawling from the wreckage with the only other survivor (Corey Hawkins) and a new drive to stay alive. Together they embark on a harrowing journey out of the wilderness, battling brutal conditions in this thrilling drama based on the critically acclaimed novel, SURVIVE, by Alex Morel.

Review: ‘Big Time Adolescence’
Pete Davidson Gets The Headlines But Griffin Gluck Truly Wins In This Thoughtful Coming-Of-Age Comedy

By
Travis Hopson
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Debuting at Sundance in 2019, Big Time Adolescence was the kind of familiar, plucky coming-of-age story the festival trafficks in pretty regularly. What made it stand out from the rest, and thus draw a ton of attention and one of the biggest acquisition buys that year, was the presence of SNL funnyman Pete Davidson in a role that many said showed his wider scope as an actor. I’m not sure that’s necessarily true; Davidson is excellent in a flashy, slacker role, but it’s also right in his bread and butter. The film succeeds well enough on its own thanks to writer/director Jason Orley and the presence of its real star, Griffin Gluck.

While surely no gamechanger, Big Time Adolescence hits all of the right emotional notes, and has the guts to portray Davidson’s character, Zeke, for what he is: rather pathetic. Zeke is in his 20s but he dresses and acts like someone still figuring himself out in high school. He was the man back then, and now everybody else around him has grown up and moved on. But Zeke is still a clown, who works a crappy dead-end-job and pines for his ex-girlfriend Kate (Emily Arlook) who happens to be the older sister of 16-year-old Mo (Gluck), his new best pal. Zeke did all of the things for Mo that an older brother would, like show him his first nudie mag and take him to R-rated movies, and now they’re inseparable. But Mo has real potential, everybody recognizes it, and Zeke can only hold him back.

Most of the film sets up this scenario where Zeke is basically living vicariously through Mo, which means the latter isn’t doing much for himself. When Mo gets invited to a party where drugs and alcohol are needed, it’s Zeke who turns the kid into his own personal drug mule. When Mo meets the perfect girl, the undeniably cool and wise-beyond-her-years Sophie (Oona Laurence, terrific), Zeke’s terrible advice (“ghost her”) is a constant roadblock. Meanwhile, Mo sister and parents (Jon Cryer and Julia Murney) are well aware of what makes Zeke so attractive to a kid, and why he’s everything that needs to be avoided.

Orley makes the best possible use of Davidson’s sophomoric brand of humor, which, like Zeke, is an acquired taste that can be tolerated only for so long. He’s not unsympathetic, in fact, Zeke is quite lovable in his own way and Orley makes it clear that people don’t hate the guy. They just know he isn’t going anywhere and doesn’t want to see others dragged down by him. But Davidson, with the help of Orley’s script, makes you wonder whether Zeke is fully aware of his situation and is either unable or unwilling to change. Throughout it all, he shows ultimate loyalty to Mo even when his young kid arguably doesn’t deserve it.

While Davidson is good and will get the bulk of the headlines, it’s Gluck’s confident performance that truly stands out. His charisma overshadows Davidson’s, and we understand why all in the women in the film are more drawn to Mo, who is significantly younger than Zeke but carries himself in a maturer way.

It’s tough to ignore that Big Time Adolescence refuses to address the creepiness of an older man’s attachment to a teenage kid. But to go down that route takes the story, which is genuinely funny and heartfelt, into darker territory than it needs to go.

Big Time Adolescence is available on Hulu now.

Big Time pics

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Last Night’s ‘Westworld’ Features A Very Weird ‘Game Of Thrones’ Reference
SPOILERS

By
Travis Hopson
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March 23, 2020

Westworld’s convoluted nature has pretty much driven me away from the show, but I hung around to give it one more shot. And with this episode, not only does it get more complex, but somehow manages to throw in multiple references to other films (Futureworld, Jurassic Park), but it also confirms a connection to HBO’s other groundbreaking series, Game of Thrones.

Episode 2 of Westworld season 3 jumped all the way down the rabbit hole with one Easter Egg after another. It begins with Stubbs and Bernard making their way through Delos and coming upon the existence of Medievalworld, which was a park in the 1976 movie Futureword, the sequel to Michael Crichton’s original 1973 movie Westworld.

The most obvious reference comes as a pair of techs are seen in the Medievalworld labs. The techs are played by Game of Thrones showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff, who are talking about selling off a Medievalworld attraction to a new company in Costa Rica. When the camera pans over, we see a big scaly dragon that is very clearly Drogon, last seen flying off with a dead Dany in the Game of Thrones series finale. They then proceed to chop the poor dragon up, which might entertain some folks who hated the way that show ended.

As for the Jurassic Park thing, it’s subtle and maybe a stretch. The Costa Rican company the techs plan to sell the dragon to? Might the place be Isla Nublar, the Costan Rican island home to John Hammond’s Jurassic Park? The original Jurassic Park novels were written after all by…Michael Crichton.

If Westworld has taught us anything it’s to not believe in coincidences. So I guess this means Game of Thrones was always just another area of the park in Westworld, which I think is the perfect level of weirdness to add to this show.

Michonne’s Exit From ‘The Walking Dead’ Teases Rick Grimes’ Return
SPOILERS

By
Travis Hopson
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March 23, 2020

Danai Gurira’s seven seasons on The Walking Dead came to an end with last night’s episode, but she’s far from done playing the sword-wielding Michonne. We always knew that Michonne would be back, but her exit also teased the return of Andrew Lincoln as her former lover, Rick Grimes.

In last night’s episode titled “What We Become”, Michonne made a seafaring escape from the zombie apocalypse, to find her lost love, Rick. But it all began with the misguided Virgil (Kevin Carroll), who had kidnapped and drugged Michonne in an effort to help her. Which he did, incidentally, by leading her to a boat containing Rick’s familiar cowboy boots along with sketches of Michonne and what appears to be daughter Judith Grimes. So Michonne does the only thing she can do, which is to go off in search of Rick, who vanished a decade earlier.

When it was first revealed that Lincoln would leave the show after season 9, we knew it wasn’t meant to be forever. A trilogy of films centered on Rick Grimes is in the works, and this episode appears to be setting up a Rick/Michonne reunion there, or perhaps in a new series all to themselves?

Gurira wouldn’t confirm anything in her interview with Deadline, but did say this about Michonne’s departure and what it means…

“I thought it was beautiful that she got to, you know, kind of get cosmically rewarded for helping this weird guy, Virgil, who is played by a wonderful actor who I’ve always admired, Kevin Carroll. Rewarded by finding evidence that’s something she’s always suspected was true, which was that Rick didn’t die on that bridge. We’ll see what happens next or see if something happens.”

‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2 Will Have Robert Rodriguz As A Director
The 'Sin City' And 'Alita: Battle Angel' Director Is On Board For At Least One Episode

By
Travis Hopson
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March 22, 2020

The second season of The Mandalorian is shaping up to be bigger, possibly better, than the first. We’re about to see what the director of Sin City and Alita: Battle Angel can do with Baby Yoda, as /Film has confirmed Robert Rodriguez the Disney+ show’s crew of directors

The story was first reported by HN Entertainment and later verified. The rumors began to surface before that, however, with Rodriguez joined by Ford v Ferrari‘s James Mangold. The latter shot the report down, but Rodriguez stayed quiet. Now we know why. What’s unclear is whether he’s in for just one episode or if he’s around for the long haul.

Personally, I feel Rodriguez is long overdue to take on the world of Star Wars. He’s very similar to his pal, The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau, as an indie filmmaker who keeps his feet in both worlds. He can do his indie stuff like Planet Terror, which is deep with his personal signature style, and blockbuster stuff of many stripes such as Spy Kids, Alita: Battle Angel, and Sin City. His breakthrough film, El Mariachi, and its big screen companion Desperado, are Westerns that would fit well with The Mandalorian‘s tone.

So with the additions of Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano and now Rodriguez behind the camera there’s even more reason to get hyped over The Mandalorian‘s return this fall.

Review: ‘Hooking Up’
'All Sex, No Charm'

By
Cortland Jacoby
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In the new movie Hooking Up, Brittany Snow plays Darla, a sex addict newly fired from her magazine job for…. having sex on her boss’s desk. She’s forced to go to sex addiction meetings where she meets Bailey (Sam Richardson), a young cancer patient who instead of going to his support group wanders into Darla’s meeting. About to undergo treatment for testicular cancer, Bailey drunkenly rants about his breakup and how he soon won’t have any balls left. Intrigued by his predicament, Darla uses his plight as an opportunity to get her job back and invites him on a road trip. Instead of stopping at landmarks and sightseeing, they will stop in every place Darla has ever had sex. As they travel together, they bond and realize life isn’t as complicated as it seems.

Written by Nico Raineau and Lauren Schacher, with Raineau also directing, the film is technically a romantic sex comedy. However for a romantic sex comedy to work, you need chemistry and charisma. Brittany Snow hits all the right notes with this role. She’s quippy, no bullshit, and assertive. But there is no emotional appeal and had the character been a man, they would have definitely been “me-too-ed.” Unappealing characters continue with Sam Richardson’s Bailey. Normally very charming in projects like Veep and Detroiters, Richardson kind of coasts along throughout the film. Of the two characters, his should be somewhat likable and redemptive and he just falls flat. The story line of not being able to follow his dreams of becoming an illustrator completely doesn’t land the way it’s supposed to. The goal of a romantic comedy should be that the audience roots for the characters to be together by the end. Like a teenage boy fumbling to take off a girl’s bra, Hooking Up just couldn’t execute the job with the precision it needs.

The script also lacks charm. There’s a way to do a crude sex comedy that’s redeemable and delightful to watch, think of Sleeping With Other People and Trainwreck. This could be an issue of characterization or flat acting and chemistry, but when you watch characters that you can’t empathize with, do or say not-so-great things in an un-engaging way, the viewing experience feels monotonous after a while.

There are multiple threads in the film that are intriguing and had the lead’s chemistry worked, maybe the movie would have worked. But with Hooking Up, maybe its best that we move on and see other films.

Netflix, Oscilloscope, and Alamo Drafthouse Lead The Charge In Doing The Right Thing

By

John Nolan

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March 21, 2020

It’s so easy to see only darkness at times like this, let’s be honest things weren’t exactly feeling bright even before the Coronavirus crisis so it’s understandable for folks to feel like there’s not much good left in the world. Whenever things get that way I always try to remember that for every bad thing there are usually two or more good things happening, you just have to widen your view. This pandemic has is deeply affecting those who will never contract the virus, with social distancing businesses are shutting down left and right and while many are able to work from home an equal amount can’t. With production shutting down globally at this point and seeing as how film and TV production is a decidedly hands-on undertaking this crisis has hit these workers especially hard. It’s easy to think “oh, those Hollywood types will be fine, they’re rich!” but the truth is the percentage of millionaires in the film industry isn’t much different then it is in any other line of work. For every Tom Cruise there are 100’s of electricians, carpenters, drivers, stylists who get pennies on the dollar. In what I hope is a move that’s copied across the board three major players in the industry are doing the right thing and making sure those hit the hardest are getting the help they need.

Leading the monetary pack Netflix has created a $100 million dollar emergency support fund for workers in the creative industry. From their official press release:

“This community has supported Netflix through the good times, and we want to help them through these hard times, especially while governments are still figuring out what economic support they will provide. So we’ve created a $100 million fund to help with hardship in the creative community.”

Beloved art-house studio Oscilloscope has gotten creative and found a way to keep their revenue going while also making a difference to the affected. The company has released a deal they are calling the “Circle of Quarantine“, for $49.99 you can choose any 10 movies from the studio’s library. That cost is to own, not rent, so it’s a great deal regardless but if you need more motivation to expand your digital film shelf they have pledged to donate $10 of every sale to help movie theater employees via the Cinema Workers Solidarity Fund. These are men and women who are mostly low-waged, hourly workers and are often forgotten when we talk about the entertainment industry…that guy that rips your ticket? Yup, he’s in the film business, gets paid about $8/hour and hasn’t been able to work in weeks.

Last up is everyone’s favorite theater chain, the Alamo Drafthouse. Showing what it means to take care of your people, the original dinner and a movie cinema is donating $2 million dollars to its Alamo Community Fund which aims to assist it’s employees who are currently unable to work, which is roughly 80% of it’s total employment base. Drafthouse CEO Tim League issued a plea to his fellow industry leaders saying:

“The coronavirus pandemic is an existential threat to all cinema, but particularly independent and arthouse theaters. That’s why I’m asking for our friends and partners in the film and hospitality industries — if you believe companies like ours are vital to the welfare and strength of your businesses, please help us keep our people safe, strong, and ready to get back to work.”

The silver lining to any situations like this is that we are given a chance to see what humanity is capable of, we learn that contrary to popular belief people instinctively help each other. We’re all in this together, we can let things like this rip us apart or we can use it to prove the greatness that we are capable of.

They’ve set the example Hollywood, now it’s up to the rest of you to do what’s right.

Review: ‘Blow the Man Down’
Small-Town Crime Comedy Is A Breath Of Fresh Air

By
Cortland Jacoby
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Earlier this week, I said what every film critic says eventually, “I’m over what I’ve been seeing. I need a breath of fresh air.” Part of this is due to self-quarantine and the exorbitant amount of content I’ve seen in that last week and part of this is the quality of what I’ve been reviewing. Keep in mind most films are average, and I was tired of average now that Oscar season was over. Blow The Man Down, which premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, blew me away. Dark, engaging, and brilliantly crafted, it’s the breath of fresh air that you want in this time of uncertainty. And it there’s zero chance that breath will get you sick.

Nestled in a quiet little town in Maine is a small fishing village, home to the Connolly sisters. Despite having just lost their mother who left them with very big bills to pay, Mary Beth (Morgan Saylor) dreams of college while Priscilla (Sophie Lowe) is content with her life working at the family’s fish market. After laying their mother to rest and receiving condolences from the Town’s matriarchs (June Squibb, Annette O’Toole, and Marceline Hugot), Mary Beth goes out drinking and comes into the clutches of Gorski. He’s charming, slightly creepy and working as the henchman for the town’s Bed and Brothel. After a skirmish between the two, Mary Beth ends up killing him, pulling Priscilla into the mess. While girls clean up the murder, another body is found on the banks of this little fishing town, calling into question the motives of the B and B owner Enid (Margo Martindale). As questions arise over who else in town is a murderer, the Connolly sisters learn more about their mother, their strength, and who really runs their town.

Not to sound like SNL’s Stefon but this film has everything: Fishing towns, sea shanties, June Squibb leading a group of elderly women, a tight script, female directors and esteemed character actress Margo Martindale running a brothel. It’s a film lover’s dream. Writer and directors Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Kurdy bring a Cohen brothers feel to their first feature. It’s dark with the slight sense of humor of quick edits and precisely constructed irony. The story is driven by women, but it doesn’t flaunt it. At its core is a sense of matriarchy, but it feels very natural.

Well executed and suspenseful, Martindale, Squibb, Hugot, and O’Toole elevate the material to a surprisingly fun level. Very rarely does a film feel lived in and that’s due to the character work and experience these master actresses clearly possess. If you don’t become obsessed with these performances by the film’s end, you’ll at least be questioning the pasts of the strong maternal figures in your own life.

You’ll be hooked from the film’s sea shanty opening to its sea shanty closing. The soundtrack throughout is jaunty and folksy yet suspenseful, perfectly setting the tone. It’s worth mentioning that Lowe and Saylor give strong performances as the Connolly Sisters, but are understandably overshadowed by outstanding matriarchs in this film. Though the stakes do feel slightly bigger than the payoff, the final product is too entertaining to really notice.

Destined to be one of the best-underrated films of the year, Blow The Man Down is the perfect distraction if you need to kill a couple of hours during quarantine. Luckily, you can watch it on Amazon Prime. You’re welcome.

‘The Lovebirds’ Will Go Straight To Streaming At Netflix
Paramount Also Moves Up 'Sonic The Hedgehog' Digital Release

By
Travis Hopson
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March 21, 2020

The Kumail Nanjiani/Issa Rae action-comedy The Lovebirds has found a new nest at Netflix. After having its world premiere at SXSW canceled, and its theatrical release pulled by Paramount, the film has been acquired by Netflix, who plan on bringing it straight to streaming.

Directed by Michael Showalter, The Lovebirds stars Nanjiani and Rae as a couple who find themselves embroiled in a murder plot. It had been scheduled to hit theaters on April 3rd, but due to theater closures nationwide its release was yanked by Paramount. Now under the Netflix banner, the film will skip theatrical entirely and go direct to streaming at a future date.

This continues the Paramount/Netflix relationship which began a couple of years ago when the streamer paid $50M for The Cloverfield Paradox. It continued when Netflix gained international distribution of Annihilation, as well as the Eddie Murphy sequel Beverly Hills Cop 4.

Meanwhile, Paramount has also announced that Sonic the Hedgehog will be available for digital platforms beginning March 31st, months ahead of its intended home release. The video game movie was a big win at the box office with $306M worldwide.