They had me for a bit on this one, after hitting play I thought “Ok, cool….LEGO movie worked so why not Weebles (they wobble but they don’t fall down, ya know)” It didn’t take long for me to realize this is not going to be a kids show. A stop motion medieval tale made using…I’m gonna say weebles again because I don’t know what they are, in any event it’s not a series I would have guessed would be getting made. This isn’t really a plot line I’d be dying to follow either, until that glorious title card that announced “From the producers of Robot Chicken“, I’m honestly surprised their genius hasn’t been tapped for a movie yet but a wide-release series will do for now. One thing that did pop out at me was the sparingly used profanity, these shows/movies can really work if they use the rating effectively and not as a marquee plot device. While it does seem to be plenty dirty it also seems like it will be used to increase the humor, not take its place.
So what are the Oscars to do? With so many theatrical films pushed to digital without ever getting a traditional release, will there even be an Academy Awards next year? Well, of course there will, and for one year only streaming movies will be allowed to participate.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that for the 2020 Oscars there will be an exception made allowing for streaming movies to be nominated for Best Picture and other general categories. There are numerous caveats, however. For instance, the movie must have had a theatrical release planned, but went to digital because of the pandemic. They are temporarily waving the established rule that films needed a one-week theatrical run in Los Angeles to qualify. That’s hard to do when all L.A. theaters are closed.
There are a couple of other provisions:
The film must be made available on the secure Academy Screening Room member-only streaming site within 60 days of the film’s streaming or VOD release;
The film must meet all other eligibility requirements
Basically, the Scott Adkins movie that was never going to open in a theater? It still can’t qualify for an Oscar. But a movie like Judd Apatow’s The King of Staten Island? It can. The question is what does this mean for a movie in the grey area, like HBO’s Bad Education, which premiered at festival but aired on the TV network?
Interestlingly, the Academy can throw out all of these changes basically when they want to, or when enough experts say theaters are cleared to be open again.
“On a date to be determined by the Academy, and when theaters reopen in accordance with federal, state and local specified guidelines and criteria, this rules exemption will no longer apply. All films released thereafter will be expected to comply with the standard Academy theatrical qualifying requirements.”
None of the major theater chains have made a decision on when that’s going to be, and there’s a wide gap between what the federal and state governments consider is safe. Just sounds like a massive headache.
However, when theaters do open, the Academy will expand eligibility by allowing for venues in other cities: New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami.
Another big change? The two sound categories have been combined into one Achievement in Sound category. No more will you be asked to describe the difference between Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. I’ll confess, this question bugs me greatly every year, but if your average person can’t tell the difference it’s probably best to do it this way.
Finally, in the Original Score category, a contending film must now be comprised of at least 60% new music. Furthermore, franchise movies and sequels, such as Oscar powerhouse Star Wars, will now need to be 80% new music.
The 93rd Academy Awards are still scheduled for February 27, 2021.
Recently launched and new streaming service Topic (from First Look Media) promised “borderless entertainment” as it delivers content from a variety of places as it enters the streaming game, competing against the heavyweights in a different way with “smart, provocative and meaningful entertainment.” Recently they released UK’s Channel 4’s The Virtues for a wider audience, and it was short of outstanding. However, with Soul City, results may vary.
Soul City is described as a psychological “horror” series set in New Orleans directed by Coodie and Chike (ESPN 30-for-30’s Benji, Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ, and numerous music videos including Kanye West’s “Through the Wire”). Horror is in quotations because the series doesn’t really feel outright “scary” per se, but there are some elements of the thriller genre, but unfortunately doesn’t really land most of the time. Each of the three episodes on average is about 15 minutes, so as soon as you are settled in, the episode comes to a conclusion. Set in New Orleans, each episode deals with some sort of aspect of local culture, whether it be funeral processions, ballrooms, or jazz.
Soul City’s first episode, “Grace” features a young child dealing with the loss of her mother as she is taken in by her mother’s overly religious and toxic friend. Grace is obsessed with isolating herself with her grief, but according to her new parental figure, she just “needs Jesus” and gets yelled at every possible moment to do so. Oh, and she just might have some sort of Damien-Esque superpowers that she will use to enact her revenge. For the most part, it’s shot in black and white and the cinematography decisions make it feel like a student film instead of something from the directors of “Jesus Walks.”
The second episode, “Pillow Shop” deals with insomnia as a married man (Dorian Missick) has been unable to sleep. He is recommended to go to a store that exclusively sells pillows that will help him with his sleep, and sleep he does as he transports to a dream world with a ballroom where other visitors of that shop dine together and eventually sleep together, even though he’s married in the “real world.” Unfortunately, those who use this special pillow end up dead soon enough, and it’s a race against the clock for his wife to snap him out of this addiction. This is probably one of the stronger episodes as it deals with the anxieties of insomnia as well as infidelity.
Soul City’s third and final episode “Give Man” showcases New Orleans jazz culture, as well as the theme of bargaining with the devil as a man (Chadwick Coleman), strikes a voodoo deal for happiness, reducing an ailment, and prosperity, only for the bill to be collected by his child, who he is so ashamed of hurting that he never meets his son. His riches ensure his child, a local jazz pianist, never worries for money, until the bill is due. While an interesting concept, the episode ends just when it’s getting interesting for his adult son who has to make a decision of his own.
One actor who is present throughout all three episodes is Queen Sugar’s Omar Dorsey (who should be getting much more work as he’s a fantastic actor) as he’s the glue for all three episodes. Even though this is an anthology, his character remains consistent and is the most interesting. You really don’t know his purpose until the final episode, and while the reveal is a little bit of a letdown, he’s still the most interesting. In fact, the casting for Soul City is very good as you get a who’s who of many good black actors who are usually in supporting roles (Chadwick Coleman, Dorian Missick, and even Maroon 5’s PJ Morton), people who you know by face if not by name. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t really land due to the short time span, and the fact that it’s never really scary. Perhaps if each episode was more developed, or had a bigger budget, it would have a bigger impact.
“Get up fast when you fall”, says Abe Turner (Rob Morgan) in Bull, Annie Silverstein’s striking, sensitive look at masculinity and disenfranchisement in the black rodeo community. A former bull rider-turned rodeo clown, Abe’s words serve as easy metaphor for life, one echoed in every male-driven sports movie ever made. Take a punch, get back up. While Silverstein doesn’t seek to elevate simple conventions such as this, she more than makes up for it through her depiction of a rarely-seen corner of black life.
You might not think that’s what Bull is, at least not in the beginning where it better resembles Kids or Thirteen. That’s when we’re introduced to 14-year-old Krystal (terrific newcomer Amber Havard), a hellion too much for her poor, ailing grandmother to handle. Krystal seems well on the way to joining her mother in prison; disobeying her grandmother’s instructions, taking her sister out where she doesn’t belong, hanging out with the local ruffians who throw the N-word around casually. When Krystal breaks into her neighbor Abe’s home to throw a drug and alcohol-fueled party, that’s when she gets an unexpected shot at redemption.
The surly Abe is in need of something, too. When Krystal is caught by the police, Abe grants her leniency, but only if she’ll clean his broken-down house and fix his chicken coop, the one her dog keeps getting into. While he’s initially dismissive of the poverty-stricken girl, common ground is forged in two things: love of rodeo, and their mutually-impoverished situations. Introducing her to the African-Amerian rodeo circuit in rural Texas, Abe becomes a pill-popping, hard-drinking mentor. His battered-and-bruised body a sign of his deep commitment to the profession he loves, but also the way he’s been discarded all of his life.
In a way, Abe’s story mirrors that of Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler. He’s a man who has known only one thing all of his life, and that’s how to use his body in the rodeo to make a living. Once a renowned rider, he now risks further harm (and takes his share of punishment) as a rodeo clown. It’s the only thing he knows, but more importantly, it’s the only thing of value he feels he has to offer. But unlike Darren Aronofsky’s film, Bull can’t ignore the marginalization of blacks within their chosen profession, and in the cowboy culture. Abe’s long-storied career in the majors means little when all is said and done, and he finds refuge in the only places he can, among his own people who have been pushed to the margins. “Don’t get more American than that”, Abe tells another black cowboy in passing, as if rodeo reminds him that he belongs here.
The crisis Abe faces is mirrored in Chloe Zhao’s astounding film, The Rider, which also challenges our notions of masculinity in the rodeo. Silverstein doesn’t elevate the discussion, just looks at it through the lens of race and the opportunities it affords. Abe doesn’t have any options truly left to him. Meanwhile, Krystal’s drawn to bull-riding like a moth to flame, but the dangerous pull of drug-dealing and crime is always present.
Avoiding the annoying possibility of a “Magical Negro” narrative, one where a black character’s only purpose is to be catalyst to a white person’s emotional awakening, Silverstein keeps her focus evenly split and the central relationship free of cloying cliches. The oil and water nature of Abe and Krystal’s friendship is nothing new, but it feels authentically bumpy. It helps to have renowned character actor Rob Morgan in a rare lead performance. The Stranger Things/Mudbound actor exudes toughness, hardship, and pain at every turn; even when Abe softens it’s only by the barest crack. Amber Havard is a true find, her tough-as-nails performance gives as much she takes from Morgan, and then some.
Wisely, Silverstein doesn’t paint bull-riding as an easy pathway to escape for either Abe or Krystal. For people such as them, dreams are hard-won and rarely at that. While Bull‘s ambiguous ending is meant to drive that point home, it drags an already-subdued tone down even further. Not that we want a happy-go-lucky version, but there’s inspiration in the way they strap in and enter the arena, time and time again, knowing it can only end in pain. But those brief seconds in the ring are the closest thing to freedom, the closest thing to hope, they might ever know.
Irrfan Khan, the renowned actor of nearly 80 films stretching from Bollywood to Hollywood, has died at the age of 53. In 2018 he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. After receiving extensive treatment, he recovered enough to shoot one final film, Angrezi Medium, which opened just last month.
Khan’s 30-year career began in TV soaps, before landing supporting roles in Hindi films. His first English role was in 2007’s A Mighty Heart, part of an incredible run of terrific performances in Best Picture winner Slumdog Millionaire, The Namesake, and more, cementing himself as one of the best actors in Bollywood and the west.
Khan continued to cement himself as a force in Hollywood, lending his dramatic skills to blockbuster films Jurassic World, The Amazing Spider-Man, and another Best Picture winner Life of Pi. His final English role was 2018’s acclaimed indie, Puzzle, which was not only a favorite on this site but around the world.
In 2001 he starred in what I think is quietly among his best films, The Warrior, about a lone feudal warrior who attempts to find peace by giving up the sword. Khan had been considering retirement from acting, and this was the movie that convinced him to keep going. Thank goodness for that movie.
On a personal note, I’m truly heartbroken over this. I interviewed Khan for The Lunchbox back in 2014, and having always admired him it was a bit overwhelming. But he had such a calming presence, humble but confident, and a lot like the characters he played on screen. He was one of the nicest actors I ever spoke to, and he even granted me a personal favor that remains my fondest memory from all of my years attending the festival.
Without going too much into it, I asked him if he would call my friend and former Punch Drunk Critics writer Roxana Hadadi on the phone, just to say hi. I knew she was an even bigger fan of his than me, and thought the shock of having him call would probably give her a heart attack. I was stunned at how quickly he agreed, and the excited shriek she made over the phone is still something that makes me laugh today. And he was so gracious, perhaps a little bit embarrassed about all the attention. We talked more then, even though the interview was over. I’ll never forget it, mainly because I’m still embarrassed to have been wearing a Scott Pilgrim tee that day. So professional.
Universal’s boasts over the success of Trolls World Tourhave had unexpected consequences. AMC Theaters has made the decision not to show Universal Pictures films, “effective immediately”, after “unacceptable” comments by NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell.
Earlier today, Universal excitedly revealed that Trolls World Tour, which they released straight-to-digital rather than theaters due to the pandemic, had earned $100M in only three weeks. Shell made it clear that going forward Universal movies would be released in “both formats”, theatrical and digitally. Considering NBCUniversal owns the new streaming service Peacock, new films could turn up there.
“It is disappointing to us, but Jeff’s comments as to Universal’s unilateral actions and intentions have left us with no choice,” AMC Theatres chair-CEO Adam Aron wrote (via THR). “Therefore, effectively immediately AMC will no longer play any Universal movies in any of our theatres in the United States, Europe or the Middle East.”
AMC is the largest theater chain in the country, and not having access to it would be a devastating loss to Universal. They’ve got some big movies on the way, such as Fast 9, which they expect to rake in $1B. That would seem impossible without access to AMC’s vast cinema locations.
Of course, AMC would be losing out on revenue, as well, but Aron stands firm in the decision they’ve made…
“This policy affects any and all Universal movies per se, goes into effect today and as our theaters reopen, and is not some hollow or ill-considered threat. Incidentally, this policy is not aimed solely at Universal out of pique or to be punitive in any way, it also extends to any movie maker who unilaterally abandons current windowing practices absent good faith negotiations between us, so that they as distributor and we as exhibitor both benefit and neither are hurt from such changes. Currently, with the press comment today, Universal is the only studio contemplating a wholesale change to the status quo. Hence, this immediate communication in response.”
He continued, “Universal’s unilateral pronouncements on this issue are unpalatable to us, as has always been the case, AMC is willing to sit down with Universal to discuss different windows strategies and different economic models between your company and ours. However, in the absence of such discussions, and an acceptable conclusion thereto, our decades of incredibly successful business activity together has sadly come to an end.”
This all boils down to Universal proclaiming a change in future distribution. If they had said nothing, AMC wouldn’t be taking this step. That’s also why you don’t see them making a similar move against Disney or Warner Bros., who have also released some of their big movies to digital outlets.
And just like that, abracadabra! Now You See Me 3 is back on. Lionsgate announced a second sequel to the illusionist heist franchise in 2015, which was before Now You See Me 2 would even open. It’s taken them some time to set things into motion, but that’s changed now with the hiring of American Hustle and Top Gun: Maverick writer Eric Warren Singer.
Singer has been hired to deliver a fresh take on Now You See Me, one that may combine new and old casts. The first movie starred Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Morgan Freeman, and Dave Franco as a team of illusionists who also commit heists, spreading the wealth around like magic Robin Hoods. The sequel added some new faces, such as Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe, while expanding on the Four Horsemen’s backstory. Louis Leterrier (The Incredible Hulk) directed the first movie, with Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights) on the second. Chu was hired to return for Now You See Me 3, but he’s pretty busy now and who knows if that’s going to stick.
“Eric has always been fascinated with the fine art of deception and illusion in all of it forms and he came to us with a great story that takes the mythology of Now You See Me and pushes The Four Horsemen to a whole new level with our key returning cast and new characters,” said Nathan Kahane, President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “The Now You See Me franchise has been built on keeping the audience surprised and guessing. Any great magician knows, you can’t keep doing the same tricks. And Eric and his team of illusionists have something special up their sleeve for this new film.”
Combined, the two films have earned $687M, which isn’t bad for a homegrown thriller franchise nowadays. It’s easy to see why Lionsgate would want to keep it going, although one hopes Jonathan Bayme and his team of magic consultants at Theory 11 will do more to make the tricks and illusions grander, without the use of so much CGI.
Although Karen Gillan has been a part of Guardians of the Galaxy, a pair of hit Jumanji films, and two Avengers movies, she’s yet to have that one standout lead performance. That could be about to change, though, with the upcoming sci-fi film Dual, in which she will take on dual roles for director Riley Stearns.
The provocative film will find Gillan in the role of a terminally-ill woman who has a clone of herself created so her friends and family don’t grieve her loss. However, when the woman makes a miraculous recovery, she’s mandated to duel her clone to the death after attempts to have it decommissioned fail.
Damn, I’m into it already.
Joining Gillan in the cast are Aaron Paul, Jesse Eisenberg, Beulah Koale, and Martha Kelly. Eisenberg is familiar with Stearns from the director’s most recent film, The Art of Self-Defense. Previous to that, Stearns made his directorial debut with 2014’s Faults, which starred his wife Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Paul can currently be seen on Westworld, where he plays a major role in season 3. Kelly is a standup comedian who can be found in Marriage Story and the upcoming horror-comedy Corporate Animals. Koale was a main character on CBS series Hawaii Five-O, and will appear next in Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins.
Much like Daisy Ridley in The Force Awakens, Naomi Ackie was a relatively obscure actress before her role in The Rise of Skywalker. Unlike Ridley, however, Ackie had most of her character Jannah’s storylines removed during a troubled writing process. That said, she had a very curious scene at the end of the movie alongside Billy Dee Williams, and it’s led to speculation Jannah could return in a spinoff series.
Speaking with Digital Spy, Ackie was understandably grateful to be part of the Star Wars universe. She becomes the first black female lead character in the franchise’s history, an honor she holds with great pride…
“Getting the Star Wars role was really surreal. I loved playing Jannah because she’s strong and brave. She’s one of the first black female leads to enter the Star Wars universe in 41 years and I felt the importance of that. For me, it was about everything from having natural, textured hair to not being shy of talking about what more the industry needs to do.”
When asked about the possibility of playing Jannah again, Ackie doesn’t say no.
“Jannah was a completely new character and I like the idea that the Star Wars universe is expanding. I think Jannah could get a spin-off. She has a really rich backstory that JJ [Abrams] told me about, and a future that we still don’t know about.” Is she Lando’s long-lost daughter?”
She concluded with a “my lips are sealed” gesture, before adding “That’s my answer.”
Sounds like she knows something, but isn’t willing to give it up just yet. Jannah was reportedly going to be revealed as Lando’s daughter, stolen away and made a member of the First Order, but that story arc was removed. If it doesn’t make the screen then it doesn’t count, so we can’t assume that’s how her story will play out when/if she reappears.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker makes its way to Disney+ on May 4th.
Marvel’s longest-running TV series, Agents of SHIELD, is finally coming to an end. The seventh and final season is right around the corner, and it looks like they are trying to recapture the time-travel fun we saw with Avengers: Endgame, because Agent Coulson and his squad are stuck in the 1930s.
Season 7 finds Agent of SHIELD set in 1931, when they must stop the threat of synthetic face-stealing foes the Chronicoms. Oh, and return to the present, of course. As we’ve previously learned, the setting allows for a crossover with another canceled Marvel series, Agent Carter, although it’s still unconfirmed if Hayley Atwell will reprise her role.
Some might call Agents of SHIELD a disappointment, and I can see their point. The show premiered following the heights of 2012’s The Avengers, and it got off to such a hot start. A combination of questionable storytelling (that Inhumans stuff drove me away) and indifference from Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios derailed all of that. But it’s hard to ignore the show’s lengthy run and dedicated fanbase, who always packed halls at Comic-Con to see the cast. The show has left its mark, whatever one thinks of it.
Agents of SHIELD will kick off its final 13-episode season beginning May 27th on ABC.
SYNOPSIS: In the seventh and final season of the Marvel hit, Coulson and the Agents of SHIELD are thrust backward in time and stranded in 1931 New York City. With the all-new Zephyr set to time-jump at any moment, the team must hurry to find out exactly what happened. If they fail, it would mean disaster for the past, present and future of the world.
