May 21, 2021
After what could only be described as a most unusual year for everyone around the world, we are inching our way back to some sense of normalcy, and that includes the movie industry. After a 2020 that saw massive disruption and delays, not to mention serious financial strain, movie theaters are opening back up, and studios are lining up their releases and gearing up for a comeback year. Before we jump into my Summer Movie Preview, let’s take a quick pulse check on the state of the industry.
The Future Is Now
Last year saw studios scramble to reshuffle their film schedule, with streaming services (primarily Netflix) in the driver’s seat to manage distribution of their content. Film acquisition heated up, with Hulu, Apple TV+ and Amazon scooping up titles for their platforms. Netflix continues to be a behemoth, committing to a new movie release every week of 2021, and just committed a whopping $450 million for the rights to the two sequels to 2019’s detective comedy Knives Out.
Warner Media took the controversial step of pushing all of their new releases for 2021 onto their new streaming platform (HBO Max), with a same day theatrical release, potentially harming their relationship with theater chains (and pissing off filmmakers in the process). Warner Media has disclosed that it will only take this strategy for 2021, with the possibility that they change course to a more traditional theatrical release for Dune, anticipated in October. When I saw this move several months ago, I read it as a blatant attempt to get more subscribers for HBO Max (spoiler alert: it worked), and wouldn’t you know it – this week saw a deal announced where AT&T will spin off Warner Media and merge it with Discovery (the owner of HGTV, Food Network, and the Discovery Channel). I’m sure those high subscriber numbers helped the deal valuation.
Viacom, the owner of CBS and Paramount Pictures, launched its own streaming platform last year (creatively called Paramount+), but is way behind the competition on content. Until it expands its film library, which is planned for this Summer, you can catch plenty of old episodes of Survivor and Big Brother. Viacom did recently announce that they are following the competitor model by releasing the new Mark Wahlberg action film, Infinite, directly to Paramount+, and that A Quiet Place Part II will be available on their streaming service only 45 days after premiering in theaters. This didn’t sit well with Hollywood power couple Emily Blunt (who stars in the movie) and John Krasinski (writer-director of the film), who are trying to renegotiate their original deal, which was probably tied to theater gross receipts.
Lastly, we have the king of all media – Disney. Of course, they are focused on getting their theme parks up and running as the nation starts to open back up, but in the meantime, they are shattering their subscriber expectations for Disney+. With a massive content library including Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and the classic Disney films, they are up there with Netflix as leaders in the industry. They are still playing around with their release model, as some films are going directly to streaming (like Soul did in late 2020, and the upcoming Luca this Summer), and others are following the “Premier Access” route. What’s that? Like we need yet another option in the world, certain movies can be rented the same day they are released in theaters for $30 (on top of your Disney+ subscription). I guess the argument here is that if you really want to see the movie, but don’t want to drag the family to the theater, you can watch it at home for a little extra money. Disney tried this with Mulan last year, and it must have been successful, because they will be following this model for three films this year (and they are big ones) – Black Widow, Cruella and Jungle Cruise.
Whew! That’s a lot of change over the last several months. The punchline is this – the industry is rapidly changing, the demand for content is very high, which means we should see a lot of good options for film creators, and the theatrical / streaming models are blurring very rapidly. But the good news is that movies are back and with that in mind, we’re going to jump into my Summer Preview.
Someone Please Save Amy Adams With A Good Movie – The Woman in the Window
You know a movie is in trouble when it’s release is constantly pushed back (for reasons other than a worldwide pandemic) and eventually gets dumped on Netflix for release in the middle of May with little fanfare. I read the novel that this film is based on and enjoyed it very much. It’s the story of an agoraphobic woman who spends part of her day peering out her window at her neighbors and one day thinks she witnesses a murder. Now, she has a lot of problems going on in her life, so she is not exactly a reliable witness, nor is she a reliable narrator for this story. The novel featured some twists and turns that I think were probably difficult to translate to film. Early test screenings left audiences confused, which I can understand if you didn’t read the book, leading to rewrites and reshoots (never a good sign), causing delays which were compounded by the pandemic. The film was ultimately sold to Netflix and will probably be forgotten very quickly. I thought the movie, despite the strong source material and great cast, was the definition of “meh.” It was just underwhelming, with too much melodrama, and I was immediately turned off by the “one the nose” screenshot of Rear Window in the opening scene. Look, I love Amy Adams – heck, I devoted a whole post to her last year – but this is two clunkers in a row (after last year’s Hillbilly Elegy) and someone needs to find her a good script to get her back on a winning streak. While most of the films in this preview will be ones I haven’t seen (meaning I can’t take responsibility for writing about it, if it turns out to be a dud), I can authoritatively suggest you skip this one. The Woman in the Window is streaming on Netflix now.
The Franchise Tentpoles – F9 and Black Widow
OK, I don’t have much to say about these two films, except they will likely be monster hits and two of the reasons that theaters make a comeback in 2021. F9 is the ninth installment in the Fast and the Furious franchise, one that I never dipped into, so it’s unlikely I’ll be checking this one out. Black Widow is the next movie in the highly-successful Marvel franchise and stars Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh. As much as I like both of these actresses, the Marvel movies are still on my long list of films to check out at some point, so I’ll be skipping this one for now as well. Despite my lack of interest in these two films, I’m sure we’ll be reading about their success a lot this year. F9 premieres in theaters on June 25th and Black Widow premieres in theaters and on Disney+ Premier on July 9th.
Is This A Children’s Movie? – Cruella
Usually I don’t like to watch trailers of movies I am going to see, because they usually give away the whole story and you ask yourself “why bother watching it?”. The new Disney film, Cruella, an origin story of the famous villain from 101 Dalmatians, this time played by Oscar winner Emma Stone, wasn’t on my list of movies to check out this year. I just figured it wasn’t for me. And then I saw the trailer and I have to say that I am intrigued. It looks very good and I’m starting to see some sneaky good early reviews, so it’s moving up my list of Summer movies to see. That being said – is this a children’s movie? First, it reflects a bit of a dark tone and it is rated PG-13, but it’s Disney, right? Well, let’s not forget that the story here is about a woman who wants to MURDER PUPPIES! OK, maybe let’s not take the young kiddos to this one. Cruella premieres in theaters and on Disney+ Premier on May 28th. For alternative choices for the kids, the new live action remake of Cinderella, starring Camila Cabello premieres on Amazon Prime on July 16th, and Space Jam: A New Legacy premieres in theaters and on HBO Max on July 16th.
For the Horror Fan – The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
If the evil of Cruella de Vil is too tame for your viewing pleasure, can I interest you in a movie about Satan? I am usually not a big connoisseur of horror movies, but occasionally I find them entertaining. Last year, I watched The Conjuring, the 2013 film about supernatural investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren (who gained fame investigating the case that inspired the novel and film The Amityville Horror). I really enjoyed it, mostly because it had a good story and was more “suspense” than a “gory blood fest”. There was an equally satisfying sequel released in 2016 and this year’s version is the third in the series. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga portray the Warrens who are cursed with the ability to communicate with demonic beasts who have preyed on innocent victims. This one should be fun. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It premieres in theaters and on HBO Max on June 4th. For your other horror needs, the newest film in the Saw franchise, Spiral: From the Book of Saw is now in theaters. And if zombies are your thing, you can watch Army of the Dead on Netflix now.
The Queen of Soul – Respect
OK, let’s lighten things up a bit, shall we? If you are a regular reader of this blog, then you know I am a big music fan and even wrote a piece on the art of the musician biopic. It seems like this trend is still pretty hot, because not only do we have this film about the legendary Aretha Franklin to look forward to, but it was just announced this week that there is a biopic of Cher in the works…..Crickets?……Yeah, thought so. Let’s get back to the queen of soul. Yet another movie delayed by the pandemic, Respect will bow about a year later than originally planned, and stars Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson as Franklin. If there’s one thing we know, it’s that Hudson can handle the singing. And we know she’s a great actress. The question, as always with these films, will be if the story itself is compelling, or if it turns out to be a melodrama. Let’s hope for the former, not the latter. Respect premieres in theaters on August 13th.
For Your Broadway Fix – In the Heights
Recently, the state of New York announced that the lights on Broadway will shine again in September, with tickets for some of the biggest shows (Wicked, The Lion King, and of course, Hamilton) on sale now. While I am looking forward to seeing live theater soon, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to see a musical in person, so this movie will have to do in the meantime. Based on the successful 2008 Broadway play written by Lin-Manuel Miranda, In the Heights takes place over three days in the Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City. Miranda’s latest effort has been getting some positive advance reviews and I expect this one to be a hit this Summer. In the Heights premiers in theaters and on HBO Max on June 11th.
Going Back to New Jersey – The Many Saints of Newark
It’s always dangerous to revisit a legendary television show, many years after it ended. In looking at some of the best of Peak TV, we saw a Netflix film “sequel” to Breaking Bad that received lukewarm reviews (admittedly, I haven’t seen it), and while the thought of picking up the storyline of Mad Men in the 1980s sounds good on paper, I’m kind of glad that a sequel has never been discussed. Sometimes it’s best to leave things as they were, and go out on top. So, there is some trepidation with The Many Saints of Newark, the prequel film to The Sopranos television series. Now, what has me hopeful is that David Chase, who created the television series, co-wrote the script with one of his collaborators on The Sopranos. What has me nervous is that the last season or two of the series was pretty underwhelming. Much has been made of James Gandolfini’s son playing the younger Tony Soprano in the film. I actually don’t think this will be that big of a deal because supposedly, Tony will be a minor character in this film. That being said, it will be kind of cool to see Michael Gandolfini’s take on a legendary character. We’ll see how this one plays out, but I’m cautiously hopeful that this will be excellent – fingers crossed. The Many Saints of Newark premiers in theaters and on HBO Max on September 24th.
One Last Note
Before I wrap up this week, a few words about a comedic acting legend that passed away this week. The great Charles Grodin died at the age of 86 and there have been a number of great tributes written, including reminders of some of his best performances. While he gained fame in the 1970s, it was mostly for films I have yet to see, so my exposure to him was in the 1980s and early 90s, particularly three movies that showcased his deadpan comedic delivery. He played the neglected husband to Goldie Hawn in Neil Simon’s Seems Like Old Times, a supporting role as a small-town accountant who balances the federal budget for Kevin Kline in Dave, and one of my favorite comedies of all-time, Midnight Run. I wrote about this film in my first comfort movie post over a year ago, which you can find here. I highly recommend watching (or revisiting) Midnight Run, as it is still very good after over 30 years. You can find it streaming on HBO Max, and if you don’t have HBO Max yet, it’s got a great content library and it’s the only place you can find the Friends reunion next week, so it’s a perfect time to sign up.
That’s all for this week. I’ll be back for part two of my Summer movie preview next week. There is still a lot to cover, including a few films that I saw at Sundance earlier this year (including my favorite movie of 2021 so far), new pictures from Matt Damon, Michael Keaton, and Steven Soderbergh, and a documentary about one of the greatest bands of all time. Until then, thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe here.