- Pete Holmes: I Am Not for Everyone (2023): ★★★★
- Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile (2019): ★★
- Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023): ★½
- Spree (2020): ★★★
- Meet Me in St. Louis (1944): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- All My Life (2020): ★★★
- Fear Street: 1666 (2021): ★★★
- Da 5 Bloods (2020): ★★★★
- The Killer (2023): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- Dumb Money (2023): ★★★½
- Puppy Love (2023): ★★★
- Gran Turismo (2023): ★★★★
- The Pope’s Exorcist (2023): ★★★
- Face/Off (1997): ★★★★ ↺
- Quiz Lady (2023): ★★★½
- The Family Man (2000): ★★★
- Theater Camp (2023): ★★★★
- Flora and Son (2023): ★★★★
- Doctor Who: The Star Beast (2023): ★★★½
- The Running Man (1987): ★★★
- Violent Night (2022): ★★★ ↺
- Lost in America (1985): ★★★★
- The Quick and the Dead (1995): ★★★★
- Werewolves Within (2021): ★★★
- The Exorcist (1973): ★★★★½
- Man’s Favorite Sport? (1964): ★★★★
- Three Thousand Years of Longing (2022): ★★★★ ♥︎
- Totally Killer (2023): ★★★
- A Haunting in Venice (2023): ★★★½
- Don’t Breathe 2 (2021): ★★
- Happy Death Day (2017): ★★★½
- The Exorcist: Believer (2023): ★½
- Happy Death Day 2 U (2019): ★★★½
- Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One (2023): ★★★★
- Don’t Worry Darling (2022): ★★★ ↺
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): ★★★½
- Reptile (2023): ★★★
- The Burial (2023): ★★★½
- Haunted Mansion (2023): ★★
- The Pigeon Tunnel (2023): ★★★
- Man with the Screaming Brain (2005): ★½
- Mile 22 (2018): ★
- Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022): ★★★½
- Fear Street: 1994 (2021): ★★★
- Blue Beetle (2023): ★★★★
- Spoiler Alert (2022): ★★★½
- Fear Street: 1978 (2021): ★★★
- Keanu (2016): ★★★
- Hunt the Man Down (1950): ★★★
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend (2020): ★★★½ ↺
- Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023): ★★★
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002): ★★★ ↺
- Please Don’t Eat the Daisies (1960): ★★★½
- The Birdcage (1996): ★★★★ ↺
- Boyz n the Hood (1991): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- I Love You, Man (2009): ★★★ ↺
- How to Blow Up a Pipeline (2022): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- That Darn Cat! (1965): ★★★½
- Evil Dead (2013): ★★
- Polite Society (2023): ★★★★
- Evil Dead Rise (2023): ★★★½
- Sisu (2022): ★★★★
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023): ★★★★½
- Robots (2023): ★★½
- Paris When It Sizzles (1964): ★★★½
- Bound (1996): ★★★★
- Smile (2022): ★★★
- The Protégé (2021): ★★½
- The Craft (1996): ★★★
- Synchronic (2019): ★★½
- I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997): ★★½
- Barbie (2023): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- They Cloned Tyrone (2023): ★★★★
- The Matrix (1999): ★★★★★ ♥︎ ↺
- The Matrix Reloaded (2003): ★★★½ ↺
- The Matrix Revolutions (2003): ★★★ ↺
- The Matrix Resurrections (2021): ★★★½ ↺
- I’m Your Man (2021): ★★★½
- A Patch of Blue (1965): ★★★★½
- Annie Hall (1977): ★★★½
- A Damsel in Distress (1937): ★★★½
- Constantine (2005): ★★½ ↺
- No Hard Feelings (2023): ★★
- Return to Seoul (2022): ★★★★
- John Wick (2014): ★★★★ ♥︎ ↺
- Elemental (2023): ★★★
- John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017): ★★★★ ↺
- Desperately Seeking Susan (1985): ★★★½
- John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019): ★★★★ ↺
- John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023): ★★★★
- Day Shift (2022): ★★½
- Luckiest Girl Alive (2022): ★★½
- Bend It Like Beckham (2002): ★★★★
- It’s Complicated (2009): ★★★
- Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2005): ★★★
- The Trip (2010): ★★★½
- Emily the Criminal (2022): ★★★½
- Johnny Mnemonic (1995): ★★½
- Nimona (2023): ★★★★½
- Airplane II: The Sequel (1982): ★½
- Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (2023): ★★½
- Prey (2022): ★★★★
- Working Girl (1988): ★★★
- We Have a Ghost (2023): ★★
- Air Force One (1997): ★★★ ↺
- Air (2023): ★★★★
- Mrs. Davis (2023): ★★★★
- Changing Lanes (2002): ★★½
- OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009): ★★★
- Irma Vep (1996): ★★★★
- Living (2022): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- Asteroid City (2023): ★★★★
- The Odd Couple (1968): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- 99 Homes (2014): ★★★½
- The Flash (2023): ★★★½
- Ready or Not (2019): ★★★★
- The Blackening (2022): ★★★★
- The Novice (2021): ★★★½
- Vertigo (1958): ★★★★½
- The Jackpot (1950): ★★★
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023): ★★★★★ ♥︎
- Scream (1996): ★★★★
- A Time to Kill (1996): ★★★
- The Deepest Breath (2023): ★★★★
- The Last Airbender (2010): ★ ↺
- The Hunt (2020): ★★★
- Speed (1994): ★★★★ ↺
- Murder on the Orient Express (1974): ★★★½
- The Beanie Bubble (2023): ★★★
- Holy Spider (2022): ★★½
- The Bad Guys (2022): ★★★★ ♥︎
- Finch (2021): ★★★½
- Cast Away (2000): ★★★★ ↺
- BlackBerry (2023): ★★★★
- Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023): ★★★★½
- Carrie (1976): ★★★★
- The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021): ★★★★½
- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956): ★★★★
- Welcome to Marwen (2018): ★½
- Transformers (2007): ★
- The Seven Year Itch (1955): ★★★
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953): ★★★★
- Extraction 2 (2023): ★★★½
- The Mad Miss Manton (1938): ★★★
- Collision Course (1989): ★½
- The Remains of the Day (1993): ★★★★½
- Jerry & Marge Go Large (2022): ★★★½
- The Innocent (2022): ★★★★
- Bend of the River (1952): ★★★½
- 5th Ave Girl (1939): ★★★
- Con Air (1997): ★★★ ↺
- Woman in Witness Protection (1997): ★★★★
- Missing (2023): ★★★★
- Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): ★★★★
- Fast X (2023): ★½
- See for Me (2021): ★★★½
- The Attorney (2013): ★★★★
- The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 (2009): ★★½
- The Judge (2014): ★★★
- Dual (2022): ★★★½
- Inside (2023): ★★★
- Winchester ‘73 (1950): ★★★★
- Modern Romance (1981): ★★★★
- Scent of a Woman (1992): ★★★½
- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939): ★★★★½
- Safe House (2012): ★★
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023): ★★★★
- The Conversation (1974): ★★★★★ ↺
- Turn Every Page - The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb (2022): ★★★★
- The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023): ★★★
- Renfield (2023): ★★½
- To Catch a Killer (2023): ★★★½
- King of New York (1990): ★★★★
- Plane (2023): ★★★
- The Trouble with Harry (1955): ★★★
- Metropolitan (1990): ★★★★
- Black Narcissus (1947): ★★★★½
- Babylon (2022): ★★★★
- The Host (2006): ★★★★
- The Pursuit of Happyness (2006): ★★★½
- Force Majeure (2014): ★★★★
- Coffee Prince (2007): ★★★½
- Hypnotic (2023): ★½
- A Man Called Otto (2022): ★★★½
- Tetris (2023): ★★★½
- Strangers on a Train (1951): ★★★★
- Fair Game (2010): ★★½
- Rogue Agent (2022): ★★½
- Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010): ½
- Written on the Wind (1956): ★★★★½
- Man on a Ledge (2012): ★★½
- Rope (1948): ★★★★
- Dante’s Peak (1997): ★★ ↺
- Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005): ★★★★
- Malcolm X (1992): ★★★★★
- Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- Lady Vengeance (2005): ★★★½
- Father of the Bride (1991): ★★★½ ↺
- Father of the Bride, Part II (1995): ★★★½ ↺
- Dial M for Murder (1954): ★★★★
- Harvey (1950): ★★★★
- Lover Come Back (1961): ★★★½
- Cocaine Bear (2023): ★★
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023): ★★½
- Stealing Raden Saleh (2022): ★★★★½
- Thunder on the Hill (1951): ★★★½
- Ghosted (2023): ★★½
- Rear Window (1954): ★★★★★ ♥︎
- Infernal Affairs (2004): ★★★★
- John Mulaney: Baby J (2023): ★★★★½
- Anatomy of a Murder (1959): ★★★★½
- Fire Twister (2015): ★
- Risky Business (1983): ★★★½
- Cool Hand Luke (1967): ★★★★½
- To Catch a Thief (1955): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- Legal Eagles (1986): ★★★
-
Something I just learned while trying to find an image of the new Max logo. Searching for “max logo” or “new max logo” returns predictably unhelpful results. Max is such a common word. Good luck to anyone trying to find more information about Max in the future through an internet search. You’re going to get a lot of nonsense. ↩︎
- X (2022): ★★★½
- The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957): ★★★★★
- Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022): ★★★★
- Brewster’s Millions (1985): ★★★
- Paper Moon (1973): ★★★★½
- Backdraft (1991): ★★★½
- Waiting for Guffman (1996): ★★★½
- The Banshees of Inisherin (2022): ★★★★½
- Women Talking (2022): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse (2022): ★★★★
- Reign of Fire (2002): ★★½ ↺
- Little Women (2019): ★★★★½
- The Dark Tower (2017): ★
- Richard Jewell (2019): ★★★½
- The Heroic Trio (1993): ★★★
- Pretend It’s a City (2021): ★★★★
- Only the Brave (2017): ★★★★
- Boston Strangler (2023): ★★★
- All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022): ★★★★
- Nobody (2021): ★★★★
- State of Play (2009): ★★★
- Lifeboat (1944): ★★★★
- Sex and Lucía (2001): ★★★★
- Upgrade (2018): ★★★★
- Nick Kroll: Little Big Boy (2022): ★★★★
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- Christine (2016): ★★★½
- Oh, Hello on Broadway (2017): ★★★★ ↺
- Navalny (2022): ★★★★
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022): ★★★★
- Top Gun: Maverick (2022): ★★★½
- The Recruit (2003): ★★½
- The Menu (2022): ★★★★ ♥︎
- Men (2022): ★
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995): ★½ ↺
- Father of the Bride (2022): ★★★
- The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988): ★★★★ ↺
- The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991): ★★★½ ↺
- The Palm Beach Story (1942): ★★★★
- Unorthodox (2020): ★★★★½
- Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022): ★★★★
- TÁR (2022): ★★★★★ ♥︎
- The Wedding Singer (1998): ★★★
- Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997): ★★★
- Sharper (2023): ★★★
- Cell (2016): ★
- Love Is News (1937): ★★★
- Cliffhanger (1993): ★★★
- Destroyer (2018): ★★★½
- All Quiet on the Western Front (2022): ★★★★
- Knock at the Cabin (2023): ★★
- Fire of Love (2022): ★★★★
- Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994): ★★½
- Ball of Fire (1941): ★★★★
- Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel (2022): ★★★★½
- Mortal Kombat (1995): ★½ ↺
- Theodora Goes Wild (1936): ★★★★
- Easy Living (1937): ★★★½
- White Noise (2022): ★★★★
- A Woman Under the Influence (1974): ★★★★★ ↺
- Red Dawn (1984): ★
- Idiocracy (2006): ★★½
- Causeway (2022): ★★★★
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022): ★★★★
- Carol (2015): ★★★★½ ♥︎ ↺
- House of Gucci (2021): ★★
- Last Vegas (2013): ★★½
- Bringing Up Baby (1938): ★★★★½ ♥︎
- The Green Mile (1999): ★★★★
- Real Genius (1985): ★★★½
- Argentina, 1985 (2022): ★★★★½
- The Outfit (2022): ★★★½
- The Fabelmans (2022): ★★★★
- Showgirls (1995): ★★★½ ↺
- Elles (2011): ★★½
- The Martha Mitchell Effect (2022): ★★★½
- M3GAN (2022): ★★★
- Dark Waters (2019): ★★★★
- Triangle of Sadness (2022): ★★★★½
- Snowball Express (1972): ★★★
- Elvis (2022): ★★★★
- After Yang
- The Batman
- Being There
- Burning
- Down with Love
- Drive My Car
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Funny Face
- The Great Escape
- The Guilty
- High and Low
- It Happened One Night
- Jojo Rabbit
- Kiki’s Delivery Service
- Klaus
- Moonstruck
- Paddington
- Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Supermarket Woman
- Tootsie
- The Worst Person in the World
- The Goldfinch: ★★½
- Sneakers: ★★★½
- See How They Run: ★★★★
- Claire’s Knee: ★★★★
- Nude Tuesday: ★★★
- A Christmas Story Christmas: ★★★
- Ace in the Hole: ★★★★★
- Lady Chatterley’s Lover: ★★★½
- The Souvenir: ★★★★
- Trading Places: ★★★
- Adult Life Skills: ★★★½ ↺
- Burning (2018): ★★★★★ ♥︎
- Amsterdam: ★★
- Triple Frontier: ★★★
- Black Adam: ★★½
- Weird: The Al Yankovic Story: ★★★★ ♥︎
- Ticket to Paradise: ★★½
- The Phantom of the Open: ★★★★
- She Said: ★★★½
- Belle (2021): ★★★½
- Searching: ★★★★½
- Violent Night: ★★★
- Lucy: ★½ ↺
- Confess, Fletch: ★★★★
- Spirited: ★★★½
- Triple 9: ★★½
- Band of Outsiders: ★★★★
- The Daytrippers: ★★★½
- La Jetée: ★★★★★
- Three Colors: Red: ★★★★½
- Confess, Fletch: ★★★★ ♥︎ ↺
- The Lorax: ★★½
- Beverly Hills Cop: ★★★½
- Copshop: ★★★
- After Hours: ★★★★
- Backstreet Rookie: ★★★½
- Good Morning: ★★★★½
- The Core: ★
- Tootsie: ★★★★½ ♥︎
- Don’t Worry Darling: ★★★½
- All the Money in the World: ★★★
- Into the Forest: ★★★
- Disobedience: ★★★½
- Werewolf by Night: ★★★★
- Obi-Wan Kenobi: ★★★
- The Accused: ★★★½
- Batman: Mask of the Phantasm: ★★★★ ↺
- The Good Nurse: ★★★½
- Barbarian: ★★★½
- Fall: ★★½
- High-Rise: ★½
- The Guilty (2018): ★★★★½
- Midsommar: ★★★★
- Darkest Hour: ★★★
- Silent Night (2021): ★★★
- Fresh: ★★★½
- The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special: ★★★
- The Night of the Hunter: ★★★★½
- Watcher: ★★★
- The Assistant: ★★★★
- The Happening: ★½ ↺
- After Yang: ★★★★★ ♥︎
Letterboxd Diaries—November 2023
Total movies watched: 24.
Favorite movie of the month: The Killer.
Least liked movie of the month: Five Nights at Freddy’s.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
Coyote Vs. Acme won’t have its day in court, shelved by WBD for tax write-offs ↗
By Matt Schimkowitz at The A.V. Club:
Don’t expect to see the Looney Tunes back in action anytime soon. The perpetually in dire financial straits Warner Bros. Discovery won’t be releasing its completed Looney Tunes movie, Coyote Vs. Acme, starring John Cena, and will instead take a loss on the film in hopes of grabbing another craven, desperate tax write-off.
Add another great film to the sad pile of dead projects that had the misfortune of being handled by Warner Bros. Discovery. Coyote vs. Acme looked to be stellar.
Script contributor Zack Bornstein commented, “If great stories with beloved characters and A-list stars are getting shelved for tax write offs, why are studios even in the movie business.”
Well, they’re in the movie business exactly for these tax write-offs. They will only ever care about money, not movies.
UPDATE: It seems that Warners is allowing the filmmakers to find alternate distribution. I guess that’s a plus, but this didn’t have to happen in the first place.
Looking at all of the conflicting review headlines for The Marvels is enough to threaten me with serious whiplash.
“It’s delightful and heartfelt!”
“It’s the worst thing Marvel has ever done!”
This is yet another reminder that movie critic reviews are, by and large, unhelpful. Regardless, I’m looking forward to seeing this one.
Letterboxd Diaries—October 2023
Total movies watched: 24.
Favorite movie of the month: Three Thousand Years of Longing.
Least liked movie of the month: Mile 22.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
I’m at the point with Letterboxd now that the only reviews and ratings I give any weight to are those written by anyone who isn’t a man. They just have better taste across the board.
Letterboxd Diaries—September 2023
Total movies watched: 24.
Favorite movie of the month: Boyz n the Hood.
Least liked movie of the month: Evil Dead.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
Warner Bros. Discovery Says Ongoing Strikes Will Mean $300M-$500M Hit to 2023 Earnings ↗
By Georg Szalai at The Hollywood Reporter:
Warner Bros. Discovery has lowered its 2023 adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) forecast to $10.5 billion-$11.0 billion, a hit of $300 million-$500 million, “predominantly due to the impact of the strikes,” compared with the previously targeted low end of the $11.0 billion-$11.5 billion range.
Let me get this straight: it’s unreasonable for writers to justifiably demand a relatively modest pay increase, but it’s the height of business savvy for Warner Bros. Discovery to lose $300–500 million in a year?
What I’m hearing is, “I’m really upset with my face right now, so let me cut off my nose!”
To be clear, it would cost WBD far less to pay writers a fair wage than they’ll lose this year. According to IndieWire, of the $429 million a year it would cost the AMPTP to meet the demands of the WGA, WBD would be on the hook for about $47 million. On the low end, that’s a $253 million difference in 2023 and $453 million on the high end.
But yeah, it’s the writers who are the real problem. 🙄
It must be nice to lose that much money and not have to worry about also losing your job. I don’t know what WBD CEO David “I’m Super Good at Business” Zaslav has done to make his position so secure, but if anyone else in the world lost their company that much money, they’d never work in their industry again. Instead, these overpaid ghouls keep failing upward while the writers are increasingly unsure if they’ll have homes and food to rely on soon.
Make no mistake—it’s not “Hollywood” that’s the issue here. The blame for these strikes rests 100% on the shoulders of inept executives like Zaslav.
Letterboxd Diaries—August 2023
Total movies watched: 26.
Favorite movie of the month: Barbie.
Least favorite movie of the month: No Hard Feelings.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
Another Box Office Milestone: ‘Barbie’ Becomes Top-Grossing Movie of 2023 Domestically, Global to Soon Follow ↗
By Pamela McClintock at The Hollywood Reporter:
On Wednesday — its 34th day in release — Greta Gerwig’s movie passed up runaway blockbuster The Super Mario Bros. Movie at the domestic box office to become the top-grossing title of 2023 after finishing the day with a North American total of $575.4 million.
Couldn’t have happened to a better film and director. Barbie was probably the best time I had at the movies so far this year.
Letterboxd Diaries—July 2023
Total movies watched: 32.
Favorite movie of the month: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Worst movie of the month: The Last Airbender.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
Letterboxd Diaries—June 2023
Total movies watched: 26.
Favorite movie of the month: The Bad Guys.
Worst movie of the month: Transformers.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
Letterboxd Diaries—May 2023
Total movies watched: 29.
Favorite movies of the month: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. The first is a classic and the second was just damn fun.
Worst movie of the month: Hypnotic.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
Hulu and Disney+ Content to Be Combined In One App, Services to Stay Separate ↗
By Caitlin Huston at The Hollywood Reporter:
Disney will be combining Hulu content with Disney+ content into one app, CEO Bob Iger announced Wednesday.
The company will begin to roll out the new app by the end of the calendar year.
This news has been written on the wall since Disney+ debuted in 2019. Disney owns two-thirds of Hulu, so why wouldn’t they consolidate into a single app? Less overhead, no split focus, and potential subscriber boosting for their namesake app sound like good reasons to do something.
Whether this means I’ll be able to drop my Hulu subscription in the future remains to be seen. There’s also still the question of Hulu’s live tv offering up in the air. I wouldn’t expect to see that on Disney+. What I would expect is for Hulu to disappear entirely sometime in the future.
In related news from Jill Goldsmith at Deadline: Disney Pulling Some Content Off Streaming In Strategic Rethink.
Disney will be yanking content from streaming as it rethinks its costs and strategy […]
Seems they’re following in the footsteps of Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to remove loads of content from HBO Max in the name of cost-cutting. At one point, I believed that the originals produced by the various streaming companies were destined to live on their respective services forever. Why would they remove their own content? Surely, it couldn’t cost them much to keep it up; licensing fees would be nonexistent. I thought it would be nothing but upside.
That evergreen world doesn’t exist anymore. These billion-dollar media giants are just so strapped for cash that the mere suggestion of continuing to pay for their less-than-successful content is laughable. No better than a slap in the face! A company like Disney has to regularly cull this content from their service or they could face extinction in… [checks notes] Oh, that’s right, Disney will never die. They’ll never face any meaningful hardship whatsoever no matter what their subscriber numbers are or how many infantile governors cross their paths. They could lose every one of their streaming subscribers tomorrow and still have billions in the bank.
I wouldn’t explicitly condone finding copies of those excised movies and tv shows that have conveniently “fallen off the back of a truck,” but I wouldn’t discourage it either. These days, obtaining those copies and storing them on drives you own may be the only way to ensure you always have access to the stuff you want to watch.
Nothing wrong with wresting some control back from the mercurial whims of wickedly wealthy companies who always complain about not having enough money.
Hollywood writers to strike as streaming shift upends TV business ↗
By Lisa Richwine and Dawn Chmielewski at Reuters:
Thousands of film and television writers will go on strike starting Tuesday, throwing Hollywood into turmoil as the entertainment business grapples with seismic changes triggered by the global streaming TV boom.
The Writers Guild of America (WGA) called its first work stoppage in 15 years after failing to reach an agreement for higher pay from studios such as Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) and Netflix Inc (NFLX.O). The last strike lasted 100 days and cost the California economy more than $2 billion.
“The companies' behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing,” the WGA said in a statement on its website.
It always saddens me to see just how unwilling those with money and power are to ever give an inch if it involves the betterment of those who they view to be below them. What would the entertainment industry be without the talented writers who craft its stories?
I wish all of the writers the very best of luck and a speedy and favorable resolution to this strike.
Letterboxd Diaries—April 2023
Total movies watched: 32.
Favorite movie of the month: Rear Window.
Worst movie of the month: Birdemic: Shock and Terror.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
After watching the Doris Day-Rock Hudson film, Lover Come Back, I’m now certain that what was holding Hollywood aloft in the middle of last century were the twin tent poles of Technicolor musicals and mistaken identity rom-coms.
HBO Max Renamed as Max ↗
From J. Clara Chan:
Warner Bros. Discovery on Wednesday unveiled Max, its refreshed streaming service combining programming from both the original HBO Max streaming service and Discovery+.
Good job, Zaslav, et al. You took the prestige of and brand affection for HBO and turned it into a muck of “Max.” A small part of me hoped that the Warner Bros. Discovery CEO would course-correct away from this graceless endeavor. At the very least, they could have come up with a better name. Even better, they could have kept the HBO Max and Discovery+ apps separate instead of the weird tack of creating this new combination service and keeping Discovery+ around and unchanged.
But grace doesn’t appear to be in their wheelhouse. Like Zapp Brannigan piloting an orbiting restaurant, Zaslav is full steam ahead on seeing what the heck is going to stick to the wall this time.
By removing HBO from Max’s branding, WBD is also hoping to appeal to a wider audience that may have previously turned away from the streaming service due to HBO’s high-brow reputation and higher price point. [WBD’s president, JB] Perrette said removing HBO from the branding was a part of “preserving and protecting the most iconic trailblazing brand in entertainment.”
And yet, they’re still using the style of the old HBO logo in the new Max logo!1 That filled-in “a” in “Max” bears a striking resemblance to the familiar filled-in “o” in “HBO.” Despite what WBD may say, HBO is still a brand with a large and important audience. This amalgamation doesn’t seem like protection. It feels like a lack of confidence in their new product.
And anyway, I thought the point of Discovery+ sticking around was to appeal to that “wider audience.” What, then, is the point of continuing to offer two separate apps—Discovery+ and (now) Max? I understand why they’re keeping the former around. The HBO catalog probably won’t appeal to those who want an endless supply of reality shows. But surely the inverse is true, as well.
We’ll have one focused streaming service that meets the desires of those who use it and one unfocused mess crammed full of stuff that’s likely to confuse and/or frustrate many. As I wrote last August, it’s going to be unpleasant scrolling past, for instance, a giant banner image of 90 Day Fiancé to get to Succession. That kind of silly experience is nowhere to be found on successful rival services like Disney+.
Way to dilute a strong brand in the name of sticking it to AT&T, guys. I’m sure this new service and pricing 4K resolution content into a more expensive tier won’t lose you loads of previously invested fans.
Letterboxd Diaries—March 2023
Total movies watched: 28.
Favorite movies of the month: The Bridge on the River Kwai and Women Talking.
Worst movie of the month: The Dark Tower.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
I watched Greta Gerwig’s Little Women last night and, as is always the case with these sorts of films, finished it thinking I should buy and read Emily Post’s Etiquette.
Why shouldn’t I try to be the most polite and fancy lad possible?
Letterboxd Diaries—February 2023
Total movies watched: 29.
Favorite movie of the month: TÁR.
Worst movies of the month: Men and Cell. Those were memorably, frustratingly bad.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
Letterboxd Diaries—January 2023
Total movies watched: 24.
Favorite movie of the month: Bringing Up Baby.
Worst movie of the month: Red Dawn.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
My Favorite Films That I Watched for the First Time in 2022 (and the Ones I Disliked)
In 2022, I watched 333 movies, the great majority of which I hadn’t seen before. Last year may have been the most films I’d seen in a single year up to that point, but this year blew it away. 333 compared to 236? Almost a hundred more movies is no contest. That being said, I did see some amazing things for the first time last year, so check out that post.
This large number of films can only mean three things: I’ve seen a lot of great movies, I’ve seen a lot of terrible movies, and I had more free time on my hands than I thought I would. The ones listed below have monopolized my thoughts. They refuse to go quietly and deserve a special mention here.
Thanks once again to Letterboxd, the best movie tracking/reviewing/social service out there. Make sure to follow me there.
My favorite films
My disliked films
Letterboxd Diaries—December 2022
Total movies watched: 31.
Favorite movie of the month: Burning. But also, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story and Confess, Fletch were absolute delights.
Worst movie of the month: Lucy and Amsterdam. The first was just tripe and the second was a waste of an amazing cast.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥
I can’t tell if the movies I’ve been watching lately are genuinely too long for their stories or if I’ve just been getting grumpier as I age.
Letterboxd Diaries—November 2022
Total movies watched: 31.
Favorite movie of the month: After Yang.
Worst movie of the month: High-Rise.
Be sure to follow me on Letterboxd! 🎥