November 27th, 2023

BOTTOMS - MGM+

Is Bottoms the comedy of the year? In terms of cultural footprint, it certainly doesn’t come close to Barbie (which we would consider a comedy). But in terms of pure enthusiasm, Emma Seligman’s teen sex comedy feels like it has the most passion. It was probably always destined to become a cult favorite, and it would be great if MGM had an output deal with Netflix, where this movie would kill. For now, we’ll have to settle for MGM+, and in a few months, Prime Video.

THE LESSON - Paramount+ w/Showtime

Stacked with a talented cast (Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy, Daryl McCormack), this British thriller is bound to play very well on home screens. Alice Troughton’s The Lesson didn’t break out in theaters, but Caryn James’s Hollywood Reporter review nicely sums up its appeal, citing "a clever script that keeps us off guard, the setting of a gracious country estate whose sumptuous visuals mask a dark undercurrent, and a score that entices us into an increasingly unsettling world..."

November 28th, 2023

BEYOND UTOPIA - $9.99 Sale / TBD Rental

Directed by Madeleine Gavin, Beyond Utopia debuted at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival where it won the Audience Award in the U.S. Documentary Competition. The film centers around Sengeun Kim, a pastor who defected from North to South Korea and who facilitates North Korean defections. It was nominated at the Critic’s Choice Documentary Awards for Best Feature and Best Director, but lost both to STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE. Look for this one to show up on the Best Documentary Feature Oscar shortlist when it’s announced on December 21st.

EARTH MAMA - Paramount+ w/Showtime

Given a quiet limited release by A24 over the summer, Earth Mama deserves to find an audience on streaming. The feature directorial debut of Savanah Leaf, it’s based on the 2020 documentary short The Heart Still Hums, which follows five women as they fight for their children through the cycle of homelessness, drug addictions and neglect from their own parents.  Tia Nomore and Erika Alexander co-star, and the film was photographed by talented cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes (Tiny Furniture, Manchester by the Sea). Would be great if this one picked up some nominations at the Film Independent Spirit Awards.

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S - $19.99 Sale Only

An unqualified smash hit that proved naysayers wrong, bringing in big box-office while also available on streaming service Peacock. Could it have been bigger without the day-and-date strategy? Probably. But this was a win for Universal and, more importantly, for Peacock, who needs as many wins as possible. We have to admit the movie confounded us, but the Gen Z’ers we talked to LOVED IT. So that’s great! Not everything has to be for us. And we’re happy for the Matthew Lillard comeback!

FREELANCE - $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

With a reported production cost of $40M, Freelance will have a tough time making its money back. We’re sure it all sounded good on paper: A likable action lead (John Cena), a talented comedic actress (Alison Brie), the director of franchise-starter Taken (Pierre Morel), a jungle-set action comedy (The Lost City was great!). But something was lost in the sauce, and this one landed with a thud. Maybe it’ll play better at home, where flaws are sometimes more forgivable.

THE HOLDOVERS - $29.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

The specialty market is still fragile. Older audiences have not returned to theaters at pre-COVID levels, and the arthouse market has been decimated as a result. The Holdovers is a rare breakout, and it will likely break $12M or $13M by the end of the holiday weekend. That’s probably why there was outrage when its PVOD date was revealed. Why kneecap the box-office momentum? But Universal/Focus Features’ strategy is clearly working for them. And if they’ve established a financial model that allows them to release a diverse slate of ‘movie movies’, and not just IP sludge, then we’re all for it. Who picked up THE BIKERIDERS after Disney abandoned it? Focus Features. The Holdovers is not disappearing from theaters, it’ll still be there for audiences to enjoy if they want. But on Tuesday, a whole new revenue stream will be activated for the film. And if that helps the studio take more interesting swings, we’re all for it.

WHAT HAPPENS LATER - $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

Meg Ryan’s return to romantic comedy didn’t set the world on fire earlier this month in theaters, but with a reported production budget of $3M, it likely won’t have much problem turning a profit. Ryan co-wrote (with Steven Dietz and Kirk Lynn) and directed the film, and she’s paired with David Duchovny as her romantic sparring partner. Reviews were pretty brutal, but Meg Ryan is a national treasure. We need more Meg Ryan in movies, not less. The film is based on Dietz’s 2008 play Shooting Star, and from the sound of it, it feels a bit stagey. But we’ll be checking it out.

November 29th, 2023

AMERICAN SYMPHONY - Netflix

Filmmaker Matthew Heineman is building an impressive filmography, with Cartel Land, The First Wave, Retrograde, and the Rosamund Pike biographical war drama A Private War among his recent efforts. His latest explores a year in the life of musician Jon Batiste, chronicling his career in music and struggles his wife, Suleika Jaouad faces with leukemia. It recently won Best Music Documentary at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards, and looks to be a major player in this year’s Best Documentary Feature Oscar race. Having Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions as a producer should help.

November 30th, 2023

A COMPASSIONATE SPY - Hulu

Hoop Dreams filmmaker Steve James’ 2022 documentary arrives on SVOD this week, and it would make a terrific double features with the just released on digital OPPENHEIMER. The film is a gripping real-life spy thriller about controversial Manhattan Project physicist Ted Hall, who was recruited in 1944 as an 18-year-old Harvard undergraduate to help Robert Oppenheimer and his team create the bomb. Hall was the youngest physicist on the Manhattan Project, and didn't share his colleagues' elation after the successful detonation of the world's first atomic bomb. Concerned that a U.S. post-war monopoly on such a powerful weapon could lead to nuclear catastrophe, Hall began passing key information about the bomb's construction to the Soviet Union.

FAMILY SWITCH - Netflix

Based on the 2010 children's book Bedtime for Mommy by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (unread by us), Family Switch is the latest addition to the body-switch comedy genre. Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms headline, but the true selling point to us is that the baby of the family switches bodies with the family dog. We’ll see if director McG, best known for the Charlie’s Angels movies, can deliver an entertaining family comedy. It’s set during the holidays, so hopefully it can deliver some Christmas vibes along with the laughs.

December 1st, 2023

CANDY CANE LANE - Prime Video

We have high hopes for the new Eddie Murphy holiday comedy, primarily because it reunites him with his Boomerang director Reginald Hudlin. The first in Murphy’s three-picture first look deal with Amazon, Candy Cane Lane is stacked with a talented cast: Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell, Robin Thede, Nick Offerman, Chris Redd and Danielle Pinnock. The plot feels pretty ho-hum, but we’re hoping Murphy and Hudlin can elevate it and deliver a new Christmas perennial.

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER - Peacock

After the critical drubbing and underwhelming box-office of The Exorcist: Believer, it will be interesting to see how Universal handles the reboot sequel (titled The Exorcist: Deceiver). This excerpt from The Hollywood Reporter doesn’t exude confidence on the part of the studio or filmmaker:

INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY - Disney+

The Indiana Jones saga went out with more of a whimper than a bang, but we think that’s a bit unfair. Dial of Destiny is a perfectly entertaining action adventure, and should play well over the holidays on Disney+. The real lesson here is that studios can no longer rely on musty IP, no matter how beloved. Audiences, especially younger audiences, are looking for their own stories and IP (like Five Nights at Freddy’s), not their parents or grandparents’s leftovers. But that involves risk, and studios hate risk. Did we mention Disney dumped THE BIKERIDERS?

IT’S A WONDERFUL KNIFE - Shudder & PVOD ($14.99 Sale Only)

We love holiday movies. We love horror movies. Against all odds, the two genres can work well together when properly executed. The bar was set high by Bob Clark’s 1974 masterpiece Black Christmas, which somehow managed to be cozy/creepy. It’s a Wonderful Knife is the latest addition to the genre, and it’s vibe looks more comedic than truly scary. It’s great to see Yellowjackets’ Jane Widdop get to lead a feature, and we’re always happy to see Justin Long, especially after his unforgettable turn in last year’s Barbarian.

JOY RIDE - Starz

We posited that BOTTOMS is the comedy of the year, but is Joy Ride also a contender? Both films underperformed in theaters, but both elicited passionate fanbases. And both now find themselves on smaller streaming services, where they’ll be challenged to find new audiences. Still, we should celebrate the studios (Lionsgate, in Joy Ride’s case) who bankroll these comedies. And we need diverse comedic voices to be given a chance to flourish.

MARLOWE - MGM+

We’re a long way from The Crying Game, Neil Jordan’s Oscar-winning 1992 thriller. His latest, the Liam Neeson neo-noir mystery Marlowe, was perceived as less than thrilling. Reviews were dismal, and this is the kind of film that needs critical support to pull an audience. We’re happy to see Neeson venture beyond his umpteenth Taken rip-off. But Neil Jordan deserves better, as do Diane Kruger and Jessica Lange. Here’s hoping they all move on to bigger and better things.

MAY DECEMBER - Netflix

Speaking of bigger and better…we can’t wait for May December! A new Todd Haynes film is always an event. And while three of his last four films have been (virtually) straight-to-streaming, we’ll celebrate the fact that he continues to be able to produce the projects he wants to make. We’ll see if Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore or Haynes get any Oscar attention for this one. For now, some of the loudest buzz has been around Charles Melton’s performance. The film world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May…and will premiere on Netflix in…December. Perfect.

SCRAPPER - Paramount+ w/Showtime

Charlotte Regan’s feature debut definitely deserves to be discovered by a wider audience, and hopefully its debut on Paramount+ will help facilitate that. The film recently received 14 nominations at the 2023 British Independent Film Awards, including Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Joint Lead Performance for Lola Campbell and Harris Dickinson. This comes on the heels of its Grand Jury Prize for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Definitely worth checking out.

Happy Streaming Everyone!

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