Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024

TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN - $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental

What we like:

• This Hong Kong neo-noir action film is directed by Soi Cheang and is set in the infamous Kowloon Walled City, a densely populated, largely ungoverned settlement in Hong Kong that existed until its demolition in 1994.

• Legendary Hong Kong star Sammo Hung co-stars as Mr. Big, a crime lord who is solely focused on maximizing his wealth and personal interests (as crime lords tend to do).

• The film was an Official Selection (Midnight Screening) at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and quickly became the second highest grossing domestic film of all time in Hong Kong.

What we don’t like:

• The project had been in development since the 2000s, where it was reportedly set to be co-directed by John Woo and Johnnie To and star an all-star cast of Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Sean Lau, Louis Koo, Anthony Wong, Sun Honglei, Anita Yuen and Zhang Jingchu, with Nicolas Cage, James McAvoy, Li Baotian, Jang Dong-gun, Li Bingbing and Zhang Fengyi making special appearances. We’re happy the film eventually got made, but that list of talent sounds incredible.

Wednesday, September 4th, 2024

IMAGINARY - Starz

What we like:

• This Jeff Wadlow film got tepid reviews, but like most Blumhouse Productions, made back its money quickly.

• The studio did its best to try to turn Chauncey the Bear into the new M3GAN, but it mostly felt cringe.

What we don’t like:

• Between this, The Imaginary, Ricky Stanicky, and IF, we’re hoping Hollywood has exhausted the number of stories that feature imaginary friends. It doesn’t seem like audiences are that excited by the concept. And just as all shark movies live in the shadow of Jaws, all imaginary friend movies live in the shadow of this:

Thursday, September 5th, 2024

I USED TO BE FUNNY - Netflix

What we like:

• Rachel Sennott in a (semi-)dramatic role. Yes, she’s hysterically funny in Shiva Baby and Bottoms, but it’s great to see her showing her range.

• This is Canadian filmmaker Ally Pankiw’s first feature, and it shows real promise.

What we don’t like:

• We don’t blame Utopia for the micro-release and quick pivot to digital. The indie film box-office landscape is still brutal. But man…it’s tough to see these films not get some room to grow theatrically. We can’t wait for more people to discover it once it hits Netflix.

Friday, September 6th, 2024

THE BOY AND THE HERON - Max

What we like:

• Hiyao Miyazaki’s latest masterpiece won the filmmaker his second Oscar, 21 years after his first win for Spirited Away.

• Indie distributor GKIDS handled the US release, and they absolutely crushed it. The film became the highest grossing Studio Ghibli release (by far), earning nearly $50M at the US box-office.

• The Boy and the Heron was the first Studio Ghibli film to be released in 4K UHD. Fingers crossed Max will offer it in that format.

What we don’t like:

• We’re not cheerleaders for short theatrical windows, but 7 months is a long time to wait! Yes, we know, this used to be the norm, not the exception. But it would have been great to revisit before the Oscars.

THE GOOD HALF - $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental

What we like:

• Robert Schwartzman’s film centers on the story of Renn Wheeland (Joe Jonas), a struggling writer who returns to his hometown of Cleveland after the death of his mother, Connie. As he reunites with his estranged family, including his father, sister, and stepfather, Renn must navigate the complex emotions of grief, family dynamics, and unresolved issues from the past.

• Connie is played by Elizabeth Shue, who we love and wish would do more films.

What we don’t like:

• Nepo Baby Discourse alert! Schwartzman is the son of actress Talia Shire, the nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, the cousin of Nicolas Cage and Sofia Coppola, and the brother of Jason Schwartzman. Sometimes neoptism also involves talent.

• Some retailers, including iTunes, still list a 9/3 digital release date for The Good Half, which is what we originally reported. The distributor, Utopia, then announced the film would premiere on 9/6. We’re going with what the distributor said, though we’ll see if it gets launched early anyway.

REBEL RIDGE - Netflix

What we like:

• The latest from Jeremy Saulnier, who brought us two of the best thrillers of the 2010s: 2013’s Blue Ruin and 2015’s The Green Room.

• Aaron Pierre, best known for his roles in Barry Jenkins’ The Underground Railroad and M. Night Shyamalan’s Old, gives a star-making performance. Pierre took over the lead role after John Boyega, who was initially cast, exited the project due to family reasons.

• The cast includes Don Johnson, James Badge-Dale, Emory Cohen, and newcomer Zsane Jhe.

What we don’t like:

• Netflix puts out a lot of dreck, so when a kick-ass thriller gets thrown on their pile of content, it bums us out. Indiewire critic David Ehrlich raved about the film, and lamented its lack of theatrical release, to which Skei Saulnier, wife of Jeremy, responded:

Happy Streaming Everyone!

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