Monday, August 5th, 2024

ONE LIFE - Paramount+ w/Showtime

What we like:

• 86 year-old acting legend Anthony Hopkins gets another meaty role, this time playing the elder version of Nicholas Winton, a British stockbroker and humanitarian who helped rescue hundreds of Jewish children from Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II.

• The film has a terrific cast, including Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Flynn (playing the younger version of Winton), Lena Olin, Alex Sharp, Romola Garai, and Johnathon Pryce.

What we don’t like:

• The film depicts Winton’s appearance on the British BBC television show That’s Life, where he is invited and asked to sit in the audience. The show surprises him by inviting some of the children he helped save to meet him. We’re sure it’s a moving moment in the film, but nothing can top the real thing:

Tuesday, August 6th, 2024

DESPICABLE ME 4 - $29.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental

What we like:

• Illumination recovers from its Migration misstep, delivering a big fat summer hit to theaters. The film is approaching $700M at the worldwide box-office.

• We love that The White Lotus auteur Mike White is a credited screenwriter on this one. The writer behind Chuck & Buck, School of Rock, and Beatriz at Dinner is putting dialogue in Gru’s mouth.

What we don’t like:

• We have to admit we prefer the Minions movies to the Despicable Me movies. Those Minions are hilarious, and to us, everything else is just a distraction. We’re happy Minions 3 is coming to theaters in 2027!

WIDOW CLICQUOT - $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental

What we like:

• Hailey Bennet tackles the role of Madame Clicquot, who took on her husband's wine business when widowed at 27. Under her ownership, and her skill with wine, the company developed early champagne using a novel technique. The brand and company of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin still bears her name.

• If you’re looking for a cinematic getaway this summer, this might be your best bet. Principal photography took place in Chablis and Reims, France, and the film was shot by legendary cinematographer Caroline Champetier.

What we don’t like:

• We’re ok with a Hollywood glow-up, but man…Hailey Bennet as Madame Clicquot is a bit of a stretch! Let’s compare:

Thursday, August 8th, 2024

DANDELION - $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental

What we like:

• Filmmaker Nicole Riegel follows up her 2020 film Holler with this romantic drama, which tells the story of a singer-songwriter in a downward spiral as she takes a last effort gig at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota.

• If Beale Street Could Talk’s KiKi Layne, so memorable in that Barry Jenkins film, gets another lead role worthy of her talent.

What we don’t like:

• The film failed to find an audience at the box-office, grossing less than $100k.

ONE FAST MOVE - Prime Video

What we like:

• Riverdale’s KJ Apa looks to harness some Fast and Furious mojo, here playing a young man down on his luck who seeks out his estranged father to help him pursue his dream of becoming a professional motorcycle racer.

• Legendary character actor Edward James Olmos plays a motorcycle shop owner who moonlights as Apa’s mentor, and it’s great to see him still thriving at age 77.

What we don’t like:

• Hoo-boy, this one sounds like a cliche factory. We’re hoping it has some thrilling racing sequences, because the story sounds very familiar.

Friday, August 9th, 2024

THE BIKERIDERS - Peacock

What we like:

• Director Jeff Nichols delivers a compelling drama with a talented cast that’s an oasis in a summer that’s light on adult fare. And while it didn’t break out at the box-office, it’s by far Focus Features’ hight grossing film of the year.

• In an interview with The Wrap, Nichols discusses the film’s move from 20th Century Studios to Focus Features, explaining that the production company that financed the film, New Regency Productions, chose to switch studios. Specifically, they cited the financial success their perceived flop The Northman enjoyed when PVOD was factored in with box-office. It’s an interesting example of Universal attracting a project for their PVOD strategy.

What we don’t like:

• With a reported production budget between $30M-$40M, and a worldwide gross of about $35M, we hope Focus made some of its money back on PVOD.

FORCE OF NATURE: THE DRY 2 - AMC+

What we like:

• A sequel to the 2020 film The Dry, and based on the 2017 novel Force of Nature by Jane Harper, this IFC Films release stars Eric Bana, reprising his role as Aaron Falk, and co-stars Anna Torv, Deborra-Lee Furness, Robin McLeavy, Sisi Stringer, Lucy Ansell, Jacqueline McKenzie, Tony Briggs, Jeremy Lindsay Taylor and Richard Roxburgh. Fantastic cast!

• And great to see ex-Mrs. Hugh Jackman Deborra-Lee Furness, who hasn’t acted in a film since voicing a character in 2010’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.

What we don’t like:

• For a film called The Dry 2, the poster makes it look very wet. False advertising or false titling?

GIRL YOU KNOW IT’S TRUE - TBD Sale / TBD Rental

What we like:

• This German import tells the story of the pop duo Milli Vanilli, whose fall from grace would be hilarious if it wasn’t also tragic. If you lived through the scandal, this film is a serviceable reminder of a very particular time and place.

• Director Simon Verhoeven is the son of German filmmaker Michael Verhoeven, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film for 1990’s The Nasty Girl.

What we don’t like:

• While trying to mount a comeback in 1998, Milli Vanilli member Rob Pilatus died of an accidental alcohol and prescription drug overdose in a hotel room in Friedrichsdorf, Germany.

THE INSTIGATORS - Apple TV+

What we like:

• Director Doug Liman reunites with his Bourne Identity star Matt Damon for this Boston-set heist comedy. Damon also produced the film alongside Ben Affleck under their production company Artists Equity.

• Co-star Casey Affleck also co-wrote the film with Chuck Maclean, and the supporting cast is stellar: Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Toby Jones, Jack Harlow, and Ron Perlman.

What we don’t like:

• The reviews are in, and they’re not good. We’ll give it a shot, but it would be a shame if this much talent was in service of a lackluster film.

Happy Streaming Everyone!

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