2020s
Wonder Woman 1984 broke the seal on Warner’s year of day and date releases, giving us the return of Gal Gadot in full armor, and Mando out of his. But how well does the movie hold up in Patty Jenkins’ sophomore DC outing? The Film Board Gathers to hash it out!
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We’re finally in the last month of 2020 the entertainment industry is mulling through new layers of execution and release. In this first week of December, Netflix released “Mank” by David Fincher keying our imagination towards remembering old Hollywood. It focuses on the politics of filmmaking of the 1930’s, how those dynamics mixed into the world, and were reflected in “Citizen Kane” by screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. Everything old is new again this month on The Film Board.
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This last week we Americans all did our best to celebrate our Thanksgiving in ceremonies modified by the COVID 19 Pandemic. Netflix released “Hillbilly Elegy” on the Tuesday before the holiday and some may see the Appalachian memoir as a bit non-festive, but the autobiographical nature of the story is important. What’s the purpose behind telling a story like this now and what does it tell us about the people and their characters in it? The Film Board will take its own turn here, reviewing the film adaptation of J.D. Vance’s story of personal geography, growth and change.
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“The Trial of the Chicago 7” examines Vietnam War protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the trial to prosecute leaders of the different organizations that protested. The film conveys many stark statements of injustice about law enforcement and the harmful political posturing of other people in power. This content is in Sorkin’s wheelhouse so The Film Board can’t wait to view and discuss it at such a pivotal time.
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Over the past month, we’ve begun to see some new releases open in limited theater capacities while others continue to be held back because of a world that can’t currently create a literal “blockbuster.” Different titles are popping up in different places and different ways and this month we decided to tackle a new release on Netflix, Charlie Kaufman’s “I’m Thinking of Ending Things.” As with most Kaufman works, it weaves an impressionistic puzzle that benefits from deep conversation and multiple viewings. Multiple other shows from The Next Reel’s family of podcasts have taken swipes at spoiling Kaufman, but this is the first turn for The Film Board.
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This past weekend Netflix released “Project Power” for subscribers and aspects of it infer the makings of a major theatrical release. It stars Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon Levitt and is a story about pills being circulated in New Orleans and other cities giving people short periods of great powers. The Film Board gathers to spoil the project for you and give you a full disclosure of the documented effects of these drugs so you can decide for yourself if its something you want to ingest.
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We’ve all been seeking something to look forward to this summer and Disney+ provided a glimmer last week by releasing a film version of “Hamilton” captured live from Broadway in 2016. Entertainment is on the cusp of revolution and sets a stage for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s groundbreaking musical to further demonstrate the importance and power of deals with titans in the ongoing battles for content on their proprietary streaming services. Join The Film Board for this landmark release in the middle of our summer malaise.
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The Corona Virus is still a major threat in the world and even though some businesses are reopening, the film industry continues its holding pattern. Because of that, new releases in the “Theater at Home” paradigm are getting all different kinds of creative digital structures. This past weekend, Netflix released “Da 5 Bloods,” a Spike Lee Joint that quickly jumped to #3 in for selections on the service. Click into this episode as Spike helps us open up and process the wounds of both the past and the present.
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“Theater at Home” new releases are available and more titles are being announced all the time. The Film Board will continue to gather its thugs and spoil them for you as we find them out there in the streaming universe until we can all get back and see our beloved big screens. “Capone” was released to most major streaming services on May 12th. This film examines a part of life that is rarely discussed, and Capone’s is unique. Unravel it all with us on The Film Board!
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We were initially going to talk about “Guns Akimbo” in February, but it got soft pushed back right smack into the middle of the stay at home quarantine. It’s available now from a variety of outlets, so we’re going to spoil it for you on this show and you can decide if it’s worth your stream surfing time at home.
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