How first-time director Kyle Marvin quarterbacked 80 for Brady; The Last of Us gets some feedback from dum dums; Skinamarink is scary on TVs and in theaters; Bloc Party rules.
Housekeeping
We’re trying out subheads like the word “housekeeping” at the top of each item because Google, gatekeepers of the internet, supposedly prefer it. If you don’t like it, maybe we’ll change it back.
Out Today
80 for Brady, in which Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field and Rita Moreno play four retirees who travel to the 2017 Super Bowl to watch their hero, Tom Brady. I talked with the film’s director, Kyle Marvin, about how he ended up leading five of the GOATs in his very first feature directing gig — and what quarterbacking 80 for Brady taught him about life.
You can listen on Apple or Spotify or Google or here.
Is 80 for Brady Good?
It has a 65 percent critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, but remember that most movie reviews are written by people who were placed in lockers by the football players at their high school. (Conflict of interest.) The audience score is 90 percent.
I agree with this review by New York Times critic Amy Nicholson, who called it a “stubbornly charming romp” and obviously got along with everyone, from the jocks to the nerds to the nu-metal kids and goths.
Also Out Today
Knock at the Cabin Door, the latest from M. Night Shyamalyn, which has a 69 percent from critics and a 75 percent audience store. Haven’t seen it, but was pleasantly surprised by M. Night’s last one, Old. (Very popular with goths.) Also Dave Bautista is in it and he’s always good, right? Please don’t put me back in my locker again, Dave Bautista.
199 Productions
Is the “I’ll show them! I’ll show them all!” title of Tom Brady’s production company, which because he was picked 199th in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft. 199 Productions developed 80 for Brady. See? Jocks have complexes, too.
How to Watch Skinamarink
You’ve probably heard about the horror sensation by Kyle Edward Ball, which is told from the perspective of a 4-year-old who awakes to discover his dad has disappeared, along with other crucial elements of his home.
The time-bending story is painfully boring to some and totally captivating to others, making for a unique theatrical experience. Now that the film is on Shudder, will it play as well on televisions and computer screens? Ball tells us why he thinks the answer is yes.
Circle of Sadness
The moving third episode of “The Last of Us,” which has been widely praised as one of the best standalone episodes of television in years, is getting review-bombed on IMDb by people rating it 1 out of 10. The episode depicts a 20-year-relationship between two men who fall in love against the backdrop of the zombie apocalypse.
But as Screenrant notes, “Many of the comments on the episode speak out about the episode’s ‘agenda, ‘pandering,‘ and ‘alternate motives,‘ and are largely driven by blatant homophobia.” Imagine just for a moment being the kind of person who would take time to do this.
Kele Okereke
Any Bloc Party fans out there? I listened to almost no one else from 2006-2008, so I’m very excited by this Hollywood Reporter story saying Kele Okereke, the band’s singer-songwriter-guitarist, is adapting a play he co-wrote with Matt Jones, Leave to Remain, into a rom-com film called This Modern Love (which is also the name of one of the best Bloc Party songs).
Independent Entertainment, which was behind last year’s Harry Styles drama My Policeman, is helping develop the film, which is set between London and Provincetown, Massachusetts and follows two men who are about to get married but must deal with their families’ interference. Four Weddings and a Funeral director Mike Newell will executive produce. Leave to Remain, as you may have guessed, is a Brexit reference.
This Modern Love: Here is a beautiful song.
Share:
