For those who have a morbid and dark sense of humor, we’ve got you covered. We will cover some films that tell a story involving viral outbreaks. Some of these films are much more realistic than others, but it doesn’t change the fact that these films will have you thinking.
1. 12 Monkeys- First up on the list is an outbreak movie with a science fiction twist to it. 12 Monkeys follows a time traveller as he travels back in time to try and stop a deadly worldwide viral outbreak that nearly destroys humanity.
2. 28 Days Later- Next we have a film that is a little more grounded in reality. Following a rage-inducing viral outbreak in Great Britain, a man awakens from a coma to a world where society has collapsed. What is most worrying about the film is the fact that it is not a zombie outbreak. It is a virus that simply, but effectively, induces a rage state in its victims.
3. 28 Weeks Later- The sequel of 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later tells the story of two siblings accidentally reintroducing the Rage Virus. This just goes to show that even when a virus has been contained, care must still be given to make sure it can’t get out again.
4. The Andromeda Strain- An older film, but an interesting one nonetheless, The Andromeda Strain follows an alien virus of the same name. This one errs on the what if side of things with a virus that was unprecedented and extraterrestrial in origin and how it would be dealt with.
5. Cabin Fever- This movie is unique in the fact that there are two versions of the film. There is a 2002 version, and then there is the 2016 remake. The movie follows a group of friends out on a camping trip having a fatal encounter with a flesh-eating virus. This one is a horror comedy though, so don’t take it too seriously.
6. Contagion- Of all of the movies listed thus far, Contagion is the most terrifyingly real film. The reason for that is everything in the movie represents what would happen in a true viral outbreak, like what is happening now. It is a film that should be watched if you want insight as to how it all works.
7. Outbreak- This list would be incomplete without the movie Outbreak. The premise of the film is the spread of a deadly virus that spreads like the flu and kills quickly. The movie is set on a lower scale with a lot less people being infected, but with a 100% mortality rate, the threat of the virus is what keeps people on their toes.
Director David Gordon Green is responsible as director for a number of shows like Red Oaks and Vice Principles, and for movies that performed well like Pineapple Express and the newest Halloween movie. Green has made films on small budgets that brought in a decent box office figure including the newest Halloween film. With a budget of only $10 million, the 2018 rendition of Halloween brought in over $255 million.
Using the favorable reviews and the Box Office success of the first movie, Green has started moving ahead with the next film in his trilogy. He has already stated that the next two films will be his last, so he is putting everything he can into them. The 2018 Halloween was a direct sequel to the 1978 version of the film following the story of Laurie Strode and her continued fight against serial killer Michael Myers. After he escapes while in the middle of his prison transfer, Laurie must fight back against the stalker. This time she is prepared to fight against her nemesis, but Michael Myers is not a force that will stop.
Next up, in Green’s Trilogy, is ‘Halloween Kills’ which continues the story and Laurie’s struggle against Michael. We will get to see how everyone will handle the return of the horrific stalker. Faces old and new will have no choice but to face off against what they fear most and hope that they come out of it alive. Audiences will have the chance to yet again fear the man in the mask.
The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Nick Castle reprising their roles as Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, with James Jude Courtney also portraying Myers. Also reprising their roles from the 2018 and 1978 films are Judy Greer, Andi Matichak, Kyle Richards, Charles Cyphers and Nancy Stephens with Anthony Michael Hall also joining. It is written by written by Green, Danny McBride and Scott Teems. The movie is currently planned for a release on October 16th of this year.
The Box Office has been in trouble since the middle of March and is only going to stay in trouble given the increase in movie delays. Delays started only a few days after the pandemic was announced and are still rolling out. As things are only getting worse in the country, delays are increasing in length and quantity. With delays, the Box Office is shut down with nothing to report on. Since films are releasing early on VOD, there are no delays at all for films that were already out, but almost every single film planned for the next two months has been delayed.
The more we hear about delays, the more we have to realize that the movie industry is currently drying up since, for now, there are no movies planned until June. As a saving grace, the Senate recently voted to make a financial aid package for theaters. This will protect the Box Office returns when theaters start to re-open and it will give a chance for companies to help their employees. NATO, the National Association of Theater Owners, is confident that having the backing of the Senate will ensure a strong comeback when things are back to normal.
So with movies not currently in theaters, the Box Office simply doesn’t exist, which is a first. The Box Office has never been closed for this long and movie studios haven’t all been shut down like this before. With nothing to report, and VOD numbers hard to come by, we don’t know how movies are doing now that they are released. Some people try to judge whether a film is worth watching based off those numbers. So, now that those numbers are unavailable, the sales for those movies aren’t going to be as high. We will have to wait and see to find out for sure.
There are a lot of businesses that are currently suffering as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. Among all of the businesses that have been impacted are businesses that are a part of the entertainment industry. Theaters in particular have been affected pretty hard since they serve as a medium for entertainment purposes. Studios that give theaters copies of their films are making up for the financial damage impacting them by releasing films on video on-demand. Theaters have no such means of ensuring a steady revenue source.
The Coronavirus, or Covid-19, outbreak has forced people to practice social distancing and not being a part of gatherings. Social distancing essentially means trying to keep a fair distance away from other people outside those you interact with at home. Even people at home should try their best to limit contact and to keep themselves and everything around them disinfected. Not being a part of gatherings is just an extension of social distancing since not being in a crowd of people lowers risk of getting infected or transmitting infection to others. The two of these things resulted in entertainment industry businesses being shut down for the remainder of the outbreak.
Following the forced closure of theaters in order to keep the infection from spreading, theaters began their search for help. Theater owners and employees are in trouble because they still need to get paid in order to pay bills and make sure that theaters are ready to reopen when the time comes. This issue was put before the government so that they could try and help out theaters with some kind of bailout. The bailout would then directly help the theaters and employees so they can stay opened when they are allowed to start showing movies again.
For a time, theater owners weren’t even sure whether they would even be able to reopen post-coronavirus. Now, however, the National Association of Theater Owners, or NATO, are confident that they will be able to reopen without any trouble. The U.S. Senate managed to reach an agreement that would “provide relief to movie theaters, their employees, and so many other public-facing industries that have had to close their doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” With this plan for aid in place, there is a massive weight lifted off of the shoulders of those in the industry.
It is already known that film studios have had to start releasing their films on video on-demand, or VOD. Many of these studios have stated that upcoming releases will be pushed back to another date. The studios that have pushed back dates for their movies include Disney. A couple of movies, like Trolls: World Tour from Universal, are going to be released directed to VOD instead of waiting for any kind of theatrical release. Disney has stated that they will not forego any premieres in theaters and they will, in fact, release films at a later date.
Although Disney has plans to push other releases back to an unspecified date for theatrical releases, they are putting the films they had in theaters out on digital. This is just the smart thing to do on Disney’s part in order to make revenue on the films. In following suit with other companies, Disney is releasing movies on VOD to both make up their losses from theaters and to make up losses on the other end of their industry. These releases are, of course, coming out much sooner than they usually would and it gives a lot of people a chance to see the movie.
The next movies up on Disney’s docket for VOD releases on March 27th are Downhill and Call of the Wild. The former tells the story of a family that managed to survive an avalanche while on a skiing trip. The resulting action of the family patriarch affects the way that the family interacts when they are rescued however, and that family’s lives are changed forever. Call of the Wild shows us the story of a dog who was transplanted to the Alaskan Yukon in the 1890’s. He has to find his way as a mail sled dog in a frontier the likes of which he never before imagined.
Obviously movies being released early on VOD is something that a lot of people may be grateful for given how long releases usually take. This is not meant to last and theaters will reopen at some point, so if people want to watch movies at home they’ll have to wait like they are used to. People keep trying to say that this should be the new norm when it comes to movie releases. That will never happen, because the point of these movies is to make money, and theatrical releases and then releases on VOD and then Blu-Ray are the most efficient way of doing so.
Aretha Franklin will go down as one of the greatest R&B artists of all time and it is surprising that we are only now getting a film. Though it is not too surprising given she only passed away in August of 2018. Movies centered around bands or musicians have gained some prominence over the past few years. Mostly, these films center on the groups or members during their formative years and then they focus on them at their highest peak and their decline. This gives the audience a clear beginning, middle, and end to a story most know nothing about.
Films which show us bands and individual musicians include Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocket Man, Straight Outta’ Compton, The Dirt, etc. These films have all done an excellent job of giving us insight into the lives of those celebrities. What made them want to be musicians, how they managed to make it big, and for some, the downfall of the group or person. This basically just explores what happened after the height of those careers, because not every musician has something horrible happen after their career peaks. Some end up going on to live great lives while the end for some may be the death of a musician. Now, in this age, it is an interesting story to tell and this gives us these movies.
Franklin was an icon who stood at the top with many people the world over and was regarded as a national treasure. All through her life, she held her head high and gave people her voice to give them courage. She helped numerous people and this was why she was chosen to receive the highest honor a U.S. civilian can, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This recognizes people as having made “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors”. Her work as an artist and individual is why an autobiographical film is being made about her.
‘Respect’ is a film being made in order to tell the life story of the legendary artist Aretha Franklin, so the move is bound to tell an interesting tale. The film follows the rise of Aretha Franklin’s career from a child singing in her father’s church’s choir to her international superstardom. The movie stars Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Tate Donovan, Heather Headley, Skye Dakota Turner, and Mary J. Blige. ‘Respect’ is directed by Liesl Tommy and produced by Scott Bernstein and Harvey Mason Jr.. The movie is slated for a theatrical release on October 9th, 2020.
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