By George Robbins
Movie theaters and the film industry in general have been receiving a lot of attention as of late because they have all been trying to get theaters opened up. Not only have theaters themselves been trying to open but the film industry has been trying to open them as well so that they could finally release their films for people to watch. This has led to many studios trying to pick dates where they could release their films in-line with when theater chains reopen their doors for the public. Now that major chains like AMC and Regal have reopened wherever they are allowed to, studios can now push to get the earliest release dates for their films. This is how we are now ending up with people going out to the movies properly for the first time since the pandemic began.
Even though I say that people can properly go out to the movies, they really don’t have that much free reign in the grand scheme of things. This is because there are now a large number of limitations in place that are there to make sure that many people are not together in the same place at the same time. One of the biggest restrictions that theaters have placed on them currently is the capacity rules that change based upon number of screens and size of the theaters themselves. As a result a lot fewer people will be able to go to the movies at once, but this isn’t stopping theaters or movie studios. The biggest example of this is ‘Tenet‘ which is having its international release this week and next week, it will release in select theaters in the U.S.
The way that ‘Tenet’ is releasing is a direct result of the pandemic causing theaters to reopen their doors later than they originally anticipated. Director Christopher Nolan wanted his movie to be one of the first ones to be available when theaters eventually reopened their doors and it now seems like his wish will come true. Unfortunately, due to how poorly the pandemic is being handled in the U.S., the movie will not release in the U.S. first like originally intended and will instead release first internationally. It was very quickly decided by the studio that they would wait longer to release the movie in the U.S, but that waiting period ended up being a week later. This is something that has a lot of people rightfully worried and not just here but all over.
Even though there is still a massive amount of risk involved with going out to the movies, studios and theaters want to get back into proper business again. This has prompted some to speak up about going back out to theaters and the effect this will have on people moving forward. ‘Doctor Strange‘ director Scott Derrickson has recently taken to social media in a bid to try and prevent people from going out to the movies. Short and sweet he simply said that people should not go out to the movies at this time as it is too dangerous even with restrictions in place. This view is one that is shared by many who believe people should not be going back out to theaters so soon. So now the question crops up as to exactly what is the plan moving forward and should people be allowed to go out to theaters again so soon.
By George Robbins
When the coronavirus began back in March, it offset a lot of different projects and delayed even more. Many different projects that were being worked on ended up being delayed while films that were already done had no choice but to delay their release dates. This made it difficult for the movie industry as a whole to move forward since they can’t release any of the films on time and most films ended up delayed. The films that weren’t delayed were instead released straight to Video on Demand, or VOD, in order for studios to start making money back on their films. This was a tough decision for studios to make as it means they would inevitably end up losing money from not having a theatrical release.
Within recent history we have seen a lot of things happen with the movie industry because of some businesses reopening with new rules in place. These new rules usually just mean that there is a limitation on how many people are allowed to be gathered in one place and what they must do to stay there. Essentially, it is a way to keep the spread of the virus down until a long-lasting cure of some kind can be found. This is still a pretty big ways off though, so there is no way of going about everything without new rules in place. Thus theaters are slowly reopening and studios are much more comfortable with releasing their movies to movie theaters. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case with all of them.
Disney has been trying their best to try and release their movies theatrically which is why they are delaying most of their films for so long. However, it seems like this was just not meant to last because they have already made decisions in regards to a couple of their films that they would release them digitally. They tried their best by pushing back the date as much as possible for one of their major releases, ‘Mulan.’ Although I say that it is a major release, it is one that Disney has put off for awhile now because it was supposed to release in late March but the pandemic caused the original delay. They have reached the point where they are not going to delay it anymore and they will instead release the film digitally.
To quickly explain, ‘Mulan’ is the upcoming live-action adaptation of the original animated film, but it is more true to real life than other live-action films. Many of Disney’s other projects have adapted even fantasy elements from their other films, but for ‘Mulan’ they felt the need to make it more true to life than its original incarnation. They will be releasing it on their premium streaming service Disney+, but it will cost an additional fee of $30 in the U.S. to get it digitally. People will only be able to keep it so long as they are subscribed, but the reason for why it is so expensive is because, at least in the U.S., it will be forgoing a theatrical release. With the theater market opening back up in China and in other places around the world, they will only charge the original rate in those places.
By George Robbins
The movie making process can be a long and arduous one that production crews spend a ton of time working on. It can sometimes take a decent chunk of time for these projects to get done and this is because of the filming style and what the director and writers want for the film. Based upon the director’s decision is whether a film’s script should be changed or not. Sometimes director’s go so far as to write their own scripts because it means that they can work on the project however they feel is necessary without conflicts with the script. There are plenty of things that directors do in order to make the most out of their cast and crew in order to make a film the best it can be.
What many people may not know about the movies they watch is the fact that some of the best movies use references so that cast and crew have a better idea of what they are working on. These reference materials can be any number of things ranging from other films in the same genre to reading up on books with core elements similar to the movie’s plot. One of the more famous examples of this was what happened with ‘The Matrix’ when the Wachowskis had their cast read up on a number of philosophy books before the movie was made. It allowed them to get more into the mindset of everything that is going on in the film and just why their characters are doing those things.
Christopher Nolan has become known as one of the best directors around over the past few years due to the fact that he always puts out quality content. His most recent film, which is having an international release first and will then appear in select theaters in the U.S., is an espionage movie called ‘Tenet.’ A majority of that film is a complete unknown to everyone because no one knows just what they have seen already in the trailers. The trailers for the film make it even more of a mystery with the only discernible details being that it sees a team of agents trying to prevent World War 3 while dealing with some kind of time manipulation concept. In other words, it is a unique film and Nolan has been wanting to get it out in theaters since the pandemic began.
Nolan has recently gone more in-depth with the processes that he used in order to make the film, but he hasn’t said much. Among the things that he had said about the making of the movie was the fact that, while normally he would screen other films for his cast before they work on one of his films, he didn’t do that this time. He has said that the spy genre is one that has completely embedded itself in us and it should be something that is felt from memory. Essentially, by doing something like this, it encourages the cast to play out a spy movie that is wholly unique and given what we have, or in this case haven’t, seen the movie will be just that. It will be a spy film that will hit the same beats as other spy films but it will not be a copy of any of them.
By George Robbins
Over this past weekend DC FanDome brought with it a ton of information about upcoming DC shows and movies. All of the information given at the event has given fans a lot to think about over the next couple of years or so and gives them an opportunity to get hyped for new content. DC FanDome has been seen as a huge successby many, especially Warner Media because it went off without a hitch. It brought information about their upcoming projects to the masses and it did so almost flawlessly. Given that this was the first year for the event and it was an entirely online event, it is no surprise that they are happy that the convention went well. An in-person convention would have made it all a lot easier to give fans information and is less likely to have technical problems.
Now that the event is over, they can say that they managed to put together a very strong event without any hiccups that could have ruined it for fans. Of all of the announcements made, many of them were geared towards movie releases that people have been looking forward to seeing something for over the past few months. Many films were put on hold due to the pandemic and now that they are being worked on again, there is new information for them. Those films have drawn a lot of attention because they are being made, as it seems, as a way for them to make up for some of their movies that have released over the past few years. Some films were not seen as being all that great and so there are now some very promising films that will release, one of them being ‘The Batman.’
‘The Batman’ is meant to be an upcoming standalone film about the titular hero just after he became the Caped Crusader. Although, the film will not cover his first year donning the hood or his starting quest to take down crime and corruption throughout Gotham. It will actually take place during his second year as the character and will act as a way for him to be able to be ‘The Bat’ already without going through some origin story first. Though surely he will be dealing with the trauma that made him into the character he is and provide us more context from his perspective going into things. We will also see the infamous Riddler character being the main villain for the film and overall the film is looking like it will be a very interesting take on the character.
The most previous adaptation of the character has been played by actor Ben Affleck and it saw Batman as a much more jaded and grizzled character. That adaptation was done by director Zack Snyder and it gave us a look at just what Batman could become after donning the hood for so long. This adaptation will see the character learning just what it means to go up against a dangerous foe and be ‘The Batman.’ Snyder admitted that this new film has him excited, not just as a film-maker, but also as a DC fan. He focused on the gritty aesthetics of the trailer and the dark tone the movie seems to be taking as being reasons for why he is looking forward to it. The movie is going to take place outside of the DCEU so no other parts of the DCEU will interfere with the story. It is still being filmed and it is set to release in October of 2021, so we have a date to look forward to.
By George Robbins
This previous weekend was a big weekend for DC in general given that it was the first time ever that DC FanDome has taken place. Overall, DC FanDome was a massive success and they didn’t really have any issues when it came to how the convention ran. This means that they successfully managed to put together an entirely online event without any massive issues that would normally plague an all-online event of such a scale. Movies that have been shown off this past weekend were all films that people were looking forward to seeing something for. Among the movies that were shown was one that had mixed feelings before anything had been shown for it and that was ‘The Suicide Squad.’
This upcoming movie is also known as ‘Suicide Squad 2’ so that it can be more easily distinguished from its predecessor, but it is meant to be an entirely different film. Director James Gunn has said that this choice of title was one made by an executive that liked the title ‘The Suicide Squad’ when Gunn made the title as a joke. Thus we now have ‘The Suicide Squad’ instead of simply ‘Suicide Squad 2’ but it is easily distinguishable based off what we’ve seen of it recently. The first film was torn apart by fans and critics alike even before its release due to the trailer for the first film. The issue with it was the fact that the studio apparently interfered and changed much of the movie after it was already done.
Now it would seem that this upcoming film will be one that is wholly different from the first film and this is something that was made clear when Gunn was revealed to be the director. Gunn is well known for his work on ‘Guardians of the Galaxy‘ and its sequel which are both well-regarded films that are also very stylish. It became much more apparent that this upcoming sequel will be an interesting change when the trailer dropped for the new sequel this past weekend. Gunn’s film won’t directly continue Ayer’s storyline but will feature some of the same characters and Ayer has been supportive of Gunn’s upcoming version of the film. Ayer did not want to return to direct a sequel and thus Gunn took his place and made it known that his version of the film would not have any interference. To show support, Ayer said on social media that he thought the trailer for the new film looked good and the film itself looks good as well.
By George Robbins
Horror genre films have become a staple in the movie industry and will continue to be important to the industry until the end of time. The horror genre in general has had an interesting lifespan and it is a genre that is constantly changing as time goes on. Many horror movies that we all know and love today were made between the 1970’s and the 1990’s. Over the year, they started to stagnate and many of the movies that came afterward were considered failures overall. Many horror film franchises ended up becoming parodies of themselves and the genre started heading towards decline. This was eventually rectified when a new age of horror movie started peaking its head out from under the bed and we got movies that actually scared people again.
Many horror films have been made over the years and they have all brought their own brand of horror with them. It is because of the new brand type of horror movies that we ended up with new horror films that were pretty good. Unlike some other genres, horror movies have to revamp themselves in order to stay in people’s minds and stay relevant which, in turn, makes them popular. Whether it is slasher films, creature features, or even body-horror films, horror movies try and set themselves apart. The suspense in horror films is what makes those types of films what they are and there is really no one better at building up these types of films than John Carpenter.
Carpenter is known for a multitude of movies and shows that he has had some hand in making over the years. Among the movies he has made is not just horror movies, but also action and, in some ways, comedy films. Movies that he is notable for include, but are not limited to ‘Halloween,’ ‘The Fog,’ Escape from L.A.,’ ‘They Live,’ and the topic of this article, ‘The Thing.’ Needless to say, Carpenter has had a strong hand in the creation of many beloved films and even some of the best horror movies of all time. ‘The Thing’ was an adaptation of an old short story ‘The Thing from Another World’ and it brought with it to the table both body-horror and straight up paranoia that is there both on and off of the screen.
In 2011, we ended up with what was being called at the time a reboot of ‘The Thing’ in which Carpenter had no hand in making and many people were disappointed with. What actually happened with that film is that it was actually supposed to be a prequel to the 1982 version made by Carpenter. It is meant to show just what happened at the destroyed outpost when they first arrive on base at the beginning of the 1982 film. At the time of the original film’s release, many critics gave the film bad reviews but that was pretty much customary for horror movies at the time because it was a different era in cinema history. It is an era that we all not kind of take for granted because it allows us to make and watch movies that have crazy horror situations in them.
Now that studios are getting back to work during this pandemic, many other projects can start getting back underway and new ones can begin. According to reports, Carpenter is developing a new reboot for the movie which he first commented on at the Fantasia International Film Festival over the weekend. No one knows if he would be returning to direct the film, but if he did then it would be his first time directing in over a decade. Collaboration for a reboot would be between Carpenter and Blumhouse Productions which is the studio that has produced the best selling horror movies over the past decade or so. This could mean that we would see a good horror director and a good horror movie-making studio working together to reboot a film that the former directed himself. Needless to say, this is going to be exciting one way or another.
Get Some Strange!
