Martin's Musings

For more than four months now, it’s felt like we’re always waking up on the same day. We repeat the same routine, hear the same news, participate in the same Zoom hangouts, walk the same deserted routes, wait on the same lines to get into the same stores, and not much about our lives changes. Every day, it’s the same thing. Over and over again.

All of which makes Palm Springs the perfect movie for these unusual times we’re living in. Continue reading →

Well, hasn’t this been an unusual year for the movies.

In mid-March, when the world suddenly shut down, the best movie I’d seen so far was probably The Way Back, starring Ben Affleck as an alcoholic basketball coach. And while I don’t say that to dismiss it (the film is legit good, and Affleck delivers an impressive performance), it’s hardly the kind of film that would be remembered later in the year if things were normal.

With most major releases now delayed till whenever, a few that were intended for the big screen have gone direct-to-digital. Fair to say none have been particularly memorable or must-see, and nearly all have been right at home on the small(er) screen. (Unlike, say, the new Bond or Wonder Woman flicks would have been.)

Which brings us to Judd Apatow’s latest, The King of Staten Island, starring Pete Davidson of Saturday Night Live, and Marissa Tomei, moving New York City boroughs from Queens, where she plays Aunt May in the MCU Spider-man movies. Continue reading →

I have long been a proponent of seeing movies in a movie theater.

In spite of the possible frustrations — people talking and/or using their cell phones, overpriced food and drink — the communal experience of watching a movie, with good projection on a big screen, and loud, sharp sound can’t be beat. It is far superior to watching something in the comfort of your own home, where there are more distractions and it’s generally a much less immersive experience.

All of that has made the last month or so a bit confusing for me, because some of the best movies I’ve seen — indeed, some of the best movies of the year — have come from Netflix, which, not surprisingly, is prioritizing not the in-theater experience, but the at-home streaming one. Each of Netflix’s big releases this year is receiving just a limited theatrical release (to qualify for awards, natch) before being more widely shared with the public on the streaming platform.

Why would a filmmaker choose to make a movie for a company that does this? Creative freedom is generally the answer. I mean, were he working for a more traditional studio, Martin Scorsese would probably never have been able to make a three-and-a-half-hour epic like The Irishman the way he wanted to make it. Likewise, Alfonso Cuarón was able to be indulgent in his own ways with Roma, one of my favorite movies of 2018 (and a multiple Oscar winner). So obviously, there’s a tradeoff.

Films are supposed to be seen in a theater, on a big screen. I’ll never believe otherwise. But Netflix isn’t making it easy to see their films that way. So, should you make an exception for two of the company’s newest releases — which, admittedly, I did see in a theater? (And should I be okay with it?) Yes. Here’s why. Continue reading →

At the recent screening when I saw A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, I was unlucky enough to sit next to a couple of chatty millennials, who spent nearly the entire movie making comments to each other and being a bit of a distraction.

On the one hand, it kinda sucked; those two definitely affected my movie-going experience.

But on the other hand, I really couldn’t blame them.

After all, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood went off the air on August 31, 2001, just before my seatmates were probably old enough to watch and appreciate it. Mister Rogers himself passed away less than two years later, on February 27, 2003. So I chose to attribute these twentysomethings’ lack of engagement in what was going on on-screen to the fact that Mister Rogers hadn’t had the same effect on their lives that he had on mine — and on the lives of so many other people around my age and older, who grew up with him and his daily TV show. Because of this, I suspect my seat mates were just less invested in the movie than I was.

As a result, rather than be angry about the distraction, I found myself feeling sorry for these kids. Continue reading →

Let’s get this out of the way: Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is a long movie. Three and a half hours long. That’s longer than Avengers: Endgame. Watching it legitimately feels like binging four episodes of a Netflix limited series.

But is it any good? Hell yeah, it is. Continue reading →