Somehow the New Romanian films have perfectly set the tone for American audiences. I thought Police, Adjective was silly until I had an office job where my supervisor printed out every email I sent them, circled words in red ink and then would have multi-hour meetings with me asking first for my definition of the word I used and then they would pull out the Webster's dictionary, find the word and have me read it. Multiple times. Until they were satisfied that I correctly read the definition.
Hulu is really coming through with their movie picks! I got a subscription mostly for Fx shows but I've been pleasantly surprised how often they pick up well-reviewed, under-the-radar films. Pig, Dear Comrades!, The Assistant... It always seemed like a missed opportunity by Netflix/Amazon- cater to the cinephiles! There are literally dozens of us! How much can it possibly cost to pick up US streaming rights for a Romanian drama, compared to the latest Fast and Furious?
Saw this in a semi-full room at the Film Forum back in December. Found an old lady on Letterboxd who was also at that screening who excitedly declared "Never thought I would experience ACTUAL porn in a theater at Film Forum but I guess the title did warn!!!" and then gave it four stars. She is now my favorite follow on the site. So who says social media has no upside.
I've been thinking lately about when we'll start seeing COVID/masks represented more as a given in our entertainment, and not like Kimi or the final season of Superstore where it's a major plot point. Not to be too dramatic but I've also been thinking about Kurosawa's post-war films that take place in a Japan that's been devastated and rendered nearly inhospitable. A friend of mine says this will never happen, because media is about escape, etc.etc., and he remains convinced the end is around the corner. (He has been saying this since May.)
But it has to, right? At some point seeing people packed into a present day bar or at a concert, or seeing maskless service employees in our movies is going to have such cognitive dissonance with what we see in our everyday lives. I get that IL is lifting the mask mandate next week (hooray?) but it's hard for me to believe it won't be back in six weeks. Meanwhile every other commercial has masked employees at Subway or uplifting travel ads about "getting back out there." Will the corporate overlords at the networks or the movie studios force us to try to forget about reality forever, or is the mask era of TV and movies inevitable?
Worth noting: Hulu and Amazon Prime use the "censorship" edit of the film, which I guess Jude was forced into making? The censor titles tease a new film from him explaining why they're included. But for the most part they cover the filming of the sex tape, replays of it and the "third ending." Apple Store offers both versions of the film for rent/purchase.
Somehow the New Romanian films have perfectly set the tone for American audiences. I thought Police, Adjective was silly until I had an office job where my supervisor printed out every email I sent them, circled words in red ink and then would have multi-hour meetings with me asking first for my definition of the word I used and then they would pull out the Webster's dictionary, find the word and have me read it. Multiple times. Until they were satisfied that I correctly read the definition.
Hulu is really coming through with their movie picks! I got a subscription mostly for Fx shows but I've been pleasantly surprised how often they pick up well-reviewed, under-the-radar films. Pig, Dear Comrades!, The Assistant... It always seemed like a missed opportunity by Netflix/Amazon- cater to the cinephiles! There are literally dozens of us! How much can it possibly cost to pick up US streaming rights for a Romanian drama, compared to the latest Fast and Furious?
Saw this in a semi-full room at the Film Forum back in December. Found an old lady on Letterboxd who was also at that screening who excitedly declared "Never thought I would experience ACTUAL porn in a theater at Film Forum but I guess the title did warn!!!" and then gave it four stars. She is now my favorite follow on the site. So who says social media has no upside.
I've been thinking lately about when we'll start seeing COVID/masks represented more as a given in our entertainment, and not like Kimi or the final season of Superstore where it's a major plot point. Not to be too dramatic but I've also been thinking about Kurosawa's post-war films that take place in a Japan that's been devastated and rendered nearly inhospitable. A friend of mine says this will never happen, because media is about escape, etc.etc., and he remains convinced the end is around the corner. (He has been saying this since May.)
But it has to, right? At some point seeing people packed into a present day bar or at a concert, or seeing maskless service employees in our movies is going to have such cognitive dissonance with what we see in our everyday lives. I get that IL is lifting the mask mandate next week (hooray?) but it's hard for me to believe it won't be back in six weeks. Meanwhile every other commercial has masked employees at Subway or uplifting travel ads about "getting back out there." Will the corporate overlords at the networks or the movie studios force us to try to forget about reality forever, or is the mask era of TV and movies inevitable?
Worth noting: Hulu and Amazon Prime use the "censorship" edit of the film, which I guess Jude was forced into making? The censor titles tease a new film from him explaining why they're included. But for the most part they cover the filming of the sex tape, replays of it and the "third ending." Apple Store offers both versions of the film for rent/purchase.