Give Rian Johnson what he wants
And HBO Max-Discovery+ combo gets possible name
What to know
Rian Johnson wants Glass Onion to return to theaters, wants longer run for third movie… Unfortunately, it’s not up to him. Johnson says it’s up to movie theaters whether they’d take Glass Onion back for a 2nd frame after it releases on Netflix Dec 23. And whether the third Knives Out movie gets a longer theatrical release than this one, that’s at the discretion of Netflix — and as we found out last week, it doesn’t seem to care about theaters. Somebody give Rian Johnson what he wants! 🧅
Peacock grows to 18 million subs, Comcast CEO predicts “big check” to come from Disney for Hulu… The NBCU streamer added 3M, but has a long way to go before it’s really competitive in the streaming wars. My guess is it gets consolidated into another platform eventually. Meanwhile, Comcast CEO Jeff Shell is seeing dollar signs when the company’s 33% stake in Hulu resolves in 2024. We’re talking Disney paying tens of billions to gain full control of the streamer potentially. 🦚
Taylor Swift fans sue Ticketmaster… Good! If by lawsuit or legislation, there must be a reckoning for Ticketmaster. This has been a long time coming, as its predatory business practices long preceded the Taylor Swift fiasco — but if history has told us anything, it’s don’t screw over Taylor Swift fans. 🎫
Combined HBO Max-Discovery+ streaming service might simply be called Max… I understand the evolution of that name, but feel the loss of the HBO branding. Though maybe more streaming services should have human names? Amazon Prime could become Amy. Netflix? Meet Nestor. Disney? Is already a name. 📺
Dahmer becomes 3rd Netflix show ever to cross 1B views in 60 days… Joining Stranger Things 4 and Squid Game. People just love their murder shows, no matter if it’s a serial killer or Vecna doing the murders. 🍿
Sacha Baron Cohen pulls out Borat to bash Kanye and Trump at Kennedy Center Honors… It sounds like the annual award ceremony was a great time, making the Dec 28 CBS broadcast a must watch. 🌈
Dianne Warren jukebox musical in development… One of these days they’ll run out of nostalgia acts and there will be no more jukebox musicals. Today is, sadly, not that day. 🎭
Star Wars: The Acolyte will be the franchise’s first Sith-led series… It sounds like more morally grey Star Wars is on the way. What a time to be alive! ✨
Watch noted Muppets enthusiast Brett Goldstein interview The Muppets… Man is living the dream. 🐸
Violent Night out performs box office estimates… Slightly, but still good to see. 🎅🏻
What’s new
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio - Dec 9 | Netflix animated film | 🍅 97%
Emancipation - Dec 9 | Apple TV+ drama film | 🍅 51%
The Whale - Dec 9 | Drama film in theaters | 🍅 71%
Spoiler Alert - Dec 9 | Romantic dramedy film in theaters | 🍅 69%
Empire of Light - Dec 9 | Drama film in theaters | 🍅 44%
What to watch
Sr., now available on Netflix, is a subtle and deeply moving documentary about a son and a father reflecting on and coming to terms with their relationship at the end of the latter’s life. The father just happens to be a counter-culture filmmaking stawlwart and the son, one of the biggest movie stars in the world. In an efficient 90 minutes, the picture pays tribute to Robert Downey Sr.’s storied alt cinema career, using it as a chronology for the different chapters of his life and the affect it had on his son; it offers Sr. the opportunity to make one more movie and flex his eye for the oddities of life; it contemplates how the drive to make art can enhance but also hinder our personal relationships; and finally, it displays the profundity and mundanity of death — and its never-ending cycle. Robert Downey Jr., while expectedly charming throughout, displays a vulnerability and emotional rawness you might not expect from a celebrity of his level, but this is why the movie works. Director Chris Smith is showing us an experience we all have to go through in some form or another, whether we’re a filmmaker, movie star, or not. It’s kind of like a super affecting and authentic version of, “stars, they’re just like us.” We all can relate to loss and the conversations said or unsaid. For Jr. and Sr., they got to have the talks that many parents and children don’t get to have, they got to leave nothing unsaid. It’s remarkable that all of this was captured for the film (a sign of a great documentary), but also key to the doc’s quiet, universal power.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!