'Little Mermaid' reviews surface

And the Emmy categories are behind the times

What to know

• The Little Mermaid scores good reviews, raves for Halle Bailey… Any concerns of mixed reviews have been squashed as Disney’s latest live-action remake seems to have satisfied most of the critics. As of Monday afternoon the Rob Marshall movie has 70% on RottenTomatoes, meaning it should do quite well at the box office, but the point the critics really want to get home is that Halle Bailey is phenomenal. They’re saying a star is born; she’s that good. I was expecting high notes for Bailey but this is beyond that. It’s always good when your untested lead absolutely delivers. I wasn’t sure if I was going to check out The Little Mermaid prior to today, but now I’m thinking a Thursday night trip to the cinema is warranted. 🧜🏾‍♀️

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• The blurred lines between comedy and drama pose Emmys confusion… THR nailed it with this. There are so many comedy-drama hybrids these days, the Emmys seem behind the times by having comedy and drama category definitions. As the article asks, how does it make sense for “comedies” like Barry, Poker Face, The Bear, and Abbott Elementary to all be in one category. I think they should just go by length: Half-hour competition and hour competition (with separate categories for long-running and miniseries). 🏆

• First Killers of the Flower Moon reviews call it justifiably long, imperfect, but masterful… The reactions to Martin Scorsese’s latest epic are predictably positive with Variety saying “stylistically, this feels like a young man’s movie,” and a few other critics praising the movie for justifying its long runtime. So of course it got a 9-minute standing ovation at Cannes. I already have this one high atop my list, so these glowing reviews while nice, didn’t do anything to sway me even more. 👍

• Fast X does just $67.3M in the U.S., but $320M worldwide… The 10th movie in the series beat expectations slightly, but you’d think a major franchise like this would have a bit more oomph at the domestic b.o. That said, as I highlighted last week, this really is an international pic and will have no problem turning a profit thanks to its popularity abroad. 🚙

• Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav booed by Boston University grads… This is how you know the writers are winning the “war of words” about the strike. In the middle of his commencement speech, the students chanted “pay your writers!” He then tries to address them with his pre-written speech and it’s pure cringe. 👩‍🎓

• Kevin Feige reportedly considered Marvel’s Echo “unreleasable” prior to reshoots… Oof. While just a rumor, this would explain why Marvel and Disney are dropping the whole season at once on Disney+ the week after Thanksgiving. 😓

• Vin Diesel says more Fast spinoffs are in the works, including a women-led one… There’s no stopping these cars, but I do wonder with a $67M domestic opening how much longer these clunkers can run. 🤔

• Five Nights at Freddy’s might have a trilogy planned, says Matthew Lillard… Yeah, that makes sense. It’s a big video game franchise so naturally, if it does well, Blumhouse will make more. 🐻

• Aubrey Plaza doesn’t subscribe to any streaming services, buys shows and movies on iTunes… I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone who does it this way anymore, but good for her! 😮

• Paramount+ with Showtime will launch in the U.S. next month, Showtime app shutting down… Speaking of which, HBO Max becomes Max on Tuesday. ⏯

• Joaquin Phoenix’s next project will be an NC-17 gay love story set in 1930s L.A. for director Todd Haynes… Joaquin gonna Joaquin. 👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨

• Disney parks chief says battle with FL Gov. DeSantis has not hurt business… So much “go woke, go broke.” 🏰

• Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan horror films set at U.K. horror house Red Shadow Studios… We’re just going to keep doing these, I guess? 🆗

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What’s new

• Clone High — May 23 | Max animated series reboot | 🍅

• Smartless: On the Road — May 23 | Max comedy docuseries | 🍅

• Platonic — May 24 | Apple comedy series | 🍅 100%

• American Born Chinese — May 24 | Disney+ fantasy series | 🍅 100%

• The Little Mermaid — May 26 | Fantasy film in theaters | 🍅 70%

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What to watch

Thanks to Air, now on Amazon Prime Video, I’m convinced that Ben Affleck could direct anything and make it the most fascinating thing ever. Michael Jordan’s life story is legendary and great storytelling fodder, as seen in The Last Dance, but Affleck takes what could have been a footnote about the making of a shoe and blows it out to great effect. In the process, he gives us new insight into the capitalistic drives of the 1980s, the treatment of athletes, and the just-as-important people behind the person. It helps that Alex Convery wrote a crackling script, as witty and snappy as it is lean and propulsive. Affleck also has the power of attracting top talent, and fills out Air with a stabilizing lead turn from Matt Damon and a movie-defining contribution from Viola Davis (who really holds the soul of the picture in her hands and delivers in every minor moment. Affleck held the cards by Davis is the ace.) And then it’s just a parade of supporting power from the dryly hilarious Jason Bateman, the smooth and lively Chris Tucker, the smarmy Chris Messina, and yes, the be-curled and be-sneakered Ben Affleck. The only thing that chaffed me about the film is how Affleck hides Michael Jordan. The logic was that trying to cast Jordan would pale compared the real thing and distract the viewer. Instead, Jordan ends up like Wilson on Home Improvement or Superman at the end of Shazam, in which Affleck comes up with clever camera blocking to stop us from ever seeing his face. I found this to be even more distracting, but your mileage may vary. Air is one of the best movies of the year so far, and more than worth a glance if you’ve got Prime Video.

For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!