What to know:
John Krasinski casts Steve Carell in If… Grab your Dundie, it’s an Office reunion! Krasinski will star in and direct If alongside a “dream cast” that includes Steve Carell, Ryan Reynolds, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. If is a family film about a child’s journey to rediscover their imagination — so a bit of a departure from the Quiet Place series. A shared smile or glance between Jim and Michael is all I want out of this. 📑
Peter Dinklage calls out Disney over new Snow White, Disney responds… While appearing on Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, Peter Dinklage criticized the Mouse’s upcoming Snow White movie for still incorporating the seven dwarves. Dinklage specifically pointed out the hypocrisy of Disney lauding a Latina lead (Rachel Zegler) while not addressing the marginalization of his community. In response, Disney says they did consult with “members of the dwarfism community” to avoid reinforcing stereotypes. Dinklage is not wrong in his criticism and I hope Disney is taking it as seriously as they claim. 🏰
Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski is an actor now… The very good looking food expert has joined Jim Parsons in Spoiler Alert (based on Michael Ausiello’s memoir). It doesn’t sound like he has a lead role, but it’s interesting nonetheless to see this reality host jump into legit acting. Whether he can chew scenery as well as he can cook, is yet to be seen. 🍽
Only 27% of Oscar-eligible films this year had women directors… And we wonder why women so rarely get nominated for Best Director. Hollywood is not moving fast enough to rectify this gender disparity. It’s shameful. 😡
Cinematography guild nominates The Power of the Dog, Dune, Belfast, Tragedy of Macbeth, and Nightmare Alley… hard to argue with those picks. 🎥
Bradley Cooper to begin shooting Bernstein biopic in May… The man loves stories about musicians in love. Cooper will naturally direct and star. 🎵
The Rock is making another video game movie, but won’t say which one… The Rock is Tetris! The Rock is Spyro the Dragon! The Rock is Roller Coaster Tycoon! 🎮
Percy Jackson series a go at Disney+… which begs the question, where is the Wizarding World TV show, HBO Max? 🤔
Righteous Gemstones renewed for 3rd season at HBO… hallelu! 💎
For more pop culture news, discussion, and what-to-watch recommendations subscribe to my pals over on the Kickball Friends podcast. 🎙
What’s new this week:
The Gilded Age — Jan. 24 | HBO period drama | 🍅 79%
The Afterparty — Jan. 28 | Apple TV+ comedy series | 🍅 70%
Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness — Jan. 28 | Netflix talk show | 🍅
The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window — Jan. 28 | Netflix comedy series | 🍅
What to watch:
The French Dispatch is pure Wes Anderson. Not unlike Aaron Sorkin and Being the Ricardos, his is a very specific style. You probably know if you like it or don’t like it by now. If you don’t like it, enjoy the rest of your day or evening. If you do like it, you’re in for a most enjoyable stroll through a fictional French town seen through the eyes of a fictional mid-century American magazine. Anderson cleverly structures his screenplay with the progression of a magazine issue, giving us a framing device and then 4 individual stories all told from the perspective of a different in-story writer. Perhaps influenced by the pandemic and current state of the world, French Dispatch is a bit more melancholy and reflective than some of Anderson’s recent romps (Isle of Dogs, Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom) — but it features the hallmarks we’ve come to love from him: wry, charming humor, an abundant cast of A-list repertory players, meticulously composed frames, and deeply rich world building and character detail. As rich as his images are, so are the histories and backstories of the people and places he’s created. While not everyone’s cup of tea, French Dispatch will delight the devotees — and if you’re new to Anderson’s work might I recommend Moonrise Kingdom or Grand Budapest Hotel first, then come back to The French Dispatch.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!