What to know
Thrones fans boycott George R.R. Martin’s new book over co-authors’ alleged racist comments… Trolls complaining about inclusive casting is nothing new, but over in the world of Ice and Fire, the call is apparently coming from inside the house. Martin is set to release companion book The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One with co-authors Linda Antonsson and Elio M. García Jr — but some fans are furious over the latter two’s involvement based on Antonsson’s past comments. Antonsson has repeatedly criticized the HBO shows for casting Black actors in roles that she says were written as white. Yeah, I can see why fans are upset. Maybe Martin should put some daylight between himself and them? 🐲
Rushfield: A WGA strike is on the horizon… The writers’ guild contract is up in May and industry expert Richard Rushfield reports that there’s a 50/50 shot the WGA will strike. He also teases that if a strike happens, there’s a 50/50 chance it will last a while, resulting in a 25% chance of Hollywood calamity. Think back to the 2008 writers’ strike, this would not be good for the entertainment industry and consumers — especially with the streamers demanding more and more content. That said, the writers deserve fair treatment and pay, so if a strike is what it takes, so be it. ✍🏾
How Disney turned Barbarian into a sleeper hit… Yes, that Disney. The twisty horror film is catching fire via word of mouth — and you can thank the Mouse (its 20th Century Studios distributed the film) for that successful roll out. Sometimes studio marketers are good and know exactly how to sell a movie. In this case, after positive early screenings, the Disney people cleverly withheld the movies bigger secrets. Good job marketing people, you love to see it! 🐭
Frasier sequel series a go at Paramount+… Baby, I hear the blues a-calling. Tossed salad and scrambled eggs. He’s calling again. Kelsey Grammer is reviving Frasier for a follow-up multicam series with an entirely new supporting cast and setting. This was inevitable, people love Frasier. It’s only a matter of time until every relatively successful network sitcom gets a reboot. 🍻
Velma is officially gay in new Scooby-Doo movie… Twenty-one years after James Gunn tried to write it, Velma is officially, finally no longer just queer-coded. Congrats Velma on your 53-year coming out journey. 🌈
Emily Watson and Shirley Henderson cast in Dune: The Sisterhood series at HBO Max… Oh yeah, this thing is still happening. 🏜
Tubi greenlights sequel to Rob Schneider’s The Animal… Which they must have found in a $3 DVD bin at Walmart. ⁇
Nintendo drops first Mario movie poster, trailer Thursday… Da da da-duh-da da 🍄
You can now rent Marcel the Shell With Shoes On at home for just $4… Do it! 🐚
What’s new
Amsterdam — Oct 7 | Crime comedy film in theaters | 🍅 27%
Catherine Called Birdy — Oct 7 | Amazon comedy film | 🍅 87%
Hellraiser — Oct 7 | Hulu horror film | 🍅 83%
Werewolf by Night — Oct 7 | Disney+ Marvel special | 🍅 100%
Luckiest Girl Alive — Oct 7 | Netflix crime drama film | 🍅
The Midnight Club — Oct 7 | Netflix horror series | 🍅
Let the Right One In — Oct 9 | Showtime horror series | 🍅
What to watch
I know what you’re thinking: “Meet Cute?” To which I say, Meet Cute. Now on Peacock, this time-loop rom-com feature is way better than you’re imagining. If you’re like me, you imagined this movie to be a rote, cliché, probably unfunny jog through a mismatched romance with a woefully bad title. In fact, I think the title is a big part of the problem, as it sets up a “cuter” movie than what this actually is. What this actually is is a mind-bendy, often dark allegory for longterm relationships through the lens of a first date time loop. A.k.a. it’s not what you’re imagining. Directed by Alex Lehmann and written by Noga Pnueli, Meet Cute has more on its mind than the average romantic comedy and it makes serious effort to avoid time-loop genre clichés. Its efforts in the latter department are among the more clever and surprising bonuses in Pnueli’s script. I won’t spoil anything, but know that Pnueli is doing things with her time-loop concept that you probably haven’t seen before. Not in Groundhog Day, nor Edge of Tomorrow, nor recent genre relative Palm Springs. For a genre all about repetition, she’s doing things to move it forward. Kaley Cuoco is excellent, carrying the light, dark, and shades in between on her back — and sometimes Meet Cute goes very dark. If you liked her in The Flight Attendant, you’ll be on board with her leading performance here. Pete Davidson is serviceable and gets the job done, though he’s not exactly meeting Cuoco on her level and left me wondering what an older, more capable actor could have done with the role. I’ll give the movie a pass on Davidson only because it’s making strong efforts elsewhere. Meet Meet Cute where its at and you’ll be rewarded.
For all past ‘what to watch’ recommendations, see the full list here!