6 Degrees: Friday Flix

Greetings movie buffs! We have an interesting line up of both old and new films in April In the list of films that turned fifty this year we find one of the most famous sci-fi movies of all time, pre-Star Wars, and it is Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. Also turning fifty is the campy original classic The Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston. There’s some good articles on both of these films in 6 Degrees magazine this week.

At Cannes: The Penelope Cruz/Javier Bardem thriller: Everybody Knows will open Cannes film festival, And we are excited to hear that Ron Howard’s film, Solo: A Star Wars story, is going to premiere at Cannes..,stay tuned

The Superhero Watch: Wonder Woman was named the most ‘profitable’ superhero movie of 2017. That is news, because the film that has jumped to the top ten list of highest grossing films is Black Panther. This film has been phenomenally successful, and ‘has legs’ as they say in the buz. I update the highest grossing films list periodically, as it gives us a good window into what the public wants in terms of films, and in some ways, it shows us where we have been and where we are going in terms of culture:

As of 2018:

• Black Panther is Number Ten– Telling us Black Lives DO Matter (but it’s better in Wakanda!)
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017- the latest film) is Number Nine
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -Part II (2011- the last one) is Number Eight
• Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) is Number Seven – hence…the latest entry is out soon!
• (Fast and) Furious 7 (2015) is Number Six
• Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) is Number Five…We GET it!
• Jurassic World (2015) is Number Four…The new one is also out this summer-see list
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) is Number Three-much better than Number 9, by the way!
• Number Two: Hanging on for dear life…is TITANIC from 1997-which is ancient for this list!
• Number One: Avatar from 2009, both Numbers 1 & 2 directed by James Cameron, both feature love stories, so perhaps with The Shape of Water winning Best Picture, we realize love may come in different forms, but romance is not dead at the movies!

At the movies; Ready Player One, Spielberg’s offering based on the Video game, has garnered mixed reviews. The film depiction of Ted Kennedy’s tragic scandal Chappaquiddick is also in theatres now. Also set for re-release in theatres in July: The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine which I predict will do well in this era and climate of protests as well as the MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements.

There’s a good review of the new Joaquin Phoenix thriller: You Were Never Really Here from Rolling Stone featured in 6 Degrees magazine this week. Isle of Dogs, from director Wes Anderson has also received good reviews. The film starring John Krasinski,  A Quiet Place has just opened to good reviews. The novelty in this one is the spider creatures who are attracted to sound, which means much of the movie is viewed in silence, which makes for an interesting premise…

Coming Soon: We will be out with the Summer Movie News in May, but to preview, some of the openers this summer include:

• Avengers: Infinity War opening on April 27th
• Life of the Party: May 11- a comedy with Melissa McCarthy
• Solo: A Star Wars Story opens May 25th, and as stated above, directed by Ron Howard
• Ocean’s 8- June 8th, is the female version of the franchise
• Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom opens June 22nd
• Sicario: Day of Soldado opens June 29th
• Mamma Mia! Here we go again is on July 20th…here we go again…
• Mission: Impossible-Fallout on July 27th
• Christopher Robin opens August 3th- and is a live action version of the well-known children’s story
• The Spy Who Dumped Me on August 3rd stars Mila Kunis in an ‘international espionage comedy’
• The Meg on August 10th stars Jason Statham in an action version of “Jaws” with a megalodon monster that measures 70 feet
• Slender Man is a horror flick debuting August 24th

So…lots of variety and a return to good solid storytelling and creative and inventive plots. Of course I’m kidding, this list is a short list with mostly sequels and standard Hollywood fare. Every now and then, there’s a standout like a Juno, or Her, or once in a blue moon you’ll see something wonderful like 2001: A Space Odyssey. Even Planet of the Apes, in its original format, was cheesy but interesting enough to spawn a generation of sequels.

As for me, I want to see how Ron Howard handles the Star Wars mythology. And from this list, I have to admit there’s not a whole lot that looks exciting or different to choose from. However, there’s a part of me that loves to see something deliciously bad from time to time....Gidget Goes Hawaiian always makes the cut for me in terms of really bad movies we love to watch against our better judgement. I’m sure everyone has some films on that short list…

Gidget is playing this weekend on TCM, so we can indulge in the short term, and celebrate some of the classic masterpieces that don’t come around often, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, as it celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. Check out 6 Degrees to read up on this classic film. Have fun and till next week, see you at the movies! ML