weekly digest: in which it's all festive and classic movies galore...
everything that happened at Flick Filosopher from Monday, November 15th, to Sunday, November 28th
It’s a biweekly digest this week: I didn’t send a roundup last week because I’d posted almost nothing. (Those few posts are included below here.) But I’m very pleased that this past week, I was able to launch both my daily holiday streaming recommendations, Festive Cheer, as well as Classic Film Virgin, which has been nagging at me to get it going for absolutely ages now.
And hey, I’ve even managed to get this (bi)weekly digest out on Sunday — which is when I’d really like for it to be going out regularly — so maybe I’m starting to climb out of my pandemic funk. Amazing how actually accomplishing things can boost your motivation to keep going!
—MaryAnn
new at flick filosopher, Nov 15–28
new and ongoing cinema releases, US/Can, Nov 24
Disney musical Encanto and crime thriller House of Gucci are new and exclusive in cinemas; more… [get the full rundown]
new and ongoing cinema releases, UK/Ire, Nov 24–26
Disney musical Encanto and crime thriller House of Gucci are new and exclusive in cinemas; more… [get the full rundown]
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, US/Can, Nov 23–26
Princess Diana drama Spencer and musical Dear Evan Hansen arrive on premium VOD; more… [get the full rundown]
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, UK/Ire, Nov 22–26
Crime comedy Queenpins arrives on Amazon Prime; documentary Becoming Cousteau debuts on Disney+; more… [get the full rundown]
Shepherd movie review: gothic shaggy dog [pictured]
Elegantly gloomy but ultimately unsatisfying gothic rural horror that is all too-static mood. Tom Hughes makes a valiant go of a descent into madness, but the character is little more than his misery. [read the review | cinemas UK]
get a streaming recommendation for festive cheer in your in-box every day over the holiday season
Today I launched Festive Cheer, in which I recommend a fun, merry, classic, or otherwise worthy movie to stream this holiday season. One per day through January 2nd, for paying supporters only. First one’s free! [read more]
loaded question: What movie(s) do you regret watching?
As a movie professional, I am duty bound to say — and it really is true — that I never regret watching even the worst, most unredeeming of movies. There is always something to learn, even if it’s just how or what not to do onscreen. [reply at Flick Filosopher | reply at Substack | reply at Patreon]
classic film virgin: The Outsiders: The Complete Novel (4K restoration)
The deep, honest emotion undercutting the performative toxic masculinity of these young men is beyond charming and vitally essential, but the melodramatic randomness of the plot ultimately lost me. [read the review | HBO Max and Amazon Prime US; DVD+VOD UK]
new and ongoing cinema releases, US/Can, Nov 19
Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Romanian satire Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn are new exclusively in cinemas; more… [get the full rundown]
new and ongoing cinema releases, UK/Ire, Nov 18–19
King Richard and Ghostbusters: Afterlife are new and exclusively in cinemas; more… [get the full rundown]
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, US/Can, Nov 16–19
King Richard, starring Will Smith, is new on HBO Max for the next month; Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark arrives on premium VOD; more… [get the full rundown]
new and ongoing dvd/blu/vod releases, UK/Ire, Nov 15–19
Bond flick No Time to Die lands on premium VOD; more… [get the full rundown]
loaded question: which streaming services do you have regular access to… and watch regularly?
I’m very curious to hear what you all have to say about this, because the streaming environment has gotten a bit out of hand: there are so many services, and it would be absurd — and expensive! — to subscribe to all of them. [reply at Flick Filosopher | reply at Substack | reply at Patreon]
what I’m bingeing
Hawkeye [Disney+ globally]: Wow, so this is really more about Jeremy Renner’s replacement as the arrow-wielding Avenger! Hailee Steinfeld is an absolute treasure. Nice to see New York at Christmastime, too…
The Wheel of Time [Amazon Prime globally]: I love Rosamund Pike, love seeing female characters in positions of power, and love that the cast is so effortlessly diverse. But two episodes in, it all feels pretty generic, very Lord of the Rings–lite, and none of the characters have captured my interest. I’ll watch a bit more and see if it catches fire…
Tweet of the week…
coming up at Flick Filosopher…
apocalypse-at-Christmas dramedy Silent Night
historical religious drama Benedetta
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Romanian satire Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
Last Night in Soho, from Edgar Wright
King Richard, starring Will Smith
Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast
Netflix’s Passing and Red Notice
Marvel’s Eternals
grim Icelandic fairy tale Lamb
Wes Anderson’s latest, The French Dispatch
French freakshow Titane
biopic The Eyes of Tammy Faye
crime thriller Copshop
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
The Green Knight
Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
Mark Wahlberg as Joe Bell
Old, the latest from M. Night Shyamalan
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