The Odyssey embraces dads, Stranger Things embraces 80s tech, and will Emmy voters embrace Apple TV (again)…
All week I have been pretty keen to talk to people about The Odyssey. I was lucky enough to see a preview for the film on Monday night.
I went into the film apprehensive. There are Christopher Nolan films that I adore (two of the three Dark Knight movies, Tenet, Interstellar, and Memento are among my favourites), but then there are films of his that I appreciated the craft, but was thoroughly unstirred by the experience of watching them (Dunkirk and The Prestige are the two immediately in front of mind). So I wasn’t going into this already in the bag for The Odyssey.
Ultimately, I didn’t love the film, but I liked a lot about it. It’s a great dad movie.
What stopped me from loving it is the final third of the film (or another way of saying it… the third hour). There’s a not insignificant chunk of it which has strong, over-written echoes of the Michael Caine monologue that closed out The Dark Knight Rises. I felt that was on the nose for the Bat film and feel similarly here. It isn’t enough to detract from what is otherwise a good time at the movies, but it’s still whiffy.
Some relatively light spoiler thoughts of things to know before seeing the film:
The film is highly episodic, following its cues from the original text. Or so I’m told.
For all the attention placed on her casting, Lupita Nyong'o is barely in the film.
Yes, you’re doing yourself a disservice not seeing this film on the absolute biggest screen possible. I saw it on the IMAX in Sydney and was thoroughly impressed by how immersive it was. The best option in Australia is the IMAX in Melbourne where it is being played in 70mm (in Sydney, the Randwick Ritz cinema has it in 70mm, but certainly isn’t on that IMAX-sized screen).
What I found most interesting watching the film, and this relates to that issue of screen size… this film plays absolutely like an event. It is an experience to see this movie. But, at the same time, this film couldn’t feel more old school. Like all of Nolan’s previous work, this plays like an actual movie. It isn’t an event film in the way that Marvel spectacle plays out… it’s an event in the way that sword and sandal epics played out in the 50s and 60s.
In this newsletter I write mostly about TV. The challenge for a lot of cinema is to offer an experience that isn’t being fulfilled by the high quality material produced for the home. This Odyssey does a damn fine job of justifying its value in an out of home venue.
I can’t imagine many people coming out of this film with many legitimate complaints about it. That Christopher Nolan fellow knows how to make a movie.
Finally - Stranger Things gets a VHS release
In a stunt to mark the 10th anniversary of the debut of Stranger Things on Netflix, a show which Netflix says contributed to more than $1.4B to the US GDP, a new version of Stranger Things is being released on Netflix.
Subscribers can now watch the first season of the show on Netflix with a visual downgrade that makes the show look like you are watching it on VHS.
ABW notes that if this was authentic, Netflix should cap the auto-play at 180 minutes (approximately 3 episodes of the show), to simulate the real analogue experience. Also, it should make sure that every 10-15 minutes, it should fade out to reveal half an ad for Brashs (or for those living in the US, a Sam Goody ad or similar).
Read more: thefutoncritic
VHS fan edits of Stranger Things have been popular on YouTube for years. Here’s a collection of all of the opening titles for the show, as if on VHS:
Here’s a scene from the show with the Kate Bush song playing:
And here’s a VHS trailer for the show:
Like The Cosby Show and shoulder pads, some things should stay in the 80s. But Spokey Dokeys are always welcome in any decade.
Does Widow’s Bay have a shot?
Marcus Jones at Indiewire games out the likelihood of Apple TV Emmy nominees upsetting wins for HBO. It’s my feeling that while Hacks is more likely for a win, all of the heat is behind Widow’s Bay… so, if it happens, don’t be surprised. Also… Widow’s Bay is, frankly, a far better show than Hacks, which has an in with Emmys voters only because of the entertainment industry aspects of the show.
News Desk
Australian comedy Colin From Accounts will end with its third season, debuting on Binge July 27. Read: IF
A Disney-commissioned report by advisory firm Steward Redqueen has found the Toy Story franchise has added $51 billion in overall economic activity since it launched in the mid 90s. Read: Variety
80s-era MTV host Dave Kendall has died, aged 68. His show 120 Minutes famously debuted Nirvana’s video for Smells Like Teen Spirit. Read: THR
Trailer Park
My Life with the Walter Boys returns for season 3 on Netflix August 6.
Wizards Beyond Wavely Place returns to Disney Channel for season 3 August 4.
Bill Maher: The Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize For American Humor debuts on Netflix July 21.
A Child of My Own debuts on Netflix August 13.
Desperate for a baby and burdened by family and societal expectations, a woman fakes a pregnancy and gets tangled in a crime in this shocking documentary.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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