We lost our big-hearted Rob Reiner
ALSO: The first good Bluey game? AND: No Avatar 3 for ol' Dan Barrett...
The news yesterday about the brutal murder of Rob Reiner was shocking.
Why I think the news felt like such a gut punch is that he was a mass-appeal filmmaker who had a real gift to bring his own big-hearted spirit to the screen. In films like Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, The American President, When Harry Met Sally, North, and so many of his other films, that feeling of lived-in warmth exploded on the screen.
Even in movies playing around with darker themes like Misery or A Few Good Men still brought to the screen characters who were never lacking in humanity.
That warmth and gregarious nature was always found in his on-screen appearances as an actor over the years. Discovering how his life ended just felt so at odds with the nature of his life.
There’s no shortage of articles around today focused on his death. But, these three were what I felt I needed to read today:
Rob Reiner, Actor Who Went on to Direct Classic Films, Dies at 78 - The New York Times
From Seinfeld to Shawshank, Rob Reiner changed Hollywood for ever - The Guardian
How Rob Reiner’s Activism Advanced the Fight to Legalize Gay Marriage and Tax the Rich - People
Rob Reiner: 14 Movies and TV shows to stream - The New York Times
While the passing of Rob Reiner will grab most of the headlines today, there were two other notable losses worth noting today:
Australian actress Rachael Carpani has died at the age of 45 following a battle with a chronic illness. She starred in eight seasons of drama series McLeod’s Daughters. Read: ABC
Anthony Geary, best known for playing the iconic Luke on General Hospital, has died at the age of 78. He starred on the show for 40 years. Genie Francis, who played opposite him as the equally iconic Laura, has tweeted about how much she will miss him.
No Avatar 3 for me until Thursday
The plan today was to write up some coverage about yesterday’s Avatar: Fire & Ash launch event in Sydney. But, due to the mass killings at Bondi Beach, the event was rightfully cancelled due to sensitivity.
And while I certainly appreciate that a big, lavish launch party less than 24 hours after the horrific incident was not appropriate, I remain somewhat frustrated that I didn’t get to see the movie (which, many of you know, I am beyond eager to see). With life getting in the way, I am not expecting to be able to see the film now until Thursday morning. Expect a late newsletter that day with some thoughts.
Just two more sleeps….
The only Joe Brumm Bluey story until the 2027 film
Francisco Dominguez at The Guardian has a story today about a new Bluey game being released, at first, on iOS before going out to a wider number of platforms next month.
The article outright slams the previous Bluey video games, crowning this as worthy of the brand. It’s also the only game so far to involve Bluey’s creator Joe Brumm.
And like the Bluey show, the game was developed out of Brisbane, Australia.
As I type this, I’m quite literally midway through packing my bag to head up to Brisbane for Christmas - I’m still debating whether to take the kid to Bluey’s World while I’m in town.
Something interesting about the game is that it is a single purchase game with no additional subscriptions or in-game purchases. Plus it is a very reasonable $17.99.
Dominguez writes at The Guardian:
Some parents treated Budge Studios’ 2023 mobile game Bluey: Let’s Play! with caution, with its $9.99 monthly subscription and persistent adverts for Budge’s other licensed games. Later that same year, Artax Games’ Bluey: The Videogame was widely criticised on release for its barely two-hour run time, technical problems and $60 price tag. In his review, Australian game critic Luke Plunkett called it “a slapdash cash grab that does the bare minimum”.
And released in August this year, StoryToys’s mobile game Lego Bluey offers block-building, minigames and another subscription – this one cheaper and less aggressively advertised. All three games were commissioned by BBC Studios, which co-commissions the show with ABC and handles all of Bluey’s international merchandising and licensing.
But Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen is the first to live up to the standards that made Bluey one of the most-watched shows in the world. Also commissioned by BBC Studios, it was made in Brisbane by Bluey creator Joe Brumm and Halfbrick Studios of Fruit Ninja fame, making it the first Bluey game made in Australia, the first to involve Bluey’s creator and the last original Bluey story we’re likely to get from Brumm until the 2027 movie.
News Desk
Sometimes you can see the stink lines wafting off a headline. AMC are currently in development on a Point Break TV show. Read: Deadline
Geraldine Viswanathan (who I love) has joined the cast of the upcoming Amy Poehler comedy Dig. Read: Variety
Dani Dudeck has been named as the new Netflix chief communications officer. Read: World Screen
To no real surprise, Ampere Analysis reports that nearly one-third of subscription sign-ups for major US streaming services occur during the end of year period from November to January, with Black Friday a key driver. I’ve found November to be very expensive lately with all of my annual digital subscriptions all due at the same time thanks to Black Friday sale prices. Read: C21
Trailer Park
Stranger Things 5 vol 2 debuts on Netflix Dec 25.
Ponies debuts on Peacock Jan 15.
Moscow, 1977. Two “PONIES” (”persons of no interest” in intelligence speak) work anonymously as secretaries in the American Embassy. That is until their husbands are killed under mysterious circumstances in the USSR, and the pair become CIA operatives. Bea (Emilia Clarke) is an over-educated, Russian-speaking child of Soviet immigrants. Her cohort, Twila (Haley Lu Richardson), is a small-town girl who is as abrasive as she is fearless. Together, they work to uncover a vast Cold War conspiracy and solve the mystery that made them widows in the first place.
Future Oscar winner (yeah, I’ve called it) One Battle After Another debuts on HBO Max Dec 19.
That’s the newsletter for the today.
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