So about that MATRIX review...

Let's get into it

It’s Tuesday, January 11, and here’s where we are…

Okay, so this isn’t Friday.

For those of you who are new to the newsletter, welcome! There were more than a few of you who signed up over the holidays, and I’m delighted to have you on board. The Friday edition this week got away from me for a couple of reasons. First because of family obligations (the boys aren’t back in school until tomorrow), but also because I’ve been really wrestling with a piece, and I kept thinking “I’m about to crack it!”

Spoiler warning: I did not crack it.

This would typically be a Friday edition if I was on my schedule. Fridays are when we do more in-depth newsletters, often featuring reviews for big movies that are opening, I’ll try to have the review either on opening day or a few days afterward. There’s a reason I don’t publish all of my reviews before the films open anymore. I think it’s unfair to start the conversation before you guys can participate, and it just doesn’t make sense. On occasion, if there’s something where it feels like there’s genuine curiosity, I might go a few days early, but for the most part, I feel like it doesn’t serve you and it certainly doesn’t serve me.

Good criticism can’t be afraid to discuss any aspect of the film, and so much of what exists today feels more like marketing than criticism, tiptoeing around movies rather than engaging with them. I’m not here to sell you any film. I don’t get a kickback when you buy a ticket to something, so why would I care about whether or not you see a particular movie? I’m genuinely baffled by the way people view their relationship with film critics as contentious. There’s no reason for that, and more than ever, I wish I could encourage people to see criticism as context more than consumer reports. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy writing about older films more than new films. You remove the entire notion of “rooting” from it. People have this crazy idea that I root for or against films to succeed, but that’s not the way it works at all. If I like something, I want to share my enthusiasm for it, sure, but that’s got nothing to do with being invested in the film’s failure or success. I would rather talk about how it got made, what it says, how it says it.

I see how much love there was for Peter Bogdanovich and Betty White and Sidney Poitier shared over the last few weeks on social media, and it’s the best way to memorialize these people. I don’t really grieve in the same way when someone in their 90s passes because that seems like an enormously rich and fulfilling run to me. Instead, I would rather mark their passing in a celebratory way, by enjoying their work or highlighting something of particular note about their legacy. The greatest thing about working in film in television is hopefully leaving behind something that future audiences can discover and enjoy. It’s a way of connecting to other human beings even after you pass, and if you love someone’s work, the least you can do is continue to share it in some active way.

image courtesy of Warner Bros

Friday night, I dropped What’s Up, Doc? on the boys for the first time, and it was a massive hit. As they were heading to bed, they kept trying to trip each other while yelling, “Use your charm!”, and Toshi has clearly been struck by an instant and intense crush on young Barbra Streisand. The film played like magic, as it always does, spinning out its comic set pieces of precision chaos. The boys compared it to The Party, another classic comedy they adore, for sheer relentless comic invention, and it felt like an instant addition to their personal canon. I only wish I’d taken them to see it theatrically last time it played at the Aero. This is one of those movies that always kills with a big audience.