Weekend Watch: Lightyear is "soft" in theaters while Staircase still intrigues on HBO

by Nathaniel R

You didn't comment on the new format of listing both box office and tops in streaming from a few services but we're trying it again (Let us know what you think). There's a lot to discuss this week...

Weekend Box Office June 17th-19th 🔺 = new or expanding /  ★ = Recommended links if we've written about it
WIDE (OVER 800 SCREENS)	PLATFORM RELEASES
PIXAR'S LIGHTYEAR	BRIAN AND CHARLES

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The line between Emmys and Oscars for "Movies" is still quite blurry. What to do?

Perusing the TV Movie Emmy ballots, it's easy to be reminded that streaming movies are always a either/or prospects in terms of awards. Sometimes they're submitted for the Emmys and sometimes Oscars. It's not always clear which it will be since TV and Movies stopped feeling so separate as artforms once streaming upended screen entertainment. Sometimes movies are designed as theatrical features, premiere at film festivals and be bought by a streamer (remember Bad Education?) and try for Emmys. It's difficult to know which is which these days unless you're constantly on the phone with publicists but those decisions can be reversed or made later in some cases. Oscar is requiring theatrical releases again for eligibility purposes but that's easy for major corporations to work around by "four-walling" theaters without any publicity for a week to hedge awards bets. Netflix bought a couple of movie theaters almost specifically for this purpose.

Long story short here are Emmy eligible movies that people (including sometimes myself) might have previously mistaken for movie-movies for various reasons... 

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Cláudio's Best Shot Pick: Fire Island (2022)

The next episode in our series, 'Hit Me With Your Best Shot,' arrives Thursday night. This week's film is Andrew Ahn's Fire Island, which recently premiered on Hulu. You still have time to participate! In the meantime, here's Cláudio's entry:

For the past decade or so, numerous filmmakers have tried to revive the romantic comedy with varying degrees of success. And yet, it seems that the romcom's heyday will never return. Still, there's plenty of nostalgia for those days gone by when mid-budget projects of this ilk were a mainstay of any studio's output. Nowadays, every such exercise feels like an exception to the rule, a precious rarity, and a throwback. Maybe that's why the modern romcom refuses to stick, as it often comes off as a retrospective homage rather than its own thing. Or else it's too focused on justifying its existence, wanting to appear cool and hip with such alarming vehemence it ends up forgetting the basics that make these movies work.

By centering identities rarely depicted in mainstream cinema, appealing to classic literature tropes, and getting a director with a strong point of view, Fire Island avoids most of these pitfalls. It succeeds where others have stumbled, and even if it doesn't revive the romcom's Golden Age, it's pleasant summer entertainment…

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Streaming Roulette, June: Martha Marcy May Titanic

We never know which films to cover since there are so many channels so please note that we welcome comments and requests for more in-depth coverage of new-to-streaming titles.  June is looking very strong (nice change of pace) for streaming fun so we'll have so much to discuss.

Okay, time for this month's streaming roulette. You know the rules. We highlight new-to-streaming movies and an occasional TV series by freezing them on the scroll bar at entirely random places and just sharing what pops up. No cheating*!

The hulls not designed to deal with that pressure so what happens [SOUND] she splits, right down to the keel. And the stern falls back level. Then as the bow sinks, it pulls the stern vertical and then finally detaches... 

TITANIC (1997) on Netflix
Do you also forget about the long prologue to Titanic? I do. One of my fondest memories of moviegoing with my family is watching my dad fall in love with this movie...

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Four Handfuls of Link

• Deadline Ray Liotta (Goodfellas) has passed away unexpectedly at 67. He was shooting a film called Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic. RIP
• Vulture Alison Willmore asks where the abortion thriller goes to next after recent films like Happening, Lingui the Sacred Bonds, and Never Rarely Sometimes Always
• Deadline Ellen DeGeneres bids her talk show farewell after 19 seasons on air

More after the jump including Gone Girl's legacy, frequently naked Clae Bang, Tom Cruise's all time biggest hits, Kevin Doyle from Downton Abbey A New Era, and a fascinating history of where streaming fits in the history of Hollywood...

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