Quentin Tarantino has plans for renovating the Vista Theatre in L.A.; Jane Campion apologizes for her comment to the Williams sisters at Sunday’s Critics Choice Awards; attempts to construct a millennial canon; great news for lovers of erotic thrillers. All in today’s Movie News Rundown.
Jane Campion Apologizes: If you missed our update to yesterday’s Rundown, The Power of the Dog director Jane Campion has apologized for her “thoughtless” comments surrounding tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams at the Critics Choice Awards. Here’s her statement.
High Score: Quentin Tarantino has operated Los Angeles’ New Beverly Cinema for 15 years, and last year bought the beloved Vista Theatre in the city’s Los Feliz neighborhood, with plans to program new releases exhibited on film. Now Eater Los Angeles reports on Tarantino’s plans for the space, citing a permit filed last week: “Conditional uses to allow the sale and dispensing of beer & wine for on-site consumption with an existing 12,340-square-foot theater, cafe, and arcade with 370 seats and 12 arcade games,” the permit reads. The theater was scheduled to open in December of last year but that date came and went with no news. The permit filing indicates things are moving in the right direction.
Any Guesses: As to which 12 arcade games Tarantino’s Vista will have? Cruis’n USA? What about the four-player Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle game?
Top Gun: Maverick: Will screen at the Cannes Film Festival in May, according to The Hollywood Reporter. A Cruise film hasn’t played at Cannes in over 30 years, which seems crazy. This Top Gun screening won’t be a world premiere, however, as a screening is planned for San Diego, where the blockbuster was shot.
Answered Prayers: The next season of Karina Longworth’s hit podcast You Must Remember This will look at erotic thrillers from the ’80s and ’90s. The Hollywood Reporter says the season will be split into two parts: “Erotic 80s” and “Erotic 90s,” with each episode taking on a different year in those two decades. Stanley Kubrick’s final film, 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut will feature prominently in the final episode of Part II of the season.
When: Episode 1 of “Erotic 80s” hits on April 5 and new episodes will be released each Tuesday.
I’m So In: This couldn’t be more in my wheelhouse.
A SXSW Recommendation: Ti West’s X premiered this weekend at the Austin festival to universally positive reviews. I can join in with the chorus, whole-heartedly recommending this very fun, fairly gory horror flick set in 1979. West has always had a knack for nailing period details in a way that never plays as overly nostalgic. Jenna Ortega‘s performance is one of many highlights. If you’re not in Austin, the film opens in theaters this Friday. A special sneak peek screened last night at Tarantino’s aforementioned New Beverly Cinema with West present for a Q&A.
‘The Millennial Canon’: Moviemaker Chris Osborn has compiled a list comprising “the millennial canon.” Osborn has since followed it up with an addendum of 25 more, which you can view here.
i recently embarked on an arduous, probably foolhardy project to identify "the millennial canon" of moving image work since 2003: an attempt to consider how the idea of "the millennial" has been constructed, presented, and regimented by mass media.
here it is 🤪 pic.twitter.com/eHgcpahoYm
— Chris Osborn (@Chris_Osborn) March 14, 2022
What Did They Miss?: Let us know in the comments below.
My Millenial Pick: While it might not be popular enough for inclusion in any canon, I’d argue for 2014’s Tu Dors Nicole, a beautiful film that captures the malaise of a summer filled with possibility where you end up not really doing much of anything. A kind of French-Canadian Frances Ha meets Stranger Than Paradise.
More Generation Talk: If you can’t get enough of this sort of conversation, check out Ayesha Siddiqi’s look at the defining millenial tropes. The conversation between Siddiqi and New Inquiry editor Charlie Markbreiter examines Fleabag, novelist Elena Ferrante, The Worst Person in the World and novelist Sally Rooney.
Siddiqi Says: “The self-sabotaging white woman is to the 20teens what the flailing dad was to 90s family comedies — an era-defining trope. These women are always unhappy in the same ways, always vying for love in places they are guaranteed not to receive it. The list includes: Hannah Horvath, Fleabag, the protagonist of My Year of Rest and Relaxation, the protagonist of The Worst Person In The World, and a litany of less-acclaimed versions of the same.”
Tokyo Vice Trailer: The HBO Max original, starring Ansel Elgort as an American working the vice beat at Japan’s largest newspaper, finally has a trailer. After working with Steven Spielberg on the West Side Story remake, Elgort now works with another American master, Michael Mann, who executive produces and directs the pilot. If you haven’t seen West Side Story yet, I highly encourage you to remedy that asap. It’s some of Janusz Kamiński’s best cinematography with the director. But back to Tokyo Vice, here’s that trailer:
Main image: Quentin Tarantino at the 2010 Venice Film Festival. Courtesy of Shutterstock