Movie News: Tenet Trailer; Meet the Drive-In Nostradamus; How to Fail at Failing

In today’s movie news: The Tenet trailer; the director of a new documentary about drive-in theaters feels like Nostradamus; and an essay about why failure drives literature, but not film. Also: We talk about the state of film festivals, and a thing we like sells out to the man.

COMING. TO. THEATERS: Here’s the new Tenet trailer, which arrived last night with the bold promise that it will, indeed, be in theaters on July 17. So what is Tenet about? Inversion.

‘Brawl’: Variety reports that “efforts to develop safety protocols for restarting production [are] predictably becoming a brawl among the major studios and Hollywood unions,” which is an interesting way of saying no one wants to go back to a film set before it’s safe. Variety adds that “industry leaders want to bring production back as soon as possible, while union officials have every incentive to protect as many jobs as possible.” Also, lives? Is it possible that everyone is right here and that rational adults balancing financial and health concerns isn’t a “brawl”?

How to Fail at Failing: Filmmaker Nick Toti made a documentary about I Hate the Internet author Jarret Kobek, and his attempt to promote a novel by picking “childish arguments” with conservatives. “By any rational standard, we failed completely in what we set out to do,” Toti writes in this new essay that fails utterly to fail. There’s also a link to his documentary.

At the Drive-In: Here’s the story of a group of movie lovers who saved a dying small-town drive-in that is now suddenly more popular than ever:

https://shows.acast.com/moviemaker-interviews/episodes/alexander-monelli-and-mark-nelson-at-the-drive-in

The State of Film Festivals: I spoke with the unfailingly positive Sandra Seeling Lipski, founder of the Evolution Mallorca Film Festival, about the state of film festivals — including online festivals — and film distribution deals. I’m sorry about the part where I turned my phone upside-down. We talk about this great IndieWire article by DOC NYC festival director Thom Powers.

Feel Good Inc.: Good lord, can anyone do a nice, inspiring thing without it turning into a corporate cash grab? “John Krasinski’s ‘Some Good News’ Sells to ViacomCBS Following Massive Bidding War,” The Hollywood Reporter says. Krasinski will no longer host.

Avatar Re-Loaded: The Avatar sequels are ready to start shooting in New Zealand, producer Jon Landau said on Instagram, sharing a photo of… I have no idea what this is. Good luck.

And now, a slight inversion we call yesterday’s movie news. Have a relaxing weekend, everybody!