The Projector #49: A Summer of Reflection (Patreon)

by Keith Phipps

There aren’t a lot of upsides to this pandemic summer, and that extends to moviegoing. In the grand scheme, losing a summer movie season is, of course, minor. But you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t care about movies, and caring about movies doesn’t mean not caring about weightier aspects of the coronavirus.

With that out of the way, what a bummer? I mean, chances are this summer would have produced its share of duds. Summer movie seasons always do. But duds are part of the experience, and the indefinite postponement of Tenet and Mulan means the experience just isn’t happening this year.

One consolation: It’s been fun reading all the commentary on movies past that’s popped up to fill the void. At the Los Angeles Times, Justin Chang has been running a Summer Movie Showdown. Vulture has been running pieces on past blockbusters that we’ve linked to regularly. (See below, for a couple of examples involving Twister.) Beyond this, a small-but-passionate Twitter audience has been following @coopercooperco’s (insane) greatest movie of all time bracket, and the drive-ins have filled with classic movies. (True, the choices have often been a little predictable, but some films are popular for many years for a reason.) They’re all heartening indications that people still care about movies.

The lingering question: Will this be a long goodbye to moviegoing as we know it, or a way to entertain ourselves during an unexpected break? I like to think the latter, but I’m also increasingly convinced that movie theaters won’t really come back until there’s a COVID-19 vaccine. Tenet was supposed to be the turning point and that turning point has been postponed indefinitely (though I ended up writing about what an alternate release plan might look back; link below). We likely won’t know for a long time what going to the movies will look like on the other side of this. But here’s hoping we got to the other side of it soon so we can find out.

Meanwhile, we invite you to get stuck in a time loop with us via our current pairing. Right now, you can hear everyone (except me but plus Emily VanDerWerff) talk about Groundhog Day. Next week, the same team takes on Palm Springs.  

And here’s a few good pieces we read (and in some cases, wrote):

• We’ll be talking about the career of Gina Prince-Bythewood in an upcoming Patreon bonus episode. Here’s her conversation with our own Tasha Robinson for Polygon. And, on a related note, here’s Oliver Sava talking to Greg Rucka, writer of the comic series one which The Old Guard is based.

• Ahead of the Palm Springs episode, here’s star Cristin Milioti talking about its metaphysics with Rachel Handler. Elsewhere, the film’s writers keep the discussion going.

• A couple of other items from our friend Rachel: In one she asks what are the best Ingmar Bergman movies to watch during quarantine? In the other, she talks to Helen Hunt about Twister (and mostly gets her name right).

• Also Twister-related: Bilge Ebiri talked to Jan de Bont about making the movie (and almost getting killed by one of Tippi Hedren’s lions).

• For Mel, Keith Phipps wrote about the Criterion’s new Bruce Lee box set and the decades-long allure of Lee’s never-finished The Game of Death.

• For Polygon, Petrana Radulovic looks back at Disney’s Treasure Planet, a big swing that didn’t quite connect.

• Also for Polygon, Robert Daniels wrote about the timeliest scene in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk. 

• Can Steve Carell still be funny? Alison Willmore asks why so few are laughing at his latest projects.

• On the other hand, The Office looks in some ways better than ever. Emily VanDerWerff explains why for Vox.

• For a different sort of escape, Tasha Robinson has a dog-grooming movie you won’t want to miss.

• So say Tenet does come out, but it comes out regionally, as Warner Bros. suggested it might. What would that look like and what would it mean? Keith Phipps explores the question for The Ringer.

• Finally, our pal Noel Murray has created an ongoing thread linking to his greatest hits ahead of his 50th birthday. Read and enjoy!