Welcome back to Flick Picks, your twice-monthly movie fix.
Late summer might be the slowest season for movie lovers, but there’s still plenty to talk about – from lackluster theatrical releases to a new streaming mystery and a classic Spielberg blockbuster. Here’s what’s worth watching – and skipping – right now.
Now playing
Have you ever found yourself searching for a new release in late August or early September? You’re not in the mood for anything specific – you just want to sink into a dark theater, escape for a couple of hours and enjoy a solid film. That was me the Thursday after Labor Day.
But I’d forgotten about the annual phenomenon lurking on the calendar: the movie abyss. Every year, right about now, theaters become a cinematic wasteland. And this year was no exception.
As I scrolled through the listings, I saw a new “Conjuring” sequel – the ninth entry if you count all the spinoffs about haunted dolls and evil nuns. For some reason, New Line Cinema is still trying to convince audiences these films are grounded in fact, with a poster practically screaming, “The case that ended it all – based on a true story!” Uh-huh. Sure. Hard pass.
Then I spotted something surprising: a new Ron Howard film, “Eden,” a historical survival drama starring Jude Law. How had a movie by someone as respected as Howard slipped into theaters without so much as a whisper? Then I checked the Rotten Tomatoes score. Ouch! Another no.
And so it went, film after film. “The Roses” looked dull. “Splitsville” felt uninviting. And the trailer for “Caught Stealing” did little to generate interest.
What is it about these few weeks? Well, audiences drop off after school starts and no one wants to spend Labor Day weekend in a theater. Studios know this, too. That’s why they use this stretch as a dumping ground – a place for movies they don’t know how to market, don’t expect to find an audience or simply know are terrible.
The movie abyss has been around for years, and there’s no sign it’s going away. At least it’ll retreat temporarily by mid-September, when studios stop discarding their tax write-offs on big screens and (hopefully) start giving us something worth watching.
New on streaming
I thought I had an easy pick for a streamer this time around, but a friend corrected me with several sharply worded texts. The movie in question: “Thursday Murder Club,” a cozy whodunit streaming on Netflix.
Based on Richard Osman’s bestselling novel, the film follows a group of elderly amateur sleuths determined to solve a murder. Minutes into the opening act, I told my wife, “It’s like a British ‘Only Murders in the Building.’” Instead of Steve Martin and Martin Short chasing down suspects in their New York apartment complex, we get Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Ben Kingsley meeting every Thursday to investigate cold cases – only to stumble onto a hot one.
The movie is assembled from familiar parts: there’s the slick developer eager to turn the retirement village into condos, a local crime boss with shady connections, a handyman who seems to know more than he lets on and an irritable constable desperate to keep these meddling retirees out of his case. It’s the stuff of a breezy beach read – entertaining but not exactly challenging.
But that cast. Wow. That alone kept me glued to the screen until the final twist. By the end, I was hoping they’d bring the ensemble back for more.
Then came my friend’s brutal rebuttal:
“’Thursday Murder Club’ is a friggin’ bust. They took one of the most brilliantly written new mystery series and somehow botched it – despite an unreal cast and heavyweight names behind the camera.”
His main grievance? He insists the script takes one of the novels’ most important characters and tosses him under the bus for a cheap payoff. I won’t spoil it – but my friend had plenty more to say:
“The book series is drenched in deep, powerful realism, with characters sparkling with personality and depth. (Director Christopher) Columbus basically made ‘The Goonies’ for old folks.”
Fans hating movie adaptations of books they love is hardly new, but my friend was unwavering in his condemnation. So, are you in the mood for a frothy Friday night romp with Mirren, Brosnan and Kingsley? Or are you a die-hard fan of Osman’s novels who’ll bristle at anything less than a faithful adaptation?
I leave it to you. As for me, I have more of my friend’s tirade to read.
From the vault
No moment shaped my journey as a film lover more than seeing “Star Wars” in 1977. But another movie released later that same year planted the seeds of a deeper passion – one for a certain filmmaker – and sparked a lifelong fascination with the people behind the camera: Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.”
Two years earlier, my parents had decided I was too young to see Jaws, so I missed Spielberg’s breakout hit on the big screen. And somehow, in the 50 years since, I never filled that gap, even as I watched nearly every other Spielberg film in theaters. I’d catch parts of “Jaws” on TV occasionally, but I couldn’t bring myself to watch a visually truncated, miniaturized version of my favorite director’s seminal classic.
So, when I read that the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX Theater would be showing a 4K remastered edition, I was there – back in line, as eager as ever. And what an experience it was.
Yes, the movie has aged, and the shark wasn’t quite as terrifyingly convincing as it apparently was in 1975. But what a pleasure it was to see how a 27-year-old Spielberg was already developing his signature style – “Jaws” was only his second theatrical film – and to watch the artful ways he used the full width of the screen to position his actors and tell his story. The suspense still works, and the film reminded me how much I miss movies that rely on subtlety, creativity and tension rather than bombastic CGI. If “Jaws” were made today, it would be a completely different beast.
It was also a joy to experience the film with a large and enthusiastic audience. I knew I was among the perfect theater companions when they erupted in applause and cheers as a 78-year-old Spielberg appeared in a recorded introduction before the movie.
That gives me hope – hope that theaters will continue to unearth classics, give them a technical polish and present them in premium formats where they belong. Universal released “Jaws” in the midst of the annual movie abyss and found an audience. There’s no reason we can’t experience more of that magic again.
Rolling out the snacks
In honor of Bruce, the Great White Shark from “Jaws,” I offer a recipe with a little bite: The Great White Dip. Simply pour your favorite spinach, artichoke, or queso dip over an “ocean” of blue corn chips. For the finishing touch, stick one triangular chip upright in the dip like a dorsal fin cutting through the water.