Santa Fe, NM. Created 1.2000. Volume 20 - Issue 1062
Updated every Friday 12:00 PM
May 15 - May 21
EDITORIAL
Time flies...
...Almost 4 billion hours a month! According to StreamElements and Arsenal.gg., the live-streaming sector grew a full 45 percent between March and April; year over year, the industry is up by 99 percent. Which is truly impressive — Zoom lectures, Twitch concerts, and fully virtual book launches — the platforms have lately become a culturally important space in the mainstream...
Have a safe week and a pleasant Friday night at the movies,
Amazon's Fire TV platform now has a free section that it says will highlight a curated selection from thousands of free TV shows, movies, news and more. The new "Free" tab began rolling out to Fire TV users in the US on Tuesday. It opens with a row of free, ad-supported streaming apps, including the Amazon-owned IMDb TV, Tubi, Pluto TV, Crackle, The CW and News app. You'll also be able to find apps that offer free content like Red Bull, PBS, PBS Kids and Twitch, which is also owned by Amazon.
BONE TOMAHAWK
Director: S. Craig Zahler
Cast: Kurt Russell, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Fox
...A bored housewife and her waitress friend go on the run together from their problematic relationships, but soon end up on the wrong side of the law after a drastic change of plans... Site reference
THE BIG SICK
Director: Michael Showalter
Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter
...Touting a cannon of a six-shooter and a mustache to match, Russell’s no-nonsense sheriff leads a band of stand-up dudes into enemy territory. The film takes place at the turn of the century around the border of what is now Texas and New Mexico...
... Site reference
COLD WAR
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Cast: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc
... Two star-crossed lovers meet again and again over the course of a few decades during one of the most volatile periods of European history. As they return to each other repeatedly, even as the world around them is in turmoil and feels like it’s crumbling to dust, this tragically romantic film spotlights the power of love in dark times. ... Site reference
THE COMMUTER
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson
...A hard-working life insurance salesman has taken the commuter rail to New York for the past ten years. But, unexpectedly, in one of his daily journeys, Joanna, makes Michael a generous and tempting offer to locate a single commuter or face grave consequences... Site reference
Disney is ratcheting up the streaming releases of the brand new movie Hamilton, a live-stage capture of the original Broadway cast performing the award-winning musical that was originally planned to be released in theaters in October next year. Now it will go straight to Disney Plus on July 3, coinciding with the Independence Day holiday weekend.
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: STAINED GLASS COLLECTION
Director: -
Cast: Amber Kemp-Gerst
...The Kurzawa family and crafter extraordinaire Amber Kemp-Gerstel,
create a piece of art inspired by Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast”... Site reference
MALEFICENT MISTRESS OF EVIL
Director: Joachim Rønning
Cast: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Harris Dickinson
...Five peaceful years have passed since the demise of the duplicitous monarch, King Stefan, in Maleficent (2014), and, now, an unforeseen but joyous event is about to unite the mortal Kingdom of Ulstead... Site reference
PIRATE OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES
Director: Rob Marshall
Cast: Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane
...Captain Jack Sparrow crosses paths with a woman from his past, and he's not sure if it's love, or if she's a ruthless con artist who's using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth... Site reference
BLACK KkKLANSMAN
Director: Spike Lee
Cast: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier
...Colorado detective Ron Stallworth infiltrates the local chapter Ku Klux Klan by using a white voice and the help of his fellow officer Flip Zimmerman... Site reference
BLINDED BY THE LIGHT
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Cast: Viveik Kalra, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra
...A young British Pakistani teenager discovers the music of Springsteen and connects deeply with The Boss’ songs about working class life and how dreams can’t become a reality until you actually do something about them... reference Site reference.
SHUTTER ISLAND
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley,
...U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels investigates the disappearance of a murderer from a hospital for the criminally insane... Site reference
THE INTERVIEW
Director: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen
Cast: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Randall Park
...Dave Skylark and his producer Aaron Rapoport run a popular celebrity tabloid TV show. When they discover that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists... Site reference
SORRY TO BOTHER YOU
Director: Boots Riley
Cast: LaKeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Jermaine Fowler
...Cassius Green gets a telemarketing job and finds the commission paid job is a dispiriting struggle as a black man selling to predominately white people over the phone - that is until he changes his voice... Site reference
BOOKSMART
Director: Olivia Wilde
Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Beanie Feldstein, Jessica Williams
...On the eve of their high school graduation, two academic superstars and best friends realize they should have worked less and played more... Site reference
THE UNREMARKABLE JUANQUINI (Chichipatos)
Director: Dago García
Cast: Antonio Sanint, María Cecilia Sánchez, Mariana Gómez
...An inept magician pulls off the trick of his life: accidentally disappearing a wanted criminal during a police raid. Now he's going to pay for that... Site referenceAce Ventura page on FaceBook...
DISTRIC 9
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Cast: Sharlto Copley, David James, Jason Cope
...In 1982, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty-eight years later,the refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor... Site reference
I LOVE YOU STUPID (Te quiero, imbécil)
Director: Laura Mañá
Cast: Quim Gutiérrez, Natalia Tena, Alfonso Bassave
...2019. Barcelona. Marcos is a 35 years-old man see his life turns upside down in the worst way: his 8-years relation with Ana ends abruptly and his boss fires him.... Site reference
ALTERNATIVE STREAMS
ACORN TV Programming from several countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, and UK.
JACK TAYLOR (IRELAND)
Director: Stuart Orme
Cast: Iain Glen, Nora-Jane Noone, Killian Scott
...Ex-cop Jack Taylor earns a reputation for being a tough-as-nails private investigator who's not afraid to take on vigilantes or track down killers... Site reference
THE LADIES'PARADISE (ITALY)
Director: -
Cast: Alessandro Tersigni, Federica De Benedittis, Gloria Radulescu
...A young woman who leaves her rural Sicilian hometown for Milan. Teresa finds work--and much more--at a newly opened department store: The Ladies' Paradise...(English subtitles)
...... Site reference
Crunchyroll is an anime streaming services. with over 1,200 titles in its library, Crunchyroll supports HD streams for both free and paid accounts. Crunchyroll's content supports subtitles, but not dubs.
TATAMI-CHAN
Creator: Rensuke Oshikiri
Animation Production Studio: Aniplex of America
...Tatami-chan is a crazy-cute heroine taking on the ghosts, spirits, and even humans residing in the Tokyo metropolitan area... Site reference
SING "YESTERDAY" FOR ME
Creator: Kei Toume
Animation Production Studio: David Production
...Four boys and girls trying to live their best lives through hardship and turmoil, in a small town on a private rail line just outside of Shinjuku... Site reference
MORE ALTERNATIVE STREAMS
New this week
POPCORNFLIX No contract or subscription is required to watch movies and TV shows with limited commercials on Vudu. Users can choose from thousands of free movies, such as Maid in Manhattan, Three Men and a Baby and Gravity, to watch on their mobile device, TV and computer—plus view in up to 1080p...
XUMO The ad-supported streaming site, available in the contiguous United States, provides free live and on-demand entertainment. Users can pick from over 160 different channels to tune into the Today show, Family Feud and Fox Sports, or watch full length seasons of shows, in addition to movies. XUMO can be viewed on Hisense, Sharp, Magnavox, Panasonic, Philips, Sanyo or VIZIO smart TVs, along with Channel Plus enabled LG smart TVs, iPhones, iPads, Android devices, or on Roku.
...
This free service bears the venerable branding of the Internet Movie Database, a motherlode of movie lore that's been an Amazon subsidiary since 1998. You'll need a Fire TV -- or a computer hooked up to a TV -- to watch IMDb TV on an actual TV.
USTV NOW Made for the US armed forces and defense employees that lived abroad but it has become one of the most browsed websites even within the US. HD quality. Out of 3 subscription plans, first one is free which gives you full access to 7 HD channels.
LOCAL THEATERS
This week in the news
Japan's major movie theater circuits have begun a partial reboot after shutting down mid-April, when the Tokyo government declared a national emergency in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Toho Cinemas, Japan's largest film exhibitor, said Tuesday that it would reopen 10 theaters across the Japanese prefectures (akin to states) with the lowest reported coronavirus caseloads. Nationwide chain Aeon Cinemas said Wednesday that it would be following Toho's lead, rebooting 27 multiplexes in 16 prefectures beginning May 18.
Japan's leading art house cinemas, such as Tokyo's pioneering Uplink circuit, have yet to reveal reopening plans. A group of the country's small-scale cinemas have banded to together to create a temporary streaming platform for art house cinema to keep the local indie community afloat through the pandemic.
The Broadway League on Tuesday confirmed that theaters will remain dark for an additional three months, though industry insiders anticipate the reopening date remaining in flux, possibly until early 2021.
In the longest scheduled extension to date of the blackout of Broadway theaters prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, trade organization the Broadway League announced Tuesday that the 41 top-tier New York theaters that went dark March 12 will remain that way at least through Sept. 6. Broadway was the first sector in New York to impose a blanket suspension of operations on March 12, and most insiders expect it to be one of the last to come back.
Ninety-six film organizations on Tuesday received bright news in a dark time when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the recipients of its 2020 Film Craft and Film Watch grants. Grants totaling $2.5 million — ranging from $5,000 to $200,000 each — were awarded based on "current need" to organizations that support filmmakers and reach audiences from underserved communities. Among them: film festivals (including some biggies like the Toronto International Film Festival, and many with lower profiles like the International Institute for Indigenous Resource Management/Indigenous Film & Arts Festival), universities (like the American Film Institute), production companies (Kartemquin Films) and other organizations (like Film Independent).
Japan's major movie theater circuits have begun a partial reboot after shutting down mid-April, when the Tokyo government declared a national emergency in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Toho Cinemas, Japan's largest film exhibitor, said Tuesday that it would reopen 10 theaters across the Japanese prefectures (akin to states) with the lowest reported coronavirus caseloads. Nationwide chain Aeon Cinemas said Wednesday that it would be following Toho's lead, rebooting 27 multiplexes in 16 prefectures beginning May 18.
Japan's leading art house cinemas, such as Tokyo's pioneering Uplink circuit, have yet to reveal reopening plans. A group of the country's small-scale cinemas have banded to together to create a temporary streaming platform for art house cinema to keep the local indie community afloat through the pandemic. 