Who Has the Edge on the John Stewart Role in DC's 'Lanterns' Series?

Happy Monday, folks! Let me tell you about all the movies I watched this weekend…

On Friday night, I saw Beetlejuice Beetlejuice in theaters, and while I appreciated Tim Burton’s gothic aesthetic — the costumes and production design were impressive — I thought the movie was a mess. I still can’t believe we waited 36 years for… that.

To see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Joker: Folie a Deux back-to-back made me wonder if Warner Bros. executives were OK up there in Burbank, or simply asleep at the wheel. But on second thought, it’s hard to blame them when Burton (hot off Wednesday) and Todd Phillips (hot off Joker) earned the right to do whatever they want. More on the latter below.

As for Beetlejuice, the sequel opened big, so WB’s instinct to trust Burton technically paid off, but creatively, I was amazed at how disappointing it was.

On Saturday, I watched The 4:30 Movie, the latest comedy from Kevin Smith, and I happened to like this poignant coming-of-age film. Austin Zajur, the longtime boyfriend of the director’s daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, stars as a movie-obsessed young man trying to rekindle a romance with his former flame (Siena Agudong’s Melody) while spending a day at the movies with his two best friends (Nicholas Cirillo and Reed Northrup). This is ultimately a minor effort from Smith but it’s short and sweet, there are a bunch of fun cameos, and there are certainly a few laughs — especially if you’re a nostalgic film nerd like me and Kevin.

On Sunday, I watched a few movies, including Potsy Ponciroli’s “comedic” crime thriller Greedy People and V/H/S/Beyond, the latest entry in the popular horror anthology franchise.

Greedy People was a disappointing effort from Ponciroli considering how much I loved his previous movie, Old Henry. This one features a familiar plot (blue-collar folks find a bag full of money) that unfolds via a jumble of tones, featuring a cast of unlikeable characters, none of whom you want to root for. A forgettable effort for all involved, including leads Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Himesh Patel, and Lily James.

As for V/H/S/Beyond, I thought it was a fairly strong effort for the franchise, all things considered as I really enjoyed Justin Martinez’s “Live and Let Die.” Studios should be looking at Martinez, who could end up being “the next Gareth Edwards or Wes Ball,” in the words of one wise horror buff friend of mine.

I also dug Christian and Justin Long’s twisted “Fur Barbies,” and Jordan Downey’s “Stork,” which I could see lending itself to a feature. Virat Pal’s “Dream Girl” takes a smart setup in a lazy direction, but that segment is still okay. The only stuff I didn’t care for was Kate Siegel’s “Stowaway,” written by her husband Mike Flanagan, and Jay Cheel’s framing device, which features notable YouTubers talking about reported alien abductions.

If none of these movies sound good to you, check out The King Tide, which I watched last week and stars Clayne Crawford and Aden Young from Rectify. It’s about a little girl who can work miracles for the residents of a small town, who prove to be “greedy people” themselves. Really strong filmmaking from Canadian director Christian Sparkes.

Before I begin, I want to bid a fond farewell to the print edition of Total Film, one of two UK movie magazines — along with Empire — that I regularly bought as a young man, as it offered a fascinating window into Hollywood’s dream factory. They published 356 issues over the past 27 years, and I salute the entire team over there — past and present. Thank you. Total Film will still publish interviews and reviews online, so the publication isn’t shutting down, but for me, the magazine was the thing, and I’ll miss seeing it next to Empire on the stands.

And given that it is October 7th, let’s all take a moment to remember the 1200+ people (mostly Israelis) who were killed on this day last year by Hamas, a terrorist organization that kidnapped another 200+ people, some of whom are still being held hostage and subjected to daily sexual abuse. Today isn’t a day to argue about who is right concerning the conflict in the Middle East but to remember the innocent lives lost, may they rest in peace.

In tonight’s newsletter, I try to cast some light on DC’s Lanterns with a little update about what I’m hearing regarding The Search for John Stewart, plus, I offer up five lessons that Warner Bros. should learn from the box office failure of Joker: Folie a Deux this past weekend, and why the studio should learn them ahead of Barbie 2… if it still insists on moving forward with that sequel.

There are also stories about Will Smith reuniting with Bad Boys director Michael Bay, Nicole Kidman reuniting with Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty, Universal getting into business with It Ends With Us author Colleen Hoover, Lionsgate staying in business with Chad Stahleski, and the new managers at Untitled Entertainment. Plus, I offer up my thoughts on the trailer (er, half of it) for Neon’s thriller The Seed of the Sacred Fig.

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