Summer 2025 saw the release of three major superhero blockbusters. Two new Marvel films, “Thunderbolts*” and “Fantastic Four: First Steps”, and one new DC film in the form of “Superman”. While the recent Marvel films were received positively by both critics and audiences, both films struggled at the box office by Marvel standards. While not a billion-dollar movie by any means, “Superman” proved to be the most successful comic book movie from a financial standpoint. “Superman” also received positive reviews from audiences and critics alike, hailing a new era for DC Comics. 

While Disney’s superhero movies might not have been the most profitable for the corporation, they do have the only American movie to cross a billion dollars this year, in the form of the live-action “Lilo and Stitch” remake. It is also worth noting that Disney-Pixar’s “Elio” struggled to cross $100 million at the box office. Whereas 2024’s Pixar film, “Inside Out 2,” took a little under three weeks to cross the billion-dollar mark. 

One of the winners of the 2025 summer movie culture is the Netflix original “KPOP Demon Hunters,” which was added to the streamer in June. As it currently stands, “KPOP Demon Hunters” is the second most-watched Netflix movie of all time under 2022’s “Red Notice”. The film has grown so successful that the original songs from the film have made it onto the Billboard Top 200 Charts. 

One of the most fascinating tent-poll blockbusters of the summer is “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” a film that did not resonate with critics and had mixed-to-positive reviews from general audiences. Of the major blockbusters to release in July, it made the most at the global box office. That being said, it is the first film in the “World” era to not cross the billion-dollar mark. 

The biggest success story to come of the summer comes from Warner Bros., which has now had six films in a row be the top movie during their opening weekend. This unprecedented hot streak started back in late March, with “A Minecraft Movie,” and was quickly followed up with “Sinners”. 

“Final Destination: Bloodlines,” the sixth entry in the “Final Destination” franchise, came out in May and breathed new life into an otherwise irrelevant horror franchise. “F1”, the Formula 1 movie starring Brad Pitt, is an exciting original film that has grossed nearly $ 600 million at the global box office. It was also distributed alongside Apple. “Superman” was Warner Bros. July movie that proved to be successful. Finally, “Weapons”, a thrilling new original horror movie, has stayed at the top of the box office for two weeks in a row. 

This raises the question of whether Warner Bros. can maintain this remarkable streak. Later this year, the studio has the final film in the Conjuring franchise, “The Conjuring: Last Rites”, the new Paul Thomas Anderson film, “One Battle After Another”, and “Mortal Kombat 2”. 

While it does seem that the billion-dollar movie might become a thing of the past, Summer 2025 proved to be a decent time for the box office with films resonating with audiences, such as “Weapons”, “F1”, and “Superman”. 

The post The Summer 2025 Box Office Breakdown appeared first on Utah.Film.

A young storyteller, Kubo (Art Parkinson), lives the truth of his stories as he must find an ancient suit of armor to fight against the vengeful Moon King (Ralph Fiennes).

A Dying Art

Stop-motion animation was the original go-to for Visual Effects in movies. From the early days of King Kong (1933), to the Imperial Walkers in Star Wars, it provided a way to make fantasy a physical reality. While technology has shifted more to animatronics and computer generated techniques, stop-motion is still foundational to great artistry in film making.

You may know the production company Laika from films like Coraline (2009) and Paranorman (2012) that are those weirdly delightful stop-motion films that we all turn to when Halloween comes around, but this company has so much more to it’s repertoire that is often overlooked when not in the blatantly spooky realm.

Enter Kubo and the Two Strings. It is a fun, family adventure about a young boy who has to follow the footsteps of his samurai father when his aunts and grandfather come to corrupt his soul. Despite the doom and gloom nature of his journey, it is a very sweet story, highlighting the strength of family and community.

The thing that hits me the most about this movie since I watched it upon its release was how snubbed it was when award season rolled around. Sure, it was the year Zootopia and the live-action Jungle Book came out–which were the winners for animation and VFX–but nothing came close (or in my opinion has EVER come close) to the production quality of this movie. It was also considered a box-office flop since it made $77 million worldwide on a $60 million budget. Watch the movie first, but then you must watch this behind the scenes footage to understand how they made this incredibly detailed film, and why it is so devastating that they didn’t receive what I think they deserved.

And while I call this art “dying,” it is still fighting for survival. Laika has a new film “Wildwood” releasing next month. To avoid what happened with Kubo, I strongly believe that it’s important for us all to see this movie in theaters so these kinds of projects can get the fiscal and popular attention this sort of work deserves, done by artist who are passionate about their craft. Watch the trailer here and we’ll discuss more on April 25th!

Parent’s Guide: Rated PG

There is some violence involved as sword fights ensue, and characters die from these fights. Also, in true Laika fashion, the aunts are super creepy, so this may not be the best film for younger audiences.

The post Why you need to watch “Kubo and the Two Strings” (2016) now that it’s back on Netflix! appeared first on Utah.Film.

For the “Thor: Love and Thunder” soundtrack, director Taika Waititi uses Guns ‘n Roses the same way he used Led Zeppelin for “Thor: Ragnarok” in 2017. Guns ‘n Roses was a great band, far superior to most all its peers, but it was no Led Zeppelin. And “Love and Thunder,” for all its zany chaos, is no “Ragnarok.”

“Love and Thunder” picks up in the aftermath of 2019’s “Endgame,” which left the titular demigod hero teaming up with the Guardians of the Galaxy for some outer space adventures. When we catch up with the gang, a cheeky voiceover from rock monster Korg (still voiced by Waititi) tells us how Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has shed his post-“Infinity War” beer gut and now acts as a literal Deux ex Machina for the Guardians whenever they find themselves overmatched against some interstellar foe.

The story gets going once the crew decides it’s time to part ways, and the Guardians set off on what will presumably form the plot of their third movie. Thor, for his part, has a more personalized foe to deal with. A mysterious villain named Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale) has been slaughtering Thor’s fellow demi-gods, and even kidnapped some of the Asgardian younglings. So our blonde-locked hero recruits some old friends—like Korg and Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson)–to face the new threat.

In the process, he meets up with his old girlfriend, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), who has taken up Thor’s old hammer Mjolnir and transformed into a new hero dubbed The Mighty Thor. What Thor doesn’t know is that Jane is dying of cancer, and only using the hammer to postpone the inevitable.

In the meantime, everyone is getting in on the weapon game. Thor is still swinging his Stormbreaker axe, and to take on Gorr, he and Valkryie conspire to get a magic lightning bolt from Zeus (Russell Crowe) when their appeal for the Greek god’s help falls on mocking ears. Even Gorr is weapon-dependent. He’s only able to slaughter demigods because of a magic sword that came to him when his own deity let his daughter die of starvation.

What’s strange about all this underscores one of “Love and Thunder’s” weaknesses. One of the main points of “Ragnarok” was to show Thor that his powers weren’t rooted in his hammer, or any other weapon. The power was in himself. Yet throughout “Love and Thunder,” the fixation on Stormbreaker, Mjolnir, and the others—while it lends plenty of opportunity for laughs—seems to ignore that point.

The bigger issue is the way the humor—which reinvented (and arguably saved) the Thor franchise in “Ragnarok”—feels so jarring against the attempts for serious moments in “Love and Thunder.” Maybe it’s just because those “serious” moments try to carry more weight this time around—the mourning Gorr is substantially more imposing than “Ragnarok’s” megalomaniacal Hela (Cate Blanchett) on an emotional level—but the back and forth clashes awkwardly.

Even with those shortcomings, “Love and Thunder” still stands as an example of why Waititi and the Thor franchise loom head and shoulders above so much of what Marvel is producing in its post-“Endgame” meanderings. There are still plenty of references to other characters and situations, but witty dialogue and narration go a long ways toward keeping the audience on board, and the result is nowhere near the encyclopedic mess we just got with “Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.” Waititi still seems to be having a great time taking the piss out of the superhero genre, while simultaneously offering some of its most triumphant and outrageous moments. Even if “Love and Thunder” feels more like a sequel than a revelation, fans should enjoy the ride.

“Thor: Love and Thunder” is rated PG-13 for chaotic superhero mayhem and violence, as well as some sexual content (Hemsworth’s bare backside, played for laughs).

The post ‘Love and Thunder’ is a step down from ‘Ragnarok,’ but pretty good for post-‘Endgame’ MCU appeared first on Utah.Film.

Premise

“The Congress” (2013) is a very bizarre avant-garde film starring Robin Wright who plays a future version of herself during a time when what it means to be an actress is evolving in Hollywood. She is pressured into giving away the rights to her likeness to production company Miramount who can then use a digital version of her body however they wish. As technology advances, so does the way her essence is used by consumers. She navigates politics, uprisings, and drugged-up realities in order to try to reunite with her son who suffers from Usher syndrome. 

2013 vs 2022

I did not understand this movie when it first came out. The animated world we explore in the second half was hard for me to understand as a teen, and it is off-putting for anyone upon a first viewing. However, because I watched it, it has made me pay closer attention to the CG actors and deepfakes we are seeing now. As with most Sci-Fi films, the exact technology that is used in the future isn’t precisely the same, but the concepts and issues are still very relevant. This is why this movie has been weighing on my mind and I have to talk about it.

Deepfakes

What is a “deepfake”? They are synthetic media composed of existing images and audio clips in order to modify someone else’s likeness in a deceptive way. While this is most often used informally on social media, we see in newer Star Wars content–“The Book of Boba Fett” being the latest–that by using the same technology, old characters are coming back as their younger selves to continue stories that weren’t explored in the past. The mainstream discussion expresses concern that this can be unethical and illegal without the person’s consent. I fear that this kind of technology is problematic on a deeper level in two ways despite the level of consent an actor gives. 

1. Objectifying Actors

When an actor is portrayed digitally, we no longer see the person behind the character, just the character itself that is owned by a studio. I believe acting, though a façade, is supposed to be very real and tangible at its best. We are touched by performances where an actor is giving their all to convey a real emotion. Isn’t that why we have so many memes of Leonardo DiCaprio’s most expressive moments in his films? Sure, the character is important, but so is the actor behind them. In “The Congress,” Wright relinquishes doing something meaningful with her life by contractually not being allowed to work, and by becoming invisible to the world as her forever young digital version is on ginormous screens everywhere she turns. If actors are pressured into following this same path, I find this damaging to their lives, as well as opening a problematic way for audiences to view celebrities as a product not a person. 

2. Cheap Solution

I don’t mean this in how this kind of technology is inexpensive; far from it! The moral issue is that we are using technology to avoid problems that are a reality of life–like aging and dying. The biblical story of the Tower of Babel has been on my mind since I recently watched “Metropolis” (1927). The Tower of Babel is a cautionary tale about trying to get to heaven in a way that relies on the strength of man in order to defy God. Avoiding the fact that human actors age and die by using technological means is doing just that. It is natural to fear mortality, but the negative of that fear is balanced by the positives brought by feeling pressure that encourage us to live. 

In our latest Utah FilmPod episode, we discuss the shows that we’ve been streaming, and the show I most recently finished was “The Good Place.” It is one of the very few shows I consistently enjoyed the whole way through. One thing I found very interesting was how they explored what eternity feels like and what it does to a person. Through this, they show how humans need to still feel some kind of pressure and that there has to be an end in order to incentivize growth, development, and a search for true joy. Even in a show that exists after death, they still need to create an afterlife version of mortality to give their characters a sense of purpose and direction.

Side of Truth

A larger scale problem is that it is harder to fix the real world, so the easy solution is to create a new, but false world, which is what we see today. Take virtual reality as an example for providing all we need for work, play, and social connections, all in a fictitious setting. “The Congress” shows a dystopian society that (like ours) wants to avoid discomfort and death at all costs, even if the cost is that it keeps them from living. They end up living completely in their heads, which becomes a valid reality they call one of the “sides of truth” that they can cross over to and avoid the real world. On that side, it is all about sensation rather than action. Don’t we all fall into that same cycle of just living for the weekend, for the next show to drop, or for something pleasantly delicious and distracting? Does that actually end up being a satisfying way to live?

Watch this movie, see the connections to what is happening in the entertainment industry today, and ask yourself

“What side of truth do I want to be on?”

Parent’s Guide

As a quick note, this film is Not Rated, but it would most likely receive an R-rating for its use of the f-word. 

It is on the free streaming service Tubi and is available to rent on other platforms. 

The post “The Congress” Predicted Today’s Entertainment Industry Landscape Nearly a Decade Ago… and I’m Terrified appeared first on Utah.Film.

Shaun (Simu Liu) lives an aimless life as a valet attendant until his past catches up with him. Much to the surprise of his best friend, Katy (Awkwafina), he turns out to be the son of powerful Kung Fu masters, one of whom is a power-hungry immortal warlord (Tony Chiu-Wai Leung) who possesses the power of ten rings. He must team up with Katy and his sister (Meng’er Zhang) to stop his father from unwittingly releasing a great evil into the world. 

My Experience

I could be alone in this or preaching to the choir, but I have felt a lot of Marvel fatigue since Endgame. It has felt like too much of a chore to watch each new movie and TV series just to pick up every necessary minuscule detail to know what is going on in the bigger releases. I was going to pass on this one, but I am so glad I didn’t! It may be the highest quality film Marvel has made yet. It’s different from what they’ve done before, but they were very clever in how they embedded it into the MCU. Shang-Chi is the movie I didn’t know I wanted.

Brilliant Unfolding

I’m intentionally being vague on the plot because the way this movie feeds its audience little pieces of background at a time is crafted so well. Each character possesses a deep personal and cultural history. They all have unique challenges but all tied to universal themes of power, potential, and family. 

The dad is one of the more fleshed out lesser known Marvel antagonists I’ve seen. He was complex and you felt his pain while also feeling uneasy anytime he was on screen. I also need to point out Awkwafina’s performance; this actress needs to be in every movie! Her mix of humor and heart make her so fascinating to watch, especially in a leading role. 

Keeping it in Motion

Not only is the story so well developed, but all of the technical elements of this film are incredible. I hope to see this as a contender for the Visual Effects, Sound Mixing and/or Original Score Academy Awards. 

A lot of thought went into the camera use and choreography to help tell the story and to create amazing fight scenes. It hearkens to old classic martial arts films that have inspired Hollywood for decades (like The Matrix), but here we see an ancient world mixed with modern technology magic in a beautifully unique and artistically crafted way.

Parent’s Guide

The violence is mild gore-wise, but it is very intense in tone since fights are longer with hand to hand combat sequences. One thing that might dissuade parents is the amount of times “s**t” is used, typically as a joke. 

The post Marvel Follows Movie’s Advice to Achieve Full Potential | Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings Review appeared first on Utah.Film.

“I’m sorry, I know ‘cheap’ is a trigger word for you.”

“‘Frugal’ is such a better word!”

This is a low budget comedy that comes with all the cheesiness you can expect for a movie intended for a niche audience, but it is unexpectedly insightful. 

Premise

Bree Carrington (Clare Niederpruem) had the next few years of young adulthood all planned out. She would be wrapping up the semester at her dream school–BYU Hawaii–studying marine biology, and then go on a church mission for the next 18-months. That plan was flipped upside down when her boyfriend of 6 months, Thys Chesterfield (Tanner Gillman), suddenly asked her to marry him. After convincing Mama Bear Carrie (Lisa Valentine Clark) to get on board with the engagement, the Carrington family is fully invested in putting together the perfect wedding in two months. 

Frugality is Key

The money side of it might be the most distracting so I’ll cover that first. This movie required a lot more money and flexibility than the first in the series, “Once I Was a Beehive.” One huge factor was that it was shot during the pandemic which made it a lot harder to fill in the scenes with the larger cast they had this time around. 

Also, they did a lot to make this film more spectacular. The scenes in Hawaii were beautiful, but required a decent amount of money to send the cast and crew there under new health and safety requirements. They also basically put together an entire wedding with the necessary costumes and sets. These expenses make the movie suffer in a couple of ways, primarily with the casting of minor characters who didn’t quite nail their lines like the leads, and there are times the look of it isn’t as stunning. Yet these were the trade-offs they had to make and I don’t think it takes away from this must-watch story. 

Another thing that was somewhat off-putting was the amount of product placement. It makes sense in comparison with the last movie for a story about a wedding to be more materialistic than one about a camping trip, so the product placement blends in with the story. It also served as a plus for their filming locations, because this movie does a great job showcasing BYU Hawaii, the Polynesian Cultural Center, and our very own Utah County. This movie serves as a love letter to those locations.

The Comedy Side vs The Serious Side

The humor in this film is very much like how it was in “Once I Was a Beehive”–good old self-aware “mormon culture” jabs. I was laughing the whole time with all the jam-packed vocabulary and references thrown in. There is surprisingly deep characterization that makes these characters so enjoyable and loveable. Coming from being the (sort of) antagonists of the previous film, the way Niederpruem and Clark play their imperfect characters highlights their growth and strengths. Their male counterparts, the fiancé and Bree’s dad (Bart Johnson), were also particularly fun to see juxtaposed with the high-strung leading ladies.

But between all the crazy shenanigans and relatable jokes, there is a very meaningful story being told here. More than anything, the story of Bree and Thys’s engagement covered a lot of important ground when it comes to getting married. It shows that there’s a lot more stress and hard work that goes into the Big Day than what is commonly portrayed in the media. There’s fantastic modeling of crucial conversations everyone should have during an engagement, from the couple who are now needing to plan their lives together, to all the involved parents and past loves. The movie doesn’t have a “villain,” but the conflicts that arise emphasize the gravity of how life altering marriage is in ways that this specific culture sometimes fails to show in a realistic way.

A Targeted Audience

If you are a teen or young adult LDS girl and/or you enjoyed “Once I was a Beehive,” this will be a great pick for you. The moral of the story, I think, is especially vital for those in the targeted demographic to learn prior to getting wrapped up in their own engagement. There’s still plenty for all the fellas out there to enjoy as I will prove by concluding with a few of my husband’s remarks that I noted throughout the film. I think he was even more invested in the story than I was.

“It’s ‘To All the Boys I Loved Before’ in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!”

“Awww these cute people make me want to vomit a little…”

“This is so wholesome. I can’t wait for it to all go downhill!”

“Hehe… that’s going to go so wrong…”

“The dad is my favorite character, calling it now.”

“Oh no! He’s screwing it up! YOU FOOL!”

*Holds head in hands, shaking it and groans* “no no no”

“Because you’re insane, that’s why you’d do that!”

“Alright, he won me over.”

“Alright, she won me over.”

“It’s madness! I love it!”

*Big grin as credits roll*

This is a lesser known release, so if you want to have a fun time in a fairly empty theatre and support local film projects, I personally recommend this as a great movie date, especially for younger couples. 

Parent’s Guide

This is a very clean, safe movie for the whole family besides the occasional PG innuendo and shirtless surfer dudes.

The post A Wedding On a Budget | “Once I Was Engaged” Review appeared first on Utah.Film.

Based on stories in the New (and Old) Testament, “The Chosen” brings to life how Jesus Christ led his followers as they went about doing good. I first thought from the previews that the show would center on all the expected Bible stories, following the life of Jesus–you know, as a “Chosen One.” I was wrong, though, as “the chosen” refers to those who Jesus chose to follow him. The show gives a lot more background on the kinds of lives these characters would have led and how they would have fit into this time period. 

The first season focuses primarily on introducing the apostles and how Jesus comes into their lives, although he is not quite ready to begin his official ministry. In season two, Jesus is now gaining some notoriety in many cities by performing miracles and teaching large crowds all day long. The apostles feel overwhelmed by the duty they feel in protecting Jesus and performing their new roles as a cohesive team. 

A Different Kind of Production

The most important thing to address here that puts all the religious stuff to the side is everything we can analyze about the production itself. “Get used to different” is a popular phrase in this series, but it must be director and producer Dallas Jenkin’s project motto because he is doing everything differently with this show.

This show got a lot of attention originally because it was (and still is) the #1 crowdfunded film/TV project. It came in high demand which gave a high quality show in response with the $10 million it raised. I think this is an interesting fact because it puts the audiences in the executive chair since they are the investors. 

Because of that, there is a strong relationship between the production team and their audience. It is fascinating to see The Chosen’s presence on social media because they are constantly responding to feedback from followers with kindness and passion for what they are doing, as well as documenting all the behind the scenes action. I learn so much about the trials and triumphs of TV show filming from their consistent video and photo updates. If you have an interest in behind the scenes work like I do, check them out!

Since the show was independently created, it also had a similar distribution plan. Their ingenuity continued to shine here by streaming the show on their own app (as well as the app of their Utah-based partners, VidAngel). Instead of charging for the price of a normal streaming service, each episode viewed is paid by those who feel so inclined to “pay it forward.” Appealing to and relying on the generosity of others is how the show came into being, so using that same tactic to fund the streaming site was a brilliant move.

Their ties with Utah doesn’t stop with VidAngel. Season two (and the upcoming seasons) received special permission from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be filmed at the Jerusalem set in Goshen, UT. The set is strictly reserved for church use, and many have tried and failed to get permission to film there. And yet, Jenkin’s team was successful, and this change of location really helps add to the immersive experience they strive to achieve. With so many people of different faiths working on this project together, I think it is wonderful that our state has been able to get involved in this innovatively collaborative piece.

From how it came to be, how it is being filmed, and how it is being shared, I think that “The Chosen” is trailblazing new possible paths for filmmakers (especially those religiously inclined) that I hope to see more of in the future. 

Context is Everything

The best word I could use to describe this show is organic. The background they use physically with the set and emotionally in the characterization creates a world in which these well known stories come about so naturally. It gives so much added context to the meaning of the parables and the meaningfulness of the miracles. You can’t help but identify with the characters’ personalities and journeys.

The way they started season two was so clever. They recapped season one through the context of James writing down the characters’ accounts a couple of years in the future. They all have a sort of sadness to them, foreshadowing a day when Jesus is no longer with them. This opening scene helps transition back into the present timeline where we left off with the last season of Jesus teaching to Samaritans.

The whole cast is fabulous, but Jonathan Roumie in particular as Jesus brings something incredible to the table. I did a small research paper on how people reacted to his portrayal which you can check out here. Nearly everyone found him to be very sincere, personable, and respectful.

All in all, that’s a good way to sum up all the characters. While there is humor and some casualness to make the show more real and relatable, it is done in a way that is still very respectful and solemn at all the right moments. Actually, it can pack quite an emotional punch at times.

For me, I binged the whole season in a week, watching one episode right after the other, and I really felt like I was spending the day with someone holy and real. I’m very religious, and this got me thinking of my beliefs at what seems to be a whole new level.

Just as a TV series without the religious context, it’s a great show. The characters and their stories are engaging. There’s more drama and higher stakes in this season which might make it more intriguing for nonreligious viewers. And the messages are so positive, uplifting and simply universal for whatever your religious views may be. I would highly recommend this show to anyone and everyone.

Parent’s Guide

Especially in season two, there are some serious topics touched on although nothing is ever explicit. You see characters in the depths of despair because of disabilities, demons, and the political tension with the Romans. This isn’t a Veggie Tales version of these stories, so parents may have to prepare their children for these struggles. Also, there is one episode (4) that shows men being crucified outside of Jerusalem as characters are passing by. This, again, gives context to the lives of these people, but a man’s hands are hammered in the distance and two others hang, blood dripping on their nearly bare bodies. It could be a little disturbing for young viewers.

The post Why we need to talk about The Chosen Season 2 appeared first on Utah.Film.

It’s a fascinating story: an all-star music festival from the summer of 1969, set in Harlem at a critical juncture in black history, lost to history for fifty years.

Until now.

“Summer of Soul (or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” is a godsend for classic soul fans, and for anyone who has a soft spot for rescued footage documentary features like 2020’s “The Last Dance” or “The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus.” Drummer-turned-film director Ahmir-Khalib “Questlove” Thompson’s debut feature has taken what for many was the best thing about the summer of 1969, and made it one of the best things about the summer of 2021.

The film documents the six shows of the Harlem Cultural Festival. Shot by director Hal Tulchin in the summer of 1969 at then-Mount Morris Park, the footage was shelved when the filmmaker couldn’t find a taker for the project, and resurrected by Thompson five decades later. Over 117 minutes, the film highlights an all-star lineup of the best soul, R&B, and blues musicians of the late 1960’s, including Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, and Sly and the Family Stone.

Tulchin’s footage is up close and personal, splashing images of performers and attendees with bright colors aided by a west-facing stage (the film notes that the stage was set up to take advantage of the sunlight, since the production didn’t have the budget for high-end lighting). And the music is so good you’ll be hoping for a soundtrack to accompany the film’s release.

With content this solid, Thompson could have just put out a two-hour music montage and struck gold. But for context, the director adds various interviews and other content that add perspective and understanding on the festival, which took place alongside the Apollo moon landing and just before the more-celebrated Woodstock festival just upstate.

The commentary steers alongside the performances, tapping into the gospel highs of Mavis Staples joining Mahalia Jackson to sing “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” celebrating Sly Stone’s multi-racial and gendered psychedelic funk outfit The Family Stone, and ending with the more tense and political messaging from Nina Simone at a time when the black community was reeling from the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. only a year before. Thankfully, many of the artists involved—including Staples and Stevie Wonder—are on hand to add their reflections on the experience.

Altogether, “Summer of Soul (or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” is a brilliant time capsule that captures the wonderful music and complex tensions of its time. It is rated PG-13 for some profanity and adult content.

The post Electrifying “Summer of Soul” finally sees the light appeared first on Utah.Film.

The filmmaker already known for films like “The Man Who Knew Too Much” and “Jamaica Inn” chose to release his first American film, “Rebecca” at a time when Charles Chaplin was actively promoting his “The Great Dictator,” John Ford was receiving accolades for his little movie “The Grapes of Wrath,” and “The Philadelphia Story” was already being discussed as one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time.

So, what was so special about Hitchcock’s adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s novel by the same name? How was Hitchcock able to outshine Chaplin and Ford and why with a resume boasting of projects like “Dial M for Murder,” “Vertigo,” “North by Northwest,” “Psycho,” “The Birds,” “Lifeboat,” and “Rear Window” did the Academy see “Rebecca” as the only Hitchcock offering worthy of a Best Picture award? And finally, do we really need Netflix to remake this movie with Lily James and Armie Hammer?

The answer to that last question is absolutely not.

Let’s look at those first two questions and, as we always do on KSL Movie Classics, talk about the movie’s highlights.

The story

The Criterion Collection captures the mood of this Hollywood classic when it states, “Romance becomes psychodrama in the elegantly crafted ‘Rebecca’, Alfred Hitchcock’s first foray into Hollywood filmmaking.”

The off-kilter, moody, black-and-white backdrop sets the stage for a young Joan Fontaine as she begins her married life as the very wealthy Mrs. de Winter. What promises to be an ideal leap into marital bliss quickly turns to suspense when she learns of the mysterious disappearance of Mr. de Winter’s previous wife.

At every turn details of the former Mrs. de Winter haunt her, and no one is happier to remind the new bride of the unsettling circumstances than the head housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers.

When speaking to Peter Bogdanovich in a 1963 interview, Hitchcock said of “Rebecca:”
“‘Rebecca’ was a Brontë thing really, a romantic Victorian novel in modern dress. In a sense you could get annoyed with the Joan Fontaine character because she never stood up for herself, she let Mrs. Danvers override her. But after all that’s applying a modern point of view to what I say is a Victorian heroine.”

The history

“Rebecca” was the second story of du Maurier’s to net Hitchcock’s professional services – the third and final being “The Birds.”

As Little White Lies points out, “Smuggling thriller ‘Jamaica Inn’ was the first Du Maurier novel to be brought to the big screen. Actor Charles Laughton purchased the film rights and appointed Alfred Hitchcock as director.”

As the story goes, Hitchcock was reluctant to do the project because of the amount of creative control granted Laughton, and as Little White Lies continues, “Sure enough, Laughton dominated the film, his overblown performance described by Time magazine as ‘magnificent in the eye-rolling, head-cocking, lip-pursing, massively mincing Laughton style.’ Du Maurier hated the film and Hitchcock all but disowned it.

But “Rebecca” was absolutely Hitchcock’s project. In fact, even in the face of his now famous skirmishes with “Gone with the Wind” producer David O. Selznick, Hitchcock’s first American project was entirely his own. He even managed to sneak in themes that were at the time prohibited.

Les Fabian Brathwaite of IndieWire points out, “Hitchcock reportedly played up the lesbianism of Mrs. Danvers, who was more of a maternal figure in the novel on which it was based, by noted bisexual, Daphne du Maurier. Hitch was even warned about including these subtle references to Danvers’ lesbianism, but in the end, he had his way.”

Incidentally, while the Hays office didn’t seem to notice references to Mrs. Danvers’ sexuality, there was one significant event changed from the original text to appease the Hays office.

(The following is a major spoiler by the way, so if – and I hope you are – planning to experience Hitchcock’s Best Picture win sometime, just skip down to the next section. Still, I’ll try my best to keep this ambiguous.)

At the time of release, the Motion Picture Production Code stated that a movie could not have a murderer go unpunished. This made Hitchcock repurpose the final reveals of the film, leaving some cynics to label the climax unnecessarily clumsy. They’re wrong, though. The extra hoops Hitchcock had to jump through absolutely work and make the and-another-thing aspect of the finale more entertaining.

The impact

“Rebecca” was a commercial and critical success at the time, and still today boasts a 100% on RottenTomatoes. Even the more temperamental audience score sits at 92%.
But what “Rebecca” is remembered for most, and the reason we’re still discussing it 80 years later, is its social and technical contributions.

In an article about his favorite Hitchcock movie, Michael Hann of The Guardian makes a bold claim that feminists will flip the perception of the story’s heroes and villains. I have yet to revisit the film since reading his suggestion, but at the very least it feeds into the idea that Hitchcock was not afraid of controversial topics and juxtaposed with films like “Psycho” and “Marnie,” one might even suggest he actively sought out uncomfortable topics to further keep his audiences uncertain of what to expect next.

“Rebecca” is also noteworthy because of the tools Hitchcock didn’t use. In that same Bogdanovich interview Hitchcock was asked, “Wasn’t Rebecca the first film in which you experimented with a tracking camera as opposed to the use of montage?”

He replied, “Pretty well, yes. But only because we were going around a big house. I don’t think it was really right, because after all, the eye must look at the character. It must not be conscious of a camera dollying unless you are dollying or zooming in for a particular purpose.”

Should you watch it today?

Left to its own merits, “Rebecca” holds up especially well.

It is one of those movies that starts you off in a secure place before inflicting a slow unraveling of the world around you. Add to that, Fontaine’s sympathetic performance and your constantly changing perspective of Laurence Olivier’s Mr. de Winter, and you have a very entertaining classic movie for any stay-in date or ice-cream-and-me solo evening.

If you call yourself a Hitchcock fan and you haven’t seen this, then stop whatever you’re doing and remedy that immediately.

Knowing that Hitchcock was trying to keep his audience guessing while also theme-sneaking material past Selznick and the Hays Office makes for a pretty great hindsight experience. It’s also especially fun to watch a very confined Hitchcock who relies on a tracking camera to maintain his master-of-suspense status.

There are many great Best Picture winners worthy of a revisit before the 2020 Academy Awards on February 9, and this 80-year-old classic definitely enjoys a place on that list.
Next month, to honor the great nominations that don’t end up winning, we’ll chat about one of my favorite Best Picture nominees of all time that didn’t end up winning the award.

The post Revisiting Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rebecca’ 80 years after it won best picture appeared first on Utah.Film.

The post Why ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ is still relevant after 50 years appeared first on Utah.Film.