March 2019 – Cinesnark

The Hollywood Read ep. 17

THR Logo This week we dive right back into the pit of despair with the Disney-Fox merger, which has officially closed and four thousand people are already out of a job. Then, to try and climb back out of the pit, we discuss why Dev Patel should be the next James Bond. Three words: He got hot. Also, his latest movie, The Wedding Guest, is basically an audition for Bond, and we get into all the reasons a Southeast Asian Bond would make for a fresh start for a fifty-year-old character. Don’t believe us? Check out the trailer for The Wedding Guest and come back when you’ve fixed your life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO0BDQEslwQ

Kayleigh on Twitter: @Ceilidhann

Sarah on Twitter: @Cinesnark

The Hollywood Read ep. 16

Episode 16: College Scammers and James Gunn Rehired

March 22, 2019

This week we return to the pit of despair to talk about the college admissions scandal and all the ways it’s offensive and gross. We’re talking celebrities who are not immune to the status race, the celebrity kids who just don’t care, the particular combination of dark humor and rage this scandal ignites, and the broken system that has turned higher education into a status symbol. We also dive into James Gunn being rehired by Disney months after he was sacked for bad tweets, and what it means for the culture war that he now has two high-paying franchise gigs. Join us as we work through a lot of residual feelings about the cost of our college experiences, and laugh at the spectacular way in which the James Gunn hit job backfired.

Episode reading:

The affidavit outlining the college admissions scandal: https://www.justice.gov/file/1142876/download

Kevin Tsujihara’s sexting scandal: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/i-need-be-careful-texts-reveal-warner-bros-ceo-promoted-actress-apparent-sexual-relationship-1192660

And for fun:

Kayleigh’s work on the SYFY Fangrrls “Forgotten Women in Genre” series: https://www.syfy.com/tags/forgotten-women-of-genre

The Hollywood Read ep. 15

THR Logo After a short break, we’re back talking Captain Marvel, from the movie itself to The Discourse surrounding it, as well as Steven Spielberg’s efforts to change Academy rules so Netflix finds it harder to win Oscars. We cover the best and worst of the modern movie-going experience, the inevitable and almost complete superhero domination of the multiplex, and why Spielberg’s effort is too little too late. Join us as we reluctantly defend a corporation against a billionaire, accidentally walk into a pit of despair, and look to Carol Danvers to get us through a very weird time in cinema history.

Here is Kayleigh on the ethics of de-aging: http://www.pajiba.com/film_reviews/deaging-actors-has-gotten-better-in-movies-but-it-remains-an-ethically-complicated-issue.php

Here is Sarah’s Captain Marvel review: https://www.laineygossip.com/captain-marvel-movie-review-starring-brie-larson/52157

And a bit of shameless self-promotion, here is Sarah’s Decider article on Julia Roberts’ gossip history: https://decider.com/2019/03/07/julia-roberts-fellini-summer/

The Hollywood Read ep. 14

THR Logo The 91st Academy Awards have come and gone, and all that’s left is to pick up the pieces and make sense of a very up and down, back and forth show. On the one hand, the no-host experiment paid off. On the other: Green Book won Best Picture, which will almost instantly age into a poorly remembered choice. This week, we dive into the Oscars, the good, the bad, the Bohemian Rhapsody of it all. The show was not a disaster, but some retrograde winners reveal a divided Academy pushing back against the recent membership inclusion effort. Join us as we break it all down and get into what worked, what didn’t, and just why it is that Green Book will soon be joining the ranks of worst Best Picture.

Here is Kayleigh on the ignominy of Green Book‘s win: https://screenrant.com/green-book-worst-best-picture-oscar-winner/

And here is Sarah on anonymous voter “Chet”: https://www.laineygossip.com/this-years-anonymous-oscar-voters-reveal-no-consensus-pick-for-best-picture/52030

The Hollywood Read ep. 13

THR Logo Last year, romantic comedies came back in a big way, fueled by the success of Crazy Rich Asians and Netflix’s “summer of love”. This week, we take a look at the rom-com revival and how this once-great staple of the cineplex is now fodder for streaming platforms. We dig into how Netflix fueled the revival by releasing several rom-coms within a few months, the landmark success of Crazy Rich Asians, and how streaming rom-coms are propping up a new generation of young stars. But we also get into the limits of the genre and wonder how long Netflix can really keep it up before they kill rom-coms just like traditional studios once did. Roll into Oscar weekend with a comparatively light-hearted episode about the one genre of film dedicated solely to making you feel good.

Here is Lana Condor in Cosmopolitan talking about how she’s too busy to be thirsty: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a26029103/lana-condor-cosmopolitan-cover-march/