By Chris Kavan - 07/22/20 at 12:16 PM CT
The big movie news not related to ratings is that Christopher Nolan's Tenet - the supposed film that was going to save the summer as the grand new release has been delayed... indefinitely. That's right, Tenet currently has no new date (though the distributor still wants to release it sometime ethis year - but don't hold your breath). While the domino effect hasn't happened quite yet - Unhinged is still set for a July 31st release while Mulan is now the biggest film still on schedule for August 21st - don't be surprised if everything is shifted once again. Smaller film The Broken Hearts Gallery has joined Tenet being pushed back to a nebulous future date and I know it won't be the last.
Setting aside that unhappy news, the MPAA Board is still busy enough. On the docket this week is a remake of a chilling gem along with a look into the near future - and what multi-generational space travel could bring (hint: nothing good). Not bad, not bad at all - here's hoping movies will still hit the non-drive in big screen once again some day.
Certain horror movies stick with you through the years and that is what the 1992 version of Candyman did for me. While it was never as big as some of the other horror titles that have come and gone, thanks to Tony Todd's iconic performance and some unforgettable visuals, it holds a place among the greats. Now here we are in 2020 and Nia DaCosta brings us a new Candyman. Billed as a kind of spiritual successor/sequel - much has changed since the 1992 original, including that fact that the setting, Chicago's Cabrini-Green - is long gone, that last buildings demolished in 2011. Thus the setting now takes place in a gentrified version of said neighborhood, with the legend of Candyman still very much alive and ready to affect a new generation. The film follows artist Anthony McCoy (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and girlfriend/gallery director Brianna Cartwright (Teyonah Parris) who move into the upscale condos. Anthony's career has stalled but a chance encounter with an old timer opens the door to the legend of Candyman - one that becomes grist for his art, but also opens a door to the past and that will have dire consequences for him and those around him. Tony Todd and Vanessa Williams both reprise their roles while Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Colman Domingo, Kyle Kaminsky and Rebecca Spence help round out the cast. It's hard to say this can match up to the original, but it looks faithful to the spirit and if a horror franchise can benefit from an update to modern times, Candyman certainly deserves another chance. Rated R for bloody horror violence, and language including some sexual references.
While we haven't made the jump yet, I think it's inevitable that we will reach the point where we will have space mission that last for several years - even decades. Mars is like a stepping stone to what we could achieve. Neil Burger, best known for Limitless and the first Divergent film, posits what such a trip would encompass in Voyagers and lets just say the outlook is not rosy. A group of 30 young men and women (including some names you might recognize: Colin Farrell, Tye Sheridan, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Lily-Rose Depp and Fionn Whitehead) are sent into deep space in order to hopefully find a new home - and due to said length will become a multi-generational mission. But like all good space movies, something goes very wrong as the crew seems to devolve into a primal state and it becomes apparent the real danger of the mission lies not in the cold, dark of space but the inside and dealing with your fellow man. I mean, what is a movie set in space without paranoia, drama, horror - all that fun stuff. I mean, it's just tough to match the cosmic horror that is Event Horizon (one of my personal favorite horror films) but hopefully this provides the same kind of tension. Rated PG-13 for violence, some strong sexuality, bloody images, a sexual assault and brief strong language.
Those are the two big films for this week, but make sure to check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
AMERICAN DREAM
Rated R for violence, some grisly images, a sexual assault, language and some sexuality/nudity.
CANDYMAN
Rated R for bloody horror violence, and language including some sexual references.
EMA
Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity and language.
HARD KILL
Rated R for violence and language throughout.
LOST GIRLS AND LOVE HOTELS
Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity, and language.
REAL EXORCIST
Rated PG-13 for thematic content throughout, and some disturbing/violent images.
TALES FROM THE HOOD 3
Rated R for horror violence, disturbing images, sexual content, and language including
racist epithets.
TULSA
Rated PG-13 for thematic material and some substance abuse.
VOYAGERS
Rated PG-13 for violence, some strong sexuality, bloody images, a sexual assault and brief strong language.
THE WAY I SEE IT
Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.
