By Chris Kavan - 08/12/20 at 11:37 AM CT
For once, no news of any major delays or shifts on the movie front - though woe is you if you're a college football fan. In fact, after everything that's happened recently, who would have thought that the oft-delayed New Mutants could be the film that jump-starts the domestic box office? Both Mulan and Tenet are gearing up for some major international release dates while the U.S. continues to deal with fallout from Covid-19. Meanwhile, at least there are a couple of decent films to cover in this week's bulletin.
There hasn't been a lot of fanfare about the film Let Him Go. Based on the novel from Larry Watson and directed by Thomas Bezucha (The Family Stone, Monte Carlo), the film follows retired sheriff George Blackledge (Kevin Costner) and his wife, Margaret (Diane Lane) who head deep into the Dakotas after learning of the death of their son in order to save their young grandson. That, however, is going to lead to a confrontation with Blanche Weboy (Lesley Manville), who lives deep off the grid with her own family (Jeffrey Donovan, Will Brittain and Adam Stafford) and who have no intention of giving up the boy. Intense! As long as the film doesn't go full hillbilly/Hills Have Eyes on and treats both sides with some dignity - I'm alright with this premise. It's also one of the movies that still has a wide release date (November 6th) so we'll see if it stays. Granted, that also puts it up against Black Widow so I'm not holding my breath over its prospects. Rated R for violence.
Once again, the next focus is not on a theatrical release, but a major streaming title, the Netfilx crime/political drama The Trial of the Chicago 7. The title refers to the aftermath of an uprising that occurred during the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the seven individuals who faced charges stemming from. The pedigree on this film looks impressive - Aaron Sorkin is directing with big names like Eddie Redmayne, Alex Sharp, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeremy Strong, John Carroll Lynch, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Rylance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Frank Langella and Ben Shenkman all on board. I know some political drama-type films can be dry, but this looks like a home run given the talent on board. Though the film is not without some troubled history (it nearly go shut down by Amblin over budget concerns before Paramount bailed it out) - this is yet another example of how streaming is changing the face of cinema and I, for one, am looking forward to how it turns out. Rated R for language throughout, some violence, bloody images and drug use.
Those are the two major films for the week, but be sure to check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
ALONE
Rated R for violent content and language.
AMERICAN DEEP STATE
Rated PG-13 for some violent images, suggestive references and language.
AVA
Rated R for violence and language throughout, and brief sexual material.
DEATH OF ME
Rated R for violence, gore, sexual content and language.
FLORA & ULYSSES
Rated PG for some mild action and thematic elements.
HERO DOG: THE JOURNEY HOME
Rated PG for some peril.
HERSELF
Rated R for language and some domestic violence.
I'M YOUR WOMAN
Rated R for violence and language.
LENA AND SNOWBALL
Rated PG for some thematic elements, rude behavior/language, and mild violence.
LET HIM GO
Rated R for violence.
MANK
Rated R for some language.
MOXIE
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, strong language and sexual material, and some teen drinking.
PALMER
Rated R for language, some sexual content/nudity and brief violence.
RISING PHOENIX
Rated PG-13 for thematic content, brief violent images, some strong language, and for brief suggestive references.
ROOM 9
Rated R for bloody violence and some language.
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Rated R for language throughout, some violence, bloody images and drug use.
YOU CANNOT KILL DAVID ARQUETTE
Rated R for language throughout, some bloody images, and nudity.
