Welcome to Culture Crash, where we examine American culture – what’s new and old in entertainment…
As COVID-19 vaccinations continue and society begins making some progress toward a more normal tomorrow, it is time for we movie fans to begin excitedly planning our trips back to the theaters. While the streaming options of the past year have been nice, I know I cannot wait to once again sit in the dark in front of a massive, loud screen with a few of my favorite strangers.
And after the slow, pandemic-paused 2020 movie calendar, 2021 promises to be a doozy, so long as we actually are allowed to safely re-enter theaters. Fans of musicals have much to be excited about – In The Heights, the first musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda, who later wrote Hamilton, is set to hit HBO Max and theaters on June 26, then Annette, an original musical starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard is scheduled to enter theaters sometime this year, and Steven Spielberg’s remake of West Side Story will round out the year over the Christmas holiday.
Some of the more anticipated big blockbusters of the year include Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the Frank Herbert novel Dune, starring Timothee Chalamet, and of course, No Time To Die, the oft-delayed 007 film that will end Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond.
Personally, I’m excited for Last Night in Soho, a horror film from Edgar Wright starring Anya Taylor-Joy of Queen’s Gambit fame scheduled for October, and A Journal for Jordan, a drama from director Denzel Washington starring Michael B. Jordan. Adam McKay is scheduled to release a black comedy called Don’t Look Up starring Jennifer Lawrence, Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep and so many more famous people, and Paul Thomas Anderson is said to be releasing his latest film sometime this year, as well. And that, of course, is all just the tip of the iceberg.
2020 was a tough year for many industries, but the film industry was hit as hard as any. Here is to hoping that 2021 can bring the magic back to movie screens, and the desperately needed box office returns to independent theaters all across the world.
I’m Evan Rook.
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