Cordkillers 411 - Flex Breaux
Roku signals that they may try to get bought by Netflix. What could a combined Roku-Netflix turn into? Disney's new animated film will skip French theaters. All that and more on Cordkillers!
This week on It's Spoilerin' Time: Obi-Wan (104), The Boys (301-304), Barry (308)
Next week: Obi-Wan (105), The Boys (305)
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CordKillers: 411 - Flex Breaux
Recorded: June 16 2022
Guest: None
Intro Video
First Kill
Primary Target
Roku Stock Jumps After Report Of Potential Takeover By Netflix
- Business Insider reported last Wednesday that Roku had closed the window for employees to sell vested stock grants and some sources said it was because Roku is entertaining an offer by Netflix.
- The theory runs that Netflix could make an all-stock offer in order to get access to Roku's ad tech to bolster an ad-supported version of Netflix.
- One of my first questions when acquisition rumors like this crop up is not whether the acquiring company would want to buy but whether the acquired company would want to sell. Does Roku need a buyer?
How to Watch
Disney's big holiday movie will skip French theaters in release window protest
Why Disney’s Decision to Forgo ‘Strange World’ French Theatrical Release Is Causing Panic
French Exhibitors’ Org Decries Disney’s Move To Bypass Cinemas With ‘Strange World’
- Disney's Strange World is an animated adventure about a family of explorers venturing into a world of fantastic creatures. It's set to arrive in theaters November 23rd.
- Except in France.
- France just *shortened* its legal window that prevents any movie shown in theaters from going to streaming platforms like Disney+ until 15-17 months after release. It used to be 36 months.
- The only way around that is, well, not to show a movie in French theaters.
- So that's what Disney has chosen to do.
- In France Strange World will arrive on Disney+ on November 23rd.
- Disney said in a statement "While we support French cinema — and have for decades — the new, cumbersome media chronology is anti-consumer, ignoring how behavior has evolved over the last several years and puts us at increased risk for piracy. We will continue to make decisions on a film-by-film basis and according to each market’s unique conditions.”
- France’s National Cinema Federation "firmly protests" the decision and called on public authorities to lead a process to resolve the problem.
What to Watch
‘Duke Nukem’ Movie in the Works From ‘Cobra Kai’ Creators, Legendary
- The Hollywood Reporter says that Cobra Kai creators Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg are on board to produce a film based on the video game Duke Nukem, for Legendary Entertainment. No writer or director is signed on yet, apparently.
'Spider-Man: No Way Home, The More Fun Stuff Version' to Land in Theaters
- Friday, the SpiderManMovie Twitter account posted a video with Tom Holland, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield announcing Spider Man No Way Home, the more fun stuff version would come to US and Canada theaters September 2nd. No details on what that fun stuff might be but you can pick up tickets August 9th.
‘Black Adam’ Trailer: Dwayne Johnson Stars in DC’s Anti-Hero Movie
- An official trailer for DC's Black Adam starring Dwayne Johnson. It also introduces Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Noah Centineo as Atom Smasher, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone and Pierce Brosnan as Doctor Fate. Black Adam comes to theaters July 29th.
'Stranger Things 4' Monster-Packed Trailer Peeks at Final Episodes
- Netflix released a teaser for the final two episodes of season 4 of Stranger Things. Not much to glean from the fast cuts but it all will be revealed July 1st.
Jordan Peele’s Final ‘Nope’ Trailer Reveals Its Mysterious Plot, Which Is All About [Spoilers]
- There's a final trailer out for Nope, Jordan Peele's next movie. Even Variety wouldn't write about what's in the trailer because it feels like it's spoiling the twist. But is it? It may not be what you think. Nope comes to theaters July 22nd.
Eyes On
Brian: Jurassic World Dominion
Tom: Our Blues
On the Lookout: Barbie: Life in the Dream House
Front Lines
Netflix announces games tied to its popular shows, including ‘The Queen’s Gambit,’ ‘Shadow and Bone’ and more
- Netflix announced several new game titles that are tied into its TV shows. The Queen’s Gambit: Chess game is-- you guessed it-- a chess game, coming sometime this year. Shadow and Bone: Destinies is a single-player RPG set in the world of that show. Too Hot To Handle is designed to mimic the reality show where singles are on an island competing for shockingly very little money. And La Casa De Papel is a heist game. There are also several other games not directly tied to Netflix franchises.
YouTube TV finally adds 5.1 audio on Google TV, Android TV, and Roku
- If you're a YouTube TV subscriber, good news, 5.1 surround sound is now available on Android TV, Google TV and Roku. It was already supported on most smart TVs and Chromecast. No word on when it might come to Fire TV, AppleTV, PlayStation or Xbox.
Pluto TV Will Expand To Canada This Fall In Team-Up With Corus
- Canadians who feel left out every time we mention Pluto TV no longer will need to feel left out this autumn. Pluto will launch in partnership with Corus entertainment with more than 100 curated channels.
Microsoft Xbox Enters TV’s Streaming Wars With Samsung Gaming Hub App
- Microsoft will not be making a streaming TV device after all. Instead it is exploring partnerships to bring its Xbox game streaming app to smart TV platforms. The first will be 2022 Samsung TVs, coming June 30th. This is just games, not streaming TV.
Glass Onion coming to Netflix for holiday season
For All Mankind’s first season is currently free to stream ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Greenlighted By Netflix
The Boys' Renewed for Season 4 at Amazon‘Schmigadoon!’ Renewed For Second Season By Apple TV
See Ray Liotta in Apple’s ‘Black Bird’ Trailer
Anthony Hopkins Joins ‘Rebel Moon’, Zack Snyder’s Netflix Sci-Fi Epic
‘Ghostbusters’ Animated Series In Works At Netflix
HBO Max canceled Raised by Wolves after two seasons
A League of Their Own' Series Sets August Premiere DateDoctor Who with Neil Patrick Harris
Justin Lin tapped for Sony's "One Punch Man" adaptation director[?]
Dispatches from the Front
I saw this article and just read it out of curiosity. I was really shocked at how low viewership was on most network shows. Even the best hit shows have 10 million or less average viewers.
I remember when shows like Seinfeld and Friends had over 20 million average viewers every week. Do you think viewership is down that far or are most people just watching later on Hulu and other streaming services.
2021-22 TV Ratings: Final Seven-Day Numbers for Every Network Series
Thanks
- Cliff
Hi guys,
First of all, Bryce contains spoilers for Top Gun Maverick so forewarning.
Also I apologize in advance Brian, I love you man but so many things about what you said about Maverick rubbed me the wrong way so I am going to voice my disagreements here (something that I don't do for movie opinions much cos I have carpal tunnel). I understand these are all subjective opinions of ours and that's fair, I just disagree that's all. (Warning long email)
Not sure why Brian is so hung up about the enemy in Maverick. I thought one of the nicest thing about both Top Gun movies were that they were mostly apolitical. It is a movie mainly about the pilot and their training and not the actual circumstances of the geopolitics. The only political thing you can say about TopGun is that it's pro military as it shows military doing cool things.
But the irrelevance isn't just about the "enemy" but can also be applied to protagonist military too. Yes we know it's the US and we know Topgun is a real institution but you can replace US Air Force with pretty much any other air force country in the world and the plot would still work. The movies are primarily about training, the difficulty the competition that comes with that and one real life non-training situation at the end. the actual geopolitics is irrelevant.
I also want to note that the enemy in the original Topgun weren't named either. The best we can say about them is that their Soviet alligned be because they have SU and even then the SU-28 they used is a fictional plane that doesn't exist (they used F4 and have them act as SUs). TV Tropes speculate its South Yemen while IMDB speculates North Korea. The point is, it isn't particularly important.
This reminds me a lot of Dunkirk. While we know who "we" are and who the enemy is in Dunkirk, the geopolitics is kept aside and not mentioned even once in the movie. If you didn't know anything about World War II you couldn't tell who the enemy is as their name is not mentioned once, nor were the horrors of the other stuff that they did. The movie is about the soldiers and their ability to do their mission and survive (as well as the boat family and their mission to evacuate) and nothing else.
I don't think John Ham is a "bad guy". Yes he doesn't like Maverick but at the end of the day he set his biases aside because Maverick as it turns out is meritocrally the best pilot there. He is willing to risk his career in the process because objectively speaking he was the best. In the end he did what was best for the operation and not just for his own behind.
I mean is Hangman also a bad guy then cos he was an asshole for most of the movie? Both of these characters act as thorns but at the end of the day when push comes to shove, they were there and acted as a team for the good of the movie, with Hangman dutifully taking the standby role without issue or grudges. Ed Harris I would agree is a "bad guy" however but his role was minor overall.
I've watched this movie twice and don't see this where this "40 minute boring middle parts" come from. I was at the edge of my seat most of the movie because of the Rooster situation. I mean to have your best friend die and then to train his son in a mission that will likely kill him? It shows that,while Maverick isn't as paralyzed as he was in the original over Goose, it still haunts him? And why wouldn't it? It's survivor's guilt even if nobody else blames him (not even Rooster apparently). And he honors that memory by trying to prevent Goose from joining the Navy (out of a promise but also because you can tell he didn't want him hurt also).
Also, Maverick kicking the young pilot' asses in training isn't particularly new. His instructors did the same to him in the original. Also yes Tom Cruise is OP and I can agree with that criticism but he was also saved by *twice* by one of said pilots. So while he is the best of them, the movie is about teamwork while also teaching your students to break their limits. Remember that by the end of the movie they were able to complete the real life mission within the expected parameters, something which they didn't manage to do earlier in the movie.
My mom who didn't even knew this was coming out asked me "A new Topgun movie with Tom Cruise as the actual lead?" with emphasis on the last part. If he wasn't the lead, she wouldn't have bothered and yes she enjoyed it very much. Yes, it sucks that some younger generation are not getting as much limelight (I'm a millennial by the way) but let's be honest, very few AAA actors these days is willing to go as far as Cruise in terms of stunt authenticity while also having the acting chops and the marketing draw to back it up. He wants to do it, people want him to and will pay him to - as a leaning libertarian that's a win to me.
While I agree that Maverick is mostly a flawless Gary Sue character, he does have weaknesses, namely he can't follow orders even for his own good. The Darkstar incident is center of this. If he didn't push it beyond Mach 10 he wouldn't have been kicked out and lose the project anyways. He also can't hold a position anywhere as denoted by Iceman saving him politically pretty much his entire career after Topgun and the MOMENT he passes they kick him out which shows how much coverage he got.
His stubbornness does have a good side, namely his ability to do incredible things without fear. Maverick in other words is someone who requires people to bail him out and sometimes even luck to happen (for example he wouldn't be in Topgun in the first movie of the first choice didn't quit)
In other words, he "just does, doesnt think". It allows him to do incredible things but has also meant he can't hold a stable position or even stable relationships. Penny's daughter has indicated he has broken her heart multiple times and while we know nothing about what happened to Charlie in the first movie, the fact that he is still single (but very good looking) suggests he can't hold any relationship. He isn't very professional either seeing how he loves breaking the rules that will get you court martialed in real life in both movies.
I personally disagree about this being inferior to the original. I felt like this movie had more heart while also dealing with loss. Yes that also happened in the original but you can tell that despite 30+ years he still hasn't fully closed about what happened to Goose. Can even be argued that his survivor guilt is making him do super dangerous things, because ultimately that seems to be what he wants. I will say the original had superior love interest in terms of both on screen chemistry and the fact that Charlie was part of Topgun and his training and not some side relationship he did outside work.
I can't say I'm as well aware of Tom Cruise bullying or whatever as Brian but one thing I will say is that I'm glad he bullied Paramount into releasing this in a cinema with a good window (he is still fighting Paramount for a 90day window for Mi - something I fully support). And let's be real, Tom Cruise is the draw of this movie and him pushing Hollywood to do these stunts are great. Quite frankly in an age where Marvel CGIs even Spiderman -normal- fabric suits, I am glad movies that use practical effects like this much still exists. I'm not saying all or even most Hollywood movies need to be this but I am glad this art is still around and being pushed by icons like him.
I do not hold much nostalgia for the first Topgun, I only saw it for the first time a week before I watched Maverick but watching the sequel made me feel like I was a fan of the series for decades. But I feel like these two movies complement each other so well. Yes it isn't the most intricate plot in the world but the execution was so great - and knowing the flying was all real - that the movie reminds me the reason why I go to cinemas in the first place. A friend of mine said the 4DX moving seat experience was great so I'll be looking forward to trying that.
Oh one fact. Top Gun Maverick scored the best second weekend drop for Hollywood movies over $100million opening. 60% drop is the norm, 50% is usually great - Maverick got only 28% drop. It beat the previous record of Shrek 2's 32% drop I believe. It's opening is No Way Home or even Batman, but ain't no slouch.
In any case, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy it as I did Brian cos I felt like this is one of the best movie experiences in my life - and I go watch movies in cinema a lot. But I guess not everything will touch everyone the same way.
Yaru
- Malaysia
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