The Rewind: Big week for stories set in outer space
"Interstellar" and "Skeleton Crew" have us looking to the stars, but awards season has plenty of stars on Earth, too
‘Tis the season! Not the holiday season – our favorite season at Inside The Film Room is awards season.
And the real reason for the season is an overflowing email inbox with screener links to every movie known to man (except “Moana 2” – where are you!!!!). If you’re lucky you’ll even get an “Emilia Pérez” T-shirt from Netflix destined to sit at the bottom of your drawer for the next two to three years before it hits the donation bin.
I’ve been playing a bit of catch up the last few days on some of the year’s biggest movies, and I still have SO. MUCH. TO. WATCH.
Recent highlights for me have been finally getting to watch “Anora” (crazy! fun! devastating!), as well as “A Real Pain,” which is neither crazy nor particularly fun, but also devastating. Kieran Culkin is an absolute force.
I’ve still got tons to watch before submitting my ballot, namely “Sing Sing,” “Nosferatu,” “Nickel Boys,” “A Different Man,” “Queer,” and “Babygirl,” among plenty of others.
Let us know what movies you still need to see this year!
⏪ Rewind: ‘Star Wars’ is fun again thanks to ‘Skeleton Crew’
It’s been over half a decade since “Star Wars” has been fun – and even longer if you’re a “The Last Jedi” hater. Okay, actually, I’ll give them the first season of “The Mandalorian,” too. Regardless, we’ve never been more back.
The latest Disney+ series, “Skeleton Crew” is jam packed with all the things that made you fall in love with a galaxy far, far away in the first place: wonder, mystery, action, aliens, unlimited possibilities. It’s all here. We’re two episodes in with an excellent third episode coming this week, and it’s only just getting started.
Honestly, I’m jealous of the kids in this show, because they’re actually getting to live the “Star Wars” dream all us nerds had growing up.
Check out the full “Skeleton Crew” review below.
▶️ Play: More Jude Law, please. Plus, awards season is heating up
Zach: As if seeing Jude Law play a space pirate in “Skeleton Crew” wasn’t enough, I decided to throw it back to 2006 with a first-time viewing of “The Holiday.” As someone who claims “The Parent Trap” as one of the defining films of my lifetime, somehow I’d never seen this star-studded holiday essential. The results? An absolute delight. Law and Cameron Diaz will have you giggling and kicking your feet, while I ended up shipping Kate Winslet and Eli Wallach’s platonic father-daughter relationship more so than anything with Jack Black. My biggest issue with it is the fact that there are two really great 90-minute movies in here, but alas we are left with one pretty good 131-minute movie. The back-and-forth really messes with the momentum, but overall it’s still a super cute and heartwarming entry in the holiday canon. “The Holiday” is streaming on Prime Video.
Johnny: Hard to believe that 2024 is coming to a close this month, but the end of the year is one of my favorite times for the movie releases alone. The studios have done a fantastic job making screeners available for critic review and voting, and I’ve been able to check off an impressive list in the first week of December. JaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” had not been a project I was particularly familiar with, despite being an adaptation of a Pulitzer-winning novel. I was blown away to learn after its Telluride Film Festival premiere that it was shot almost entirely in first-person POV, with a borderline experimental approach to what could’ve been a straightforward narrative. The final work is utterly staggering and might be the best film I’ve seen this year. I won’t give much away, as it will be rolling into theaters in the coming weeks, but I simply can’t recommend this picture enough. I will take the time to see it on the big screen as soon as I can, even with the finale leaving me an emotional wreck. “Nickel Boys” releases in theaters December 13.
⏸️ Pause: Looking back on ‘Interstellar’ 10 years later
It’s been a decade since Christopher Nolan blew the world’s collective minds with his masterpiece, “Interstellar,” and Paramount Pictures is celebrating with the 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition on 4K Ultra HD. The limited-edition set includes the iconic film on both 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray Disc, as well as a third Blu-ray with more than two hours of new and legacy bonus content that delves into the science of the film, its groundbreaking production, and a brand-new discussion of the film’s impact 10 years later. The set also includes access to a Digital copy of the film, reproductions of five costume patches, five theatrical poster reproductions, and a never-before-seen storyboard sequence from the director’s archives.
The crown jewel of the new release is “The Future Is Now: A Look Back at ‘Interstellar,’” a 23-minute featurette that brings in the big guns: sci-fi master Denis Villeneuve and legendary director Peter Jackson. Alongside Nolan and his crew, the two directors (and Nolan-superfans) dive deep into what makes “Interstellar” so special and how it is still blowing minds a decade later.
The “Interstellar” 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition releases in stores and online December 10.
⏩ Fast Forward: What is… my new obsession?
As I opened last week’s edition of The Rewind, I’m a full-on “Jeopardy!” head. “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” debuted on Prime Video last week, and if we’re being honest, I’ve woken up every morning since wishing it was Wednesday. I NEED THREE MORE EPISODES.
The quiz show takes the classic “Jeopardy!” formula, adds a team format, and makes all the clues about movies, TV, sports, TikTok trends, and everything a pop culture newsletter writer generally obsesses over. Currently manifesting a chance to compete on Season 2. “Pop Culture Jeopardy!” release three new episodes every Wednesday on Prime Video.
Other Recs This Week: “Shrinking” Ep. 10 (Wednesday, Apple TV+), “Skeleton Crew” Ep. 3 (Wednesday, Disney+), “Survivor” (Wednesday, CBS), “Creature Commandos” Ep. 3 (Thursday, MAX), “The Sex Lives of College Girls” Ep. 4 (Thursday, MAX), “Silo” Ep. 5 (Friday, Apple TV+), “Carry-On” (Friday, Netflix)
That’s a wrap on this week of The Rewind!
Do us a favor and forward this to two of your movie and TV-obsessed friends and tell them to subscribe.
Stay tuned for more!