Thinking about motion picture releases, how things have changed during my life.
When I was a kid in Mount Vernon, New York, major movies would open downtown in Manhattan and really not circle up to us for a few months. So we would not see them until long after their original opening.
When television came into play, theatrical films would eventually show up on each network's prime time movie nights. But that would take a few years.
When cable giants like HBO showed up, movies would recycle onto those systems a year after theatrical release.
Now, thanks to greed and/or COVID, all bets are off. Some movies never make it to real theaters and go straight to TV streams.
What's the point of all this? Well, "80 For Brady" did open in theaters the week before the 2023 Super Bowl. That was early February. I was busy the two weekends it was in theaters. But, have no worries. It showed up on my TV in April. About two months later.
Oddly enough, I like it the way it used to be when I was a kid. It really increased the anticipation of seeing a blockbuster movie. Films were still a big event to wait and crave for.
As for this particular film, I saw it mainly to see old friend Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda on screen again, this time with Sally Field and Rita Moreno. Essentially, this was "The Golden Girls Meet Tom Brady." Passable entertainment by some pros with a surprising touch of melancholy and sadness to their tales.
Would I have waited with anticipation years ago for something like "80 For Brady?" Probably, but, then again, I was a kid.
So much for movie magic in 2023.
LEN'S RATING: Three stars.
Dinner last night: Leftover spare ribs.
No comments:
Post a Comment