Moonstruck 🌕
Today's movie is a romantic comedy streaming on Prime Video
🎬 Happy Thursday! I hope you’re hanging in there and this newsletter is making it a little easier on you. Another Substack newsletter you might like that could help while you’re self-quarantining is Do You Like Apples. Every Friday, they recommend a few themed movies available for streaming (more movies!) — sign up and follow them on Twitter (they’re nice people)!
Today’s recommendation is for Moonstruck (1987), streaming on Prime Video, a classic romantic-comedy that won Cher an Oscar and has been a blind spot for me until now.
Directed by John Patrick Shanley // ⏱ 102 mins // 🎭 Romantic Comedy
Here’s what it’s about:
Loretta Castorini (Cher) is a widowed Italian-American bookkeeper who accepts a marriage proposal from her boyfriend Johnny (Danny Aiello) even though she doesn’t love him. “Good,” her mother Rose (Olympia Dukakis) says, “when you love 'em, they drive you crazy.” However, when Johnny goes away to Italy, Loretta begins to fall for his brother Ronnie (Nicolas Cage). [Trailer]
Why you should watch it:
Moonstruck is one of those movies you watch and say, “they don’t make them like that anymore.” From the opening credits set to “That’s Amore” to the perfectly executed conclusion there’s a feeling of warmth and romance that is underscored by the hilarious tongue-in-cheek tone.
However, it’s more than just a few laughs and iconic line readings. The screenplay’s tight structure is hard to not get swept up in and Cher’s magnetic performance tinged with her glowing movie star power makes it clear why she won an Oscar for the role — not to mention Cage’s perfectly chaotic energy. Despite the joy it exudes, there’s also a melancholic but uplifting undercurrent about romance that might just make you believe in love again.
📺 Buy or Rent: Prime Video | iTunes | YouTube
In movie newsBirds of Prey, The Invisible Man, and more are coming to VOD early
In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, Universal and Warner Bros. have made an unprecedented movie to release some of their films slated for or in theatrical release on VOD services for home rental. Here are the films announced so far:
The Invisible Man (March 20 — My review)
Emma (March 20)
The Hunt (March 20)
Birds of Prey (March 24 — My review)
The Gentlemen (March 24)
Trolls World Tour (April 10)
My take: Usually, theaters are granted a 90-day exclusivity window where movies must play in theaters without being distributed for home viewing. This move could be the first step in a change of the power dynamic between distrubutors and theaters where mid-budget films (often horror, comedies, and dramas) might have day and date releases where they’re simulteneously debuted in theaters and on VOD services.
That’s all for today. I hope you have a great (and safe) weekend.
Stay safe and see you Monday!
Karl (@karl_delo)