Bill & Ted Face the Music 2020
Opening the first real theatrical weekend of the reopening, and simultaneously on VOD.
The Big Picture · Discussion · Interview
August 28, 2020/ 59 min/ Sean Fennessey · Amanda Dobbins
A crossover with The Watch's Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald on whether streaming has collapsed the line between movies and TV, then Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter on Bill & Ted Face the Music.
22 films across 2 segments.
AI-generated This episode was transcribed and analyzed with AI models. The matches aren't perfect — expect the occasional misheard title or a link to the wrong film.
Are Movies the New TV?with Chris Ryan and Andy Greenwald of The Watch
Opening the first real theatrical weekend of the reopening, and simultaneously on VOD.
The other theatrical release: a burned-off X-Men horror movie Andy argues should have been a Disney+ show.
Opening a week out; with nothing else on the calendar it could hold 4,500 screens for weeks.
The central 'media movie' example: a Sundance pickup that thrived on Hulu and spawned obsessive Reddit threads.
Amanda's starting point: a $20M three-hander that made no sense theatrically but fit HBO Max.
Cited as a bigger-budget repurposed movie, not the mid-budget sweet spot Andy means.
Same bucket as The Old Guard, too big to be a 'Wednesday night' movie.
Listed among the signature streaming-era releases of the summer.
The filmed stage show as a summer movie event.
Beyoncé's visual album, floated as another movie-that-isn't-quite-a-movie.
Andy's added example of the category; neither host responded to it.
Tested against the budget criteria and disqualified, way over $25M.
Armando Iannucci's $15M boutique release; Sean found it didn't play at home.
Netflix rom-com used to show the visible budget-trimming: drone shots over sets, plus the Keanu cameo.
Charlie Kaufman couldn't get $5M for years; a movie you need to rewatch, and can, because it's on Netflix.
Amanda's line in the sand: one story told over time is a movie even if you pause it across four nights.
Netflix chapterized it into four episodic installments.
The Snyder Cut as fan-campaign afterlife: four hours split into four events, with Darkseid added via CGI.
In conversation
On playing the guys 29 years older without caricature, and their daughters Bridget and Samara carving out their own versions.
Keanu's last great thing, by his own account, one of the Wachowski sequels he rewatched in quarantine.
The other Wachowski film Keanu rewatched.
Alex's household watched it on repeat when it hit VOD.
Also mentioned raised along the way
In passing SunshineLoganDeadpoolGuardians of the GalaxySuicide SquadTriple FrontierVelvet BuzzsawKraven the HunterLittle ChildrenMaliceHostBeing John MalkovichKingdom of HeavenJokerOnwardFrozen IIMulanMulan IICinderella II: Dreams Come TrueCinderella III: A Twist in TimeLady and the Tramp II: Scamp's AdventureBad Boys for LifeNever Rarely Sometimes AlwaysKillers of the Flower Moon
Not films filtered out: TV, games, ads
TV The MandalorianYellowstoneLittle Fires EverywhereThe StandStranger ThingsLovecraft CountryBrave New WorldBriar PatchthirtysomethingThe NewsroomJohn Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch
Ads NHTSA — Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over