Reel Corner - July 2021

Summer Movie Previews

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July 2021 Issue
Reel Corner by Donne Paine

James Bond Meet Jeff Bezos

In the ultimate symbol of one Hollywood era ending and another beginning, MGM, home to James Bond, Thelma & Louise and Rocky, finally found a buyer willing to pay retail: Amazon.
Rumors have swirled for a while now that Amazon was looking to buy MGM, and this month those rumors were made official with the announcement that Amazon will indeed acquire MGM for $8.45 billion. That means Amazon will now be in control of the crown jewel of spy franchises, James Bond, which could have major repercussions for one of the longest-running and most iconic movie franchises of all time.

The big question now is how Amazon will handle the distribution of the James Bond movies. No Time to Die, the long-delayed latest installment, is set for release in October 2021 through MGM subsidiary. This will likely hold, but will No Time to Die now have a streaming component day-of, or shortly after theatrical release? Is it too late for any kind of streaming deal to come together? Many questions remain.

But the future of the Bond franchise is now in Amazon’s hands, and the studio could very well bring us TV spinoffs of the series either focused on Bond himself, or on ancillary characters from the franchise. After all, Amazon dropped half a billion to make a Lord of the Rings television series, which is currently in production.

Amazon’s history in the film business has been interesting to say the least. Their first films were thrust by robust theatrical releases well before they ended up on the streaming service, and Amazon seemed focused on making interesting, critically acclaimed films like Manchester by the Sea, The Handmaiden and The Lost City of Z. Recently, however, Amazon’s focus has shifted to making more commercial films like Late Night and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
But over the last few months, Amazon has made a habit of picking up blockbusters offloaded by Paramount like Coming 2 America, Without Remorse, and the upcoming Chris Pratt sci-fi action-adventure The Tomorrow War. Acquiring MGM now gives Amazon even more storied intellectual property to play with. Although streaming films are attempting to be the future of watching movies, let’s not forget our theaters! Let’s all help them stay in business and enjoy movies the way they were meant to be watched—on the BIG SCREEN!

ENJOY THE THEATER— THEY ARE OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

There is nothing like seeing a movie in the movie theater.

The smell of freshly popped popcorn, no interruptions and viewing the film on the big screen. Now that the movie theaters are back in business, come on down and show your support.

PARK PLAZA CINEMA
33 Office Park Rd #201, Hilton Head Island | Fully opened, no masks required, no distancing. Enhanced daily cleaning. Full kitchen with local ice cream and gourmet coffee. The full menu can be served to you in the theater. Also open for private parties bringing your own DVD, or selecting from the theater’s inventory.

COLIGNY THEATER
1 N. Forest Beach Drive, Hilton Head Island | Located in the heart of Coligny Plaza. Open for business with movies, special events, family matinee madness and more.

NORTHRIDGE CINEMA 10
435 William Hilton Parkway, Hilton Head Island | All the summer blockbusters and complying with all health guidelines, Northridge is open for business. No masks are required. Enhanced cleaning daily.

CINEMARK BLUFFTON

106 Buckwalter Parkway, Bluffton | Although working with limited hours during the weekdays, and offering longer hours on the weekends, Cinemark is open for business. Enhanced cleaning is enforced, and the concession stand is fully operational.

HWY-21 Drive-In

55 Parker Drive, Beaufort (Just off Hwy-21, 1.5 miles from Marine Corps Air Station) | Open daily except Mondays. Double features are Friday and Saturday Nights only. Full concessions, including numerous selections from popcorn to hotdogs and hamburgers to chicken sandwiches to root beer floats, specialty coffees and snow cones.

References: www.nyt.com, www.imbd.com


ReelCorner 1219 Donne
Donne Paine, film enthusiast, once lived around the corner from the Orson Welles Theater in Cambridge Massachusetts, where her strong interest in films, especially independent ones, began. Supporter of the arts, especially films, she travels to local and national film festivals, including Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca. There is nothing like seeing a film on the big screen. She encourages film-goers to support Hilton Head local theaters; Coligny Theater, Park Plaza Theater and Northridge. To support her habit of frequent movie going, Donne is a travel medicine nurse consultant. See you at the movies!

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