When Grauman’s Egyptian Theater opened its doorways through the silent movie period in 1922, it was the primary venue to host a splashy Hollywood premiere — for Robin Hood, starring Douglas Fairbanks because the beloved vigilante. An opulent film palace on Hollywood Boulevard, it stood for years as an avatar of Tinseltown glamor. Till, after all, occasions modified; expertise developed, turning cinemas into relics of the previous now that smartphones and new Netflix releases have supplanted for a lot of audiences the imperatives of an enormous display screen.
Which is what additionally makes this coming week so noteworthy — for Netflix, for a extremely anticipated new Netflix movie starring Michael Fassbender, and for the 101-year-old and newly refurbished Egyptian Theater. The restoration and reopening of which is because of a partnership between American Cinematheque and, sarcastically, Netflix.
The most important of subsequent week’s Netflix releases, by far, is director David Fincher’s The Killer — a psychodrama that goes contained in the thoughts of an assassin-for-hire performed by Fassbender (based mostly on the celebrated graphic of the identical title from author Matz and artist Luc Jacamon). However not solely is that this movie a smooth, violent, and taut-as-a-wire crime drama from a director who does darkish drama in addition to anybody; Netflix additionally determined to reopen The Egyptian with a screening of The Killer, adopted by a Q&A with the director.
And as if that wasn’t sufficient of an “occasion” for the streaming large, Netflix can be squeezing much more juice out of this flip of occasions by releasing a documentary subsequent week in regards to the reopening of the Egyptian. The documentary, which revisits the glory days of Hollywood, hits Netflix the day earlier than The Killer begins streaming, and we’ll check out each of those new releases under (together with a couple of others price testing subsequent week).
Directed by Angus Wall, Temple of Movie contains interviews with Guillermo del Toro, Rian Johnson, Lynette Howell Taylor, and Autumn Durald Arkapaw, in addition to the The Egyptian’s restoration architect Peyton Corridor. From Netflix’s abstract: “Guillermo del Toro, Rian Johnson, and different filmmakers look again at LA’s historic Egyptian Theatre because it returns to its former film palace glory.”
As for The Killer, right here’s another excuse to be excited for Fincher’s newest:
It noticed him reunite with screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker, with whom Fincher created the last word serial killer thriller SE7EN. “I really like the concept of the code amongst assassins,” Fincher says in a Netflix promotional interview. “However from a storytelling standpoint, what made this rise to the extent of ‘We must always do that subsequent’ was the way it dealt so particularly with subjectivity. You’re inside this man’s head.”
The film places viewers contained in the thoughts of an expert killer, letting them additionally see how their worldview contrasts with actuality. Continues Fincher: “Should you’re tapped into their ideas, how do they reconcile what they do with what they imagine.”
Fassbender performs the unnamed killer with a feral grace and depth. He’s obsessive about his routines. He does yoga. He repeats mantras to himself. And he kills folks for cash.
New can’t-miss Netflix documentary releases
The Killer can be one of many greatest Netflix releases irrespective of when the streamer selected to launch, however it’s an particularly good factor that it’s coming subsequent week. Whether or not it’s the impact of the continuing Hollywood strike or one thing else, the approaching days are significantly mild so far as new content material goes. That stated, along with Fincher’s new film right here’s what else I’ll be testing subsequent week:
- The Billionaire, the Butler, and the Boyfriend: This French docuseries discover the story of battle between the world’s wealthiest lady and her daughter, which spiraled right into a nationwide scandal. Launch date: Nov. 8.
- Cyberbunker: The Felony Underworld: On this documentary movie, two worlds collide in a German vacationer city. Per Netflix, “This documentary reveals how a gaggle of hackers powered the darkest corners of the web from a Chilly Warfare-era bunker in a quiet German vacationer city.” Launch date: Nov. 8.
