Why There’s Reason for Optimism About Skydance, and Who Was Really Behind Mike & Pam's Abrupt Exit?

Happy Thursday, folks!

As I begin tonight’s newsletter, I must say, I’ve been feeling pretty down lately regarding the state of the world and how negative/cynical people are, whether it’s about Digger, the merger, or The Batman Part II’s latest delay. I get it — the world is tough, and people are hurting right now. They bring their pain to social media and make it other people’s pain. I’m guilty of it too from time to time.

But good lord, there should be a test you need to take before you’re allowed to use social media. I don’t know if people are getting dumber, or if my patience is wearing thin in my old age, but there seems to be an epidemic of stupidity lately, and I’ll admit, it’s been souring me on the internet.

Don’t get me wrong, you guys are great. I love every single one of you. If only I could only write for you. Alas, social media is part of the game these days, and the bigger you are there, the harder you fall. And believe me, the mob comes for everyone… eventually.

Anyway, I saw Digger this week, and found it both preachy and screechy. It’s not the worst film I’ve seen this year, as it’s far too well made for that title, but it may be the most inexplicable. 

To describe the plot of this movie would be a disservice to you, dear reader. You’re either going to watch this thing out of some bizarre curiosity, or you’re not. 

Nothing I can say is likely to convince you to see it or deter you from seeing it. 

My podcast co-host, John Rocha, called Cruise’s performance the finest of his career, which is one of the craziest things that either of us has ever said, but that’s why The Hot Mic is so damn good. You never know what crazy shit is going to come out of our mouths. 

No, this is not Cruise’s best performance. Not by a long shot. It may be his biggest performance — yes, bigger than Frank T.J. Mackey in Magnolia and Les Grossman in Tropic Thunder — but it’s hardly his best.

Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu makes some good points, but he also bludgeons you over the head with them — subtlety is not this film’s strong suit. 

I can see a world where it’s reappraised a decade from now, but personally, I don’t see it. In fact, I found Megalopolis to be a more interesting failure. 

The critics were right about this one, and right to single out Riz Ahmed for praise, as he damn near steals the movie from under Cruise’s nose. 

But yeah, satire is one of the hardest things to do, and throwing $175 million at the problem is the wrong way to solve it. This is a grating, obnoxious screed of a movie about a subject that, however important it may be, makes most people’s eyes glaze over. 

I respect the ambition, but this movie simply doesn’t work, and the twist only demonstrates how far Inarritu has his head up his own ass. He needs to return to the world of Amores Perros again and do something real again, even if he’d argue that there’s nothing more real than the issues and arguments presented in Digger.

The problem is, people will tune out the message if you don’t deliver it in an entertaining enough way.

As for Verity, good lord, it might even be worse than Digger.

It’s less in-your-face with its badness, and it’s only upon leaving the theater that you realize that the movie added up to one big misunderstanding. 

This was a bestselling novel? 

Dakota Johnson plays a struggling writer who is hired by Josh Hartnett to finish writing the latest entry in his catatonic wife’s (Anne Hathaway) bestselling series of novels. She’s invited to live with the couple, and slowly stumbles upon the secret surrounding the death of their child.

Johnson and Hartnett are so lifeless in this movie, Amazon MGM might as well just get it over with and audition Tilly Norwood. What’s the difference, really? 

Hathaway is the only one doing anything interesting here, and she’s not used nearly enough, especially during the rushed climax, which literally makes no sense. 

Without revealing the victim, you’d think mystery writers would know that people who drown are typically found with water in their lungs.

I’m a big Michael Showalter fan, and I’m happy this movie was a hit, opening north of $30 million, but Showalter wasn’t the right guy to direct this film, which played way too vanilla for my tastes, and wasn’t nearly kinky or cruel enough.

Instead, it was a boring waste of time, unlike Digger, which just bit off way more than it could chew.

I’d give Digger a ‘D+’ and Verity a ‘D.’

In other notable news, Steven Spielberg is returning to the Transformers franchise alongside director Michael Bay — as lead creative producer, no less! I’m not sure what the hell that means, but Skydance made sure to announce it was in business with Spielberg on Day 1. Hopefully, Bay puts a bit more effort into this next installment.

Elsewhere, Lionsgate was awarded more than $30 million in tax credits to shoot Michael 2 in California; Padraic McKinley (The Weight) has been tapped to direct Sicario 3, which will reunite its original stars — I’m already seated; and Prime Video entered the Awards Wars, dropping $15 million a year for the Emmys, since YouTube has the Oscars, Netflix has the SAG Awards, and Disney+ has the Grammys.

Speaking of Amazon, don’t be surprised if we hear more about James Bond next week, as I hear this weekend is a big one for the actors in contention. And it sure has been quiet over in Jacob Elordi’s neck of the woods lately. Hmmm…

And now for the main event — a 5,000-word column on the Paramount-WB merger and why I believe there’s reason for optimism at Skydance. Plus, who was really behind Mike and Pam’s ouster?

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