I’m writing this update from the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood, about 60 miles from Portland. The exterior of the hotel was featured in Stanley Kubrick’s movie version of “The Shining,” making it a fine setting for a horror festival. Which is indeed why I am here! They’re calling The Overlook Film Festival, after the fictional hotel where all work and no play made Jack something something.
It kicked off last night, and I’ll write more about it later. Just so you know, the inside of the hotel doesn’t match the one from the movie (which was a set in England), nor is the elevator filled with blood. Which is kind of a gyp.
Anyway, I wanted to update you on the movies back in the real world. There aren’t any! The two wide releases this week are “The Circle” and “How to Be a Latin Lover,” neither of which was screened for critics. That’s especially alarming in the case of “The Circle,” which is based on a Dave Eggers novel and stars Emma Watson and Tom Hanks. How bad must it be for them to hide it from critics?
Because of the dearth, there’s no Movie B.S. with Bayer and Snider this week.
Most of last week’s films were buried, too. Only “The Promise” (PG-13, B-) and “Free Fire” (R, I didn’t write a review but it’s a B) were screened, while “Unforgettable” (R, C-), “Phoenix Forgotten,” and the Disney nature documentary “Born in China” went missing.
But the summer blockbuster season starts next week with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” so we’ll soon be back to our regular routine of deeply insightful reviews of loud movies.
