2020 was a tough year to be in the movie business. Theaters closed in the first wave of the coronavirus shutdowns. Major Hollywood studios put the brakes on the releases of many anticipated films, pushing some opening dates well into 2021, and in October, Regal Cinemas temporarily closed its entire national chain. Local film and TV crews stopped shooting for several months.
Still, there were some highlights, and many tuned out to be local developments.
Robert Brunet beat Covid twice. He recovered from illness and then, after decades operating the city’s longest running neighborhood theater, he and business partner Eric Ramstead expanded. Now, Canal Place, the mall surrounded by the French Quarter, a casino and convention traffic, is home to Prytania Theatres, a multiplex with the heart of a local theater. Programming is similar to the Uptown location, but there are more screens for everything, including new releases, classics, arthouse and documentary offerings, family movies and other special themed programming.
The biggest film revival of the year was the spate of outdoor and drive-in style screenings to allow for physical distancing. A couple of drive-in screenings organized by Z Event Company in Bucktown in early spring helped channel enthusiasm for drive-in shows. New Orleans City Park presented a series of recent horror films near Popp Fountain. Jefferson Performing Arts Society screened a series of classics, including “42nd Street” and “Arsenic & Old Lace,” in a sort of preview of shows it intends to present in 2021. The New Orleans Film Festival offered its entire slate of programming online, but for two weeks, it screened films at two spots on the Lafitte Greenway as well as the new Broadside outdoor venue.
The Broadside may be one of the lasting additions hatched during the pandemic. Owner Brian Knighten opened Broadside in response to the challenges of operating The Broad Theater. Physical distancing didn’t allow for many seats at his indoor theater, and attendance was spare regardless of what phase the city or state was in, Knighten told Gambit. The Broadside has a screen for movies and broadcast events, such as election night returns. It also has a stage for music and comedy. Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge also added drive-in screenings and charges by the vehicle.
Local drive-in movie and concert events have sold out quickly since the pandemic shutdowns began, but it’s restaurants that got The Broad Thea…
Before the coronavirus shutdowns, there were some notable releases from local filmmakers. Director Benh Zeitlin spent years working on a follow-up to “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” and “Wendy,” his retelling of the Peter Pan story, opened early in the year. Local filmmakers Bill and Turner Ross shot their dive bar film “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” at a Terrytown bar, and it made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival.
There was an ever-expanding universe of online content before the pandemic, and that trend is accelerating. Warner Bros. recently announced it would do all of its 2021 releases at both theaters and online via HBO Max. But in 2020, some online viewing helped support local theaters. Arthouse distributors Kino Lorber, Magnolia Pictures and Film Movement set up links to split viewing fees with local theaters, including the Broad Theater and Zeitgeist.
From the early days of theaters reopening, there were some great offerings from the arthouse distributors, and several have made multiple critics’ year-end lists of best films. Here are a few notable films from local theaters friendly to arthouse films.
“Bacurau.” This odd action thriller set in rural Brazil is like a modern Western laced with reality TV, sci-fi and global politics as residents of a small town cope with corrupt politicians, criminals and voracious tourists.
The modern Western features an ensemble cast trying to save a village.
“Corpus Christi.” Nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 2020 Oscars, this Polish drama is driven by a young criminal, who when released from prison is mistaken for a priest and preaches his own layman’s views of devotion and penitence.
“The Wild Goose Lake.” Set in Wuhan, China, this film noir crime suspense movie from director Diao Yinan is about how a small-time gangster’s fortunes change when a motorcycle theft turns deadly.
“Mank.” Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane” won only one Academy Award. “Mank” is a lush atmospheric film set in old Hollywood about the co-writer of that film, Herman Mankiewicz, who as a drunk, compulsive gambling crank was his own worst enemy.
In a year also engulfed in political partisanship and absurdity, some documentaries were particularly timely.
“Feels Good Man.” This documentary dives into the fever swamps of anonymous online chatrooms and details how Pepe the Frog, a dufus comic character, got appropriated by web users to symbolize the toxic and hateful ideas harnessed in support of Donald Trump.
“Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President.” Jimmy Carter was a little-known Southern governor in 1974 when he entered an ultimately successful bid for presidency. His friendship with musicians including Willie Nelson, Gregg Allman and many others helped him win the Democratic primary, and this documentary is an amazing look at those friendships and a man who seems too genuine to have succeeded in politics.
Willie Nelson smoked marijuana at the White House with a Carter administration staffer, the country singer wrote in his autobiography. In “Jim…
“John Lewis: Good Trouble.” As the nation awaits a Georgia election that may hinge on voter turnout and suppression efforts, “Good Trouble” celebrates the life of longtime House Representative from a district including Atlanta, John Lewis. It’s a feel-good victory lap for the recently deceased Civil Rights leader, but it is a good reminder of how the right to vote is still an active struggle.
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