It’s not that we want to call people out, but sometimes sh** must be done and we’re sometimes going to just be the ones to do it. Sometimes we want to tell people that they are being babies and sometimes we let it go. If you don’t get what you want, you don’t boycott something you made. Especially because you should be there to support the cast of a movie you created.
So unless, the entire cast and crew of Roadhouse is boycotting, it really feels like a slap to the face that director Doug Liman has decided to boycott the premiere of Roadhouse.
Ok, let us regress.
We’re really over a lot of things being redone – though we do understand why things are redone. Roadhouse is a movie that should have never been remade because you just don’t ever redo Patrick Swayze movies. The man is an icon and even though we may not like all of his movies, you just don’t remake them.
But here we are and Roadhouse was remade. The movie is going straight to streaming on Prime streaming versus a theatrical release. We are sure that Roadhouse is an experience, as it’s about a bouncer that has never lost a fight. Like we can appreciate that someone is good at their craft.
But the first movie wasn’t all that great, so we’re definitely not expecting much from this. Even if the director, Doug Liman, who will be skipping the SXSW premiere, says, “The movie is fantastic, maybe my best, and I’m sure it will bring the house down and possibly have the audience dancing in their seats during the end credits. But I will not be there.”
He’s pissed that it won’t be getting a theatrical release. The movie did test higher than Liman’s other movies, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Bourne Identity. Now, no one is arguing that Liman can make a good movie, but also it is what it is. Fight the fight, okay. But taking it to writing an op ed on Deadline – well, we’re like meh. You’re taking on Amazon and while we can commend that, it’s a put off that he’s like this movie is great, I signed up for a theatrical release, etc.
The truth is that streaming is a way of life, and while hey, maybe it should have gone to theatrical release, but it isn’t. But what we will say is because of Liman we will watch Roadhouse. We do agree with him that we need to put tentpole movies in theaters. We do agree with him that we need movie theaters. We do agree with him that there needs to be some changes. But we do think that there are things at Amazon that maybe it is just an algorithm. And hey it just may be about making money for the studio now versus overall. Who knows.
But we’ll still stand by the opinion that Patrick Swayze movies need to be left alone. We’re very much aware that this is a bigger and more complex conversation.
Anyhow – the poster for the movie has been released.
Will you be watching when Roadhouse hits theaters on March 21st? What do you think of Liman being pissed it’s straight to streaming?
