It’s wild that Hollywood has only just discovered the profitability of double features. More specifically, two distinct and anticipated movies releasing on the same day. In the past, and even still today, movies are often pulled forward or pushed back to avoid competition. Take Saw X, which was moved to September to avoid competition withFive Nights at Freddy’s. However, now more than ever, people are realizing there could be a great benefit to releasing on the same day as another anticipated movie.SawPatrolprobably isn’t the best example, butBarbenheimeris a different story.
When you think about it, it’s more time-efficient for audiences to see two movies in a single day, instead of having to plan another trip later just to see the second film. How dominant social media is now also helped in making Barbenheimer such a big deal. Ever since, there hasn’t been an equivalent, but December 1 will see two anticipated movies by Asian filmmakers released on the same day.
John Woo is one of the most legendary directors in the action genre, and his impact can be seen in many of the great action movies you see today. His most acclaimed work comes from his native films like The Killer and Hard Boiled, but his American films also have quite a cult following, with the most well-regarded being Face/Off. Woo has still been making movies well into the ‘00s and beyond, primarily in his country of origin, but Silent Night is his first American film in 20 years.
People see movies for different reasons. Some see them for the actors, but others see them for the people behind the camera, and Silent Night is in that latter camp. Not only do you have John Woo as director, but you have a producer from John Wick and most of the stunt crew from John Wick: Chapter 4. That sounds like an awesome time to me, and it’s no surprise that this aspect is what Lionsgate is pimping in most of the promotional material.
One thing about Silent Night that’s definitely interesting is the fact that there’s no dialogue. Quite a few movies in recent memory have been trying this out, but on paper, an action film with no dialogue is a good match. People go to see films like John Wick for the action, and Wick himself rarely talks. Why not go one step further and just have no dialogue in the first place? The execution still needs to be seen, but at least it fits the action genre.
The other film releasing on December 1 is Godzilla Minus One. This is the first Japanese live-action Godzilla movie since Shin Godzilla in 2016. There was an animated Godzilla trilogy, but that wasn’t what a lot of the hardcore fans were looking for. We’ve had American Godzilla movies in that time, as well, but you definitely get a different feel and vibe with the Japanese movies. Shin Godzilla had some well-done political commentary that was nonexistent in any of the Legendary Pictures Godzilla flicks.
This movie’s premise seems like a retelling of the original Godzilla film. The Minus One title might seem pretty stupid, but it makes sense due to Japan being at its lowest point in the postwar era. With it being in the title, there’s bound to be plenty of political themes, which the better Japanese Godzilla flicks have always handled well.
Despite its title, I am not entirely convinced that Silent Night is going to end up being very holy.
Godzilla Minus One is thankfully getting a bigger US release this time, compared to Shin Godzilla. Funimation handled theatrical distribution of that movie, and it only ran for close to two weeks. This means Godzilla Minus One will be much easier to see, which is greatly appreciated.
What makes this double feature so unique and a must-see, like the original Barbenheimer, is that it spices things up. A lot of the best movies in a given year are made by foreign filmmakers, or they could be all-around foreign movies. It’s frankly refreshing and a nice change from the usual palette most audiences consume nowadays.
You need this breath of fresh air, as it can be tiring watching solely the usual fare if you consume a lot of movies. For the more hardened moviegoers or many film reviewers, this is especially true. You should watch more of these kinds of films, regardless of whether you’re a film buff or just a normal consumer.
