The AI hard launch
Friday, June 5 — Happy Friday, everyone! Or, maybe not so happy. I don’t know if you’ve seen the news, but it seems the worst has happened. Martin Scorsese – defender of cinema, defender of art – is backing the AI startup Black Forest Labs, a company that specializes in video generation.
The director declined to be interviewed by the New York Times about his decision, but in a video that accompanied his original statement about embracing the technology, he made it clear his endorsement only extends toward storyboarding his films. Plenty of storyboard artists have already said this online, but the tech could threaten their livelihoods. So, that stipulation doesn’t make me feel any better.
It’s disappointing that someone like Scorsese would cosign generative AI in this manner – and that disappointment has been felt all over the internet. But I don’t want to lay this current trend at his feet. Since the end of the SAG and WGA strikes a few years ago, during which AI was unequivocally the enemy, it really feels like Hollywood has been hard-launching its new relationship with the technology. Steven Soderbergh’s latest John Lennon documentary was made using generative AI (and, apparently, is awful). Demi Moore said at Cannes that fighting AI is “a battle that we will lose, so to find ways in which we can work with it.” A fully AI-generated film just played at the Tribeca Film Festival, and Amazon launched a full-scale AI creator fund last week.
Not all is lost! Director Jorge R. Gutierrez backed out of the company’s AI pilot program after facing online backlash, and people like Seth Rogen and Guillermo del Toro are still fighting the good fight. But still, this Scorsese news feels like a pretty big blow. I’m not so naive as to think that artificial intelligence has not played a role in movie-making for years. But when we’re talking about generative AI – creating wholesale images from prompts, made by machines that have learned on the backs of other artists – that’s where I get skeeved out. Maybe it’s out of fear, maybe it’s because they want to save a buck. Maybe they just want to experiment, or are scared of getting left behind. But mainly, it sucks that artists I love and admire are jumping on the train.
On that somber note, and without further ado … Action!
🎨 Atlanta filmmaker Deborah Riley Draper talked to Sketchbook newsletter curator Sherri Daye Scott about her new documentary about artist Romare Bearden, which screened at the Cannes Marché du Film this May.
🚁 For Rough Draft Atlanta’s collaboration with Savannah College of Art and Design this year, one of our students took us on a tour of film sites in Georgia.
🍿 SCAD will screen a series of classic summer blockbusters from Steven Spielberg at SCADshow theater in Atlanta starting on June 24.
💔 R&B singer and Atlanta resident Peabo Bryson died at the age of 75 earlier this week.
📈 According to an analysis from The Wrap (subscription required), Hollywood’s top executives saw a 51 percent increase in their pay in 2025 – even as 17,000 other people lost their jobs.
📱 In an attempt to keep the online community out of corporate ownership, entrepreneur Elizabeth Joyce has launched a crowdfunding campaign to make a bid for the film social media app Letterboxd.
📽️ The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that a committee of Academy members will vote on a list of the 50 best movie theaters in the world.
This week’s newsletter includes an interview with the Wayans brothers about their return to the “Scary Movie” franchise, as well as a review of the new “Masters of the Universe” adaptation and the John Carney movie “Power Ballad.” Moving forward, one of our blocks will be rotating between Spotlight, discussions of the art I’m consuming, or – as is the case this week – a discussion of a trend I’m seeing in movies (get for the YouTube boys). To round things out, we’ve also got a look at what’s coming to theaters this week and some reading and listening recommendations for your lunch break.
Thanks for reading!
Sammie
☀️ Kick off summer at VaHi Summerfest! Enjoy live music, over 200 artists and makers, delicious food, family-friendly fun, a KidZone, and the iconic 5K race. Join Atlanta’s favorite neighborhood festival this weekend, June 6-7, for an unforgettable weekend of art, community, and celebration. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Marlon and Shawn Wayans on returning to ‘Scary Movie’ franchise
🔪 It’s been 25 years since the Wayans family has had any direct involvement in the “Scary Movie” franchise.
The first installment of the parody series hit theaters in 2000, starring and co-written by brothers Shawn and Marlon Wayans (with other writing credits from Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, and Aaron Seltzer), and directed by their brother Keenen Ivory Wayans. The first film, which parodied horror films like “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” was a hit, spawning a sequel that landed in theaters in 2001.
But in 2003, “Scary Movie 3” hit theaters without any involvement from the Wayans family. In a recent interview with Variety, Marlon claimed that Bob and Harvey Weinstein – who, at that point, owned “Scary Movie” distributor Dimension Films – refused to offer the brothers more money for the third installment of the very successful franchise. When the Wayans balked at the offer, the Weinstein brothers proceeded with the movie without them.
🍿 The Wayans are now back for the sixth installment of the franchise, which hits theaters this weekend. Check out my interview with the brothers – and how it feels to come back – here.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime
SPONSORED BY THE HIGH MUSEUM
🎨 You’ve seen Amy Sherald’s iconic portrait of Michelle Obama. Now, her largest exhibition to date comes to Atlanta, featuring rarely seen paintings and monumental portraits spanning nearly two decades.
Amy Sherald: American Sublime is now open, bringing one of the leading artists of her generation back to Georgia. Secure your tickets before it’s gone.
Can only make it in the evening? We’ve got you covered. The show stays open after hours every Friday. Grab a drink, snag an exclusive exhibition poster, and explore the galleries at your leisure.
‘Masters of the Universe’ is a flawed but fun adaptation of the He-Man franchise
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
💪 Before watching Travis Knight’s “Masters of the Universe,” the only real connection I had to He-Man was this parody video that features He-Man singing a disco-ified, if strangely operatic, version of the 4 Non Blondes song “What’s Up.”
The video encapsulates everything I think a piece of media adapted from “Masters of the Universe” should be – a little unserious, campy, and happy to play into the character’s queer undertones. To its credit, the new film tries to match that tone, and the best thing it has going for it, to be frank, is the vibes. Stuffed into its far too long runtime of roughly two hours and 20 minutes is a boatload of playful, lightly crude humor – including plenty of jokes about He-Man’s huge, glorious sword (wink, wink).
But, where “Masters of the Universe” fails – and where so many franchise films of late often fail – is blending its humor with its earnestness. That blend works in He-Man himself, with a lot of credit to Nicholas Galitzine’s himbo-extraordinaire performance. But the film’s structure and pacing are too uneven, the script too bursting-at-the-seams to create emotional moments the audience can really wrap its arms around.
🗡️ Check out my full review here.
‘Power Ballad’ is a shakily charming musical dramedy
WEEKLY FILM REVIEW
🎸 Imagine you’re the lead singer of a wedding band – you were once filled with rock and roll dreams of headlining Madison Square Garden, but that dream has long passed you by. But one night, a famous pop star shows up at the wedding you’re playing, and you strike up a conversation after your set. You take a shine to each other, and spend the night jamming away – sharing songs, sharing stories, and bonding over your shared love of music.
Sounds like a fantasy, right? Well, “Power Ballad,” the new film from John Carney, is all about breaking that fantasy. And, finding out that the real dream was right in front of you all along.
As far as Carney films about music go, “Power Ballad” certainly has some flaws, particularly where tone is concerned. But Carney, whose previous work includes “Once” and “Sing Street,” continues to prove that no one has quite as much of a grasp on musical dramedy as he does. There’s a version of “Power Ballad” that’s far too cheesy and whimsical for its own good, but Carney steeps the film in a sense of reality without compromising on charm.
🇮🇪 Read my full review here.
☀️ Kick off summer at VaHi Summerfest! Enjoy live music, over 200 artists and makers, delicious food, family-friendly fun, a KidZone, and the iconic 5K race. Join Atlanta’s favorite neighborhood festival this weekend, June 6–7 for an unforgettable weekend of art, community, and celebration. SPONSOR MESSAGE
At the Movies!
If you’re looking for a movie to see in theaters this week, here’s what you’ve got to look forward to!
Movies releasing this weekend:
🎸 “Power Ballad”
⚔️ “Masters of the Universe”
😱 “Scary Movie”
🚓 “Carolina Caroline” (pictured)
🎪 “The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act”
🏰 “Savage House”
Special Events:
💸 Bleak Week: “Wall Street” in 35mm @ The Plaza (Friday)
💉 “Trainspotting” in 4K @ The Plaza (Saturday-Wednesday)
🐴 Bleak Week: “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” @ The Plaza (Saturday)
🦜 “The Birdcage” 30th Anniversary @ The Plaza (Sunday-Wednesday)
🪞 Bleak Week: “Mirror” in 2K @ The Plaza (Sunday)
🏳️🌈 “But I’m a Cheerleader” @ Landmark Midtown Art Cinema (Saturday and Tuesday)
🪖 “Saving Private Ryan” @ Landmark Midtown Art Cinema (Sunday and Wednesday)
Trends: The YouTube boys are taking over
💻 If you’ve been paying even a little bit of attention to the movies over the past few months, you’ve probably noticed a trend emerging. The YouTube generation is coming to the movies.
I am not the first, nor will I be the last, to write a few words on this (Google “YouTubers turned filmmakers” and you will be inundated with a boatload of think pieces). But, given what’s happened at the box office over the past few weeks with “Obsession” and now “Backrooms,” I do think the trend warrants a bit of consideration in this newsletter. Let’s look at the numbers.
Perhaps the most impressive success story is YouTuber-turned-director Curry Barker’s film “Obsession,” which reportedly cost under $1 million to make and has grossed over $116 million domestic since it released on May 15. It increased its ticket sales two weekends in a row (it’s normal for ticket sales to gradually decrease the longer a film stays in theaters). For some context, the last movie to achieve a two-weekend-in-a-row increase at the box office was Steven Spielberg’s “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” in 1982. Not bad company to be in!
Next, we have “Backrooms,” based on the viral internet sensation and directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons (known as Kane Pixels online). After just a week in theaters, the movie has made over $100 million domestic – a first for studio A24.
I’ll stop there, but the list of YouTube personalities making their way to cinema doesn’t stop there – Michael and Danny Philippou (“Bring Her Back,”“Talk to Me”), Chris Stuckmann (“Shelby Oaks”), and Mark Fischbach (“Iron Lung”) have all made the transition to varying levels of success. But the dual success of “Obsession” and “Backrooms” feels notable. Not just because of that success, but because of the other movie they’re beating into the ground at the box office: “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.”
Now. The new “Star Wars” film is a disappointment by “Star Wars” standards – that is to say, it made over $142 million domestic since opening on May 20. In 2015, “The Force Awakens” made almost $1 billion domestic and crossed over $2 billion worldwide. “Mando” has had a couple of pretty dismal weekend drop-offs, so I think we can safely say that by Disney standards – and given the fact that this movie cost about $165 million to make – that’s a failure.
The question is, what does this mean moving forward? Is this a “Barbenheimer” style one-off, or will studio execs start to listen to what audiences are saying? Obviously, big franchise movies will always have a place in the culture, but Gen Z is going to the movies more than ever before. And with this double hit, it feels like they’re far more interested in movies that speak to the things they grew up with – original sketches and videos on YouTube, rather than the nth iteration of “The Mandalorian.”
I’ve seen a couple of comparisons between this new YouTube generation and the New Hollywood movement of the late 60s and 70s. I don’t know if I’d really go that far – what’s happening now does seem to be a movement, but I wouldn’t consider all of these guys to be cinephiles of that ilk. In interviews, Parsons has admitted that he’s not a huge film person, his influences coming from the internet rather than plopping himself down in front of a TV screen. That being said, it does feel like a new class of filmmaker is emerging – and, maybe, studios will start to recognize the benefit in spending a little bit of money on something new and exciting rather than continuously reheating George Lucas’ old nachos for millions of dollars.
I’ve droned on for a while here, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that all these guys are guys.And, for the most part, white guys (Fischbach is half Korean). One other person I want to mention who is tangential to this movement is Eva Victor, the filmmaker behind “Sorry, Baby” who also cut their teeth on viral internet videos, but whose film – while certainly harrowing at times – is about as far away from the horror genre as you can get. I, for one, am excited to see what happens when the YouTube boys diversify their ranks a bit.
☀️ Kick off summer at VaHi Summerfest! Enjoy live music, over 200 artists and makers, delicious food, family-friendly fun, a KidZone, and the iconic 5K race. Join Atlanta’s favorite neighborhood festival this weekend, June 6–7 for an unforgettable weekend of art, community, and celebration. SPONSOR MESSAGE
Lights, Camera, Action!
🇮🇷 The Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi made an appearance on the “Team Deakins” podcast this week and talked about growing up in Tehran and how he makes movies while dealing with censorship and an authoritarian government. Take a listen here.
🚀 Lots of Spielberg talk in this newsletter! The director appeared on a recent episode of “The Rewatchables” podcast to discuss his love for Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” There are lots of good stories in this episode about Kubrick, Anthony Hopkins, and others.
🛋️ One of the strongest elements of Kane Parsons’ new film “Backrooms” is its production design, which was brought to life by Danny Vermette. He recently spoke with IndieWire about the challenges of bringing the internet legend to the big screen. Read that piece here.
🖋️ Today’s Scene was edited by Julie E. Bloemeke.
