Episode 62: - Booksmart & Aladdin

This week in news, Rotten Tomatoes shifts it's Audience Review score to a qualifier some are deeming as biased to it's parent company, Fandango. Meanwhile, the Cannes Film Festival 2019 is over, and Bong Joon-Ho's 'Parasite' scoops the coveted Palme d'Or Award in a surprising win for South Korean film and a disappointing defeat for Quentin Tarantino's new film 'Once Upon a Time In Hollywood'. And this week at the Box Office, Disney's 'Aladdin' soars to a $113 million opening weekend while Olivia Wilde's 'Booksmart' fails to impress with a meager $8 million opening. Or at least the Hollywood Accountants think so. Getting into reviews, Andy and Zach change tempo this week to dig into 'Booksmart', a comedy that's making waves online with a huge surge in surprisingly positive reviews - and for good reason. Despite it's Superbad-esque narrative, Booksmart does things that a Judd Apatow comedy can't, and with the heart and wit that only a rock-solid female-driven comedy can. But Booksmart's successes can't outweigh it's box-office failings, and despite Twitter's best efforts, the film still failed to hit the high-water mark of it's other female-driven-comedy predecessors. This week on Death of Cinema, the guys dig into what the film has going against it, how Disney and the rise of streaming services may have hurt it, and ultimately, why it's immediate financial failures may not matter in the long run. Finally, Andy and Zach dive into live-action magic and whimsy in Disney's latest remake 'Aladdin' to discuss the performances that make the film come alive, the safe strategies that hold it back, and why Disney's remake approach to it's masterpiece films may not do the studio any long-term favors with audiences. Will Disney's continued effort to grab cash with live-action remakes like Aladdin continue to turn a profit? Tune in to find out!