Midweek Update: Refer Madness

Back in December, I wrote My Pledge to You, where I explained I wouldn’t want to move into a paid model until I hit 1,000 subscribers. Unfortunately, as you may have seen in the news, there were some layoffs at Turner Classic Movies, and I was one of the people let go. This has altered my financial situation somewhat, and while I’m currently looking for full-time work, I need to bring in whatever money I can with my writing. Part of that is doing freelance writing (I was recently published in the Times of Israel), but I’d also like to generate revenue with this Substack. I don’t expect to earn enough to make this Substack my new full-time job, but I do believe my writing has value. The question is when and if to turn on paid subscriptions.

At this point, we’re kind of in a delicate balance. There needs to be enough free material to draw in new readers, but not so much that it leaves paying readers wondering why they’re paying for something that everyone else is getting for free. While I now have more time to write articles for this newsletter, I also need to make sure I’m delivering value to you. Simply adding one editorial per week isn’t going to cut it because I want paying subscribers to know they’re getting a unique experience. That could mean weekly AMAs, a movie chat, podcast, or some kind of long-form series chronicling a particular director, actor, genre, etc.

I also have to be conscious of my time. As many have said, searching for a job is a job. You have to carve out time for it, pursue it rigorously, and put in the time and effort. Setting aside time for Substack so it can pay me zero dollars feels like an abdication of my responsibility even if the argument goes that one day it could pay dividends. I don’t think cranking out 10-12 articles today on this Substack is what anyone wants, and it would certainly take away time from trying to find a full-time position that has fun things like “healthcare” and “retirement benefits.”

I don’t want anyone to think that tomorrow I’m going to be out on the street wearing a barrel with suspenders (or, if I am, that is a fashion choice). As for what happens with this Substack, I intend to keep my pledge: 1,000 subscribers. However, I’m now offering referral rewards:

Shoutout! (3 Referrals) - I you refer three people to my Substack, you’ll get a shoutout in Midweek Update. Me! Saying “thanks” to you! In public! You truly cannot put a price on this.

Choose My Next Film (5 Referrals) - I’ll watch a movie you tell me to watch, and write about it. Note: it has to be a real movie, not pornography or 10 Hours of They’re Taking the Hobbits to Isengard.

Subscriber Discount (25 Referrals) - When I turn on paid subscriptions at 1,000 subscribers, you get a discount. You helped build the subscriber base, so why should you have to pay full price?

I’ll also send a separate email solely about the referrals, but for now, I wanted to write a bit more about why I’m starting the program.

I’m also just putting out the hat directly: My Venmo. If you want to toss a few bucks my way, that’s great, and if not, no worries.

Recommendations

Barnes & Noble is running its biannual 50% Criterion sale, so this week I’m recommending the upcoming Carl Franklin’s Neo-noir One False Move (it’s currently 50% off at Amazon as well). I wrote about the film previously for Collider, and feel like it’s a film more people should know about, but I also think part of the film’s power is going in cold since it doesn’t really tip what it’s about until about two-thirds of the way through.

I love a good debunking, and the Substack Snack Stack has a pretty great one. The story of Van Halen’s “no brown M&Ms” rider is pretty well known, but is it true? Or, more specifically, is the reasoning behind it—to make sure that promoters were checking the contracts—true? Well, as it turns out, it was likely diva behavior that was later retrofitted into professional cunning.

What I’m Watching

I adore the Mission: Impossible movies of the 2010s. They are some of the finest blockbusters ever made and a surprising rejuvenation not only for the franchise, but for Tom Cruise’s career. The new installment, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One, was one of my most-anticipated movies of 2023. Surely, Cruise and writer/director Christopher McQuarrie would deliver again!

I’m still kind of in shock at how disappointing I found it to the point where I’m doubting my own reaction. But on a first viewing, the film feels terribly bloated, has lethargic pacing, doesn’t have the fun set-ups/pay-offs of previous installments, and has a supremely dumb antagonist while also engaging in other confounding, idiotic plot beats that I won’t spoil here. Even the franchise’s vaunted set pieces feel like they go on way too long. I can’t help but wonder if trying to film this under COVID protocols hamstrung some original plans, but for whatever reason, Dead Reckoning always feels like it’s trying to swim upstream rather than being the thrill ride of the last three movies.

I’ll have more to say on M:I - DR, P1 after A) I see the movie a second time; and B) You fine people have had a chance to see it for yourselves. [Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part One opens July 12th]

I also saw Joy Ride, and really enjoyed it. I like that we’re getting some solid R-rated comedies this summer (I also liked No Hard Feelings far more than I thought I would), and my hope is that they find an audience. I’m not crazy about the sentiment that “movies are over” because it feels like closing the door just as non-white people are getting through the door. It’s not like 2000’s Road Trip is some brilliant piece of cinema, but it did well enough to get director Todd Phillips steady work until he had one of the biggest comedy hits of all-time with The Hangover. Joy Ride isn’t revolutionary, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s supposed to be consistently funny and raunchy, and it is. I hope it means more movies for director Adele Lim, writers Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and Teresa Hsiao, and lead actors Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu, and Sabrina Wu. [Joy Ride opens July 7th]

What I’m Reading

I started reading Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita since I was planning to watch Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation soon, but man, talk about a novel making your skin crawl. Nabokov puts you in the mind of protagonist and pedophile Humbert Humbert, and it’s really only the strength of Nabokov’s writing that can keep you pushing through the narrative. But every time I read it, I feel like I need a shower afterwards.

In other reads:

• The Titan Submersible Was “an Accident Waiting to Happen” by Ben Taub [The New Yorker] - This is an extraordinary piece of reporting, especially so soon after the June 18th disaster that claimed five lives. What’s striking about this story is how OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush (who died in the accident) put fewer efforts into making the submarine secure than he did into his marketing and legal operations. Submariner Rob McCallum, who had made efforts to warn government agencies about Rush’s recklessness has one of the most striking quotes of the piece: “It’s not about being a disruptor. It’s about the laws of physics.” I can’t help but wonder if these self-proclaimed “disruptors” look at the tale of Icarus and see an innovator in the wax-wing space.

• The Pittsburgh Gunman Didn’t Just Kill 11 Jews. He Killed a Minyan. by Mark Oppenheimer [The New York Times] - Because America is America, it’s far too easy to let all the horrific mass shootings blend together. This op-ed is a good reminder that what happened at the Tree of Life synagogue went beyond slaughter to poison the very act of practicing Judaism. Please try to remember this the next time you see people ranting about “George Soros” or “globalists” and know that they mean “Jews are to blame for everything wrong in the world.”

• How Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav Became Public Enemy Number One in Hollywood by Jason Bailey - This article was originally posted by GQ only to be bowdlerized and then removed completely for reasons that GQ hasn’t bothered to explain to its readership. We’re left to assume that someone at GQ got a very angry call from Zaslav’s people and likely threatened some kind of retaliation (GQ relies heavily on talent for its articles and movies, and losing access to all Warner Bros. Discovery stars could have a financial impact on the publication). But to be clear: everything Bailey said in his article is true, and he’s not the only one saying it. Furthermore, if he needs publications GQ to shut down any kind of negative press about him, it signals that his position at the company must be incredibly weak, which isn’t surprising when you consider that WBD has lost almost half its value since last year’s merger. Like all fragile rulers, Zaslav can clearly not brook any dissent. Anyway, it would be a real shame if you shared this archived version of the article that GQ pulled.

What I’m Playing

I think I’m about 70% of the way through Tears of the Kingdom’s story, but I also know there’s way more to do beyond that. I still want to find all the shrines as well as map the depths. I wouldn’t be surprised if I’m still playing this game at the end of July.