Cortland Jacoby

Cortland sits down with Lulu Wang, the Director of The Farewell

Director Lulu Wang on Inspirations and Thought Process Behind ‘The Farewell,’

July 16, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Interviews, Movies

In The Farewell, director Lulu Wang puts her real-life experiences on the big screen. When her family decided to not tell her grandmother that she had stage 4 lung cancer and instead plan a wedding to bring the family together, Wang struggled with that decision and the cultural differences between the American life she had been living and the Chinese way of life that connected her to her grandmother.

Wang first documented this tale on NPR’s This American Life in 2016. Now, Wang has recounted the story in a more emotional way on the big screen, in theaters this Friday. I sat down with the director to talk about her directorial influences for the film, the brillance of actor Tzi Ma, the difficulty of finding an actor to play “you”, and the lessons she’s learned along the way.

Movie Review: The Hustle

The Hustle Lacks Comedic Precision

May 10, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Movie Reviews, Movies

Should remakes exist? Should gender-swapped remakes exist? Obviously, the answer should be yes, if the story is endearing enough and the new adaption would bring a new or unseen perspective to the source material. Most of the time, gender-swapped remakes are flipped from male to female, setting itself up for failure especially if the original is beloved (see 2016’s Ghostbusters). So if you are making a gender-swapped remake focusing on female characters, hopefully, that new adaption would be written and directed by women. Unfortunately, The Hustle is not any of those things and its lack of female perspective shows.

Cortland explores the world of Long Shot with actress June Diane Raphael and director Jonathan Levine

June Diane Raphael and Director Jonathan Levine Talk the Collaborative Effort of Making Long Shot

May 3, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Interviews, Movies

Very rarely does a comedy shine as bright as Long Shot. With its charismatic cast led by Charlize Theron and Seth Rogan, its biting hilarity and natural sweetness, the film is set up to be the surprise comedic hit of the summer. Theron plays Secretary of State Charlotte Field, caught at a career crossroads when she plans on running for President. Before announcing her candidacy, she reconnects with Rogan’s Fred Flarsky, a passionate but reckless reporter – turned speechwriter, she used to babysit in high school. As they reconnect on a press tour, sparks fly and cause a media storm in Washington. I sat down with Long Shot’s director Jonathan Levine and actress June Diane Raphael in D.C. to talk about the benefit of an improvised take, subverting rom-com troupes and having a family on set.

Movie Revue: Long Shot

Long Shot, the Rogan and Theron Starring Rom-Com, Hits the Bullseye

May 3, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Movie Reviews, Movies

Very rarely does romance finds its way into politics. There’s MSNBC’s Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski (Comedian Michelle Wolf once called their relationship “a me-too that worked out.”) There’s the Conways, whose marriage has been fodder for the current president. There’s every dysfunctional relationship on Veep and every melodramatic one on The West Wing. Okay, maybe there are a few examples, but very rarely does it go well. Narratively, the last time we’ve seen romance and politics take center stage was in an American President. In comes Long Shot, a political romantic comedy that challenges the legitimacy of its predecessors in the genre.

Movie Revue: Avengers: Endgame

Avengers Endgame Finishes Saga in Sincere Nostalgic Triumph

April 28, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Movie Reviews, Movies, Uncategorized

For eleven years Marvel and Disney have not only created an empire with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but they have also tried to create a spoiler-free culture around their releases. Earlier this week, Marvel released a public letter to their fans asking them to not spoil anything from Avengers: Endgame. The film is, not ending the MCU, but ending an era of our main heroes. My point in saying this is that I am going to try to be as spoiler free as possible with this review. One, I don’t want Hawkeye to shoot me down over a movie review and two, the film benefits the viewer going in cold.

Hulu's Shrill starring SNL's Aidy Bryant is a win for representation

Hulu’s Shrill should be Shouted from the Rooftops

March 17, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Television, Television Reviews

Fifteen seconds into Hulu’s new series Shrill and we are already seeing skin. The woman is not sexualized, but instead she is shown in her bra, trying to figure out what to wear to work. This mundane event might not even be shown in most shows, however, the moment stands out for one reason– this woman is fat.

"It's really about modeling what I needed to see when I was younger, which was someone whose body looks like mine."

A Conversation with Shrill’s Lindy West

March 15, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Interviews, Television

As a fat woman, you could say that I have been hungry for positive fat portrayals of women in media. Since movies and TV rarely showed any normal depictions of fat women, I often went to books to read what I couldn’t see. That’s where I first came across writer and activist Lindy West.

In 2016 Shrill, West’s comedic memoir on fat shaming and coming of age as a woman in a world that wasn’t made for you, was published to critical acclaim. Now, a TV show based on her life and the fat and female experiences, also called Shrill, is coming to Hulu Friday, starring SNL’s Aidy Bryant and produced by Elizabeth Banks and Lorne Michaels. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to chat with Lindy by phone and talk about adapting her memoir, representation, fat people on TV and how comedy has grown in the last five years to include more diverse voices. Here’s our conversation:

Movie Review: Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel Blasts Trolls Out of the Water

March 8, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Movie Reviews, Movies

Despite warnings from our mothers, many trolls and even critics are judging Captain Marvel by its cover. With admittingly worrisome and mediocre trailers, plus early trolling online, Captain Marvel had garnered skepticism ahead of its release on Friday. Rotten Tomatoes even changed its trolling policy ahead of the film’s opening. It’s unclear how this film will do overall at the box office and unfortunately, that matters for the future of female superhero films.

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Wraps Up its Trilogy with Heart and Magic

How To Train Your Dragon Visually Soars into Its Final Act

February 24, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Movie Reviews, Movies, Uncategorized

Ten years ago How to Train Your Dragon flew into theaters and to the hearts of kids everywhere. It was a kids’ movie that was actually good. Compelling story, groundbreaking animation and a surprisingly large adult fan following. Now an era is ending, bring multiple generations together for How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the final chapter in a surprisingly beautiful trilogy.

The Rebel Wilson Comedy Boasts Fat Representation and Not Much Else

Like a Rom-Com Lead, Isn’t It Romantic is Clumsy

February 17, 2019 Cortland Jacoby Movie Reviews, Movies

Over the past year, the desire for stories that aren’t centered around the straight white male has risen. Films like Black Panther or Crazy Rich Asians dominated the box office at record numbers, showing that there is space for everyone on screen. One demographic not normally seen in a positive or romantic light, until recently, is the fat woman. Hollywood, a land that prides itself on glitz and glamour and thinness, often excluded the fat woman from its narratives (unless as a best friend or comic relief). This is changing. Within the last year, movies and shows like Dumplin’, Dietland, the upcoming Hulu show Shrill have shown plus size women in a variety of situations often only afforded to thin individuals. As a fat woman myself, I preface this review with this disclaimer, because its an important context to view the newly released romantic comedy Isn’t It Romantic.