Fin: Netflix is pivoting to better movies

Also, Philly Jewish delis and the election, against October 7 influencers, Mel Gibson weighs in on Kamala, and a roundup of Philadelphia Film Festival reviews.

Netflix is retooling its strategy, to emphasize… quality over quantity.

That’s the word from a Bloomberg News report this week. Its opening anecdote states that Sony tried to offload its recent Harold and the Purple Crayon movie to Netflix, but that the streamer turned them down, because “other studios’ leftovers don’t fit into the new strategy being developed by Dan Lin, who took over as Netflix’s film chairman earlier this year.” Harold came out in theaters, briefly, although Netflix will stream it next month.

The key:

Lin is eager to reset the public perception of the studio – among viewers and the Hollywood community. Most people in the film business don’t think Netflix makes good movies. They also don’t believe streamed movies can have the same impact as films released in theaters…

Lin has told business partners that the push for quality starts with developing more projects in-house and being more selective. Netflix will make fewer movies and prioritize certain genres. It won’t overspend just to be in business with big stars. Put less charitably, Lin wants to make better movies by making fewer and spending less.

It’s not that Netflix doesn’t ever make good movies. They have an awards slate every year, which usually includes some gems. Hit Man is one of my favorite movies this year, and I’m already excited to get into arguments about Emilia Perez, even though I haven’t seen it yet.

I’m all for more studios making movies and focusing on quality, including Netflix. More Hit Man, less The Grey Man.

The politics of Jewish delis

This week, Hymie’s Deli, a popular Jewish Delicatessen on Philadelphia’s main line, was a setting for a Republican Jewish Coalition ad, featuring a trio of bubbies sitting at a booth and declaring their intention to vote for Donald Trump. This has led to some threats of boycotts and questions about whether the ad perpetuates stereotypes. Here’s the ad, in which I believe they’re sitting in the same booth my parents and I sat in at the restaurant last spring:

Also this week, Kamala Harris visited another famed Philadelphia deli, Famous 4th Street Deli, which in addition to its culinary reputation, is a longtime Philly Democratic Party clubhouse.

The two visits led to a Forward piece about “pastrami politics,” and whether such visits by politicians are good for the delis:

Delis have long been a popular stop on the campaign trail, whether a candidate is looking to court Jews, or appeal to a wider swath of voters… But the role of the Jewish deli in American politics took a turn this week that gave some of its Jewish voters indigestion.

I think, in a time of rising antisemitism, us Jews should be glad that politicians of both parties have an appreciation for our cuisine. And while the above commercial is certainly cringy, I have no intention of boycotting Hymie’s over it.

And speaking of Jewish stereotypes…