F R O M Dear Reader,
T H E
Well, here we are: another month into the COVID-19 pandemic, and another online-
only issue of Intercut sent out into the world. As I write this, the first vaccines are being administered to health care workers around the country and more are on the way. It seems the end of this ordeal is now, at last, in sight. But just as this virus wreaks havoc on the body in ways that last well beyond the wearing-off of symptoms, so too, I’m sure, will the greater cultural effects of this time be felt far past the exhausting, stressful year that has been 2020. As much as we want things to go back to the way they were, we won’t be able to simply forget the reality of the past nine months. Life has changed -- in some ways that are temporary, and in others that likely are not. The film and television industry has had to evolve and adapt to the many changes this year has brought along with the rest of us. Shows have been canceled, film shoots shut down or postponed, and then there’s the recent news that Warner Bros. intends to release their entire 2021 slate of films simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max. Although these changes will probably leave a lasting impact the industry, most of them don’t necessarily affect the way the average viewer consumes media. One change, however, most certainly has, at least for me: movie theaters, which in times of stress, boredom, and loneliness have been a source of great comfort to me, have closed their doors, in some cases permanently. I know, I know: streaming is the future! Movie tickets are expensive, and many theaters aren’t even that nice. I hear you, and it’s all true. But if there was one thing in non-pandemic times that could reliably get me out of the house and interacting with other people, even strangers, it was going to see a movie. When the pandemic started, to be honest, I didn’t mind staying home all the time. I’m an introvert, and I often choose to spend time alone