Finally, the official trailer for Carol is here, and it looks absolutely exquisite. I'm excited about this one because I really love Todd Haynes, who directed Far From Heaven and I'm Not There, so I'll pretty much see anything he does. The movie is expected to feature heavily in the Oscar season for the acting by Blanchett and Mara at least, although the film overall was received fairly mildly by crowds when it relaunched at Telluride. It could be that this is a movie that appeals more to critics than audiences, but so were Haynes's other films too, I guess. I'm looking forward to it.
Jake Gyllenhaal Pieces His Life Back Together in 'Demolition'
So, oddly, this movie was supposed to come out this year and was suddenly moved to 2016, usually indicating the studio doesn't think its strong enough for a fall release, yet I don't see anything particularly worrisome in this trailer. Actually it looks kind of interesting, and director Jean-Marc Vallee has been on a roll lately, what with Dallas Buyers Club and Wild, and if anything this one looks a little less conventional than those two. I also wonder why they seem to be all but hiding Naomi Watts in this, although she apparently has the leading female role, and not the Gyllenhaal character's late wife, as the trailer seem to imply. Strange.
Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "Mad Max: Fury Road" (2015)
This week I'm recommending the best action movie of the year and probably one of the best movies you'll see all year, so if you missed it this summer, now's your chance. Tom Hardy takes the reigns from Mel Gibson as the lone warrior Max, who this time teams up with a group of female escapees, led by a badass Charlize Theron, as they make their way through the apocalyptic hellscape and away from their crazed captors. This movie is bound to develop a cult following if it hasn't already (and it might have if the recent Mad Max-themed Uber rides here in Seattle are any indication). It's a thrilling jolt to the system, and I think it's safe to say that director George Miller has definitely still got what made 1981's The Road Warrior such an enduring classic.
Trailer:
Sandra Bullock Fixes Elections in 'Our Brand is Crisis'
I don't know if this is going to be pushed as an awards movie or not, but it looks pretty entertaining anyway. Sandra Bullock is a top campaign strategist battling Billy Bob Thornton as they duke out an election in Latin America- apparently this part was written for a man, but Bullock stepped in to take the role, and it looks absolutely perfect as a star vehicle for her, don't you think? This is premiering at Toronto next week, so we'll hear soon enough if it's any good, and it's coming out October 30th.
Movie of the Day: "Working Girl" (1988)
For Labor Day we're doing a one off Movie of the Day entry, and I'm choosing a great comedy that celebrates a woman's rise in the workplace, perfect for the occasion, don't you think? Melanie Griffith is a secretary for a big Wall Street investment bank who pitches a great idea to her boss (Sigourney Weaver), who then steals it as her own, which ignites a war as Griffith tries to take back the credit that's hers. This movie is perfectly structured as a workplace fairy tale and kind of romantic comedy actually, with Harrison Ford playing way against type as the love interest role usually reserved for the woman in these movies. It's a movie that flips the gender roles perfectly while never making an overt or in your face statement about women's rights- this is just one woman's rise to the top to claim what's hers . It's a feel good movie for the holiday, although it's admittedly SO 80's (I wish there would be a movie like this today, but I doubt the picture for ideal success would be to rise up the ranks of Wall Street, right? Morally speaking, anyway?)
Original Trailer:
Venice Round-Up 2015: Oscar Season Begins
It's time to get going on Oscar season 2015 people, and that's where the fall film festivals come in. Venice began last Wednesday and is still going on, while Telluride wrapped today after its annual three-day festivities. So it's high time to start gathering the information on the various significant movies that saw their premieres in the last week and hope to discern what that might mean for their Oscar hopes this coming season. To be honest, it's not all that hard to do, because the reaction of the festival crowd is often in line with the Academy's tastes (especially the Telluride one) and what the early critics reviews are saying can also tell you what may or may not be worth looking at- whether it's an awards movie or just a commercial play. So here is what came out of Venice this year (I'll be back to round up Telluride on Thursday).
First up we have Everest, the Balthasar Kormakur directed action-adventure epic based on the true life tragedy that occurred on the mountain in 1996. This got a pretty good response, although you can tell that it's more of a commercial play than an awards hopeful- but the reaction to the special effects and the visceral you-are-there feel of the direction has me looking forward to this much more than the usual CG-infested videogame stuff that afflicts all action movies now. You can probably expect some tech nods for this, like cinematography, special effects, sound for sure, and maybe a couple more depending on if it's a hit when it comes out at the end of the month.
"The screenwriters have avoided the usual disaster-movie ploy of inserting baddies...as fine as the cast is, the stand-out star is right there in the title." (The Daily Mail)
"Everest offers a gripping and refreshingly unsentimental reenactment of its grim true-life tale." (Forbes)
"A nausea-inspiring 3D adventure." (Indiewire)
Then there was the premiere of Netflix's Beasts of No Nation, which is garnering stellar reviews, but almost immediately seems like something that will not have much Oscar play due to the violence of the subject matter and the explicit nature of the brutality. You can maybe expect some attention for Idris Elba, if he has a big enough campaign and if enough people actually watch the film, which is going to be available on Netflix in November. Kind of a tough call on this one.
"The unsentimental education of an African child soldier is captured with savage beauty and matter-of-fact horror in 'Beasts of No Nation,' a tough-minded, tough-viewing chronicle of a civil war as seen through the eyes of one of its youngest casualties." (Variety)
"'Beasts of No Nation' is gripping and persuasive, but isn't for the faint hearted." (Scotsman)
Now Spotlight looks to be something different, an old-school, conventional procedural that nonetheless pack an effective punch in the storytelling about the reporters who exposed the child molestation scandal being covered up by the Catholic Church for decades. I really can't wait to see this, as the comparisons to All the President's Men and Zodiac make the movie sound right up my alley. Michael Keaton might land his second Oscar nod in a row (this time for supporting), and frankly, the kind of movie it is makes it sound like something that could very well appeal to the Academy's tastes, so look out for this one. The reviews are excellent and if Open Road hits the campaign hard, they could have their first Best Picture nominee here, and certainly gain some attention in other categories as well, like Original Screenplay and Supporting Actor.
"A superbly controlled and engrossingly detailed account of the Boston Globe's Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation into the widespread pedophilia scandals and subsequent cover-ups within the Catholic Church." (Variety)
"It's that all-too-rare beast: a movie that's both important and engrossing." (Time Out)
The Danish Girl had a mixed-positive response so far, but nonetheless garnered raves for the acting of Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander, and frankly it's the kind of movie that lands Oscar attention even if reviews aren't totally stellar (and they aren't bad either, it just sounds like a conventional period drama, and the Academy eats that shit up, as we all know). I'd place this one down for the leads for sure, and if this gets a better response from the crowd in Toronto, which it very well may (Venice can be much more highbrow in the tastes of its attendees), this could still be in the running for major nominations across the board, like Picture, Screenplay, Costumes, Production Design, maybe Director, etc. It's certainly in play right now, because of the kind of film it is (and some responses were very enthusiastic, so we have to see where it lands after further screenings).
"If the movie remains safe, there's no questioning its integrity, or the balance of porcelain vulnerability and strength that Eddie Redmayne brings to the lead role." (Hollywood Reporter)
"The Danish Girl ends by sandblasting away every last trace of ambiguity. [Redmayne's character] deserves to have been portrayed as an actual person rather than a shiny monument to a cause." (BBC.com)
"Destined to be the year's most talked-about arthouse phenomenon." (Variety)
BOX OFFICE 9/04-9/07: 'War Room' Tops a Sleepy Labor Day Weekend
On this sleepy Labor Day weekend, the faith-based movie War Room managed to top Straight Outta Compton, coming in with $9 million over the three day frame and $12 million over the holiday weekend. The movie has been a slid hit with Christian audiences, bringing its total to $27 million so far, while Compton cruises on, about to cross $150 million for the biggest musical biopic total ever.
Meanwhile the new releases didn't do much, as expected. The Robert Redford/Nick Nolte starring A Walk in the Woods, made about 10 million over the holiday, but I honestly had barely heard of this film and seen zero promotion for it, so I'm not even sure where that $10 million came from. Die hard Redford fans? Then there was the Transporter Refueled, coming in behind Woods with $9 million total, but I don't even know why that movie was made in the first place, seeing as it lacked the only draw for the other Transporter movies- the Transporter himself, Jason Statham. Mission: Impossible rounded out the top five, drawing another $9 million to bring its domestic total to $180 million (globally, it's sitting at $500 million).
Top 5:
- War Room- $12.6 million
- Straight Outta Compton- $11.1 million
- A Walk in the Woods- $10.5 million
- Mission: Impossible- Rogue Nation- $9.3 million
- The Transporter: Refueled- $9 million
The only notable thing in limited release this weekend was the opening of the Mexican animated film Un Gallo Con Muchos Huevos, which opened in under 400 screens but earned over $4 million for the weekend, an excellent per screen average of about $11k per theater. But other than that there's not much to write home about this Labor Day- hope you all have a great lazy day off! See you back here next time for the thriller The Perfect Guy and M. Night Shyamalan's latest, The Visit.
Carey Mulligan Leads Protesters in New Trailer for 'Suffragette'
Suffragette premiered at Telluride last night to respectable reviews, especially for the passion of the subject matter, which, having been a film produced, written, directed by and starring women, is kind of hard to knock down. It's being pushed as an awards contender, but its best shot looks to be Carey Mulligan in Best Actress, who's being raved as the best thing about it.
Idris Elba Trains Child Soldiers in Trailer for 'Beasts of No Nation'
Netflix's Beasts of No Nation premiered at Venice the other day, to some very good reviews, although its awards chances are slightly iffier. There seems to be some question as to how rough of a sit it might be, both for general audiences and Academy members. That's not surprising- how could it be when the topic is African child soldiers, right? Yet, I would bet on Elba getting some recognition for acting here- he's supposed to be fantastic and frightening as the commander in charge.
Bond is Back in New Poster for 'Spectre'
The new Spectre poster isn't all that different from many of the Skyfall ones, but there's a cool-looking skeleton in the background, hinting at the big Day of the Dead festival that Bond heads to in Mexico for this new entry. Hopefully Sam Mendes' second crack in a row at a 007 film will live up the high standards that Skyfall set last time around. Spectre is out Nov 6th.
Colin Farrell Seeks Love in 'The Lobster'
This sci-fi romance won the Jury prize at Cannes this year and received stellar reviews, but it doesn't have a release date yet in the U.S., so here's the UK trailer for now, where it's coming out in October. It looks pretty great, I have to say. A high concept premise where the recently dumped Farrell must find a new partner or literally be turned into an animal. Farrell was always better as a character actor than a leading man type, so it's nice to see him in something that matches his actual talents, and the same goes for Rachel Weisz, who showed up in two Cannes films this year, this one and Youth. I hope it gets a release here soon, because I totally want to see it.
Cate Blanchett to Play Lucille Ball in Aaron Sorkin Biopic
All these posts keep bleeding into each other, don't they? Cate Blanchett has just been announced to star in a biopic about Lucille Ball which will be written by Aaron Sorkin, such a powerful writer in Hollywood now that his next films are simply announced with the stars attached, no need for a director yet with it. But this is kind of exciting, first of all, because I do and will watch anything that Aaron Sorkin writes, and Lucy of all people getting the big screen treatment?! I can't wait. But Cate Blanchett, huh? Not sure if I can see it, even though she's obviously a great actress who's done some good impressions before (Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator, Bob Dylan in I'm Not There).
This is another one like those, a very universally known figure whose image, mannerisms and personality are still out there for anyone to see. You think she's up to the challenge? My pick for Desi Arnaz, by the way, is Oscar Isaac. It has to happen, people- yes, he's younger than Blanchett, but Desi was younger than Lucy by about six years too, so it could work. What do you think?
