Amy Adams had two films at the festivals this year, with both Arrival and Tom Ford's latest, Nocturnal Animals making their debuts in Venice, and then showing in Toronto over the last week as well. Arrival may be the one with the better reception overall, as designer turned director Tom Ford has made his first film since A Single Man, and this one is getting a more mixed reaction. Critics are finding it interesting, but a bit on the artsy pretentious side (who, Tom Ford, pretentious? you don't say...), so it may be harder for it to find an audience. Still, Michael Shannon is always entertaining, and his campy performance here has sparked potential Oscar buzz in the supporting category, so it may be worth watching just for that.
See the New Trailer for Disney's 'Moana'
This really was the year for animation, with SO many films, including several foreign animated features, that stand a chance of getting nominated for the Oscar in what might be the most competitive category of this year's ceremony. I'm betting on just one Disney nom though, knowing the branch, and it's hard to say if this one will be better than Zootopia, which even after all these months, feels like the most relevant of all of them. Not to say this one doesn't look cute, but is cute enough to get it in this year?
Jessica Chastain Takes on the Gun Lobby in 'Miss Sloane'
A controversial subject, but it's about time somebody takes this on eventually, right? Miss Sloane is an original script though, and so it may play a bit like a fantasy scenario (or even something of a comedy, based on this trailer). Chastain is always good, but I wonder how much of an audience exists for a film like this, even in arthouse theaters. Could be another Our Brand is Crisis-type movie. It's coming out December 9th.
Longer Trailer for Tupac Biopic 'All Eyez On Me'
This looks like a solid effort, but I mostly just can't get over how much star Demetrius Shipp, Jr. resembles the late rapper. It's eery, I'd believe he was a relative or something. Tupac's life was certainly interesting, so hopefully this movie captures the spirit of him in a way that's different from the plenty of footage and interviews that exists that people can check out today.
Dev Patel and Rooney Mara in the Tearjerker 'Lion'
The Weinstein Company usually has a contender in the Oscar race, but last year they fell short of a Best Picture nomination with Carol, despite six other nods for it. Could this be their return to form? It certainly looks like a movie that'll shamelessly tug on those heartstrings. I don't know- maybe too manipulative? I've always liked Dev Patel though, so I'm glad to see him in things all these years after Slumdog Millionaire (and I actually remember him from before that, when he was a teenager on the BBC teen drama Skins. Anyone else remember that show?) This got slightly mixed reviews at Toronto just yesterday, so we'll see how it plays. Never count out Weinstein completely.
BOX OFFICE 9/09-9/11: 'Sully' Soars Above Expectations
In something of a surprise, Clint Eastwood's Sully came in very strong this weekend, with a $35 million debut, generated by apparent interest in the subject matter, but also probably a combo of Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood's drawing power, after recent successes for both with films like American Sniper and Captain Phillips. In fact, the opening is the fifth best September opening of all time and WB's biggest ever, as it's typically a slow month at the box office. With an "A" Cinemascope and an audience that was 80% over the age of 35, the legs on this movie could be pretty strong, leading it to well over $100 million and potentially some Oscar attention later this year.
In second place was the Fatal Attraction-esque thriller When the Bough Breaks with $15 million, but that's lower than past films from Screen Gems in September, and it will probably disappear quickly. Don't Breathe fell to third place after Labor Day, coming in with $8 million and bringing its total to $66 million, while Suicide Squad came in fourth, its new domestic total at $307 million, and just a hair shy of $700 million globally. Rounding out the top five was the animated The Wild Life with just $3 million.
Top 5:
- Sully- $35.5 million
- When the Bough Breaks- $15 million
- Don't Breathe- $8.2 million
- Suicide Squad- $5.6 million
- The Wild Life- $3.4 million
Not a lot to say in limited release, as Molly Shannon's Sundance dramedy Other People opened with $38k from 12 screens, and Hell or High Water remains the highest grossing limited release film of the year, with $19 million so far. Next weekend it's Bridget Jones's Baby versus Blair Witch, the sequel to 1999's The Blair Witch Project, so we're going to see once again if there's audience interest for franchises that began a decade and half ago. See you then.
Brie Larson in Red Band Trailer for 'Free Fire'
This looks pretty nuts, right? With the Toronto film festival underway as we speak, this movie premiered to some pretty enthusiastic responses, with most calling it a violent, bloody, fun B-movie, which has to be all this was aspiring to be anyway, based on this trailer. The fact that it's a shootout all taking place in one room looks to me like it could get old fast (no matter how short the movie actually is), but who knows. I'd just need a little more of a story there.
'La La Land' Takes Off in Telluride
Telluride & Venice Round-Up: "La La Land," "Arrival," "Moonlight" and "Sully"
'La La Land' Takes Off in Telluride
Well, with the arrival of the Venice and Telluride film festivals, it's time to round up some of the early Oscar contenders that made their debuts at one or both of these. Remember, the Best Picture winner has been seen at one or both of these festivals for the last eight years and counting, so judging by this year's buzz, I kind of think we may be able to call it early this year.
Yup, this is the one. Damien Chazelle (director of Whiplash) has apparently delivered a perfect crowdpleaser in La La Land, an original musical that everyone simply loves, which got a standing ovation in Venice and again at Telluride, with the consensus being that it's both a throwback and love letter to movie musicals from Hollywood's Golden Age, but with enough originality and style to stand on its own. The admiration appears to be unanimous from the critics to the festival goers (which include many Academy members at Telluride, which is why the perception there is so predictive of success). Emma Stone is now the frontrunner for Best Actress, as the movie appears to be all about her and she completely steals the show. This kind of across the board love reminds me of The Artist, which wound up sweeping the season in 2011- we could be in for another one of those sweep years, I'm thinking. It's plenty early and there's lots of movies to come, but the acclaim is pretty overwhelming, and most importantly, it's paired with real passion and love from people who've seen it. Crowdpleasers like this (and about Hollwyood, no less, one of their favorite topics as we've seen from The Artist to Argo and Birdman) are traditionally hard to overcome.
Emma Stone's moment has arrived
"'La La Land' is both a love letter to a confounding and magical city and an ode to the idea of the might-have-been romance, in all its piercing sweetness. It’s a movie with the potential to make lovers of us all. All we have to do is fall into its arms." (Time)
"'La La Land' wants to remind us how beautiful the half-forgotten dreams of the old days can be – the ones made up of nothing more than faces, music, romance and movement. It has its head in the stars, and for a little over two wonderstruck hours, it lifts you up there too." (The Telegraph)
"For Chazelle to be able to pull this off the way he has is something close to remarkable. The director's feel for a classic but, for all intents and purposes, discarded genre format is instinctive and intense." (The Hollywood Reporter)
"I was utterly absorbed by this movie’s simple storytelling verve and the terrific lead performances from Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone who are both excellent – particularly Stone, who has never been better." (The Guardian)
Amy Adams looks for her sixth Oscar nomination
La La Land is the big across the board Oscar contender to emerge here, while other films that premiered were seen to have some raves and some drawbacks, but could be potential players if the cards stack up right. One of them is Arrival, Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi drama, which is being lauded as an intelligent, cerebral effort that plays up the emotion, wonder and awe of life in the universe. It also comes with another fantastic performance from Amy Adams, who will likely earn her sixth Oscar nomination, along with acclaim and consideration for the movie in at least many tech categories. Some reviews were a little muted, but I'm certainly detecting plenty of passion for this film as well, so it may turn out to be a bigger player than in the end than it looks right now. I personally can't wait to see it, as the comparisons to Contact and Close Encounters definitely make it seem like my kind of sci-fi movie, as opposed to more obvious big audience ones like The Martian and Interstellar.
"Anchored by an internalized performance from Amy Adams rich in emotional depth, this is a grownup sci-fi drama that sustains fear and tension while striking affecting chords on love and loss." (The Hollywood Reporter)
"'Arrival,' the shimmering apex of Villeneuve’s run of form that started back in 2010 with 'Incendies,' calmly, unfussily and with superb craft, thinks its way out of the black hole that tends to open up when ideas like time travel, alien contact and the next phase of human evolution are bandied about." (The Playlist)
"'Arrival' becomes an unexpectedly moving rumination on life’s bigger questions by its end. While it looks to other worlds, its main pleasure turns out to be the most intimate of questions." (Screen International)
Another film that showed at Telluride that could get some traction is Moonlight (below), from independent director Barry Jenkins, about a man struggling with his masculinity and sexuality. This is a small indie that will be distributed by A24, but critical acclaim is through the roof, so that could help it find an audience and possible awards love, if critics remember it at the end of the year, especially in categories like screenplay and supporting actress for Naomie Harris.
"Like 'Brokeback Mountain' a decade ago, 'Moonlight' is a piece of art that will transform lives long after it leaves theaters." (The Playlist)
"It’s a thrilling, deeply necessary work that opens up a much-needed and rarely approached on-screen conversation about the nature of gay masculinity." (The Guardian)
"A socially conscious work of art as essential as it is insightful." (Variety)
Tom Hanks talks up his own movie, plus 'La La Land' in his appearance at Telluride
And finally we have Sully, Clint Eastwood's latest starring Tom Hanks as Sully Sullenberger, the pilot who pulled off the "Miracle on the Hudson"- the reviews are very solid, even if the story itself might not BE much of a story, outside of the actual event. And only solid reviews won't necessarily make for an Oscar contender, unless the movie does huge business, like American Sniper did a couple years ago. The movie actually opens this weekend, so we'll see, but for now it's a fringe contender, with Tom Hanks as a possible nominee for turning in yet another lived-in, unactorly performance. We ought to be calling him 'Ol Reliable by now, right?
"The movie is economical and solid, and generally low-key when it’s not freaking you out. That it unnerves you as much as it does may seem surprising, given that going in, we know how this story ends. But Mr. Eastwood is also very good at his job, a talent that gives the movie its tension along with an autobiographical sheen." (New York Times)
"'Sully' is a classy, enormously satisfying ode to simple competence. To paraphrase the title character, it’s just a movie doing its job. And amen to that." (Washingon Post)
"Efficient and effective in Eastwood's experienced hands, 'Sully' has interwoven a crisp and electric retelling of the story of the landing we know with a story we do not." (Los Angeles Times)
Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight' gets launched into the awards conversation
Matthew McConaughey Goes Bald for His New Movie 'Gold'
This kinda looks like Wolf of Wall Street meets American Hustle, am I right? Is that a new genre now? McConaughey goes bald and gains a whole bunch of weight for this one (kinda like Christian Bale did in Hustle), and the tone seems more of a comedy than a drama, as had been reported earlier (this is coming from Stephen Gaghan, the guy who made Syriana). It's coming out in late December, for any potential Oscar buzz, most likely McConaughey in Best Actor, but we'll see. It may a little too much been there, done that, as far as the story goes.
First Trailer for Ben Affleck's Gangster Movie 'Live By Night'
I don't think this looks like anything that hasn't already been said in a thousand other gangster movies before, and I wonder if that's why it's coming out January 17th. I mean, that's the month for dumpster releases if ever there is one, so if this was any good, why wouldn't it be coming out this fall? It's Ben Affleck's first post-Argo directing project, if anyone still thinks his directing career wasn't really about rebooting his own image so he can star in whatever movies he wants again...I'm not so sure about that, given his recent acting choices.
Will Smith Meets Love, Time and Death in 'Collateral Beauty'
This movie's coming out at Christmas as ultimate counter programming to the juggernaut that is Rogue One, and it looks pretty Hallmark-y, but what a cast, huh? There must have been something there that attracted all these names. It looks like a spin on A Christmas Carol, which makes it good for the holiday release, but I don't know. You want to root for these kinds of movies, because it's what we wish studios would make more of- an original script with big name actors. But they also have to be good (or at least successful) to keep that concept alive. So here's hoping.
10 Back to School Movies for September
So, it's officially back to school season, and you know what that means. One of my favorite movie months is here! Yup, my back to school theme has some of the best movies ever to take place in a "school setting," which means I get to include teachers and colleges and all that other stuff, so we get the full experience in there. We've got everything from Clueless to Cooley High to Stand and Deliver, Fame (the original, above) and To Sir, With Love, among lots of others. It really is one of my most enjoyable movie months, as every film is fun and kind of uplifting in their own ways, so it's not a downer theme, no matter how you might feel about going back to school this month. So kick back with these ten great school themed films, and have at it. Go the Movies for Every month page to read up on September and head to the September movie page to see the full list of ten films, complete with trailers. Happy Movie Watching!
