Hayao Miyazaki took his retirement cues from NFL quarterbacks, boxers, and professional wrestlers. While the legendary animator called it quits in 2013 after his tremendous film The Wind Rises, which to me was the perfect swang song to his career, rumors of Miyazaki’s return started almost immediately. And four years later he was back and announcing one more Studio Ghibli movie, How Do You Live?, based on the 1937 novel of the same name by Genzaburo Yoshino.
While the novel is about a 15-year-old Tokyo boy, named after astronomer Nicholas Copernicus, who learns about life while staying with his uncle following his father’s sudden death, it’s unclear what Miyazaki’s approach will be. In a profile by The New York Times, Studio Ghibli co-founder Toshio Suzuki described the film as “fantasy on a grand scale”, which sounds altogether different from Yoshino’s book. He also says he “recognizes himself in one of the characters, who is not human”, adding another wrinkle to Miyazaki’s comeback project.
“The whole purpose of Studio Ghibli is to make Miyazaki films,” Suzuki added.
That certainly suggests Studio Ghibli will exist primarily to produce new films from Hayao’s son, Goro Miyazaki. They recently released their first fully computer-animated movie, Earwig and the Witch, which Goro directed. He also directed 2011’s From Up on Poppy Hill, and 2006’s Tales from Earthsea.
As for Hayao’s How Do You Live?, the film is still a few years away so he’s got some time before holding another retirement party.
When Casey Affleck starred in Manchester by the Sea, it wasn’t just a low-key performance from the actor, it’s almost like it signaled a career shift. The films he’s chosen ever since have been under-the-radar stuff for the most part, such as Our Friend, The World to Come, and Every Breath You Take which opened earlier this year.
But that’s changing now as Affleck is set to star in the sci-fi drama, Slingshot, which is shaping up to be pretty big. It has a cast that includes Laurence Fishburne, Emily Beecham, Tomer Capone, and David Morrissey, and centers on an astronaut whose grip on reality is tenuous as he boards a doomed mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
The film comes from Swedish director Mikael Håfström, known for films such as Derailed, The Rite, Escape Plan, and Outside the Wire. Interestingly, considering the material, the script is co-written by Moon writer Nathan Parker and R. Scott Adams.
What is it with Ridley Scott’s recent infatuation with the wealth, greed, power, and murder of family dynasties? Is this some kind of philosophical response to the existential themes of his recent Alien movies? Whatever the case, his star-studded, high-fashion drama House of Gucci is afflicted with many of the same problems as Scott’s dull film All the Money in the World. Despite looking great, this deep dive into the world of the devious rich isn’t so deep and when it’s over you’re left wondering why all of this money couldn’t have been spent on making it more fun?
There’s certainly the potential for a trashy, soapy melodrama with gigantic, flashy performances. But don’t let anyone convince you this is high-class camp. If only it WERE campy. Jared Leto, who plays the Gucci family’s resident Freido, a fat, balding, poorly-dressed Paolo Gucci, comes closest to the over-the-top antics the film should’ve aspired to. I mean, his “Italian” accent is Italian like Pizza Hut is Italian.
But that is not the style preferred by Scott, who shoots House of Gucci like a true-crime docuseries. The film begins on the day of Maurizio Gucci’s (Adam Driver) assassination in 1995, before jumping back in time to 1978 and the fateful day he met socialite Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) at a nightclub. He looks like a stiff, she’s there to party. Somehow they hit it off. Here’s the thing: he’s a Gucci, and an heir to the famous fashion house’s fortune. Patrizia’s family owns a business, too. A trucking business that may or may not be mobbed up. Certainly, Maurizio’s stuffy father Rodolfo (Jeremy Irons) has little respect for it. Or her.
Maurizio’s a smart guy and an aspiring lawyer. He has no desire to be part of the family business, which is run by his father and boisterous Uncle Aldo (Al Pacino). If Paolo weren’t such an idiot maybe they wouldn’t have pressed the issue, but Aldo and Patrizia, who married into the family despite Rodolfo’s wishes, see too much potential in Maurizio to let it go to waste. Despite fighting against it most of his life, Maurizio is lured by the money and the power that comes with the Gucci name, encouraged by Patrizia who has her own stake in all of this.
It’s interesting to watch an outsider like Patrizia enter the deep water with these sharks and learn to swim as they do. She’s got enough dirt under her nails to spot who the truly dangerous ones are and to see through any facades. For instance, she has her eye on family aide Domenico De Sole (Jack Huston), who knows everything and is always in the right place at the right time. Gaga could’ve hammed the role up more, but she’s good as a woman whose soul non-physical feature is desperation. Patrizia is at first desperate to marry Maurizio, then desperate to prove herself a true Gucci, and then desperate to get her husband back after he leaves her for another woman. There’s a great sequence where she gets fired up over the cheap knock-off Gucci that gets sold on the street corners, only to learn that Gucci actually endorses this crap and makes money off of it.
And that is sort of the point of House of Gucci. The whole idea of a family-run business is as cheap and fragile as Gucci’s promise of quality. Scott, along with writers Becky Johnston and Roberto Bentivegna, make it clear that family bonds can’t truly stand when so much money and power is on the line. Backstabbing is as much a Gucci way of life as designer handbags. But there just isn’t a ton of narrative momentum to speak of, and I found myself wishing someone like Adam McKay was behind the camera to give it the necessary zip.
That’s not to say House of Gucci is dull. The performances are too good for that, and there’s just something about watching pretty people dressed to the hilt, whether they’re in a board meeting or vacationing in the Alps. This is a gorgeous picture, and credit to costume designer Janty Yates for making everyone stand out individually. Patrizia always seems to be upstaging the others, whether she’s trying to or not, while Maurizio’s reserved look definitely gets more intimidating as his ego grows.
A lot of how you feel about House of Gucci will depend on your take on Jared Leto as Paolo, the famil clown. Personally, I feel like Leto is always terrible, even when he’s “good”, and is like someone who wandered in from a different movie. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Dallas Buyers Club or Suicide Squad, Leto is on a different wavelength than everyone else. And that’s definitely the case here, too. His performance as Paolo has upset the man’s family for being so ridiculous, and it’s hard to disagree. But could it be that he sees what this movie truly should have been and is trying to pull everyone else down to that level? The only other person who sorta gets it is Salma Hayek as Patrizia’s personal psychic, Pina. It’s as silly as it sounds.
When House of Gucci comes to its inevitably bloody conclusion, we’re left wondering what the heck was the point? If there’s one major failure it’s that we never get a clear idea of Patrizia’s motivations for hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband. Was she just a golddigger the whole time? Was she just a scorned woman who couldn’t let her man be with another? We never really know. Sure, it’s sad to realize that no actual Gucci family members are involved with the brand now, but Scott seems unsure how to give us a reason to care about it. What he does give us fits in the uncertain way those cheap Gucci replicas do. House of Gucci gives the air of being high standard, but worn too long and it starts to come apart at the seams.
House of Gucci opens in theaters on November 24th.
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House of Gucci
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGi3Bgn7U5U
HOUSE OF GUCCI | Official Trailer | MGM Studios
Like the 59 animated Disney films that came before it,Encantoisn’t just about a magical house and the family who lives there. Taking inspiration from Columbian culture and traditions, directors Jared Bush, Byron Howard, and co-director Charise Castro Smith weave a jubilant yet heavy-handed tale of a girl trying to overcome generational trauma.
Literally the most colorful Disney production in recent memory, Encanto centers on the ever-positive Mirabel. The granddaughter and daughter of immigrants, she lives in a magical house that can move, fix itself, and do chores. Living under the same roof are her parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, who all received magical abilities from their home when they turned eight. The entire family is headed by her domineering Abuela Alma (Maríaa Cecilia Botero), who holds tight to her traditions in fear of losing all she’s built.
Of course, Mirabel doesn’t receive magical powers and becomes the black sheep of the family, trying to help but getting in the way. Constantly belittled by her grandmother, Mirabel tries to remain positive to figure out her own destiny and why their house is mysteriously falling apart. Voicing her is the impeccable Stephanie Beatriz (In the Heights, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), who injects so much emotion and life into her vocal performance. When the plot runs thin and starts to grasp at straws, Beatriz anchors the film and makes it worth watching.
Lin-Manuel Miranda, who is having quite a year with films like Vivo, In The Heights, and Tick, Tick… Boom! (his directorial debut), once again lends his songwriting expertise Like his previous Disney team up Moana, Manuel inserts a little bit of his signature sound throughout the movie. At one point, John Leguizamo does a little rap-singy riff the Hamilton creator is known for. While the songs are fun and capture the vibrancy of the animation, most of the musical numbers blend together. You don’t walk out of the theater with a “Let It Go” or “You’re Welcome” in your head. If you can’t do that, did you even see a Disney movie?
From a story perspective, there is a lot going on. There are too many main characters to name or grow attached to. After a while, the plot doesn’t seem to know where it’s going. John Leguizamo is introduced halfway through as Mirabel’s estranged future-seeing Uncle. He does his best with a character that’s soul purpose to help the protagonist finish her quest. However like most things in Encanto, solutions just kind of appear without much reason why.
Disney films are not known for their nuance. However, Encantooverdoes its point. With a thin plot, it over relies on the emotional narrative. After 70 minutes of watching Abuela Alma put down Mirabel, it becomes almost overbearing. When the emotional release comes at the film’s end, revealing how much Alma lost and suffered in order to seek a better life for her family, the moment feels too late. It’s a shame since the film heavily connects to the modern immigrant experience.
Overall, Encanto’s strength lies within its lead. As you’d expect Disney’s 60th feature animated film, the animation is dazzling. But Mirabel’s emotion, only made stronger by Beatriz, takes the entire film somewhere meaningful.
Encanto is playing in theaters. Watch the trailer below.
We’re happy to offer our DC readers the chance to attend a free early screening of Encounter, Amazon Studios’ sci-fi film starring Riz Ahmed and Octavia Spencer. The film opens in theaters on December 3rd, followed by Amazon Prime Video on December 10th.
SYNOPSIS: Desperate to save his two young sons, Jay and Bobby, from a mysterious threat, decorated Marine Malik Khan (Riz Ahmed) packs them in a car and sets off on a perilous journey across the western U.S. But while racing toward a secret military base in Nevada that may hold the key to safety, the trio encounters danger at every turn. Staying one step ahead of a group of government agents, Malik and the boys find themselves bonding in unexpected ways. As their relentless pursuers close in, and with time quickly running out, each of them must confront hard truths about the world, forcing Jay and Bobby to leave their childhoods behind. A gripping story of a father’s mission to keep his children safe at all costs, ENCOUNTER is at once a riveting thriller and a powerful drama about a family dealing with a seemingly unstoppable enemy.
The screening takes place on Monday, November 29th at 7:00pm at Landmark E Street. If you’d like to attend, register at the Amazon screening link here. Please remember all screenings are first come first served and you’ll need to arrive early to ensure seating. Enjoy the show!
We may never get to see Dwayne Johnson as Superman. But Superman’s dog? That’s definitely doable. Johnson voices Supes’ loyal pet Krypto in DC League of Super-Pets, which looks charming as Hell and like one of the most enjoyable family-friendly superhero movies this year. I mean, where else can you get a movie where the entire Justice League gets wiped out and it still looks like a treat for the kiddies?
Because that’s pretty much what happens in DC League of Super-Pets. Superman, who is voiced by John Krasinski, and Krypto are best pals, they keep Metropolis safe, and all is right in the world. That is until Superman and the Justice League are taken out, and it’s up to Krypto and his four-legged, furry friends to come to the rescue.
While Krypto is pretty well-known already, the rest of the cast are pretty obscure. You’ve got Kevin Hart as Ace the Bat-hound, Diego Luna as Chip the Green Lantern squirrel, Natasha Lyonne as Green Lantern’s turtle Merton, and Vanessa Bayer as Wonder Woman’s pig, PB. Oh, and Marc Maron voices Lex Luthor which is just perfect.
Ridley Scott still makes a lot of movies. You know what else he does? He makes a lot of movies that stink it up at the box office. And we’re talking about some major, blockbuster, high-cost shit here like Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, and pretty much all of the Alien movies he’s done recently. But it’s the piss-poor $28M earned by The Last Duel that has him riled up right now, and casting blame on those who thinks are responsible.
Speaking on the WTF podcast, Scott blasted folks younger than him for having short attention spans or whatever…
“I think what it boils down to — what we’ve got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these fucking cellphones. The millennian [sic] do not ever want to be taught anything unless you’re told it on a cellphone.”
Scott would go on to add, “This is a broad stroke, but I think we’re dealing with it right now with Facebook. This is a misdirection that has happened where it’s given the wrong kind of confidence to this latest generation, I think.”
The director doesn’t blame Disney or its 20th Century Studios for the problem, saying they did a “fantastic promotion job.”
I don’t know why we give a shit when Scott, or anyone of his generation, makes a statement like this. Obviously, he’s not hurt by The Last Duel‘s failure. His film House of Gucci opens tomorrow. The only thing he’s doing is drawing bad attention to himself and making sure those young people don’t show up for his next movie.
That said, he’s not completely off-base, either. The Last Duel was a tough sell to anyone who wasn’t in it for the drama or because of its Oscars prospects. Stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck aren’t box office giants anymore, and reviews were good but not overwhelmingly so. Honestly, I’d rather see him do more stuff like that than what he’s been doing lately with All the Money in the World or House of Gucci, but that’s just me.
If you were one of the many who saw F9 at an IMAX screening, you were treated to something special. It was a “sneak peek” of Jurassic World: Dominion, a prologue really, and now it’s actually been made available online for all to see.
What this isn’t is an actual look at the movie. There’s no footage from the Colin Trevorrow-directed sequel here, just a look at the history of dinosaurs stretching back to the prehistoric era. There’s also a special, um, let’s call it a “guest” from the original Jurassic Park movies that shows up. You’ll know the little bugger as soon as you see it.
Jurassic World: Dominion opens June 10th 2022, and will take place after dinosaurs ran wild at the conclusion of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. I’m getting a real Planet of the Apes vibe from this one.
The cast of both Jurassic franchises will combine, with Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Justice Smith, and others joining the original crew of Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum.
In every superhero or action hero series there comes a point when the hero is misunderstood and lands in jail. They usually get out within an episode or two. In the case of MacGruber, he’s been rotting away in prison for a damn decade. But now that the world needs him most, the throat-ripper is free and ready to come to its rescue.
Peacock is the home of Macgruber’s return, after years of trying to launch a big screen sequel to the 2010 film…which I must remind you was far from a hit. In fact, it was a gigantic flop at the box office, but became a cult favorite in the time since.
Will Forte is back as MacGruber, with Kristen Wiig returning as his ex-wife Vicki Gloria St. Elmo and Ryan Phillippe who returns as Dixon Piper. Also in the cast are Laurence Fishburne, Billy Zane, and Sam Elliott.
Acting as co-showrunners are John Solomon and Jorma Taccone, along with Forte who also writes and exec-produces. This is pretty much his baby and has been from the beginning.
MacGruber lands on Peacock beginning December 16th.
After rotting in prison for over a decade, America’s ultimate hero and uber patriot MacGruber is finally released. His mission: to take down a mysterious villain from his past—Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth. With the entire world in the crosshairs, MacGruber must reassemble his old team, Vicki St. Elmo and Dixon Piper, in order to defeat the forces of evil.
Warner Bros. pulled a fast one on us lowly critics last weekend, sending us an email that claimed we could watch The Matrix Resurrections right now on their screener app. Speaking just for me, I instantly started making plans with friends to come watch that shit, only to discover a fat COMING SOON where the movie ought to be. Now the taunting continues with the release of eight new character posters, ahead of what should be a new trailer release in the next few days.
The images are done in the Matrix digital style, but what’s cool is that they offer a good look at some of the characters new to the franchise. There’s the one I’m looking forward to most, Jessica Henwick as Bugs, Neil Patrick Harris as the mysterious figure known as The Analyst, Eréndira Ibarra as Lexy, and what I think is our first (?) look at Priyanka Chopra in her role.
We also get a look at Daniel Bernhardt as Agent Johnson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as the new younger version of Morpheus, plus original stars Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity and some guy named Keanu Reeves as Neo.
The Matrix Resurrections opens December 22nd, directed by Lana Wachowski.
