If there’s a complaint to made about Debra Granik it’s that she doesn’t make nearly enough movies. She has been a mainstay at Sundance with each of her feature films, starting with Down to the Bone in 2004, followed six years later with her breakout Winter’s Bone which introduced the world to somebody named Jennifer Lawrence. And it took eight long years for her to return to Park City with her third narrative feature, Leave No Trace, which features another stunning debut by a rising female star.
Eighteen-year-old Thomasin McKenzie is the runaway star of Leave No Trace, although Ben Foster deserves his share of accolades as well. The film resembles Granik’s previous effort in that it is once again a look at hard-living people on the margins of society. Foster and McKenzie play a father and daughter living off the land in the wilds of Portlands, OR, until society comes crashing into their lives, threatening to wreck the bond they share.
I came away from the premiere suitably impressed by Granik but perhaps not as much as others. It was McKenzie’s towering performance opposite a near-silent Foster that won me over. Here is the official synopsis:
Will (Ben Foster) and his teenage daughter, Tom (Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie), have lived off the grid for years in the forests of Portland, Oregon. When their idyllic life is shattered, both are put into social services. After clashing with their new surroundings, Will and Tom set off on a harrowing journey back to their wild homeland. The film is directed by Debra Granik from a script adapted by Granik and Anne Rosellini.
Need something to wash away the dread you’re feeling about your favorite Avenger’s fate during Infinity War tonight? Well here’s something that may do the trick, the trailer for the latest Disneynature doc, Penguins. I thought Hollywood was done with penguin movies?
The annual Earth Day entry from Disney follows cutesy Adélie penguin Steve, who I think is poised to be this movie’s breakout star. Get ready for Steve to show up at the Oscars next year, just you watch. But first we’ll get to see him desperately seeking love in the Antarctic, not exactly a dating mecca even for a penguin, fish, avoid becoming whale food, and more.
These movies aren’t really my thing, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t smiling during this trailer. Here’s the synopsis:
Disneynature’s all-new feature film “Penguins” is a coming-of-age story about an Adélie penguin named Steve who joins millions of fellow males in the icy Antarctic spring on a quest to build a suitable nest, find a life partner and start a family. None of it comes easily for him, especially considering he’s targeted by everything from killer whales to leopard seals, who unapologetically threaten his happily ever after. From the filmmaking team behind “Bears” and “Chimpanzee,” Disneynature’s “Penguins” opens in theaters nationwide in time for Earth Day 2019.
Disneynature’s Penguins arrives next year on Earth Day, April 22nd.
Just as we’re starting to get over the end of Star Wars Rebels, Lucasfilm goes ahead and announce a new animated series to take its place. Debuting this fall will be Star Wars Resistance, and it will be spear-headed by Dave Filoni, the genius behind The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels.
The series will follow “Kazuda Xiono, a young pilot recruited by the Resistance and tasked with a top-secret mission to spy on the growing threat of the First Order.” That’s right, it will take place in the time period preceding The Force Awakens and will include “the beloved droid BB-8 alongside ace pilots, colorful new characters and appearances by fan favorites including Poe Dameron and Captain Phasma.” Poe and Phasma will be voiced by their live-action actors Oscar Isaac and Gwendoline Christie, too. Presumably other familiar characters will be treated the same way when possible. Other voices featured will be Christopher Sean, Suzie McGrath, Scott Lawrence, Myrna Velasco, Josh Brener, Donald Faison, Bobby Moynihan, Jim Rash, and Rachel Butera.
You think this will be the series where we learn the fate of Ezra, who vanished during Star Wars Rebels’ finale?
Filoni talked about where the inspiration for Star Wars Resistance sprung from…
“The idea for Star Wars Resistance came out of my interest in World War II aircraft and fighter pilots” said Filoni. “My grandfather was a pilot and my uncle flew and restored planes, so that’s been a big influence on me. There’s a long history of high-speed racing in Star Wars, and I think we’ve captured that sense of excitement in an anime-inspired style, which is something the entire team has been wanting to do for a long time.”
Look for the series to debut on Disney Channel before moving to Disney XD. [Lucasfilm]
Much like Sebastian Lelio’s Oscar-winning film A Fantastic Woman, his followup Disobedience is about free will, and the power that comes with being oneself. The setting is very different, though; a restrictive Orthodox Jewish community where one would not expect intense sexual passions to burn, and yet it smolders with the intense performances of stars Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams.
Just because those passions are there does not mean it can be allowed to flourish. McAdams plays Esti Kuperman, who has built a life for herself within this stringent sect, married to Rabbi Dovid (Alessandro Nivola), a clear choice to take over as the rav (the most respected Rabbi) now that his predecessor has died. At his funeral Esti is quiet, respectful; you’d barely notice her just as you’d barely notice all of the women there. It’s like they blend into the drab scenery only to emerge when the men need something.
All of that changes with the sudden arrival of Ronit (Weisz), and it’s like someone cracked open a window in a dusty attic. With her long flowing locks, a far cry from the sheitel wigs worn by the other women, Ronit makes for a striking image. Not that the other guests seem to appreciate it much. When one says to her “We never thought we’d see you again” you get the impression they really meant “You were never supposed to come back.” That much is true. Ronit fled the restrictive London community for a life in New York as a photographer, but has returned because the deceased was her father. Or were there other reasons? It isn’t long before we learn that Ronit, Dovid, and Esti were close friends until an indiscretion drove them apart and drove Ronit far away. She’s stunned to learn Dovid and Esti are married. Why stunned?
Disobedience is a movie of tiny moments with big implications. A subtle glance between Esti and Ronit reveals more than just an awkward reunion between old friends. Ronit’s arrival shakes up the status quo in Dovid’s home, in which he has allowed her to stay, and throws everything out of balance. Seeing Ronit again has awoken something within Esti. She begins to re-examine not only her life, but the life of a woman in this male-dominated Orthodox society. Soon, she and Ronit are sneaking off and talking like old friends. The old familiarities return, there’s a gentle touch, a laugh, a kiss, then much more. Esti finds the romance and steaming hot sex she’s missing from her boring, emotionless marriage, but is she willing to give up everything she’s ever known for that?
Lelio builds up the sexual tension between Esti and Ronit in such subtle ways that for a time you might think they’ll stay just as friends. The openness of their conversation with one another would be enough of an attraction to possibly lure Esti away from the confined lifestyle she finds herself in, so that you don’t even need to add the physical element. But when their mutual attraction becomes too wild to be checked, Esti and Ronit don’t hold back and neither does Lelio in depicting it, to a shocking degree. This is a much hotter film than its understated look and tone would suggest.
The consequences of Ronit and Esti’s actions are treated with the proper amount of respect, and never smoothed over to make for easily solvable drama. Each woman begins to see the benefits of the life they gave up. Esti sees that sometimes she must makes choices for herself rather than to appease a community that devalues women, while Ronit is reminded that some traditions are worth keeping. When their relationship is discovered, it puts Dovid’s leadership at risk. How can be a respected elder when he can’t even keep his home in order?
Disobedience makes a seductive and impassioned case for greater sexual freedom and female autonomy, but never devalues those who have chosen a different path. Timely and well-told with two amazing performances by Weisz and McAdams, it makes for one of the year’s best dramas and shouldn’t be overlooked.
In a few short hours millions will be flocking to theaters to check out Avengers: Infinity War (my review here), but there’s still time for the cast to make one last marketing push. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Pratt, Chadwick Boseman, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans’ mustache, and other members of the Infinity War cast gathered on The Tonight Show for “The Marvel Bunch”, singing along to the tune of The Brady Bunch theme.
Keanu Reeves won’t be the hunter in next summer’s John Wick: Chapter 3, he’ll be the hunted. Lionsgate revealed at CinemaCon the first plot synopsis for the anticipated sequel, and it finds the world’s best killer on the run with a bounty on his head.
“John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run for two reasons… he’s being hunted for a global $14 million dollar open contract on his life, and for breaking a central rule: taking a life on Continental Hotel grounds. The victim was a member of the High Table who ordered the open contract. John should have already been executed, except the Continental’s manager, Winston, has given him a one-hour grace period before he’s “Excommunicado” – membership revoked, banned from all services and cut off from other members. John uses the service industry to stay alive as he fights and kills his way out of New York City.”
Chad Stahelski, who co-directed the first John Wick film with David Leitch but flew solo on the sequel, is back behind the camera. Reeves will obviously return and presumably so will Ian McShane and other key members of the cast. John Wick: Chapter 3 opens May 17th 2019.
Even at CinemaCon where studios are showing off their upcoming slates, you knew J.J. Abrams wouldn’t reveal too much about what Bad Robot has in store. That said, he did drop some big news regarding the Cloverfield franchise and Overlord, which we thought was going to be its next chapter.
Abrams revealed that Overlord, an R-rated WWII horror directed by Julius Avery, is not actually the fourth Cloverfield movie as has been believed for the past year. But was that always the case and the rumors were just wrong? Or did Bad Robot move away from that direction after the fact? Maybe the poor reaction to Netflix’s The Cloverfield Paradox has something to do with it?
Overlord stars Jovan Adepo, Bokeem Woodbine, Wyatt Russell, Pilous Asbaek, Jacob Anderson, John Magaro, and Iain De Caestecker, opening on October 26th. Here’s the synopsis:
On the eve of D-Day, American paratroopers are dropped behind enemy lines to carry out a mission crucial to the invasion’s success. But as they approach their target, they begin to realize there is more going on in this Nazi-occupied village than a simple military operation. They find themselves fighting against supernatural forces, part of a Nazi experiment.
I remember thinking A Quiet Place was secretly a Cloverfield movie. Admit it, you thought so too once or twice.
After showing off footage from Overlord, Abrams went on to confirm that a “proper” Cloverfield sequel is in the works and that it will open “soon.” What does that mean? Are we talking about a direct followup to the original with obvious connections rather than implied? And how soon is he talking about? If you remember, 10 Cloverfield Lane hit theaters right away after we find out what it truly was. Could we be in for a similar situation? [via /Film]
In news that I’m sure will have you floored, Paramount has confirmed a sequel to John Krasinski’s smash hit A Quiet Place is in the works. The announcement was made during their presentation at CinemaCon, but if you’re hoping for much in the way of details then sorry to disappoint.
Paramount CEO Jim Gianopulos confirmed the followup film, saying it would be led by “the same group of people that made the first film.” What does that mean exactly? Is Krasinski coming back to direct? Or is he referring to the return of writers Bryan Woods and Scott Beck who have already said they have ideas for a sequel in mind? Krasinski might be preoccupied as he’s signed on to direct sci-fi film Life on Mars.
It’s way too early to know anything at this point. There’s no way Paramount predicted the little $17M horror would go on to have a $50M opening weekend and earn more than $230M in less than a month. The only question now is how do you capitalize on that kind of success? Do you have a direct sequel with the same characters and creative team? Or do you go in a direction similar to Cloverfield, telling offshoot stories set in the same universe? [Slashfilm/THR]
Imagine this, a Morbius the Living Vampire movie directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington. Damn that would be hot, and the biggest feather in the cap for Sony as they try to launch a cinematic universe with Spider-Man supporting characters. Now, it hasn’t happened yet but Fuqua admits to Joblo that he wants to do a superhero movie at some point, and that he’s had talks with Sony about Morbius…
“As a kid I grew up with comic books. They talked to me about ‘Black Panther’ years ago, way back in the day. There’s some reason they came up and they talked to me about at Sony, a Marvel character, Morbius [The Living Vampire]…that kinda came up. I don’t know, I have a thirteen-year-old son so I’m watching more of that again and it’s exciting to do that. I’d love to create a new one. Y’know, something that’s closer to what I get excited about.”
He would go on to mention an interest in maybe directing a Blade movie, which would also be a perfect fit. Not necessarily for Denzel, though.
Fuqua is reteaming with Denzel for The Equalizer 2, the first sequel either of them has ever done. They also worked on The Magnificent Seven remake together a couple of years ago, so it’s clear they have a smooth working relationship. Come on, Sony! Make this Morbius thing happen! Last update was that screenwriters Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama (Dracula Untold, Power Rangers) were working on the script, but there’s currently no other talent attached.
The first season of Justin Simien’s Dear White People was one of Netflix’s most successful shows, certainly better than I think it had any right to be. Most movie-to-TV series adaptations fall flat or miss what made the film work but Simien smartly took the same themes, and many of the same characters, and gave them room to breathe over the course of multiple episodes. He was able to expand on his ideas regarding race in a way that was as smart and just as funny as on the big screen. And now the show is back for season two, which looks just as good.
The students of Winchester University are still up to their eyeballs in racially-charged drama as the fallout from last season’s blackface party continues. Sam (Logan Browning) is full of fiery rhetoric as usual, and she’s once again the target of haters who don’t like what she has to say. There’s a greater sense of mystery going into this season, but the humor is on-point (“Che Guevara at Fashion Week!” as ever and Simien seems to be settling into a groove.
Featuring a tremendous cast that includes Logan Browning, Brandon P. Bell, Antoinette Robertson, DeRon Horton, John Patrick Amedori, Ashley Blaine Featherson and Marque Richardson, Dear White People Vol. 2 hits Netflix on May 4th.
