Of all the films in the long processional of December awards contenders, Josie Rourke’s “Mary Queen of Scots” may be the most classical of the bunch. For years, Hollywood was enamored with historical dramas of kings and castles and battles and wars. Movies like that have fallen out of favor over the years, as prestige dramas have shifted to cover more modern subject material. We still see films like this from time to time, especially those focused on the Scottish highlands. “Braveheart” won its fair share of Oscars, and Netflix entered the fray earlier this year with “Outlaw King,” another…
Author: Steve Katz
December is usually the time of year that the movie world is dominated by a mix of prestige dramas with awards aspirations and family fare designed to take advantage of the holiday season. Increasingly, though, the major studios tend to find room to sneak a blockbuster or two onto the schedule – an opportunity to offer some counterprogramming to those who love big movies with big budgets and big spectacle. Universal is banking on exactly that sort of success with the release of “Mortal Engines” from Peter Jackson’s studio, WingNut Films. Based on the book by Philip Reeve, “Mortal Engines”…
Some movies are designed to shock the system. “Vox Lux,” the new film from actor turned writer/director Brady Corbet, has just such plans and doesn’t hide it. Opening with a short narration rather inexplicably by Willem Dafoe, the film immediately throws its audience into a violent and harrowing school shooting. Nearly full credits run over footage of young Celeste Montgomery (Raffy Cassidy) as she clings to life in the back of an ambulance. Crippled by a spinal cord injury and struggling with her rehab, Celeste finds an outlet in music, writing and singing songs with her sister Eleanor (Stacy Martin)…
When “Creed” was released in 2015, no one really knew what to expect. The film’s director, Ryan Coogler, wasn’t the “Black Panther”-helming household name he is now. He had just directed a well-liked indie movie, “Fruitvale Station,” starring Michael B. Jordan. It had been nine years since “Rocky Balboa” and 25 years since “Rocky V.” No one would claim they were clamoring for a continuation of the franchise. But with Coogler directing and Jordan and Tessa Thompson as the film’s core of young stars, there’s no denying that the film outperformed expectations, both critically and at the box office. And…
Watch enough movies from year to year, and it’s easy to see patterns and trends emerge. In 2018, one of the most interesting trends we’ve seen at the theater is directors seemingly content to step out of their expected lane. Paul Feig made a mystery thriller with “A Simple Favor,” Steve McQueen’s “Widows” is a slick heist flick, and Luca Guadagnino followed up the romantic drama “Call Me by Your Name” with a phantasmagoric remake of “Suspiria.” And now, Peter Farrelly, one half of the comedy directing duo that dominated the ‘90s with “There’s Something About Mary” and “Dumb and…
What is the expectation of privacy for a public figure? That’s the question at the center of “The Front Runner,” Jason Reitman’s dramatization of the week that ended Colorado senator Gary Hart’s 1988 presidential campaign. Hart (played here by Hugh Jackman) was a rising star in the Democratic party throughout the ‘80s, and he came into the 1988 primary as the presumptive favorite. Hart was an inordinately private person with a rocky marriage to his wife Lee (Vera Farmiga), but he was also an undeniable presence and public speaker with a message that cut to the core of the rot…
It’s often been claimed that comedians are the best actors. The saying goes that it’s easy to make someone cry but a lot harder to make someone laugh, and the movie business has a long history of comedic actors straying from their roots and trying out more serious roles, often with success. Jim Carrey’s dramatic output has been inconsistent at best, but it would be foolish to deny the power of “The Truman Show.” And after years as a faux-serious contributor on “The Daily Show” and blowhard on “The Office,” Steve Carell garnered an Oscar nomination for “Foxcatcher” and big…
Given enough time, it’s safe to say that just about any sufficiently famous person will eventually receive the prestige biopic treatment. By the end of 2018, Neil Armstrong (“First Man”) and Dick Cheney (the upcoming “Vice”) will have joined the ranks of inevitable biopic subjects, and this year also sees the release of a long-gestating and evolving project on the life of Freddie Mercury with Bryan Singer’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” It hasn’t been an easy journey, with Sacha Baron Cohen at one point attached to star, only for that version to fall apart after the surviving members of Queen took umbrage…
It’s always fascinating to see how actors adapt when they move from working in front of the camera to behind it. Last year saw Greta Gerwig make the leap with aplomb with “Lady Bird,” and only a few weeks ago, Bradley Cooper joined the fray by mounting his version of “A Star is Born.” In some cases, these projects can seem like little more than a vanity project – an opportunity for an actor to assume full control and make what he or she wants without having to kowtow to a director. In other cases, they have a story they…
It only took two movies for Damien Chazelle to become one of the biggest deals in Hollywood. “Whiplash” was the little Sundance movie that could, winning more Oscars than “Boyhood,” “Foxcatcher” or “The Imitation Game.” “La La Land” became one of the most anticipated films of 2016 en route to 14 Oscar nominations (including Chazelle’s first Best Director statue) and a healthy backlash from many in the critical community. Despite the protestations of some over “La La Land,” which might have been ameliorated by the “Moonlight” debacle, there’s still no question that a movie with Chazelle behind it is going…