vermilion is one of those great films that is difficult to fully capture in writing, because it is and does so many things. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2024 Venice Film Festival (essentially second place) and is gaining momentum as Italy's Oscar submission paints a picture. It's an independent box office success in its own country, which paints another picture. It is artistic, atmospheric and observant; a film about life told in hushed tones. It is dedicated to recreating a specific time and place and placing ourselves in it. There's a smooth stability to the way he…
Author: Alex Harrison
Maria Make your intentions clear from the beginning. In September 1977, legendary opera singer Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie) is in her final days and her grasp on reality is tenuous at best. She reorganizes the world with herself at the center, though where once entire multitudes were subject to her whims, now only her loyal butler (Pierfrancesco Favino) and maid (Alba Rohrwacher) remain. They worry about their declining health. When abusing the medication, she hallucinates entire conversations. She hates doctors, who feel compelled to interrupt her with their facts. Director Pablo Larraín Writers Steven Knight Cast Angelina Jolie, Pierfrancesco Favino,…
This article covers a developing story. Keep checking back with us as we will add more information as it becomes available. The first trailer for 28 years later was released. Upcoming horror sequel reunites the original 28 days later director Danny Boyle with screenwriter Alex Garland, as well as Cillian Murphy, who will reprise his role from the original and also serve as executive producer. The film is scheduled for release on June 20, 2025. Now the first 28 years later The trailer was shared by Sony Pictures. Check it out below: More to come… This article covers a developing…
When it comes to expansions of The Lord of the Rings franchise, I'm much more inclined to embrace The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim what The Hunt for Gollum. At this stage in Hollywood's intellectual property era, studios have become so afraid of upsetting fans that new movies and shows treat old ones like sacred texts. The more familiar ground is retread, the more the reverence intensifies. An anime telling an independent story from two centuries earlier The Lord of the Rings gives me more hope than a live action film set in the middle of Brotherhood.…
I have not read the William S. Burroughs novel that Queer it’s adapted, but if you told me Luca Guadagnino destroyed it and started from scratch, I’d believe you. Your latest film seems to me to be in clear conversation with your previous work, as if the sensibilities of his four previous features were combined into one film. It’s an enigmatic experience that I desperately want to spend this space interpreting. But I’ll refrain from going into too much detail and just offer the lens I saw it through. An American expatriate in 1950s Mexico City, struggling with isolation and…
It is natural that Gladiator 2 is getting very close at this stage of the Oscar race. A legendary filmmaker returning for a sequel to his Best Picture-winning epic after more than 20 years; a cast of rising and new stars, supported by a legend in a superb supporting role; a big, ambitious, crowd-pleasing spectacle that won the approval of critics (including RSby Graeme Guttmann himself) and looks set to earn a big box office price. A movie like this has “nominations leader” written all over it, right? Maybe – with the press campaign it’s getting from Paramount, Gladiator 2…
I see Christmas Eve at Miller’s Point as a combination of two narrative instincts, the first of which is, unsurprisingly, the Christmas movie. This is one of those that isn’t just set around the holiday but about it, and scenes of family togetherness (both messy and thorny) resonate beyond its moment. The other, however, is the instant ensemble film, where the moment is everything. We are with these people for one night of their lives, and the goal is to be with them, share that experience, and find meaning wherever we choose to see it. Director TylerTaormina Release date November…
This article is part of a series on the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA double strikes and their impact on Hollywood. Part 1 explored the issue of writing staff. For more than six months in 2023, from May 2 to November 9, Hollywood productions were halted or shut down entirely by overlapping strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA. The last time these two major unions jointly downed tools was in 1960, when residuals, or guaranteed payments for the reuse of films and television shows, were the main point of contention. 63 years later, they were again at the…
I have not read the novel by William S. Burroughs funny is adapted from, but if you told me that Luca Guadagnino drew it up and started from scratch, I’d believe you. His latest film seems to me in clear conversation with his previous work, As if the sensibilities of his four previous features were combined into one movie. It’s an enigmatic experience that I desperately want to spend this space interpreting. But I will refrain from going into too much detail and just offer the lens I saw it through. Director Luca Guadagnino Writers William S. Burroughs, Justin Kuritskes…
I’ll be honest, I don’t really understand Kevin Costner Horizon project. I’m not really one to judge whether it makes business sense to make a multi-part western saga for theatrical release in 2024; As a critic, my stake is not in the world of profits and losses. When Costner used all his talent to put a project like this on the big screen, I should be able to applaud him, purely out of my love for the cinematic experience. Instead, after seeing Horizon: Chapter 2I’m still scratching my head and wondering why it wasn’t a TV. studio(s) New Line Cinema,…