Danny Elfman confirms that he will bring back his classic 'Batman' theme for 'Justice League'

I grew up watching Tim Burton's first two Batman movies. I was obsessed, continuously rewatching them and memorizing every line. My fandom stopped once "Batman Forever" happened, which was met with a resounding "WTF?" I mean, it's one thing changing Tim Burton for Joel Schumacher as the director, but replacing Michael Keaton with Val Kilmer as Batman was the final straw for me. I wouldn't be a fan again until Christopher Nolan took over. I do, however, still think Keaton has been the best on-screen Batman we have ever had. He just nailed the caped crusader in a way that not even Christian Bale could.

I don't think there is a superhero score as memorable as Danny Elfman's for  Tim Burton’s Batman, maybe John Williams' "Superman" score but that's it.  Elfman's catchy "Batman" theme still gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it. When I heard that Danny Elfman would be replacing Junkie XL as the composer for "Justice League," it made me look forward to the film a little more than expected. Would he? Could he? 

In an interview with Reporte Indigo, Elfman confirmed he will be using his inconic score from "Batman" and "Batman Returns" for "Justice League,"“ You will hear Batman’s theme for Batman… Batman has only had one theme.” I couldn;t agree more. No disrespect to Hans Zimmer's score for the Christopher Nolan trilogy, which was great in its own right, but Elfman nailed it the irst time around. 

Disney's twitter posts picture of the cast for "The Lion King," released summer 2019

Director Jon Favreau impressively went from comedies like “Elf” to crowd-pleasing blockbusters with ease. The filmmaker brought a solid mix of action and humor to 2008’s “Iron Man” and more importantly kick-started Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe on the right foot. “Iron Man” was innovative and irreverent compared to the superhero movies that came before it. Favreau also gave Disney another blockbuster hit with his live-action take on “The Jungle Book” which nearly cracked $1 billion. Combining landmark visual effects with incredible story sense, Favreau proved yet again he can tackle scale with entertaining results. He’s one of the few directors that Disney can practically put their trust in, which is why I'm eagerly waiting for this live-action version of "The Lion King." Summer 2019. Will most likely break Box-Office records.

Ron Howard reshot most (80%) of "Solo: A Star Wars Story"

While everybody was freaking over Christopher Miller and Phil Lord being fired from the Star Wars/Han Solo film, replaced by Ron Howard, and Woody Harrelson reminded us all to chill and calm down because "Obviously the force is with us," there was still no word on who would actually nab the coveted directing credit on the film. Howard would have had to shoot more than half the movie, 51%, to be credited as "director.

Well, it seems like we have our answer,  Star Wars News Net's The Resistance Broadcast has pointed us towards our friends over at Slashfilm that Ron Howard reshot something like 80% of "Solo: A Star Wars Story," which has consequentially doubled the film's budget. I doubt Disney minds actually adding to the budget, but double? Yikes. They surely already knew that would be the case when they fired Lord and Miller, right? 

As much as I'd love to see Chris Miller and Phil Lord's,, purported more comedic version of Solo, I do prefer for 80% of the film to be reshot because two clashing visions is never ideal in a movie, which is why we oughta be concerned about Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon's upcoming "Justice League."

Disney is requiring theaters to show The Last Jedi in their largest auditorium for a minimum of 4 weeks, and will receive about 65% of ticket-sales revenue. Violators will face an addition 5% sales charge.

I remember Quentin Tarantino being reasonably angered by being forced to pull out of a contract with a theater chain when "The Hateful Eight" was released, all this because Disney threatened to not allow them to show any future SW films if they didn't drop QT's film to give "The Force Awakens" another week or two. This was a screen that QT was very adamant in showing his film at because it supported 70mm prints. He even stated something akin to "how much more money can Disney make in a single screen that would make it worth screwing him over?"

"Before exhibitors can begin screening “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” this December, they must first commit to a set of top-secret terms that numerous theater owners say are the most onerous they’ve ever seen. Disney will receive about 65% of ticket-sales revenue from the film, a new benchmark for a Hollywood studio. Disney is also requiring theaters to show the movie in their largest auditorium for at least four weeks. Ignoring the terms carries an unusual penalty. If a theater violates any condition of the distribution agreement, Disney can charge it an additional 5%, bringing the studio’s total haul to 70% of sales on a movie likely to gross more than $500 million at the domestic box office."

[WSJ]
[Reddit]

"Creed 2" receives November 21, 2018 release date

According to Collider:

"Creed 2, a continuation of the Rocky saga, also starring Golden Globe-winner and Academy Award-nominee Sylvester Stallone, will be released in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures on November 21, 2018. Stallone is writing and will direct the sequel."

Here's what I wrote in 10/09/17:

Stallone, whom many believe deserved the Academy Award for his performance in "Creed," took to Instagram yet again and announced the news that he, not Ryan Coogler, would be directing "Creed 2," he wrote: “Looking forward to directing and Producing The incredibly talented Michael B Jordan in CREED 2 next year … One more Round ! 

Good news? I would say bittersweet, more than anything. Stallone can direct, decently, but Coogler changed the game with "Creed." He revitalized the boxing genre for the new millennium. There is no way Stallone can achieve what Coogler did. "Creed 2" might be a good movie, but it won't be a great one like "Creed." For all the gravitas and passion Sly has brought to his Rocky franchise over the years, his talents as a director are decent, old-school but conventional. I like what he did with "Rocky Balboa" a few years back, but what made "Creed" so good was the fresh new blood Coogler injected into the veins of this tired old franchise.

Here's what I wrote about the film ("Creed") in 2015:

"As an incredibly cinematic sport, boxing films are often rife with clichés. So then, what a welcome surprise it was to have a "Rocky" movie that actually delivered the thrills and goosebumps that made the original 1976 film such a great film. Although the story might be familiar, Ryan Coogler's "Creed" had a freshness and vitality that only a young, talented filmmaker and actor could bring to the table. Coogler and his actor Michael B Jordan, fresh off their Sundance triumph just two years ago with "Fruitvale Station," infused Rocky with 21st century modernism and style that Sylvester Stallone would have never been able to pull off if he were the writer-director, although I will say  that 2006's "Rocky Balboa" wasn't half-bad either. The way Coogler shot "Creed" brought some much-needed new blood to the tired boxing genre, a perfect example would the way he reinvented how a boxing match could be shot."

"There's an audacious sequence mid-way through the film that seamlessly flows as a single unbroken shot, the scene follows Jordan's Adonis Creed as he squares off against Leo Sporino (Gabe Rosado) in the boxing ring. The way Coogler’s camera circles its way through the ring is nothing more than ground-breaking; never had a boxing match felt this intimate, visceral or gut-wrenching than at that very moment. You felt every punch in the fights featured in "Creed" and it all but cemented Coogler an incredible talent to watch."

"Blade Runner 2049" was initially a 4-hour, two-part release

Folks, sometimes the stars don't align for a smartly crafted blockbuster. "Blade Runner 2049," despite incredible reviews, is crashing and burning at the Box-Office. You say "but $30+ million opening weekend, that's pretty solid" I say, the budget of the film, depending on who you speak to, was anywhere between $150-$170 Million. Its tally total of $82M so far just doesn't cut it. Despite the A- CinemaScore grade, and the 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes but what we're looking at right now is a risk that didn't pay off. A $150M art-house sequel to a cult film with a running time stretching close to the three-hour mark. How did we not expect this?

Despite all that, "Blade Runner 2049" is Denis Villeneuve gaining confidence in his ability to let a narrative breathe and daring his audience to follow him along a deeply steeped, tip-toeing narrative. Just like its 1982 predecessor, the film delves into the unexplained, in a millennial-filled zeitgeist expecting explanations that's nothing short of risky.  It's a film front-loaded with cinematographer Roger Deakins' beautifully lit frames, but beneath those frames lie secrets that will no doubt become more visible with repeat viewings, or at least that's what I hope because after a single viewing of "Blade Runner 2049" I can honestly say a lot of questions are still up for interpretation and debate. 

The film's editor Joe Walker, imagine the task of editing this film, recently spoke to Provideo Coaliton, the juiciest tidbit for me was the fact that Villeneuve initially had a four hour cut of "2049." Even more intriguing was Walker having to divide the movie into two parts. He even says the thought of releasing both halves separately crossed through both his and Villeneuve's mind:

"That break revealed something about the story – it’s in two halves. There’s K discovering his true past as he sees it and at the halfway mark he kind of loses his virginity (laughs). The next morning, it’s a different story, about meeting your maker and ultimately sacrifice – “dying is the most human thing we do.” Oddly enough both halves start with eyes opening. There’s the giant eye opening at the beginning of the film and the second when Mariette wakes up and sneaks around K’s apartment. We toyed with giving titles to each half but quickly dropped that. But what does remain is that there’s something of a waking dream about the film. That’s a very deliberate choice in terms of visuals but also the kind of pace they were striving for on set and the hallucinatory feel in the cut – it’s the kind of dream where you tread inexorably closer to the truth."

Villeneuve said from the beginning that the studio had the final say on the released cut of the film, but, just to be clear, he no doubt was in full creative-control and working in collaboration with everyone, and has mentioned that he released the envisioned cut that he wanted of the film. Whether or not his intention for a 4-hour cut was vetoed by the WB is up for debate but it would have, financially, been even more of a disaster for the studio.

First Official Image for Steven Spielberg's "The Post"

Scanned from upcoming edition of Fotogramas

Box Office Week: "Jigsaw" debuts at #1 with a respectable $16.2M, George Clooney's "Suburbicon" has a disasterous opening at #9 with $2.8M and "Blade Runner 2049" adds to its now $81.3M tally

1. “Jigsaw” — $16.2 million
2. “Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween” — $10 million 
3. “Geostorm” — $5.6 million ($23.5 mil.)
4. “Happy Death Day” — $5 million ($48.3 mil.)
5. “Blade Runner 2049” — $3.9 million ($81.3 mil.)
6. “Thank You For Your Service” — $3.7 million
7. “Only The Brave” — $3.4 million ($11.9 mil.)
8. “The Foreigner” — $3.2 milloin ($28.8 mil.)
9. “Suburbicon” — $2.8 million
10. “It” — $2.4 million ($323.7 mil.)

Current state of the cinematic experience

A few rambling thoughts about how the culture of moveigoing has changed.

The most frequent moviegoers by age group are the 25-39 years of age (25% of total moviegoers), Hispanics purchased 25% of the tickets sold last year (the most frequent moviegoing ethnicity). Hollywood will adhere to whatever the stats say and will work accordingly to make the most money possible. What seems to be selling these days are superhero flicks, blockbuster sequels, and animated movies. Last year's top 30 Box-Office champs were all either sequels, Marvel/DC, remakes or animated. The only exceptions were Hidden Figures (#14), La La Land (#19), Central Intelligence (#22), Sully (#24), and Arrival (#29). So, no, it seems like there's no room for a Kramer vs Kramer or Chinatown anymore at the Box-Office. Compare the current situation to 20 years ago and the difference is alarming. In 1997 26 of the 30 most successful films at the Box-office were originals. Only 4 sequels made it, no animated movies, no superhero movies, and just a single remake. Is this a dumbing down of the masses? I don't think so, I think it's just an outright extinction of the old-school cinematic experience.

People now go to the movies for a different kind of experience. I mostly go to press screenings, but whenever I do happen to buy a ticket at any given multiplex, and the place is sold out, chances are somebody around my vicinity will either be whispering to their partner the entire way through, a flashy cellphone light will keep bothering me, some idiot will be texting relentlessly, or, if I'm very unlucky, some brain-dead parents will bring a crying toddler to a PG-13 or R rated movie. I don't blame people for staying at home and watching Netflix, HBO ET all, especially with the skyrocketing ticket prices and the cinema being packed with 18-24 year-olds suffering from severe ADHD and believing that being on your phone throughout the movie is normal ethical behavior.

This kind of experience is not uncommon these days, in fact, it happens ALL THE TIME at your local AMC or major theater chain. The problem is that these people represent the demographic that buys the most movie tickets on a yearly basis, they are the ones that go to the movies for the next Marvel and DC extravaganza.

Tarantino shopping around "Charles Manson" screenplay

Harvey Weinstein has produced every single movie Quentin tarantino has directed since his 1992 debut "Resrvoir Dogs." Recent "developments" have made QT homeless in terms of a production company, but word is that he is shopping around his "based upon the infamous Manson Family murders" screenplay to numerous potential buyers. WARNING to streaming sites, he has been vocal in his disinterest and adamant remarks about mainting the cinematic experience, so there will be no Amazon and Netflix bids.
The Wrap is reporting that the filmmaker is really not making it easy for studio executives, making them  "go through a complex process in order to bid for the rights." So far, Warner Bros., Universal and Paramount have been invited to QT's offices, where they have put down their bid for the rights to the film. 

QT's last film, the highly underrated "Hateful Eight," was deemed a box-office "failure" and was met with mixed reviews. I loved it. It harkened back to some of the talkier fare he was known for back in the '90s. 

Tarantino has had a few screenplays finished up, but he never fully commits to anything until he is sure it's his next project, but this seems to be that sure-thing. The Manson movie is actually meant to be Sharon Tate's story. Tate was dating Roman Polanski at the time of her morose death and that tragedy has spanned the decades since as the stuff of Hollywood doom. Will QT be giving us a more serious affair by tackling this story or is he going to go for the same over-the-top style (Django, Basterds, Kill Bill) of his last few films? 

"The Silence of the Lambs" 4K re-release?

The late Jonathan Demme's "The Silence of the Lambs" is more or less regarded as a landmark, zeitgeist-changing film. Back in 1991 people were clamoring to find a more fully-fleshed and strong heroine than FBI agent Clarice Starling, truth was there weren't many in film history up to that point that carried the kind of existential, dreadfilled burden Clarice had to carry on her shoulders in the film. Suffice to say, Jodie Foster's performance changed the rule book ditto Anthony Hopkins' role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a menacing, horrifying figure that, shock, actually had the smarts to outplay his opponents. Yes, he was a cannibal but you kind of respected the way the guy would outwit every FBI agent that came his way

Tak Fujimoto was one of two cinematographers who shot Terrence Malick’s landmark 1973 film "Badlands,"  he was also Jonathan Demme’s in-house cinematographer, with their relationship starting way back in 1974 with "Caged Heat." Fujimoto still has no Oscar nominations, not even getting recognized for his astounding camera work in Demme’s 1991 film,  in which he employed striking old-fashioned visuals using on-set lighting and not relying on post-production effects. 

As for Demme, well, "Something Wild" will always be my favorite of his films, but "The Silence of the Lambs" is his masterpiece and the film that will forever earn him a mark in the cinematic time capsule. The peculiar re-release of the film, courtesy of BFI, in a newly restored 4K edition is kinda random, the film was released 26 years ago, but nevertheless, it seems like the restoration has brought in a few differences.

Jeffrey Welles, always the nitpicky thespian when it comes to color restoration, has this to say:

"I wasn’t aware that The Silence of the Lambs (which is now 26 and 3/4 years old, having opened on 1.30.91) needed a 4K restoration. On top of which this trailer makes the colors look a bit bleachy. They’re certainly darker and warmer on the Bluray that I own. Remember that Jack Crawford is based on real-life FBI criminal profiler John Douglas, the author of the book that provided the basis for David Fincher‘s Mindhunter. For whatever reason Jonathan Demme‘s film will re-open in England on 11.3.17. "

Taika Waititi Wants To See A ‘Black Widow’ Movie

I wrote for The Playlist about Taika Waititi's interest in making a "Black Widow" movie. This would, of course be most welcome. 

Exact quote:

“In all honesty, I reckon I could probably bring something pretty unique to any of the franchises,” he said. “So I’d love to see Black Widow. [I’d like to see] Black Widow as something crazy and a bit funnier than we expect it to be, because we know her story and it’s very sullen and very dark and her history is very dark. But! What’s the funny version of that? What’s the more entertaining version of that?”

More thoughts from yours truly HERE

Hayao Miyazaki’s next animated film is officially titled “Kimi Tachi wa Do Ikiruka - How Should You Live.” Will be ready in 3-4 years (Japanese Link)

Japanese Yahoo is saying that Hayao Miyazaki’s next animated film is officially titled “Kimi Tachi wa Do Ikiruka - How Should You Live” and will be ready in 3-4 years

Where many animators might overtly simplify the visual elements of their animated movies, Hayao Miyazaki has always adhered to a painstakingly difficult process for his films.

The legendary Japanese director of such classics as “Spirited Away,” “Princess Mononoke,” and “My Neighbor Totoro” has always been suspicious of computers and personally draws his own frames by hand, which number in the thousands per film. As a result, Miyazaki’s films have always been richly conceived, with beautiful lavish colors and a masterful sense of detail rarely seen in western animation. When it comes to the 76-year-old Japanese animator, my advice is to forget about the stories, they will work their spells on you regardless, and just immerse yourself into the surreal nature of his worlds. There’s a reason why Miyazaki is known as Godfather of Japanese animation — there’s nobody else out there that’s ever come close to his level.

In 2013 Miyazaki said he was retiring and that his last film would be the bittersweet WWII drama “The Wind Rises.” That retirement was short-lived though as last year during the nationally televised Japanese television special “The Man Who Is Not Done: Hayao Miyazaki,” the acclaimed anime director hinted that he wanted to come out of retirement and make another film. Was a comeback in the works?

The inevitable was eventually confirmed as we found out that Miyazaki was secretly working on “Boro the Caterpillar,” a film which was intended as a short, but which the Japanese master said left him with an unsatisfied feeling. Last fall, the director has presented a proposal to make a full length movie, and started working on storyboards, with a goal to release the film in 2019, right before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Details are yet to come, but if we needed any kind of good news on this Friday it’s that Studio Ghibli’s production department has officially been reopened today. Miyazaki is at work on his new feature, which is either a feature length version of “Boro the Caterpillar,” or something else entirely. We’ll find out in time. Either way, a new film from Miyazaki is a cause for celebration, so dust off your old copy of ‘Totoro’ and watch it this weekend to celebrate the return of a giant.

Who are the best current Hollywood film directors? A poll of close to 23k voters on Reddit says it's Denis Villeneuve.

A Reddit POLL of more than 23,000 voters, and currently counting, has proclaimed Denis Villeneuve the best film director currently working in Hollywood. This is quite surprising but not unexpected considering that Villeneuve has directed 6 acclaimed movies in the past 7 years: "Incendies," "Prisoners," "Enemy," "Sicario," "Arrival" and "Blade Runner 2049." However, one might think that given Reddit's average age bracket (58 percent of adult Reddit users are aged 18 to 29 years) millennials would opt for the reigning king of their wet dreams, Christopher Nolan. Villeneueve, whom I've kept mentioning countless times on this site as a major directorial voice not just for millennials but for serious-minded mainstream moviegoers as well, is leading the poll by more than 1k votes.

FLASHBACK: Paul Thomas Anderson's 10 movies that Influenced Boogie Nights

[Reddit]

Michael Almereyda Talks ‘Marjorie Prime,’ Artificial Intelligence & The Film’s Unsettling Premise

I spoke to director Michael Almereyda for The Playlist earlier this year. His latest film, starring Jon Hamm and Lois Smith,  is a unique take on the sci-fi genre, it's a chamber drama entitled Marjorie Prime [INTERVIEW]

"Almereyda takes you on an almost psychedelic journey through the human subconscious. It’s not easy to let yourself swim into the film’s initial coldness, but if you are open to the film’s Resnais-esque contemplations on life and allow yourself to bring your own experiences to the drama, the journey is as rewarding as anything out there at the moment. By the film’s climax, the future feels closer than ever before, one which will be inevitable dominated by artificial touches. It’s hard for the film’s themes of aging and memory not to hit home."

Denis Villeneuve's Movies Ranked

Denis Villeneuve is not a filmmaker who sees the light at the end of the tunnel. If you’ve ever seen any one of his movies you’ll know that there is a sense of dread and uneasiness to every frame, the feeling that nothing good will happen and that everything is just wrong. Yet, the 50-year-old director hasn’t exactly tackled melancholic stories in his career either: His movies have included child abductors, terrorists, drug lords, hitmen, high school shooters and depressed alcoholics. Yet since his American debut, Prisoners, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman, he has steadily but surely built up a following that is making him a reputable force to be reckoned with. That film’s polite but good reviews were transformed over the last few years into an undeniable cult following. The grisly murder mystery at the center of the story has typical B-movie tropes, but he has a knack for making a script better just by the way he films, paces, and directs. About this he says, “All my life, I’ve searched for good screenwriters; I love writing, but I’m not a good screenwriter and I take forever to complete a script. For the first time ever, I’m receiving screenplays from Hollywood that actually intrigue me. I had heard so many horror stories about foreign filmmakers going to Hollywood that got fucked by the system. Martin Scorsese warned me in fact that ‘You need to remain intact, that’s the most important thing.’ ” Here are 8 of his movies ranked with quotes from my reviews of those films.

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1) Incendies

"With his fourth film, Denis Villeneuve has hit a new career high. Based on Wajdi Mouawad's stage play, "Incendies" is the firecracker we've been waiting for this fall. Political, angry and thoroughly engrossing,  Villeneuve's film is one of the year's best.  The film's central stories, taking place both in present day Montreal & the Middle East, are filled with corruption and violence as a brother and sister duo try to find out who their recently deceased mother really was. The torching and shooting of a bus filled with muslims bystanders, by christian radicals is the centerpiece of this tough unforgettablemovie. It's a sequence breathlessly shot and horrifying to watch in its authenticity.  The way Villeneuve tells his story is original and visionary, his perfectly calibrated command of the frame is impressive ditto his middle eastern nightmare of a film that creeps up on you from its first frame to the last. I was also completely taken back by its final twisty revelation that only puts the icing on the cake. The film will more than likely find a comfort zone from both critics and audiences when it finally gets released in the States. Villeneuve  hasn't really gotten the reputation he deserves south of the border and I think this film might just finally do it for him." — October 2010

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2) Arrival

"Toronto was a kind of homecoming for Canadian boy Denis Villeneuve whose “Arrival” had very successful showings at both Telluride and Venice just a week prior. Amy Adams plays Louise Banks, a linguist who is recruited by the military after enormous Alien pods show up across the globe. Many countries are prepared for war, but Louise believes that the visitors might actually be on earth for non-violent reasons. Adams, in one of her very best performances, gives a touching and rewarding performance in a film that feels like a better version of Christopher Nolan’s well-known sci-fi blockbusters. The sentimentality is somewhat stripped down for a more concrete and profound look at the ties that bind us all on earth. It’s a thought-provoking adventure that isn’t about war, but communication instead. Villeneuve once again proves to be the real deal. The 49-year-old Quebecois filmmaker is building up a solid, loyal fan-base that could one day rival Nolan’s. The fact that his next movie is “Blade Runner 2” only gets us more excited about his future." — September 2016

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3) Blade Runner 2049

"The film, set thirty years after the original, has a quiet brooding lead character in Ryan Gosling's Officer K, who is a blade runner himself, seeking defacto droids that pose as humans. Just like Ford's Deckard, he's the best at what he does. Trouble comes in the form of an uncovered secret that could open a whole can of worms for the totalitarian government of the new world, which leads K on a quest to find Deckard, who's been missing for more than thirty years. It implicates K and a childhood memory that was implanted in his subconscious when he was created or did it actually happen? None of his American films have managed to capture the bloody, brutal brilliance of "Incendies," but, by golly, is this man on his way to that peak again, slowly learning the tricks of the trade to fully master his own auteur voice in a studio system lacking in, well, distinct and unique voices. "Blade Runner 2049" is Villeneuve gaining confidence in his ability to let a narrative breathe and have the confidence of the audience member to follow him along a deeply steeped, tip-toeing and risky narrative. It's 153-minute length, not counting the 11-minute credits, will surely be an endurance test for many. It's a film front-loaded with cinematographer Roger Deakins' beautifully lit frames, but beneath those frames lie secrets that will no doubt become more visible with repeat viewings, or at least that's what I hope because after a single viewing of "Blade Runner 2049" I can honestly say a lot of questions are still left unanswered." — October 2017

4) Sicario

"Sicario has been compared to Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic for its investigation of the Mexican drug cartel. That’s where comparisons should end. Sicario is a whole other beast, relying heavily on atmosphere, a pulse pounding score and Roger Deakins’ beautfully gritty photography. Emily Blunt, in the best performance of her career, is a SWAT team agent who gets promoted by a task force official (Josh Brolin, in a meaty role) to follow him through various danger zones of Mexico and learn about the nitty gritty goings on. Benicio Del Toro is a mysterious consultant hired to assist in the case, a man who doesn’t speak the whole truth and fully reveals himself as the story goes along. It’s his best role since 21 Grams and elevates the pulpy material to intensely real levels. Villeneuve shoots the whole thing like a pro, giving us epic wide screen shots that take advantage of the breathtaking locations and his always gloomy visual style. Taylor Sheridan’s screenplay (his first; he’s known primarily as a TV actor) has bumpy stretches, especially when the action takes a break, but the cast and crew elevate the drug drama into something artistic and twisty. It’s a good thing them that Sicario’s action sequences are refreshing, plentiful and the highlights as they encompass a wide array of claustrophobic feelings and put you right in the thick of the action, especially in a scene involving a raid inside a secret cartel tunnel." — September 2015

5) Polytechnique

"The Polytechnique school shooting in Quebec was still a big deal many years after it happened; it affected a generation and Villeneuve was one of those people. Shooting a film about the tragedy was a daunting task, and the film he made was not without controversy in Canada.  During a class, a gunman shot 28 people, killing 14 women, before committing suicide. He began his attack by entering a classroom at the university, where he separated the male and female students. He told the women that he hated feminists, claiming that he was “fighting feminism” and calling the women “a bunch of feminists.” He shot all nine women in the room, killing six. He then moved through corridors, the cafeteria, and another classroom, specifically targeting women. ”Polytechnique is an organic film, a beast. The film is alive.” The film jumps back and forth in time, meditatively trying to find some peace with the tragedy. Villeneueve’s film tries to tackle the human cost of gender warfare and comes up with varying but troubling answers. Think Gus Van Sant’s Elephant, but French-Canadian. Shot in beautiful black and white by Pierre Gill, it’s an astonishing statement by a filmmaker who wants his voice to be heard. It justly won the Best Picture Genie award (the Canadian equivalent of the Oscars), his second one after 2008’s Maelstrom triumph. The following year he triumphed again with Incendies, winning his third Best Picture Genie." — October 2008 

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6) Prisoners

"My first day started with a screening of Denis Villeneuve’s “Prisoners” starring Hugh Jackman, Paul Dano, Terrence Howard, Octavia Spencer and Maria Bello. An incredible cast having a go at a screenplay that was on the “black list” for the longest time. The film will get many comparisons to David Fincher’s “Zodiac”. An understandable comparison since this is a 150 minute tale about missing kids and the obsessed people trying to solve the case. The obsessed are Jake Gyllenhaal as the lead detective and Hugh Jackman as the up-to-no-good father of one of the missing children. Unlike “Zodiac” Villeneuve’s film doesn’t manage to get you as obsessed about the case as its main characters. The screenplay is also nothing new, we’ve all seen this before but the twists and turns keep the story going. It helps that Director Villeneuve has a great visual flair, as he showcased in the Oscar nominated “Incendies” in 2010. Jackman, fresh off his “Les Miserables” nomination, could get a second nom for this one. He delivers a passionate, relentless performance, easily the best work he’s ever done."

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7) Maelstrom

"On a personal note, I lived through the Montreal film scene when Villeneuve, Jean-Marc Vallee, and an 18-year-old Xavier Dolan among others, revolutionized French-Canadian cinema, and in the process gave themselves a shot at the Hollywood studio system. It was a very exciting time, but it was always Villeneuve that I kept an especially close eye on. People who saw his movie Maelstrom back in 2000 knew this was a talent to watch. The film, narrated by a doomed fish, features a career-making performance by Marie-Jose Croze as a depressed, suicidal woman who gets romantically linked to the son of the man she killed in a hit and run accident. The style was grimly unique and had a surrealist aspect to it that was almost too frightening to watch. Or maybe it was just the images Villeneuve conjured up with his camera – he could find the most basic looking detail in a frame and accentuate its impact just by the way he positioned a camera or had the cinematographer light up the scene. “It’s strange, when I finished Maelstrom I told myself, no more movies with a female lead. My first three films had that. Yet with my following film, Polytechnique, I made a film about the female condition and Incendies, the Middle East female. It just seems like women inspire me and that’s a good thing.” — June 2000

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8) Enemy

“Doppelganger films have been big at TIFF so far. Director Denis Villeneuve -on a roll already with “Prisoners”- brought us two Jake Gyllenhaal’s with “Enemy”. Gyllenhall plays a Toronto professor that finds out he has an exact look alike living in the same city. It’a film very much inspired by Cronenberg but that also lets Villeneuve bring his own voice to the picture. This is sexy, smart, mysterious filmmaking at its best. The other doppelganger film had Jesse Eisenberg going insane with the appearance of his doppelganger. Directed by Richard Ayaode (Submarine) “The Double” is a dark comedy that fizzled out at its end but has shades of Terry Gilliam’s “Brazil” throughout its running time."

OSCARS: 170 Films Eligible For Best Documentary Category, New Record

The full list HERE

I have seen a healthy amount of non-fiction films this year. It's been an incredible year for the documentary form. These have been the best of the best for me:

1) “Faces Places”
2) “City of Ghosts”
3) “Icarus”
4) “Dawson City: Frozen Time”
5) “Human Flow”
6) “Jane”
7) “Get Me Roger Stone”
8) “Quest”
9) “Step”
10) “An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power”

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 IndieWire's awards pundit Anne Thompson has these as the main contenders:

William Friedkin admits he's never seen any of the "Exorcist" sequels

One of the great unsung American directors is no doubt William Friedkin ("The French Connection," "The Exorcist," "Sorcerer," "To Live and Die in L.A"). Friedkin had a mini comeback of sorts with 2006's "Bug," but, especially, 2011's masterful "Killer Joe," two shockers that pushed the boundaries of tension in American cinema. I was hoping that set of films could be a rejuvenation of sorts for the 82-year-old director but, alas, it never came. The fact that both those movies were all but ignored upon release has made it rather difficult for him to find the sufficient funding to make another cinematic statement.

It's been 6 years since "Killer Joe" was released and he has nothing really planned, at least in terms of fiction. His latest non-fiction venture, "The Devil and Father Amortha," had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival this past September and it sounds just fascinating. The film is the story of Father Gabriele Amortha's and picks up as he's about to perform his ninth exorcism on an Italian woman. There is no release date for the film as of yet, but, suffice to say, the festival reviews have been very good.

The connection between Friedkin and the exorcism genre is unsurpassed, after all he brought it to the mainstream with his 1973 classic "The Exorcist." However, it is surprising to hear that he never saw any of the 4 sequels that followed it:

“I never saw any of the ‘Exorcist’ films, not even Bill’s [William Blatty, The Exorcist III]. I saw a few minutes of ‘Exorcist II,’ but that was only because I was in the Technicolor lab timing a film that I had directed — I forget which one — and one of the color timers at Technicolor said, hey, we just made a print of ‘Exorcist II,’ would you like to have a look at it? I said OK. I went in, and after five minutes, it just blasted me. I couldn’t take it,” Friedkin said. “I thought it was just ridiculous and stupid. But that was only five minutes, so I can’t make an ultimate judgement about it. It just seemed to me to have nothing to do with ‘The Exorcist.’ ”

“I know Bill [Blatty] did one, which was not meant to be called ‘Exorcist III.’ It was from another novel he’d written called ‘Legion.’ I had no interest. I loved Bill Blatty. I dedicated my documentary to him and we remained close friends to his death. But I know that he had to make a lot of compromises — he had to put an exorcism scene in there, which he never intended, so that the producers could call it ‘Exorcist III'

He also added that was a fan of "It," which recently unseated "The Exorcist" as the highest grossing horror movie of all-time, but he cautions us not to consider it the horror movie box-office champ, given the inflation in movie ticket prices today when compared to 40 years ago.

“I thought it was a little bit over the top, but ‘It’ was really good. The clown was pretty scary stuff. I really like it. But here’s the thing. It will never have as many admissions as ‘The Exorcist’ in terms of people who came to see it,” he explained. “The price of a ticket when ‘The Exorcist’ came out was probably on average less than two dollars; I think today it’s closer to nine. Neither ‘The Exorcist’ nor any of the other films that made a lot of money will ever have as many viewers as ‘Gone with the Wind‘ or ‘Birth of a Nation.’ I think it cost 15 cents or a quarter to see. So you can’t talk about how many people saw this more than something else because of the difference in the value of money. But it’s kind of unusual for Warner Bros. to get behind a story like that because ‘The Exorcist’ has been such an important film to them. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Still, I liked ‘It.’ I thought it was terrific.”

Source: IndieWire

Louie C.K's "I Love You, Daddy"

"I Love You, Daddy" is director-actor Louie CK's unique ode to Woody Allen but, more specifically, "Manhattan." Shot in black-and-white and set in New York City it features an old-fashioned romantic musical score, but retains the talky neuroses of Allen's 1979 classic. Shot on 35mm in, what seems to be, low-budget indie form, this comedy was directed and co-written by C.K. himself. In it, he plays Glen Topher, a television creator with writer's block who has given his 17-year-old daughter China (Chloe Grace Moretz) everything and more in life, this is a kid that never heard the word "no" and has been spoon-fed by the luxuries that come in having a successful dad. There's been no guidance in her life, no manners taught whatsoever. 

Glen's high-rise apartment in the middle of Manhattan tells us everything we need to know about his wealth, but there's also a lack of satisfaction, he seems to be craving for more. Moretz’ performance is exactly what this thinly-written character needed to burst off the screen, the 20-year-old actress captures the sheer childish nature of this spoon-fed, dependent-on-daddy princess. Her scenes with CK, playing a version of himself here just like he did on "Louie," are the clear-cut highlights of this messy film.

China, fresh off spring break and almost always scantily clad in her mini weeny bikini overabundant uses the phrase “I love you, Daddy!” to get what she wants, so much so that it starts to earn an airless meaning. Glen's friend, played by Charlie Day, senses that she's trouble and that he should probably not inquire about what this girl does not just on spring break, but on any trip she goes off to with "friends.” He further enhances Glen's paranoiac thoughts by telling him that maybe, just maybe, his precious daughter might not be promiscuous, telling him about a sexually explicit game that is very popular among teenagers entitled "Mother May I,” which, well, let's just say leaves Glen in a state of shock for the rest of the film, consistently re-mentioning the prospect of her daughter playing this filthy game. 

Despite just inking a deal to create 12 episodes for a new series about nurses, Glenn feels like he's just signed up to the wrong show. Adding to that it's April and the show is supposed to start airing in September. That gives Glenn less than 6 months to write, cast and shoot the entire thing. His production partner (the excellent Edie Falco) has a platter full of stressful planning to deal with and she's about had it with Glen.  Things start to pick up for our beloved neurotic writer once Grace Cullen (Rose Byrne) comes into the picture, she's a famous Hollywood movie star that wants the leading role in Glen's show. Glen starts to think that this woman, whom he's clearly fantasized about in the past, could be the muse that kick-starts things back up again for him. In a not so surprising twist of fate, they sleep together and, eureka, he starts writing again.

Grace invited Glen and China to the Hamptons, where they are introduced to the film's antagonist Leslie, (John Malkovich) a 68-year-old film director prone to sleeping with under-aged girls, who also happens to be Glenn's idol. Malkovich, donning a goatee, bourgeois verbosity and an overall highbrow attitude is perfectly cast, he's stuck-up but loose, brush-offish but open to new people and new ideas. He's an enigma packed with contradictions and, of course, he sets his sights on China and they start frequenting each other.  Glen hears that China is so enamored with her new best friend that she plans on going with him and some other friends on a retreat in France.  Glen's writer's block comes back and, to make matters worse, the relationship he has with Grace is ended after they argue over Leslie and China's "friendship." The world is falling apart for this writer.

This film is no doubt meant as a provocation on the part of C.K, who is no stranger in veering into uncomfortable and cringe-worthy material in both his brilliant standup routines and his FX show "Louie." The themes here are no doubt boundary-pushing but the film ends up stranding the viewer in its second half by not following up on its promising setup. In other words, it feels like C.K. was scared off by what he was pursuing, the prospect of tackling child molestation, in this movie and decided to go the non-threatening route instead.

"I Love You, Daddy" is Louis CK's first film since 2001's "Pootie Tang," a Chris Rock Blaxploitation mock-up that has barely been remembered in the years since  but has attained a smallish cult following as well. This latest film deserves points for tackling such a hot-button topic as an older predatory man going after under-aged girls, especially given the current zeitgeist we are living in at the moment, it is daring enough to go "there" and not leave a bitter aftertaste afterwards. The film does bare striking similarities to CK's own FX show and is not unlike Larry David's well-known brand of neuroses in "Curb Your Enthusiasm."  The problem with this latest endeavor for the 50-year-old comedian is that at 123 minutes "I Love You, Daddy" does tend to ramble on, which disappoints because a good chunk of the movie works and lures the viewer in. 

What this film essentially feels like is a rough-cut, a film made by a director that is confused as to what he wants to really say and how he intends to say it. There's potential in C.K's voice as a filmmaker but he still needs to sharpen up his craft, hone it if you will, and learn from some of the mistakes he's making here. Maybe next time instead of editing his own film he might want to try and hire a professional editor to cut off the fat and give his film a proper structure built-in with more shape and tone.