Venice: Jane Campion’s ‘The Power of The Dog’ Confirmed to An Already Stacked 2021 Lineup

You can add Jane Campion’s new film, “The Power of the Dog,” to what I keep hearing will be an absolutely astonishing 2021 Venice Film Festival. (Variety)

If you remember, the film was aiming to premiere at Cannes, but the Netflix issue at the heart of that festival hasn’t been solved. A real shame since Campion remains the only female director to ever win the Palme d’Or with 1993’s “The Piano.”

The synopsis for “The Power of the Dog” is said to follow “two brothers in 1920s Montana as they come to blows over the fact that one of them marries a woman secretly. The upset brother then wages war against the new addition to the family.”

And so, with Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” also Venice-bound, it all begs us to ask the question; will Venice outshine Cannes this year? This is having some in the industry buzzing, but don’t be fooled, Cannes is still the Mecca of cinema. If you’re looking for Oscar-buzz then, yeah, maybe Venice wins, but, in terms of pure world cinema quality, Cannes always gets the top spot.

With that being said, I am continuing on with my Venice predictions, updated below, and it is looking like it will be a mighty fine edition filled with big names. Just look at some of the titles destined for the Lido this year:

"Dune" - Denis Villenueve
"Soggy Bottom" - Paul Thomas Anderson
"Blonde" - Andrew Dominik
"The Power of the Dog" - Jane Campion
"The Tragedy of Macbeth" - Joel Coen
"Benediction" - Terrence Davies
"The Card Counter" - Paul Schrader
"The Hand of God" - Paolo Sorrentino
"Spencer" - Pablo Larrain
"Fire" - Claire Denis
"Decision to Leave" - Park Chan-wook
"The Eternal Daughter" - Joanna Hogg
"Driftwood" - Michel Franco
"Il buco" - Michelangelo Frammartino
"Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon" - Ana Lily Amirpour
"House of Gucci" - Ridley Scott

Compare the above to Cannes 2021 filmmakers (Anderson, Carax, Verhoeven, Farhadi, Weerasethakul, Baker, Audiard, Hansen-Love, Ozon) and it’s a fair fight.

Kevin Costner Isn't Giving Up on ‘Horizon’: “Ultimately We Are Going to Release Four Movies”

Back in May, a Warner Bros. source told me ‘Chapter 2’ wasn't coming out in 2026. It was “not in the plans.” The film has been finished for two years.

Box-Office: ‘Whalefall' Bombs With $7M Opening on $60M Budget

Duffield's "Whalefall," the survival thriller about a diver swallowed by a sperm whale, is heading toward a roughly $7M-ish opening weekend, according to the most recent Saturday update.

‘You Can See Everything' Headed For $15M Weekend, 2000+ Sellouts in Just 855 Theaters — The Five Best Moments. What Did You Think? Post Your Review!

So, those of you who went this weekend: what did you make of it? Where do you land on Holmes, and — most fascinatingly — on Billy Evans, her sniffling, controlling, weirdo husband?

Josh Brolin Says Steven Knight's ‘Sicario 3' Script Is “Undeniable," Shoot Set for 2027

Brolin has teases “Sicario 3” since at least 2022, and as recently as last November, he was saying it felt close. It wasn't. Then, this month, it finally clicked: Knight on script, Padraic McKinley (“The Weight”) directing.

Quentin Tarantino Has a Script Ready for His 10th Film, But Wants to “Live a Little” First

So there's a script. That's something. It looks as though “The Movie Critic” really is dead and buried, and that this is a brand-new project, and title, but the premise is unknown.

August 19, 2019

3-Hour ‘Midsommar' Director's Cut Screened in NYC

This year’s 12th edition of the Scary Movies festival at Film at Lincoln Center premiered Ari Aster’s extended version of “Midsommar” this past Saturday.

CONFIRMED: Sadie Soverall Exits Brady Corbet's ‘The Origin of the World' Mid-Shoot, Lily McInerny Steps In Lead Role

Sadie Soverall was just let go after briefly filming on Corbet's new film — no official reason given. She had the lead role. Corbet has replaced her, last minute, with Lily McInerny.

Ron Howard’s ‘Alone at Dawn’ Starring Adam Driver and Anne Hathaway Sets Christmas 2027 Release

This is the adaptation of the nonfiction book by Dan Schilling and Lori Longfritz. It wrapped production in February and has been in post-production ever since. The film test-screened a few months ago.

Jeremy Saulnier’s Next Film Retitled to ‘Slayground,’ Current Runtime is 2.5 Hours, Plot Details

Jeremy Saulnier’s mysterious A24 project, formerly “October,” still has no release date. You’d think, given that it has been in post-production for almost a year now.

Jemima Kirke and Alexi Wasser to Star in Woody Allen's Next Film

A few months ago, Deadline reported that Woody Allen's next film, set in Madrid and carrying a $14M budget, will be "largely English-language" and feature a "high-profile cast."

Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Tops the Best Films of the 1930s, According to 100+ Critics

We’ve gone through the decades. The ‘40s ‘50s, ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s, ‘90s, ‘2000s, and ‘2010s. — all revisited, argued over. Now, here are the results for the best films of the 1930s.

Critics Poll: ‘Citizen Kane' Named Best Film of the 1940s

The results are in, and according to critics, this decade filled with cinematic riches did not have a better film than Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.” Nobody should be surprised by this result. “Citizen Kane” changed cinema forever.

Critics Poll: ‘Vertigo’ Named Best Film of the 1950s, Over 120 Participants

It was a closer race than anticipated, but Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has topped our best of the ’50s poll, besting Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s “Singin’ in the Rain” by just two votes.

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