I do wonder how I missed the Fangoria q & a between Jordan Peele and “Midsommar” director Ari Aster. The quote most outlets are using is Peele’s rave of Aster’s film, which is said to play heavily on pagan cult horror, much like “The Wicker Man.” No surprise then that, given Peele was on-stage with Aster, the “Get Out” director had over-the-top praise for Aster’s upcoming movie: “I think you’ve made the most idyllic horror film of all time. You’ve taken Stepford Wives and shattered the attractiveness of that movie with this one. That alone is a feat. This movie is just so unique. This hasn’t existed yet, and anything after Midsommar is going to have to contend with it. I mean, this usurps The Wicker Man as the most iconic pagan movie to be referenced.
Read moreJordan Peele: I Don't See Myself Casting White Dude as Lead...
“Us” filmmaker Jordan Peele wants to keep putting black faces on the screen in leading roles. "The way I look at it," he explained to THR, "I get to cast black people in my movies. I feel fortunate to be in this position where I can say to Universal, 'I want to make a $20 million horror movie with a black family.' And they say yes."
Read moreNow That You've Seen Jordan Peele's ‘Us' ...
What do you think? Do you agree with my assessment that it knocks it out of the park for its first 100 minutes, but then loses steam in its last act? I still gave it a B+ because the rest of the film was, quite frankly, highly entertaining and managed to set aside its murky message to nevertheless provoke.
I wrote in my review:
“It’s all led by Duke and, especially, Nyong’o’s performances. The latter, an actress of considerably imposing talent, inflicts a real sense of haunting into Peele’s frames. Much like his main character in “Get Out,” Peele’s camera deep focuses on his lead’s eyes every chance he gets. And what eyes! Aided by cinematographer Mike Gioulakis, Peele gives his film a surreal and nightmarish look with pertinently memorable frames unveiled every few minutes. The color scheme here is pure dread, focusing especially on reds and browns.”
“With “Us” Peele confirms that he will not be a one-hit-wonder director. This latest effort lacks the socio-political and satirical undertones of “Get Out,” but as a filmmaker who can expertly stage horror, he is second-to-none — his talent for shot composition is quite frankly impressive for such a young filmmaker.”
The message in the film seems to be that we are our own worst enemy. Something that was also tackled in “Get Out,” but in more expansive and provocative ways.
The film carved up $29 million on Friday night, coming in above expectations and headed towards an impressive $67 million+ debut weekend. Congratulations must go out to Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Evan Alex. These are mightily impressive numbers for an R-rated horror movie.
‘Us' Review: Jordan Peele's Sophomore Effort Lacks Depth But Makes Up For It With Thrills [Review]
Writer-director-producer Jordan Peele carries the weight of expectation with his sophomore “Us.” After all, his debut, 2017’s “Get Out was an incredibly well-perceived genre mashup that dealt with the race division in America.
Read moreSpring Movie, err, Preview?
I, quite honestly, can’t help but think that for most of the Spring I’ll have to sit back, at the comfort of my own home, and catch up with a bunch of gems from the ‘40s and ‘50s. With the exception of J.C. Chandor’s “Triple Frontier” (March 13th) and Jordan Peele’s “Us” (March 21st) I have absolutely no excitement for the slate of studio films coming out between now until the end of April. I mean, unless you’re pumped for “Captain Marvel” (March 7th), “Dumbo” (March 29th) and “Avengers: Endgame” (April 26th), this is going to be a very stale season for cinephiles until Cannes kicks off in May. Maybe I should just go to SXSW.
Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ to Open SXSW Film Festival
Jordan Peele’s new horror movie "Us" will have its world premiere as the opening night film at the SXSW Film Festival on March 8. The film will hit theaters the following week on March 15th.
Read moreJordan Peele’s ‘Us’ Trailer: A Spooky Doppelganger Film
Consider me a tad intrigued by this first trailer of Jordan Peele's "Us," which is his sophomore effort, after the triumph that was "Get Out." There's no doubt in my mind that Peele is a promising filmmaker, his debut made waves in a manner that could be compared to Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs," it shook the industry. Peele ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in the process.
Read moreFirst photo of Jordan Peele’s ‘Get Out’ Horror Follow-Up, ‘Us’
After giving us the best movie of 2017 ("Get Out") we all were wondering what the next provocation from writer-director Jordan Peele would look like. Plot details for "Us" have been kept very hush-hush, but the plot synopsis was revealed last week and now we have an exclusive first look at the film [via EW], which reveals a cult-like, all-red costumed foursome. Are they the "shocking uninvited visitors" that the synopsis mentions? Quite possibly.
Read moreJordan Peele’s ‘Us’ Plot Synopsis Revealed
After giving us the best movie of 2017 ("Get Out") we all were wondering what the next provocation from writer-director Jordan Peele would look like. Plot details for "Us" have been kept very hush-hush, but the plot synopsis has been uncovered [via /Film] courtesy of a few test screenings invites were sent out:
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