The asterisk Oscars are fully behind us now, and the biggest event in cinema at the moment is… an Amazon original Tom Clancy adaptation starring Michael B. Jordan. Theaters are reopening in most places (including Grundy Center and Clarion) and all of the delayed releases that we didn’t get to see during the pandemic are going to be put out into the world sometime before the next awards season.
With all that in mind, this could shape up into one of the more exciting movie years of the 21st century. We know we’ve got big name directors (Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson, Denis Villenueve, Paul Thomas Anderson, Ridley Scott, Joel Coen, Guillermo del Toro) and major franchises (Fast and the Furious, James Bond, Top Gun, Space Jam, The Purge, Venom, The Matrix) coming to our screens, and this week’s column will give Bridget and Rob a chance to talk a little bit about which titles they’re most excited for and which ones have them more on the fence.
(Author’s note: These movies are not ranked in any way. This is just a general discussion column. Also, we’ve left out “Dune” and “West Side Story” because Bridget and Rob already covered them in the Oscars preview.)
Rob
Soggy Bottom (Paul Thomas Anderson)- PTA, as the director is known to his devoted fans, has mined the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles (where he grew up) for three of his eight films thus far, and reports indicate that he’ll make it four out of nine with the tentatively titled “Soggy Bottom,” set in the 1970s and following a child actor (Cooper Hoffman), a film director (Bradley Cooper) and a politician running for office (Benny Safdie).
The most intriguing casting choice is Hoffman, the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. “Soggy Bottom” will mark the 18-year-old’s debut in front of the camera, and he may be burdened with the most unrealistic expectations of any first-time actor in history. The promise of intersecting storylines harkens back to Anderson’s early epics “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia” along with the defining work of his chief cinematic inspiration, Robert Altman.
Anderson’s best film, “There Will Be Blood,” had the misfortune of being released during the mammoth movie year of 2007 and lost out on most of the major Oscar categories (Daniel Day-Lewis still won Best Actor) to another masterpiece, the Coen Brothers’ “No Country For Old Men.” Will this finally be the year for one of Hollywood’s most respected and critically adored filmmakers? I wouldn’t bet against him. (Release date- November 26)
The French Dispatch (Wes Anderson)- I fully admit that I was late to the party on Wes Anderson. I often saw stills from his films and had a general awareness of his style but dismissed it as too hipster, too gimmicky and too repetitive. Well, here’s something you’ll hear a lot over the course of this column: I was wrong.
“The Royal Tenenbaums” finally won me over (thanks, in large part, to one of my all-time favorites, Gene Hackman), and his last live action film, 2014’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” may well be the best comedy of the last decade. In reading its description, “The French Dispatch” sounds firmly within the Wes wheelhouse: quasi-literary/journalistic subject matter, an exotic setting and a massive ensemble cast that includes Anderson mainstays like Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody.
But there are plenty of new faces this time around, from Benicio del Toro and Jeffrey Wright to Timothee Chalamet along with infrequent collaborators like Tilda Swinton and recent Oscar winner Frances McDormand. In a non-pandemic world, “The French Dispatch” would’ve been released last summer and out on streaming by now, but the producers and Anderson have made us wait so that we can see it on the big screen. Let’s hope that it’s worth it. (Release date- July)
The House of Gucci (Ridley Scott)- Even in his mid 80s, Sir Ridley Scott remains notoriously productive. He’s currently in the process of wrapping up two films (Bridget has some thoughts on the other), and he seems like a guy who will work until he’s physically unable to continue.
But quantity hasn’t always equaled quality: alongside certified classics like “Alien” and “Blade Runner,” Best Picture winner “Gladiator” and the massive financial and critical success of “The Martian,” he’s pumped out a slew of duds such as “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” “Robin Hood,” “A Good Year,” “GI Jane” and the Silence of the Lambs sequel “Hannibal.”
I know next to nothing about the Gucci family, but I know that Al Pacino, Adam Driver and Lady Gaga are involved in this project. They’re also wearing outrageous outfits on the set. I’m sold. (Release date- November 24)
Don’t Look Up (Adam McKay)- You’d be hard pressed to name an A-list Hollywood actor who’s choosier about the roles he takes than Leonardo DiCaprio, so the fact that he’s starring in an Adam McKay Netflix comedy about an impending apocalyptic event is highly intriguing, to say the least.
Outside of his collaborations with filmmaking titans Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino, Leo has appeared in just three feature length movies in the last 10 years: Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” remake, Clint Eastwood’s lukewarm “J. Edgar” biopic and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “The Revenant,” which finally won him a Best Actor Oscar.
I shouldn’t waste all of the space on DiCaprio, though: Jennifer Lawrence is the co-lead after a slew of superhero paycheck roles, Meryl Streep is playing the president, and Cate Blanchett, Timothee Chalamet, Jonah Hill, Kid Cudi, Tyler Perry, Chris Evans and Mark Rylance are all listed in the supporting cast. McKay has taken a hard political turn after his Will Ferrell-led slapstick comedies of the 2000s, but “Don’t Look Up” sounds like it could represent a hybrid of the director’s sensibilities and an opportunity for the stars to show off their funnier sides. (Release date TBD)
The Card Counter (Paul Schrader)- Oscar Isaac seems to be the rare actor who has it all. He’s best known to mass audiences for his work in the Star Wars and X-Men franchises, but he’s showed serious chops in the Coen Brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis” and independent sci-fi films like “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation.” He possesses a certain “the next Al Pacino” energy, so it’s exciting to hear that he’s teaming up with legendary screenwriter and director Paul Schrader, who’s penned the scripts for four Scorsese films including “Taxi Driver” and “Raging Bull.”
“The Card Counter” is a gambling movie (there’s a future column topic ripe for the picking) starring Isaac, Tye Sheridan (of “Ready Player One” fame), Tiffany Haddish and the legendary Willem Dafoe back for another round with Schrader, fresh off of the critical success of “First Reformed” in 2018. If he’s at the helm, it’s safe to assume that the film will involve deep themes of religious guilt and sexual anguish, and it could easily splash into the awards conversation come next winter. (Release date TBD)
Bridget
A Quiet Place Part II (John Krasinski)- It’s a cliché, but we can rightly call this movie a “long-awaited sequel.” Like so many COVID era movies, this one has been yanked around a lot in the last year. But the last announcement regarding its release was actually good news. It’s coming out in just a couple weeks on May 28!
A sequel to 2018’s “A Quiet Place,” this follow-up is also directed and co-written by John Krasinski (yep, Jim from “The Office”). “Quiet Part II” is set to pick up right after the terrifying events of the first movie. In a nutshell, those events involved a family trying to survive in a world annihilated by blind creatures with hypersensitive hearing that attack anything that makes noise. It might sound like a SyFy original, but it was so much more.
If the sequel is like Part I, it will be an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride where the viewer is silently screaming as much as the characters on screen. This one will again star Krasinski’s real-life spouse Emily Blunt, who can do anything as far as I’m concerned. The often-creepy Cillian Murphy joins the cast as well. While I usually don’t see horror movies in the theater, I will try to see this one on the big-screen because it’s terror elements will likely merit it. (Release date- May 28)
The Green Knight (David Lowery)- Remember in high school or in your college British Literature class when you had to read the loooong poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight”? That’s what this movie is based on! Sir Gawain is King Arthur’s nephew who embarks on a noble quest to conquer the Green Knight. Unsurprisingly, calamity and high jinks ensue.
The movie version of this tale looks….strange. Judging from the trailer, I’d say “Game of Thrones” meets a horror film. It looks dark, scary, and weird, and I can’t wait! Dev Patel (from “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Lion”) plays Gawain. Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander (the latest “Tomb Raider”) and Joel Edgerton also star.
I readily admit I could see this one being a big flop. The director Lowery has a few significant credits under his belt, including the live-action version of Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon.” But I could also see “The Green Knight” being a little too bizarre for the average viewer. In any case, as someone who wrote a master’s thesis over Arthurian legend literature, I’m looking forward to seeing how they adapt this one to the screen. Maybe I’ll even read the huge poem again in preparation! (Release date- July 30)
No Time to Die (Cary Fukunaga)- Remember what I said earlier about a long-awaited sequel? Well, this latest James Bond movie is that and more. Perhaps no other movie was as much of a bellwether of the pandemic as this movie. Pushed back what seems like countless times, this film has to come out soon. It is not an exaggeration to say that the movie poster has been hanging at my local theater for over a year.
“No Time” is the milestone 25th Bond film, so they want to do it correctly. The film has been in development for forever. There was a director change and rumors that Daniel Craig didn’t want to come back for his fifth outing as the famous British agent. But seemingly it all came together.
Set five years after the events of the last film “Spectre,” this one looks to include all the fodder that Bond fans love. The trailer is filled with car chases, gun fights, exotic locations, Bond girls, and of course, a nefarious villain. This time, Rami Malek (Oscar winner for his role of Freddie Mercury) plays the baddie and does he ever look evil.
I’m not necessarily a long-time Bond movie fan, but I have always enjoyed Craig’s portrayal of the classic spy. Considering this is likely his last time as Bond, I’ll be there to see it. (Release date- October 8)
The Last Duel (Ridley Scott)- I enjoy historical dramas. Not everyone does. But if a film requires an accent and a period costume, count me in. What makes the prospect of this movie more intriguing is, yes, it’s directed by the famed Scott. Maybe even more so is the fact old pals Ben Affleck and Matt Damon co-wrote it AND star in it.
The film is based on a book- “The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France” by Eric Jager. The subject matter is touchy. In 14th-century France, a knight and his squire are ordered to fight to the death after the knight accuses the squire of raping his wife.
It seems like a difficult topic to wrestle with these days, but under the watchful eye of Scott, I’m hopeful that it will be intriguing. Leaked early production photos at least prove the movie will offer some interesting period-accurate costumes and hairstyles. People are already comparing Matt Damon’s 14th-century look to a bad Halloween costume. Sounds like a must-see! (Release date- October 15)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Joel Coen)- Shakespeare brought to you by a Coen Brother?! Yes, please! We all probably know a few snip-its of Macbeth from reading it that one time in school. “Double double toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble” and “Out, damned spot!” no doubt ring a bell.
Of course, there have been many adaptations of Shakespeare in film, but I’m quite sure this one will be unique. With a Coen directing, expect a fresh take. For instance, the movie was shot completely in black and white. And according to early interviews with Coen and Frances McDormand, who is playing Lady Macbeth, the main characters will be older than in the original play. The title character will be played by Denzel Washington, so expect greatness there.
Macbeth wasn’t necessarily my favorite Shakespeare tragedy. (Of course, my love-stricken young heart clung to “Romeo and Juliet.”) Still, “The Tragedy of Macbeth” will be something to see and if things go well, I could see it being Oscar-fodder next year. (Release TBD)
Keep reading for our first formal review of a new release next week as we take on the Taylor Sheridan/Angelina Jolie modern western “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” available in theaters and on HBO Max. As always, feel free to send us your feedback!
