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When Studio Ghibli announced its future would be focused on making short films, fans the world over were deeply saddened. One of the upsides of this decision has been that the studio will now be co-producing foreign films, with The Red Turtle being the first foreign film they have co-produced in their 30-year history.
Director Amma Asante examined race’s influence on social status in her breakout film Belle and continues that line of interest in her follow-up A United Kingdom. The focus shifts from British aristocracy to colonialism this time, delving into all the nasty idiosyncrasies of that setup. Based on the real life story of the interracial couple that broke Botswana from European rule, David Oyelowo’s Seretse Khama and Rosamund Pike’s Ruth Williams weren’t welcome in either partner’s homeland.
Warren Beatty’s name doesn’t get thrown around as much as it once did, but it’s still a name that carries weight. Many of his acting roles are classics, and while his career has seen him write, direct, and produce only a handful of times, the consistent success of these projects make him one of the great quadruple threats in the industry. The now 79-year-old has largely been absent during the new millennium, but he’s been quietly working in all four capacities on his ‘50s throwback Rules Don’t Apply.
Man Down was shot in 2014 but has been kept on the shelves since, apart from playing at the 2015 Venice Film Festival and the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. It found its home with Lionsgate, and is getting distribution later this year. Man Down takes place in a post-apocalyptic America though that doesn’t become clear from the trailer.
Toni Erdmann may have left the Cannes Film Festival empty-handed, but it’s on course for a much larger prize. It’s already been selected as Germany’s entry in the Foreign Language Oscar race, taking the early lead thanks to its critically adored festival run. It will have to fight off a record 84 other entries, but at this point, not earning a nomination would be a shock.
The story of an exemplary man has been paired with a profane filmmaker, forcing everyone to decide yet again if art should be separated from the maker. Advertisements for Hacksaw Ridge have been careful to avoid director Mel Gibson’s name given the damaging things he’s said over the last ten years. He’s largely been shunned by Hollywood during that time, and Hacksaw Ridge seems like a violent but amiable bid for reacceptance.
Pain has always been at the core of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. X-Men, the franchise opener, bonded Logan and Anna Paquin’s Rogue as the loneliest of the lonely, she for her inability to physically touch others and he for his reluctance to emotionally connect. This dynamic carried throughout the original trilogy and received a wordless nod in Days of Future Past.







