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When talking about exposé-style documentarians, or documentarians in general, you can’t ignore Alex Gibney. Ever since 2005’s Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, he’s been as prolific as he is popular, sparking public interest in everything from the U.
Director Ang Lee returns with his first film in four years, following up the critically and commercially successful Life of Pi with another book adaptation boasting some noteworthy use of technology. Lee has carved out a unique place for himself as an auteur, not looking back longingly to the days of film but exploring and pushing modern digital techniques to enhance character-based filmmaking. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk sees him combining 3D, 4K resolution, and a very high 120fps frame rate to make the film look as close to natural human sight as possible.
The winner of 2015’s Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, From Afar creeps into theaters with some serious credentials. It wouldn’t have come this far if it didn’t, as the story of a complicated relationship between a middle-aged man and a young gang member in Caracas doesn’t exactly scream marketability. If first-time feature director Lorenzo Vigas had been peddling it on his own, it likely wouldn’t have made it out of the festival circuit, no matter how good it was.
Every Tuesday Film Inquiry publishes the movies that are opening in cinemas! This week: X-Men:
Jaws really screwed up humanity. I mean, we’ve always had monster stories, but Jaws gave sharks a terrifying reputation, one that’s so universal that even landlocked kids like me would jump in a pool and immediately hear the John Williams score in our heads. We knew to fear sharks as if it were instinct, and it was a captivating thrill.
The comedy trio The Lonely Island made their name in the shorts scene, contributing 5-minute pieces to the monthly festival Channel 101 before becoming synonymous with the Saturday Night Live segment Digital Short. Since then, they’ve only become more popular, making the feature film Hot Rod and performing their hit song Everything is Awesome at the Oscars, while member Andy Samberg has become a household name. You may not recognize the other two members, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, but I guarantee that you’ve seen bits that they either wrote, directed, or featured in.
Those who argue that there’s never been a good movie based on a video game may have to change their tune come December, because that’s when the much talked about Assassin’s Creed finally hits theaters. Sure, there’s some optimism about this summer’s Warcraft with Duncan Jones at the helm, but that project pales in comparison to the deep pedigree behind Assassin’s Creed. Producer and star Michael Fassbender (who does so many movies that I’m skeptical he actually sleeps) has been attached to the project since 2012.
Every week Film Inquiry publishes the movies that are opening in cinemas! This week: Angry Birds, Neighbors 2:
The adult thriller continues its comeback with The Girl on the Train, as the ever-changing landscape of the movie industry seems to be shifting back towards these sturdy moneymakers. They’re solid fillers for studios with time in between tentpoles, and while many aspire to the breakout success of Gone Girl, even smaller entities like Eye in the Sky earn steady returns. The Girl on the Train is clearly trying to be the former, providing a juicy, twisty plot that will divide audiences into those who have read the bestselling book of the same name and those who haven’t.
Who needs neat little boxes? Well, usually first-time filmmakers do, especially the ones pulling writing and directing duties by themselves. Mixing genres leaves you with a messy or nonexistent blueprint to follow, and striking out into this unknown territory is risky even for seasoned veterans.
Maggie’s Plan is a Woody Allenish movie starring a Woody Allenish actress, but you don’t need me to tell you that. This trailer never looks away from its neurotic New York bumbling, a world populated by professors and writers trying to bend life to their will. Allen has rode this formula through a long career, paving the way for offbeat performers like Maggie’s Plan lead Greta Gerwig.
This week in nothing ever dies, the sporadically running television series Absolutely Fabulous gets a movie after twenty years of being relegated to the small screen. Lead characters Edina and Patsy would certainly be thrilled by this development, if not a little miffed that it took this long to upgrade. All they want is to live the high life, which is put into jeopardy here when they bump Kate Moss into the River Thames.
The hit of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, The Birth of a Nation took home the Audience Award, the Grand Jury Prize, and the largest deal in the history of the festival. Worldwide rights went to Fox Searchlight for $17.5 million, a financial risk that Variety claims isn’t quite as big as it would seem (read about that here).
Every Tuesday Film Inquiry publishes the movies that are opening in cinemas! This week: Money Monster, The Darkness, Love & Friendship, The Lobster, High-Rise, Last Days in the Desert, Search Party, Dheepan, Kill Zone 2, Sunset Song and What We Become.
Strong opinions abound for writer/director Nicolas Winding Refn’s work, which is to be expected when you make the kind of bold choices that he does. There’s not much middle ground when you drench things in violence and style, as people are either going to go with the heightened sensibility or not. The Neon Demon certainly won’t be changing that aspect of his M.