A new reboot of the Marvel comic Fantastic Four is nearing production and with it the (sort of) announcement of the cast. Though some of the casting haven’t been made official, some of the cast have confirmed their involvement in the project. Ladies and gentlemen, your new team of superheroes: Miles Teller (Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic), Kate Mara (Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman), Michael B. Jordan (Johnny Storm/The Human Torch), and Jamie Bell (Ben Grimm/The Thing).
Happy 4th of July! July is going to be a slow month with only two movies in my top picks of movies to see and both of them being ones I have seen at festivals in the last year. But that’s ok because I have alot of catch up to do with movies released in the last couple of months (See: Must Watch List (April - June)). Feel free to check out what I thought for these two great movies - one being a light comedy from one of the best comedic actresses today and the other the frontrunner for my best movie of 2013.
Girl Most Likely (formerly Imogene): What does a Kristen Wiig film project post-Bridesmaids look like? This. Here she plays a woman failing in her professional life who stages a suicide attempt to get alittle attention from her ex only to have it put her on track to confront everything she has avoided and to regain her life back. Sounds serious but don’t worry, it’s not. And Annette Bening who plays her gambling-addicted mother is so funny.
May 15th-26th marked the 66th annual Cannes Film Festival, pretty much the most famous and exclusive film festival in the world (the only one not opened to the public at large, only press and local residents). Maybe one day I’ll be able to go and simultaneously take in the splendor of the south of France in springtime and a brilliant comprised list of film programming. A girl can dream. Here are some of the highlights from the 2013 Cannes Film Festival including photos, trailers, a summary of critic reviews, and the winners of the top prizes.
In order words, the award decision-makers…
Steven Spielberg (director), President of the Jury
Daniel Auteuil (actor)
Vidya Balan (actor)
Naomi Kawase (director)
Nicole Kidman (actress)
Ang Lee (director)
Cristian Mungiu (director)
Lynne Ramsay (director)
Christoph Waltz (actor)
Some of high-profile films which represent some of our most anticipated and some which garnered a high profile after its Cannes premiere.
The Great Gatsby (opening selection)
Opening night selections are usually the films with a certain cache behind them, ones that have been anticipated by many and have built in excitement. In this way, it was no surprise that Baz Luhrman’s The Great Gatsby was chosen at the opening film. Recent Cannes festival openers have included Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris and Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom. However, open selections are also usually world premiere but the scheduled US release of Gatsby ahead of the festival didn’t deter the programming committee given into the spectacle that is Gatsby, which hasn’t been garnering much critical response either in the US or abroad.
Critical response (including my previous review for the US theaterical release):
“Having watched this fantastically unthinking and heavy-handed adaptation, the opening gala of this year’s Cannes festival, I feel the only way to make it less subtle would be to let Michael Bay direct it. As it is, the task has fallen to Baz Luhrmann, the director of Moulin Rouge! and Australia, a man who can’t see a nuance without calling security for it to be thrown off his set.” - Peter Bradshaw (The Guardian)
Director Baz Luhrmann had a vision for The Great Gatsby; a fact that can not be denied. What can also be said is that Luhrmann chooses to overwhelm the senses rather than caress them. Gone is much of the carefully paced momentum that allowed us to fall into the rhythm of the words of the wonderful F. Scott Fitzgerald and in its place is heavy-handed interpretation that is more spectacle than substance. Luhrmann and Gatsby become one and the same - men with vast imaginations that have trouble fitting into the confines of reality and overtaking even the best of intentions.” - Shala Thomas (Life Between Films)
The true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.
Fruitvale Station (formally Fruitvale, a name I actually prefer) did in fact make its debut at Sundance 2013, and I was there at the premiere among the brilliant cast, director (expecting great things from Ryan Cooglar in the future), press, and members of the Grant family as we witnessed something amazing on screen. I actually don’t think this trailer does the film justice; it is one of the most touching films I have ever seen and definitely will be on top of everyone’s mind come Oscar time. Here were my thoughts from Sundance after seeing the film:
Every year, the Sundance Institute posts videos of filmmakers discussing their films chosen to be screened for the Sundance Film Festival in their “Meet the Artist” series. With the start of the 2013 Festival only 9 days away, video discussions for some of the most anticipated films for the festival have been posted. Check out three from films that I think will be ones to look out for in theaters this year and next:
Fruitvale (starring Michael B Jordan, Octavia Spencer, Melanie Diaz, Chad Michael Murray): The film centers on the true story of Oscar, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family and strangers on the last day of 2008.
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (starring Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster): the film tells the tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he has never met.
Kill Your Darlings (starring Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, Ben Foster, Michael C. Hall): The film is the untold story of murder that brought together a young Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs at Columbia University in 1944, providing the spark that led to the birth of an entire generation – their Beat revolution.
