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Tuesday 31 July 2018

Cute UK Trailer for Indie Comedy 'Dusty & Me' with a Greyhound Dog

Dusty & Me Trailer

"You better be ready to bloody run." Goldfinch Studios has released a new UK trailer for an indie comedy titled Dusty & Me, a feel-good family film about a boy and his dog. The film was once titled Against the Odds as well as Slapper and Me, but is now being released as Dusty and Me. The plot is about an 18-year-old misfit who befriends a lightning fast Greyhound, comically named Slapper by his older brother. The dog is dognapped by thieves, so Dusty and his love-interest go on a mission to find and rescue Slapper. Dusty & Me stars Genevieve Gaunt, Luke Newberry, Iain Glen, Ian Hart, and Lesley Sharp. This definitely looks as bad as it sounds, but I have a soft spot for dogs and dog movies, so I'm posting this anyway. Enjoy.

Here's the official UK trailer (+ poster) for Betsan Morris Evans' Dusty & Me, direct from YouTube:

Dusty and Me Poster

A feel-good, heart-warming film set in Yorkshire in 1977 about an adolescent boy's big summer after leaving school. It's about a boy and a dog, class and ambition, first love, and above all, family. Dusty & Me is directed by British filmmaker Betsan Morris Evans, director of the film Dad Savage previously, as well as lots of TV work directing dramatic series. The screenplay is written by Rob Isted. This first premiered at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia back in 2016, and has been awaiting release ever since. Goldfinch Studios will finally release Dusty & Me in select UK theaters starting September 28th, then on VOD in October. There is no US release date set yet. For more info, visit the film's official website. Curious?

‘Venom’ Gets Hungry in a Killer New Trailer

“The world has enough superheroes,” indeed.

The kickoff to Sony’s own Marvel Universe, Venom, has been stirring up fans for months since its announcement. An incredible first trailer dropped back in April, letting us know that this wouldn’t be the same disappointing waste of the delightfully problematic villain we saw in Spider-Man 3.

That hype was intensified tenfold with the release of a brand new Venom trailer, shown at this year’s Comic-Con and finally delivered to the public today. The new trailer delves deeper into the symbiote’s purpose, while also making us really, really bloodthirsty. Watch the trailer below and try to control your own cheers for the toothy antagonist:

The post ‘Venom’ Gets Hungry in a Killer New Trailer appeared first on Film School Rejects.

The Movies I Saw in Theaters Because of MoviePass

If the end is indeed at hand for MoviePass, here are the films where MoviePass made a difference for one critic.

It feels like we’ve spent years eulogizing the death of MoviePass. Two years ago, we were discussing the upcoming price hikes for the theatrical subscription service and suggesting that the major theater chains would eventually recreate the idea for themselves. In May of this year, we explored the news of MoviePass’s dwindling cash reserves and the tumbling stock prices that came with it. Every few months seemed to bring about a new disaster for the company, and with the recent news that MoviePass will no longer be offering tickets to high-profile releases, it feels like we’re only a matter of weeks from the service’s inglorious end.

But here’s the thing: I don’t want to write another piece discussing the end of MoviePass. If this is truly the end of the service – if they don’t have another golden parachute tucked away for a situation like this – then I’d like to remember it as a service that changed the way I went to the movies. At its best, MoviePass helped launch the careers of influential film critics; it encouraged people to travel outside their comfort zone and find movies and genres they might not otherwise have sought out. And it made me take better and smarter risks with my free time. According to MoviePass, I’ve seen 107 films over the past two+ years using their service. Here’s seven that wouldn’t have happened without it.

Miles Ahead Don Cheadle

Sony Pictures Classic

Miles Ahead
Regal E-Walk Stadium 13 | May 02, 2016

I don’t think it would be unfair to suggest that Don Cheadle‘s Miles Ahead hit theaters with a minor degree of hype. While the movie did have its supporters – Angelica Jade Bastien wrote a stunning review at RogerEbert.com, for example – most critics seemed comfortable treating it like any other passion project by an actor-turned-filmmaker: excellent acting, mediocre storytelling. It just so happens, however, that Miles Ahead was one of my favorite movies of 2016 and a dynamic biopic at a time where the industry desperately needed one. Cheadle’s desire to explore both sides of Miles Davis – the mythology and the man – resulted in something utterly unique: a brash and unapologetically messy film about a brash and unapologetically messy man.

High-Rise
Film Society of Lincoln Center | May 14, 2016

The wonderful thing about living in New York City is that there’s never a shortage of interesting movies to check out. The terrible thing about living in New York City? There’s never a shortage of interesting movies to check out. High-Rise was already a festival darling on its initial release – it had played everything from the Toronto International Film Festival to Fantastic Fest here in Austin – but it was still a movie that was deceptively easy to miss in theaters. It’s abstract, it comes from a filmmaker with a (relatively) opaque body of work, and it topped out at 41 theaters across the country at the point of its widest release. You’re not going to sell a pitch writing about High-Rise three weeks after its limited theatrical release, but that doesn’t make me any less glad I saw it.

Train To Busan
AMC Empire 25 | August 18, 2016

Those who live in New York City know that they can count on the AMC Empire 25 in Times Square to program some of the best Asian cinema in the city, but it would’ve taken more than just a little bit of internet buzz to get me to check out a zombie movie in 2016. In fact, I’ll got a step further: indie horror movies have always been my favorite outlet for my MoviePass, as you often have to be well-versed in the people doing the buzzing to know if it’s a movie you’re going to like. Horror fans bring enthusiasm; mainstream critics bring disdain; and somehow, in the midst of all that, you’re supposed to decide which movies are the next genre breakout and which are just mediocre jump scares for the arthouse crowd. Train To Busan ended up the former, of course, but I didn’t know that going in.

Hollow Point Patrick Wilson

Vertical Entertainment

Hollow Point
Cinema Village 12th Street | December 16, 2016

Listen, Hollow Point probably isn’t anyone’s idea of a good movie. In his inarguably unkind review of the film, Glenn Kenny wrote that there’s “literally nothing in this movie that feels like it arose from an impulse to either entertain or create art.” Ouch. So why does it make the cut? Part of this is because the film opened at Cinema Village 12th Street, an absolute travesty of a first-run theater that somehow exists to give independent genre movies – movies that would not see the light of day in any other city in America – a few moments on the big screen. I was never once comfortable at Cinema Village and never once disappointed I went. Mostly, though, I choose to remember Hollow Point as exactly the kind of movie I wanted to gamble on in during a slow weekend. Patrick Wilson and Ian McShane are enough to command my attention, and if I can make the gamble without hurting my budget’s bottom line, the more the better.

The Girl With All The Gifts
City Cinemas Village East | February 26, 2017

Same story you’ve heard before: zombie movie with a little bit of buzz, playing on only a single screen in your city, and you’ve got to decide if it’s worth taking an extra train to get down to East Village to make it happen. MoviePass has always worked best as a cinematic tiebreaker for me. If the film is ostensibly free, and it only costs me a few extra minutes of transportation, is that enough to make up for the movie itself only being a coin toss in terms of quality? Maybe the Germans have a word for that extra degree of enjoyment you get out of a movie that you knowingly gambled on. If everyone had been talking about The Girl With All The Gifts prior to its release, I would’ve liked it less than I did as only one of a handful of people at City Cinemas Village East on a weekend matinee.

Step

Fox Searchlight

Step
Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar | September 4, 2017

MoviePass was probably made for documentaries. Right now, RBGWon’t You Be My Neighbor?, and Three Identical Strangers are all playing at a theater near you; each of those films has also cracked the Top 40 on the list of the highest-grossing documentaries of all-time. You can argue that these are special documentaries – documentaries with their finger on the pulse of America – but there’s no doubt that MoviePass has played a roll in helping these movies break out simultaneously. And, if I’m being honest, that was part of the reason I went to see Step. I anticipated it being a good movie – most of the reviews were overwhelmingly positive, and the trailer for the film was one of the best of 2017 – but justifying that usage of my entertainment dollars was a whole lot easier when I wasn’t responsible for the individual ticket.

Beirut
Regal Gateway Stadium 16 & IMAX | April 29, 2018

It seemed like Beirut was joked about as future Redbox fodder even before it hit theaters, which is par for the course when you’re a political thriller that’s light on both plot and violence. That was always kind of understood, though. I didn’t want to see Beirut in theaters because I thought I was going to be watching one of the stealth-best movies of 2018; I wanted to see Beirut in theaters because I wanted to see Jon Hamm take his stab at being a dramatic lead and director Brad Anderson tackle yet-another story about someone unravelling with guilt. Grading films on a binary scale – where everything is either fresh or rotten – ignores the fact that we are often satisfied if just a few things break right in the movie. Strong performances? A good action sequence or two? Recognizing movies like this isn’t particularly hard. Deciding which are worth a full-price ticket? That’s another story altogether.

The post The Movies I Saw in Theaters Because of MoviePass appeared first on Film School Rejects.

Ari Aster to Follow ‘Hereditary’ With a Pagan Cult Horror Movie

A24 puts its faith in the dark mind of Ari Aster.

Even within this new golden age of horror films, Ari Aster’s Hereditary stands out as an exceptional excursion into the macabre. With the film sitting pretty with a fresh 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and a global box office take of $80 million, it was a sure-fire bet that A24 would want to remain in the Aster business. Taking that into account, and the natural perils of the sophomore slump, the anticipation surrounding the director’s follow-up has already started to swell. Can Aster possibly live up to his first film’s terrifying declaration?

Collider reports that Florence Pugh (Lady Macbeth) has signed on to star in Aster’s next picture. The actress received the BAFTA Rising Star award in 2017, and will soon be seen starring opposite Chris Pine in the Netflix original feature Outlaw King, as well as in Stephen Merchant’s wrestling comedy Fighting With My Family. After announcing her involvement with Aster during a TCA panel for the BBC series Little Drummer Girl, Pugh further exclaimed her enthusiasm for the project via Twitter:

Her excitement is understandable. Whatever your ultimate thoughts are regarding Hereditary’s climactic foray into the monstrous (although, let it be known that the FSR team has firmly pledged their allegiance), there is no denying the talent displayed by Toni Collette. Whispers of a potential Oscar nomination are not to be dismissed. Collette is a raw nerve stripped free from the usual genre conventions, fully committing to the misery of her character’s household before any goosebumps get involved. Her performance dictates how effective the scares take hold of your experience, and anyone looking to make an impact on the pop culture landscape would be desperate to work with the creative force that carved such a pathway for Collette.

Joining Pugh will be Jack Reynor and Will Poulter, who recently co-starred in Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit. Collider also reports that the rest of the ensemble could be filled out by Vilhem Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Ellora Torchia, and Archie Madekwe. Not too shabby.

Official details on Aster’s next endeavor are limited. The film is described as a summer-trip movie in which a young woman and her boyfriend are besieged upon by a local pagan cult. Could this film tie back into the religious zealotry witnessed in Hereditary?

In an interview conducted by Fandango back in June, Aster admitted that, if audiences demanded it, he does have an idea for an unorthodox sequel. However, he also states that this new film is an entirely separate venture:

“The next film I’m making is a horror film, and I’m making it with A24. It’s a dark break-up movie that becomes a horror film, set in Sweden. It’s called ‘Midsommar.’”

As was the case with Hereditary, Midsommar sounds grounded in the everyday evils of human relationships. I imagine the film will present Pugh’s character and her boyfriend as a couple on the brink before introducing a supernatural element to further the wedge in their crumbling romance. Was there anything scarier in Hereditary beyond the dinner table confrontation between mother and son? Not really. When the supernatural eventually revealed itself in that film, I uttered a sigh of relief. I can deal with demons, but parental failure strikes a chord all too real.

Aster, like the very best horror maestros before him, appreciates the true terrors of routine humanity. As division becomes ever more prevalent in our society, creature features can easily be transformed into conversation starters. Exploring ordinary fears via extraordinary situations is healthy and necessary. Aster joins a growing list of filmmakers (George A. Romero, Guillermo del Toro, Jordan Peele, Jennifer Kent) looking to dissect societal ills within genre storytelling. As someone who defined his own morality around episodes of The Twilight Zone and Star Trek, I approve, and eagerly await Midsommar.

The post Ari Aster to Follow ‘Hereditary’ With a Pagan Cult Horror Movie appeared first on Film School Rejects.

Official UK Trailer for Gritty, Violent Thriller 'Black 47' Set in Ireland

Black 47 Trailer

"He's a danger to us all." Wildcard Distribution has debuted an official UK trailer for the upcoming release of the film Black 47, a gritty thriller set during the Great Irish Famine. This premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, but it got horrible reviews by most critics. Set in 1847, the film follows a hardened Irish Ranger fighting for the British Army who returns to his home, only to discover the famine has destroyed his country and left the people even more vile and ruthless than ever. With little else to live for, he sets a destructive path to avenge his family. James Frencheville (from Animal Kingdom, The Stanford Prison Experiment) stars, along with Hugo Weaving, Jim Broadbent, Stephen Rea, Freddie Fox, Barry Keoghan, Moe Dunford, Ciaran Grace, and Sarah Greene. I really did not like this film. It has one good action scene, the rest is so dull and boring and excessively violent for no reason. But that's just my opinion. Check it out.

Here's the official UK trailer (+ new poster) for Lance Daly's Black 47, direct from YouTube:

Black 47 Poster

Set in Ireland during the Great Famine, the drama follows an Irish Ranger who has been fighting for the British Army abroad, as he abandons his post to reunite with his family. Despite experiencing the horrors of war, he is shocked by the famine's destruction of his homeland and the brutalization of his people and his family. Black 47 is directed by Irish filmmaker Lance Daly, director of the films Last Days in Dublin, The Halo Effect, Kisses, The Good Doctor, and Life's a Breeze previously. The screenplay is written by Lance Daly, P.J. Dillon, and Pierce Ryan; based on a story by P.J. Dillon and Pierce Ryan. This first premiered at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year, and also played at DIFF in Ireland. Daly's Black 47 will be released in the UK & Ireland starting in September, but still has no official US release date set yet. Your thoughts?

6 Filmmaking Tips From Phil Abraham

Advice from an acclaimed TV veteran.

While film and television have not yet converged, the long-held concept of some sort of quality hierarchy regarding visual artistry with movies at the top and television at the bottom is effectively a thing of the past. Top-of-the-line audiovisual storytelling now comes in all shapes and sizes. With that in mind, this week’s “film”-making tips come from a veteran of the world of TV.

Even if you don’t know the name Phil Abraham on sight, there’s a good chance you know his work. He’s credited as the director of photography on 47 episodes of The Sopranos and was also a DP on Mad Men. After getting his start in movies, he moved into TV as a camera operator on The Sopranos, rising through the ranks to director. Abraham has also helmed episodes of such acclaimed series as Breaking BadMad Men, The Walking DeadDaredevil, The Defenders, and Orange is the New Black, just to name a few.

With IMDb credits spanning over three decades and a Primetime Emmy under his belt (Outstanding Cinematography for a One-Hour Series in 2007 for Mad Men), Abraham has serious cred and some solid advice to go with it.

Embrace Democracy

In the lead up to the 2009 Emmys, Variety asked Abraham about what it’s like working with actors in a long-running series in the context of his Emmy-nominated work on the Mad Men episode “The Jet Set.” Abraham responded (via the print-only edition on August 18, 2009):

“Most actors by and large have a sense of how they’d like to play the part[…] but everyone is open to ideas. If I want to explore a different way of directing a scene, I will always let the actor know how I want to do it, and they can tell me what they think. And then we vote. It’s not my-way-or-the-highway.”

He then went on to address the ethereal moodiness that pervades his nominated episode that somewhat differs from Mad Men‘s usual style. He said that that divergence was intended from the start but then tied everything back together to the idea of collaborating with the actors:

“That doesn’t mean your plan takes over exploring something different with an actor. That always takes precedence—you’ve got to stay open to things that you didn’t previously conceive. When you’re able to pull something off with (the actors) quickly in the moment, everyone’s spirits race. If you have good ideas, then you earn their respect immediately.”

Phil Abraham Shooting Mad Men

Abraham shooting ‘Mad Men.’ (AMC)

Trust Your Instincts

One of Abraham’s more recent projects was the well-received A&E series Bates Motel. Abraham directed three episodes of the series, including Season 5’s much-anticipated “Marion,” which finally brought the series into official Psycho territory with the introduction of Marion Crane (Rihanna). Shortly after the episode aired in March 2017, Abraham was interviewed by The Hollywood Reporter, and he addressed the intimidating challenge of taking on one of the most revered and visually iconic narratives in cinema history. Abraham discussed his conscious efforts to keep some distance from Hitchcock’s original while still honoring it—a decided contrast to Gus Van Sant’s infamous shot-for-shot remake. He also addressed a certain element of suspense added in his rendition through the significant but unplanned use of a tire iron, and then went on to elaborate on the value of such serendipitous happenstances:

“What is also true is that as you immerse yourself as a director, you immerse yourself into the story. You immerse yourself in really deeply. Then you end up making little, uncalculated decisions, just instinctual decisions, that somehow play into the storyline. You really rely on those instincts. So while I say that it wasn’t a scripted moment or a deliberate moment to make you think [a certain way], nonetheless, I am very involved in the story and instinctually it felt right, even though intellectually I hadn’t fleshed it out fully. I love that you have and that’s the dance that the audience plays and shares with the filmmaker.”

Gt Unit R

Abraham directing ‘The Defenders’ (Netflix)

Know the World through a Camera

Breaking Bad was one of Abraham’s first post-Sopranos directorial gigs, and in an AMCtv.com interview, Abraham explained the decided benefits his deep familiarity with camerawork from years of cinematography experience bestowed upon his directorial efforts:

“As a director, I come to locations and see where the sun is and gravitate toward the angles that I would as a cinematographer: What time of day will we be here? Will it be front lit or backlit? You’re used to looking at things through a camera, so you can make your decisions along those lines much more easily.

He also elaborated that his experience allowed him to communicate with his own DP much more efficiently.

Lewis Jacobs/ Still Photographer,

Abraham directing ‘Mad Men.’ Photo: Lewis Jacobs. (AMC)

Follow Through

Abraham was involved with Mad Men from the very beginning, serving as cinematographer on the series pilot. While most of the pilot was shot on location in New York, the series went into production in Los Angeles. Work commitments on a different pilot kept Abraham in New York while the first episode of Mad Men was being prepped,  but that didn’t stop him from being an active participant. He stayed in constant contact with series production designer Dan Bishop — and it was a good thing, too, because it turned out Bishop and his team were working with a poorly transferred DVD of the pilot, meaning that their visual references were all off. Abraham underlined the important moral at the heart of this story in an interview published in the March 2008 issue of  American Cinematographer, saying:

“The cinematographer’s job isn’t done when the camera is turned off. It’s vital to make sure your work is maintained through to the master.”

Blf

Abraham directing ‘Daredevil.’ Photo: Barry Wetcher (Netflix)

Is There Anything Else You Can Do? (aka Be Visually Interesting)

In “Mad Men, Mad World: Sex, Politics, Style, and the 1960s,” the most intense collection of scholarly essays dedicated to Mad Men published to date, Appendix A is a lengthy interview with Abraham which features heaps of interesting behind-the-scenes info for Mad Men fans, but also plenty of words of more general wisdom. When asked about accomplishments he was proud of as a director that the casual home viewer might not appreciate (at least not consciously, that is), Abraham responded:

“My inclination normally is to be as efficient visually as possible and to avoid a kind of mundane cutting pattern. Like, if there are three of us in the room right now, how do I cover the scene and make it interesting? Well, you could have shots on the two of you and then turn around and have a shot on me, but is there anything else you can do? And you take your cues from the dialogue and the way it’s structured as a scene and the way it’s written. […] To me, if I can tell the story in a visual way in one shot, especially for a scene that’s a page or less in the script, that’s what I want to do.”

This interview was published in 2013, and interestingly enough since then one of Abraham’s most iconic sequences has become the hallway fight scene in the 2015 Daredevil episode “Cut Man” (see below), a premier example of “telling the story in a visual way in one shot.”

The post 6 Filmmaking Tips From Phil Abraham appeared first on Film School Rejects.

First International Trailer for Lukas Dhont's Acclaimed Trans Film 'Girl'

Girl Trailer

"Work harder, or it will be a hopeless situation." The Match Factory has debuted an international trailer for the acclaimed film titled Girl, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year and won the Camera d'Or for Best First Film. Girl follows a 15-year-old transgender teen, who is trying hard to achieve her goal of becoming a professional ballerina. The film stars Victor Polster as Lara, and gives us an intimate look at the incredible struggles and emotional challenges that she is facing. It's one of the best films that I saw at Cannes this year, and I wrote in my effusive review: "it's such an achingly beautiful, emotionally resonant, intelligent, breathtaking film." The cast includes Arieh Worthalter, Katelijne Damen, and Valentijn Dhaenens. This is a really wonderful film that I hope finds an audience, it deserves to be seen. Take a look.

Here's the first international trailer (+ poster) for Lukas Dhont's Girl, direct from YouTube:

Girl Poster

Determined 15-year-old Lara is committed to becoming a professional ballerina. With the support of her father, she throws herself into this quest for the absolute at a new school. Lara's adolescent frustrations and impatience are heightened as she realizes her body does not bend so easily to the strict discipline because she was born a boy. Girl is directed by Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont, making his feature debut after directing a few short films previously. The screenplay is written by Lukas Dhont and Angelo Tijssens. This premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this year (read our review), in the Un Certain Regard category, and won the Camera d'Or for Best First Film. The film opens in Belgium & France this October. Netflix will release Girl in the US, but hasn't set an official debut date. Stay tuned. First impression? Who's interested?

The Secret to the Success of ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ Was Embracing Action Over Pathos

Christopher McQuarrie had to stop himself from plunging Ethan Hunt into a hell of his own making.

How vile can a hero become before an audience checks out? There has been a myriad of examples regarding the antihero archetype. Mad Max immediately springs to mind with his quest for revenge against the road punks that stole his family from him. The Punisher is the star of multiple reboots as well as his own comic book series. Vengeance and heroism often mix awkwardly well together. We’ve come to expect and enjoy the concept.

We’re certainly cool with Captain America and James Bond busting a cap in a bad dude’s ass, but we get hot and bothered when Batman or Superman sink to such levels. Given the context and the history we’ve spent with the character determines our reaction when necessary evil exposes itself. In the world of espionage and global terrorism, we’ve seen Ethan Hunt obliterate several baddies. Scraping the bottom of morality is part of the job, but we’ll only let him descend so far into those dark depths.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’

Mission: Impossible – Fallout was once a much darker movie than what we got. In a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter, writer/director Christopher McQuarrie details how Hunt’s character originally adopted the John Lark persona for a much longer period of time. In doing so, Hunt would actually be forced to commit murder during the Solomon Lane breakout sequence rather than the terrifying nightmare premonition witnessed in the final product.

However, once you choose that path, the film must be consumed with the emotional aftermath of such heinous actions. You can kill in the name of your cover in one scene and then immediately flip back to IMF mode in the next.

“That was gonna be the plot of the whole movie: Ethan assumes the villain’s identity, but looks like himself. And, he must go on convincing people that he is the villain, which forces Ethan to have to do darker and more horrible things in pursuit of his aim, the first of which was breaking Lane out of prison.”

McQuarrie was disturbed by how one decision forced the other personas out of the picture. Plot over character. That’s a no-no.

“In clinging to that idea, I realized that the movie was not moving forward. It was becoming more about that idea as well as much more intellectual. It was happening at the expense of all the other characters, and the movie was just getting very long before getting back to the things you’re obligated to do in a ‘Mission: Impossible.'”

We all know that Tom Cruise‘s main motivation for making these movies is to place himself in ever-increasing danger by strapping his carcass on planes and jumping from the highest points on the planet. By embracing that desire, McQuarrie keeps the Mission: Impossible franchise on track. Fallout takes the Fury Road route, forcing its narrative to form within its set-pieces. Characters bond and push the plot forward as they’re plummeting via a HALO jump, or yelling at each other during a London foot chase.

McQuarrie withholds discussing whether he would ever allow Hunt to take an innocent life, but the point is that once that decision is made, it consumes the entire narrative. Those moral quandary sagas are a dime a dozen. On the other hand, the practical stunt insanity forced into celluloid in Fallout is unlike anything else out there. McQuarrie knows what masters he serves.

The post The Secret to the Success of ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ Was Embracing Action Over Pathos appeared first on Film School Rejects.

Directors in New York: Robert Schwentke

Interview: Daniel Kasman | Video: Kurt Walker

One of the year's biggest surprises, Robert Schwentke's The Captain marks an abrupt turn for the German-born director of big budget Hollywood films like RED, R.I.P.D., and two films in the Divergent trilogy. The filmmaker returns to his native country to film what can only be described as a bold provocation, though hardly a flippant one. The Captain re-tells the true story of Willi Herold, a German soldier in the Second World War who gets separated from his unit—or possibly deserts—whereupon he finds an officer's uniform, puts it on, and finds the authority it imports not only a passkey to survival but thrillingly empowering. What follows is a continual escalation of this charade—which builds upon itself as other soldiers, many abjectly horrible, join Herold's ersatz mission—where this blank-faced soldier, about whom we pointedly know nothing, grows from a panicky man desperately fleeing through the landscape to a leader and murderer organizing and encouraging violence and terror. According to curator and critic Olaf Möller, The Captain is unprecedented in the history of Germany for showcasing the story of a perpetrator, and indeed Schwentke's is not an easy film to watch but nevertheless reveals a necessary perspective. Its engrossing combination of the realism of Herold's picaresque journey to complete moral degradation with war's absurdity portrayed as a murderous masquerade of roleplaying power games may be ghastly, but such things need to be filmed, watched, and better known.

Third Trailer for Ruben Fleischer's 'Venom' Movie Starring Tom Hardy

Venom Movie Traielr

"Humans are disposable… But man and symbiote combined - this is the new race." Whoa!! Sony Pictures has debuted a third official trailer for the Venom movie, following its premiere inside of Hall H at the San Diego Comic-Con. The second teaser trailer was great, but this is even better - and it runs a full 3 minutes. Tom Hardy is journalist Eddie Brock in this anti-hero thriller, directed by Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad). This looks like it might be the movie fans of the dark symbiote have been waiting for. The cast includes Michelle Williams, Jenny Slate, Riz Ahmed, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Lee, Sailor Larocque, Reid Scott, and a rumored appearance by Tom Holland as Spidey. Okay, this finally looks awesome. Really, really into this - the VFX are looking solid, and it looks extra dark.

Here's the third official trailer (+ Comic-Con poster) for Ruben Fleischer's Venom, from Sony's YouTube:

Venom Poster

You can still see the first awkward teaser trailers for Fleischer's Venom here, or the second official trailer.

One of Marvel's most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen. From Wikipedia: Development on this Venom film, a spin-off from the Spider-Man franchise, first began with producer Avi Arad in 2007. After going through various iterations, an R-rated standalone film was confirmed in March of 2017. The intention was to begin a new shared universe featuring the Marvel characters to which Sony has the film rights, though Sony also intends for the film to share the world of Spider-Man: Homecoming, which is set in the MCU because of a deal between Sony and Marvel Studios. Rosenberg and Pinkner were set to write, with Fleischer and Hardy brought on-board in May 2017. Filming began in October, in Atlanta and New York. Venom is directed by American filmmaker Ruben Fleischer, of Zombieland, 30 Minutes or Less, and Gangster Squad previously. The screenplay is written by Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, and Kelly Marcel. Sony releases Venom in theaters everywhere starting on October 5th this fall. How does that look?

Before Wes Anderson Was Wes Anderson

This video essay looks at how Wes Anderson’s style has evolved from ‘Bottle Rocket.’

When you think of Wes Anderson‘s style, what comes to mind? His meticulous symmetrical framing? A comical, whimsical tone? And where do these hallmarks originate from?

Now, you might hesitate to name Bottle Rocket as the answer to the latter. After all, his debut arguably has the least Wes Anderson-y qualities. And on the surface contains very little of what we now consider to be the defining characteristics of his work. But in many ways, Bottle Rocket shows us the origin of his style and why attempts to emulate it are rarely successful.

In a new video essay, Thomas Flight explores this idea, highlighting all the elements that can be traced back to Anderson’s debut. The video is a must-watch for any Wes Anderson fan, highlighting that there’s so much more to the director than just his visual style.

Flight points out that everything about Anderson’s style starts on a script level. From the comical over-use of “by the way,” highlighting his love for comically delivered mundane dialogue, to over-formalization, as seen in the robbery scene from Bottle Rocket.

Another essential aspect of Anderson’s stories is the obsessive protagonist, Flight says. In his films, we often see characters with a comically over the top dedication to an occupation or activity. From hotel management to the perfect vacation, these can all be traced back to Dignan’s driven attitude toward committing crimes.

This portrayal of obsession may also be traced back to Anderson himself. As a director dedicated to his extremely specific style, the filmmaker certainly fits the bill as one of his own protagonists.

Also touched upon here is the contrast in Anderson’s portrayal of adults and children. Only seen briefly in Bottle Rocket is the type of intelligent, well-spoken child that would become a staple of his work. And these characters will often be contrasted with immature adults for comedic effect, with no greater example being in The Royal Tenenbaums.

These examples highlight just how meticulous Anderson’s style is, as it seeps into every single aspect of his work. And can’t simply be replicated by borrowing his visual style.

But said visual style is also absolutely essential to creating that Wes Anderson feel. And while many of these elements would later be refined and exaggerated, they can be seen in Bottle Rocket if you take a closer look. Layers of action, use of motion to develop a shot, and the walk and talk are all on show here. And while they may not be as pronounced in Anderson’s feature debut, it’s easy to see how his style has evolved from there.

In addition to this, Anderson’s later films usually make a point to make violence look a little pathetic. Scuffles are often framed as childish and comical, without any trace of making fights look slick. And no character in the director’s filmography embodies this idea more than Dignan himself.

To say that Anderson’s films are distinctive is a severe understatement. And while many have tried to emulate him, few understand how his style is built in from the screenplay and works its way into every aspect of the film. One film that does successfully crib from Wes Anderson, however, is The Brothers Bloom. Rian Johnson’s second film borrows from Anderson but does so in a way that demonstrates an understanding of his style, all while still feeling like a Rian Johnson film.

And while Bottle Rocket may forever be known as the least Wes Anderson-esque of his films, it’s definitely worth reconsidering that idea. And there’s no better place to start than this video essay:

The post Before Wes Anderson Was Wes Anderson appeared first on Film School Rejects.

The New ‘Indecent Proposal’ Probably Shouldn’t Be an Exact Remake

The peculiar love story from 1993 gets a redo, but this version will hopefully change around some plot points.

Screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson (The Girl on the Train) has signed on to pen Paramount Players’ new take on Indecent Proposal, according to Deadline. Aside from that bit, there isn’t any further information about the new take to share for now.

The original Indecent Proposal was directed by erotic drama master Adrian Lyne from a script by Amy Holden Jones adapting Jack Engelhard’s novel. Released in 1993, the film won the Razzie Awards for Worst Picture and Worst Screenplay of that year. But, despite the lack of positive honors, it did do very well at the box office, grossing more than $266 million worldwide.

The plot of that movie follows a young couple, Diana and David (Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson in the earlier version), who are down on their luck and low on the finances needed for their home. While attempting to gamble their way to riches one night in Vegas, a man, John (then Robert Redford), offers them $1 million for a night with Diana. Things go just as well as you’d expect them to.

With the lack of news involving details of the remake, I’m left with a million questions. Let’s start with: is this going to be the same exact story? The original Indecent Proposal is labeled as a romantic drama, but that may not fly in 2018, or any time in the near future. With allegations in the #MeToo movement constantly whirring around, — and given the actions and attitude of our current president — this may not be the kind of story we need right now.

Aside from the, you know, offering a woman money for sex, the drama in the film comes from Diana and David separating after she realizes her feelings for John, which leaves David feeling insecure, as well as discovering that John has purchased their home as it was being foreclosed on. With Diana seemingly happier with John, David signs divorce papers and gives away the million dollars.

At the film’s end (sorry for the 25-year-old spoiler), Diana realizes her mistake and returns to David. While it’s no doubt that there’s a romantic element there, I could definitely see the premise being redone as more of a thriller. John is a guy who literally experiences love at first sight and then offers her and her husband $1 million dollars to let him spend the night with her. Tell me that that doesn’t sound like the makings of a totally creepy storyline.

A thriller aspect would make the plot a little less disturbing and could diminish the idea of Diana being okay with being sold off. With a horror-like plot, John’s character could be someone who has been obsessed with Diana for a while. He could have been plotting this offer for weeks, months even. He could have been the cause of Diana and David’s financial downfall. The possibilities are endless.

There’s also a possibility that the new Indecent Proposal could even more boldly and potentially controversially be a more faithful adaptation. Engelhard’s book involves cultural drama along with the romantic situation, as the John character (Ibrahim on the page) is an Arab billionaire and the husband (Josh in the novel) is the Jewish son of Holocaust survivors. Going that route could allow for a more diversely cast picture, but the politics of the dynamic wouldn’t be such an easy sell.

Another question that comes to mind concerns the casting. If the remake sticks to the character traits of the 1993 version, I could definitely see a George Clooney type in Redford’s role. As for Diana and David? Who knows. Maybe Emily Blunt and John Krasinski can bring their roles as real-life and on-screen lovers to this (potentially) scary flick like they did in A Quiet Place. However, given the studio division involved, Collider’s Jeff Sneider believes the lead trio will be aged down.

There is a lot to think about given the absence of details. Hopefully, with updates, we’ll soon be given some sort of indication as to Wilson’s intentions and whether or not this remake is going to directly mimic the original plot or take a completely new path with the story, as well as who will be leading this unique love story.

The post The New ‘Indecent Proposal’ Probably Shouldn’t Be an Exact Remake appeared first on Film School Rejects.

Octavia Spencer Could Change What We Expect of Period Dramas

Netflix’s “Strong Black Lead” initiative continues to pick up steam with a biopic about the first black self-made millionaire in America.

The “Strong Black Lead” initiative made its debut last month at the 2018 BET Awards, effectively with a TV spot entitled “A Great Day in Hollywood,” which features 47 of Netflix’s black creators and a promise of new, innovative and inclusive content.

The post Octavia Spencer Could Change What We Expect of Period Dramas appeared first on Film School Rejects.

The 25 Best Ensemble Movies Ever

Cinema’s starriest in film history’s greatest.

In the long-lasting wake of the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood casting wrap earlier this month and the frenzy of anticipation it has sparked—which will no doubt carry into August 2019—it seems timely to dive into film history’s most stellar ensembles. I want to start by ripping the band-aid off and telling you what this isn’t. This is not a countdown to the biggest ensemble casts ever and it does not include ensembles of less than 10 notable actors. Of course, “notable” is subjective, but for the sake of this list, it refers to A-listers and beloved character actors. The actor qualifies as an A-lister if they ever were one. They do not currently have to be one and they do not have to have been one at the time the film was made. What is this then? It is a ranking of the largest ensembles in the greatest films. There is no point system or clear-cut identifier as to which ended up where exactly, but you’ll notice that the casts get bigger and the films get relatively better as the list progresses.

So, if you’re skating through to see where Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) landed, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s an unbelievable ensemble performance, but it only has eight notables. As much as I love it, this is a mercilessly exclusive group and there are too many films that meet the criteria to make an exception. If your heart is set on a Valentine’s Day (2010) appearance, go buy some chocolates, turn on an old movie, and Elle Woods your way through it, because the film actually has to be great to make the list. If we concluded with the most stacked films of all-time without attention to quality, the top ten would sour in the despicable likes of Movie 43 (2013), The Expendables series, Avengers: Infinity War (2018), and New Year’s Eve (2011) among others. Essentially, the value would be placed in money over merit and the wealthiest projects would occupy the top tier—a real-life parallel that needs no repetition.

In a moment of critical sobriety, I decided to limit Paul Thomas Anderson, Robert Altman, and Wes Anderson to two films a piece simply because they each have multiple peerless films with huge all-star casts and in a list of 25 I want to keep the playing field somewhat level. Also, for the sake of this list, brief cameos are not necessarily moot, but they are not included in the film’s ensemble count. For instance, if The Big Short was on the list—it isn’t—Margot Robbie’s delightful bathtub diatribe would not earn her recognition in the group of A-listers prominently featured. Alright, enough rules. Let’s get into it.

Red Dots

25. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) | dir. Adam McKay

Ensembles Anchorman

As far as film history is concerned, the legend of Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is just that—legendary. Pre-dating 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Knocked Up (2007), Superbad (2007), Step Brothers (2008), and the like, Anchorman ushered in the era of Apatow that took American audiences by storm with its outlandish, improvisational style. It’s well-balanced with a slew of stars (Paul Rudd, Christina Applegate, Steve Carrell), a handful of beloved character actors (Chris Parnell, Fred Armisen, Fred Willard, Danny Trejo), yet unrecognized talents in tiny roles (Kathryn Hahn, Seth Rogen, Paul F. Tompkins) and surprise A-listers (Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller). Not to mention, who could ever forget the motorcycle-hardened, burrito-mourning Jack Black punting poor Baxter off the Coronado Bridge?

 

24. Spotlight (2015) | dir. Tom McCarthy

Ensembles Spotlight

Tom McCarthy’s disquieting re-telling of the Boston Globe’s indictment of the local Archdiocese of the Catholic Church is most often (and rightly) discussed for its disturbing content and real-world applications, both of which the film addresses with stunning poise. But, my god, how about that lineup? The “Spotlight” team itself radiates star power (Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Liev Schreiber, Brian d’Arcy James) and the supporting cast isn’t much less impressive (Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup, John Slattery basically reprising his Mad Men role, Paul Guilfoyle, Jamey Sheridan).

 

23. True Romance (1993) | dir. Tony Scott

Ensembles True Romance

Christian Slater, Patricia Arquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Michael Rapaport, James Gandolfini, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, Christopher Walken, Samuel L. Jackson, and Brad Pitt. Hell, even the screenwriter is an A-lister (Quentin Tarantino). Beyond providing the screenplay in all of its pulpy eccentricities, Tarantino clearly rubbed off his yet unknown love for massive ensembles on the piece. Scott utilized everything in front of him to achieve the most singular direction and, consequently, best film of his career.

 

22. Gosford Park (2001) | dir. Robert Altman

Ensembles Gosford Park

The who’s who of 21st century UK film royalty, Altman’s examination of class disguised as murder mystery employs a sparkling range of faculty from then-burgeoning A-listers like Clive Owen and Emily Watson to staples like Tom Hollander, Camilla Rutherford, Richard E. Grant, and Stephen Fry to established sovereignty of the industry like Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Alan Bates, Kristin Scott Thomas, Michael Gambon, and Eileen Atkins. And, as always, some notable Americans couldn’t keep their bloody paws off (Ryan Phillippe, Bob Balaban).

 

21. Tropic Thunder (2008) | dir. Ben Stiller

Ensembles Tropic Thunder

Writer/director/actor Ben Stiller’s Vietnam War satire is an ensemble triumph of hilarity. Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., and Stiller headline the cast, which is rounded out by Jay Baruchel, Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte, Danny McBride, and Bill Hader. Christine Taylor (Stiller’s wife) shows up in the faux-film “Simple Jack,” Matthew McConaughey is suspiciously perfect as a bro agent, and Tom Cruise delivers one of the most eclectic performances of his career as the outraged (and dancing) Les Grossman. Cameos by the likes of Tyra Banks, Maria Menounos, Jon Voight, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Jason Bateman, Lance Bass, and Alicia Silverstone are a bonus, but the true genius of the film is found in its constant references to film history’s most significant Vietnam movies.

 

20. Get on the Bus (1996) | dir. Spike Lee

Ensembles Get On The Bus

As important as it is great, Get on the Bus brought together an all-star black cast at a time when it was relatively unheard of on such a large scale. Spike employed many of his past and soon-to-be regulars to establish a group of culturally diverse men with a shared goal to participate in the Million Man March. The dynamite cast includes Wendell Pierce, Isaiah Washington, Richard Belzer, Charles S. Dutton, Harry Lenix, Ossie Davis, Albert Hall,  Randy Quaid (an obvious outlier), Andre Braugher, and Bernie Mac.

 

19. Heat (1995) | dir. Michael Mann

Ensembles Heat

The first thing that comes to mind here is not “ensemble.” It’s Robert De Niro and Al Pacino’s names in all caps. Heat has etched itself into film history canon with its iconic diner discussion and showdown finale between De Niro and Pacino, but the rest of the cast deserves some serious love. Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Dennis Haysbert, Ted Levine, Tom Sizemore, Danny Trejo, William Fichtner, Hank Azaria, Jeremy Piven, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Tom Noonan, and a tweeny Natalie Portman. Every familiar face contributes to the excellence of Mann’s magnum opus.

 

18. The Hours (2002) | dir. Stephen Daldry

Ensembles The Hours

Like Heat, Daldry’s film is rarely recognized for its huge ensemble; rather, it’s recognized for its A-list leading ladies (Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and an unrecognizable Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf). As if those three aren’t enough, the time-hopping literary drama includes characters played by Toni Collette, Ed Harris, Allison Janney, John C. Reilly, Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Stephen Dillane, Eileen Atkins, and the queen of all supporting roles, beloved character actress Margo Martindale.

 

17. Wet Hot American Summer (2001) | dir. David Wain

Ensembles Wet Hot American Summer

This wacky flick probably sits a little higher on this list than most would expect. But even if the comedic stylings aren’t up your alley, this is about great ensembles working together to make great films, and it is a fascinating illustration. No film has predicted stardom and comedic synergy better than David Wain and Michael Showalter’s breakout project. They captured the comedic brilliance of Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler, and Bradley Cooper pre-fame, paired it with an overflowing gaggle of character actors (H. Jon Benjamin, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Ian Black, David Hyde Pierce, Christopher Meloni, Joe Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Judah Friedlander, and more), and in doing so, cemented this turn of the century comedy into ensemble glory.

 

16. The Women (1939) | dir. George Cukor

Ensembles The WomenIn 2018, it can be difficult to determine the ensemble gravity of the recesses of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but rest assured that Cukor’s boundary-pushing picture belongs in the collective blinding light of celebrity stardom that shines from every film on this list. Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, Mary Boland, Paulette Goddard, Phyllis Povah, Lucile Watson, Virginia Weidler, Ruth Hussey, Marjorie Main, Virginia Grey, and the infamous Hedda Hopper. Although the film accomplished an astounding feat with an exclusively female cast (yes, even the animals), I’m not sure how the anti-Bechdel tagline (“It’s All About Men!”) would fare in today’s Hollywood.

 

15. The Ice Storm (1997) | dir. Ang Lee

Ensembles The Ice Storm

The Ice Storm is one of many incredible James Schamus/Ang Lee (writer, producer/director) pictures within the duo’s ever-moving career, but it is the only one with a loaded cast. The division of stardom is stark enough to suggest that this wasn’t intended to be a huge ensemble film at the time. On one hand, you have the then A-list talent of Christina Ricci, Sigourney Weaver, Elijah Wood, Kevin Kline, and Joan Allen. And on the other, there are the future stars in Tobey Maguire, Katie Holmes, and Allison Janney. A solid cast of seemingly always present supporters accompanies them, including Henry Czerny, Jamey Sheridan, and debatably the most beloved character actor of all-time—in a contest with Margo Martindale, of course—David Krumholtz. Pinpointing the remarkable cast only scratches the surface of what makes this the best film the duo made that decade.

 

14. Ocean’s Eleven (2001) | dir. Steven Soderbergh

Ensembles Oceans

Perhaps the most self-explanatory movie on this entire list, Ocean’s Eleven is the poster child of ensemble films, celebrated for its riveting star power and supremely effective casting. A simple list of names ought to jog your memory if Ocean’s 8 (2018) didn’t already: Bernie Mac, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Andy Garcia, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Topher Grace, and Carl Reiner. It’s tempting to give the award to the equally great Ocean’s Twelve (2007) for its Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vincent Cassel additions, but in the event of such a close call, the tie goes to the original. The other two installments can fight for the scraps.

 

13. 12 Years a Slave (2013) | dir. Steve McQueen

Ensembles Years A Slave

McQueen’s disturbing but necessary re-telling of a free black man’s capture and enslavement in the 19th century plantation-riddled Southern U.S. is not the kind of movie you walk out of discussing star power. But once you’ve done some processing and have time to revisit the details, you’ll realize that the screen was nearly on fire from start to finish. The historical tragedy carries the A-list likes of Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, and Paul Dano. And don’t forget the treasured supporting cast (Alfre Woodard, Michael Kenneth Williams, Storm Reid, Scoot McNairy, Taran Killam, and Bill Camp).

 

12. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) | dir. Wes Anderson

Ensembles The Royal Tenenbaums

If this was a list based entirely on preference, Anderson’s film would be wearing silver simply because I can’t ever seem to get enough of it. This was the world’s introduction to large Wes Anderson ensembles, every focal character is an absolute knockout, and the specific chemistry of this tight, starry cast is so delightfully depressing. But, in an attempt to spread the wealth and infuse some attempted objectivity, I think pushing it back ten spots is fair. Also, the Wes Anderson favorite has one of the smallest ensemble numbers on the list, barely qualifying with ten, but feeling as loaded as the top five with at least two A-listers on screen in nearly every scene. In order of my adoration for each character: Luke Wilson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Ben Stiller, Danny Glover, Anjelica Huston, Gene Hackman, and Alec Baldwin (with the lovable Wes Anderson regular, Kumar Pallana as Pagoda—the cherry on top).

 

11. I’m Not There. (2007) | dir. Todd Haynes

Ensembles Im Not There

Todd Haynes’ experimental Bob Dylan biopic is brimming with ambition and teeming with intelligence. This one is for the Dylan-desperate, but also anyone who follows the novel stylings of Haynes. Dylan is portrayed in one way or another by six different actors: Richard Gere, Christian Bale, Ben Whishaw, Heath Ledger, Cate Blanchett—who was nominated at the Oscars for her role as the snide, electric Dylan—and Marcus Carl Franklin (not famous in his own right, but he deserves some attention as one of the six leads). Narration by the smoky voice of Kris Kristofferson and appearances by Michelle Williams, Haynes staple Julianne Moore, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Bruce Greenwood, and David Cross (as poet Allen Ginsberg) thicken the film’s argument for ensemble greatness. Make this your new Heath Ledger memorial watch. Don’t think twice, it’s all right—The Dark Knight (2008) is not suffering from lack of attention.

 

10. Boogie Nights (1997) | dir. Paul Thomas Anderson

Ensembles Boogie Nights

Though not his first film, Boogie Nights has sort of stolen the title of PTA’s emergent feature debut (sorry, Hard Eight—I still like you). Only 27 at the time, PTA masterfully directed Mark Wahlberg (then better known as Marky Mark), Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Luis Guzman, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, Heather Graham, William H. Macy, Philip Baker Hall, Alfred Molina, Melora Walters, and Philip Seymour Hoffman into a majestic,

magnetic tale of the ‘70s/’80s L.A. porn industry. I’ll never understand how the 4th Annual SAG Awards justified giving Best Ensemble to The Full Monty—that decision is not aging well. Boogie Nights is a cinephile’s dream. It’s like a Kubrick—tremendously long, compelling, but never limp. And, my god, the payoff is huge.

 

9. Pulp Fiction (1994) | dir. Quentin Tarantino

Ensembles Pulp Fiction

What can be said about Tarantino’s Palme d’Or winning sensation that hasn’t been said already? The movie is significant enough to occupy its own square on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame. Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, and John Travolta deliver decade-defining performances. Bruce Willis, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken, Tim Roth, Eric Stoltz, Ving Rhames, Harvey Keitel, and Tarantino round out the top tier, and Rosanna Arquette, Frank Whaley, and Peter Greene provide superbly strange supporting roles—then again, nothing in this movie is void of strange. Its originality is one of its most attractive characteristics.

 

8. JFK (1991) | dir. Oliver Stone

Ensembles Jfk

Some call him a historian, some a fake, others a communist spy. But Stone calls himself a “dramatist” and this is his most provocative drama—a blend of legitimate conspiracy, tiny truths, and total unabashed fiction that gets its stinging point across without ever needing to lean on stark historical accuracy. It breached the public conscience, infused a healthy dose of distrust of the government in the American people, and led to a congressional hearing to eventually declassify the Kennedy assassination files. It also had one of the most loaded casts in film history: Kevin Costner, Laurie Metcalf, Sissy Spacek, Vincent D’Onofrio, Gary Oldman, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Joe Pesci, Donald Sutherland, Jack Lemmon, John Candy, Wayne Knight, Edward Asner, Michael Rooker, and Dale Dye. Not to mention, a rousing historical introduction via Martin Sheen’s narration.

 

7. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003) | dir. Peter Jackson

Ensembles Lotr

If you’re already upset because I didn’t pick just one, pretend I picked The Two Towers because that’s my favorite. However, the trilogy as a collective earns this single spot due to its cast consistency. Barring the death and addition of a few certain characters, the ensemble remains relatively set in place. Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Liv Tyler, Andy Serkis, Viggo Mortensen, Hugo Weaving, Orland Bloom, Ian McKellen, Marton Csokas, John Rhys-Davies, Sean Bean, and Dominic Monaghan appear in all three, and Karl Urban, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, David Wenham, and Miranda Otto are in 2/3. Fun fact: together the three films share 17 Oscars.

 

6. Murder on the Orient Express (1974) | dir. Sidney Lumet

Ensembles Murder On The Orient Express

If you haven’t noticed already, almost every one of these films is directed by a film legend. I shouldn’t have to defend that. It’s a switchback argument. Great directors make great films make great lists made up of great films made by great directors, etc. This is no exception. For those not familiar with film history—Sidney Lumet gifted us with jewels from 12 Angry Men (1957) to Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) to the original Murder on the Orient Express, which fell in the middle of an indomitable back-to-back-to-back-to-back run in Serpico (1973), itself, Dog Day Afternoon (1975), and Network (1976). The all-star cast includes Albert Finney, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Lauren Bacall, Vanessa Redgrave, Jacqueline Bisset, Wendy Hiller, John Gielgud, Michael York, Anthony Perkins, Martin Balsam, Richard Widmark, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and Rachel Roberts.

 

5. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) | dir. Wes Anderson

Ensembles Grand Budapest Hotel

(Note to all the disappointed Moonrise Kingdom (2012) super-fans: I hear your woes. It’s a terrific ensemble film. Yet, the major screen time held by the two fantastic, but not even slightly famous, central characters made the choice pretty easy.) I didn’t want to spoil the excitement of the reveal when I was talking about The Royal Tenenbaums earlier, but it’s impossible to leave this wildly imaginative and blindingly starry culmination of Anderson ensembles out of the top five. Plus, it’s many peoples’ favorite of his and certainly near the top for me. By 2014, Anderson had established himself alongside Altman, P.T. Anderson, and Tarantino as peerless ensemble commanders in film history. And it’s safe to say that no one had ever seen anything like Grand Budapest. Capitalizing on Anderson’s knack for decorous production design, punctilious photographic symmetry, and magnificent screenwriting, each member of the cast managed to supply a nonpareil performance. Newcomers Saoirse Ronan, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Jude Law, Lucas Hedges, Tom Wilkinson, F. Murray Abraham, and Bob Balaban showed their prowess while the regulars settled into place with ease (Tilda Swinton, Jeff Goldblum, Harvey Keitel, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe). And, of course, the dearest and earliest of all frequent collaborators—Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman—form the center of the secret concierge Society of the Crossed Keys.

 

4. It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) | dir. Stanley Kramer

Ensembles Mad Mad Mad World

With this epic screwball comedy, Kramer sought to round up the entire A-list comedy community, and he damn near did it. It is, undoubtedly, the film with the most noteworthy actors on this whole list, but many of which do/did not qualify as A-list and many A-listers who were essentially cameos. Hence, the reason it was unable to crack the top three. That said, I am not taking anything away from this film. Not only is it an absolute riot, but it is the crown anomaly of—socio-political controversy king—Stanley Kramer’s otherwise staid career. The rest of this blurb should probably just be devoted to listing as many cast members as I reasonably can so you get the picture. The principal ensemble alone qualifies: Edie Adams, Sid Caesar, Buddy Hackett, Dorothy Privine, Milton Berle, Ethel Merman, Dick Shawn, Mickey Rooney, Phil Silvers, Jonathan Winters, Terry-Thomas, basically the only non-comedian in the entire movie, Spencer Tracy. Supporters like Eddie Anderson, Jim Backus, Peter Falk, Jimmy Durante, William Demarest, and Paul Ford push it into stardom heaven. And—take a deep breath if you’re reading this out loud to anyone—cameo appearances by Jerry Lewis, The Three Stooges, Carl Reiner, Buster Keaton, Don Knotts, Sterling Holloway, Jack Benny, Paul Birch, Joe E. Brown, Alan Carney, Ben Blue, Andy Devine, Lloyd Corrigan, ZaSu Pitts, Chick Chandler, Charles Lane, Stan Freberg, and (believe it or not) many more blend with the rest to form an all-time achievement. As if that wasn’t enough, Kramer also went offered Peter Sellers, Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, Stan Laurel, Bud Abbott, Judy Garland, and others roles that were eventually turned down or cut.

 

3. Short Cuts (1993) | dir. Robert Altman

Ensembles Short Cuts

(Note to the curious and/or frustrated Altman lovers: Gosford Park and Short Cuts edged out Nashville (1975) due to the heavy screen time of a slightly lesser-known—remarkable nonetheless—cast and The Player (1992) because of its reliance on the dense dose of cameos. Plainly speaking, all belong in the ensemble hall of fame.) Altman’s film is well-aware of its star power. The poster for the film was virtually just a list. It reads: Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison, Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Anne Archer, Fred Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Penn, Lili Taylor, Robert Downey Jr., Madeleine Stowe, Tim Robbins, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits, Frances McDormand, Peter Gallagher, Annie Ross, Lori Singer, Jack Lemmon, Lyle Lovett, Buck Henry, and Huey Lewis. Clocking in at just over three hours, this interwoven adaptation of Raymond Carver short stories tailored to Los Angeles is truly one of Altman’s best, and that’s saying a whole hell of a lot.

 

2. The Thin Red Line (1998) | dir. Terrence Malick

Ensembles Thin Red Line

Don’t ever complain to a Malick fan about waiting. After the ineffable Days of Heaven (1978), two decades of radio silence sank all hopes of a return into oblivion until he emerged with this beautiful, gut-wrenching, impressionistic exploration of the human condition according to wartime. Apparently, the seemingly eternal wait was met with strenuous demand because everyone who was anyone in Hollywood found themselves drooling over the opportunity to read for a role. Brad Pitt, Nicolas Cage, Matthew McConaughey Leonardo DiCaprio, Ethan Hawke, Johnny Depp, and others either met with Malick or read for roles to no avail. On the other hand, those who did make the cut—some by the margin of a mere scene (George Clooney)—transformed the picture into an indestructible A-list vehicle (Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, Nick Nolte, John Cusack, John Travolta, Woody Harrelson, Sean Penn, John C. Reilly, Jared Leto, Elias Koteas, John Savage) with an extraordinary detail of beloved character actors (Tim Blake Nelson, Thomas Jane, Mark Boone Junior, Miranda Otto, Ben Chaplin, and Nick Stahl). It also champions the award for Malick’s most effusive mythical deletion of A-listers that supposedly filmed scenes (Mickey Rourke, Bill Pullman, Lukas Haas, Martin Sheen, Viggo Mortensen, and a 3-hour bout of overlaid narration from Billy Bob Thornton), but a couple of them have since been discounted (Sheen, Mortensen). Ultimately, The Thin Red Line is the archetypal essence of what this list seeks to acknowledge, but one film barely bests it.

 

1. Magnolia (1999) | dir. Paul Thomas Anderson

Ensembles Magnolia

(Note to other P.T. Anderson purists: you understand the pain I endured and the insanity I staved to not include Inherent Vice (2013) on this list in all of its ensemble wonder). Enchanting from the first second of its antique exordium to the last second of its Aimee-Mann-overlaid fourth wall obliteration, Magnolia is a modern, comi-tragic fable of Homeric proportion (complete with significant animal roles). Other directors might have left the same story at “shit happens,” but Anderson braves the dark of the human soul in all of its pain and longing. He weaves like Woodcock through sparsely intertwined stories of childhood disappointment, incessant embitterment, and shattering loss, slowly unveiling the philosophical reality that unifies them all. There are no big bang realizations, no kitschy screenwriting maneuvers, nothing of the sort. It’s like a winding puzzle with un-primped edges all around looking for companion pieces—incomplete, but somehow perfect because the puzzle maker designed it that way. In all of this, Anderson’s brilliant direction would be less so if the methodical subtlety of emotion weren’t offered by the films sovereign ensemble. Tom Cruise, Melora Walters, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Orlando Jones, Melinda Dillon, Patton Oswalt, Jason Robards, Philip Baker Hall, Luis Guzman, Alfred Molina, Thomas Jane, Clark Gregg, Neil Flynn, William Mapother, and Henry Gibson (plus, voice roles by Mary Lynn Rajskub and Paul F. Tompkins) form a perfect balance of stardom and celebrated support. It also comes with one of my favorite film history stories to imagine: Anderson meeting Kubrick and Cruise in England on the set of Eyes Wide Shut (1999) to implore Cruise to take the role mere months before Kubrick died. I like to think of it as a passing of the torch from the once greatest living director to the current greatest living director. And Magnolia was the first thing to come of it. It is, quite frankly, one of the greatest films ever made, and without a doubt, the ensemble of all ensembles.

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