| | | | What's news: ...and we're back! Today's bumper newsletter is review heavy as several awards contenders premiered over the weekend in Venice and Telluride. Regarding Venice, Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling was the center of yet more drama. It's magazine day, and on the cover are The Women King star Viola Davis and director Gina Prince-Bythewood. There's also coverage of the Creative Arts Emmys and what Elon Musk thinks of Amazon's Rings of Power — Abid Rahman |
The Battle to Get 'The Woman King' Made ►On the cover. The Woman King, Sony's upcoming $50m action-adventure film about West African female fighters, is the product of a thousand battles star Viola Davis and director Gina Prince-Bythewood have waged over the course of their careers in Hollywood. Davis and Prince-Bythewood open up to THR's Rebecca Keegan about the journey to get the historical epic to the screen and how the movie represents Black women in a new light. The cover story.
—King Lear. Amazon Freevee has ordered Norman Lear's Clean Slate to series. The comedy, which hails from Lear’s Act III Productions and Sony Pictures Television, centers on an old-school car wash owner, played by George Wallace, who’s thrilled his estranged child is finally coming home. But, per the show’s official logline, he has “a lot of soul searching to do” when the son returns as a trans woman, played by Laverne Cox. The story.
—"Tolkien is turning in his grave." Elon Musk has criticized Amazon Prime Video’s billion-dollar fantasy series The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power. Expanding on why he didn’t like the show, Musk tweeted that “almost every male character so far is a coward, a jerk or both,” adding that “only Galadriel is brave, smart and nice.” The story.
—"My least favorite scene in the entire show." The third episode of HBO's House of the Dragon featured a do-over of sorts of author George R.R. Martin's least favorite scenes from Game of Thrones. Martin has always disliked the depiction of King Robert Baratheon's hunting party from the first season of GOT, but the HOTD team made sure to make King Viserys’ hunting party from episode three more to his liking. The story. |
'Don't Worry Darling' Drama Continues ►"The Internet feeds itself." Olivia Wilde did her best to dodge questions about the scandals that have hit her feature Don’t Worry Darling (the review for which is below) during a Venice press event Monday, with some significant help from the festival itself. Wilde sought to play down a reported feud between her and star Florence Pugh, describing the reports as "endless tabloid gossip" and "noise."
THR's Alex Ritman attempted to ask a question about Shia LaBeouf's exit from the film, only for the festival moderator to shut it down, claiming that Wilde had “already answered that” in relation to “Internet noise.” The story.
—Styles spitting, Pine "astral projecting" and Pugh avoiding eye contact. Alex Ritman reports that despite an enthusiastic reception, the online frenzy surrounding Don't Worry Darling escalated even further following its bow at Venice thanks to viral video clips and photos from the press conference. The drama.
—Seven minutes! Despite everything, Don’t Worry Darling did receive an enthusiastic reception at its world premiere Monday night in Venice. The crowd rose to give Wilde and her cast a standing ovation lasting around seven minutes. Some of the loudest cheers undoubtedly were reserved for Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. The story.
—Seven minutes! Brendan Fraser’s big screen comeback in Darren Aronofsky’s A24 drama The Whale was greeted with an adoring reception on Sunday night in Venice. The film received a seven-minute standing ovation which seemed to catch an emotional Fraser by surprise. The story.
—Twelve minutes! The re-teaming of Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and writer/director Martin McDonagh for the first time since In Bruges was met with wild applause in Venice. There were wild cheers for Searchlight’s The Banshees of Inisherin even before it had started, but the standing ovation at the end lasted for well over 12 minutes, a festival best so far. The story. |
'Top Gun 2' Beats 'Spider-Man' to Win Slow Labor Day ►Cruise still winning. Movie theaters in the U.S. slashed tickets to a mere $3 on Saturday in a one-day promotion to honor National Cinema Day. Without any new big movies on the Labor Day marquee, there wasn’t much to lose for Hollywood studios. The biggest beneficiary of the discounted pricing was Top Gun: Maverick, which soared past Sony’s rerelease of Spider-Man: No Way Home to top the chart with a four-day gross of $7.9m, including $6m for the three-day weekend.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that Top Gun 2's take was the lowest grosses in recent decades for a film topping the Labor Day chart, but a great result for a movie that’s in its 15th weekend and has earned more than $1.4b globally. In fact, it is the first time that a film has ever been No. 1 on Memorial Day and Labor Day. And better yet, the Tom Cruise blockbuster has zoomed past the $700m mark domestically to overtake Black Panther and become the fifth top-grossing film of all time with a cume of $701.2m). The box office report.
—"I know people have a bunch of questions. I get it." Tiffany Haddish says she deeply regrets acting in an old sketch with Aries Spears that has sparked a wave of criticism following a lawsuit from an anonymous woman who accused the comedians of exploiting her and her brother in sexually charged video skits when they were children. The story.
—"The way they’ve been exploiting my trauma is disgusting." A woman whose sexual assault claims against Armie Hammer launched an ongoing LAPD investigation, is speaking out against Discovery+’s docuseries House of Hammer. The woman slammed directors Elli Hakami and Julian P. Hobbs for including her claims despite her declining to be involved in the series. The story.
—"I’m still here." Pauley Perrette is opening up about suffering a “massive stroke” she suffered last year. In a social media post shared on Friday, the former NCIS star shared a video reflecting on the “one year anniversary” since having a stroke. The story. |
Film Review: 'Don't Worry Darling' ►"High gloss, low originality." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling. Florence Pugh, Harry Styles and Chris Pine star in this mind-bending psycho-thriller (screening out of competition in Venice) set in an idyllic experimental community where Eisenhower-era values hide something sinister underneath. The review.
—"Wilts and dies." David reviews Paul Schrader's Master Gardener. Joel Edgerton, Sigourney Weaver and Quintessa Swindell star in this Venice premiere about a dedicated horticulturalist reckoning with his dark past. The review.
—"A Sirkian slasher movie? Why not?" David reviews Ti West's Pearl. The indie exploitation veteran and his starry-eyed leading lady Mia Goth trace the murderous mayhem of broken dreams on a Texas farm in the lush style of a mid-century melodrama in A24’s Venice premiere. The review.
—"A beautifully wrought story of life after tragedy." THR critic Lovia Gyarkye reviews Koji Fukada's Venice competition entry Love Life. In the Japanese director’s latest feature, a married couple find themselves divided after a tragic accident disrupts their lives. The review.
—"Wise and winning." THR's Jon Frosch reviews Rebecca Zlotowski's Venice competition entry Other People's Children. Virginie Efira stars as a woman whose attachment to her boyfriend’s young daughter awakens unexpected maternal longing. The review. |
Film Review: 'The Whale' ►"There will be tears." David Rooney reviews Darren Aronofsky's Venice competition entry The Whale. Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau, Ty Simpkins and Samantha Morton appear in this chamber drama adapted by Samuel D. Hunter from his play about grief and salvation. The review.
—"An apt tribute to a political ground-breaker." THR film critic Stephen Farber reviews Eva Weber's Merkel. The German-born filmmaker gathers fresh interviews with figures like Hillary Clinton, Susan Rice and Tony Blair to fill in Merkel's achievements in this doc that premiered at Telluride. The review.
—"An illuminating study of dark prejudices." Stephen reviews Sebastian Lelio's The Wonder. Florence Pugh, Ciaran Hinds, Toby Jones and newcomer Kila Lord Cassidy star in this drama set in famine-ravaged 1862 Ireland. The review.
—"A vibrant, if over-crammed, family affair." THR film critic Leslie Felperin reviews Emanuele Crialese’s Venice competition entry L’Immensita. The Italian director’s deeply autobiographical work also explores a trans boy's first recognition of his gender dysphoria. The review.
—"Small in scale, but rich in feeling." Leslie reviews Frederick Wiseman's Venice competition entry A Couple. Wiseman, best known for his documentaries, offers a rare scripted work with Nathalie Boutefeu playing Sophia Tolstoy. The review.
—"A beautifully photographed, generally apolitical glimpse of a tragedy." THR's Dan Fienberg reviews Matthew Heineman's Retrograde. The Cartel Land filmmaker documents the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and its sad aftermath in his new documentary for National Geographic films that premiered at Telluride. The review. |
Film Review: 'The Banshees of Inisherin' ►"Bloody and beautiful." David Rooney reviews Martin McDonagh's Venice competition entry The Banshees of Inisherin. Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan star in this dark comedy premiering about the abrupt breakup of lifelong friends, sparking violence, suffering and self-reflection. The review. — "A crowd-pleasing, at times contrived showcase for a stellar Colman." THR's Sheri Linden reviews Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light. Olivia Colman and Micheal Ward star in the filmmaker’s follow-up to 1917, which had its world premiere at Telluride and explores the unlikely bond between two employees of a movie theater. The review. — "A quintessentially Herzogian fusion of hope, horror, humor and heart." Sheri reviews Werner Herzog's Theater of Thought. In a documentary premiering in Telluride, the filmmaker turns his lens on the brave new world of brain-computer interfaces, their therapeutic breakthroughs and chilling potential consequences. The review. — "A measured portrait of a courageous legal eagle." Sheri reviews Santiago Mitre's Venice competition entry Argentina, 1985. Ricardo Darín toplines as the prosecutor who led the landmark case against the architects of Argentina’s reign of military terror. The review. — "Brimming with insights and movie love, once you get past the ventriloquism." Sheri reviews Mark Cousins' My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock. The Telluride premiere from the Story of Film director assumes the first-person perspective of the British auteur to explore psychological themes and visual gambits in his work. The review. In other news... —Things get bloody, and beautiful, in teaser trailer for Nicolas Winding Refn’s Copenhagen Cowboy —Joel Kim Booster responds to Billy Eichner’s remarks about “disposable” LGBTQ streaming projects —Who’s who in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie cast —Warner Bros. Discovery unveils executive team for Nordics —Foo Fighters joined by Taylor Hawkins’ son, Paul McCartney, Travis Barker at tribute concert —The Weeknd forced to cut L.A. stadium show short after losing his voice What else we're reading... —Arwa Mahdawi asks why Leonardo DiCaprio can't date someone his own age [ Guardian] —With Blonde slapped with an NC-17, Adam Manno looks at the history of the once dreaded rating [ Daily Beast] —Karen Han has a lovely piece talking to the female stars of Amazon's Rings of Power [ Inverse] —Maddie Ellis on Swifties and their obsession with numbers Taylor Swift is dropping suggesting new music [ WSJ] —Critic A.O. Scott runs the rule over the offerings at Telluride, particularly Sarah Polley's Women Talking [ NYT] Today... Today's birthdays: Idris Elba (50), Freya Allan (21), Lauren Lapkus (37), Naomie Harris (46), Anika Noni Rose (50), Rosie Perez (58), Justina Machado (50), Graham Wardle (36), Jane Curtin (75), Asher Angel (20), Trina McGee (53), Mark Ivanir (54), Michael Winslow (64), Ian Puleston-Davies (64), Tommy Lee Wallace (73), James Lew (70), Barbora Kodetová (52), Macy Gray (55), Roger Waters (79), Oliver Parker (62), Jeff Foxworthy (64), Søren Bregendal (39), Emily Maitlis (52) |
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