Art-House Dramas:
Summary:
During the final days of the French Revolution, the Queen of France
Marie Antoinette develops a relationship with one of her readers – this is her
story. Filmmakers: French writer-director
Benoit Jacquot is known for making decent dramas, his best probably being Tosca or A Single Girl. He is working
with composer Bruno Coulais (Coraline), cinematographer Romain Winding and production
designer Katia Wyszkop. Cast: The film stars Diane Kruger and Lea Seydoux, with Virginie Ledoyen and Xavier Beauvois in support. Expectations: As a big fan of both Kruger and
Ledoyen, I am personally looking forward to this – plus, from what I have seen,
the film looks to be excellent aesthetically and stylistically (appealing to my
love of great visuals in film). Seydoux is also one of France’s brightest up
and comers. She is best known to American audiences through her work in Inglourious Basterds (having a
small role in part 1), Robin
Hood, Midnight
in Paris, and Mission:
Impossible – Ghost Protocol (her biggest role so far in the States). The
film played to mixed reviews at the Cannes Film Festival in May, but should
appeal to fans of period dramas (if for nothing more than for the design,
costumes and atmosphere). Trailer: Here.
Summary:
All coming from very different background and circumstances, JW, Jorge
and Mrado get wrapped up in the world of drugs and organized crime in Sweden. Filmmakers: Director Daniel Espinosa had a hit
earlier this year in the States with Safe House. This film came out
in 2010, and was a critical and commercial hit in Sweden getting him the Safe
House gig, and now with the success of that film, this is coming to American
cinemas. Cast: The film stars Joel Kinnaman (from The Killing), Matias Varela and Dragomir Mrsic. Expectations: Kinnaman is on the verge of having a
breakthrough in Hollywood, which could come with 2013’s Robocop (in which he has the
title role). Safe House was fairly well received as an entertaining action
thriller in the States; and for those who have seen both, Easy Money is
typically credited as the better film. It shares a lot of the same visual and
narrative pieces as a typical American gangster film (or crime drama/thriller)
and should appeal to fans of the genre. Trailer: Here.
Summary:
Psychologist Margaret Matheson and her assistant Tom study paranormal activity,
in many cases disproving frauds. However, when they decide to investigate the
world-renowned psychic Simon Silver, their lives are thrown into dangerous
disarray. Filmmakers: Writer-director
Rodrigo Cortes is coming off a fantastic thriller in Buried, hoping to follow it up
with another. He is working again with composer Victor Reyes, while
cinematographer Xavi Gimenez
(Transsiberian) and
production designer Anton Laguna
are new to the team. Cast: Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy stars with Robert De Niro, Toby Jones, Elizabeth Olsen, Joely Richardson, and Craig Roberts in support. Expectations: Red Lights looks like a decent
thriller – hopefully, however, it will bring something new to a sub-genre(s)
(psychological/paranormal thrillers) that is seemingly a bit played out.
Despite the great cast and really liking Buried, I am a bit skeptical of this
just because of its narrative roots being in paranormal occurrences (and maybe
I am the only one that is tired of these films – as they are mostly bad). That
said, this should serve as good counterprograming to the blockbusters and
crime-thriller that fill up much of the month. Trailer:
Here.
Summary:
A modern retelling of Tess
of the d’Ubervilles set in India, the story is of a tragic relationship
between Trishna and Jay – both from different worlds (economically and socially
speaking). Filmmakers: Director Michael
Winterbottom is one of Britain’s most exciting filmmakers. While his films are
not always good, they are always ambitious and interesting (I particularly like
The Road to Guantanamo and
his Steve Coogan trilogy – 24
Hour Party People, Tristram
Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story and The Trip). He is working with
Indian composer Amit Trivedi,
brilliant Japanese composer Shigeru
Umebayashi (In the Mood for
Love) and frequent collaborators cinematographer Marcel Zyskind and production
designer David Bryan. Cast: The film stars Freida Pinto and Riz Ahmed. Expectations: It is somewhat interesting that the
only Indian narratives set in India that seem to make it to the States are shot
by British filmmakers – I am thinking both of this and Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire (though, I
guess there is Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding, but that was
11 years ago). Tess of the
d’Urbervilles was done quite well in 2008 by the BBC, but has never had a
successful transfer to film. Winterbottom’s films can be quite polarizing,
especially his dramas, so it will be interesting to see out this is received.
Based on the trailer, it looks potentially good and is probably at the minimum
worth a rental for those that like tragic romantic dramas. Trailer: Here.
Summary:
A samurai plots vengeance against the house of a feudal lord after discovering
the fate of his ronin son-in-law. Filmmakers: Takashi
Miike had a critical hit in the States with his last film 13
Assassins, and is looking to follow up on that goodwill. He is again
working with cinematographer Nobuyasu
Kita and art director Yuji
Hayashida, while composer Ryuichi
Sakamoto is new to the team. Cast: Koji Yakusho stars (working
again with the director after also starring in 13 Assassins) with Eita and Naoto Takenaka, among others, in
support. Expectations: 13 Assassins
reestablished Miike for American audiences after his last two breakthrough
films came in the early 2000s (Ichi
the Killer and a segment of Three…
Extremes). It also revitalized the samurai genre. Hara-Kiri looks to be
another fantastic samurai picture and well worth checking out for fans of the
genre and Japanese cinema. Trailer: Here.
Summary:
Chris is gravely in debt to the wrong people. He desperately needs
money. The only option he sees is to collect on his mother’s life insurance
policy. So, he hires a hit man – Killer Joe Cooper. Filmmakers:
Director William Friedkin is best known for his films from the early 1970s – The French Connection and The Exorcist – lately though,
he has not made anything good. He is working with a good group including
composer Tyler Bates (Super),
cinematographer Caleb Deschanel
(Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)
and production designer Franco-Giacomo
Carbone (The
Expendables). Cast: The film stars Emile Hirsch, with Matthew McConaughey, Juno Temple, Thomas Haden Church, and Gina Gershon in support. Expectations: Killer Joe is supposed to be part of
the Matthew-McConaughey-is-a-good-actor-2012 campaign (along with Mud, Paperboy, and last month’s Magic Mike), as well as being
Friedkin’s comeback film (almost thirty years in the making). Personally, I am
most interested in seeing Temple’s performance as she is one of my favorite
under-the-radar actors right now. The film looks very twisted and demented –
and almost like a black comedy. It is definitely worth checking out for fans of
that type of film, as this has been playing to critical acclaim on the festival
circuit. Trailer: Here.
Art-House Comedies:
Summary:
Calvin is a struggling novelist. One day something strange happens. The
character he is writing in his latest novel materializes in real life, and is
controlled by his writing to be the perfect girl for him to fall in love with
(what could go wrong). Filmmakers: After six
years the directors of Little
Miss Sunshine Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are back with a new film
(much to the adulation of indie movie fans). They are working with a very good
group including composer Nick
Urata (Crazy,
Stupid, Love.), cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Black
Swan) and production designer Judy
Becker (Shame).
Cast: Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan (who also wrote the
film) star with Deborah Ann Woll,
Antonio Banderas, Alia Shawkat, Annette Bening, Steve Coogan, Elliott Gould, and Chris Messina in support. Expectations: While I liked Little Miss Sunshine, I
feel like I am not as big a fan of it as most people seem to be. That said, I am
not anticipating this based on the directors as much as I am for the cast,
which has a ton of wonderful potential. Dano and Kazan have great chemistry,
and supporting players like Woll, Banderas, Bening, and Coogan should bring a
lot to the film as well. Based on what I have seen, the film looks very funny
and sort of quirky (like every indie dramedy). I am interested to see where the
story goes from “Guy invents his dream girl”. This is probably a must for fans
of indie dramedies. Trailer: Here.
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