From Director Steven Soderbergh, BLACK BAG is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country. (Trailer)
Starring Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan, BLACK BAG will open in theaters nationwide on March 14th.
From Director Steven Soderbergh, BLACK BAG is a gripping spy drama about legendary intelligence agents George Woodhouse and his beloved wife Kathryn. When she is suspected of betraying the nation, George faces the ultimate test – loyalty to his marriage or his country.
Stars Cate Blanchett, Michael Fassbender, Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Regé-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan.
Focus Features will releaseBLACK BAG in theaters on Friday, March 14th. Watch the first trailer now.
Returning to her home planet, an infamous outlaw forms an unexpected alliance with a team of unlikely heroes. Together, they battle alien monsters and dangerous bandits to find a missing girl who holds the key to unimaginable power. Starring Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Edgar Ramírez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, language and some suggestive material.
Made to be experienced on the big screen, BORDERLANDS is directed by Eli Roth (Thanksgiving, The House with a Clock in Its Walls), from a screenplay by Roth and Joe Crombie and screen story by Roth.
WAMG is giving away ATOM MOVIE TICKETS to see BORDERLANDS.
EMAIL michelle@wearemoviegeeks.com to enter.
WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN FROM ALL QUALIFYING ENTRIES. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST LIVE IN THE CONTINENTAL U.S.
Kevin Hart as Roland, Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Florian Munteanu as Krieg, and Cate Blanchett as Lilith in Borderlands. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate
Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous bounty hunter with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home, Pandora, the most chaotic planet in the galaxy. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Ramírez), the universe’s most powerful S.O.B. Lilith forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits – Roland (Hart), a seasoned mercenary on a mission; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound protector; Tannis (Curtis), the oddball scientist who’s seen it all; and Claptrap (Black), a wiseass robot. Together, these unlikely heroes must battle an alien species and dangerous bandits to uncover one of Pandora’s most explosive secrets. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other.Based on one of the best-selling videogame franchises of all time, welcome to BORDERLANDS.
Lionsgate presents, an Arad / Picturestart production, a Gearbox Studios / 2K production.
Director of Photography: Rogier Stoffers, ASC, NSC Production Designer: Andrew Menzies Edited by: Julian Clarke, ACE; Evan Henke, ACE Costume Designer: Daniel Orlandi Music by: Steve Jablonsky Music Supervisor: Trygge Toven Casting by: Victoria Thomas, CSA
Director Eli Roth returns to the director’s chair after his triumph with 2023’s THANKSGIVING with his latest film, BORDERLANDS.
Based on the Video Game Borderlands created by Gearbox Software and published by 2K, the film stars Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Edgar Ramírez, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Gina Gershon, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Check out the crazy new trailer now and see it in theaters on August 9th.
Lilith (Blanchett), an infamous bounty hunter with a mysterious past, reluctantly returns to her home, Pandora, the most chaotic planet in the galaxy. Her mission is to find the missing daughter of Atlas (Ramírez), the universe’s most powerful S.O.B. Lilith forms an unexpected alliance with a ragtag team of misfits – Roland (Hart), a seasoned mercenary on a mission; Tiny Tina (Greenblatt), a feral pre-teen demolitionist; Krieg (Munteanu), Tina’s musclebound protector; Tannis (Curtis), the oddball scientist who’s seen it all; and Claptrap (Black), a wiseass robot. Together, these unlikely heroes must battle an alien species and dangerous bandits to uncover one of Pandora’s most explosive secrets. The fate of the universe could be in their hands – but they’ll be fighting for something more: each other. Based on one of the best-selling videogame franchises of all time, welcome to BORDERLANDS.
The creative team includes Director of Photography Rogier Stoffers, ASC, NSC, Production Designer Andrew Menzies, Edited by Julian Clarke, ACE; Evan Henke, ACE, Costume Designer Daniel Orlandi, Music by Steve Jablonsky, Music Supervisor Trygge Toven and Casting by Victoria Thomas, CSA.
Cate Blanchett as Lilith in Borderlands. Photo Credit: Courtesy of LionsgateCate Blanchett as Lilith, Ariana Greenblatt as Tiny Tina, Kevin Hart as Roland, Florian Munteanu as Krieg and Jamie Lee Curtis as Tannis in Borderlands. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate
Aside from the serious somber Oscar contenders, and a few action blockbusters, the end-of-the-year holidays see the release of many family-friendly animated fantasies. And this pre-Thanksgiving weekend delivers a new version of a familiar children’s classic. Of course, some of that familiarity may come from its having a “new take” just a few months ago. Now, this spin is a bit more “low-tech”, as the former was a mix of live-action and “motion capture” magic, this one is done with stop-motion animation (fittingly often called “puppet animation”). Plus it adheres much more closely to the somewhat “dark” nature of the book. Which is a good match with its co-director/producer. who has helmed many a sinister fantasy fable. And just to drive that point home, his name is in the title, GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO, to make sure we know this “ain’t” your Uncle Walt’s lil’ “wooden boy”.
Now it begins in a setting we somewhat recall, An affable insect, Sebastian J, Cricket (voice of Ewan McGregor) guides us into a quaint, quiet Italian village. Then he tells us of the town’s elderly widower, woodcarver Geppetto (David Bradley) who shares his shop/home with his young son Carlo. Life is sweet until the boy is killed by a bomb accidentally dropped by the many planes that fly over. Oh, so this is not set in the pre-flight 1800s, eh? Yes, it’s happening during the 1930s reign of Mussolini. Well, a distraught, boozing Geppetto decides to recreate his boy as a wooden puppet and chops down the tree where Sebastian abides. Late that night, after the carving is complete, Geppetto “sleeps it off” as the magical wood sprites merge into an enchantress (Tilda Swinton) who bestows life onto the toy. The next morning he introduces himself to his startled, scared papa. Pinocchio (Gregory Mann) is more than a “handful”, spewing endless questions and wrecking the work area. The decision to send the lad off to school causes panic among his neighbors who treat the lad as an unholy monster. But Pinocchio catches the attention of the monkey Spazzatura (Cate Blanchett), who takes him to his master, Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz). He decides to make the boy his star attraction in his failing traveling carnival show. Later, when it’s known that Pinocchio is almost immortal, he’s drafted into the army by the town government liaison, Podesta (Ron Perlman), befriends his son Candlewick (Finn Wolfhard), and even performs for “Il Duce” before rescuing his pop from a ravenous sea monster.
Well, this is loads of fun, though it has a real somber “edge” to it, so it’s perhaps not ideal for the wee ones. Knowing the title director, some sinister imagery is expected…and delivered. As I hinted earlier, death plays a big role, from Geppetto’s early loss to the title hero, who pops out of a coffin several times, much to the chagrin of some shiny black-clad bunnies who’s rather be playing poker. And that’s part of the black humor of the piece, from flying cutlery to the steady punishment of the narrator who’s flattened frequently over the last act. Perhaps most surprising is the subtle political themes, as fascism almost swallows the hero (before the sea beast gets a chance). But then this harkens back to the filmmaker’s earlier masterwork PAN’S LABYRINTH, but this time mixed with a touch of the Frankenstein mythos (another obsession for Mr. del Toro). Mind you, the storybook look is there, gloriously rendered in stop-motion much as with the Rankin/Bass TV specials and the recent work from the Laika Studios (CORALINE). Much credit is due to the talented roster of artists, spearheaded by the co-director, stop motion maestro Mark Gustafson. But it would be merely pretty images (no, it’s beautiful) without the witty, often caustic script/adaptation by del Toro, Patrick McHale, and Matthew Robbins which had me chuckling throughout. The icing on the cake might be the delightful, toe-tapping songs from composer Alexandre Desplat which are propelled by stellar vocal talents. Who knew that Waltz was such a crooner, nearly as good as McGregor? But delivering most of the songs is Mann, who never goes for the maudlin, and instead makes the title hero are real hellion, menacing his papa as he engages in a dance of destruction. I’ll admit that I was one of the few critics that didn’t eviscerate the recent Disney remake, but this is one incredibly surprising spin on the oft-told tale, Perhaps not for the entire family, but the movie present for older, and more dark-humored fantasy fans, is GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO. And I’m not gonna’ “knock on wood” when praising it.
3.5 Out of 4
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO is now playing in select theatres
Cate Blanchett stars as Lydia Tár in director Todd Field’s TÁR, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features
Todd Field’s drama TÁR is built on a tour-de-force performance by Cate Blanchett as fictional renowned classical music conductor and composer Lydia Tar, the head of the prestigious Berlin Symphony Orchestra and an accomplished woman who is an EGOT, winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
Lydia Tar is truly a rare bird, one of a handful of female conductors who hold the position of musical director of a major symphony orchestra, in a field that remains dominated by men and in the past has been hostile to women conductors. Achieving and holding such a position takes more than musical talent, but takes charm, intelligence, and social skills in navigating a minefield of professional situations. We first meet Lydia Tar as she is being interviewed in front of an audience by New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik (played by the real writer himself). The interview unfolds in real time, serving to give the audience the backstory on this accomplished character at the peak of her career and poised for more accomplishments as she prepares for the release of her autobiography and the performance of the last of a performance cycle of Mahler symphonies. The conductor/composer is charming, attractive, smart, and wins our admiration immediately.
Cate Blanchett’s striking performance is the major reason to see this film. Her Lydia Tar is elegant, with a restless, feline energy, and supremely confident and supremely accomplished. She has done big things in her career and has an out-sized ego to match. Wearing little makeup, Blanchett sinks so completely into this role that she seems barely recognizable. At the start, Lydia Tar seems admirable for her accomplishments but egotistical and manipulative as a person. Lydia has it all – professional success, public acclaim, wealth and a happy home life with her wife Sharon (Nina Hoss) and young daughter, and her loyal assistant Francesca (Noemie Merlant) helps Lydia keep on top of everything in her busy complicated life. On the surface, Lydia Tar looks totally in control as an accomplished woman at the top of her field but Blanchett reveals a more complicated, layered portrait of a person who isn’t quite what she seems at first, whose life is filled with dark secrets.
After Blanchett’s electrifying performance, the second reason to see TÁR is for it’s immersive dive into the world of classical music, an aspect sure to draw in fans of serious music. The film immerses us into a world that looks gracious and contemplative on the surface but is fiercely competitive and fraught with traps for the ambitious. Lydia Tar is a fictional character but some of her personal story is drawn from actual women conductors, some of whom are named-dropped in that opening interview.
Cate Blanchett plays Lydia as nervous and driven, with little quirks and some obsessive-compulsive behaviors, possibly with a little medication problem. After charming her public, we see Lydia going about her day – lunching with a powerful figure with the symphony, a dilettante composer named Eliot (Mark Strong) and smoothly sidestepping his pressure, returning home to soothe her headache-plagued wife. and dealing with a schoolyard bully bothering her shy daughter. A scene where Tar is teaching a master class at Julliard is particularly telling, with Blanchett just starting to peel back the onion layers of her character.
As perfect as Lydia;s life appears at the start of the film, both her interactions with the school bully, her actions in the master class, and some remarks in the interview reveals cracks in her own polished facade. In the interview, she expresses gratitude to her mentor Leonard Bernstein, basks in praise for the institute she founded to mentor young women conductors, and acknowledges her rarefied position as one of the few women to head up a major symphony orchestra, But then she surprises us by downplaying the idea that women conductors still need help and continue to struggle for recognition and opportunities in the still male-dominated, famously-traditional classical music field. She seems to be saying the battle for equality for women conductors has been won, although that is clearly not the case. It is an odd comment, and reveals a loose thread the film eventually will pull on as Lydia’s life starts to unravel.
Just as the famous conductor/composer is poised from even more greatness, a scandal breaks that threatens both her professional and personal life, a scandal based on Harvey Weinstein-like accusations.
Throughout his film, writer/director Todd Field repeatedly has his central character tells the musicians with whom she is working to asking themselves what the composer is saying with his/her music. It seems a hint that the audience should be asking itself what Field is saying with this film, beyond how the mighty can fall from grace. So what exactly is Field saying with this film? Ego can bring you down? Power leads to abuse? Women can be as evil as men? A condemnation of celebrity? It feels like there may be a more specific message underlying this character study but exactly what is the central puzzle for viewers, as we watch the unraveling of this character’s life, brought on by her own flaws.
While TÁR is an in-depth character study of someone tumbling from heights in spectacular fashion, it is also a film about hubris. Lydia is her own worse enemy, not only in her own shady behavior, exploiting a string of female proteges, that leads to that scandal, but in how she handles that and other mistakes that make things worse. She seems to have little insight on what she is doing and has done, and seems to lose her grip as things spiral.
It is fascinating to watch Cate Blanchett take her character through this but it is not an enjoyable experience. The film is long at 158 minutes running time and a number of puzzling scenes add to the time, including several in which Tar is running, one where she hears a woman screaming in the park but can’t locate her, several ones in which an odd neighbor caring for her elderly mother knocks on Tar’s door looking for her newspaper and several disturbing and puzzling ones. What is Todd Field’s saying here? Plus there is the uncomfortable situation of watching a woman who had accomplished something remarkably difficult, overcoming entrenched patriarchy and prejudice in a male-dominated field, but brought down by the kind of misbehavior men with power have often indulged in. It is unsettling to say the least.
TÁR gives us a stunning performance by Cate Blanchett as complicated woman whose actions destroy her life. While the drama might spark discussions and thought, it does not seem like the kind of film audiences will embrace. The classical music theme will bring out those music fans but the almost horror-film implosion of a career has little enjoyment, while those with little interest in serious music will not be drawn to it either. That leaves fans of tour-de-force performance as the major audience.
TÁR is already winning well-deserved high praise from critics for Cate Blanchett’s remarkable work but for most audiences this is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of film, depending on how much an audience member is a fan of acting.
Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro reinvents Carlo Collodi’s classic tale of the wooden marionette who is magically brought to life in order to mend the heart of a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto. This whimsical, stop-motion musical directed by Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson follows the mischievous and disobedient adventures of Pinocchio in his pursuit of a place in the world.
In select theaters in November and on Netflix in December, and lifelong passion project of del Toro, check out the brand new trailer.
Netflix announced in August of 2020 the cast of Academy Award winner Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming stop-motion animated musical feature. Newcomer Gregory Mann will star as Pinocchio with Ewan McGregor as Cricket and David Bradley (Harry Potter franchise, Game of Thrones) as Geppetto. Other cast includes Academy Award® winner Tilda Swinton, Academy Award® winner Christoph Waltz, Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett, John Turturro (The Batman), Golden Globe winner Ron Perlman (Nightmare Alley), Tim Blake Nelson (Watchmen), Burn Gorman (Enola Holmes).
Drawing on the classic Carlo Collodi tale, this stop motion musical follows the extraordinary journey of a wooden boy magically brought to life by a father’s wish. Set during the rise of Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy, del Toro’s Pinocchio is a story of love and disobedience as Pinocchio struggles to live up to his father’s expectations.
The film is directed by del Toro and Mark Gustafson (Fantastic Mr. Fox). Del Toro and Patrick McHale wrote the script. The song lyrics are by del Toro and Katz, with music by Academy Award® winner Alexandre Desplat who will also write the score. Gris Grimly created the original design for the Pinocchio character. The film’s puppets are being built by Mackinnon and Saunders (Corpse Bride). Pinocchio is produced by del Toro, The Jim Henson Company’s Lisa Henson, ShadowMachine’s Alex Bulkley and Corey Campodonico, as well as Exile Entertainment’s Gary Ungar; it is co-produced by Blanca Lista of The Jim Henson Company and Gris Grimly. Other credits include production supervisor Melanie Coombs, co-production designers Guy Davis and Curt Enderle, animation supervisor Brian Hansen, puppet supervisor Georgina Hayns, director of photography Frank Passingham, art director Rob DeSue, and animatic editor Ken Schretzmann.
Principal photography began Fall 2019 at ShadowMachine’s Portland, Oregon studio, and production has continued uninterrupted during the pandemic.
“After years of pursuing this dream project, I found my perfect partner in Netflix. We have spent a long time curating a remarkable cast and crew and have been blessed by continuous support from Netflix to quietly and carefully soldier on, barely missing a beat. We all love and practice animation with great passion and believe it to be the ideal medium to retell this classic story in a completely new way,” says del Toro.
“NIGHTMARE ALLEY IS ALL AROUND BRILLIANCE” – Jazz Tangcay, Variety
Academy Award Best Picture Nominee Nightmare Alley Appears on Digital March 8 and 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on March 22
From the imaginative filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and Searchlight Pictures arrives an electrifying film noir,Nightmare Alley. Available on Digital March 8 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on March 22.
The suspenseful psychological thriller is nominated for 4 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, 8 Critics’ Choice Awards, a Screen Actors’ Guild Award for Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett, and BAFTA, SDSA, MPSE, ADG, CDG, VES, and WGA Awards.
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When charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) endears himself to clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) and her has-been mentalist husband Pete (David Strathairn) at a traveling carnival, he crafts a golden ticket to success, using this newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of 1940s New York society. With the virtuous Molly (Rooney Mara) loyally by his side, Stanton plots to con a dangerous tycoon (Richard Jenkins) with the aid of a mysterious psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who might be his most formidable opponent yet.
Del Toro co-wrote the enthralling film with Kim Morgan, based on William Lindsay Gresham’s novel.
Bonus Features*
Del Toro’s Neo Noir – Writer-director Guillermo del Toro and his standout cast decipher the dark, complicated world of Nightmare Alley. The filmmaker reveals how his take on noir is rooted in classic cinema but offers an accessible, modern narrative.
Beneath the Tarp – Production designer Tamara Deverell and her talented team skillfully delivered both a decaying traveling carnival world and a gilded Art Deco high society with striking visuals. We explore how this design supported del Toro’s genre-bending filmmaking.
What Exists in the Fringe – Costume designer Luis Sequeira unravels his collaboration with Guillermo del Toro and reveals the symbolism that’s constantly at play in the film’s carefully crafted wardrobe’s design.
“Step right up and behold one of the unexplained mysteries of the universe! Is he a man or beast? “
A 35mm print of the Black and White Version of Guillermo del Toro’s NIGHTMARE ALLEY called NIGHTMARE ALLEY: VISION IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT is currently showing at The Plaza Frontenac (1701 South Lindbergh Boulevard # 210 PLAZA, Frontenac). It is showing daily at 3:40pm and will be carried over through next week. The Frontenac’s site can be found HERE
Experience NIGHTMARE ALLEY in the classic film noir style of black and white for a limited time. Guillermo del Toro’s NIGHTMARE ALLEY follows charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) who endears himself to clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) and her has-been mentalist husband Pete (David Strathairn) at a traveling carnival, he crafts a golden ticket to success, using this newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of 1940s New York Society. With the virtuous Molly (Rooney Mara) loyally by his side, Stanton plots to con a dangerous tycoon (Richard Jenkins) with the aid of a mysterious psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who might be his most formidable opponent yet.
“Although we shot Nightmare Alley in color, we lit it as if it were black and white,” del Toro said. “You can see exactly the same level of design, and we wanted to give viewers this special vantage as a take of the classic noir genre that the film is part of.”
“Step right up and behold one of the unexplained mysteries of the universe! Is he a man or beast? “
A Black and White Version of Guillermo del Toro’s NIGHTMARE ALLEY called NIGHTMARE ALLEY: VISION IN DARKNESS AND LIGHT opens in St. Louis Theaters Friday January 28th. It will be showing at The Marcus Ronnies and Plaza Frontenac.
Experience NIGHTMARE ALLEY in the classic film noir style of black and white for a limited time. Guillermo del Toro’s NIGHTMARE ALLEY follows charismatic but down-on-his-luck Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) who endears himself to clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) and her has-been mentalist husband Pete (David Strathairn) at a traveling carnival, he crafts a golden ticket to success, using this newly acquired knowledge to grift the wealthy elite of 1940s New York Society. With the virtuous Molly (Rooney Mara) loyally by his side, Stanton plots to con a dangerous tycoon (Richard Jenkins) with the aid of a mysterious psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who might be his most formidable opponent yet.
“Although we shot Nightmare Alley in color, we lit it as if it were black and white,” del Toro said. “You can see exactly the same level of design, and we wanted to give viewers this special vantage as a take of the classic noir genre that the film is part of.”
