matt smith – We Are Movie Geeks

CAUGHT STEALING – Review

And now I believe we’re officially in the Fall movie season, as the newest project from one of the most acclaimed “indie” filmmakers of the last twenty-five years or so releases his newest work into theatres, not just in the “art house” cinemas, but in multiplexes everywhere (and maybe a few drive-ins). That’s because it’s a much more general audience “accessible” than many of his previous projects. For one thing, it boasts a stellar cast headed by a “rising star”. And it’s in the “area” of one of the most popular genres, one that’s usually abundant in the summertime, the “crime thriller”, mixed with a few quirky comedy touches. It’s based on a popular novel, actually part of a “series” whose “double meaning” title becomes apparent while watching CAUGHT STEALING.

After a bright and sunny prologue at the final moments of a big high school baseball game, we’re sent to the grimy Lower East Side streets of NYC circa 1998. Twenty-something Hank Thompson (Austin Butler) has a pretty great life “slingin’ suds” at a rowdy “dive bar”. The best part of his gig is “last call” when his gorgeous EMT girlfriend Yvonne (Zo Kravits) waits for him to lock up. From there, the duo heads to his grungy walk-up apartment. In the hallway, they run into Hank’s punk-rocker (mohawk and spiked leather jacket, natch’) Brit neighbor, Russ (Matt Smith). He’s gotta’ fly home to see his dying Dad, so he asks Hank to take care of his cat, Bud. No prob. After some “sexytime”, Yvonne leaves for work in the morning as Hank nurses one of many nasty hangovers. Seems he’s trying to numb the pain of a painful memory. A call to his mother in Patterson, CA eases his head as they bond over a love of the San Francisco Giants baseball team. Later, he accosts two tough-looking Russians trying to break into Russ’s place. The thugs think that Russ gave Hank something they want. He tells them that he has nothing aside from Bud the cat, which earns Hank a severe beating from the two. Waking up in a hospital bed, he tells Yvonne that he can’t wait to be discharged. Back at his place, Hank is interviewed by Narcotics Detective Roman (Regina King), who informs him that Russ is into some shady business with the Russian mob, and he’s also involved with two “scary monsters”, the vicious Hasidic Drucker brothers (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D’Onofrio). After they leave, Hank uncovers a key that Russ left. He heads back to the bar to hide it, but begins a “bender” that leaves him unable to recall what he did with it. This doesn’t sit well with the Russians, who return with their equally violent boss, a Puerto Rican club owner named Colorado (Benito A Martinez Ocasio, AKA pop music superstar “Bad Bunny”). Can Hank escape them as he tries to cut through the drunken fog of the previous night? And if he does lose them, what will happen if the Drucker brothers catch up to him? And when will that darn Russ return?

That rising star I mentioned earlier would be the very charismatic Mr. Butler, who is steadily building an interesting movie resume after his breakthrough as Elvis. He is the reluctant hero with roots in classic noir cinema. Hank is a fairly good guy who is plunged into the dark netherworld of 90s drug gangs. But he’s not without his own darkness. Butler shows Hank’s inner torment as he wakes up from memories of a not-so-long-ago time when his poor judgment took away everything from him. But there’s little time for pity, or for boozy amnesia, as the walls close in. Through his expressive eyes, Butler shows us how Hank must drink in his new situations while formulating a plan at near light speed. He’s also terrific in the lighter moments, especially in the crazy, flirty chemistry-fueled scenes with the bubbly Kravitz as his sexy voice of reason, Yvonne. She truly cares about Hank, which exacerbates her frustration with his lifestyle choices, revved up after that hospital stay was cut short. Another calming influence is King, whose tough but still tender cop may be just the guide to get Hank past this nightmare alive. Smith brings some angry, funny energy as the Cockney rocker who fights to keep his 80s style while adoring his kitty. Schreiber and D’Onofrio are very compelling as the brothers whose religious adherence and attire juxtapose with their murderous intent and ruthlessness. They seem reasonable at times, until they see an opportunity to strike with deadly force. At least they’re sweet with their Bubbe, played by the always endearing Carol Kane as the stern and nurturing matriarch, though there’s a touch of menace in the advice she offers to Hank.

The filmmaker of this intricately layered bit of “pulp fiction” is the man behind many “offbeat” cinematic “trips”, Darren Aronofsky. Here he’s working with Charlie Huston’s screenplay adaptation of his novel of the same name. For the most part, Mr. A keeps us firmly on “ground level” with few “flights of fancy” or flashy flourishes (he makes good use of slo-mo and drones). He keeps us right with Hank as we can almost smell his sweaty panic as he races through a very dirty and dangerous NYC (really wonderful location work). And as I mentioned, Darren puts a unique spin on several tropes of the classic noir thrillers of the 40s and 50s. With a flawed hero struggling to keep “afloat” while straining to recall a boozy night, the story riffs on films like D.O.A., DETOUR, and AFTER HOURS (which makes the casting of its star Griffin Dunne as Hank’s biker/hippie boss a great “nod”). I should mention that the folks behind the marketing are doing the film a disservice by selling it as a wild comic “caper” romp, since Mr. A doesn’t shy away from the brutality and “ick” factor around alcohol abuse (yes, Hank rarely makes it to the “porcelain throne”). Yes, there are a few sluggish sequences prior to the big action, with twists, finale, but it delivers all the thrills, though not as deftly as the recent RELAY (more stunts and explosives with this new one). Aronofsky appears to be working very well out of his “arty” comfort zone with the gritty thriller CAUGHT STEALING.

3 Out of 4

CAUGHT STEALING is now playing in theatres everywhere

THE FORGIVEN – Review

Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes star as a wealthy couple who travel to Morocco for a posh weekend party at a remote desert location but when driving to their destination, they hit a local teen-aged boy in a fatal accident, with unforeseen and devastating consequences, in THE FORGIVEN.

White privilege, particularly of the variety afforded the rich, is at the center of this thoughtful, thriller-like drama, as it explores the clash of cultures between these affluent Brits and the boy’s impoverished Bedouin family, as well as the toll it takes on the couple’s already rocky marriage.

We first meet the wealthy couple on a luxury speed boat streaking towards the Moroccan coast. David Henninger is a successful British plastic surgeon and Jo Henninger is his American wife, who was once a writer of children’s books. They are headed to a lavish weekend party at the home of a friend, Richard “Dickie” Galloway (Matt Smith) and his lover, Dally Margolis (Caleb Landry Jones), for a party full of feasting, drinking and orgies, attended by a posh crowd of house guests. The Henningers are bickering, mostly over David’s drinking, and when they leave their hotel in Tangiers, after a boozy lunch, for the long drive to Richard and Dally’s remote compound, it is already late in the day. The couple find themselves lost in the dark, on a unpaved road in the empty desert. Empty except for two teen-aged boys selling fossils, one of whom tries to flag them down in the road but who is hit instead.

The couple arrive late for the party and the police are called, as their host Richard tries to soothe their nerves and deal with the situation, while also keeping what has happened from the already-partying other guests. With no cell phone reception in the desert, the panicked couple placed the boy’s body in their car, trusting that Richard, with his knowledge of the local rules, would know what to do to help them dodge the consequences, or at least the worst ones. Sure that their host has everything in hand, the couple join the party for a late supper. There is a Great Gatsby vibe in this with an added layer of insensitivity as these wealthy white folks hold their drunken party in an poorer Muslim nation.

But not all has been smoothed over yet, as the local police find it odd that the boy has no identification on him, as ordinarily would be expected, and plan to question David further. Their host tries to reassure them is it just routine but private talks between Richard and David reveal that they both know that if the boy is identified, his family may expect to be paid, as is the custom. Yet David insists the boy had no ID on him when he was hit, and both he and his wife fail to mention the second boy at all. All the police can determine is that the boy does not belong to a local family, so they assume he is from a tribe outside the area.

But the boy’s family does come looking for him and his identity – Driss (Omar Ghazaoui) – is revealed, sparking a confrontation between David and the boy’s father Abdellah (Ismael Kanater), and a companion, Anouar (Saïd Taghmaoui) who serves as a translator. Both David and Jo have to face what has happened, as David tries to navigate his way through a fraught cross-cultural landscape that includes an angry, grieving father and a host of rules David doesn’t know or understand.

Fiennes’ Henninger is pretty unforgivable, and his wife is little better. The same can be said, to varying degrees, of the guests and their hosts, Dally has dressed up his Moroccan servants in costumes, as they stand by to serve the drunken guests at this bacchanal. Cultural sensitivity is boldly absent.

Director/writer John Michael McDonagh who adapted Lawrence Osborne’s novel of the same name, uses this situation to spotlight some of the facts of the hard lives of rural Moroccans, who in this area subsist on selling fossils to wealthy Europeans and international museums and institutions. The sense of resentment on their part is thick, as is the foreigners’ sense of entitlement.

As the story unfolds, layers are peeled back and more is revealed about the Moroccan’s ways and the attitudes on both sides towards the other. Both David and Jo have to face what has gone wrong in their lives and their marriage, and grapple with their own values and responsibility for their actions.

Both Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain turn in find performances although Fiennes has the heavier lift as the troubled and troubling David. Matt Smith plays an unexpected role, as a sometimes Greek chorus commenting on the the customs and ways of the local people, revealing a deeper understanding and sympathy than we expect, and sometimes revealing awareness of what is happening under his own roof, At the same time, he continues to play genial host to his guests, smoothly ensuing they remain oblivious to what is going, and handling his more fractious lover, who judges the Henningers harshly, but mostly for spoiling the party. Matt Smith is excellent as he carries out his character’s balancing act, conveying a wistfulness we don’t expect. Caleb Landry Jones is acerbic and witty as the culturally-clueless Dally. Christopher Abbott plays a handsome American, Tom, who sets out to charm one woman after another, including Jo, as the wild party rages on.

This is not a subtle film. There are plenty of squirm-worthy moments in this showcase of neo-colonial privilege and plenty of familiar rich people excess, But there is some redemption in its later half, in the time the film does spend with the boy’s family, who come across far classier than the crass rich. What happens is not completely unexpected but the time the film spends contrasting the wild life of privilege of the rich partiers against the struggle to simply live of the people whose land it truly is, couldn’t be more pointed or poignant, which goes a way towards making this drama worthwhile. THE FORGIVEN is an exploration of cultures clashing in a growing global wealth divide, where the meaning and terms of forgiveness are unclear, or if it is even possible.

THE FORGIVEN is available on video on demand, starting Friday, July 15, and in select theaters.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

MORBIUS – Review

Already, it’s been over three months, so who’s ready to return to the Marvel Universe via your nearby multiplex? Now, before the littlest hands “rise up”, be forewarned that this is the “dark, spooky” corner of Marvel. Oh, and technically it’s not the official MCU, but rather the “Sony-verse’ as this is labeled “in association with Marvel”, much as was the Oscar-winning SPIDER-VERSE animated epic and the twin VENOM flicks. But it does tie into our favorite “wall-crawler” as did the former films. To coincide with Spidey’s sixtieth (must be something extra in that radioactive “bite”). we’re getting another villain “spin-off” (insert web-spinning puns). Now, the oozing symbiote was from the 1980s and the “baddie quintet” from December’s blockbuster are all from the 1960s. So what about those swingin’ sparkly 70s? To be precise, 1971 saw a lot of change in the “funny books’ as the Comic Code Authority (a self-regulating group) finally let the monsters rise again. Naturally, Marvel tested the waters by introducing one to face the “amazing y’know”. And now he makes his big-screen debut (after a two-year pandemic delay). So put on your scarves “true believers”, here comes the very thirty vampire known as MORBIUS. As a count named Floyd would say, “ooooo, scary keeds’!”.

After a brief present-day prologue in Costa Rica, we’re whisked back twenty-five years to a childrens’ hospital special unit in Greece where we meet pre-teen Michael Morbius. He’s suffering from a rare blood malady, leaving him very weak and under the care of the kind Dr. Nikols (Jared Harris). We also meet Michael’s newest friend and neighbor (he’s got the bed next to him), Lucian, whom he dubs Milo (after the last occupant of the space). Michael’s already a science whiz, which leads him a couple of decades later to invent life-saving artificial blood. And now Dr. Morbius (Jared Leto) is the “top dog” at the Horizon medical center alongside friend (maybe more) Dr. Bancroft (Adria Arjona). But while Dr. M tends to the kids there, he’s got another project brewing, namely a cure for his own weakened condition. Now because some of his ideas are considered radical, Horizon won’t “foot the bill”, so Michael must turn to Milo (Matt Smith), who’s now a wealthy businessman (though the biz is more than a bit “shady”) and is still tended by Nikols. He really wants that healing “fix” so he hires a cargo ship out of Panama manned by local mercenaries to take Morbius and Bancroft to Central America. Onboard, the two perfect a “serum” which has disastrous side effects for Dr. M. After one of the crew knocks out Bancroft, Dr. M transforms into a powerful bat-like blood-drinking “demon”. When the ship drifts to the coast of Long Island with its crew drained of blood and Bancroft unconscious, two FBI agents, Stroud (Tyrese Gibson) and Rodriguez (Al Madrigal) investigate while searching for the missing Mobius. Meanwhile, he’s roaming the streets of NYC, secretly entering the Horizon lab, hoping to make a cure to his botched “cure” and trying to keep his “inner beast” caged by consuming his own artificial blood supply. But his body seems to crave the “real deal”. Will he turn the Big Apple into his own blood bank? And what about Milo’s mania for the cure? Could this lead to a showdown between childhood pals?

Leto brings some much-needed humanity to his role as one of Marvel’s early anti-heroes (many forget that Hawkeye and the Black Widow originally teamed up against Iron Man) and gives us a look into the conflicted nature of Michael. With dark, haunting eyes, Leto conveys the doc’s empathetic nature, first with young Milo, then with his afflicted child patients, gifting them with a bit of origami. But when the “hunger” overtakes him, there’s a feral intensity in those eyes, showing us that he’ll do whatever it takes to survive. Then the remorse sets in as guilt cast its shadow and Leto’s disturbed doc thinks that he must save the world from himself. Smith is very effective as the “flip side of the coin”, also ailing but with no compulsion about humanity, adding lots of danger to his “dandy” persona from ONE NIGHT IN SOHO. Arjona makes a terrific partner for Leto as the co-worker who challenges him while slowly sliding from the professional to the personal in their relationship. Harris brings lots of father-like compassion to his too-small role as Nikols. Plus Gibson and Madrigal make a good team, call it a “dour cop/wiseacre cop” team as the agents are almost always a few steps behind the monster mayhem.

Hey Marvel-maniacs, here’s the first appearance of Morbius fighting a multi-armed Spidey (don’t ask)!

The horror and superhero elements somehow mesh together under the assured direction of Daniel Espinosa working from the script by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (and based on the Marvel character created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane). The brief “origin” sequence has a haunting childhood melancholy like a nostalgic nightmare. And that’s the correct way to describe the last part of that origin as the tragic “transformation” turns the cargo ship (check out its familiar name) into a floating deathtrap. Since Morbius becomes a vampire via science and not a magical curse, the effects team has found some interesting ways to twist the horror trope. Morbius in attack mode seemingly bursts into a mass of flying bats or leaves a trail of them in his wake. His speed is slowed down for a few seconds to highlight his animal-like stance and stride. When he must feed his face morphs into the lean angular rodent visage (I thought of the vamps that Buffy dusted on TV). One nice touch is the appearance of ridges in his earlobes when he uses his sonar abilities. Later when he leaps across the city a color trail (the orange jumpsuit) barely catches up to him. Set against the glittering neon cityscape, the visuals are stunning, but it doesn’t quite make up for some of the script’s problems. Nikols is an underwritten enigma, we’re not quite certain of Milo’s true “interest’, and the romance of Morbius and Bancroft feels like a bit of plot motivation. I did enjoy this more than the Venom films, but then I’ve also preferred this character in Spidey’s “rogue’s gallery”, mixing the ferocity of Lee’s Dracula with the romantic sadness of Frid’s Barnabas. And no, he’s not got that dark blue with red highlights open chested suit of the comics, but it’s not really missed in the long run. It’s not at all close to the scope of the last Spider-Man opus but there’s quite a bit of bite in MORBIUS.

3 out of 4

MORBIUS is now playing in theatres everywhere

MORBIUS “Transformation” Scene Premieres At CCXP 2021 – In Theaters January 28

One of the most compelling and conflicted characters in Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters comes to the big screen as Oscar® winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?

Directed by Daniel Espinosa the thriller is in theaters January 28, 2022.

Watch the new clip that was released on Saturday during Sony Pictures “Thunder Stage” presentation at CCXP21.

Screen Story and Screenplay by Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless, Based on the Marvel Comics. Produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Lucas Foster and Executive Produced by Louise Rosner and Emma Ludbrook

The cast includes Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson.

This film is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for the following reasons: intense sequences of violence, some frightening images, and brief strong language. Credits not final

Meet the brilliant Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) and his powerful alter-ego, straight from the 50th anniversary of his Marvel comic debut to his first ever big screen appearance.

“Academy Award®” and/or “Oscar®” is the registered trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

MARVEL and all related character names: © & ™ 2021 MARVEL

Morbius (Jared Leto) in Columbia Pictures’ MORBIUS.

LAST NIGHT IN SOHO – Review

Anya Taylor-Joy stars as Sandie and Thomasin McKenzie as Eloise in Edgar Wright’s LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release. Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / © 2021 Focus Features, LLC

Great set designs and cinematography. Moments of innovative direction by Edgar Wright. Superb performances from the two leading actresses – Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy. All of that frittered away because Wright’s screenplay begins with an intriguing premise before wandering everywhere but into the realm of coherence.

McKenzie plays a country lass who realizes her dream of acceptance into London’s best fashion school, where she plans to develop her designs based on the swinging 1960s, which was when her late mother thrived for a while before losing her marbles. She’s immediately dissed by the school’s “Mean Girls”, causing her to leave the dorm and find a room in an old woman’s (Diana Rigg, lamentably in her last role) even older, run-down house. She begins having visions of the glamorous times in that neighborhood from the era she worships, including Taylor-Smith’s role as a gutsy aspiring singer. It all looks so glamorous until it turns dark, and the lines between past and present start blurring to McKenzie’s growing fear and desperation.

The rest of the plot simply descends into sub-standard horror fare that wears out its welcome long before the sweet relief of rolling credits. But before then, the two stars shine bright. McKenzie’s an Audrey Hepburn-like babe in the woods, bringing a joyful, wide-eyed optimism to the big city before it starts crushing her. Taylor-Joy’s character is a brash wannabe who thinks she’s on her way to the top in the nightclub scene until she starts to find the rot beneath the glitz.

Perhaps the best reason to consider watching is Wright’s brilliant deployment of mirrors to show McKenzie’s perspective as a mute witness to past events that may or may not have actually occurred. Truly some award-worthy visuals in those moments. Many will also be delighted with the score that plays such a major role beyond creating atmosphere. If only the script could have remained as interesting as those specific elements.

Two Out of Four

LAST NIGHT IN SOHO is now playing in select theatres

Edgar Wright’s LAST NIGHT IN SOHO Trailer Stars Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Terence Stamp And Diana Rigg

Here’s a first look at Focus Features’ upcoming movie LAST NIGHT IN SOHO.

Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller about a young girl, passionate in fashion design, who is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer. But 1960s London is not what it appears, and time seems to fall apart with shady consequences…

Focus Features will release LAST NIGHT IN SOHO in theaters on October 22, 2021.

LAST NIGHT IN SOHO stars Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma), Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (Jo Jo Rabbit), Matt Smith (The Crown), Michael Ajao, Synnøve Karlsen, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp, and Rita Tushingham.

The score is from Oscar-winner Steven Price (GRAVITY). He and Wright previously collaborated on BABY DRIVER, THE WORLD’S END (interview).

Edgar Wright and Penny Dreadful scribe Krysty Wilson-Cairns co-wrote the screenplay, produced by Nira Park, Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, and Wright. Focus Features and Film4 co-financed the film.

Director Edgar Wright and actor Anya Taylor-Joy on the set of their film LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release. Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / Focus Features

Director Edgar Wright on the set of his film LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release. Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / Focus Features

4139_D036_00251_R Director Edgar Wright and Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung on the set of their film LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release. Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / Focus Features

OFFICIAL SECRETS – Review

Keira Knightley as “Katharine Gun” in Gavin Hood’s Official Secrets. Photo credit: Nick Wall. Courtesy of IFC Films. An IFC Films Release.

Keira Knightley takes a break from period costumes to star in the true-story based political thriller OFFICIAL SECRETS, about a British intelligence specialist turns whistle-blower in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq.

South African writer/director Gavin Hood has built a reputation for thoughtful dramas focused on timely topics with ethical complexities, starting with the Oscar-winning TSOTSI. Hood has also directed action films like X_MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE but he has recently offered up drama with serious subjects but featuring big enough stars to get the subject wide audience attention. In the Helen Mirren-starring EYE IN THE SKY, Hood spotlighted the complex human and ethical issues underlying drone strikes. This time Hood focuses on the case of a British intelligence analyst who decided the public’s right to know about government lies being used to justify going to war was worth the risk of breaking the Official Secrets Act oath she signed when she joined the British intelligence, and risk being tried for treason.

The excellent British cast includes Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode, and Rhys Ifans. The story is set in 2003, as the Bush administration is making the case for the invasion of Iraq. Writer/director Gavin Hood uses the issues the story raises to connect to the present. Hood focuses on the people involved and the ethical dilemma and complex decision they face. As with EYE IN THE SKY, Hood’s calm focus on the facts and human drama lets the audience draw their own conclusions rather than pushing a point-of-view, apart from reminding us of the human element in these political issues.

Keira Knightley plays Katharine Gun, a low-level office worker in the British intelligence service. Gun’s job is little more than clerical and routine but like everyone else in the building, she had to sign the Official Secrets Act agreement to work there. She rarely, if ever, sees anything of importance as she transcribes or translates messages but one day she is sent a startling memo in which the British government is asked to participate in questionable actiont as the Bush administration lays the groundwork to justify invading Iraq. The memo from the NSA reveals a plan to enlist Britain’s help in collecting compromising information on United Nations Security Council members, with the intention of blackmailing them into voting in favor of invading Iraq.

She is so shocked by the top-secret memo that she wonders if it was sent to her by mistake, until she learns all her co-workers received it as well.

Gun is so disturbed by the way the British, and global, public are being deceived to justify the Iraq invasion, that she eventually secretly shared the information in the memo with an activist friend. That activist passes it along the a journalist, and in the ensuing explosion of coverage, the British intelligence launches a hunt for the leaker.

The film actually opens with Keira Knightley’s character on trial, so we already know she will revealed as that leaker. Those who remember this recent history will know the basic facts of the outcome but may not know the details of what happened to Katharine Gun, so there is an element of suspense. Gun’s situation is further complicated by the fact that her husband Yasar (Adam Bakri) is an Iraqi Kurdish immigrant, which sparks suspicion in the officials investigating the case. Although he is a legal resident and married to a British citizen, he is at risk, as his wife.

Hood uses this recent history to connect to the present and make us think about the ethical and moral dilemmas we face now. Hood builds tension and suspense, and we are on edge about Katharine’s fate, even if we know what happened with Iraq. Still, the director’s fact-focused but human-centered approach invites the audience to think calmly and deeply about what the characters are grappling with and to connect with them emotionally.

Knightley does her usual excellent job, helping us connect emotionally with this sincere young woman and her tension-filled situation. She is well supported by the rest of the cast, with a particularly nice performance by Fiennes in a pivotal role as her barrister.

Once again, Gavin Hood delivers a thought-provoking film on a serious topic that is also gripping human drama. OFFICIAL SECRETS opens Friday, Sept. 13, at Plaza Frontenac.

RATING: 3 1/2 out of 4 stars

Matt Smith Plays Charles Manson In First Trailer For CHARLIE SAYS

Years after the shocking murders that made the name Charles Manson synonymous with pure evil, the three women who killed for him—Leslie Van Houten (Hannah Murray), Patricia Krenwinkel (Sosie Bacon), and Susan Atkins (Marianne Rendón)—remain under the spell of the infamous cult leader (Matt Smith). Confined to an isolated cellblock in a California penitentiary, the trio seem destined to live out the rest of their lives under the delusion that their crimes were part of a cosmic plan—until empathetic graduate student Karlene Faith (Merritt Wever) is enlisted to rehabilitate them.

Convinced the prisoners are not the inhuman monsters the world believes them to be, Karlene begins the arduous process of breaking down the psychological barriers erected by Manson. But are the women ready to confront the horror of what they did?

CHARLIE SAYS premiered at the 2018 Venice Film Festival and will be released theatrically by IFC FILMS on May 10th with a national-roll out to follow.

The film is directed by Mary Harron (AMERICAN PSYCHO, I SHOT ANDY WARHOL, THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE) and written by Guinevere Turner (GO FISH, AMERICAN PSYCHO, THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE)

Variety interviewed director Mary Harron and writer Guinevere Turner in 2018 during the Venice Film Festival.

How did you come to cast Matt Smith as Charles Manson?

Harron: It’s funny, I think probably the first time his name crossed my radar, I thought, ‘He’s 6ft 1 and he’s British. He’s a great actor, but…’ [Laughs] It’s funny. I ran into him at the Emmys – he was Patrick Bateman in the “American Psycho” musical – so we had a nice talk, and there was already a natural connection there. Then I heard that he was interested in meeting me for the role, so I said, “Well, come in tomorrow morning, and we’ll do it.” He came in and it was the most electrifying audition I think I’ve ever been at. It was so exciting. It was like, “There’s no one else!”

Turner: When Mary showed me the audition tape, I thought, ‘Huh? Prince Philip?’ I didn’t know Matt’s work except for “The Crown,” and then I saw the audition tape and I was like, “Ooh, he can do eyes of madness. I’m scared of him!”

SLIFF 2018 Review – MAPPLETHORPE

MAPPLETHORPE screens Monday Nov 5th at 8:15pm at the Tivoli Theater as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Ticket information can be found HERE

Review by Stephen Tronicek

While Ondi Timonir’s Mapplethorpe fails among many, many, facets including depicting the lifestyle that Robert Mapplethorpe lead as some type of problem to be solved, chalking up a relationship straight out of Ali: Fear Eats the Soul or Get Out as something to be valued, or even so not providing an overall thesis on the man’s life itself, the film does manage to capture a certain excitement when it comes to the living of his life. There’s a sense of openness, of freedom, to stand in his shoes and think the way that he thought. A certain surface veneer to looking at a beautiful photograph of raw cathartic energy and luxuriating in it.

A film following the life of Robert Mapplethorpe, the photographer of excess that made his name on genitals and flowers, was always going to be excessive and it is in the excessive depiction of excessive creation that the film is at its strongest. Photography is a brutal, grinding, sweaty process of setting up lights and losing your mind in order to create a perfect image. An image that will move people…or not. Of course, some would just say that Mapplethorpe’s work is that of a masculine id, a display of genitals and flowers that can only bolster the surface level excitement that is spurred on from the meer image of beauty. That is what it often feels like to watch Mapplethorpe: a chance to wallow in surface level excitement.

The performances here are functional, if not necessarily comfortable. Matt Smith seems obviously exasperated by a role that’s all about excess and everyone around him gives off that vibe, except Marriane Réndon, who seems snug and comfortable in her role as Patti Smith. The stability shown in that performance may speak to the film’s biggest problem, but it’s a great performance all the same.

Mapplethorpe may not be the best film you see at this year’s festival, but there are still reasons for it to be explored. The energy of the piece is infectious and the way the performances support that energy is fantastic and on top of all that you also get to look at Mapplethorpe’s incredible photography.

First Trailer Bows For THE CROWN – Stars Claire Foy And Matt Smith

Anglophile: a non-English person who greatly likes and admires England and English things. Americans can’t help it – our fascination with the UK and the British Monarchy is seemingly unquenchable. On the horizon is the latest series about England’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

Premiering on Netflix on November 4, 2016 comes the one-hour drama The Crown.

The Crown reunites writer Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) with director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours) and producer Andy Harries (The Queen). Based on the award-winning play, The Audience, The Crown tells the inside story of Queen Elizabeth II’s early reign, revealing the personal intrigues, romances, and political rivalries behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th Century.

Debuting today is the first trailer for the 10-episode series. Long live Queen Elizabeth.

The Crown reunites acclaimed writer Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) with director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot, The Hours) and producer Andy Harries (The Queen). Based on the award-winning play, The Audience, The Crown tells the inside story of Queen Elizabeth II’s early reign, revealing the personal intrigues, romances, and political rivalries behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th Century.

The Crown stars Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II, Matt Smith as Prince Phillip, John Lithgow as Sir Winston Churchill, Victoria Hamilton as the Queen Mother, Jared Harris as King George VI, Vanessa Kirby as Princess Margaret and Dame Eileen Atkins as Queen Mary, among others.

A Netflix original series, The Crown focuses on Queen Elizabeth II as a 25-year-old newlywed faced with the daunting prospect of leading the world’s most famous monarchy while forging a relationship with legendary Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill. The British Empire is in decline, the political world is in disarray, and a young woman takes the throne….a new era is dawning.

Peter Morgan’s masterfully researched scripts reveal the Queen’s private journey behind the public facade with daring frankness. Prepare to be welcomed into the coveted world of power and privilege and behind locked doors in Westminster and Buckingham Palace….the leaders of an empire await.

“I can make my solemn act of dedication with the whole Empire with me, I should like to make that dedication now, it is very simple: I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong, but I shall not have strength to carry out this resolution alone, unless you join in it with me, which I now invite you to do. I know that your support will be unfailingly given.”

While waiting for the November series premiere, read WAMG’s list of the Best Royal Films HERE.

For more information in the coming months on #TheCrown follow @TheCrownNetflix on Twitter and on Facebook at www.fb.com/TheCrownNetflix

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