The Lobster – We Are Movie Geeks

WAMG Giveaway – Win THE LOBSTER on Blu-ray

Golden Globe^® winner Colin Farrell (In Bruges) and Academy Award^® winner Rachel Weisz (Best Supporting Actress, The Constant Gardener, 2005) star in the 2015 Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize winner The Lobster, arriving on Blu-ray (plus Digital HD) and DVD (plus Digital) on August 2 from Lionsgate. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, the director behind the Academy Award^®-nominated Dogtooth (Best Foreign Language Film, 2010), this provocative, edgy, and wickedly hilarious film is a story about love, relationships, and societal conformity. Universally loved by critics and audiences alike, The Lobster was a festival favorite when it was released theatrically from A24 and is Rotten Tomatoes Certified Fresh.In this highly imaginative, delightfully absurdist comedy, Colin Farrell stars as David, a man who has just been dumped by his wife. To make matters worse, David lives in a society where single people have 45 days to find true love, or else they are turned into the animal of their choice and released into the woods. David is kept at the mysterious HOTEL while he searches for a new partner, and after several romantic misadventures, decides to make a daring escape to abandon this world. He ultimately joins up with a rebel faction known as The Loners, a group founded on a complete rejection of romance. But once there, David meets an enigmatic stranger (Rachel Weisz) who stirs up unexpected and strong feelings within him.

Now you can own the Blu-ray of THE LOBSTER. We Are Movie Geeks has two copies to give away. All you have to do is leave a comment below answering this question: What is your favorite movie that stars Colin Farrell ? (mine is IN BRUGES)

It’s so easy. We’ll be picking the winners next week. Good Luck!

1. You must have a U.S. mailing address.
2. No purchase necessary.

THE LOBSTER Arrives On Blu-ray & DVD on August 2

“If you encounter any problems you cannot resolve yourselves, you will be assigned children. That usually helps.”

In this highly imaginative, delightfully absurdist comedy, Colin Farrell stars as David, a man who has just been dumped by his wife. To make matters worse, David lives in a society where single people have 45 days to find true love, or else they are turned into the animal of their choice and released into the woods. David is kept at the mysterious HOTEL while he searches for a new partner, and after several romantic misadventures, decides to make a daring escape to abandon this world. He ultimately joins up with a rebel faction known as The Loners, a group founded on a complete rejection of romance. But once there, David meets an enigmatic stranger (Rachel Weisz) who stirs up unexpected and strong feelings within him.

The Blu-ray and DVD releases both include an all-new featurette, “The Fabric of Attraction: Concocting The Lobster,” taking viewers behind the scenes of the film. The Lobster will be available on Blu-ray and DVD for $24.99 and $19.98, respectively.

BLU-RAY/DVD/DIGITAL HD SPECIAL FEATURE*

“The Fabric of Attraction: Concocting The Lobster”Featurette

THE LOBSTER – Review

Yorgos Lanthimos doesn’t make easily digestible films. His films aren’t meant to be sweet little treats or light popcorn fare for a date night. The Greek arthouse director aims more for the mind than the stomach. Films like ALPS and DOGTOOTH placed Yorgos Lanthimos on the radar of many for his sheer audacity to examine elements of the human experience in absurd and unusual ways. Whether he’s examining the mental effects of death and loss or social constructs surrounding family and education, Yorgos Lanthimos is an anthropologist with a passion for telling stories.

As you can expect, THE LOBSTER continues his study of cultural norms. Even though it’s his English language debut and he’s now working with Hollywood actors, Lanthimos shows no signs of watering down his approach. Colin Farrell plays a recently single man named David. Accompanied by his brother, David enters The Hotel and has 45 days to find a suitable companion to live the rest of his days. If after 45 days David does not find a partner, then he is turned into an animal of his choosing and sent out into the wild. This might now be a good time to explain that David’s brother is actually a dog.

Although it comes across as a dystopian future, the world in which the film takes place doesn’t seem out of this world. Considering how many commercials I see on TV for Match.com and Okcupid.com and other dating sites, there’s clearly a trend to move singles into a “happier” more “acceptable” way of life. This future doesn’t seem that far off. THE LOBSTER is ultimately a dark comedy that cuts into the center of society’s need for companionship. As evident by the simply named Hotel in the simply named City, this world is one that’s not meant to have unique characteristics or any form of imagination. In one forced relationship in The Hotel, “The Limping Man” (Ben Whishaw) continuously forces his nose to bleed on his dates with another woman he likes because she suffers from random nose-bleeds. It’s this look at how individuals connect with one another on a superficial level that makes THE LOBSTER a searing critique of our desire to find a mate akin to our “public self.”

The first half of the film takes place entirely in The Hotel. Lanthimos injects a large amount of absurdist humor into these scenes at the cost of his emotionless and lifeless characters. Colin Farrell doesn’t break a smile even once as he interacts with the other guests – one of which is John C. Reilly, continuing his sad sack streak on film, but this time turning it up even more with an unfortunate speech impediment. It isn’t until the second half of the film where we’re introduced to another group of outsiders living on the run outside The City that we see that Lanthimos is not just critiquing the antiquated civilians, but also the rebellious fringe communities. A scene where he describes the music the outsiders listen to and how they dance practically made me howl with laughter.

THE LOBSTER shows that expectations and norms are put in place in every society. Any time a group of individuals with specific characteristics come together, regardless if the intentions are good or not, they eventually melt into one entity – what once made them unique becomes commonplace. This is evident even in the outsider group. It’s the second half of the film that will test audiences the most. Humor is replaced more with heart, while still maintaining Lanthimos’ extra dry approach. Even though the tone is consistent with his other films, the air in THE LOBSTER is unchanged from start to finish and becomes a bit stifling. Its dreary tone becomes a little repetitious after two hours.

By the end of THE LOBSTER you will appreciate the special relationships you have in your life; the relationships that can’t be classified; the little quirks you share with someone that only the two of you know about; the loving memories that can only be gained through real experiences. You can’t simply explain the complexities of a relationship through a couple of shared traits. THE LOBSTER as a film is similar in this way – it’s hard to explain its complexities in a few paragraphs. There are rich ideas at work that aren’t necessarily easy to embrace. It’ll take some time for me to fully accept it all, but it’s a relationship that I’m willing to take some time with and develop over the years.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

THE LOBSTER is now playing in select cities

This Week’s WAMG Podcast – THE LOBSTER, X-MEN, NEIGHBORS 2, and More!

This week’s episode of our podcast WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is up! Hear WAMG’s Michelle McCue, Jim Batts and Tom Stockman discuss the weekend box office. We’ll review X-MEN APOCALYPSE, WEINER, THE LOBSTER, LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP, NICE GUYS, and NEIGHBORS 2 SORORITY RISING. Also, we’ll preview ALICE THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, DARK HORSE, and SUNSET SONG. We’ll then discuss the winners at The Cannes Film Festival and all of the movie-related events going on in St. Louis this week.

Here’s this week’s show. Have a listen:

Audio Player

This Week’s WAMG Podcast – MONEY MONSTER, A BIGGER SPLASH, and More!

This week’s episode of our podcast WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS The Show is up! Hear WAMG’s Jim Batts and Tom Stockman and special guest Lynn Venhaus discuss the weekend box office. We’ll review MONEY MONSTER, A BIGGER SPLASH, and THE MAN WHO KNEW INFINITY. Also, we’ll preview THE NICE GUYS, NEIGHBORS 2 SORORITY RISING, and THE LOBSTER. Lynn will talk about her adventures at The Tennessee Williams Festival over the weekend and we’ll pay tribute to the late actor William Schallert and Jim will talk about the late comic book artist Darwyn Cooke.

Here’s this week’s show. Have a listen:

Watch Colin Farrell And Rachel Weisz In THE LOBSTER Trailer

The brand new trailer has arrived for THE LOBSTER. The film is from director Yorgos Lanthimos.

In his Fantastic Fest review, Michael Haffner says the movie, “is ultimately a dark comedy that cuts into the center of society’s need for companionship.”

A love story set in the near future where single people, according to the rules of The City, are arrested and transferred to The Hotel. There they are obliged to find a matching mate in 45 days. If they fail, they are transformed into an animal of their choosing and released into The Woods. A desperate Man escapes from The Hotel to The Woods where The Loners live and falls in love, although it is against their rules.

Starring Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, John C. Riley, Léa Seydoux and Ben Whishaw, THE LOBSTER opens in theaters March 11th.

For more information:

www.lobstermovie.com

Fantastic Fest 2015: THE LOBSTER – The Review

Yorgos Lanthimos doesn’t make easily digestible films. His films aren’t meant to be soul-searching soul food or sweet little treats for a date night or light popcorn fare. The Greek arthouse director aims more for the mind than the stomach. Films like ALPS and DOGTOOTH placed Yorgos Lanthimos on the radar of many for his sheer audacity to examine elements of the human experience in absurd and unusual ways. Whether he’s examining the mental effects of death and loss or social constructs surrounding family and education, Yorgos Lanthimos is an anthropologist with a passion for telling stories.

Although it comes across as a dystopian future, the world in which the film takes place doesn’t seem out of this world. Considering how many commercials I see on TV for Match.com and Okcupid.com and other dating sites, there’s clearly a trend to move singles into a “happier” more “acceptable” way of life. The future doesn’t seem that far off. THE LOBSTER is ultimately a dark comedy that cuts into the center of society’s need for companionship. As evident by the simply named Hotel in the simply named CIty, this world is one that’s not meant to have unique characteristics or any form of imagination. In one forced relationship in The Hotel, “The Limping Man” (Ben Whishaw) continuously forces his nose to bleed on his dates with another woman he likes because she suffers from random nose-bleeds. It’s this look at how individuals connect with one another on a superficial level that makes THE LOBSTER a searing critique of our desire to find a mate akin to our “public self.”

The first half of the film takes place entirely in The Hotel. Lanthimos injects a large amount of absurd humor into these scenes at the cost of his emotionless and lifeless characters. Colin Farrell doesn’t break a smile even once as he interacts with the other guests – one of which is John C. Reilly, continuing his sad sack streak on film, but this time turning it up even more with an unfortunate speech impediment. It isn’t until the second half of the film where we’re introduced to another group of outsiders living on the run outside The City that we see that Lanthimos is not just critiquing the antiquated civilians, but also the rebellious fringe communities. A scene where he describes the music the outsiders listen to and how they dance practically made me howl with laughter.

THE LOBSTER shows that expectations and norms are put in place in every society. Any time a group of individuals with specifics characteristics come together, regardless if the intentions are good or not, they eventually melt into one entity – what made them unique becomes common. This is evident even in the outsider group. It’s the second half of the film that will test audiences the most. Humor is replaced more with heart, while still maintaining Lanthimos’ extra dry approach. Even though the tone is consistent with his other films, the air in THE LOBSTER is unchanged from start to finish and becomes a stifling – its dreary tone becomes a little repetitious after two hours.

By the end of THE LOBSTER you will appreciate the special relationships you have in your life; the relationships that can’t be classified; the little quirks you share with someone that only the two of you know about; the loving memories that can only be gained through real experiences. You can’t simply explain the complexities of a relationship through a couple of shared traits. THE LOBSTER as a film is similar in this way – it’s hard to explain its complexities in a few paragraphs. There are rich ideas at work, that aren’t easy necessarily easy to embrace. It’ll take some time for me to fully accept it all, but it’s a relationship that I’m willing to take some time with and develop over the years.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Fantastic Fest 2015: A Preview of this Year’s Films, Parties, and Chaos

Fantastic Fest is more like summer camp than just a normal film festival. It happens once a year in September. You get together with old friends and meet new ones. Every day and night is filled with fun activities. Most importantly though, this non-traditional camp is for fans of the most bizarre, violent, horrific, and FANTASTIC films you could imagine. And even still, Fantastic Fest is so much more. I will be covering Fantastic Fest once again this year starting September 24 through October 1. This will be my fourth time attending Fantastic Fest and We Are Movie Geeks fifth time covering the crazy events that take place in Austin. For eight days I will be immersed in a world that is unlike any other film festival I have ever attended. What other festival is going to feature events like an opening night Christmas party, a karaoke competition, a “nerd rap” throwdown, and the signature event of the fest – Fantastic Debates (which includes a verbal debate followed by a literal boxing match). These are just a few of the things that have me excited to arrive in Austin in just a few days. Alamo Drafthouse CEO and Fantastic Fest co-founder Tim League and his team have once again assembled a great lineup of films that include THE WITCH, GREEN ROOM, YAKUZA APOCALYPSE, THE LOBSTER, HIGH-RISE, ANOMALISA, and the closing night film: BONE TOMAHAWK. And who else is better to unveil the world premiere of BONE TOMAHAWK than the star of the film, Kurt Russell. Yes, Kurt Russell is coming to Fantastic Fest. There’s so much that has me excited that I will most likely lay awake restless every night until the Fest starts on Thursday. Before I pack my bags though, I thought I’d share with you what I’m most looking forward to.

The Opening Night Film – THE LOBSTER

Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the most exciting directors working today. His films take viewers to worlds that are slightly askew. They are in a hyper reality that feels truly human, but they still include elements of fantasy that makes them unique and delightfully bizarre. A few of the Greek director’s previous noteworthy films include DOGTOOTH and ALPS. Working in the English language for the first time, Lanthimos utilizes an all-star cast led by Colin Farrell and Rachel Wiesz to tell a tale about a society that forces every citizen to find a mate by a certain age. The punishment if you don’t is that you are turned into an animal of your choosing and sent out into the wild. THE LOBSTER wowed audiences at The Cannes Film Festival this past May, and this will mark the U.S. premiere of the film. Watching the trailer will give you a taste of the surreal world that Lanthimos is dishing up – a world that I simply can not wait to dive head first into.

The Alamo Drafthouse – The Greatest Movie Theater in the Universe

That’s not empty praise. The Alamo Drafthouse started in Austin in 1997 and has since branched out to spread the company’s love of cinema to other cities. For the 10^thAnniversary of the festival, the Drafthouse on South Lamar and its adjoining bar The High Ball re-opened its doors after being closed for over a year due to upgrades and renovations – last year’s festival was well worth the wait. Film fans and critics come from all over the world to attend this festival, not just for the lineup but because the atmosphere is integral to the festival. Great food, comfortable seating, and a friendly staff are just some of the perks of the location. But there’s one major fact that makes this place a Mecca for true cinemagoers: A very strict “No Cell-Phone Policy.” Did I mention how great their shakes are? It’s nearly impossible to not order a Mexican Vanilla shake or a local beer from one of Austin’s many great craft breweries every time you are in the theater.

A Witchy Woman

When I first heard the positive reactions out of the Sundance Film Festival, I immediately put THE WITCH high on my most anticipated list. Just watch the first trailer that was released last month if you dare. The film looks beautiful and terrifying! It also looks like a return to moody gothic horror, which is right up my alley. THE WITCH marks the feature length debut for Robert Eggers, and if winning a Best Director award at Sundance isn’t an indication of a talented new voice in American horror, than I don’t know what is. I’m ready for this film to put me under its spell.

My Eye is on Refn

Filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn is returning to Fantastic Fest, and he’s bringing some treats with him. The Danish director shares his unique collection of rare American exploitation movie posters in the new hardcover book Nicolas Winding Refn: The Act of Seeing. Three of the films featured in the book – FAREWELL UNCLE TOM, THE X-RATED SUPERMARKET and MY BODY HUNGERS – were selected by Refn to screen during Fantastic Fest, followed by a Q&A and book signing. Refn is known for his stylish films filled with lush and vibrant imagery, such as BRONSON, ONLY GOD FORGIVES, VALHALLA RISING, and the 2011 film sensation DRIVE. The Act of Seeing will hopefully serve as a gateway into the mind’s eye of one of cinema’s strongest visual directors. Plus, it’s not everyday that you see a film with the title THE X-RATED SUPERMARKET on the big-screen.

Fantastic Fest Alumni

Fantastic Fest filmmaking alumni are represented in three of the films I’m most excited about: HIGH-RISE, GREEN ROOM and KLOVN FOREVER. Ben Wheatley has seen all of his films play at the festival. And make no mistake, all of them are fantastic. I’m especially partial to the dark, existential road-trip SIGHTSEERS. Wheatley’s new Fantastic Fest entry is HIGH-RISE – an adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s chilling and poetic novel about modern life. Jeremy Saulnier follows up the exceptional revenge film BLUE RUIN with GREEN ROOM. This Cannes Film Festival darling features Patrick Stewart in a much darker role as a diabolical club owner who squares off against a young punk band. On a lighter note, the lovingly idiotic Frank Hvam and Casper Christensen reunite for KLOVN FOREVER. I saw KLOWN (aka KLOVN – THE MOVIE) at my very first Fantastic Fest in 2011. I’m not sure I have ever laughed so loud in a movie theater in my life. Thankfully I wasn’t the only one howling like a big dumb idiot. The whole crowd ate up this Danish comedy. If the sequel only has half the amount of laughs as the first film, I will still be one happy camper.

Kurt Russell Killing Cannibals

What more can you say about an actor who has appeared in some of your favorite films? I grew up watching the collaborations between John Carpenter and Kurt Russell with my dad. It was hard to think about the word “cool” when I was 10 yrs. old and not picture Russell in ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. The fact that he is in a Western where his mission is to rescue a girl from a cannibalistic tribe, brings a smile ear to ear over my face. S. Craig Zahler’s existential horror western BONE TOMAHAWK makes its World Debut as the closing night film of the fest. To carry the Western theme into the wee hours of the night, Fantastic Fest’s closing night party will take place in a real, abandoned cowboy town located on the outskirts of Austin. I’m so ready! Giddyup!

Turkish Delights

Turkish genre cinema is in the spotlight at this year’s Fantastic Fest. This school of ‘70s renegade filmmaking is explored in the new documentary REMIX, REMAKE, RIP-OFF, which will be receiving its U.S. Premiere with director Cem Kaya in attendance. As part of the Turkish celebration, Fantastic Fest will be screening three seminal films, YILMAYAN ŞEYTAN (aka THE DEATHLESS DEVIL), TARKAN VİKİNG KANI (aka TARKAN VS THE VIKINGS), and DÜNYAYI KURTARAN ADAM (aka THE MAN WHO SAVES THE WORLD, aka TURKISH STAR WARS) – a film that I recently watched and was shocked by how many shots are just lifted straight from STAR WARS. The screenings will be complemented by the attendance of iconic Turkish filmmaker Çetin İnanç and moviestar Kunt Tulgar. In keeping with the Turkish spirit, this year’s poster is comprised exclusively of elements from classic Turkish movie art. You can see this incredible poster below.

Hopefully this gives you an idea of the many reasons why I’m so excited about Fantastic Fest this year. Celebrating 11 years of quality programming for fans of horror, sci-fi, fantasy, and exploitation cinema, Fantastic Fest has proven it is one of the best film festivals in the world. Stay tuned all this week and next week for We Are Movie Geek’s coverage of the fest. You can also follow my thoughts and exploits every step of the way on Twitter @MPHaffner. Get ready Austin… I’m coming back for you!

For more info visit fantasticfest.com

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The Opening Night Film – THE LOBSTER

The Alamo Drafthouse – The Greatest Movie Theater in the Universe

A Witchy Woman

My Eye is on Refn

Fantastic Fest Alumni

Kurt Russell Killing Cannibals

Turkish Delights

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