NOTABLE ADDITIONS (WORTH CHECKING OUT): Gone Girl / Two Days, One Night / The Grand Budapest Hotel / The Skeleton Twins / Wild / The Town That Dreaded Sundown / Coherence / Tom at the Farm / The One I Love / Borgman / Enemy BLINDSPOTS (STILL NEED TO SEE): Inherent Vice / The Look of Silence / Mommy / Selma / The Overnighters / Who Took Johnny / We Are the Best / Dances of Reality / Why Don't You Play in Hell / The Smell of Us / The Clouds of Sils Maria / The Strange Little Cat / Snowpiercer / The Boxtrolls / It Follows / Dear White People / Ida...
BEST ACTRESS: Julianne Moore (Maps to the Stars / Still Alice)
BEST ACTOR: Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
BEST DIRECTOR: (tie) Richard Linklater (Boyhood) / Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin)
BEST TELEVISION
NOTABLE ADDITIONS (WORTH CHECKING OUT): Louie / Orange is the New Black / Adventure Time / Inside Amy Schumer / Getting On / Doll & Em
Anyone still reading Club Silencio knows that I (in)frequently contribute to Film Experience a series called "Signatures:" my most beloved actresses momentarily captured in awkward still photos and overindulgent praise. If I were to write a "Signatures" on myself, it would be that I laugh in the face of being prolific, and that my readers are lovely, patient and/or bored.
Here's my latest output/distraction, and look forward to more Defensive Cinema and Cult Oddities in the coming week!
Patricia Clarkson is one of the finest supporting actresses alive, so why is she never supportive?
Catherine Keener says "fuck off" in the most charming way imaginable.
Uma Thurman is out for blood in the most charming way imaginable.
(Literally) brace yourselves for the bitter comedy stylings of Lisa Kudrow!
Laura Dern is our guiding light through the darkness of monogamy, prostitution and Nicolas Cage.
(11)King Shot Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky Executive Producer: David Lynch Starring: Nick Nolte, Marilyn Manson, Asia Argento, UdoKier, David Hess If you look at that roster and feel nothing, you're at the wrong blog, mister. That's a whole lot of crazy on one crew sheet, and more than enough to make one hell of an interesting movie -- or at the very least a compelling disaster. Looks like cult cinema is about to give birth to a bastard child, and I can't think of anyone better to raise it thanJodorowsky and Lynch; two of the finest of fantastic filmmakers. Their work is supremely cinematic, audacious, ominous and wholly consuming... and little bit fucked up in the very best way. That last bit pretty much sums up that entire cast as well.
This concept art promises.. fun?
(12) The Countess Director: Julie Delpy Starring: Julie Delpy, William Hurt, AnamariaMarinca
I love me some Julie Delpy walking around European cities and talking. I'm not averse her to her ritualistically bathing in the blood of virgins either, as apparently she's prone to do now and again. Delpy's so multi-talented that she's playing the lead villainess, directing herself, and scoring the entire film. I'd say she should start her own cosmetics line, but you know those prices would be outrageous...
Countess Bathory had such a ritual in 16th-century Hungary, but such a small price for attaining that youthful glow. It all seems the making for a sinister and salacious costume drama, with some real talent on all sides of the camera... oddly enough all in the form of Julie Delpy.
Maybe she's born with it, but it's not Maybelline.
(13) 17 Photos of Isabel Director: Don Roos Starring: Natalie Portman, Lisa Kudrow
Last time I wrote about this "difficult stepchild drama" (the gist of the plot), I was saying "Enough!" to Jennifer Lopez in the lead opposite the great director of The Opposite of Sex and Happy Endings, Don Roos, and my beloved Lisa Kudrow! Turns out Natalie Portman's since taken over in the lead and the world breathes a little lighter today. The title also changed from Love and Other Impossible Pursuits to the chick-lit stylings of 17 Photos of Isabel. Write down that title in your diary next to your drawings of unicorns in love.
Here's one of the first photos of Isabel so far:
Not sure I care to see sixteen more if they're all like that... (14) Giallo Director: Dario Argento Starring: Adrien Brody, EmmanuelleSeigner
My dreams for the final part of his eerie and majestic Three Mothers Trilogy were dashed against the cheaply constructed rocks, but I have an undying love for Dario Argento no matter my ambivalence to his recent efforts. I'm hoping that this one's less a rush job and more of a return to the genre he helped define, as the title would indicate. If The Third Mother gave us anything it was a reminder that Argento will always shatter silly notions of good taste. This plot's "jaundiced psycho on a model hunt" looks to have all the right setup with a promising old-school edge. But this trailer is stale and bland on dry toast...
Oh well. More in the vein of The Card Player -- which is to say nothing particularly bad, just nothing spectacular either. Argento will still crack this list next year and probably the year after that. You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have Dario's career.
(15) The Informers Director: Gregor Jordan Co-writer: Bret Easton Ellis Starring: Mickey Rourke, Winona Ryder, Chris Isaak, Kim Basinger, Brad Renfro
The works of Bret Easton Ellis have a sardonic, ambiguous edge which should score lots of points with you if you're socially detached, bitter, jaded, sarcastic or rude. Since you're still on this site, I'm guessing you're all of those things and should check this movie out. Hey, I'm just the informer...
Plus, how great and bizarre is that cast? Mickey Rourke fresh off his winning lead as The Wrestler, Winona Ryder gracefully and graciously crawling out of the woodwork, and the deceased Brad Renfro (The Client, Apt Pupil, Bully) in his final appearance. This is also Bret EastonEllis's first time trying his hand at his own novel's adaptation in the wake of two fantastic ones by other authors (American Psycho, The Rules of Attraction). Hopefully he keeps it that much truer to the book's desiccating, eerie and hilariously detached mood.
The soapy sixties saga from creator Dan Curtis about time-shifting vampire Barnabas Collins and his dark legacy is always ripe to be drained of its blood. There was already the nineties' short-lived revival series, and this decade's botched teenage spin, but now it's Tim Burton's turn to revisit the Gothic mystery of Collinwood Manor. It sounds unexpectedly enticing! Naturally Johnny Depp's set for the lead, but this time it's as much about good casting as it is Burton's friendly obligation. The series had a tone of playful fantasy that can be Burton's specialty, although Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory seemed like manufactured whimsy more than inspired streams of his imagination. See Edward Scissorhands or Beetlejuice for that. John August is writing the script and we can probably assume it will stick to the core story of Barnabas falling for the beautiful visitor Victoria Winters, who bears a striking resemblance to his long lost love Josette. It's all about witches, werewolves and Barnabas Fucking Collins! (John August is welcome to use that line in the film.) Burton's off doing his version of Alice in Wonderland first, also starring Johnny Depp, but we'll wait and see if he can recover some of that old black magic.
A natural progression.
Enter the Void Release: 2009 (Cannes Film Festival) Director: Gaspar Noé
If you've got a strong stomach or a substance abuse problem, this one's your golden ticket! Shocking and innovative French director Gaspar Noé (I Stand Alone) takes us on a psychedelic trip through the mind of a man on the brink of death. Noé says the film, which was recently completed in Tokyo, will be an exhaustive experience blending dreams, memory and startling streams of consciousness. He mentions his primary influence was the mind melding 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he already made direct connections to in the bold and controversial Irreversible. The trippy, "melodramatic" plot concerns a brother's efforts to save his sister while having a near death experience. It sounds radically visual with an inventive narrative, and there's no doubt Noé's got a little shock left in his system. Check out the film's striking poster art and more of Noé's thoughts here.
"Someone in here!"
Satisfaction Release: 2009 (?) Director: Miranda July
Me, you and everyone I know loved Miranda July's indie/performance art debut. Her follow-up is a modern romantic comedy that, according to Variety, "turns on a young couple: Jason, goes off on an ecological mission; Sophie starts an affair with an older man. Both events threaten the relationship." Some threads of the film might even connect to July's recent short story collection No One Belongs Here More Than You. Expect big heart, inoffensive quirk, and possibly some small kids chatting poetically about scat.
Am I actually looking forward to a movie starring Jennifer Lopez? To that I say, "Enough!" But then I look out the window and hell hasn't frozen over. It's just her good luck to be paired with a hilarious queer director and his perfect sardonic muse Lisa Kudrow. Don Roos, who gave us The Opposite of Sex and the undervalued Happy Endings, is back with another take on the perils and promise of modern relationships. According to the (far too spoilerish) synopsis here, the film follows an aspiring lawyer (Lopez) whose flirtation with a married senior partner (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) quickly spins into marriage, pregnancy, and dealing with a difficult stepchild. Did you just nod off? Well it takes some darker turns from there which sound like they'll definitely reap the heavy drama. It's based on a novel by Ayelet Waldman and could be more in keeping with Roos' 2000 feature Bounce. I'm not making this sound good at all... But Lisa Kudrow everybody!
Previously discussed here. While we wait on Washington and pray Nicole Kidman frees up her schedule, we get this equally drool-worthy prospect. Lars von Trier is fusing his notoriously horrifying take on humanity with a more genre-based horror. It's got a cabin in the woods, a demonic pregnancy and Willem Dafoe, all working their way under your skin. Do yourself a favor and gear up for this one by watching von Trier's miniseries spectacular The Kingdom (Riget). Because where else can you see Udo Kier's adult head emerging from a womb?
Recently discussed here. I lust for any new Ang Lee film, devoid of caution that it could ever disappoint. (Covering my ears as you say The Hulk). Gay themes, Emile Hirsch and Jeffrey Dean Morgan! ...Oh, and something about music... or some kind of festival... maybe?
"Bring on shirtless Emile Hirsch! ...Oh, and the band. We should probably hear the band."
Kenneth Lonergan's second feature has been a long time coming. It was way back in 2000 that he warmed indie-loving hearts with the magnificent You Can Count On Me. Stars of that film Mark Ruffalo and Matthew Broderick (plus your standard Culkin kid) are joined by Matt Damon and Anna Paquin for this morality based drama. The film follows Lisa Cohen (Paquin), a high school student witness to a horrible traffic accident. She feels as though the tragedy may have inadvertently been her fault, and in efforts to make things right with herself she brings about complications with those around her. It sounds like another richly rewarding character piece from Lonergan, and if it's anything like his debut we can expect some wonderfully natural dialogue and subtly affecting humor.
"It's TV. What do they think people are watching?" -Larry David
I still love HBO. Flight of the Conchords, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Wire, Big Love, and Real Time with Bill Maher are still holding the threads of the network. Even the heterosexual depression party that is Tell Me You Love Me seems such an admirable cable venture. But those interviews with "real couples" (i.e. couples you avoid dinners with for a reason) that air afterwards? Reason enough to finally remember you got Cinemax in the package deal too.
I'm convinced that putting Valerie Cherish in a premature deathbed was the first dooming mistake for the golden network. Their reputation may have suffered since The Sopranos went to black, but things are definitely looking up again...
Alexander Payne, the savvy mind behind the likes of Election and Sideways, is taking directorial reins on the new series, Hung. It promises to be a dark comedy about a very gifted father and sports coach who finally gets to use his best assets. (here) Payne's sensitivity and satire, HBO's consistent quality, and weekly full frontal?! HBO has me for life.
Not to mention this Fall also sees the return of Alan Ball to HBO, after the consummate brilliance of Six Feet Under. And this time he's brought vampires! True Blood promises that, Southerners, and a girl named Sookie Stackhouse. Alan Ball's first venture was stellar from start to finish, and if his characters and mythology remain anywhere near as textured, dark and funny, this could be the next best thing to happen since Buffy. I like to set my standards almost impossibly high for when I inevitably write more articles about HBO as a dwindling network on the turnaround.
9 Completely Random HBO Moments I Love:
Curb Your Enthusiasm: Larry's chef with Touretts lets out an inspirational tirade of swears on the restaurant's opening night, to everyones eventual delight. Except for Susie Greene that is. Honestly, I'd eat at Larry's restaurant every single night.
"Fuck you, you car wash cunt!"
Sex and the City: Carrie dates Justin Theroux AND Justin Theroux, playing two completely different characters in two completely different episodes. It's almost like they exist in that movie Multiplicity. Vaughn Wysel and Jared are both writers, they both love Ms. Bradshaw, and can only be distinguished by one's almost unibrow and the other's tendency to prematurely ejaculate.
Six Feet Under: The amazing Catherine O'Hara guest stars as a neurotic producer named Carol. She loves to swim naked ("It made me feel like Artemis...") and has her very own cake towel. God forbid you ever park in her driveway, when there's plenty of street parking.
"You would not believe the day I've had. Who is my most bitter enemy? The one person I hate most in the world? Melissa Gilbert. And who opens the door at Mark and Pam's house? That's right... Melissa Gilbert. It was like staring at evil itself... Bring my toast up to my bath and I'll tell you how I made Melissa cry."
Tales from the Crypt: I can recall specifically staying up late just so I could watch a psycho Santa stalk a murderous mom in the series pilot, titled "And All Through the House..." I remember as a kid thinking that HBO was a luxury only afforded to dingy motels looking to lure weary travelers. It worked in my case. Forget the pool, I wanted television that was clearly inappropriate for my age.
Extras: Kate Winslet as a foul-mouthed, Oscar-hungry nun... with sex tips!
OZ: Such an underrated show. Smart, addictive, confrontational television like none other. But more important than all that? Chris Meloni as Chris Keller. Chris Keller walking, bending, bathing and shanking. The Special Victims Unit or The Oswald State Maximum Security Penitentiary? The choice is obvious.
The Sopranos: Carmella falls for Furio. Kidding of course... But what about those sad days when the hilarious Nancy Merchand passed and little Tony was left motherless? Well Livia was brought awkwardly back for a single episode after Merchand's death via the magic of computer generated imagery... not unlike a less depressing Forrest Gump. I had watched this only scene prior to becoming a fan of the show, and I was secretly hoping this holographic person was a series regular. It is about as tasteful as tastelessness goes.
Autopsy with Dr. Baden: Anyone else remember that story about the wife who gave her husband the birthday gift of... raping her sister? What a request! That's when you start putting money in a card.
2018: [1] Burning [2] Eighth Grade [3] The Favorite [4] Suspiria (2018) [5] Hereditary [6] First Reformed [7] The House That Jack Built [8] The Tale [9] Thunder Road [10] The Rider
2017: [I can't not] Twin Peaks [1 AND 2 TIE] Call Me By Your Name / The Florida Project [3] Lady Bird [4] Good Time [5] Raw [6] Phantom Thread [7] The Killing of a Sacred Deer [8] The Blackcoat's Daughter [9] Get Out [10] Brawl in Cell Block 99
2016: [1] The Lobster [2] The Witch [3] Julieta [4] Elle [5] The Neon Demon [6] The Handmaiden [7] Green Room [8] The Love Witch [9] Love & Friendship [10] Certain Women
2015: [1] The Duke of Burgundy [2] The Look of Silence [3] Queen of Earth [4] It Follows [5] Room [6] Inside Out [7] 45 Years [8] Carol [9] Anomalisa [10] Mad Max: Fury Road
2014: [1] Under the Skin [2] Boyhood [3] Nightcrawler [4] Whiplash [5] Stranger by the Lake [6] Olive Kitteridge [7] Mommy [8] Blue Ruin [9] Only Lovers Left Alive [10] Nymphomaniac
2013: [1] Before Midnight [2] The Act of Killing [3] 12 Years a Slave [4] Enough Said [5] Sightseers [6] Frances Ha [7] Spring Breakers [8] Upstream Color [9] Paradise: Love / Paradise: Faith / Paradise: Hope [10] Blue Jasmine / The Wolf of Wall Street
2012: [1] The Loneliest Planet [2] Rust and Bone [3] Starlet [4] The Queen of Versailles [5] Magic Mike [6] Sleep Tight [7] The Imposter [8] Life of Pi [9] Dark Horse [10] Holy Motors
2011: [1] Martha Marcy May Marlene [2] The Skin I Live In (La piel que habito) [3] Weekend [4] The Future [5] We Need to Talk About Kevin [6] Shame [7] Young Adult [8] Margaret [9] Melancholia [10] Drive
2010: [1] The Illusionist [2] Enter the Void [3] Fish Tank [4] Heartbeats (Les amours imaginaires) [5] Black Swan [6] Best Worst Movie / Prodigal Sons / The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia [7] Blue Valentine [8] Scott Pilgrim vs. the World [9] Dogtooth [10] Please Give
2009: [1] Broken Embraces (Los abrazos rotos) [2] Fantastic Mr. Fox [3] Coraline [4] The House of the Devil [5] Where the Wild Things Are [6] Inglourious Basterds [7] The White Ribbon (Das weisse Band) [8] Ponyo (Gake no ue no Ponyo) [9] Antichrist [10] Up
2008: [1] Vicky Cristina Barcelona [2] Wendy and Lucy [3] Martyrs [4] Eden Lake [5] Paranoid Park [6] Julia [7] Mister Lonely [8] The Wrestler [9] Let the Right One In (Lat den rätte komma in) [10] Happy-Go-Lucky
2007: [1] Lust, Caution (Se, jie) [2] Once [3] There Will Be Blood [4] Margot at the Wedding [5] Eastern Promises [6] Grindhouse [7] 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile) [8] Away From Her [9] 2 Days in Paris [10] I'm Not There
2006: [1] Volver [3] Inland Empire [3] Marie Antoinette [4] Children of Men [5] Little Children [6] Deliver Us From Evil / Jesus Camp [7] A Scanner Darkly [8] Friends with Money [9] Bubble [10] Shortbus
2005: [1] Brokeback Mountain [2] 2046 [3] A History of Violence [4] Me and You and Everyone We Know [5] Match Point [6] The Constant Gardener [7] Junebug [8] The Squid and the Whale [9] Caché [10] Happy Endings
2004: [1] Before Sunset [2] Dogville [3] Bad Education (La mala educación) [4] Sideways [5] Closer [6] Innocence [7] The Dreamers [8] Tarnation [9] I Heart Huckabees [10] Birth
2003: [1] Lost in Translation [2] Irréversible [3] The Triplets of Belleville (Les triplettes de Belleville) [4] Angels in America [5] Kill Bill, Vol. 1 [6] Elephant [7] City of God (Cidade de Deus) [8] A Mighty Wind [9] The Brown Bunny [10] The Room
2002: [1] Y tu Mamá También [2] Far From Heaven [3] Punch-Drunk Love [4] Talk to Her (Hable con ella) [5] Morvern Callar [6] Audition (Ôdishon) [7] The Hours [8] Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi) [9] The Rules of Attraction [10] Lovely & Amazing
2001: [1] Mulholland Drive [2] In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa) [3] Waking Life [4] Wet Hot American Summer [5] Amélie (Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain) [6] In the Bedroom [7] Hedwig and the Angry Inch / Moulin Rouge [8] Bully [9] Gosford Park [10] Battle Royale
2000: [1] Dancer in the Dark [2] Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Wo hu cang long) [3] Requiem for a Dream [4] You Can Count On Me [5] The Virgin Suicides [6] American Psycho [7] Best in Show [8] Memento [9] Erin Brockovich / Traffic [10] Wonder Boys
1999: [1] Eyes Wide Shut [2] Magnolia [3] The Blair Witch Project [4] Boys Don't Cry [5] The Straight Story [6] All About My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre) [7] Election [8] eXistenZ [9] Being John Malkovich [10] American Beauty
1998: [1] Buffalo ’66 [2] The Truman Show [3] Happiness [4] Ringu [5] The Idiots (Idioterne) [6] Gummo [7] Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [8] The Opposite of Sex [9] Velvet Goldmine [10] I Stand Alone (Seul contre tous)
1997: [1] Boogie Nights [2] Waiting for Guffman [3] Lost Highway [4] Happy Together (Chun gwong cha sit) [5] The Ice Storm [6] Live Flesh (Carne trémula) [7] The Kingdom 2 (Riget 2) [8] Life is Beautiful (La vita è bella) [9] Deconstructing Harry [10] Jackie Brown
1996: [1] Breaking the Waves [2] Crash [3] Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills [4] Citizen Ruth [5] Scream [6] Walking and Talking [7] Flirting with Disaster [8] Fargo [9] Trainspotting [10] Hard Eight
1995: [1] Welcome to the Dollhouse [2] Before Sunrise [3] Safe [4] Kids [5] Fallen Angels (Duo luo tian shi) [6] To Die For [7] Kicking and Screaming [8] Showgirls [9] Seven [10] The Flower of My Secret (La flor de mi secreto)
1994: [1] Heavenly Creatures [2] Chungking Express (Chung Hing sam lam) [3] Pulp Fiction [4] Serial Mom [5] The Kingdom (Riget) [6] Eat Drink Man Woman (Yin shi nan nu) [7] Wes Craven's New Nightmare [8] Ed Wood [9] Clean, Shaven [10] Reality Bites
