Part monster movie, part romantic comedy, part feminist manifesto: Nacho Vigalondo’s “Colossal” is a lot of things. But Anne Hathaway’s first impression of it was much simpler than that.
“I think the exact email I got from my agent was, ‘This might be too weird, but it might be the right weird,'” the actress recently told IndieWire when asked about her first introduction to the project. “I read it and it felt like it the right weird.”
An innovative blend of high concept sci-fi and romcom tropes, “Colossal” gives “Kong: Skull Island” a run for its money as the disaster movie of the year, which is why it’s somewhat of a shock to consider that it almost didn’t get made at all. Vigalondo first gained exposure among genre fans for his labyrinthine time-travel comedy “Timecrimes,” but it has taken years for him to make a more widely-accessible crowdpleaser.
“I think the exact email I got from my agent was, ‘This might be too weird, but it might be the right weird,'” the actress recently told IndieWire when asked about her first introduction to the project. “I read it and it felt like it the right weird.”
An innovative blend of high concept sci-fi and romcom tropes, “Colossal” gives “Kong: Skull Island” a run for its money as the disaster movie of the year, which is why it’s somewhat of a shock to consider that it almost didn’t get made at all. Vigalondo first gained exposure among genre fans for his labyrinthine time-travel comedy “Timecrimes,” but it has taken years for him to make a more widely-accessible crowdpleaser.
- 4/5/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Even five years ago, it would have been hard to imagine Jason Segel, the Muppet-loving, butt-baring star of modern comedy classics like “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Knocked Up” as some kind of Sundance darling, but that’s exactly how the actor found his unexpected second act.
When Segel was picked to star as the lauded and immensely troubled late author David Foster Wallace in James Ponsoldt’s “The End of the Tour,” the filmmaker’s decision to cast the lovably goofy “This is 40” and “How I Met Your Mother” star was met with plenty of skepticism. Segel, however, dove deeply into preparing for the role, listening to the recordings of journalist David Lipsky (played by Jesse Eisenberg in the 2015 drama) and watching clips of Foster online to get a sense of the writer’s presence. He even started his own book club to read and discuss Foster’s “Infinite Jest.
When Segel was picked to star as the lauded and immensely troubled late author David Foster Wallace in James Ponsoldt’s “The End of the Tour,” the filmmaker’s decision to cast the lovably goofy “This is 40” and “How I Met Your Mother” star was met with plenty of skepticism. Segel, however, dove deeply into preparing for the role, listening to the recordings of journalist David Lipsky (played by Jesse Eisenberg in the 2015 drama) and watching clips of Foster online to get a sense of the writer’s presence. He even started his own book club to read and discuss Foster’s “Infinite Jest.
- 3/31/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The 400 Blows. Courtesy of ShutterstockFor many directors, casting decisions are a crucial part of the writing process. They set the parameters in which the character can develop itself. Fundamentally, a good casting decision can make a character transcend its own scripted ambitions into wonderful, unexpected territories. But bad casting, as we know, can cripple not just a character’s potential but the entire film. It’s hard to talk about casting choices as creative decisions since they are so ingrained within certain creative impulses—the decision of choosing a particular actor over another can be based on mere gut feeling, a hunch, or an intellectual response. But of course, it can also depend (as it often does in large budget films) on an actor’s status, reputation or his or her monetary value. As we get to know actors, we see them typecast or cast against type but sometimes...
- 3/31/2017
- MUBI
The red carpet at the Oscars was a tad nippy this year, as actresses shivered in their diaphanous sleeveless gowns and strappy stilettos. Also exposing a lot of skin was the Australian cast from foreign language nominee “Tanna.”
Best Actress nominee Isabelle Huppert, fresh from winning a Cesar in Paris and an Indie Spirit in Santa Monica, wisely covered up.
Many nominees brought their parents, from composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Moana”) to Dev Patel (“Lion”).
“Lion” star Nicole Kidman brought her husband Keith Urban. “You’re the lioness that roared,” Daily Mail correspondent Baz Bamigboye told her. “I’m a kitten,” she demurred. “I’m not sure about that,” replied Urban.
On the carpet, you can see that Scarlett Johansson has a peekaboo tattoo under her arm, and that Taraji P. Henson had coated her long legs to shimmer with gold. “You’re not a hidden figure!” chortled an admiring Bamigboye.
Best Actress nominee Isabelle Huppert, fresh from winning a Cesar in Paris and an Indie Spirit in Santa Monica, wisely covered up.
Many nominees brought their parents, from composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Moana”) to Dev Patel (“Lion”).
“Lion” star Nicole Kidman brought her husband Keith Urban. “You’re the lioness that roared,” Daily Mail correspondent Baz Bamigboye told her. “I’m a kitten,” she demurred. “I’m not sure about that,” replied Urban.
On the carpet, you can see that Scarlett Johansson has a peekaboo tattoo under her arm, and that Taraji P. Henson had coated her long legs to shimmer with gold. “You’re not a hidden figure!” chortled an admiring Bamigboye.
- 2/27/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Close-Up is a column that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Black Sabbath is playing on Mubi in the Us through November 13, and Bay of Blood is playing on Mubi in the Us October 15 - November 14.Starting as a cinematographer and director of documentaries and shorts, Mario Bava would ultimately explore a variety of genres, from spaghetti westerns and sword-and-sandal adventures, to a modish detective film and even a romping sex comedy. It is his work within the horror genre, however, for which he is most widely, and justly, lauded. Among the Italian filmmakers who rose to prominence on the international horror scene of the 1960s and 70s, few would attain his degree of diverse stylistic virtuosity, nor would they cover the genre in such an expansive fashion. As the years of his career happened to fall, Bava ended up documenting the horror film in the process of profound transition.
- 10/14/2015
- by Jeremy Carr
- MUBI
Les Quatre Cents Coups / The 400 Blows (1959) Direction: François Truffaut Cast: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Patrick Auffay, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy, Georges Flamant Screenplay: François Truffaut and Marcel Moussy Oscar Movies Jean Pierre Léaud, The 400 Blows By Dan Schneider of Cosmoetica: In 1959, a pair of newly released French films were instantly hailed as classics, going on to become the twin pillars of the Nouvelle Vague, or New Wave. One, Jean-Luc Godard's À bout de souffle / Breathless, was bad; the other, François Truffaut's Les quatre cents coups / The 400 Blows, was good. But despite their reputation, neither film can be called great cinema. That said, Truffaut's film is far better than Godard's because it mostly avoids overt clichés, even as the screenplay — the film's weakest element, written by Truffaut and Marcel Moussy — often bogs down in purposelessness. Like Godard, Truffaut shot his film in black and white, [...]...
- 3/18/2011
- by Dan Schneider
- Alt Film Guide
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