While Ti West’s ode to slasher films “X” started with promise, it ultimately succumbed to a slew of missteps that left it feeling like a trashy knock-off rather than something refreshing and new. Now it has a prequel titled “Pearl”, and after seeing its stylish first trailer, I can say this one looks to deliver everything I had hoped “X” would. And with it set to premiere in a few weeks at the Venice Film Festival, we won’t have long to wait.

“Pearl” (which was written during the production of “X” and shot right after the first film wrapped) sees a returning Mia Goth player the titular character Pearl, the psychotic killer who butchered a group of wannabe porn stars in “X”. This film sets out to tell her backstory and the glimpses we are given are as bonkers as they are bloody. I don’t want to get my hopes up too much, but I really like what I see here.

“Pearl” hits theaters September 16th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

* I had the pleasure of seeing Max-Walker Silverman’s “A Love Song” at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The film comes out in select theaters this Friday (July 29th). In a nutshell, I couldn’t recommend the film enough. And with its release upcoming, I wanted to repost my review for this beautiful and touching drama.

I’ve always had a deep admiration for Wes Studi and what he brings to his movies. Whether it was his role as the brutal yet complex Magua in Michael Mann’s “The Last of the Mohicans”, his often underappreciated portrayal of Geronimo in Walter Hill’s “Geronimo: An American Legend”, or playing a police detective alongside Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in “Heat”. There’s an unmistakable sincerity and gravitas Studi brings to every film he’s a part of.

So what better way to start my 2022 Sundance Film Festival than by screening a new drama that sees the 74-year-old Studi given a nice meaty role. The film is “A Love Song”, written and directed by Max Walker-Silverman. As the title suggests, this isn’t the kind of movie Studi is most known for. But for fans of his work, it’ll come as no surprise to hear that he, much like the film itself, is a joy to watch.

But the real star of “A Love Song” is Dale Dickey, an outstanding character actress who may be best remembered for her scene-stealing work in 2010’s “Winter’s Bone”. This is a rare leading role for Dickey whose name you may not remember, but whose face is impossible to forget. It’s a remarkable face chiseled out of real life and with bone-deep honesty found in every look and every expression. She’s a perfect choice for Walker-Silverman’s film which sees him working on the same lyrical meditative wavelength as Kelly Reichardt and pre-“Eternals” Chloé Zhao. But Walker-Silverman brings enough of himself to “A Long Song” to give the film its own special identity.

In “A Love Song”, Dickey brings her signature quiet intensity but this time to a much different character. Here she plays a widow named Faye who hitches her small camper trailer to her Chevy S-10 and drives it to a remote Colorado campsite. She sets up next to a small lake with the Rocky Mountains sitting in the distance like a watercolor painting still wet on the canvas. This is where she’ll stay for the rest of the film’s lean 80-minute running time.

At first, it may be tempting to get caught up in Faye’s similarities to Frances McDormand’s Fern from last year’s Best Picture winner “Nomadland” or to Robin Wright’s Edee from Sundance 2021’s “Land”. But while all three woman unquestionably have things in common, Faye has several distinctions that separates her from the other two. Those distinctions also set this movie on a different course which I was delighted to see.

We don’t learn a lot about Faye or where she came from, but that actually serves the minimalist storytelling perfectly. We do find out she once flew planes for the forestry service. She’s also one heck of a mechanic. And she loves listening to music on her Longines Symphonette World Traveler AM/FM radio. “It always plays the perfect song,” she says in a tender scene later in the film, “even if in the moment you ain’t sure why.” Faye birdwatches (poorly) during the day. Then it’s Busch beer and crawfish for dinner as she watches the sun set over the mountains. After dark, she searches the starry sky for constellations. And that’s her routine.

As you watch Faye, it’s hard to miss her melancholy gaze; the sense of loneliness; the shallowly buried heartache. The source of her sadness is the death of her husband Tommy. He’s been gone for seven years, yet you can tell she’s still carrying the weight of grief. But unlike Fern, who finds contentment in unplugging and living on the road or Edee, who disconnects from society altogether, Faye is at the lake for a specific reason. She’s waiting for someone she hopes will come.

That someone is Lito, an old classmate and crush who Faye hasn’t seen in decades. Much like Faye, Lito has recently lost his spouse, Shirley. It’s not really a spoiler to say that Lito does come and the two wounded souls reconnect. Walker-Silverman’s script allows for all of the awkwardness, uncertainty, and even guilt to bleed through. And the restraint of two performances feels as natural as the painterly surroundings that adorn nearly every frame. Their conversations are simple but true, and it’s often what goes unsaid that resonates the most. And while nothing about their reunion is assured, Faye and Lito long so deeply for companionship that it’s worth a shot.

While the theme of loneliness reverberates throughout the movie, Walker-Silverman also makes it a point to show us the essential nature of human connection. Faye has reoccurring encounters with an assortment of quirky side characters. My favorite is a well-mannered young cowgirl and her four significantly older brothers (the little sister clearly runs the show). They would feel right at home in a Coen brothers comedy. There’s also the camp’s courteous postman and a couple camped out on the other side of the lake. Their appearances may seem inconvenient, but they always pop up when Faye seems at her lowest. And their presence takes her mind off of her sadness.

With “A Love Song” Max Walker-Silverman has given us a delicate, honest, and soulful study of loss, loneliness, and navigating grief. It’s a beautiful and touching exploration, handled with keen instincts, remarkable control, and a clear affection for the story being told. Not only does the film showcase an exciting emerging voice, it also gives starring roles to two exceptional veteran actors. And that’s something all too rare in movies these days.

VERDICT – 4.5 STARS

This morning we got our first look at the lineup for the 2022 Venice Film Festival and it is an embarrassment of riches. Several of the world’s best filmmakers will be represented both in and out of competition. It’s exciting considering Venice has quite the knack for premiering eventual Academy Award winners. Films like “Nomadland”, “Marriage Story”, “Joker”, “Roma”, “The Power of the Dog”, and “Dune” were all highlights at the festival and went on to make a lot of noise at the Oscars.

This year’s batch of big names and big debuts begins with Noah Baumbach’s black comedy, “White Noise” which stars Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig. Two-time Best Director Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu is premiering his new comedy, “Bardo”. Todd Field directs his first film in 16 years with “Tár”. Joanna Hogg follows up her “Souvenir” movies with “The Eternal Daughter”. Christoph Waltz and Willem Dafoe team with director Walter Hill in the Western “Dead for a Dollar”. Also premiering in Florian Zeller’s “The Son”, his much anticipated second film after 2020’s superb “The Father”.

Also making headlines at the festival, Paul Schrader’s “Master Gardener”, Jafar Panahi’s “No Bears”, Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling”, Ti West’s “Pearl”, Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones and All”, Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale”, Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin, and Andrew Dominik’s “Blonde” among others.

There will plenty of competition for this year’s Golden Lion when the festival kicks off August 31st. Check below for a full list of all the films from this year’s Venice Film Festival.

Competition

“White Noise” – Noah Baumbach (Opening Night Film)

“Il Signore delle Formiche” – Gianni Amelio
“The Whale” – Darren Aronofsky
“L’Immensita” – Emanuele Crialese
“Saint Omer” – Alice Diop
“Blonde”- Andrew Dominik
“Tár”- Todd Field
“Love Life” – Koji Fukada
“Bardo” – Alejandro González Iñárritu
“Athena”- Romain Gavras
“Bones and All” – Luca Guadagnino
“The Eternal Daughter” – Joanna Hogg
“Beyond the Wall” – Vahid Jalilvand
“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Martin McDonagh
“Argentina, 1985” – Santiago Mitre
“Chiara” – Susanna Nicchiarelli
“Monica” – Andrea Pallaoro
“No Bears” – Jafar Panahi
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” – Laura Poitras
“A Couple” – Frederick Wiseman
“The Son” – Florian Zeller
“Our Ties” – Roschdy Zem
“Other People’s Children” – Rebecca Zlotowski

Out of Competition – Fiction

“The Hanging Sun” – Francesco Carrozzini (Closing Film)
“When the Waves Are Gone” – Lav Diaz
“Living” – Oliver Hermanus
“Dead for a Dollar” – Walter Hill
“Call of God” – Kim Ki-duk
“Dreamin’ Wild” – Bill Pohlad
“Master Gardener” – Paul Schrader
“Siccita” – Paolo Virzi
“Pearl” – Ti West
“Don’t Worry Darling” – Olivia Wilde

Out of Competition – Non Fiction

“Freedom on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” – Evgeny Afineevsky
“The Matchmaker” – Benedetta Argentieri
“Gli Ultima Giorni Dell’Umanita” – Enrico Ghezzi, Alessandro Gagliardo
“A Compassionate Spy” – Steve James
“Music for Black Pigeons” – Jorgen Leth, Andreas Koefoed
“The Kiev Trial” – Sergei Loznitsa
“In Viaggio” – Gianfranco Rosi
“Bobby White Ghetto President” – Christopher Sharp, Moses Bwayo
“Nuclear” – Oliver Stone

Out of Competition (Series)

“The Kingdom Exodus” – Lars von Trier
“Copenhagen Cowboy” – Nicolas Winding Refn

Horizons/Orizzonti

“Princess” – Roberto de Paolis
“Victim” – Michal Blanko
“On the Fringe” – Juan Diego Botto
“Trenque Lauquen” – Laura Citarella
“Vera” – Tizza Covi, Rainer Frimmel
“Innocence” – Guy Davidi
“Blanquita” – Fernando Guzzoni
“Pour La France (For My Country” – Rachid Hami
“A Man” – Kei Ishikawa
“Bread and Salt” – Damian Kocur
“Luxembourg, Luxembourg” – Antonio Lukich
“Ti Mangio IL Cuore” – Pippo Mezzapesa
“To the North” – Mihai Mincan
“Autobiography” – Makbul Mubarak
“La Syndicaliste (The Sitting Duck)” – Jean-Paul Salomé
“World War III” – Houman Seyedi
“The Happiest Man in the World” – Teona Strugar Mitevska
“The Bride” – Sérgio Tréfaut

Horizons/Orizzonti Extra

“Origin of Evil” – Sébastien Marnier
“Hanging Gardens” – Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji
“Amanda” – Carolina Cavalli
“Red Shoes” – Carlos Eichelmann Kaiser
“Nezouh” – Soudade Kaadan
“Notte Fantasma” – Fulvio Risuleo
“Without Her” – Arian Vazirdaftari
“Valeria Is Getting Married” – Michal Vinik
“Goliath” – Adilkhan Yerzhanov

Marvel Studios had quite a showing at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, revealing their cramped release schedule all the way to 2025. While some of their trailer reveals were kept behind closed doors and shown exclusively to those in attendance (conventions have long loved doing that), they did release a tease for one of their most anticipated films of the year, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”.

Obviously with the heartbreaking passing of star Chadwick Boseman, the sequel to 2018’s “Black Panther” was going to be a challenge. The new trailer gives us a little insight into how the MCU plans on handling things. Despite Boseman’s family saying Chadwick would want T’Challa recast and the character’s story continued, Marvel has chosen to write off T’Challa and instead follow his family’s quest to cope with their loss and protect Wakanda. The trailer leans heavy into the emotion which is sure to be felt throughout the film. It also gives us first look at Namor. While all of these things are obvious crowdpleasers, there are still some big question marks. Hopefully director Ryan Coogler can pull it all together.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” hits theaters November 11th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.