This morning the loooong awaited full trailer for A24’s upcoming film “The Green Knight” finally dropped. It was around a year ago that a well made teaser gave us our first look at this medieval fantasy from writer-director David Lowery (“Pete’s Dragon”, “A Ghost Story”). Now we have an even better taste of what Lowery and company and cooking up. And knowing the film is only a couple of months away amps up the excitement and anticipation.
Adding to the allure is the cast led by Dev Patel who plays Sir Gawain, the reckless and strong-willed nephew of the legendary King Arthur. Joining him is Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, and Barry Keoghan among others. The story follows Gawain as he sets out to confront the Green Knight, contending with all sorts of obstacles (both man and beast) along the way. Oh, and I forgot to mention the talking fox! Lowery has established himself as a filmmaker with a bold vision and that once again looks to be on full display. I can’t wait.
“The Green Knight” releases July 30th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
It’s hard to watch “The Man in the Hat” and not think of the great Jacques Tati. The late French mime, actor, and filmmaker conceived some of my very favorite comedies, several of them centering around his bumbling yet good-natured Monsieur Hulot character. Tati’s films were known for their meticulously choreographed visual gags and their distinct lack of dialogue. The comedy element of “The Man in the Hat” isn’t as broad or pronounced as something like “Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday” or “Jour de fete”. But it taps into some of the same things that made those Tati films so special.
The wonderfully expressive Ciarán Hinds plays the titular protagonist in what is essentially a dialogue-free role. But the seasoned Irish actor is more than capable of conveying all the emotions we need through his gentle manner, tender smiles, and melancholy gaze. Other than that it’s a grunt here, a mumble there, and one barely audible “Merci”.
Image Courtesy of Gravitas Ventures
We first meet the man sitting at a cafe in a cozy seaside town with nothing but a newspaper and a framed picture of a woman. Later, as the sun sets over the warmly lit harbor, he still sits at the same table, now munching on dinner. That’s when he observes a puttering Citroën Dyane pull up next to the water. Out of it pours five full-grown men who toss what appears to be a dead body into the sea. Realizing they’ve been seen, the five men approach the cafe which sends the man scurrying. He hops into his dark blue Fiat 500 and so begins this relaxed charm-soaked jaunt across the French countryside.
As the man travels the narrow country backroads of rural France, his hat on his head and the woman’s picture safely sitting next to him in the passenger’s seat, we’re treated to a delectable medley of music, food, and scenery. And just as captivating is the rich and unique assortment of people the man meets on his journey, many turning up again and again as he drives from town to town. Among them, a sad forlorn man in a soggy suit, a curious young couple with a tape measure, the five suspicious men in the Citroën Dyane, and perhaps most notably a beguiling women in a red dress on a bicycle (played by Sasha Hails).
In one sense the movie is a tasty roadtrip comedy, more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny. There’s also a lightly-breaded mystery baked into the story that encourages us to wonder. Who is the woman in the picture? Where is the man going? What does it all mean? And then there are the more life-affirming elements that seem particularly welcomed in these divided times. Armed with a buoyant spirit and a steady observant rhythm throughout, the movie asks us to stop, sit down, and appreciate the simple things that are too often taken for granted.
All of this comes from the creative minds of John-Paul Davidson and Stephen Warbeck who serve as both co-writers and co-directors. Their predominantly wordless odyssey is as beautiful as it is easy-going, with DP Kaname Onoyama’s camera showing just as much affection for the characters as it does the lush rolling hills or the stunning scenic overlooks. And he shoots each little town in a way that somehow accentuates their character and charm. None of it is aggressively picturesque, but it’s a key component that’s grafted into the very fabric of the story.
Image Courtesy of Gravitas Ventures
Just as important is the music. “The Man in the Hat” marks Warbeck’s directorial debut but he’s no stranger to cinema. An accomplished composer, Warbeck won an Oscar for his “Shakespeare in Love” score. Here he uses an eclectic blend of strings, horns, accordion, and piano to create one of his film’s most essential languages. Together with a couple of well placed songs, the entire musical arrangement is a soothing blend of local sound and emotional resonance. It’s simple yet effective and it’s my favorite soundtrack of the year so far.
In case you can’t tell, I loved “The Man in the Hat”. Davidson and Warbeck have made a simple yet savory feast for the senses that feels plucked out of a bygone era of cinema history. The film is a tender and heartfelt reminder to appreciate the little things in life and to hold onto the special moments. It reminds us of how the smallest acts of kindness can effect someone’s life in a profound way. The man’s touching adventure is filled with people from all walks of life who are willing to lend a hand. Perhaps in a day where people cling to their differences and are quick to tear each other apart, these messages are more needed more than we realize. “The Man in the Hat” opens in select theaters and on VOD this Friday (May 14th).
Several months ago we got an incredible cool teaser for “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”, the follow-up to 2018’s critically panned but big box office success “Venom”. The film is part of the strange symbiotic (see what I did there) relationship between Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios. The Venom movies are not part of the MCU although there are vague connections that leave room for future possibilities. Still, director Andy Serkis (yep, THAT Andy Serkis) tells IGN that this Venom story is very much as its own world….for now.
Tom Hardy returns as Eddie Brock and from the comical opening moments of the new trailer it doesn’t look like he and his alien alter-ego Venom have worked out all the kinks in their symbiotic relationship. But of course get more serious when we see Woody Harrelson who plays psychotic serial killer Cletus Kasady. Fans of the comic storylines Carnage in 1992 and Maximum Carnage in 1993 have a good idea of how dark and violent things are liable to become. I’m hoping Sony goes that route rather than making this a light comical jaunt. If so, this could be really good.
“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” opens in theaters September 24th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
A soldier returns home early from deployment after receiving the tragic news that his wife was killed in a train accident. That doesn’t sound like the kind of premise you would go into expecting a laugh. Yet there is a wild black comedy edge to the Danish film “Riders of Justice” that’s sure to catch a lot of viewers off-guard. But there’s a lot more to writer-director Anders Thomas Jensen’s surprisingly dense and thematically rich story.
From his earliest scenes we get a sense that there is much more to Jensen’s film and his characters. The ever-watchable Mads Mikkelson plays Markus Hansen who returns from active duty in Afghanistan to be with his daughter Mathilde (Andrea Heick Gadeberg) following the death of his wife Emma (Anne Birgitte Lind). She and ten other people were killed during a city train accident that officials attribute to a collision with an oncoming train.
Image Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
We begin to learn more about Markus once he’s home with Mathilde. Both father and daughter are in their own personal states of shock. Mathilde feels the need to express her pain. She wants them to see a family grief counselor and ponders God’s reasons for tragedy. Markus keeps everything pent up. He balks at the idea of therapy or a supernatural purpose. So he withdraws into his own anger, bitterness, denial, and remorse. He grows cold and detached, content to bury his pain rather than cope with it. It makes him appear harsh and indifferent which fractures his relationship with Mathilde even more. Soon her biggest fear is becoming like her father.
A few days later a man named Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas) shows up at Markus’ door with information about Emma’s death. Otto, a recently fired data analyst, was on the train and claims the incident was no accident; that it was actually an orchestrated hit meant to kill a key witness set to testify against the leader of a violent biker gang known as the Riders of Justice. Otto along with his batty yet brilliant associate Lennart (Lars Brygmann) lay out their highly detailed discovery built on calculations, probabilities, and quite a few illegally hacked documents and surveillance footage. The cops were quick to dismiss Otto’s suspicions, but for Markus it’s an opportunity to release his pain through vengeance.
The movie’s wacky balance of dark comedy and darker human drama is mostly seen in the relationships between Markus and the trio of Otto, Lennart, and facial recognition specialist named Emmenther (Nicolas Bro). Together the three tech-buddies bring back memories of Byers, Langly and Frohike aka The Lone Gunmen of X-Files fame. But they are more than comic relief and each are imbued with certain layers of humanity. This is especially true for Otto who, in addition to his own personal baggage, is burdened with survivor’s guilt over Emma’s death. In an act of courtesy he gave her his seat on the side of the train that took the brunt of the impact. And being a man obsessed with details, data and calculations, he can’t get over feeling that he should have seen it coming.
Image Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
The group’s dogged hunt for answers combined with Markus’ revenge-driven bloodlust takes them down a dark and violent path. But through it all Jensen never loses focus of his central themes or his characters. They always stay front and center. And as you would expect, Mikkelsen’s brilliance as an actor is on full display. He delivers a strikingly multifaceted performance that sees him play a ruthless vigilante, a classic comedy straight man, a broken and emotionally fragile father and more.
While the black comedy element is one of the film’s strengths, it’s also one of its weaknesses. There are a few times where Jensen pushes the humor a little too far leading to some unfortunate clashes in tone. Even worse, there were a couple of instances where the film’s desire for laughs undercuts a would-be emotionally powerful moment. Yet Jensen always manages to get back on track with his deep and textured story and its myriad of interests. Yes, the movie has good action, good laughs and a steely, grizzled Mikkelsen. But it’s the attention it gives to its themes (coping with death and loss, making sense of tragedy, coincidence versus fate) that really sets the movie apart. “Riders of Justice” releases in theaters in NY and LA on May 14th and everywhere on May 21st.
When it comes to action stars Jason Statham just has “it”. I can’t clearly define what “it” is, but you know it when you see it. It’s a healthy mix of charisma, grit, and physicality. Since Statham’s leading man breakthrough in 2002’s “The Transporter”, he has shown over and over that his anti-hero brand is more than enough to carry an action flick. Even more, he often brings a sharp wit and a surprisingly disarming charm to his usually hard-nosed characters.
That being said, you won’t see a glimmer of that sly humor or charm in his new film “Wrath of Man”. This action thriller directed, co-written, and co-produced by Guy Ritchie is darker and edgier than any of Statham’s lighter, albeit violent affairs. The film (a remake of 2004 French film “Le Convoyeur”) marks the fourth collaboration between Statham and Ritchie, their first since 2005’s “Revolver”. And it seems they already have another movie in the can that we’ll probably see sometimes in 2022.
If you break it down “Wrath of Man” is part revenge film, part heist flick, part hard-boiled crime thriller. Its time-hopping narrative is built around two interwoven stories with Statham’s character being the connecting tissue. He plays the cold, stone-faced Harry “H” Hill who we first meet as he’s interviewing for a position with Fortico Securities, an armored truck company who transports money for banks and businesses all across Los Angeles. It’s a dangerous line of work as evident by a recent robbery that resulted in two company drivers and one civilian being gunned down. Here’s the catch, the dead civilian was H’s son and now the vengeful father is determined to find out who pulled the trigger.
H gets the job and is immediately put under the wing of Bullet (Holt McCallany), a chatty seasoned driver who shows him the ropes. Later H is paired with the big-talking Boy Sweat Dave (Josh Hartnett) and immediately proves his value by single-handedly thwarting an armed robbery, killing all six of the thieves. Just like that, the other drivers learn H can carry his own weight and he’s not somebody you mess with. At the same time he’s still a mystery both to them and to us. So Ritchie jumps back in time, dedicating a chapter to unpacking H’s backstory. And then you get more time-jumping as Ritchie tells a second story about a group of disgruntled military vets (led by Jeffrey Donovan and a very good Scott Eastwood). Andy Garcia even pops up as a crime boss fittingly named The King.
All of this could have turned into an indulgent convoluted mess, but to Ritchie‘s credit he along with co-writers Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies keeps everything coherent and engaging. He still packs the movie with many of his favorite ingredients – a meaty ensemble cast, snarky dialogue, offbeat nicknames, non-linear storytelling. And to add a little extra flair Ritchie tosses in some fun and fitting chapter titles like “dark spirit” and “scorched earth”. At the same time, the macho wisecracking does wear a little thin (particularly in the first half) and there are a handful of plot holes that left me shaking my head.
Still “Wrath of Man” is an all-around solid effort from Guy Ritchie and a return (of sorts) to his earlier form. It’s also a lot different than your standard Statham beat-em-up. It trucks along with a relentlessly grim tone, never winking at the camera, and leaving none of its characters with completely clean hands. And it’s centered by Statham, whose stoic, hard-as-granite exterior fits perfectly in Ritchie’s bloody world where crime thrives and violence begets violence. “Wrath of Mine” arrives in theaters on May 7th.
I’m always up for more Pierce Brosnan, but I’m not sure what to think of his new film “The Misfits”. It comes from director Renny Harlin who’s perhaps best none as the director of “Die Hard 2”. The film is built around a very familiar premise – a ragtag group of (you guessed it) misfits team up to pull off the ultimate heist. While nothing new, these movies can still be fun with the right people in place. After seeing the first trailer it’s hard to tell if “The Misifts” has the right people or not.
Brosnan plays a brilliant architect and international thief who is persuaded by a group of young Robin Hoods to help them swipe a ton of gold from a ruthless businessman (Tim Roth) known for funding terrorists. And it just so happens the architect and the businessman happen to have a history. The film co-stars Nick Cannon, Jamie Chung, Rami Jaber, Hermoine Corfield, and Mike Angelo. The trailer doesn’t leave the best first impression, showing a movie that seems content to mimic numerous other films. Hopefully I’m wrong.
“The Misifits” releases June 11th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Keith & the Movies 