Today NEON dropped two new official posters for “Presence”, their upcoming supernatural horror film from director Steven Soderbergh. Plot details have been scarce for this delightfully cryptic chiller and that’s a good thing. What we do know is that the story (written for the screen by David Koepp) involves a family who discovers they’re not alone after moving into a new house. That sounds pretty generic, but with Soderbergh at the helm you know there will be more here than meets the eye.
“Presence” stars Lucy Liu, Julia Fox, Chris Sullivan, Callina Liang, West Mulholland, and Lucas Papaelias. It’s set to release January 17th. Check out the new studio released posters below and let me know what you think.
Cohen Media Group is bringing the eloquent documentary “Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger” to home video. Director by David Hinton, the film is produced by and stars Martin Scorsese who offers up a rich and illuminating cinematic masterclass on a filmmaking duo near and dear to his heart. Featuring rare archival material from the personal collections of Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger and Scorsese, the film offers a passionate retrospective custom made for cinema lovers.
Both Blu-ray and DVD editions of “Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger” and will be available to purchase on October 29th. See below for a synopsis and release information.
About the Film:
Year: 2024
Runtime: 133 Minutes
Directors: David Hinton
Cast: Martin Scorsese, Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell, Thomas Beecham, Dirk Bogarde, Kathleen Byron, David Farrar, Samuel Goldwyn, Marius Goring, Kim Hunter, Jennifer Jones, Deborah Kerr
Martin Scorsese first encountered the films of Powell and Pressburger when he was a child, sitting in front of the family TV. When their famous logo came up on screen, Scorsese says, “You knew you were in for fantasy, wonder, magic – real film magic.” With Made in England he tells the story of his lifelong love-affair with their movies, including The Life and Death Of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffmann. “Certain films you simply run all the time and you live with them.” Scorsese says. “As you grow older they grow deeper. I’m not sure how it happens, but it does. For me, that body of work is a wondrous presence, a constant source of energy, and a reminder of what life and art are all about.”
Drawing on a rich array of archive material, Scorsese explores in full the collaboration between the Englishman Powell and the Hungarian Pressburger – two romantics and idealists, who thrived in the face of adversity during World War II but were eventually brought low by the film industry of the 1950’s. Scorsese celebrates their ability to create “subversive commercial movies” and describes how deeply their films have influenced his own work.
Jude Law, Nicholas Hoult, Tye Sheridan, and Jurnee Smollett star in “The Order”, a period crime thriller directed by Justin Kurzel. The film is based on the 1989 non-fiction book “The Silent Brotherhood” by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt. The movie premiered in August at the Venice International Film Festival. Now its prepping for its official release by dropping a harrowing and action-packed first trailer.
Set in 1983, the story follows and FBI agent (Law) who assembles a team to help investigate a series of bank robberies and armored car heists across the Pacific Northwest. But rather than find some standard-issue robbers, the agents follow a trail leading to a white supremacist group known as The Order. The movie looks to follow two storylines destined to intersect. And from what we see, both lead to violence. Everything about this looks and sounds great – the cast, the period design, the true-crime element. I can’t wait to see how it comes together.
“The Order” releases in theaters on December 6th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Warner Brothers Home Entertainment is celebrating the 40th anniversary of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” by bringing the film to 4K Ultra HD for the very first time. Wes Craven’s 1984 horror classic was a hallmark of its decade and the movie’s iconic antagonist, Freddy Krueger found a permanent place in pop culture. This critically acclaimed supernatural slasher spawned a franchise of nine feature films and a television series along with several comic books and novels.
This killer new 4K Ultra HD edition of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” includes a digital copy of the film and will be available to purchase on October 15th. See below for a full synopsis and release information including special features.
About the Film:
Year: 1984
Runtime: 91 Minutes
Directors: Wes Craven
Screenwriters: Wes Craven
Cast: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Johnny Depp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Nick Corri, Leslie Hoffman, Joseph Whipp, Charles Fleischer, Lin Shaye
Rating: R
Can your nightmares be fatal? In this classic of the horror film genre that launched a movie franchise, a hideously scarred man who was murdered by a lynch mob returns years later in the terrifying nightmares of his killer’s teenage children… and the dreaming teenagers are starting to die in their sleep.
Special Features:
“A Nightmare on Elm Street”Digital release and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray disc contain the following previously released special features:
Ready Freddy Focus Points
Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronnie Blakely, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher.
Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin.
Alternate endings
The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror
Never Sleep Again: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares
The road to the big screen has been interesting for “Joker: Folie à Deux”. The highly anticipated sequel to the 2019 box office juggernaut “Joker” puzzled many when it was first announced as a musical. Since then the studio has dialed back its emphasis on ‘Jokerthe Musical’ and has since promoted it in a more traditional manner. Yet fans of the first film (a group I’m happy to be a part of) remained a little hesitant and unsure of what to expect.
That kind of subversion of expectations can be a good thing, especially if your movie ultimately delivers. “Joker: Folie à Deux” delivers to a degree, but expect the reactions to be all over the map. Much like its predecessor, you can count on some being predisposed to disliking it. But it’s the diehard fans who will almost certainly end up split. That’s because “Folie à Deux” takes some wild creative risks, some of which pay off and others that frankly drag the movie down.
Todd Phillips returns to direct, produce, and co-write, this time with a budget that ballooned to nearly $200 million. Phillips reteams with several collaborators from the first film including his co-writer Scott Silver, his cinematographer Lawrence Sher, his editor Jeff Groth, and his Oscar-winning composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. But the most essential returning piece is Joaquin Phoenix, reprising the title role which earned him a Best Actor Oscar.
“Folie à Deux” (translated shared madness or madness for two) doesn’t play like a fully realized sequel. It’s more akin to an extended epilogue that follows the events from “Joker”. But the differences between the two films are significant and somewhat confounding. “Folie à Deux” splits its time between being a courtroom drama and a prison drama with Phillips injecting the dark edginess of the first film into both. But the movie eventually gets caught in a frustrating cycle that keeps bouncing us back-and-forth between the two without much happening in-between.
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Phoenix is once again spellbinding as he follows the continued dark descent of Arthur Fleck, a part-time party clown and aspiring stand-up comedian who killed six people in the first film including a popular talk show host on live television. Arthur’s unhinged antics and vigilante Joker persona inspired a mob of disillusioned and (in some cases) equally deranged citizens to unleash a wave of violence and chaos across Gotham.
As he awaits his trial, Arthur remains locked up in Arkham State Hospital where he’s kept heavily medicated while swapping bad jokes for cigarettes with a semi-sympathetic guard named Jackie (Brendan Gleeson). Nothing much happens in these scenes other than a miserable Arthur trudging down cold drab hallways, escorted to and from to his cell, and occasionally let out in the prison yard. But he does find a spark of life after he meets and falls for a fellow inmate, Harleen “Lee” Quinzel (Lady Gaga).
With Arthur deemed competent to stand trial, his lawyer, Maryanne Stewart (Catherine Keener) gets busy preparing their case. She intends to argue that the Joker persona doesn’t represent the real Arthur. She contends that Joker is another personality – a manifestation brought on by years of abuse and neglect. Her claims that Arthur was an unwilling participant and a victim angers his many fans who see Joker as the catalyst for their twisted cause. It also frustrates Lee who encourages Arthur to embrace his true Joker self and take charge.
As with the Arkham drama, the courtroom scenes have a tough time gaining traction. In several ways they seem inspired by the trial of serial killer Ted Bundy. It’s a full-blown media circus. It’s being televised live. And like Bundy, Arthur gives into his Joker persona and decides to represent himself in court. It’s a scenario so full of potential but much of it is never fully realized. That’s because any dramatic momentum is routinely interrupted by trips back to Arkham or by an untimely musical number.
Image Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
As for the musical numbers, they do play a big part in “Folie à Deux”. They represent an inspired and even bold approach to telling Arthur’s story. But their quality and execution are very much a mixed bag. On the positive side, they are designed as expressions of Arthur’s emotional turmoil and inner fantasies. The songs are a collection of covers, many rooted in Arthur’s past while others convey whatever feeling is overwhelming him in that moment.
Unfortunately the numbers grow burdensome over time. They become more intrusive than enlightening – taking screen time that could’ve been better spent developing a more involving story. The songs themselves aren’t likely to stick with you due to the calculated choice to sing them badly (as Phoenix confirmed to People magazine). Narratively it makes perfect sense. Neither Arthur or Lee are talented singers so why make them sound like Sinatra and Fitzgerald? But that doesn’t necessarily make for enjoyable listening, especially by the fifth of sixth tune.
Yet despite its frustrations and flaws, there’s something incredibly admirable about the movie’s audacity. In an era where we’ve been trained to expect very specific things from comic book movies, I love that Phillips and company have dared to make one that doesn’t abide by any established rules. Phoenix is once again intensely committed and hauntingly grim. And Gaga makes the most of her sparse screen time, taking an underdeveloped character and making her somewhat interesting.
At one point in the 2019’s “Joker”, Arthur says “I used to think my life was a tragedy, but now I realize it’s a comedy.” Those words are given a powerful new meaning in “Folie à Deux”, as are several other things from the first film. If only the two movies had more in common. Phillips puts aside the raw and incisive storytelling of “Joker” for something that’s more experimental but with less to say. And he tops it all off with a sour ending that may be fitting in some regards, but that feels like Phillips and Phoenix wiping their hands clean. I’m afraid that’s what “Joker” fans will want to do after seeing this ambitious but disappointing gamble. “Joker: Folie à Deux” is in theaters now.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” is only a couple days away and it looks to be at least as polarizing as the first film. Director Todd Phillips reunites with star Joaquin Phoenix in this direct follow-up to the wildly successful first film. Lots of questions have been asked from people wondering what to expect. Wherever you are with the movie, the film’s promotion has been pretty great, especially the series of posters released over the past year.
Below are some of the best posters from Warner Bros. Pictures. Check them out and let me know what you think.
“Joker: Folie à Deux” premiered last month at the Venice International Film Festival. It opens everywhere Friday, October 4th exclusively in theaters.
Keith & the Movies