Critics weren’t too kind to Gus Van Sant’s last film (the Matthew McConaughey Japanese suicide forest movie), but the filmmaker tends to follow a pattern where every other movie is actually good — and thankfully, judging by the first trailer, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot looks to be one of the better Van Sant projects in recent years. Joaquin Phoenix leads an awesome cast (which includes a few musical faves) in the true story of an alcoholic who finds respite from his addiction in drawing cartoons for the funny pages.
Some movies are worth seeing just to watch two immensely talented actors emote the hell out of each other. Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn’s upcoming Una fits that bill to a T. It hit the festival circuit around this time last year but hasn’t gotten a release until now, and the buzz around its two stars has us intrigued.
When you go to the movies this summer you’ll be greeted with a plethora of superheroes, action films, and on-going cinematic universes. But nestled within those familiar franchises you’ll find A Ghost Story, one of the most unique movies in decades.
What happens when death, the thing people fear most, becomes the most desirable part of life? Charlie McDowell’s The Discovery imagines a world where the afterlife has scientifically been proven, and as a result millions of people are committing suicide “to get there,” as it’s often referred to in the film’s not-so-distant future. But the biggest and most disturbing quandary is, what exactly is “there?” If life after death does exist, what if it’s worse than the world we know, or perhaps an even scarier thought, what if it’s better and what does that mean for the value and meaning we place on the lives we’ve been living?
There’s really nothing like David Lowery’s new film. A Ghost Story isn’t the typical haunted house tale we’re used to. But Lowery’s transcendent, meditative film captures the haunting realization of how fleeting our time in this world is. The film was hailed as one of the best out of Sundance this year (you can read our review here), which makes today’s debut of the first trailer all the more exciting.
The Weinstein Company is gearing up for awards season early with announced release dates for two extremely high-profile upcoming films. The first, Mary Magdalene, which stars Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, will hit the big screen November 24, followed by The Current War, Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon’s historical drama, on December 22.