Venice Film Festival lineup features Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Emma Stone and Dwayne Johnson
Two years after launching 'Poor Things' at Venice, Yorgos Lanthimos and Stone are returning with 'Bugonia,' an English language remake of the South Korean sci-fi comedy 'Save the Green Planet!' that is among the 21 films playing in the main competition. Clooney will also be back as star of Noah Baumbach's 'Jay Kelly,' in which he plays a famous actor on a trip through Europe with his longtime manager (Sandler).
Some of the other high-profile titles competing for the Golden Lion include: Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein,' with Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as the monster; Chloé Zhao's 'Hamnet,' a work of historical fiction about William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife (Jessie Buckley) after the death of their son; and Benny Safdie's sports drama 'The Smashing Machine,' starring Johnson as MMA fighter Mark Kerr and Emily Blunt as his wife.
Also in competition are Kathryn Bigelow's 'A House of Dynamite,' a political thriller about an imminent missile strike on the U.S., starring Idris Elba and Rebecca Ferguson, and Jim Jarmusch's anthology film 'Father Mother Sister Brother,' with Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver. Many master filmmakers are also in the section: Park Chan-wook will debut 'No Other Choice'; László Nemes has his most personal film yet in 'Orphan'; and François Ozon takes on an Albert Camus adaptation with 'L'étranger.'
One of the titles bound to make waves is Kaouther Ben Hania's 'The Voice of Hind Rajab,' about the young girl who was killed along with six other relatives when they were trapped in their car under Israeli fire in northern Gaza.
Luca Guadagnino's 'After the Hunt,' a psychological thriller for the #MeToo era about a complaint of sexual violence at an American university, is debuting out of competition — a joint decision between the filmmaker and Amazon MGM. It will mark Roberts' first time at the festival. She co-stars in the film with Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri.
Julian Schnabel's 'In the Hand of Dante,' based on the cult novel, with Isaac, Gal Gadot, Al Pacino and Martin Scorsese, is also showing out of competition, as is Gus Van Sant's 'Dead Man's Wire,' with Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo and an appearance by Pacino.
The festival held on the Lido, a barrier island in the Venetian Lagoon, will open with Paolo Sorrentino's 'La Grazia,' starring Toni Servillo and Anna Ferzetti, on Aug. 27 and run through Sept. 6. Alexander Payne is presiding over the main competition jury, which also includes actor Fernanda Torres and directors Cristian Mungiu, Mohammad Rasoulof and Maura Delpero.
Venice has established itself as a solid launching pad for Oscar hopefuls, with a handful of best picture winners, including 'The Shape of Water,' 'Spotlight,' 'Nomadland' and 'Birdman,' and many more nominees to its name. Last year's edition had several eventual Oscar winning films in the lineup, including Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist,' which won three including best actor for Adrien Brody, Walter Salles' best international feature winner 'I'm Still Here,' and the animated short 'In the Shadow of the Cypress.'
Corbet co-wrote another competition entry with his partner Mona Fastvold, who directed, 'The Testament of Ann Lee' with Amanda Seyfried. Like 'The Brutalist,' it was also shot on 70 mm, but is quite a bit shorter.
Venice will be just the first stop for several films, including 'Hamnet,' 'Frankenstein' and 'The Smashing Machine,' which will all go on to play at the Toronto Film Festival shortly after.
The festival has programmed 15 documentaries out of competition including Golden Lion winner Laura Poitras, and Mark Obenhaus's, 'Cover-Up,' about investigative journalist Seymour Hersh; Sofia Coppola's documentary 'Marc by Sofia' about her longtime friendship with fashion designer Marc Jacobs; Werner Herzog's doc 'Ghost Elephants,' described as being as exciting as a thriller; and 'Kim Novak's Vertigo.'
Both Novak and Herzog are being honored with lifetime achievement awards during the festival.
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Montreal Gazette
an hour ago
- Montreal Gazette
Brownstein: Fantasia film fest celebrates veteran Montreal director George Mihalka for blazing his own trail
Veteran Montreal director George Mihalka gets his proper due after 45 years in the business. Finally. The Fantasia International Film Festival will present Mihalka with its Canadian Trailblazer Award, Friday at 6 p.m. at Cinéma du Musée, followed by a screening of his film Hostile Takeover. The fest will also screen another of his more memorable movies, Pinball Summer, followed by a Q&A with the director, Sunday at 4:05 p.m. at the same venue. And earlier that afternoon, at 2 p.m., Mihalka will deliver a Fantasia master class at Reggies in Concordia's Hall Building. While Fantasia may be renowned for delving into all aspects of genre film over the course of its 29 years, the festival, much to its credit, has also paid homage to unsung heroes on the local film scene. In recent years, it has given tributes to the likes of legendary Cinépix producers John Dunning and André Link, directors Larry Kent and Gerald Potterton, and the gonzo filmmaking gang of Allan (Bozo) Moyle, Stephen Lack, Frank Vitale and Peter Brawley. Mihalka is, without question, a pioneer on the film front. He has tackled every genre imaginable, from horror to hockey, comedy to crime and then some — in both French and English. Pretty remarkable since he spoke neither language before immigrating here from Hungary when he was just eight. The film for which Mihalka is probably best known is the slasher epic My Bloody Valentine, produced by Dunning and Link. That was 45 years ago, when Mihalka was but 27. Had Fantasia been in existence back then, its artistic director Mitch Davis would have certainly had the film kick off the fest. No less than Quentin Tarantino has acknowledged that My Bloody Valentine is his personal fave in the slasher field. But don't let the film's content fool you about its maker. There is little foreboding about Mihalka, 72 — far more teddy bear than terrifying and one of the nicest people in the biz. He has been spending equal time in Montreal and Hamilton these days, the latter so he can be closer to his daughter and work in Toronto. 'There has been no real formula for me. I just love making films and I don't like making the same one over and over again,' says the ever-affable Mihalka over a few brews at Ziggy's. 'I don't think I have a film canon, per se.' Not so sure. By his own estimate, Mihalka has directed over two dozen film and TV features and over 100 TV episodes, in nearly equal parts French and English. And talk about being all over the map. Apart from the aforementioned, there's Race to Mars, La Florida, Omertà, Les Boys IV, Dr. Lucille: The Lucille Teasdale Story, Scandale, Scoop, Bullet to Beijing, Eternal Evil. And Mihalka has just completed one of his most ambitious and expensive productions yet: Rise of the Raven, a 10-part miniseries shot in Hungary for ex-Montreal producer Robert Lantos. The first two hour-long episodes will première at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and the series will stream on CBC Gem soon after. 'It's the story about the guy who is responsible for why church bells ring at noon everywhere in the world,' elaborates Mihalka, who also co-created and executive-produced the project. Mihalka laments that the local film scene, particularly on the anglo side, has suffered. 'Montreal was such a great place for making movies. It's so unfortunate that things have dried up here. I would love to come back here to make a movie in French and follow it up with one in English, the way I used to do like clockwork. I so miss that, straddling both worlds,' he says. 'But when tax credits became much more important, we became prisoners of our postal code here.' 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Which is not to say Mihalka hasn't tackled more provocative fare over the years, but he has always focused on keeping audiences captivated at the same time. 'Nothing wrong with making movies about your own or someone else's trauma. We need Mike Leigh movies as much as we need Tarantino movies. I have never thought entertaining was the opposite of intelligent. You can have a smart movie that entertains. That's been my goal all my working life. Just because I don't furrow my brow while directing doesn't mean I can't be deep,' he muses before adding: 'I'm not at all interested in retiring, either. I'm still ready to rumble for this craft.'
Winnipeg Free Press
13 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
FKA Twigs agrees to settle lawsuit alleging abuse from Shia LaBeouf
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Winnipeg Free Press
13 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
10 songs to memorialize Ozzy Osbourne, the great Black Sabbath frontman
NEW YORK (AP) — There are pioneering music figures, and then there is Ozzy Osbourne, the larger-than-life frontman of Black Sabbath, whose personal mythology is eclipsed only by the strength and immortality of his songs. A godfather and force of heavy metal, Osbourne died Tuesday at 76, just months after his last performance. The English icon's idiosyncratic, throaty voice launched generations of metalheads, both through his work at the reins of Black Sabbath and in his solo career. Across his repertoire, there are songs with total global ubiquity and lesser-known innovations with his unique, spooky aesthetic quality. FILE - Singer Ozzy Osbourne performs during halftime of an NFL football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills in Inglewood, Calif., Sept. 8, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File) To celebrate Osbourne's life and legacy, we've selected just a few songs that made the man, from timeless tunes to a few left-of-center selections. Read on and then listen to all of the tracks on our Spotify playlist. 1970: 'Iron Man,' Black Sabbath It would be a challenge to name a more immediately recognizable guitar riff than the one that launches Black Sabbath's 1970 megahit 'Iron Man.' It transcends the metal genre — an all-timer heard around the world and in guitar stores everywhere. 1970: 'War Pigs,' Black Sabbath One of the great Vietnam War protest songs, Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs' is a rare moment where hippies and metalheads can agree: 'Politicians hide themselves away / They only started the war / Why should they go out to fight?' Osbourne sings in the bridge. 1971: 'Children of the Grave,' Black Sabbath Osbourne's heaviest performances are at least partially indebted to Black Sabbath's bassist and lyricist Terry 'Geezer' Butler, and there is perhaps no better example than 'Children of the Grave,' the single from the band's 1971 album, 'Master of Reality.' 'Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear?' Osbourne embodies Butler's words, a sonic fist lifted in the air. 'Can they win the fight for peace or will they disappear?' 1973: 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,' Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were in a creative rut in the time period leading up to 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,' the opening track from their 1973 album of the same name. It's almost hard to believe now — the song features one of their best-known riffs, and its chorus features some truly ascendant vocals. 1980: 'Crazy Train,' Ozzy Osbourne Would the world know what a vibraslap sounds like without the immediately recognizable introduction to Osbourne's first solo single, 'Crazy Train?' To call it a classic is almost a disservice — it is an addicting tune, complete with chugging guitars and Cold War-era fears. 1980: 'Mr. Crowley,' Ozzy Osbourne Another classic cut from Osbourne's debut solo album, 'Blizzard Of Ozz' — released one year after Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath for his legendary excesses, — the arena rock anthem 'Mr. Crowley' pays tribute to the famed English occultist Aleister Crowley and features Deep Purple's Don Airey on keyboard. 1981: 'Diary of a Madman,' Ozzy Osbourne The title track and coda of Osbourne's second solo studio album, 'Diary of a Madman,' runs over six minutes long, features big strings and a choir so theatrical it sounds like they're scoring a medieval war film. He wanted big, he wanted dramatic, and he nailed it. 1991: 'Mama, I'm Coming Home,' Ozzy Osbourne Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter Jill Wilson | Applause Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Sign Up I agree to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies, and CASL agreement. It wouldn't be inaccurate to call 'Mama, I'm Coming Home' a beautiful-sounding song. It's unlike anything on this list, a power ballad featuring lyrics written by the late Motörhead frontman Lemmy and a welcomed deviation. 1992: 'I,' Black Sabbath When Black Sabbath comes to mind, most fans jump to an unimpeachable run of albums released in the '70s and early '80s. But 'I,' a cut from Black Sabbath's too often overlooked 16th studio album, 'Dehumanizer,' is worth your ear. And not only because it is the first Sabbath album to feature singer Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice since 1981's 'Mob Rules,' though that's an obvious plus. 2019: 'Take What You Want,' Post Malone with Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott Late in life Ozzy Osbourne was generous with his time and talent, often collaborating with younger performers who idolized the metal legend. One such example is Post Malone's 'Take What You Want,' which also features the rapper Travis Scott. Osbourne gives the song a necessary gothic edge — validating the otherwise balladic song's use of a sprightly guitar solo.
