A quick recap in the happenings on Trial By Films over the past week…along with elsewhere in the film industry.
Reviews:
Win It All: 9/10 – Writer/director Joe Swanberg builds Win It All into a contender with confident writing and direction; and Jake Johnson makes it a true winner with the best performance of his career in Netflix’s first foray into ‘Mumblecore’.
Fantasia: 7/10 – An overall score for Disney’s Fantasia must take into account the feature holistically, including both the greater and lesser sequences from an animation and production standpoint. Although without a doubt one of the all-time iconic presentations, the strong division among the quality of the segments cannot be ignored. Additionally, the runtime leaves much to be desired – perhaps omitting the weakest pieces could have made a stronger, more concise film. Take note that Fantasia is not for everyone, as the musical performance style is unique among Disney features.
Films Aborted:
Shot Caller: Even with Coster-Waldau’s clumsy acting, writer/director Ric Roman Waugh’s sloppy script and even sloppier direction are the primary reasons Shot Caller is made-for-television movie quality. A made-for-television movie that isn’t worth finishing.
New Trailers From This Week:
Little Evil – Being released on September 1st, this Netflix original is a wink at horror films like The Omen. Starring Adam Scott and Evangeline Lilly, Little Evil could provide a few chuckles, but thats probably it.
Last Flag Flying – Richard Linklater’s latest boasts great acting talent (Steve Carrell and Bryan Cranston) and some good tunes in the trailer (‘Old Man’ by Neil Young), but this might be too preachy to fully enjoy.
Other Interesting Film News:
The Power of Rotten Tomatoes – The Ringer‘s Sean Fennessey authors this deep dive into the dynamic effects Rotten Tomatoes has had on the film community.
Emma Stone is Highest Paid Actress – Trial By Films‘ favorite Emma Stone has been named (and deservingly so) 2017’s highest paid actress. Alas, for every yin there must be a yang; and somehow Mark Wahlberg is the highest paid actor. Yuck.
Accent Expert Discusses Idiolect Performances – Another in Wired‘s immensely interesting analysis of accents, dialects, and idiolects in film. Also, vocal expert Erik Singer supports what we said in the review for Jackie; Natalie Portman’s idiolect is authentic but distracting for contemporary audiences.
The DC Extended Universe Mess – What is going on at Warner Brothers with the DC Extended Universe? An origin story for The Joker sounds intriguing. As does a Joker/Harley Quinn love story. A Suicide Squad sequel less so. But multiverses, prequels, multiple actors to a role – it’s too much at once. Someone needs to take control over there and align the business plan.
New Movies In Theaters Worth Seeing:
Not a lot happening in theaters right now as we transition from the Summer blockbusters to the Fall awards season. Opening in limited release is Beach Rats, a LGBT drama that won the Directing Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
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