Category Archives: Drama

Crime, Drama, Musical

JOKER – FOLIE À DEUX (2024): New Trailer Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Catherine Keener, Zazie Beetz…

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Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga; it’s time for that long-awaited new Joker – Folie À Deux (Madness for Two) trailer.

I’m quite sure that the story that director Todd Phillips has chosen to tell will be engaging. Nevertheless, since many iterations of the Joker story have been told, it’s not the story that is pulling me in. Rather, it’s my curiosity about the performances and especially the visuals.

Part of what made Joker 2019 a must-see was the deep dive into his origin story, like never before. Now that we’re in the phase where he’s finally gained power, it will be interesting to see if this second part is presented in a way that doesn’t feel too much like a repetition of the ’empowered Joker story’. To begin with, Joker – Folie À Deux is a musical, which is certainly different.

What are your thoughts after seeing the above trailer?

Brendan Gleeson, Steve Coogan, Zazie Beetz, Ken Leung, Jacob Lofland, Gattlin Griffith, Leigh Gill Sharon Washington, Troy Metcalf, Harry Lawtey, Tim Dillon, George Carroll and Mike Houston also star.

Folie à Deux Release Dates: October 4th, 2024 (US & UK)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Drama, Horror

THE SUBSTANCE (2024): New Trailer Starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, Dennis Quaid, Joseph Balderrama…

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Read my spoiler-free movie review of The Substance (2024).

New drama/horror film The Substance stars Demi Moore as a fading celebrity. One who decides to use a cell-replicating black market drug that temporarily creates a younger, better version of herself.

Directed by Coralie Fargeat; additional key cast includes Margaret Qualley, Joseph Balderrama and Dennis Quaid.

Exciting madness is the phrase that came to mind as I watched this one.

The cast, the premise and the fact that I fully enjoyed key aspects of the visual style of Revenge (2018), the last Fargeat movie I saw are additional reasons to see this.

I also like that this appears to be a fun role for Moore, Quaid and Qualley. Honestly, it looks like fun for everyone – future audiences included.

Lastly, I’m pretty sure that The Substance is a non-nightmare-inducing kind of horror, unlike the soon-to-be-released Alien – Romulus.

Now, with all the above said, can I consider you curious?

Joseph Balderrama, Alexandra Papoulias Barton, Tiffany Hofstetter, Vincent Colombe, Gore Abrams, Jiselle Henderkott, Matthew Géczy, Olivier Raynal, Oscar Lesage and Hugo Diego Garcia also star.

The Substance Release Dates: August 20th, 2024 (UK); September 20th, 2024 (US)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Drama, Romance

WE LIVE IN TIME (2024): New Trailer From Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, Aoife Hinds…

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Read my spoiler-free movie review of We Live in Time (2024).

John Crowley is the director of We Live in Time, the latest drama/romance starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield.

It all starts with a chance encounter that leads to the decade-long love story of an up-and-coming chef and a recent divorcée.

Several thoughts: I love their meet cute. This trailer edit and use of music are beautiful. But, I’m not necessarily sure I’ll watch it and that’s largely because I’m guaranteed to boohoo if I do and I’m just not looking for that right now. Additionally, The Fault In Our Stars (2024) still feels fresh to me and the two films seem to have some commonalities.

Conversely, with trailer moments like the one that starts at 1:34 seconds and beautiful words such as ‘I’m guilty of looking ahead instead of, right in front of me, at you;’ maybe I’ll get over my hesitations. After all, I am a big fan of ‘the Pugh’, especially since her work in Midsommar (2019).

How do you feel about the We Live in Time trailer?

Aoife Hinds, Marama Corlett, Nikhil Parmar, Kevin Brewer, Adam James, Grace Molony, Gianni Calchetti, Heather Craney, Laura Guest, Daniel Bowerbank and Roe Haven also star.

We Live In Time Release Dates: October 11th, 2024 (US)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Comedy, Drama, No Spoiler Reviews

THE BEAR (2022): The Things I Liked…

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I recently watched the first two seasons of The Bear on Disney+. It’s a comedy/drama about a young chef with a fine dining past who returns to Chicago to take over his family’s sandwich shop, the perfect setting for power struggles, unresolved familial issues and much more.

The first episode of The Bear is a great one. It’s the kind that captures what it must be like to work in a professional kitchen so well, that I couldn’t help but wonder about how much work it took to make those first scenes look so good. I’m talking about super-engaging dialogue, well-choreographed movement/camera work and a skilled and charismatic lead actor (Jeremy Allen White) who inspires just the right amount of curiosity about his character.

The Bear (2024), Jeremy Allen White, Disney+
The Bear (2024), Jeremy Allen White, Disney+

In truth, all the actors in The Bear are great, including Ayo Edebiri, Jamie Lee Curtis, Liza Colón-Zayas, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Lionel Boyce, to name just a few.

You may already know that creator Christopher Storer’s show has been quite the hit, with several award nominations and wins, including Golden Globes and Emmys. It’s no wonder that seasons two and three feature a fun selection of A-lister guest stars. 

The Bear is generally well-written, acted and shot with some specific standout scenes that will stay with you for a while. 

The Bear (2024), Ayo Edebiri, Disney+

Seasons one and two are good, even though it did become difficult for me to watch and endure the shenanigans of the older ‘cousin.’ However, the recently released season three is where I must admit that I can now see myself being less excited about the next season. For me, I think I’ve spent enough time in the kitchen. I’ve seen enough of what I wasn’t aware I was curious about. I’m done with the super long shots of specific characters that linger long enough to test my patience. There seem to be plenty of those in season three. It’s all starting to feel too pretentious and self-indulgent, unfortunately. 

It’s clear that I’m very likely falling out of love with The Bear. Yet, I’d still say give it a chance if you’re curious. Particularly because of all it does well that you may also enjoy. 

Have you seen The Bear? Are you at all curious?

Happy Film Loving, 

G

Action, Crime, Drama, No Spoiler Reviews

THE CROW (1994): The Things I Liked…

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The Crow is one of those movies I’ve heard about often over the years. Now that I’ve finally seen it, more than the subject matter, my knowledge of director Alex Proyas’s film was limited to the fact that lead actor Brandon Lee was tragically killed on set.

The story of The Crow centres around Eric Draven (Lee), a man who comes back to life after being brutally murdered, along with his girlfriend; his sole mission being to avenge their deaths.

As an action/crime/drama which was largely well-received by audiences, my favourite thing about The Crow is Lee’s stunt work and the engaging way he moved as Eric, especially after his death.

It may be the case that, for the 90s, The Crow was groundbreaking and impressive. But for me, everything outside of Lee’s performance didn’t prove especially memorable or particularly noteworthy, even as someone who appreciates a good vengeance movie. As such, I’m curious about what you think of The Crow. Are you a big fan and therefore, excited about the upcoming remake starring Bill Skarsgard?

Perhaps there’s something about the 1994 movie that I missed. Do share in the comments below.

Happy Film Loving,

G