Apple TV+’s new trailer is Mr. Scorsese, a documentary/biography about legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese.
Featuring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Daniel Day-Lewis, Robert De Niro, Steven Spielberg, Cate Blanchett, Sharon Stone, Jodie Foster and more, Mr. Scorsese is a five-part mini-series that somehow feels like an early and personal Christmas present to yours truly.
‘Sign me up for at least 5 hours of this, please!‘
For a documentary about a person who’s exceptional at putting movies together, this trailer had to be good, and I feel that it is. In fact, the pacing and editing had me thinking of the great artwork in The Irishman (2019) teaser trailer.
I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Scorsese and everything those who know and love him most have to say.
Are you also looking forward to this one? I hear Scorsese has a great cameo in Seth Rogen’s The Studio (2025).
The setting of director Todd Field’s latest film is the international world of classical music.
Central to the story is Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) who happens to be widely considered one of the greatest living composers/conductors, and the very first ever female chief conductor of a major German orchestra.
Mark Strong, Noémie Merlant and Nina Hoss are among the key cast.
Sometimes a trailer is unique and it features a great actor or two. Yet, because of how seemingly moody it appears to be, I’m not moved to watch it. But then I learn about the compelling subject matter, and as a fan of the possibilities of film, suddenly, I have to see Tár.
Are you also moved to watch this one, or is it too… something?
Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer, Mark Strong and Sydney Lemmon also star.
New action/crime/drama Nightmare Alley is director Guillermo del Toro’s latest audio-visual feast.
Starring Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette and Willem Dafoe, the story follows an ambitious carny with a talent for manipulating people. Little did he know that the psychiatrist he’s just hooked up with is far more dangerous than he is.
When big hitters like Cooper and Blanchett are involved, one pays attention. And as I often do, I watched the above trailer before reading the synopsis.
Considering how much is going on in just over a minute and a half of this trailer, plus Dafoe’s character’s non-stop dialogue, which I still haven’t really listened to yet, it’s no wonder I had some trouble keeping up. That’s probably part of the reason I wasn’t sure about just how appealing this movie is to me initially. That of course changed as soon as I learned about the ‘manipulation face/off.’
Now I have to watch to see just how intense it’s all going to get. And for the great colours and beautiful lighting, of course.
Tim Blake Nelson, Ron Perlman, Mary Steenburgen, Clifton Collins Jr., Troy James, David Hewlett, Holt McCallany, Paul Anderson and David Strathairn also star.
Directed by Richard Linklater and starring Cate Blanchett, Kristen Wiig, Billy Crudup, and Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Where’d You Go Bernadette tells the story of 15-year-old Bee’s attempt to track down her anxiety-ridden mother after she disappears.
I see the words ‘anxiety-ridden’ and the name Cate Blanchett, a.k.a ‘acting queen of my heart,’ and the excitement is real.
I’m looking forward to discovering the circumstances of her disappearance and watching Blanchett act.
Ocean’s 8 (2018), Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter
My fears about the extent to which I’d enjoy Ocean’s Eight were kind of realised. Starring Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett, to name just two, director Gary Ross’s movie isn’t quite as exciting for me on the whole as the other Ocean’s movies I’ve seen. It didn’t help that the eight members in Ocean’s group barely interacted long enough for me to gauge much about their group chemistry, but I feel as though ‘sizzling’ wouldn’t really be the right word.
Another key reason I didn’t have as much fun is that for a good portion of the first half of the film, even though I was happy to be introduced to the members of the final eight, I found myself a little bored. This is partly because the real reason for Ocean’s elaborate upcoming heist was yet to be revealed.
Ocean’s 8 (2018), Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett
Once the motivation for the heist was mentioned, I became that little bit more invested. Prior to that it felt as though I was being asked to ‘cheer’ for a major career criminal without really knowing enough about her – except that her brother Danny Ocean was in the same field of work.
I will admit that I was impressed by all of Ocean’s cons immediately, post-release from prison. Yet, deep down, I couldn’t help but judge her. And I’d likely have to re-watch the other Oceans movies to find out precisely why I don’t recall judging Danny quite as harshly, if at all. My guess is it’s because I don’t really identify with Danny. Whereas I have at least one thing in common with his sister. Furthermore, I don’t remember seeing Danny conning the sweet-looking old ladies at cosmetics counters, though I could be wrong.
Overall, Ocean’s Eight really became most engrossing once the actual steal got under way. Even though Ross’s film didn’t thrill me as much as it’s predecessors, I did identify three things in the movie that I may not forget any time soon. Firstly, Anne Hathaway’s performance. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her behaving terribly. Especially because it seems so far removed from her true character or any other roles I remember her playing. Second, I liked the little moments of comic relief courtesy of Mindy Kaling; an example being the scene where she, ‘speaks French’. There’s also James Cordon, whose Britishness among all the Americans proved quite fun.
Give it a chance if you’re so curious. Perhaps you’ll be wowed more than I.
