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Venice 2024: Best of the Fest - Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist' By a Mile
Each year, I am honored to have a chance to return to the beautiful city of Venice in Northern Italy to attend the Venice Film Festival and catch the latest films premiering there. This year's festival ended up being a mostly low-key, fairly uneventful event. Much like Cannes earlier in the summer, most critics went home wondering why it was such an unimpressive year. it's time to present my picks of my favorite films from Venice 2024. I've chosen only 6 of the best of the fest films that deserve to be highlighted - it's just not a "Top 10" year for fests. This was my eighth year returning to Venice, and I'm always glad to be back, even if there aren't a ton of great films. In total, I watched around 34 films at Venice this year, unfortunately only a handful of them were worthy. Brady Corbet's epic The Brutalist is the best film by a mile - nothing else is even remotely close to being in its league. It's a towering, monumental, majestic masterpiece and I'm glad we had the chance to experience it together at the festival during its initial unveiling. I always do my best to watch as many films as I can, hoping to find any hidden gems and breakout hits amidst the global selection.
TIFF 2024: Impressive Solo Ukrainian Sci-Fi Film 'U Are the Universe'
There's a Ukrainian sci-fi film floating around in the 2024 Toronto Film Festival line-up that is worthy of everyone's attention, especially sci-fi fans. U Are the Universe is the title of a 101 minute indie sci-fi film written and directed by Ukrainian filmmaker Pavlo Ostrikov - his feature directorial debut after a few short films and TV series previously. Even more remarkable is that this feature film was entirely written and shot in Ukraine during the ongoing war that started when Russia invaded in 2022. Specifics as to how and where they filmed and how they pulled it off aren't yet available, but all that matters is they made a damn good sci-fi film in the middle of the hell of war in Ukraine. It's obviously a very minimal production - there's only one actor starring in the film, it's both written & directed by Ostrikov, along with a small team of producers and filmmakers behind-the-scenes. The set design, the sci-fi concept, the VFX, everything about this little film is impressive regardless of where or how or when it was made. This is damn good filmmaking no matter what.
› Posted on September 11 in Review, Sci-Fi | Comments
TIFF 2024: Naomi Watts & Bing the Dog Are Exquisite in 'The Friend'
Falling in love with a dog can change everything. Most dog people already know this but I'll say it again just for the record: a dog is more than just a pet. They are a family member, they are your best friend, they love you unconditionally, they keep you on your toes, they make the world a better place, they bring unabashed happiness and beauty and joy and love to everyone they interact with, along with a few occasional woofs and growls. It turns out that 2024 is an extraordinary year for dog movies - more than a few favorites. After enjoying three others that I've raved about throughout the year (Black Dog, Dog on Trial, Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo) I've found my favorite dog movie of 2024 - The Friend. Adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name written by Sigrid Nunez, this film is a much more profound and soulful story of a woman's life changing thanks to a big dog. In fact, the dog really is the star of the show - a massive, cuddle bug Great Dane pooch named Apollo (in real life Bing). The story is actually about suicide and the weight of grief and depression and the struggles that life presents us, all of which is more glaring when a doggo enters your life.
› Posted on September 9 in Review | Comments
Venice 2024: Shahab Fotouhi's 'Boomerang' is a Real Fest Discovery
Hidden within the line-ups of major film festivals are always a few surprises, a few outstanding discoveries that prove cinema is still evolving and growing in invigorating ways. I am happy to report that Boomerang from Iran is one of these discoveries from the 2024 Venice Film Festival line-up. It premiered in the 2024 Venice Days sidebar, also known as Giornate degli Autori which is the Venice Directors' Fortnight section. Boomerang marks the feature directorial debut of the up-and-coming Iranian filmmaker Shahab Fotouhi, who studied art and has been working in the art scene for years before finally making the leap into making films. Boomerang is a vibrant Iranian film that is uplifting and smart and vividly shot, so many perfectly composed moments including one where the two of the kids kids climb up a tree on the road in Tehran while a cop car drives by. I adore this film so much I had to rewatch it twice just to get immersed in the vibes and the amazing score and the filmmaking all over again. This is finally exciting cinema I'm always looking for.
› Posted on September 9 in Review, Venice 24 | Comments
Venice 2024: Egyptian Doggie Movie 'Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo'
Mr. Rambo deserves our all the treats and all of our love! It's a particularly impressive year for dog movies - and here is another one that goes right on the list of dog movies that deserve our admiration in 2024. Aside from the Hollywood offerings like Arthur the Dog and Dog Gone, there is a growing selection of indies that are winning over dog lovers worldwide. Black Dog (my review) from China and Dog on Trial (my review) from Switzerland both premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. The Friend with a huge great dane in it just premiered at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival. And this one from Egypt titled Seeking Haven for Mr. Rambo just premiered at the 2024 Venice Film Festival this fall. It's an adorable, heartfelt tale of a man who goes off on an adventure to find a safe forever home for his dog after he gets into a fight with his neighbor. The plot is simplistic and straightforward, but it's still a great dog movie. Now I can't stop thinking about Rambo - he's such a cutie, so expressive and charming. Another masterful doggo in a movie.
› Posted on September 7 in Review, Venice 24 | Comments
Venice 2024: 'Joker: Folie à Deux' Takes Arthur to Court, And That's It?
"Hey Fleck, you got a joke for us today?" The moment has come. Everyone's favorite Clown Prince of Crime in Gotham City is back on the big screen. After five years of waiting, the sequel is finally here. Finally ready to dazzle us with some song & dance. Joker: Folie à Deux, again directed by Todd Phillips, is premiering at the 2024 Venice Film Festival - the very same place where Joker premiered back in 2019 and ended up winning the Golden Lion (here's my review from back then). How will the story continue? Where will Arthur go next? Well, it turns out he's going to court. Again - since this is the second time he's been in court for the events of the first Joker movie. Unfortunately, this time they do hold back. There are not many provocative ideas in this sequel, it's primarily a direct follow-up to the first movie, mainly commenting on & responding to the criticisms of and events within that story. This sequel feels closer to The Matrix Resurrections than anything else, despite being a glorious musical following the DC Comics villains the Joker and Harley Quinn as they find their way out of Arkham. So maybe we never really did need a sequel to the first movie after all?
› Posted on September 4 in DC Movies, Review, Venice 24 | Comments
Venice 2024: Luca Guadagnino's 'Queer' is a Meandering Fever Dream
Earlier in the year, when it was discovered that 2024 would be the year of not one but two brand new films made by the talented Luca Guadagnino, I made a prediction that Queer would be the real knock out next to the more forgettable Challengers. Now that I've seen both of the films it's time to admit - my prediction was wrong. It turns out its the other way around and Challengers is the winner. Luca Guadagnino's Queer is premiering at the 2024 Venice Film Festival in the Main Competition, the same festival where most of the Italian filmmaker's previous films Suspiria, Bones and All, I Am Love, A Bigger Splash, as well as his doc Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams premiered. He's back in Venice again with what has been described as his most personal work yet, an adaptation of William S. Burroughs' very queer novel of the same name - which was originally written in the 1950s but never published until later in 1985. It turns out this adaptation is Guadagnino's Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas - a sweaty, erotic fever dream that doesn't quite work as a film.
› Posted on September 3 in Review, Venice 24 | Comments
Venice 2024: Tilda Swinton & Julianne Moore's 'The Room Next Door'
"His soul swooned slowly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe..." The beloved Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar is back once again at the 2024 Venice Film Festival with his latest feature film titled The Room Next Door. Officially it is his first-ever entirely English-language feature-length film (though his two shorts recently The Human Voice and Strange Way of Life were also English). This doesn't really change much except that his usual exceptionally fast Spanish dialogue has been replaced by somewhat slower English dialogue. Though when that dialogue is spoken by two irrefutable masters of acting, Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, there's really nothing to worry about. They each know how to handle their roles precisely and gracefully, taking us along on an endearing story starring as two old friends. The Room Next Door is actually quite different from many of Almodóvar's previous films, which is why many viewers won't be into as much, while others may find themselves more connected with what he has come up with this time.
› Posted on September 3 in Review, Venice 24 | Comments
Venice 2024: Brady Corbet's 'The Brutalist' is a Cinema Masterpiece
There are moments as a film geek where right in the middle of a film festival screening you are overtaken by the overwhelming feeling that you are watching something that will go down as a major moment in cinema history. It's not often we are lucky enough to encounter such phenomenal filmmaking. It is not often that we are treated to the majesty of cinema that is so profound and powerful it shakes the very foundations of art as we know it. When these rare moments come along, it is vital to relish and speak out passionately about the power that truly majestic cinema can have over us. American filmmaker Brady Corbet's third feature film The Brutalist is one of these major moments in cinema. I sat in the cinema stunned, watching the credits scroll by, unable to say much or pick myself up. There were a few moments I was holding my breath, other scenes where my heart was racing. It may seem hyperbolic to write all of this, but everyone once in a while it really is accurate to say that every single shot is perfect and there's nothing to criticize with a film. There's plenty to discuss, a few things to debate, but it's time to state for the record: The Brutalist is a masterpiece.
› Posted on September 1 in Review, Venice 24 | Comments
Venice 2024: 'The Order' is a Riveting Action Thriller About America
"It felt like a piece of work that needed to be made now," Jude Law explained during the press conference for this film. "It's interesting looking back, but it’s always interesting finding a piece from the past that has some relationship to the present day." Indeed it is. Especially a film like this. The Order is the latest action thriller film made by acclaimed Australian filmmaker Justin Kurzel, director of The Snowtown Murders, Macbeth, Assassin's Creed, True History of the Kelly Gang, and Nitram previously. After making tons of a bunch of films about criminals in Australia, he's telling a story about a notorious American criminal - a man named Bob Mathews. The Order follows one grizzled, determined FBI agent, played by Jude Law, who is on the hunt for Bob after he realizes what's really going while investigating a series of bank robberies in the Pacific Northwest. It's a completely true story and most of the characters are based on real people. This two-hour-long action thriller is a riveting, intense story about neo-Nazis in America - and is as relevant as ever.
Venice 2024: Nicole Kidman Explores Her Sub Kink in 'Babygirl' Film
Is it time to finally start talking about our sexual kinks without worrying about being shamed by others? This is definitely the vibe this film is putting out. Is this film going to help us normalize this conversation? Maybe not, but at least it's a start... Maybe it is time we all stop hiding our kinks and start letting them into wild? Though that can be dangerous - which is also another vibe this film is putting out. Tread carefully. The first step is actually admitting your kinks and exploring them, understanding them, and not letting shame be the overwhelming emotion. Just watch out, you might get in trouble if you do this in your office at work. Babygirl is the second feature film directed by Dutch actor / filmmaker Halina Reijn after Bodies Bodies Bodies. It's an empowering sexual exploration thriller with some light humor, exploring the dynamics and pitfalls of a relationship between a high power corporate CEO and a young intern at her company. Alas it's rather tame in the sex department but nonetheless I enjoyed it - we need a proper fantasy film like this now.
Venice 2024: Nahuel Pérez Biscayart's Argentinian Film 'Kill the Jockey'
One of my top discoveries from the first half of the 2024 Venice Film Festival is an Argentinian film called Kill the Jockey, originally known as El Jockey in Spanish. It's the latest cinematic creation from artsy, talented Argentinian filmmaker Luis Ortega, already known for his other films Damn Summer, Lulu, and El Angel previously. The film is premiering in the Main Competition at Venice – within the first 15 minutes after the screening began, I knew why they picked this film to play in this prestigious section at the festival. It really is a fantastic film, with complex filmmaking, slick storytelling and vivid pacing, and a very precise, clean style. It's also an impressive 97 minutes (which in Venice is refreshing because almost everything else is 2 to 3 hours long), never overstaying its welcome and moving along at such a swift pace it almost feels like they're leaving out major moments of this story. But that's actually part of what makes it potent - the taut, minimalistic narrative keeps it fascinating, you really have to keep up to understand where it's going & what the story is saying following this jockey as he attempts to escape from his horse racing lifestyle in Argentina.
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