Three movies I can’t wait to see

One of the biggest film festivals ever, if not the biggest, has just ended and another one has just begun. I’m talking about the Venice Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival.

The line up for the Venice Film Festival this year was really interesting and for the first time a fantasy movie won the Golden Lion: Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape Of Water”.

Del Toro is part of the “Mexican squad”, “los tres amigos”, “los cabrones”: He is joined by Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu and they are among the most influential voices in the film industry today. These three Mexican directors struggled together on the way to success and contributed to the revival of Mexican cinema.

His latest project, “The Shape Of Water” is part of the short list of my most anticipated upcoming movies.

1. “The Shape Of Water”

   The movie’s synopsis reads: “In 1962, a mute janitor and her colleague work in a government laboratory and eventually discover an amphibious creature in a water tank. The janitor, out of loneliness, befriends the creature.” Critics at the Venice Film Festival praised this dark romantic fantasy film, declaring it Del Toro’s best film since Pan’s Labyrinth. The movie is set in the past but has a lot to say about the present. It deals with racism, hatred towards people who are different from us and homophobia but it’s also a tale of hope, friendship and dreams. It’s set during the cold war and it’s a thriller, a monster movie, deals with social issues and at times it can be regarded as some weird kind of musical. It has everything. It stars Michael Shannon, Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer. Critics have been saying that “The Shape Of Water” has the potential to turn into a mainstream success because it appeals not only to cinephiles but also the general public, unlike Venice’s preview Golden Lion winner, “Ang babaeng humayo” (The Woman Who Left) by Lav Diaz.

2. “Mother”

   “Mother” is Darren Aronofsky’s latest project. Aronofsky is an acclaimed director with a very unique an interesting take on his projects. Indeed his movies are often surreal and disturbing. “Requiem for a dream” (that left me thinking about it for at least a week), “The Wrestler” and “Black Swan” are just a few titles under his belt. Aronofsky stated that “Mother!” is not a film for everybody, some will love it and some will hate it. The director said that you should only go see it if you are prepared to go on a roller coaster ride and do the loop-the-loop a few times. As a fan of his work, I believe him. It’s a psychological horror film that’s being compared to “Rosemary’s baby” and “The Shining”. At the Venice Film Festival it got mixed reviews. Some are calling it a masterpiece and some are saying that it’s horrible. I guess the truth is in the middle and I can’t wait to find out if I’ll be on Aronofsky’s side once again. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer and Domhnall Gleeson. PS Mother is premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival soon.

3. “The Killing Of A Sacred Deer”

The movie’s synopsis reads: “Steven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart and the behaviour of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister”. It’s a psychological horror-thriller directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.  It stars Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Alicia Silverstone and Barry Keoghan. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2017 and received mostly positive reviews. Lanthimos and Farrell worked together on the highly praised “The Lobster” (he was nominated at 2017 Oscars for “Best original screenplay”). Now it’s being screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Critics praised the movie and the acting and said that part of the movie’s success is the impeccable casting. As a long time Nicole Kidman fan I was pleased to hear that once again, she steals the show. It’s a story about revenge, retribution, violence, potential fratri/matri/patricide that will leave you with a lot to think about. Indeed at the Toronto Film Festival, many critics have been saying that Lanthimos’latest project is a Rorschach test for its viewers (“a psychological test in which subjects’ perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a person’s personality characteristics and emotional functioning.”- Wikipedia). Can’t wait.

The Mother Movie trailer is out and is everything you wanted it to be

I’ve been waiting for this moment since I first heard that Jennifer Lawrence, one of my longtime faves, was gonna work with Darren Aronofsky and now the “Mother!” trailer is finally here.

We don’t know much about the movie other than it looks quite disturbing, wild and that the actors are gonna kill it in their roles. Aronofsky is the greatest and seems to be back on top.

I’ve been waiting for a movie like this from him since “Black Swan” came out and it looks like we’re all not gonna be disappointed.

Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris, Kristen Wiig, Domhnall Gleeson and Brian Gleeson are in the movie and I’m sure they will all deliver great performances.

“Mother!” will have its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

Then it will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival (and it’s also competing for the Golden Lion).

Reminder: Jennifer Lawrence won her first award ever at the Venice Film Festival nine years ago (Premio Marcello Mastroianni for Best Young Actor or Actress for “The Burning Plain”) and now she’s going back to the Festival with one Oscar on her belt and three nominations. Let alone the many important awards she has won ever since. It must be surreal for her and she deserves it.

The movie’s synopsis reads: “A couple’s relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence.”

From the trailer it looks like Bardem’s character may not be as innocent as he seems and that he may be involved in some kind of weird cult. So that would leave Jennifer’s character all alone against this threat.

Anyway it looks awesome and I can’t wait to see “Mother!” at the movies.

It will be released on September 15 in the States and on September 28 in Italy.

Here’s the trailer: