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A rave-filled, present-shaped poster for Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale
A family of very strained, strong-headed individuals have their internal conflicts, but this year they celebrate Christmas together, with the family's matriarch's deadly disease hanging over them all.
A Christmas Tale is written by Emmanuel Bourdieu (Poison Friends/Les Amitiés Maléfiques (2006)) and co-writer-director Arnaud Desplechin (Kings & Queen/Rois et Reine (2004)), based on the non-fiction book La Greffe (2004) by Jacques Asher and Jean-Pierre Jouet. Catherine Deneuve (Dangerous Liaisons (2003, miniseries)) is incredibly beautiful and still richly erotic as the sick matriarch here in this very long French drama. It forces the brain synapses to work in the beginning in order to grasp the family structure and characters, but some time inA Christmas Tale is revealed to be a desert walk, which tires with its eagerness to use effects; both visually and narratively, (poems and narration are relayed directly to the camera again and again), with music, a rapid editing pace and, of course, with a dialog density that only rarely leaves a second for reflection. - People with serious cases of Francophilia may experience this elegy differently. Mathieu Amalric (Struggle for Life/La Loi de la Jungle (2016)) is especially taxing in A Christmas Tale, - in fact, I found him exceedingly aggravating. Never before has so much soup been boiled on questions of who and why and if they should help Deneuve out with a spinal transplant, - an issue that should seem pretty straight forward in my eyes. A Christmas Tale is at turns infuriating and boring, a wildly overrated Christmas movie for the very back corner of the closet.
Watch a trailer for the film with English subtitles here
Cost: 6.3 mil. $ Box office: 7.3 mil. $ = Big flop [A Christmas Tale premiered 16 May (Cannes Film Festival, in competition) and runs 150 minutes. It was funded with participation of no less than 10 companies and support bodies. Shooting took place in France, including in Paris. The film opened #40 to a 63k $ first weekend in 7 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #25 and in 48 cinemas (different weeks) and grossed 1 mil. $ (13.7 % of the total gross). Its biggest market was the production country France with 5.2 mil. $ (71.2 %), and the 3rd biggest was Italy with 232k $ (3.2 %). The film won 1/9 César award nominations (France's Oscar) and was nominated for a European Film award. Roger Ebert gave the film a 3.5/4 star review, translating to approximately the opposite of this review. Desplechin returned with Jimmy P. (2013). Deneuve returned in I Want to See/Je Veux Voir (2008). A Christmas Tale is certified fresh at 86 % with a 7.6/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of A Christmas Tale?
+ 3rd Worst Movie of the Year + Most Undeserved Hit of the Year
A man perched on a cliff against a sabre-toothed tiger near a couple of pyramids under construction makes up this dramatic poster for Roland Emmerich's 10,000 BC
A nomadic tribe centered around hunting mammoths head out on a perilous journey.
10,000 BC is written by Harald Kloser (2012 (2009)) and Roland Emmerich (Universal Soldier (1992)) as one of the relatively few films that take place long before historic time, (historic time being defined as the period that we have written historic records from.) The film first tries to capture us with a mammoth hunt, which only succeeds partially: It is often evident that the actors play in front of a green screen and are only in post production pitched against grand landscapes. Similarly the prehistoric animals, - and in particular the enormous sabre-toothed tiger that comes along later on, - are not convincing enough. 10,000 BC made me long for Mel Gibson's pre-Columbus' North-American arrival masterpiece Apocalypto (2006) and the lesser but still much better neanderthal adventure The Clan of the Cave Bear (1986), because Emmerich's action adventure in contrast lacks even the shade of an exciting story. None of the characters really spring to life either, and boredom allows us as audiences time to reflect on their eclectic racial mix and how they rapidly move from mammoth-strewn ice country to bamboo jungle to what we must take to be Egypt, mostly by foot... Meanwhile Kloser and Thomas Wanker's (Dresden (2006, TV movie)) grandiose score pounds away and clearly tells us that we are meant to take the improbable, humor-bereft junk that is 10,000 BC seriously. This is one mammoth stinker.
Cost: 105 mil. $ Box office: 269.8 mil. $ = Box office success [10,000 BC premiered 22 February (Tokyo, Japan) and runs 109 minutes. Columbia Pictures and Sony dropped the project due to a "busy release calender", and Warner Bros. picked it up. Star actors, visual effects details and using ancient languages were skipped for budget reasons, and to make the production easier. Shooting took place in New Zealand, Namibia, South Africa and Thailand from April 2006 - ?. The film opened #1 to a strong 35.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent two more weeks in the top 5 (#2-#5) and grossed 94.7 mil. $ (35.1 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Mexico with 17.2 mil. $ (6.4 %) and Spain with 13.1 mil. $ (4.9 %). Emmerich returned with another bona fide tentpole turkey, disaster epic 2012 (2009). 10,000 BC is rotten at 8 % with a 3.2 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of 10,000 BC?
Beloved TV action hero Jack Bauer finds himself on the dark continent at sundown on this dark and gritty poster for Jon Cassar's 24: Redemption
24: Redemption is a TV movie written by Howard Gordon (Homeland (2014-19)) and Tari (Forsaken (2015)) and directed by Jon Cassar (Nancy Drew (1995, TV-series)), based on the great action TV-series 24 (2001-10) by Robert Cochran and Joel Surnow (La Femme Nikita (1997-01), both). It is the series' only TV movie, set between season 6 and season 7. Exiled counter-terrorist agent-hero Jack Bauer helps a dear old colleague/friend in an orphanage in an unsettled African country, where an unscrupulous rebel militia is armed from a shady American and stage a coup! 24: Redemption takes a radical step in a new direction from the series' normal battleground by taking place in Africa, (Bauer usually combats terrorism in Southern California), and the team behind the film deserve credit for actually going to Africa to shoot and feature African talent. The film has suspense and emotions rolling, and besides Kiefer Sutherland (Melancholia (2011)), who remains solid as Bauer, Robert Carlyle (Dead Fish (2005)) is a welcome addition; as is an evil Jon Voight (JL Ranch (2016)), cynical Powers Boothe (Deadwood (2004-06)), Cherry Jones (Mother and Child (2009)) as a Hillary Clinton-like newly elected first female US president, and in the Africa scenes Isaach De Bankolé (The Unit (2006, TV-series)) and Tony Todd (Chuck (2007-11)) light up the screen. There are no major surprises in the content or execution here, but 24: Redemption has a handsome scope for a TV movie, and it wets the audience's appetite for more 24!
Sutherland talks 24 on Jimmy Fallon's talkshow, including Bauer's 'dammit' catchphrase in this video
Cost: Unknown Box office: None - TV movie = Uncertain - but a ratings hit [24: Redemption premiered 23 November on Fox in North America (with the DVD release two days later) and runs 89 minutes (an extended 102 minute cut was later released). The film was conceptualized in order for Bauer to stay with his audience despite the 2007-08 writers' strike in the US, which delayed the 7th season. Sutherland has stated that the film is inspired by the Clinton administration's passive reaction to the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Recreating an African environment in California proved too difficult, and therefore shooting was set in Africa: Shooting took place in Cape Town, South Africa and in Los Angeles, California from June - July 2008. The film was Fox's second most viewed show of the week of its release (behind House (2004-12)) and hijacked 12.1 mil. US viewers. It was the night's highest-rated scripted show and the third most viewed of the 8-11 PM spot overall. It was nominated for a Golden Globe and 5 Emmys. Cassar returned to direct several episodes of 24's season 7. Sutherland did voice performances in Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) and returned as Bauer in 24 season 7 in January 2009. 24,770 IMDb users have given 24: Redemption a 7.5/10 average rating.] What do you think of 24: Redemption?
Per Oscarsson lifts his hat for us on this ominously discolored poster for Henning Carlsen's Hunger
A man by the name of Pontus is an aspiring writer, who is becoming increasingly desperate with hunger in Kristiania [now known as Norway's capital Oslo] in 1890. His Achilles heel, however, is also his own over-developed pride, which makes him give away the few kroner he acquires now and then to others in need. Hunger is an adaptation of Norwegian master writer Knut Hamsun's (Pan (1894)) semi-autobiographical, same-titled 1890 novel, written by Peter Seeberg (Hjulet (1967), based on his novel) and Danish master co-writer-director Henning Carlsen (A Happy Divorce/Un Divorce Heureux/En Lykkelig Skilsmisse (1975)). It is a complex and serious film that can be seen again and again. It is equally amazing every time. Pontus is a miserable wretch, and you can't help but feel for him in the guise of Per Oscarsson (Polisen som Vägrade Ta Semester (1984), miniseries): At turns highly sensitive and going mad, he tries to uphold his dignity but the painful starvation drives out his polemical side and hallucinations. Oscarsson's performance here will leave you breathless; it stands tall as one of the all-time greatest actor's performances in cinema. You are not likely to ever see anyone portray the effects of hunger with more potency than he achieves here. Hunger is shot stunningly in B/W by Carlsen himself, and its atmosphere and beautiful lighting are beyond reproach. Hunger is a striking, deeply affecting impressionist major work of art as well as a high-point in Scandinavian film, a masterpiece of the highest integrity.
Cost: Unknown Box office: Unknown = Uncertain [Hunger premiered 11 May (Cannes Film Festival, in competition) and runs 111 minutes. It was the first co-production between Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Shooting took place in Oslo, Norway. Oscarsson starved himself and walked a very long distance to the shooting in order to get into character. Many of the streets shown in the film do no longer exist. The film reportedly sold a measly 3,951 tickets in Carlsen's native Denmark. It was released in the three producing countries, Finland, USA and Australia initially, but its box office performances are unlisted. Oscarsson won the Best Actor award in Cannes, and the film was Denmark's bid for the Best Foreign Film category at the Oscars, but it was not nominated. The film additionally won a National Board of Review award, a Guldbagge (Sweden's Oscar) for Oscarsson and two Bodil awards (Danish film critics' awards). Carlsen returned with People Meet and Sweet Music Fills the Heart/Människor Möts och Ljuv Musik Uppstår i Hjärtat (1967). Oscarsson returned as a guest in The D.T.'s/Myten (1966) and with real parts in Patrasket (1966, TV movie) and ABC Stage 67 (1966, TV-series) and theatrically in Here Is Your Life/Här Har Du Ditt Liv (1966). 2,359 IMDb users have given Hunger a 7.9/10 average rating.] What do you think of Hunger?
♥♥♥♥♥ + Best New York Title of the Year + Best Returning TV-series of the Year + Best Sitcom of the Year
New York is a set on this vibrant, fun poster for the third season of Tina Fey's 30 Rock
30 Rock season 3 is a great satirical sitcom by creator Tina Fey (Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt (2015-19), creator/co-star), who also returns as its New York comedy TV sketch-showrunner protagonist Liz Lemon. In the first episode, Liz's boss Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin (Andron (2015))) reacquires his job as NBC executive, following a stint in Washington DC, by employing soap opera tactics. Baldwin is spectacular throughout the season and bags many laughs with his manic energy and strong line deliveries. Salma Hayek (Midaq Alley (1995))) is introduced as Jack's romantic interest in the season (in episode 7: Señor Macho Solo) as Jack's mother's nurse, while Liz fouls up as she dates a UN employee (Peter Dinklage (Saint John of Las Vegas (2009))). Jenna (Jane Krakowski (Kit Kittredge: An American Girl (2008))), one of the stars of Liz's sketch show, is chasing a breakout project for herself through the season, a Janis Joplin biopic, and Krakowski's Jenna is one of the show's funniest characters in season 3. Her Joplin dream culminates tragically (episode 18: Jackie Jormp-Jomp). Jon Hamm (Metalocalypse (2012), TV-series) is introduced as Lemon's love interest in season 3 (in funny/wacky episode 10: Generalissimo). The season has an episode (episode 16: Apollo, Apollo) wherein we see the world from Jack, series regular Southerner NBC page Kenneth (Jack McBrayer (Drive Share (2017), TV-series)) and Jenna's perspectives, - and witness the phone sex line ad that Liz made earlier in her career. The season is rounded off (with episode 22: Kidney Now!) with NBC throwing a star-studded kidney-donation benefit TV concert (Elvis Costello, Moby, Mary J. Blige, Norah Jones and Cyndi Lauper are among the stars present), while Liz guests a black talkshow that respond approvingly to her 'dealbreaker' catchphrase. 30 Rock's third season is incredibly fun; it hits the spot very often and is only rarely a tooth too wacky. Guest stars in the season include John McEnroe (Arli$$ (1996), TV-series), Bobb'e J. Thompson (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)), Steve Martin (Bowfinger (1999)), John Lithgow (Shrek (2001)) and many others.
Best episodes: Episode 2: Believe in the Stars - Written by Robert Carlock (Joey (2004-06)); directed by Don Scardino (The Mindy Project (2013), TV-series) Liz believes she meets Oprah on a flight out of town to avoid jury duty. Episode 3: The One with the Cast of Night Court- Written by Jack Burditt (The Kicker (2016), TV movie); directed by Gail Mancuso (Ground Floor (2013-15)) Jennifer Aniston (Bruce Almighty (2003))) guest stars as a nymphomaniac, - and is hysterically funny. Episode 6: Christmas Special - Written by Kay Cannon (Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)), Fey; directed by Scardino Jack's mother (Elaine Stritch (Trapper John, M.D. (1983), TV-series)) returns, and Jack breaks both her hips by accidentally backing into her. Episode 9: Retreat to Move Forward - Written by Tami Sagher (Orange Is the New Black (2018), TV-series); directed by Steve Buscemi (Portlandia (2015-17)) Chris Parnell (The Spoils Before Dying (2015), miniseries) as the recurring Dr. Leo Spaceman is hilarious, here in an episode in which Jenna also has an affair with one of the sketch show's writers, Frank (Judah Friedlander (The Proctor (2007), short)). Episode 10: The Funcooker - Written by Donald Glover (Mystery Team (2009)), Tom Ceraulo (Jack Donaghy, Executive Superhero (2011), TV-series); directed by Ken Whittingham (Black-ish (2014-17)) Almost too crazy to explain, this episode concerns Jack's taking on naming a new pocket-microwave oven invention! Episode 21: Mamma Mia - Written by Ron Weiner (Silicon Valley (2014-18)); directed by Scardino Alan Alda (Same Time, Next Year (1978)) is hilarious, introduced as Jack's biological father, whom he finds and hugs with a great emotional outpouring and the line: "You don't know the half of it! - I need a kidney! Related posts:
Tina Fey talks about som favorite things of hers from the show here next to Krakowski and also very funny star Tracy Morgan (Totally Awesome (2006), TV movie)
Cost: Unknown Box office: None - TV-series = Unknown [30 Rock season 3 originally ran on NBC from 30 October 2008 - 14 May 2009 and spans 22 episodes of an average 22 minutes, coming to about 484 minutes. Shooting took place in New York. The season premiere drew 8.7 mil. viewers in the US, the biggest premiere in the show's 7 season life. The season's average of 7.5 mil. $ viewers was also the biggest average 30 Rock achieved. The highest-rated show was episode 6: Christmas Special with 8.9 mil. viewers; lowest was the following episode 7: Señor Macho Solo with 5.4 mil.. The season was nominated for 22 Emmys, making it the most nominated show of the year, winning 3, and an additional 2 Creative Arts Emmys, 3/3 Golden Globe nominations and other honors. Fey kept extremely busy around the time of season 3: Besides writing, executive-producing and starring in the season, she had the following projects that year: Starring in Baby Mama (2008), giving a voice performance in Ponyo (2008), playing Governor Sarah Palin in an episode of Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Summer Edition (2008), starring in video Elmo and the Bookaneers (2009) and co-starring in The Invention of Lying (2009). 30 Rock returned with its season 4 in October 2009. 30 Rock season 3 is the highest-rated season of the show on Rotten Tomatoes; it is fresh at 89 % with a 8.46/10 critical average.] What do you think of 30 Rock season 3?
+ Best Shooting Star Actor of the Year: Timothée Chalamet + Best Autobiographical Movie of the Year + Best California Movie of the Year
Saoirse Ronan in the Catholic high school her character attends in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird on its unusually colorline-finished poster
Sacramento, California, 2002: Christina "Lady Bird" is a young woman at the local Catholic high school. She and her mother are close but have many fights, and especially over Lady Bird's wish to leave California for an East Coast university, which her family cannot afford. Lady Bird is the second film for great Sacramento native writer-director Greta Gerwig (Mistress America (2015)), who debuted as a filmmaker with the little-known drama-romance Nights and Weekends (2008). She is best known as an actress in films such as Greenberg (2010), Frances Ha (2012) and Mistress America, all by her boyfriend, the also great filmmaker Noah Baumbach. The story here is semi-autobiographical. It is a sensitive and very funny coming-of-age mother-daughter story that is tightly connected to its location Sacramento, which is presented with a mix of scathing disdain and genuine fondness. Having followed Gerwig through her performances for years, it is such a great fortune to be able to see her making this film, which reveals that she has a sharp hand behind the camera as well in front of it. Saoirse Ronan (The Way Back (2010)) cements her position as the most exciting young actress today: Both her and Lucas Hedges (Kill the Messenger (2014)), who plays her very sweet boyfriend in the movie for a while, have the physiques and faces that seem credible in roles that are some years younger than what they really are. Timothée Chalamet (Hot Summer Nights (2017)), another hot ticket right now, also plays in Lady Bird, SPOILER portraying the pretentious douche, who takes her virginity in a sex scene that, even compared to all the many often incredibly short sex scenes that have been made due to prematurely climaxing men, is extremely short. The film also has terrific grownup performances from Lois Smith (The Comedian (2016)) in a small role as a nun who takes Lady Bird's identity-probing transgressions calmly; from Tracy Letts (Chicago Cab (1997)) as her father, who is a good father despite getting fired and feeling shame over his feeling redundant in the modern workplace; and especially from Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne (1988-18)), who as Lady Bird's to-the-point mother Marion reminded me of my own mother and our dynamic. Marion lets her daughter have a piece of her mind, her straight opinions, even when they could have waited or been left out entirely, but she does so out of a sincere affection, and Metcalf's performance is never more painfully astute than in a scene towards the end, when she realizes in her car that she was too stern and unforgiving towards Lady Bird's move to the East. Lady Bird's narrative structureis not a roller-coaster-like voyage; it is relatively flat, a realistic portrayal of a year in the life of a young woman, and Gerwig seems to prioritize truthfulness to her experience of growing up, (she keeps at least one element, (a change of drama teacher), which isn't directly central to the storytelling.) Her personal and highly relatable experience comes to vivid, charming, humorous life in this truly delightful movie. Related posts: Greta Gerwig: 2017 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] Wiener-Dog (2016) - Solondz's incisive and funny dog saga dramedy (co-star) Frances Ha (2012) or, Growing Older Ain't Easy (co-writer/star) To Rome With Love (2012) - Woody Allen's slightest film to date (co-star) Arthur (2011) - Frenzied, colossal egotrip remake, irredeemable DOA (supporting actor) Greenberg (2010) - Baumbach's uniquely downbeat LA-romance depressant (supporting actor) The House of the Devil (2009) - West's energetic, scary throwback period horror (co-star)
Watch a trailer for the film here
Cost: 10 mil. $ Box office: 75.6 mil. $ and counting = Huge hit [Lady Bird premiered 1 September (Colorado's Telluride Film Festival) and runs 93 minutes. Gerwig reportedly spent years writing the film, which at one point was over 350 pages long with the title Mothers and Daughters. Gerwig cast Ronan first, after meeting her at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015. Shooting ran from August 2016 - ? in California, including Sacramento and Los Angeles, and in New York. The film opened #26 in 4 theaters to a hefty 364k $ first weekend in North America, (the second best per theater average of 2017 there) and widened to peak at #8 and in 1,557 theaters (different weeks), grossing 48.9 mil. $ (64.7 % of the total gross to date). Its 2nd and 3rd biggest markets have been the UK with 7.5 mil. $ (9.9 %) and Australia with 3.3 mil. $ (4.4 %). The film has one scheduled market yet to open in: Japan on 1 June. It was nominated for 5 Oscars:Best Picture - lost to the inferior The Shape of Water, Best Actress (Ronan) - lost to Frances McDormand in great Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Best Supporting Actress (Metcalf) - lost to Allison Janney in I, Tonya, Best Director - lost to Guillermo del Toro for Shape of Water and Best Original Screenplay - lost to Jordan Peele for great Get Out. The film won 2/4 Golden Globe noms, was nominated for 3 BAFTAs, won an AFI award, 1/4 Independent Spirit award nominations, 3 National Board of Review awards and many other honors. Gerwig has no film of her own set up yet, but has said that she would like to make "a quartet of Sacramento films." She returned with a voice performance in Isle of Dogs (2018) and a physical performance in Bergman Island (2019). Ronan returned in On Chesil Beach (2017). Lady Bird is certified fresh at 99 % with an 8.7 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Lady Bird?
