What I think about films, TV and celebs!
I became aware of Luca Guadagnino thanks to his excellent films A Bigger Splash and Call Me By Your Name, so I was naturally going to check his remake of the 1977 Italian horror film Suspiria, even though that genre isn’t my bag and it’s not the sexy romance film I know him for. And I’m glad I did, because he has just nailed it again.
Tonight the stars of Suspiria – Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson and Mia Goth – hit the red carpet in London’s Leicester Square with director Luca Guadagnino to promote the horror movie at the London Film Festival.
I became aware of Luca Guadagnino thanks to his excellent films A Bigger Splash and Call Me By Your Name, so I was naturally going to check his remake of the 1977 Italian horror film Suspiria, even though that genre isn’t my bag and it’s not the sexy romance film I know him for. And I’m glad I did, because he has just nailed it again.
The Venice Film Festival kicks off on Wednesday and I’m going to be there for the first time (AAAAAAHHH!) It is all very exciting, and here are the films I am most hyped about seeing.
The 2017 Cannes Film Festival kicked off yesterday, and as always I’m filled with envy that I’m not there, watching the stars hit the red carpet and seeing the premiere of all these potentially amazing films. For the next ten days, there will be plenty of screenings but there are just a handful that I’m really excited about. Here they are:
I am usually ridiculously hyped for Marvel movies but I never was for Doctor Strange and I don’t know why. Maybe cos it’s so different to the others. I was hoping the movie itself would surpass my expectations but it didn’t. It was good, I liked it but I didn’t come out thinking ‘this is awesome’ like the others.
It’s that time of the month – movie preview time! This October isn’t a massive month for releases to be honest, but that certainly makes my job of picking my recommendations much easier. Here we go:
American Honey
This is just a wonderful character study starring newcomer Sasha Lane, who is definitely one to watch. We follow her as she joins a ‘mag crew’ who travel the country selling magazines, she gets involved in their heavy drugs and drink lifestyle and has a sort-of relationship with Shia LaBeouf, who gives his strongest performance in years. It’s a tad too long but seriously life-affirming. Review on its way. Released: 14th October
War on Everyone
Michael Pena and Alexander Skarsgard star in this brilliantly un-PC comedy about two crooked cops, who basically use their badges to steal drugs, money, etc and get away with it. The dialogue is hilarious; it is sharp, witty, and so, so wrong. Theo James also stars as their main villain. Released: Friday 7th October
The Girl on the Train
Okay, so this hasn’t received the stellar reviews we had all been expecting but I would still recommend you check it out. It is still good (just not amazing) – it is gripping, shocking and features an impressive performance from Emily Blunt, who plays an alcoholic who becomes involved in a missing person’s investigation. It also stars Justin Theroux, Luke Evans, Haley Bennett, Rebecca Ferguson, with brilliant small appearances from Laura Prepon and Lisa Kudrow. Released today – you can read my review here.
Trolls
I do love a good children’s animation and I’m hoping this new musical featuring the voices of Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick is just the ticket. They play Branch and Poppy, who go on an adventure to save their town from the troll-eating bergens. I want this to be so much fun. Released: 21st October
Doctor Strange
Marvel is back WOOHOO! This time we are meeting Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), a top surgeon who is put out of a job following a car accident. He encounters the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who become his mentor in the mystic arts. It looks like an Inception-style superhero movie from the trailer and I’m very intrigued, though definitely not as excited as other MCU offerings. Released: 28th October
Keeping Up with the Joneses
The trailer for this action comedy really made me laugh so I’m hoping the rest of the movie will do the same. Isla Fisher and Zach Galifianakis star as the Gaffneys, a regular married couple, who end up involved in an espionage mission after discovering their neighbours The Joneses (Jon Hamm and Gal Gadot) are secret agents. This better be hilarious! Released: 28th October
I love movies based in the movie industry and I do love a good cast and Hail, Caesar! filled both criteria. I was still not 100% confident I would like it because I do not enjoy all the Coen brothers’ work, but I was still hoping for more than what it ultimately gave.
A Bigger Splash is all about a love rectangle – not triangle – between the incredible leads Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts and Dakota Johnson, and I was incredibly excited to see the sexual tension and drama unfold in this erotic thriller.
Tickets for the BFI London Film Festival opened today and I have been through the schedule and here are my (pretty obvious) choices for the tickets I want to get my hands on:
