Here are a few much talked about movies that premiered or were showcased at the Venice Film Festival this week. Take a look and judge for yourself what impact they might have on society and culture, besides entertainment.
1. Ad Astra.
Produced, co-written, and directed by James Gray. Starring Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, and Donald Sutherland.
Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father (Tommy Lee Jones) and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of humans on Earth. His journey will uncover secrets that challenge the nature of human existence and its place in the cosmos.
Release date September 20.
Rotten Tomatoes rating — 84%
Critics love the movie. And Brad Pitt.
2. Joker.
Produced, co-written, and directed by James Gray. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro and others.
In 1981, a failed stand-up comedian turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City as the famed Joker.
Release date October 4.
Rotten Tomatoes rating — 85%
Many reviewers give it high ratings for its theme of mental illness and its effects, some found it a “powerful and unsettling allegory of contemporary neglect and violence”, while some did not like the dark premise of the story, hinting that the story might excuse or incite violence. But high praise all around for Joaquin Phoenix’s performance.
Winner of the Golden Lion (best film) award at the 76th Venice International Film Festival.
3. The Painted Bird.
Czech filmmaker Václav Marhoul’s adaptation of Polish author Jerzy Kosiński’s rattling World War II novel by the same name.
The film tells the story of a young Jewish boy. His parents send him to relatives in Eastern Europe to avoid antisemitic persecution. The boy's aunt suddenly dies and he has to take care of himself on his own in a dangerous wild world that is hostile to him.
Rotten Tomatoes rating — 89%
The film was projected for journalists on 2 September 2019. Some people left the theatre as they could not stand the depicted violence and rape scenes. Overall reception was positive as the film received a long ovation from the audience and some unofficial responses called it one of the front-runners for Golden Lion. The film also received a 10 minute standing ovation during its premiere on 3 September 2019. en.wikipedia.org/...
Not for the faint of heart.
4. The Laundromat
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Starring Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas, Jeffrey Wright, Matthias Schoenaerts, James Cromwell and Sharon Stone
Release date : September 27
A comedy drama about a serious topic that follows Ellen Martin (Meryl Streep), whose dream vacation takes a wrong turn and leads her down a rabbit hole of shady dealings that can all be traced to one Panama City law firm, run by seductive partners Jürgen Mossack (Oldman) and Ramón Fonseca (Banderas). She soon learns that her minor predicament is only a drop in the bucket of millions of files linking an off-shore tax scheme to the world’s richest and most powerful political leaders.
Based on the story about the Panama Papers.
Rotten Tomatoes rating — Only 48%
We will end with this beautiful surreal poetic film from Sweden -
5. About Endlessness / Om det oändliga
Director: Roy Andersson
A reflection on human life in all its beauty and cruelty, its splendour and banality.
The film is narrated by a woman (Jessica Louthander) who may or may not be associated with a Chagall-like pair of lovers floating above the clouds and, in one of the pic’s most somber scenes, over a bombed-out city with a cathedral. The narrator begins each of the film’s short episodes with “I saw…” and her elegiac, otherworldly tone sets a mood of looking at life from a great distance, a place even beyond death. www.hollywoodreporter.com/...
Won Best Director award.
Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” was the runner-up at the festival.
I am sure there are many other upcoming films that deserve attention or discussion. These are the ones that caught my eye. Please share your knowledge of other movies we should be looking forward to. Thanks.