David Thewlis
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Fantastic Fest: ‘Anomalisa’ a winningly bizarre exploration of love and mental distress
Anomalisa Directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman 2015, USA The original Anomalisa was a “sound play” by Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation), performed before an audience only twice. The “sound” aspect referred to the fact that its main character has a disorder that makes him see everyone with […] More
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New ‘Regression’ trailer with Emma Watson, Ethan Hawke
We first got a look at Regression, a sinister detective thriller from Alejandro Amenábar (The Others), his first film since 2009, back in February when an international teaser was released. Now this first full trailer pegs Ethan Hawke as a detective investigating a young woman’s (Emma Watson) accusation of her father’s crimes involving a secretive organization and […] More
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Cannes 2015: Michael Fassbender shows ferocity in first teaser for ‘Macbeth’
I’m completely okay with Michael Fassbender being the king. The first teaser for Macbeth showed off his kinging abilities as well as his co-star, Marion Cotillard, as Lady Macbeth. The film is directed by Justin Kurzel and also stars David Thewlis, Elizabeth Debicki, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris, and Jack Reynor. It has been a film […] More
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‘The Zero Theorem’ sees Terry Gilliam in his comfort zone, for worse rather than better
Rather than the political surveillance looked at in Brazil, corporate surveillance is the primary focus, though the film’s weak digs at both that and the impersonal nature of our online modern age lack any of the bite of the earlier film. Exploration of the latter idea certainly isn’t helped by the writing of Bainsley, a character lacking in any agency of her own. Thierry is victim to an uncomfortable amount of fetishistic objectification, present even outside of the few scenes in which it contextually makes a little sense. Kim Griest’s well-rounded, independent heroine is just one of the ways in which Brazil still has punch today as a key science fiction work; The Zero Theorem, an effort that never excels, is a light shove at best. More
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Fantasia 2014: ‘The Zero Theorem’ undermines its satire with muddy ideology and philosophy
Stop me if you’ve heard this one already: a low-level cog in a comically large bureaucratic environment in a grotesque-looking “future” dystopia struggles in the face of obsolescence and oblivion. The character in question is fundamentally good, but incredibly weedy, their resolve and spirit having been ground to stumps by the world around them. More
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GFF 2014: ‘The Zero Theorem’ sees Terry Gilliam in his comfort zone, for worse rather than better
Though writer Pat Rushin scripted and conceived the story of The Zero Theorem, one can be forgiven for assuming Terry Gilliam came up with the narrative himself, being that it comes across as the work of someone who either saw every film Gilliam’s ever made or just happened to direct them. Indeed, The Zero Theorem sees Gilliam very much in his storytelling and thematic comfort zones, though sadly to diminishing returns. It openly scrounges scraps from earlier efforts, especially Brazil, but has little idea how to develop its ever so slightly different ideas beyond thin sketches. More
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‘The Zero Theorem’, the newest film from Terry Gilliam, releases a trailer
While Terry Gilliam rose to prominence as a member of the legendary comic troupe Monty Python, his 1985 film Brazil helped establish him as a filmmaking force in his own right. With his last feature coming in 2009, many were interested to see what he would tackle next, interest that was only heightened by news […] More
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‘Red 2’, the sequel to 2010’s surprise retired action hero hit, gets its first trailer
The 2010 action feature Red was a surprise hit, demonstrating the surprise box office draw of the likes of John Malkovich and Helen Mirren in action movie roles. With a sequel soon announced, many people were hesitant to see where the story would go next, but still excited to see what was in store. The […] More
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Besson’s ‘The Lady’ a lovingly painted portrait of an iconic figure
The Lady Directed by Luc Besson Written by Rebecca Frayn France, U.K., 2011 Actress Michelle Yeoh has come a long, long way in her career as an international star. That is not to say that her beginnings were paltry when compared to the status she has now attained, only that her filmmography spans a great […] More