Damien Chazelle, who directed Whiplash, La La Land, now brings us another side of Hollywood, Babylon.
It’s an original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, including an ensemble cast: Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Jean Smart.
A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
Set on a fictional, remote island off the west coast of Ireland, The Banshees of Inisherin follows lifelong friends Pádraic, played by Colin Farrell and Colm, played by Brendan Gleeson.
They find themselves at an impasse when Colm unexpectedly ends their long-term friendship. A stunned Pádraic, aided by his sister Siobhán, played by Kerry Condon, and troubled young islander Dominic, played by Barry Keoghan, endeavors to repair the relationship, refusing to take no for an answer.
But Pádraic’s repeated efforts only strengthen his former friend’s resolve, and when Colm delivers a desperate request, events swiftly escalate, with shocking consequences.
Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, who has worked with Farrell and Gleeson several times, he is a well-known Irish playwright and screenwriter.
“One of the things I love about Martin’s writing is that it lacks malice,” continues Farrell. “Some of the characters he presents to the audience can be incredibly malicious and cruel, and some of the events can be beyond the pale in regards to the macabre, but I never detect any maliciousness from the writer, the voice, the creator of it.”
Farrell and Gleeson worked together in the film In Bruges, which McDonagh wrote and directed. The movie permitted Farrell and Gleeson to develop a shorthand, and McDonagh wanted to bring them back together again.
Along came The Banshees of Inisherin, written especially in mind for Farrell and Gleeson to star. “As an actor, you’re looking for someone who has a unique voice, an original way of articulating thoughts and feelings and creating characters and whole worlds. It’s lovely when you come across a writer that establishes a world that has its own kind of order and sense of aesthetic (sic). Martin’s voice can be extraordinary.” Gleeson describes McDonagh as fearless. “He goes into these awful places finally, armed with compassion and empathy.”
Steven Spielberg directed this coming-of-age drama from a screenplay he co-wrote with Tony Kushner. The semi-autobiographical story follows Sammy Fabelmen, played by Gabriel LaBelle. Sammy is a yearning filmmaker based on Spielberg himself.
Michelle Williams plays the mother, and Paul Dano plays the father.
Acclaimed filmmaker James Gray directed Armageddon Time, a deeply personal story of the strength of family.
Like most of Gray’s films, the movie is about the complexity of friendship and the generational pursuit of the American Dream.
The film presents a strong cast, including Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong.
Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s and directed by Sam Mendes, Empire of Light is a tale about human connection.
Watch the trailer. Hopefully, you’ll notice how powerful and poignant the story is about the magic of cinema — the illusion of life.
The movie stars Olivia Coleman, Colin Firth, Michael Ward and Toby Jones.
Based on the short story “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye” by A. S. Byatt and co-written and directed by George Miller for the screen, Dr. Alithea Binnie, played by Tilda Swinton, is an academic. She’s content with life and a creature of reason.
While in Istanbul attending a conference, she encounters a Djinn, played by Idris Elba, who offers her three wishes for his freedom. This presents two problems. First, she doubts he is real; second, because she is a scholar of story and mythology, she knows all the cautionary tales of wishes have gone wrong.
The Djinn pleads his case by telling her fantastical stories of his past. Eventually, she submits and makes a wish that surprises them both.
Co-written and directed by Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky, The Good House follows Hildy Good, played by Sigourney Weaver. Hildy is a wry New England realtor and descendant of the Salem witches.
Thomas Bezucha also co-wrote the script with the directors. Bezucha’s credits include writing and directing Let Him Go and six episodes of the Secret Invasion mini-series.
She loves her wine and secrets, yet her compartmentalized life unravels as she rekindles a romance with her old high-school flame, Frank Getchell, played by Kevin Kline. She becomes dangerously entwined in one person’s reckless behavior.
The situations ignite long-buried emotions and family secrets, propelling Hildy toward a reckoning with the one person she’s been avoiding for decades — herself.
The Good House additionally stars Morena Baccarin and Rob Delaney.
Written by Will Tracy and Seth Riess and directed by Mark Mylod, The Menu follows a couple, played by Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult. They travel to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef, played by Ralph Fiennes, has prepared a great menu with a few shocking surprises.
Mylod is a British film and television director and executive producer. Entourage, Game of Thrones and Succession are some of his best works on television.
Joining the couple are three young, already inebriated tech brothers, Bryce and Dave, an older wealthy couple and repeat clients, Anne and Richard, renowned restaurant critic Lillian Bloom and her slavish magazine editor Ted, and a famous middle-aged movie star with his assistant Felicity.
With the immaculately dressed front-of-house staff led by general Elsa, the evening unfolds with increasing tension at each of the guest tables as secrets are revealed and unexpected courses are served. With wild and violent events occurring, Slowik’s motivation begins to rattle the diners as it becomes increasingly apparent that his elaborate menu is designed to catalyze a shocking finale.
Written by Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu, with Chukwu directing, TILL is a profoundly emotional and cinematic film about the true story of Mamie Till Mobley’s, played by Danielle Deadwyler, relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, played by Jalyn Hall.
In 1955, they brutally lynched Till while visiting his cousins in Mississippi.
In Mamie’s poignant grief journey that eventually turned to action, the film shows the universal power of a mother’s ability to change the world.
Also starring in the film are Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Directed by Nick Hamm, Gigi & Nate is the story about Nate Gibson, played by Charlie Rowe. He’s a young man who suffered a near-fatal injury, turning his life upside down and becoming a quadriplegic.
Moving forward seems near impossible until he meets his unlikely service animal, Gigi – a curious and intelligent capuchin monkey.
Although she assists Nate with his basic needs, Gigi helps Nate find what he needs most in life — hope. The film also stars Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden and Jim Belushi. It’s a tearjerker of a story based on actual events, so bring plenty of tissues to the movie theater.
Also starring are Josephine Langford, Zoe Colletti, Hannah Riley and Diane Ladd.