Yes No Maybe So: "Poor Things"

by Cláudio Alves

Vasilis Marmatakis has done it again. Yorgos Lanthimos' preferred poster designer always knocks them out of the park, and his latest creation's no different, hitting that sweet spot between beauty and unease. Poor Things looks impossibly enticing, mixing the lushness of period stylings with bodily discombobulations that hint at the mysteries of Emma Stone's character. She'll be Bella in this adaptation of Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel, a resurrected young woman who pursues personal freedom beyond the will of Dr. Baxter, the scientist who brought her corpse back to life. The original text has been described as funny, cerebral, and dirty, making it sound like the perfect playground for Lanthimos and his particular brand of off-kilter cinema.

Along with this new poster, Searchlight Pictures also released the theatrical trailer for the movie, whose American release is scheduled for September 8th. Considering that date, one wonders if the work might be headed to the Venice Film Festival. While waiting for confirmation, let's delve into the trailer and give it the customary 'Yes No Maybe So' treatment…

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Kelly Reichardt's "Showing Up" is one for the fans

by Cláudio Alves

As the resident Kelly Reichardt fanboy around these parts, it's my duty to inform the TFE readership that Showing Up is currently available on PVOD, and it's another smashing success from the director. Admittedly, such effusive verbiage is at odds with the film proper. You see, Reichardt has produced a film of such self-evident smallness it seems to arrive pre-labeled as a minor work in the auteur's canon. Then again, all of the director's features could be similarly described by those misaligned with her insularly specific wavelength. No Kelly Reichardt film feels big, not even when containing sprawling landscapes, multiple storylines, or the ghost of past lives haunting present earth.

And yet, Showing Up takes things to another level, closing itself in a cantankerous mood and hyper-precise milieu, playing with anti-dramatics to the point it feels like a provocation directed at those who don't get it. In other words, this may be Reichardt's version of 'one for the fans'...

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First & Last 002

We're bringing back one of our greatest hits like an aging band on tour.
CAN YOU GUESS THE MOVIE FROM ITS FIRST AND LAST SHOT?

The answer is after the jump...

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Tony Awards in Review

by Nathaniel R

To support the WGA or not to support the WGA? This is not, of course, even a question for the arts community and audiences. But the 76th Tony Awards, held last night at the gorgeous United Palace in Washington Heights, made an accidental case that maybe writers should be banned from awards shows moving forward (not as nominees -- but as, you know, writers of the ceremony).

Gone were the scripted jokes, awkward intros, and agonizing filler that disrupt the three-pronged reason we all watch awards shows in the first place: the drama of the awards and acceptance speech, seeing lots of celebrities, and enjoying "clips" of the nominated art. In the case of the Tony's the 'clips' are always live performance of nominated musicals...

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Review: "Blue Jean" tackles the horror of the closet

by Cláudio Alves

As Pride Month unfolds, it's always expected to see some queer stories find their way into the release schedule. Blue Jean is a prime example, arriving in American theaters this past weekend after a smashing critical reception in its home country. Georgia Oakley's feature debut dazzled many on its way to four British Independent Film Awards and a BAFTA nomination. The film looks back to Thatcher's England and the threat of Section 28, whose ban on "promoting homosexuality" feels awfully close to recent conservative legislation on both sides of the pond. Not that Blue Jean is especially keen on overt political messaging, making its points within the model of a character study. 

The character in question is the titular Jean, a secondary school PE teacher in 1988 Newcastle, who hides her sexuality in the workplace and most areas of her personal life. Only at night, in the secretive Eden of a gay bar, does she get to be herself…

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