Review: The 15:17 To Paris

by Eric Blume

Has Clint Eastwood lost his mind?  That’s the thought that swirled through my mind for the first hour of 15:17 To Paris, because every choice is so shockingly wrong-headed that it feels unfathomable. Say what you will about Eastwood’s films, but even his detractors would need to admit that his movies are generally well-acted and sure-footed.  I had to stay through the end credits not to see the name of the cinematographer, but to ensure that there actually was one.  In fact, it’s Tom Stern, who has shot most of Eastwood’s films.  Out of respect for these two gentlemen and their intelligent work together in the past, let's assume that on this film they were attempting to take Eastwood’s infamously brisk, limited-takes directorial and shooting style to its ultimate breakneck limit.  Their new film looks uglier and less artful than your average TV procedural...

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McCarthy and Haddish Team Up!

Chris here. Even if the Oscar buzz comparisons to Melissa McCarthy didn't yield Tiffany Haddish the same happy result, all that talk maybe did align their stars together. The two funny ladies just signed on to star together in mob movie The Kitchen. Now before we prime ourselves for a comedy goldmine, this project will actually be something of a curve ball for both actresses...

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Moving Day

by Nathaniel R

Frances Ha

For those wondering why I've been so quiet during Oscar month, please bear with me a little while longer. After much chaos in my offline life and a painful end to a long relationship (...but let's not get into that), it's moving day. Or days.

It occurred to me today that movies skip over this physically exhausting and emotionally taxing work in seconds usually. Where's the magical montage that transports me from No-Longer-Home to New Place in like 10-30 whimsical but melancholy seconds? Because this real time continuous-shot business is no fun. Even Lav Diaz would think this running time indulgent.

But back to boxes and chaos. Here's to fresh starts.

The Furniture: Canadian Brutalism Comes to L.A. in Blade Runner 2049

Daniel Walber's weekly series on Production Design. Click on the images to see them in magnified detail.

While planning the look of Blade Runner 2049, director Denis Villeneuve asked production designer Dennis Gassner for something very specific: brutality. As Canadians, Villeneuve and Gassner know a whole lot about that, at least architecturally. Canada’s big cities are inflected by brutalist buildings, stark and intimidating structures that have made their mark on cinema. Enemy is a good example, along with a lot of David Cronenberg’s early work.

Of course, Blade Runner 2049 takes place mostly in Los Angeles and was shot in Hungary. But its use of brutalist design transcends the specificity of place, resembling a vaguely Canadian nightmare as much as any waking version of California...

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WGA Goes For "Get Out" and "CMBYN"

Chris here. One of the final major set of prizes before the Oscar ceremony was handed out over the weekend, the Writers' Guild of America awards. The WGA awarded their screenplay honors to Get Out in original and Call Me By Your Name in adapted. Even though the latter's Oscar competition is now even further in the dust, its safest-bet-of-the-night odds to win the big prize will still be an exciting victory lap for its never-awarded legend screenwriter James Ivory.

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