Review: "Get Out"

by Chris Feil

From its long-take opening to its satisfying conclusion, comedian Jordan Peele’s directorial debut Get Out is one hell of a delight. Photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is heading to the country family home of his girlfriend Rose (Girls’ Allison Williams), an extra uneasy experience given that he is her first black boyfriend. Her parents (Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) are woodsy liberals, quasi-intellectuals who love Obama and are just on the performative side of accommodating.

But it’s best to let the rest of Get Out reveal itself: you’ll want to know as little as possible before strapping into this ride...

Click to read more ...

2017 is full of 'Wonder'

Murtada here. On twitter the CEO of the French distributor Mars, which usually distributes Woody Allen movies in France, announced that the title of his 2017 film is Wonder Wheel. It stars Kate Winslet and Justin Timberlake (playing a lifeguard, if those set photos are to be believed), as well as Juno Temple, Jim Belushi and Max Casella. The film was partly shot in Coney Island so we assume that the title refers to Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park. July is our annual date with Woody so expect a US release announcement soon.

If this title holds it’ll mark the 4th movie scheduled for release this year that contains the word “wonder” in its title. We don’t have to remind you of our most anticipated film of the year, Todd Haynes’ Wonderstruck. There’s of course Wonder Woman.

And recently it was announced that a Julia Roberts - Jacob Tremblay collaboration, simply titled Wonder, is coming out at Thanksgiving. Tremblay plays a kid with facial differences who becomes a hero when he goes to school for the first time in his young life. Roberts and Owen Wilson are his parents and the director is Stephen Chbosky (Perks of Being a Wallflower).  

Obviously Wonder Woman doesn’t have to worry about anyone mixing it up with the other three. But one of the others will definately blink and change its title, no? Lay down your bets on which film will it be.

Beauty Break: Mahershala Ali for GQ

Chris here. As our Oscar year comes to a close, let's take some reflection on one of this season's greatest joys: the rise of Mahershala Ali. While some (including Nathaniel) are predicting a Dev Patel upset this Sunday, Ali has dominated most of the circuit for his warm, conflicted work in Moonlight, becoming something of the face of its immaculate ensemble. And don't forget he's also a member of the Hidden Figures team with his knee-flutter-inducing charms on full display. If you want a moment of true moving inspiration, look no further than his SAG acceptance speech on his experience as a Muslim American. We'll have to wait until Sundance entry Roxanne Roxanne to see more of him, so enjoy him now while we can.

And now he's giving some sunlight to go with the Moonlight in a popping yellow-drenched spread for GQ. Think of the photoset as a candy coating on an already delicious year:

Click to read more ...

A New Awards Group? Yup, Another One for the Indies

Over the years I realize that The Film Experience has been a bit of a killjoy in terms of one very specific development that other awards sites fawn on: the explosion of film award groups. It's just that over the years its been ridiculous to see the numbers explode but not see any correlative expansion of ideas or discussion about what constitutes great cinema. If all awards groups do is rubber stamp each other and watch the same 20 movies, we should just stick to the 3 or 4 original groups and be done with it! 

This preamble is a way of saying that when I heard there was a new Independent Film Award organization I initially rolled my eyes and shrugged it off with a tweet. Weren't The Gothams and the Spirits enough? But I've had a bit of a change of heart and am keeping an open mind after further investigation. If you're going to create a new film award, you need a purpose. And the American Independent Film Awards seems to have one. In fact, it looks like they're planning to do exactly what the Independent Spirit awards originally set out to do but have long since wandered away from as they've become a mainstream big publicity party for the mini-majors and their Oscar campaigns. The AIFA will focus on movies with budgets of $1 million or less. In other words, true indies as studios don't make films that size...  

Click to read more ...

Black History Month: Spotlight on Octavia Spencer

by Steven Fenton

On February 26, 2012, Octavia Spencer won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her endearing performance as the feisty Minny Jackson in Tate Taylor’s The Help. With her win, Spencer joined an elite group, becoming just the sixth black actress to win an acting Oscar (and only the seventh overall, if you count Irene Cara’s Original Song win for Flashdance, since she also starred in the film). Prior to 2011, Spencer had worked steadily since the mid-90s, gaining a reputation as a warm and generous co-star and a beloved character actress. So her win in February 2012 felt like an authentic opportunity for the academy to recognize an industry favorite.

Spencer was an indomitable force in the 2011 awards season, snatching wins at the Critics Choice, SAG awards, Globe Globes, and BAFTA, and beating out a talented crop of women in sensational breakout performances, including: Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), and Spencer’s co-star, Jessica Chastain (who had taken both the LA and NY Film Critics awards for her outstanding trio of performances in The Help, Take Shelter, and Tree of Life). Spencer’s Oscar win was a foregone conclusion early in the race. The real competition that was year between Viola Davis and Meryl Streep in Leading Actress. Viola could have made history that night as the second black woman to win in lead, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, Spencer walked away with The Help’s only win that evening. Little did we know then, Octavia’s Oscar story wasn’t over, and she definitely wasn’t done making history...

Click to read more ...