Silence/Silencio First Look

Manuel here sharing first looks from two upcoming films from celebrated auteurs that happen to share a title, one which would urge us to stay quiet but when you’re talking about Martin Scorsese and Pedro Almodóvar, there’s no way you’ll get us to shut up.

Scorsese’s Silence, based on Shusako Endo’s 1966 novel, focuses on the persecution of Christians in 17th century Japan. It finished shooting last month and EW shared its first image a few weeks ago, which features Andrew Garfield and Shinya Tsukamoto. The still suggests we’re in for a more serious-minded effort than Scorsese’s last (The Wolf of Wall Street). The film also stars Liam Neeson, Tadanobu Asano and Adam Driver.

While Scorsese’s film looks to be an all-male ensemble, trust Almodóvar to use his newest film Silencio to return to his actressy roots. Filming for the director’s twentieth film began last month. In the vein of Volver, Almodóvar notes that Silencio centers on Julieta (Adriana Ugarte), a woman who is, to use the director’s parlance, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, the roots of which the film explores, offering us flashbacks to her life thirty years prior. The film also stars a number of Almodóvar newcomers like Michelle Jenner and Emma Suárez but it also features the gorgeous (and recent Cannes juror) Rossy de Palma.

Which “silent” film are you most looking forward to in 2016? And, seeing as that’s probably an unfair question given TFE’s actressexual proclivities, let us ponder this: does Garfield following up Ramin Bahrani’s 99 Homes with a Scorsese film getting you excited about his post-Spidey choices?

"This is not going to work..."

For The Lusty Month of May, we looked at a few sex scenes. Here's Jose for the finale

Peter Greenaway’s The Pillow Book might be based on a text from the year 1002, but it remains one of the most thrilling, groundbreaking portrayals of sex ever put onscreen. The simple plot has Nagiko (Vivian Wu) fulfill her desire and exorcise her demons through the art of calligraphy, which her lovers write on her body. Being Greenaway, this gives way to some very profound philosophical takes on the relationship between the message and how it’s delivered, but being Greenaway, it also gives path to some exquisitely rendered images, most of which involve beautiful bodies.

In the film’s sexiest scene, Nagiko meets her match in the shape of Jerome (Ewan McGregor), a translator who insists she shows him all about her love of calligraphy...

To test him, she asks him to write on her body in a variety of languages. [More]

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Box Office Fault Lines

I didn't see the latest disaster epic this weekend - but maybe you did? How many people did The Rock save with his giant arms and helicopters and diving (the three techniques he used from the trailer - I'm just guessing). San Andreas the movie may have killed off Californians but it was spectacle enough to attract the nation at large with a $50+ million opening weekend which makes this his biggest opening weekend outside of the Mummy and Fast & Furious franchises.

WIDE RELEASE
May 29-31 Weekend
01 San Andreas NEW $53.2
02 Pitch Perfect 2 $14.8 (cum. $147.5) Review
03 Tomorrowland $13.8 (cum. $63.1) Review
04 Mad Max Fury Road $13.6 (cum. $115.9) Review & Podcast
05 Age of Ultron  $10.9 (cum. $427) Review & Marathon & Podcast
06 Aloha NEW $10 Review
07 Poltergeist $7.8 (cum. $38.2)
08 Far From The Madding Crowd $1.4 (cum. $8.3) Review 
09 Hot Pursuit $1.3 (cum. $32.3) Review
10 Home $1.1 (cum. $170.4) 

Meanwhile Aloha, Cameron Crowe's latest had a dismal $10 million opening (That's a dismal opening when you've got three mostly bankable A list stars) and terrible reviews - many critics calling it his worst yet. I was curious to see it despite the reviews until I heard that Emma Stone was playing a character that was meant to be half Asian American and then I was like...'you know what Hollywood? Just not doing this anymore. ENOUGH.'

In better news Mad Max and Far From The Madding Crowd (the two we're rooting for at the moment from genre quality and "make more movies like this" concerns) held fairly well in their third and fifth weekends respectively. Fury Road's exorbitant price tag isn't going to make it one of the most profitable films of the year but at least it will eventually make its money back! I had the laziest weekend ever as you probably sensed from the unusually quiet blogging... but I'm hoping you found excitement. What did you see?

NYC Readers Take Note:
I will be appearing in a show at UCB in the East Village called "So Into It" on Tuesday night (June 2nd) this week. It's a comic variety show that changes themes each month and this month the topic is 'awards shows'. I'm not totally sure what to expect but I will be interviewed on stage at some point during the show. Please note: I am not the one bringing the comedy -- not a comedian. I'm just being interviewed but I'd appreciate support from anyone reading who is So Into The Film Experience (and also non-judgmental) as I'm terrified of being on stage. 

Julie Harris, Costume Designer (RIP)

One of the oldest costume designers passed away this weekend. Julie Harris, not to be confused with the legendary stage and screen actress of the same name, died in London at the age of 94. Though she was well loved at the BAFTAs with five nominations and a win, she only had one brush with Oscar. But if you only get one shot, make it a zeitgeist moment.

And boy did she. She designed the mod classic, John Schlesginger's Darling (1965) which won her, Julie Christie, and the screenwriter golden statues 50 years ago, in a year otherwise Oscar-dominated by a certain other Julie in an Oscar winning musical. Harris had quite a streak in the 1960s. It didn't get much hipper then than designing for the original Bond girl (Ursula Andress in Casino Royale), Julie Christie (Darling!) and The Beatles themselves (A Hard Day's Night, Help!). About the Fab Four, Harris famous quipped

I must be one of the few people who can claim they have seen John, Paul, George and Ringo naked.

Other famous films included The Swiss Family Robinson (1960), The Chalk Garden (1964), Goodbye Mr Chips (1969), Rollerball (1975), The Slipper and the Rose (1976) and Dracula (1979). She retired from the cinema at the age of 60 with an unusual assignment - The Great Muppet Caper (1981). 

costume sketches for Alfred Hitchcock's FRENZYJulie Christie & Dirk Bogarde on location for DARLING

Have you ever seen Darling? We keep meaning to write about it for the blog but have never quite done so.

1979 Look Back: Bette Midler and "The Rose"

By 1979 Bette Midler was already a star. She had a Grammy (Best New Artist), an Emmy (for her televison special Ol' Red Hair is Back), and a Special Tony award for "adding lustre to the Broadway stage". (She performed in a show called Bette Midler's Clams on the Half Shell Revue). Naturally the next entertainment medium to conquer was film and become an inevitable movie star as well. Despite uncredited small parts (including 1966's Hawaii, which filmed in her home state) and underground film, Midler made her official film debut as a lead with her electrifying performance as a troubled rocker in The Rose - which, of course, brought her a Best Actress nomination, a Golden Globe, and a film career to add to her impressive résumé.   

The film earned a total of four Academy Award nominations (Midler plus Best Supporting Actor for Frederic Forrest, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing). Just recently the film scored another honor when it was released through the prestigious Criterion Collection. In addition to a gorgeous restoration (I had previously only seen the film on grainy VHS and I was amazed at how sharp and bright the colors are - especially during the stage numbers), there are new interviews with Bette Midler, director Mark Rydell, as well as archival footage from a day of shooting that aired on the Today show.

More...

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