Doc Corner: The retro hippy futurism of 'Spaceship Earth'

By Glenn Dunks

Would you believe that I also dream about documentaries? You probably would. We surely all dream about movies in some form. Well, just a few weeks ago I found myself awakening after a dream about a (non-existent) documentary that went back to the first ever series of Big Brother and interviewed the participants—none of whom I would know or have any sort of facial recognition of as I surprisingly did not watch turn-of-the-century Dutch TV—about living in isolation and what we could all learn while in our own contemporary COVID-19 isolation.

At the time it struck me as actually quite an interesting concept, a rare occurrence of wishing I had any inclination towards actually making documentaries instead of simply watching them. I needn’t have spent the mental energy. While crass reality television isn’t the theme of Matt Wolf’s Spaceship Earth, what it is about is the futuristic science experiment of the early 1990s known as Biosphere 2, a trial in inter-planetary life preservation that began rather improbably with a San Franciscan experimental avant-garde art troupe and ended, somehow just as improbably, with Steve Bannon.

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"The Daniel Orlandi Experience" is coming!

by Nathaniel R

Daniel Orlandi's favourite set pic... amongst the costumes of "The Da Vinci Code"

It's been awhile since The Film Experience has been hijacked for a full day by a super-talented Hollywood player. We figured it was time for another one. In the past we've handed the reins over to visiting embodiments of awesomeness like the rapidly rising writer/director Leslye Headland, and brilliant actor/writer David Dastmalchian, as well as a handful of actresses we deeply love: Missi Pyle, Ann Dowd, Melanie Lynskey, and Cara Seymour.

Our latest overlord for a full day: Costume Designer Daniel Orlandi !  

Daniel with Ewan McGregor on the set of "Down with Love"Orlandi's design gigs include but are not limited to: Cinderella Man (2005), The Da Vinci Code (2006), Saving Mr Banks (2013), Jurassic World (2015), Logan (2017), and three Best Picture nominees Frost/Nixon (2008), The Blind Side (2009), and  Ford V Ferrari (2019).

We don't know exactly what he'll be choosing to share with us -- we like a surprise -- but we did demand a behind-scenes peek at our personal favourite, the ever fabulous Down With Love (2003). We know you love it, too, so it'll definitely be featured.

It's all happening Monday, May 18th!

Horror Actressing: Anjelica Huston in "The Witches"

by Jason Adams

What's your favorite flavor of witch? Do you prefer a goth punk madwoman like Fairuza Balk in The Craft? A sexy hyper-stylish artiste like Tilda Swinton in Suspiria? A cackling crone like Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz?

What if I told you you didn't have to pick just one? That there exists a witch out there already that snatches a dash of this, a dash of that, until her cauldron bubbles over with the cartoonish bombast of Cruella de Vil meets Helena Markos. I think you'd nod, say duh, throw your head back and holler, "Anjelica Huston as the magnificent Grand High Witch forever, darling-kk!!!"

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Oldies but Linkies

• Indiewire Waiting for Chris Nolan's Tenet -  Hollywood hopes summer can be saved
• Rick's Real Reel remembering Doris Day and Cary Grant in That Touch of Mink
• Slate fun short piece on the absurd thrill (in a vacuum) of the Ben Affleck / Ana de Armas romance as witness by paparazzi

Today's roundup continues after the jump and is a mix of new and old (i.e. past couple of weeks) stuff since we haven't hit you with a link in a bit: Robert Pattinson profiled, a rift at the César awards, Dear Evan Hansen couplings, Drama League nominations, Peabody Awards, RIPs and more...

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The New Classics: Two Days, One Night

by Michael Cusumano

I become invested in the struggles of Sandra in Two Days, One Night in a way I rarely do with other protagonists. 

The Dardenne’s unadorned style combined with the rawness of Marion Cotillard’s performance convince me completely of the reality of what’s unfolding, and I monitor Sandra like a friend for whom I am gravely concerned, inspecting every downward glance for hints of an impending crack up. When she teeters on the brink of a deep abyss after the film’s brutal first act, I can intuit that she is probably one more setback away from surrendering to her darkest impulses. The film doesn't need to say so...

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