Beauty Break: John Boyega

We'll let these images speak for themselves...

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YNMS: Detroit - Trailer #2

by Seán McGovern

Detroit could make Kathryn Bigelow's style definable. Both Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker tapped into a social, political and very American psyche of the moment. And unlike other filmmakers, hearing that Bigelow is to bring the 1967 Detroit riots to the screen seems absolutely appropriate. Bigelow has always had an eye for life teetering on a knife edge, of people on the fringes - be they wandering vampires, Soviet submariners or black market memory peddlers. Her two most recent films have cemented her as an auteur with a distinct vision but it's adjectives like tense, visceral or full-throated that define her. A director who has long appreciated genre pictures, it's thanks to her historic Oscar standing that her films now arrive with a sense of expectation.

A new trailer for Detroit has recently been released, doing what all good second trailers do: it tells us a little bit more, and hints to something different, both of which will be revealed after the jump...

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Kathryn Bigelow's "Detroit" Trailer Explodes

Chris here. Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty follow-up, Detroit, has been veiled in almost as much secrecy as that Oscar-winning film, our only snippets of information being that it’s set during the 1967 Detroit riots. The film also has a pretty packed ensemble cast including John Boyega, Jason Mitchell, and John Krasinski (though suspiciously lacking in black female roles). But now we have a first look at what she’s crafted thanks to a tense trailer – and the results are stellar.

Though our mind naturally wanders to Oscar with Bigelow's name and her regular writing partner Mark Boal attached, the film's late summer release (roughly fifty years after the riots) also suggests confidence the film could be aiming to seize the zeitgeist just as we tire of superhero bombast. Though production company Annapurna Pictures has had Oscar success with the likes of American Hustle, Her, and Zero Dark Thirty, this will be their first outing as a distributor. I'm guessing they'll want the cash from making this a hit before betting on a costly Oscar play. However, I'm already rooting for Jason Mitchell's chances this year - he'll also have Dee Rees's Mudbound to keep him in the conversation.

Might Detroit be included in tomorrow's Cannes lineup announcement? Check out the intense trailer below and tell us your thoughts in the comments. Detroit opens August 4!

Stretch Linkstrong

Randomness
Film School Rejects it's all about talking animals who sound just like celebrities this year
Towleroad ABC rejects a TV ad for Carol because (GASP) naked lesbian shoulders
John August shares depressing box office stats on why we get so many sequels
Guardian picks 5 best moment of Jane Fonda in the movies - bizarre choices beyond her Oscar winning roles
Guardian investigation of why movie posters are so terrible in comparison to their aged counterparts
The Wrap TV adaptation of American Gods (a must read from Neil Gaiman) has cast Ricky Whittle (the 100) in the leading role
MNPP ...goes all out with an endless gratuitous post celebrating Whittle
Awards Daily Awesome crusading Senator Elizabeth Warren loves The Big Short

New Projects
Tracking Board Chan-wook Park to direct the adapation of sci-fi novel Genocidal Organ about homemade nuclear devices
Coming Soon Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) are reteaming for a film about the 1967 Detroit Riots. Shooting to start this summer
Variety Ruh-roh Jennifer Aniston is doing a true life sports drama called The Fixer -- she's got her eyes on The Blind Side's surprise prize if you know what I mean
Coming Soon (sigh) Dear Toni Collette's Agent, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I know we ask this all the time but you have not answered. (Toni is now signed to do a bureaucrat role in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage because Hollywood weirdly believes we want every Vin Diesel franchise revived)
/Film Stretch Armstrong series (yes, the boys doll with stretchy arms) is going to Netflix. For kids.
Variety Meg Ryann behind the camera. Her first film Ithaca did not yet find distribution which is weird (all star cast) but she's signed to direct a second, a romantic comedy even, called The Book 

 Theatre People
Playbill Zachary Quinto, about to reprise his Spock role on the big screen, on why he prefers theater to film or television 
Playbill Dominic Cooper returning to the stage for a new production of The Libertine about the hedonistic Earl of Rochester in 1670s London. Did any of you ever see that Johnny Depp film version of the play?

Today's Watch
A well timed brief history of white actors playing ethnic roles from Screen Crush. (Minor Quibble: Technically some consider Russian born Yul Brynner as Asian -- he claimed Mongolian heritage but others denied it was true)

Awards Update
Everyone's making their final moves -- Oscar ballots out on Feb 12th. Jennifer Jason Leigh is getting a tribute at the American Cinematheque. They'll be screening Hateful Eight, Georgia (the closest she ever came to a nom' previously), her divisive Mrs Parker and the Vicious Circle (she's excellent), Single White Female and breakout hit Fast Times at Ridgmont High.

Finally, the ACE Eddie Awards were handed out last night. The winners:

• Mad Max: Fury Road (Drama)
• The Big Short (Comedy)
• Inside Out (Animated)
• Amy (Documentary).

Podcast: The Big Short, It Follows, Etc...

We're just going overboard with the podcasts this month. We hope you don't mind. Here's a little extra conversation between Nathaniel and Nick. (With another podcast right around the corner!) 

40 minutes 
00:01 The Big Short, celebrity cameos, gambling and our own failings
16:40 Nick looks forward to The Revenant & talking about The Hateful Eight
19:45 Foreign Film Finalist List: Ireland's Viva, Denmark's A War, Hungary's Son of Saul.
27:45 Films that didn't make it to the finals like Guatamela's Ixcanul,  and LGBT entries
33:20 How to watch challenging cinema at home on your televisions. Starring: A Pigeon Sat on a Branch and It Follows 

Further Reading for Context:
Nick's Hateful Eight Tweet
Nathaniel's recent Oscar submission reviews
Plus Embrace of Serpent and Labyrinth of Lies

You can listen to the podcast here at the bottom of the post or download from iTunes. 

Big Short & Foreign Finals