Review: Vox Lux

by Chris Feil

Vox Lux opens with visceral brief violence and closes with extended musical euphoria that it keeps out of our reach. The sophomore feature of Brady Corbet, the film is most defined by its refusal to allow us to access it even as it monolithically announces its themes. It feels at once like someone screaming into the abyss of an empty stadium with locked doors. But somehow it keeps us banging on its doors that never budge.

The film follows the birth and would-be rebirth of superstar Celeste, played separately in two acts by Raffey Cassidy and Natalie Portman...

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Say What? Natalie Portman in "Vox Lux"

Amuse us. Add a caption or dialogue to this first photo of Natalie Portman in Brady Corbet's Vox Lux. The movie is a 15 year long story of a young girl who survives a traumautic shooting and later becomes a pop sensation. Score by Scott Walker (Pola X!!!) and songs by Sia. Can't wait... though we might have to. No word on when it's coming out but it debuts in Venice next month. 

Natalie Portman is going to Venice and to Space

by Murtada

Remember when Natalie Portman’s Jackie appeared seemingly out of nowhere in competition at the 2016 Venice Film Festival and put her on the top of the best actress Oscar list? Two years later Portman might have a similar scenario in store for us.

Vox Lux is her new film, directed by Brady Corbet and co-starring Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Stacy Martin. It will be playing Venice next month in competition and will probably appear at some other fall festivals as well. While it remains without distribution, it will sure be snapped up if it's warmly recieved. This time however Portman is not playing an Iconic American but rather a pop star. The film charts its lead character's rise to superstardom.

Rooney Mara was first cast when the film was announced 2 years ago, with Sia providing the music...

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Streaming: Revisiting "Annihilation"

by Chris Feil

Alex Garland’s sci-fi psychosis film Annihilation is exhausting on several levels and in the best way, as if it was destined to be more beloved once reassessed. Its imposing, deliberate unhinging of time and reality is not exactly built for a complacent viewers. It’s also a brilliantly assembled metaphor for depression in dark times..

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Ranking the Golden Globe Presenters

by Jorge Molina

Oh, what a night. The Golden Globes delivered the head-scratching, Twitter-blowing night that we expect every year. Of the many things we can count on (apart from drunk speeches and Meryl being nominated), is that they are the award show that puts the most thought, or at least has the most fun, pairing up their presenters. To various degrees of success. 

So check out this second annual ranking of the Golden Globes presenters after the jump, evaluated in terms of banter, chemistry, relation to the award given, and presentation...

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YNMS: "Annihilation"

Chris here. It's not too early to start getting excited for what's coming next year, right? Call it optimism to get 2017 over and done with (even if it's providing us with great films). And one of our most anticipated of next year is one that comes early: February's Annihilation.

The film is writer/director Alex Garland's follow-up to the beloved Ex Machina and is another stoic sci-fi endeavor. Based on the first book in Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy, Natalie Portman stars as a biologist exploring the mysterious Area X after her husband's expedition of the land ended in disaster. Area X is a geographical anomaly of sorts, and the government may or may not know the full extent of its power. VanderMeer's series is a tricky bit of first-person genre work, so I have long been curious how it could translate to film, particularly with his creepy but evasive details of Area X. Let's take a look at the first trailer and run down the Yes No Maybe So of the results:

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