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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Mélanie Laurent, Nick Kroll Join Operation Finale

by Ilich Mejía

Back in March, Oscar Isaac first announced he would be producing and starring in Chris Weitz's Operation Finale. Weitz (Rogue One, The Golden Compass) will be directing a script written by newcomer Matthew Orton. Set in 1960's Argentina, the film is based on the true story of a number of Israeli spies on a mission to capture Nazi official Adolf Eichmann (history as spoilers if you've been meaning to get to those History Channel documentaries, but keep watching Barefoot Contessa instead). Actress turned director Mélanie Laurent and comedian Nick Kroll join the already announced cast of Isaac and Ben Kingsley as real estate brokers looking to buy major acreage in next year's Oscar race...

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A First Look At "Suburbicon"

Chris here. With fall festival lineups beginning to be revealed, that means some of the upcoming films that have been shrouded in secrecy are beginning to lift the veil. One such film that we've seen next to nothing from is George Clooney's Suburbicon, which will be among the Venice and Toronto lineups.

Thus far we've only had the starry cast (Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac) and a script by Clooney, his writing partner Grant Heslov, and the Coen brothers to stoke our curiosity - with a brief plot synopsis about home invasion to have us scratching our heads as to what the actual tone of this thing would be. Now there is a trailer that... leaves us with more questions about the tone.

Take a look at the trailer and I have some burning questions after the jump...

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Justice Link

Boy Culture want to see a web or tv series sequel to Boy Culture  (2006)?
Film School Rejects a new short film starring Oscar Isaac available to watch online
Deadline a huge list of in-development franchises - what's the next big sci-fi fantasy hit?
Coming Soon Nicholas Hoult is in talks to play the Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien in a forthcoming biopic. Those unfamiliar with Tolkien but for book jacket photos, Hoult seems like odd casting but the movie will be about his youth and service in World War I (which of course informed his iconic books)

 

AV Club Raising Arizona was on the cover of a Serbian biology textbook!
/Film Wonder Woman 2 is aiming for a December 2019 release date. Patty Jenkins still not confirmed to return as director
MNPP has a new crush in François Arnaud
Towleroad Ezra Miller kisses a male fan at Comic Con. Crowd goes wild
Ceros why are directors like Christopher Nolan enamored with 70 mm?
Variety Producer vows to "vigorously defend" Feud: Bette and Joan from Olivia de Havilland's lawsuit. But they might not want to harp on and on about "meticulously researched" since we spotted several errors without doing any research at all!
/Film contrary to reports Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) will not be appearing in Avengers: Infinity War

A Detour to the Stage
Playbill in an upcoming revival of Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece (well, one of them) Company, the genders will be reversed
Playbill Kathleen Turner's speaking voice is, of course, legendary but now comes word that she's going to sing on stage!!! What? She's debuting a cabaret show "Finding My Voice" in Philadelphia
Broadway Blog Mandy Patinkin is taking over the lead male role in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway for 3 weeks only. MANDY PATINKIN.
Theater Mania Frozen is deep in rehearsals now - Instagram pics of the cast

On this day: Internet Boyfriends, Fishy Rom-Coms, and Toxic Masculinity Camp

On this day in history as it relates to showbiz...

1930 Taina Elg is born in Finland. Briefly becomes a star in Hollywood with Les Girls (1957) winning a Golden Globe
1940 Much missed Puerto Rican actor Raul Julia was born on this day. "Oh Gomez..." ♥︎
1943 Chess genius Bobby Fischer is born. He was recently biopic'ed via Tobey Maguire in Pawn Sacrifice.
1963 Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallée is born in Montreal. He's really been cranking out the hits lately: Dallas Buyers Club, Wild, and the juicy actress-bliss of Big Little Lies
1964 Oscar winner Juliette Binoche, one of the greatest actresses in the world, is born in Paris...

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