TIFF: McDormand Dominates in "Three Billboards..."

by Chris Feil

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri unfolds in typical fashion for writer/director Martin McDonagh: unspeakable violence provides a backdrop to profanity of everyday people. Here McDonagh provides us one of his most righteous heroes in Mildred Hayes, a mother grieving the brutal murder of her daughter and the local police’s inability to bring justice. Verbal fireworks and bloody consequence is to be expected.

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'The Shape of Water' wins Venice

 by Murtada

On Saturday night President Annette Bening and her jury, announced their choices at the Venice Film Festival. Guillermo Del Toro’s romantic fantasy The Shape of Water rode its wave of ecstatic reviews all the way to winning the biggest prize, The Golden Lion. More and a complete list of winners after the jump...

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Frances McDormand & McDonagh's "Three Billboards..."

Chris here. Provocateur playwright/filmmaker Martin McDonagh has a new movie coming this year, and like some of his plays the title is a mouthful. Get ready for [deep breath] Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri, about a woman seeking justice for the local authorities' poor handling of her child's death.

What's most exciting about this round of McDonagh acidity is that the typically male-focused writer-director is giving us a female protagonist. And star Frances McDormand is quite a perfect fit to deliver his tricky balance of dry humor, tragedy, and bitter allegory. Her work looks to be a real showcase. Are you already picturing a bleep-heavy Oscar clip? She's surrounded by a solid ensemble which includes Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, and John Hawkes.

It's strange the film has no release date considering we have a full-length trailer, so maybe this one is Cannes bound before awards season? McDonagh won an Oscar for his short Six Shooter before bringing In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths to the screen. This looks like another step up with some gorgeous, brooding visuals and typically ferocious dialogue. Could this be a potential awards player for more than McDormand? Take a look at the first foulmouthed NSFW trailer...

McD²

JA from MNPP here with a little news tidbit to get everybody up and going this morning.

How about the news that writer-director Martin McDonogh (he of In Bruges, always In Bruges) broke yesterday in his lengthy chat with The Guardian, wherein he shared that his next movie will be called Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and it will star the formidable Best Actress winner Frances McDormand - how ya like dem apples?

Franny will play a mother at war with her hometown police after her daughter in murdered; the film is set to shoot early next year. The injection of "dead children" into storytelling does tend towards a downer, mood-wise, but something about these two, McDonagh & McDormand, they make me wonder... we should be wondering what they've got up their sleeves.

I doubt it's that straightforward as it's pretty easy imagining their sleeves stuffed with things tricky sharp and funny, actually. And I'm especially glad Martin's putting a lady front and center (and what a lady!) since Seven Psychopaths got some sausage-fest accusations lobbed its way.

Mostly though, the promise of these two artists coming together just seems immense, doesn't it?I just want it to be that, all that. Good luck, guys.