The Many Delights of "Okja"

Chris here. Have you caught up to Okja on Netflix yet, readers?

The Cannes competition title arrived on the streaming platform this week (and a tiny sampling of theatres), becoming one of its boldest and best pieces of original programming. Bong Joon-ho's satire of the factory farming industry and consumer culture is a stunning blend of tones and ideas, from absurd comedy to tense thriller to heartwarming fable. At its heart, it is truly about a girl and her pet.

Okja is quite a feast for audiences, bursting with delights both unexpected and well-anticipated. The film has naturally proven somewhat divisive already, as anything so go-for-broke typically can be. But let's grant some hosannas for a film of many high points...

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I'll link you again in 25 years...

Cartoon Brew utterly savage (but 100% correct) on the Emoji Movie trailer
LA Review of Books on Netflix's Sense8 as metaphor for Netflix is. (I have no idea
why a book site is  reviewing this but the piece is absolutely terrific)
LA Times talks to Robin Swicord, only now with a second feature (Wakefield) long after the success of The Jane Austen Book Club. Her debut was profitable (always Hollywood's end goal) but Hollywood wouldn't hire her to direct? We've heard this story all too often!

Screen Daily in terrible terrible news they're still not going to let the once genius but totally played out Terminator franchise die and Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron plan to be involved in the next one. Doesn't anyone in Hollywood want to do something original even more? It's not like Cameron couldn't get funding for literally ANYTHING he wanted to do. (sigh)
Film School Rejects on Disney's self cannabilization and the particular folly of trying it with Fantasia
Variety TV is invading Cannes with many auteurs now doing both
Vulture Tilda Swinton and Steven Yeun on making art in the new impossible-to-avoid-politics era
AV Club Janelle Monáe and Leslie Mann are joining Steve Carell in Robert Zemeckis's next film
MNPP Tom Hardy to play Spider-Man villain Venom in a standalone film
Jezebel the only reporting on the Roseanne revival which includes Luis Buñuel asides
Cinematic Corner visual parallels between Logan and Mad Max: Fury Road
Hugh Jackman 'see you soon Japan' - he's still on his Logan promo tour!
Out people are still shook about that shocking Drag Race elimination. (I rewatched it and it's astonishing how furious you can tell RuPaul is at Valentina for making her job so difficult)

Just For Fun
My Giant Nerd Boyfriend "Horror Movies" (I'm absolutely in love with this webcomic about this Asian girl with a super tall boyfriend)
Cards Against Humanity - cool story from the Emerald City comic con floor

Sage Advice
Daily Actor "18 Ways to Self-Tape Like a Pro" - smart ideas here about self-taped auditions (which are increasingly popular

Twin Peaks is here!
Twin Peaks Season 3 begins today so it's probably a good idea to reacquaint yourself with the previous two seasons and Fire Walk With Me. If you don't have time to rewatch them (*raises own hand in solidarity*) there are articles around to jog your memory. Unicorn Booty recaps where several storylines left off at the end of Season 2, and K Austin Allen of The Ringer takes a deep dive into the movie prequel that was honestly kind of reviled back in 1992 but has since grown rather beloved amongst Lynch fans and cinephiles. Perfect anecdotal evidence from my own life: my best friend who was an absolute Twin Peaks nut in the 90s and then hated Fire Walk With Me which we saw together in 1992. I saw him yesterday -- he had just rewatched it was like 'Have you ever watched Fire Walk With Me again? I remember hating it, somehow, but it's incredible!'

Today's 5: Tilda's miraculous Julia, Drew's dangerous Lolita, and more

It's a brand new week. Ready to get this one started with some pizazz? 

Five showbiz anniversaries for May 8th as mood boosters

2009 Julia opens in limited release in the US. It's arguably Tilda Swinton's greatest performance and also as against-type as it comes for the actress who was surprised Erick Zonca thought of her for the motor-mouthed titular sociopath. If you haven't seen it, what in the universe are you waiting for?

In its honor today: Do something totally atypical today, surprise yourself!

1992 Poison Ivy opens in theaters, serving as Drew Barrymore's buzzy "comeback"... yet she was only 17 years old. Child stars grow up fast, y'all...

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Tilda Swinton talks of the nightmares of pigs

by Murtada

Why release a boring old trailer to sell Okja when you can get Tilda Swinton in character as a chilling corporate honcho talking abouts pigs? She’s falsely cheery Lucy Mirando of the Mirando corporation… and she’s trying to sell us something. Organic baking goods, happy pup treats or great tasting tenderloins? Let's find out.

We are definitely sold on Swinton and the movie, even if we want to run away as far as possible from Lucy Mirando. Okja is about a young girl and her best friend, the title character who is a kind big monster pursued by the Mirando Corporation for research, or likely something more sinister. Directed by Bong Joon-ho, its sprawling cast includes, in addition to Swinton,  Ahn Seo-hyun, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, Giancarlo Esposito, Shirley Henderson and Lily Collins. Okja is playing in the main competition at Cannes and will be streaming on Netflix, and perhaps play a few out of the way theaters, on June 28. Are you ready to meet Okja?

Tilda's Two Teasers: War Machine & Okja

Don't bother telling us that Tilda Swinton isn't the lead in these new Netflix movies! She's always a leading lady. Tilda approaches the mic in Okja AND War Machine. The rest is noise but for our worry that no movies with big stars will ever go theatrical again with Netflix around

War Machine premieres on May 26th and Okja premieres June 28th.

P.S. Is this a silver fox look on Brad Pitt or as blonde as Seven Years in Tibet (1997) or is this some mashup of the two?