Venice Diary #04 - "The Whale" is a major contender

by Elisa Giudici

As festival goers, we are always waiting for that moment in which we can clearly perceive a film moving into a territory of absolute excellence, far above the norm. It's a sensation that is rare and powerful, and the only response is to shout superlative and add to the hype. I'm happy to report that the new Darren Aronofsky feature, The Whale, is one of those gigantic achievements...

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Venice at Home – Day 4: Politics & Portraiture

by Cláudio Alves

With the fourth day of festivities, conversations about who's a contender for the Golden Lion start to blossom here and there. While the critical response hasn't been unanimous, Laura Poitras' All the Beauty and the Bloodshed could be a future prizewinner. Speaking of Venetian trophies, the last time Andrea Pallaoro competed, Charlotte Rampling won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress. His new film, Monica, has elicited muted responses, but hope is everlasting for its impressive cast led by Trace Lysette and Patricia Clarkson. Finally, Argentina, 1985 reunites director Santiago Mitre with actor Ricardo Darín for a prestigious historical drama that will get its streaming premiere on Amazon Prime Video this October.

For this project's purpose, let's remember when Poitras met Snowden, when Pallaoro led Rampling to Venice gold, and Mitre's first time directing Darín… 

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Venice Diary #03 - Unstoppable Women from Isabelle Huppert to Nan Goldin

by Elisa Giudici

BONES AND ALL

The women in the four movies screened today are truly formidable. They're capable of eating their enemies alive -- one quite literally as in Guadagnino’s latest Bones and all. Two more are fighting conventional portraits of females as weak. The last is living an extraordinary life and using her power as an artist to expose rich capitalist shenanigans. What a quartet...

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Venice Gowns (and Pants) '22, Round 2

by Nathaniel R

online polls

Tessa Thompson and Jodie Turner-Smith continued to bring the DRAMA (all caps intended) and rising star Taylor Russell (Waves, Bones and All)  joined them in boldness. Meanwhile Maude Apatow went classic, Chloe Sevigny went short, Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education) was doing a polka dot theme all day including this gown. And last but not least, Timothée Chalamet and Cate Blanchett knew exactly what to wear to keep people talking. So which was your favourite?

Venice at Home – Day 3: From Galleries to Gangsters

by Cláudio Alves

Day 3 at the Venice Film festival finds a nonfiction master dipping his foot into the murky waters of fictionalized narrative. Frederick Wiseman's A Couple purports to dramatize the correspondence between Leo Tolstoy and his wife, starring Nathalie Boutefeu, working from a script made from documented letters. Elsewhere in the official competition, Luca Guadagnino helms Bones & All, a cannibal romance starring Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell. Finally, Romain Gavras brings Athena to the festivities, working alongside Ladj Ly, who co-wrote the film.

As we wait for these movies to become more readily available, let's consider their directors' previous works, including an ode to museums, a fashionable short, and a Scarface revision…

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