Here is the final trailer for The Meg 2! I didn’t really care much for the first Meg but this sequel is directed by Ben Wheatley so I’m going to have to see it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iusJPuKgzk&pp=ygUHdHJhaWxlcg%3D%3D
Tag Archives: Ben Wheatley
8 Shots From 8 Films You Should Watch In 2022
4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!
Today is the start of a new year and it’s also a day to start thinking about which film you’re going to discover over the course of the next 12 months! Below are my suggestions for 8 films that, if you haven’t already watched them, you should definitely make time to watch before 2023 rolls around!
8 Shots From 8 Film For 2022
It (1927, dir by Clarence Badger, DP: H. Kinley Martin)
The Rules of Game (1939, dir by Jean Renoir, DP: Jean Bachelet)
Portrait of Jennie (1948, dir by William Dieterle, DP; Joseph H. August)
Chappaqua (1966, dir by Conrad Rooks, DP: Etienne Becker, Robert Frank, and Eugene Schufftan)
An American Hippie in Israel (1972, dir by Amos Sefer, DP: Ya’ackov Kallach)
Strange Behavior (1981, dir by Micahel Laughlin, DP: Louis Horvath)
The Two Orphan Vampires (1997, dir by Jean Rollin, DP: Norbert Marfaing-Sintes)
A Field in England (2013, dir by Ben Wheatley, DP: Laurie Rose)
The Things You Find on Netflix: Rebecca (dir by Ben Wheatley)
Ben Wheatley’s new film, Rebecca, is the second cinematic adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s classic gothic romance. It was first adapted by David O. Selznick and Alfred Hitchcock in 1940. That Rebecca was the only Hitchcock film to win the Oscar for Best Picture, though Hitchcock himself reportedly felt that Rebecca was more indicative of Selznick’s style than his own.
Ben Wheatley, as one might expect from the brilliant director of A Field in England, takes his own idiosyncratic approach to the material. From the start, he gets two things right when he casts Lily James as the second Mrs. de Winter and Armie Hammer as the enigmatic Maxim de Winter. James and Hammer are ideal for these roles because they’re both so achingly pretty that they seem like they belong on the cover of a gothic romance. That’s especially true of Armie Hammer, who has never been that interesting of an actor but who still has the type of chiseled screen presence that makes him ideally suited for roles like the one that he plays here. He’s tall, handsome, a bit dull, and undeniably upper class. He’s an appealing slab of beef and that makes him perfect for the role of Maxim de Winter.
Directing in vibrant color and taking advantage of the fact that the films stars two of the best-looking people working in the movies today, Wheatley brings an erotic charge to the story that was missing from Hitchcock’s more sedate (and Production code-restricted) version of the story. When Maxim and the woman who will became the second Mrs. de Winter embark on their whirlwind romance on the French Riviera, there might as well be a title card that announces, “Yeah, they’re fucking.” There’s nothing subtle about it but, at the same time, it provides a definite contrast to the second part of the film, in which Maxim and Mrs. de Winter return to the grand but chilly mansion of Manderley and Maxim goes from being charming and sensual to being cold and withdrawn.
It’s also at Manderley that we meet Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas), who is obsessed with preserving the memory of Maxim’s first wife, Rebecca. Scott Thomas is perfect casting for Mrs. Danvers. In fact, at first, she seems almost too perfect for the role. She’s so imperious and passive aggressively hostile when we first meet her that I was worried that Scott Thomas wouldn’t be able to bring much more to the role beyond what she had already shown. However, as the film progresses, Scott Thomas turns Danvers into a surprisingly vulnerable character, with the film suggesting that she’s as much of a victim of Rebecca’s toxic legacy as anyone else at Maderley.
Wheatley’s Rebecca is all about the journey of the second Mrs. de Winter and her transformation from being meek and somewhat mousey to being someone who refuses to be cast in anyone else’s shadow. When Maxim says that Mrs. de Winter is no longer the innocent girl that he meet on the Riviera, Maxim is disappointed but Mrs. de Winter is not. By the end of the film, the de Winters resemble none other than Henry and June Miller, searching the world for their place and casting seductive glances at the audience.
Visually, it’s a stunning film. The colors are vibrant. The sets are ornate. The costumes are to die for. That said, the film itself is never quite as engaging as it should be. Despite the strength of the cast, the film still leaves the viewer feelings somewhat detached. It’s all wonderfully produced by the film still feels more like an intellectual exercise than an emotional one. Wheatley is a brilliant filmmaker but, when the second Mrs. de Winter announces that everything she’s been through is worth it because she’s found love, you don’t believe her and you don’t get the feeling that, deep down, Wheatley believes her either. Instead, it’s hard not to feel that this version of Rebecca is a romance that doesn’t believe in love. It’s interesting but it’s not particularly satisfying.
Here’s The Trailer For Ben Wheatley’s Rebecca!
Ben Wheatley is one of the most interesting directors working today. As I’ve stated many times, I consider A Field In England to be one of the best films of the last ten years.
Wheatley’s next film is going to be an adaptation of Daphne du Maurier’s classic gothic tale, Rebecca! Alfred Hitchcock adaptation of du Maurier’s novel was named the Best Picture of 1940. Wheatley’s version has been described as a “modern” updating of the classic story.
Rebecca will be released on Netflix on October 21st and it will star Lily James, Armie Hammer, and Kristin Scott Thomas in the roles that were previously played by Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, and Judith Anderson. Here’s the trailer:
6 Good Films That Were Not Nominated For Best Picture: The 2010s
Concluding our look at good films that were not nominated for best picture, here are 6 films from the 2010s.
Exit Through The Gift Shop (2010, dir by Banksy)
This wonderfully subversive documentary was my second-favorite film of 2010, right behind Black Swan. Was it real or was it all a hoax? In then end, does it matter? This brilliant film definitely deserved to be the first documentary to be nominated for best picture. Instead, sadly enough, it was only nominated for Best Documentary Feature and it lost to the rather boring Inside Job.
Upstream Color (2013, dir by Shane Carruth)
Shane Carruth’s haunting and enigmatic Upstream Color was a film unlike any others. This brilliant film was my favorite of 2013 but, sadly, it was totally snubbed by the Academy.
A Field In England (2014, dir by Ben Wheatley)
Speaking of haunting and enigmatic, A Field In England may not be for everyone but it’s still one of the most memorable films released over the past 6 years. Was it a horror story? Was it a historical heist film? Was it all a hallucination, inspired by eating mushrooms found in the field mentioned in the title? Your guess is as good as mine but you’ll never forget about it, even if the Academy saw fit to snub it.
Calvary (2014, dir by John Michael McDonagh)
This Irish meditation on sin and salvation featured one of Brendan Gleeson’s best performances, a brilliant script, and an unforgettable ending. Sadly, not only was Gleeson snubbed but the Academy ignored the rest of the film as well. Still, it’s one of the best films ever made about being Catholic and Irish in the 21st Century.
Carol (2015, dir by Todd Haynes)
How this film was not nominated for best picture, I’ll never understand. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara have never been better. This is a moving and poignant film about two women who, in the end, refuse to allow society to dictate who they are and who they love.
American Honey (2016, dir Andrea Arnold)
In American Honey, Andrea Arnold creates an unforgettable portrait of life on the fringes and she gets a star-making performance from Sasha Lane, as well. Even Shia LaBeouf is tolerable in this film! American Honey was perhaps too long and, narratively, too loose for the Academy’s a taste. That’s a shame because American Honey is a film that future historians will look at when they want to know what America was like in 2016.
And that concludes our look at good films that were not nominated for best picture! Enjoy the Oscars, everyone!
Film Review: Free Fire (dir by Ben Wheatley)
Last night, I saw Free Fire, the latest film from the visionary British directing-and-screenwriting team of Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump.
Free Fire takes place in Boston in the 1970s. We know it’s the 70s because of all the wide lapels, the flared jeans, and the impressive facial hair. In short, everyone looks like an extra from Thank God, It’s Friday. Note that I said Thank God, It’s Friday and not Saturday Night Fever. None of the characters in Free Fire could pull off John Travolta’s white suit. As much as they try to pretend otherwise, everyone in this film is low rent. No one is as clever or street smart as they believe themselves to be. Even more importantly, no one is as good a shot as they think.
The film takes place in a decrepit warehouse, the type of place that is strewn with rats and hypodermic needles. Chris (Cillian Murphy), Frank (Michael Smiley), Steve-O (Sam Riley), and Bernie (Enzo Cilenti) are members of the Irish Republican Army and they’ve come to the U.S. to purchases weapons. Chris and Frank are no-nonsense professionals. Bernie is a well-meaning moron. Steve-O is a drug addict who, the previous night, got beaten up after he smashed a bottle across the face of a 17 year-old girl.
Working as intermediaries are Justine (Brie Larson) and Ord (Armie Hammer). Justine specializes in keeping jumpy people calm. She and Chris flirt as they wait for the guns to arrive. As for Ord — well, let’s just say that Ord was my favorite character in the film. He’s always calm. He looks really good in a suit. And, whenever things get intense, he’s always quick to light up a joint and make a sarcastic comment. This is probably the best performance of Armie Hammer’s career so far. (Or, at the very least, it’s the best performance of his that I’ve seen. I hear that he gives an excellent performance in the upcoming Call Me By Your Name.) Certainly, this is the first film that I’ve seen, since The Social Network, in which Hammer seemed to be truly worthy of the hype that has surrounded his career.
Finally, there’s the gun dealers themselves. There’s Martin (Babou Ceesay), who seems to be fairly low-key professional. There’s Gordon (Noah Taylor), who is a henchman who looks disconcertingly similar to Chris. And then there’s Vernon, who is from South Africa and who is constantly talking and smiling. Not surprisingly, Vernon is played by Sharlto Copley. Finally, Harry (Jack Reynor) is a driver who desperately wants to impress Ord. Harry loves John Denver and he also loves his cousin. In fact, he loves his cousin so much that, when he recognizes Steve-O as the junkie who smashed a bottle across her face, Harry pulls a gun and starts firing.
The rest of the film deals with the resulting gun fight, which is complicated with two mysterious snipers (Patrick Bergin and Mark Monero) suddenly open fire on both of the groups. Who hired them and why? That’s a mystery that could be solved if everyone stops shooting and yelling at each other. Of course, that’s not going to happen because 1) no one is a good enough shot to actually get the upper hand and 2) almost everyone in the warehouse is an idiot.
At it’s best, Free Fire mercilessly parodies the excessive violence of modern crime cinema. When it comes to crime films, most people just remember the shoot outs so Free Fire takes things to their logical extreme by just being a 90-minute gun fight. At its weakest, Free Fire occasionally becomes exactly what it’s parodying. The film’s structure — one night in one location — proves to be limiting. At times, you find yourself really wishing for a flashback or at least a little exposition to explain who everyone is outside of that warehouse. The cast is full of good actors and they all give good performances but the characters are, at best, thinly drawn. At times, it was difficult to keep track who was who. I especially found myself mixing up Michel Smiley and Sharlto Copely. It was all the facial hair.
About 30 minutes into Free Fire, I was already composing a bad review in my head but, by the final shot (and yes, the double meaning is totally intentional), Free Fire had won me over. It’s an experiment that doesn’t really work but it’s so relentless and dedicated to seeing its story to its conclusion that I couldn’t help but appreciate the film’s efforts. When the guns finally did stop firing and the end credits started, I was shocked to discover that, without even realizing it, I actually had gotten just a little caught up in the film’s story.
Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump previously gave us one of the most memorable films of the decade (so far), A Field in England. Free Fire might not quite work but I’ll always make the time to see the latest from Wheatley and Jump.
Here’s The Red Band Trailer For Free Fire!
Hi, everyone!
When Jeff and I went to see Logan on Thursday night, one of the many trailers that played before the film was this red band one for Free Fire. Free Fire is an action comedy, one that I think is meant to satirize the ultra violent heist films of the 90s and early aughts. Seriously, there are parts of this trailer that should make Guy Ritchie cringe.
That said, this trailer is also about a minute too long. At first, everyone in the theater thought it was kind of funny but then, around the two minute mark, the yawns started to kick in. “Are they just going to shoot at each other for the entire trailer?” someone asked.
The answer is yes. And you know what? The trailer probably doesn’t do Free Fire justice because this movie was directed by Ben Wheatley and I’m still having dreams inspired by his oddly hypnotic A Field in England. I’ll follow him anywhere!
Free Fire has a March 31st release date in the UK and an April 21st release date in the States.
Anyway, here’s the red band trailer for Free Fire!
4 Shots From 4 Films: Inland Empire, Borgman, A Field In England, Goodbye to Language
4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films is all about letting the visuals do the talking.
Inland Empire (2006, dir by David Lynch)
Borgman (2013, dir by Alex van Warmerdam)
A Field in England (2013, dir by Ben Wheatley)
Goodbye to Language (2014, dir by Jean-Luc Godard)
For Your Consideration #1: A Field In England (dir by Ben Wheatley)
With this being awards season, a lot of attention is being given to a small handful of films. That’s not necessarily a bad thing because I love some of those films. However, with all the focus being some narrowly directed, we run the risk of forgetting that Boyhood, Birdman, and Whiplash weren’t the only memorable films released this year. With that in mind, I’ve decided to post 10 quick reviews of some other films that, if I was in charge of things, would be given some awards consideration.
We start things off with Ben Wheatley’s haunting and psychedelic period piece, A Field In England.
As you might be able to tell from the above trailer, A Field In England is not necessarily an easy film to describe. The film takes place in the 17th Century, during the English Civil War. Reece Shearsmith plays Whitehead, who is an apprentice to a never-seen alchemist known as The Gentleman of Norwich. Fleeing from a raging battle, Whitehead meets three deserters, Cutler (Ryan Pope), Jacob (Peter Ferdinando), and Friend (Richard Glover). Cutler offers to lead them to a nearby ale house but instead, he takes them to a desolate field where Cutler secretly drugs them with hallucinogenic mushrooms and then demands that they pull on a rope that appears to be attached to a stake in the middle of the ground. Pulling on the rope leads to the sudden appearance of Cutler’s boss, the haughty and sadistic O’Neill (Michael Smiley).
O’Neill, it turns out, is also in some way connected to the Gentleman of Norwich. He claims that there is a treasure buried in the field and only Whitehead — as the apprentice to an alchemist — will be able to find it. At first, Whitehead refuses to help O’Neill but then O’Neill takes Whitehead into a tent and does …. well, he does something. The film never makes explicit what happens in that tent and the result is one of the most hauntingly disturbing scenes that I’ve ever seen.
And from there, things only get stranger. Jacob and Friend are forced to dig for the treasure while Whitehead consumes more and more mushrooms. The characters occasionally freeze in place, creating a painterly tableaux. A character dies and then repeatedly returns to life. Most ominously of all, a black sun appears in the sky, seeming to grow with each new outrage.
Obviously, A Field in England is not a film for everyone. That’s what makes it a truly memorable and brave cinematic experience. At a time when so many movies are ruthlessly designed to take absolutely no risks, A Field In England is willing to run the risk of being incomprehensible. However, the film itself is so well-directed and acted and the black-and-white cinematography is so hauntingly gorgeous that it doesn’t matter whether or not it makes any sense. In fact, after a while, you start to truly love the fact that it does not. This is pure cinema and therefore, it’s exactly the type of film that not only deserves but demands to be seen and honored.
Unfortunately, it’s also a film that has been ruled ineligible for any Oscar nominations, which is a pity. However, regardless of what the Academy may say, it still deserves the consideration of film lovers everywhere.
Song of the Day: Chernobyl (performed by Blanck Mass)
Have you seen Ben Wheatley’s A Field In England yet?
If you haven’t, you really should. It’s just now getting an extremely limited theatrical release here in the States, though it’s also available via video-on-demand as well. I saw it earlier tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse (which is the greatest theater in the U.S., by the way) and I’m still working out my feelings towards it. It appears to be a film about a criminal, an alchemist, and a group of military deserters who, during the mid-17th Century, find themselves in an English field searching for a treasure that may or may not exist, while some of them have visions that may or may not be real.
Regardless of whether you think A Field In England is brilliant or just pretentious (and I think a good argument could be made for either conclusion), everyone can agree that one of the more memorable scenes in the film is the “tent scene”. You can watch the scene below, though it definitely loses something when taken out of context from the rest of the film.
The song playing as that unfortunate man walks out of that tent is Blanck Mass’s Chernobyl. And it’s also today’s song of the day!
Through the Shattered Lens 