The Year That Was: 2014 in Film

Check out ALL of the PDC end of year lists!

Review: Ava DuVernay's 'Selma'

Starring David Oyelowo

Review: Rob Marshall's 'Into The Woods'

Starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Anna Kendrick

Tim Burton's 'Big Eyes'

Starring Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams

Showing posts with label mia wasikowska. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mia wasikowska. Show all posts

Monday, January 19, 2015

Trailer for Omnibus 'The Turning' with Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Hugo Weaving, and More


Omnibus films have always had a hard time finding an audience, no matter the amount of big names that may be attached. Case in point the Australian anthology film The Turning, which features performances by Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Rose Byrne, Hugo Weaving, and Miranda Otto, along with segments directed by David Wenham, Mia Wasikowska, and Justin Kurzel. Completed in 2013, it still hasn't secured a U.S. date but has a new trailer ahead of its U.K. release.

Based on the short stories of Tim Winton, The Turning tells ten interweaving stories largely centered on the troubled Lang family. Here's the official synopsis:

Ten stories interweave in their respective narratives, creating an intriguing and twisting central plot-line that often centres around the enigmatic members of the Lang family, each consumed by their shared pasts.

The Turning explores the impact of past on present, how the seemingly random incidents that change and shape us can never be escaped or let go of. All of the stories are bound together by recurring themes; the passing of time, regret, addiction and obsession.

A 90-minute broadcast version aired in Australia early last year, but the cut headed to theaters elsewhere would presumably run the full 180 minutes. The Turning opens in the UK on February 6th.

Monday, January 5, 2015

New Pics of Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska in Guillermo Del Toro's 'Crimson Peak'


This past weekend saw the release of another low-budget, low expectations horror in The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (review here); pretty much how the first weekend has been over the last few years. And while there promises to be plenty more meager genre efforts throughout 2015, one should have fans of Gothic horror pretty damn excited. A couple of weeks ago we got the first look at Jessica Chastain  in Guillermo Del Toro's Crimson Peak, and now it's time to check out more of the haunted house flick's cast. 

These new images give us the first look at Mia Wasikowska and Tom Hiddleston in the horror-romance which also co-stars Pacific Rim's Charlie Hunnam. Here's Empire's  synopsis:  A young woman (Wasikowska) is swept off by her feet by a charismatic suitor (Hiddleston) and taken back to his ancestral home. There she finds more than she bargained for, including a jealous sister (Chastain) and more than a few skeletons in the closet.

I happened to catch a good chunk of footage at Comic-Con and the most impressive thing is how visually striking the film is. It's closer in look to Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth than anything he's done recently, but even creepier if you can believe it. Crimson Peak opens October 16th. 




Tuesday, December 9, 2014

15 Actresses Deserving of Oscars Attention (But Probably Won't Get It)


The other day one of my fellow critics in WAFCA asked who I thought the best supporting contenders ought to be this year, and they were shocked... SHOCKED I tell you, when Meryl Streep's name wasn't mentioned for Into the Woods. Well, why would it be? Why would I mention her when there are so many others who were better than her this year who, sadly, won't get any kind of attention because their last name isn't Streep. Come to think of it, I complained about the same thing last year while compiling this list. Unfortunately, sh*t never changes.

Here is a list of my favorite female performances of 2014 that probably won't get a sniff of Oscars buzz, or just may have been overlooked in general. Because we're still pretty early in the season that meant leaving some names off I'd normally put on, such as Marion Cotillard for Two Days, One Night, Carrie Coon for Gone Girl, or Renee Russo for Nightcrawler, because there's still a chance they'll get in. I also would have included Rinko Kikuchi for the odd Fargo-esque dramedy Kumiko the Treasure Hunter, but it doesn't officially come out until next February despite being nominated for an Indie Spirit Award. Whatever. One thing I'm happy about is that my list skews crazy young, with most of the actresses stars on the rise or just beginning to break out into their own. And no, I didn't pick any of these women because they're hot. That list comes later. So let's just get right to it, and look out for the rest of our "Best Of" breakdowns all month!

 Tessa Thompson- Dear White People



Charlotte Gainsbourg- Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 & 2




Carla Juri- Wetlands



Jenny Slate- Obvious Child


Emily Blunt- Edge of Tomorrow




Shailene Woodley- The Fault in Our Stars




Kristen Stewart- Camp X-Ray




Emily Browning- God Help the Girl



Tilda Swinton- Only Lovers Left Alive



Michelle Monaghan- Fort Bliss



Mia Wasikowska- Tracks




Kaitlyn Dever- Men, Women & Children



Juliette Binoche- A Thousand Times Good Night



Agata Trzebuchowska- Ida




Rosario Dawson- Top Five

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Review: 'Tracks' starring Mia Wasikowska and Adam Driver



An adaptation of Robyn Davidson's inspiring memoir, Tracks, has been in the works longer than its star Mia Wasikowska has been alive. So it's a little unfortunate that after such a long wait it arrives at the same time as the Oscar-hopeful Wild, which stars Reese Witherspoon in a similar tale based on another best-selling memoir. But Tracks is its own film, and a visually arresting one thanks to the direction of underrated filmmaker John Curran (The Painted Veil) who captures the beauty and danger of the Australian Outback. Paired with the personal fortitude of Wasikowska's performance, this is a film that will satisfy those who have been anxious to see Davidson's story depicted on screen, even if it's not quite the life-changing experience it could have been.

In 1975 at the height of the feminist movement, Davidson arrived in the eyeblink town of Alice Springs in Australia with a plan to secure some camels and make the 1700-mile journey across the Outback. Davidson wasn't trying to make any kind of statement, though. When asked why she would make such a dangerous trek, she replied "Why not?” "Why not", indeed. It's an opponent to be conquered, an obstacle to be overcome; that much we know and other explorers have given the same excuse for the life-threatening tasks they've undertaken. However the enigmatic nature of her response doesn't give us much to connect with in a film that is more of a character study than harrowing adventure.

That's not to say Davidson's journey isn't fraught with peril and hardships, it's just that the screenplay by Curran and Marion Nelson takes an understated approach to depicting it. When Davidson arrived in Alice Springs she had nothing, and had to work for years to acquire the camels she needed. Eventually, and with the help of some men who thought she was just a crazy "camel lady", she gained four of the beasts and alongside her loyal dog Diggity sets out into the harsh wildlands. We don't get much in the way of a backstory, except in brief flashbacks scattered throughout like trail markers. There's loss in Davidson's past and uncomfortableness around people. She's more at home around animals, forging a quick bond with the camels that others barely understand. But mostly we learn about her caring nature through her connection with Diggity, the dog who has probably been her one lasting companion through life. He's with her through thick and thin here, as well; enduring a blistering sandstorm, wild camel attacks, and much more.

Human connections are few and due to the very nature of the story it can start to become a plodding slog, but things pick up every time Adam Driver, who plays awkward National Geographic photographer Rick Smolan, arrives to heat things up. To secure the financing needed to make the trip, Davidson agreed to meet up with Smolan so he could document her progress in photos. The images he would shoot would become a global sensation, drawing exactly the kind of attention Davidson didn't want. She didn't much care for Smolan's presence, either, but the two get closer and he becomes a reliable connection to the outside world she was so anxious to leave. It's the continuation of Driver broadening range as a passionate leading man, something he rarely has a chance to show wallowing on HBO's Girls. But this film belongs to Wasikowska, and she excels through what must have been a grueling production. One of the reasons Tracks has taken so long to get made was Davidson's insistence it be an Australian production through and through, and Wasikowska's tough, determined performance makes the wait worth it. It's hard to imagine how this would have looked if Julia Roberts played Davidson as was the original plan.

Tragedy and unexpected humor complicate or lighten Davidson's walkabout. The arrival of an Aboriginal tour guide brings a much-needed dose of comedy, and but mostly the film is as deadly serious as the landscape. Shot with a bare minimum of fuss by cinematographer Mandy Walker (who also filmed Baz Luhrmann's Australia), the terrain has never looked so beautiful or deadly. To see it one can almost understand why Davidson would risk everything to be out there, but her actual motivations remain elusive. Tracks is one of the most gorgeous movies you'll see this year and Wasikowska perfectly embodies Davidson's unique strength of character, we just need to learn of where that strength emanates from.

 Rating: 3 out of 5

Thursday, September 11, 2014

New Trailer for David Cronenberg's 'Maps to the Stars' Goes a Little Crazy


Julianne Moore won Best Actress at Cannes for her performance in David Cronenberg's Hollywood drama Maps to the Stars, and the film has received strong reviews elsewhere, as well. So does that mean we'll be seeing it in time for the Oscars? Uh, no. The distributor eOne gave the U.S. rights over to Focus World who are considering a digital-only release some time in 2015, putting it effectively out of the awards race. Oh well. The film still looks like a terrific slicing up of celebrity culture, with Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack, Robert Pattinson, Sarah Gadon, and Olivia Williams joining Moore in giving top notch performances. And considering what Cusack has been doing lately that's a pretty big deal.  Here's the synopsis followed by a brand new trailer ahead of its release in Canada on October 31st.

With this tale of a secret-filled Hollywood family on the verge of implosion, award-winning director David Cronenberg forges both a wicked social satire and a very human ghost story from our celebrity-obsessed culture. From a screenplay by acclaimed author, screenwriter and West Coast chronicler Bruce Wagner, and featuring an ensemble cast that includes Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack, Robert Pattinson, Olivia Williams and Sarah Gadon, MAPS TO THE STARS tours the seductive allure and the tender, darkly comic underbelly of contemporary success.

Monday, August 11, 2014

New Trailer for David Cronenberg's 'Maps to the Stars' with Robert Pattinson


Considering how far away the Twilight cast have tried to get from the spotlight one could be led to believe they didn't enjoy the experience. In the case of Robert Pattinson he has been taking on roles in movies that seem specifically designed to keep his fanbase away, and he's done a pretty good job because few turned out to see stuff like Bel Ami, The Rover, and Cosmopolis. But that hasn't stopped auteurs from reaching out to him, and his latest film Maps to the Stars is a reunion with his Cosmopolis director, David Cronenberg.

A new trailer for Maps to the Stars has been released and it's easy to see why this was such a favorite at Cannes earlier this year. Pattinson stars alongside Julianne Moore (honored at Cannes with Best Actress), Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack, and Sarah Gadon, in a send-up of Hollywood and celebrity culture in general. Here's the official synopsis:

The Weiss family is the archetypical Hollywood dynasty: father Sanford is an analyst and coach, who has made a fortune with his self-help manuals; mother Christina mostly looks after the career of their son Benjie, 13, a child star.
  
One of Sanford’s clients, Havana, is an actress who dreams of shooting a remake of the movie that made her mother, Clarice, a star in the ’60s. Clarice is dead now and visions of her come to haunt Havana at night. Adding to the toxic mix, Benjie has just come off a rehab program he joined when he was 9 and his sister, Agatha, has recently been released from a sanatorium where she was treated for criminal pyromania… 

Maps to the Stars has yet to gain a domestic date but opens in the UK on September 26th. 


Maps To The Stars UK TRAILER 1 (2014) - Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson Movie HD. by Buzz Films

Friday, May 9, 2014

Review: 'The Double' Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska


It's so refreshing to see a director fully embrace a story's quirks, to dive head on into the weirdness while pulling the audience under with him. Richard Ayoade's follow-up to the charming and under seen coming-of-age comedy Submarine turns out to be a surreal and bizarre update of Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Double, and it's safe to say there aren't too many films like it anywhere.

The despairing, icy world Ayoade fashions would be the stuff of nightmares if it wasn't also absurdly humorous. That duality is also inherent in Jesse Eisenberg's performance as Simon James, a forgettable office worker in some sort of weird steampunk office in an indeterminate location in an indeterminate time. His workplace is retro yet like something from the Jetsons; it's all buttons, control panels, and clunky oversized machinery. Simon is seen as a rising star in the data processing business, although nobody seems to really know his name, especially not his boss (Wallace Shawn) or the security guard who can barely recognize his face. It's a depressingly rote existence of work, boring nights in his cramped apartment, and occasional visits to his mother at an assisted living home. Even she considers him a disappointment.

But if there's an oasis in the routine it comes from Hannah (Mia Wasikowska), the office copy girl who seems to have some of the same issues as Simon. Both are struck by loneliness and emptiness, comparing themselves to Pinocchio. Simon's wish their fragile connection would turn into love is hamstrung by his introverted nature, but somebody else is ready to make the move he won't. Unfortunately, that person is his exact duplicate, a doppelganger named James Simon who shows up at work one day and turns the place upside down. He's the polar opposite of Simon in every way; the other workers love him, he's aggressively commanding and sexual towards women while lazy at his job. Worse, nobody notices how they look exactly alike. It isn't long before James starts getting the recognition Simon could never achieve, and even begins dating Hannah...along with a number of other women.

Simon is eventually compelled to try and reclaim his life, but of course nobody will listen to him, driving him further into paranoia and madness. The conflict within Simon is wonderfully captured by Eisenberg in a slight twist on his usual awkwardness, while he gets to show flexibility as the edgier James. He gets a lot of help from a terrific supporting cast of character actors. Wallace Shawn brings his usual pep as Simon's clueless boss, while Cathy Moriarty, Noah Taylor, and Paddy Considine (as a TV superhero!) and Submarine's Craig Roberts help round out this oddly-shaped little film. Wasikowska makes the most out of a fairly understated role, making you feel something for her quiet desperation, her yearning for a more exciting life that doesn't really seem possible for anybody.

In only his second feature, Ayoade has already established a unique visual flair, and he expresses the torment within Simon's soul in every single frame. Duality can be seen everywhere with Ayoade using parallel framing and the like to construct a claustrophobic yet engaging netherworld. Co-written by Ayoade and Avi Korine (that last name sound familiar? Yep, it's Harmony Korine's bro), the story leaps beyond a premise that could be its own worst enemy by presenting a bevy of ideas about the loss of one's sense of self. However, the script labors to make these ideas clear without dull, unnecessary exposition. It's the only thing that distracts from a bold and uncommon experience, one that establishes Ayoade as a filmmaker with a fresh, singular voice.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Review: Jim Jarmusch's 'Only Lovers Left Alive' Starring Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton



Only Lovers Left Alive is exactly the type of vampire movie one would expect from Jim Jarmusch. The eclectic and weird have always been his bailiwick, and he gets to indulge in both while paying reverence to the artistic misfits and outsiders he's always felt such a deep kinship. That the film is also slow moving and seemingly never-ending can be forgiven because of the director's signature cool, surrealist style and the performances by Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton that are never less than intriguing.

We've never seen a vampire movie quite like this before, and that reason alone makes Only Lovers Left Alive worth the experience. Adam (Hiddleston) and Eve (Swinton) are centuries-long vampire lovers, separated at the beginning of the film for unknown reasons. Adam is an underground rocker of some renown, living rather ironically in the heart of Motown; Detroit the birthplace of soul music occupied by the literally soulless. The eons of existence have worn Adam down to the point of depression; so much that not even his vintage guitars can pull him out of it. Meanwhile, Eve is in Tangier hanging out with her old friend Christopher Marlowe (John Hurt, and yes it's the Marlowe you think it is) who can get his hands on the purest blood in the world. Sensing her mate's despair, Eve hurries to his side under the cover of night in hopes of pulling him out of the vampire dumps.

Droll yet visually intoxicating, the film is merely a chance for Jarmusch to luxuriate in everything from classic rock, to art, and architecture. Adam harps on the presence of zombies (a derogatory term for humans) who have no respect for the past, while Eve indulges in her return to America. One scene has them visiting the home of musician Jack White, with Adam telling a tale of the rocker's ascendence to greatness. Truthfully, there isn't much of a story here at all other than Jarmusch's usual musings. That is until Mia Wasikowska turns up as Eve's frollicking, meddlesome sister Ava, who turns their world upside down. She's not around long, but she gives the story a much needed injection of danger and mischief. All of the high-minded references and name-drops will strike some as pretentious, but to those who are up on what Jarmusch is laying down, they'll be worth a knowing chuckle or two.

Jarmusch may take his sweet time getting around to it, but ultimately Only Lovers Left Alive is about the strain of eternal love and the value of our shared artistic history. It may not be for everyone, but this is a vampire film that at least has some blood coursing through its veins.



Monday, April 14, 2014

*UPDATE* Two Trailers for David Cronenberg's 'Maps to the Stars'



*UPDATE* A second, NSFW trailer has been added that I think is far more coherent than the one from last night. It's also much sexier and more chatty, resembling Cosmopolis in that way.*

David Cronenberg may be the master of the body horror, but of late he's been slicing up the psychology of people in A Dangerous Method and Cosmopolis. For his next film, Maps to the Stars, Cronenberg takes on perhaps his nastiest subject yet, exploring the corrupt and twisted psyche of Hollywood royalty.

Starring his newfound muse, Robert Pattinson, along with Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, John Cusack, Olivia Williams, and Sarah Gadon, the film follows the Weiss family, who all come with their share of unique personal demons. The father is a writer of self-help manuals, the mother steers the career of their 13-year-old son, while the other kids are getting out of rehab programs. And then there's Havana, who hopes to be an actress and star in a remake of the film that made her deceased mother famous.

It's hard to tell what's going on here but this is Cronenberg and no trailer is going to fully encapsulate what he's trying to get across.



«Maps to the stars» - второй трейлер by Only_Robert

Monday, March 10, 2014

Mia Wasikowska Battles the Australian Outback in New 'Tracks' Trailer


There hasn't been a ton of buzz surrounding Tracks, the latest film from director John Curran (The Painted Veil), but what there has been is praise for Mia Wasikowska's performance. She plays the real-life Robyn Davidson, who set out on a life-changing trek, along with four camels and her trusty dog, across 2000 miles of the Australian Outback. Why does she decide to do it? Well, as she puts it, "Why not?" Sounds like as good a reason as any.

A new trailer has been released and it suggests a powerful, moving experience with Wasikowska taking on another tough female lead character. She's becoming quite good at that, really. We also get a look at co-star Adam Driver, a rising star in his own right, as the photographer accompanying her on the journey and becomes her lover for a time.

To me this looks like Oscar material, and I wouldn't be surprised if Weintein holds it until later in the year. Tracks is scheduled to hit the UK next month.


Sunday, March 9, 2014

New Trailer for Jim Jarmusch's 'Only Lovers Left Alive'


Jim Jarmusch's vampire romance Only Lovers Left Alive has been hitting practically every festival since last year, and it'll be heading to SXSW next. The film stars Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Anton Yelchin, Mia Wasikowska, Jeffrey Wright, John Hurt, and centers on an artistic, reclusive vampire couple reunited just as her sister arrives and turns things upside down. While that sounds interesting on its own, especially with that cast, it's just a different packaging for Jarmusch to explore the topics he frequently covers: music, art, and technology. A new trailer has been released giving us one more look at what should be the coolest vampire movie this year. Sorry, Vampire Academy fans.

Only Lovers Left Alive opens April 11th.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Eisenberg vs. Eisenberg in New Trailer for 'The Double'


Doppelgangers are definitely in right now, and while Denis Villeneuve and Jake Gyllenhaal's Enemy is a total creep-fest, The Double seems to be offering something lighter...but still quite weird. Directed by Richard Ayoade (Submarine) and starring Jesse Eisenberg in twin roles, the film centers on Simon James, an inconsequential office worker who discovers he has a more aggressive, more confident double named James Simon. He proceeds to take over Simon's world, even moving in on the woman (Mia Wasikowska) he's been crushing on.

Although we've seen quite a bit already, yet another trailer has been released and it may be the best one yet. Funny, with a slippery offbeat tone, it still holds a darker edge that should make it one of the more interesting movies to come out this year. Co-starring Chris O'Dowd, Sally Hawkins, Wallace Shawn, Yasmine Page, and Noah Taylor, The Double opens May 9th.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

New Full Trailer for 'The Double' Starring Jesse Eisenberg


If it seems like we've been seeing a lot of Richard Ayoade's The Double, it's because we have. After a number of teasers, including the "Two Snakes" footage released just a few days ago, now the first proper trailer has been released for the doppelganger flick starring Jesse Eisenberg and....Jesse Eisenberg.

Based loosely on Dostoyevsky's novella, the film has Eisenberg as Simon James, an introverted man whose life begins to crumble when his exact duplicate begins to make its presence felt. As the more confident version of himself begins to take over, looking to steal his job and the girl he loves, Simon must fight back to reclaim his life.

Co-starring Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, and Noah Taylor, The Double opens May 9th.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Two Sides of Jesse Eisenberg in New Trailer for 'The Double'


One of the films I sadly missed at Sundance was The Double, Richard Ayoade's doppelganger tale starring Jesse Eisenberg in a dual role. Based on the Fyodor Dostoevsky novella, the story follows the shy and unimpressive Simon James who discovers he has a perfect double out there, and it's one who is more charismatic, more aggressive, more everything than he could ever hope to be.

A new "2 Snakes" trailer has been released, playing off the duality in not only the lead character, but the film's spooky-comedic tone. Mia Wasikowska plays the love interest at the heart of the story, who finds herself caught between the warring duo. Wallace Shawn, Noah Taylor, and Yasmine Page, and James Fox make for a strong supporting cast for Eisenberg to play off of.

The Double opens on May 9th.

Monday, January 13, 2014

New Teaser for Jim Jarmusch's 'Only Lovers Left Alive'


Not every film headed to Sundance in a couple of days is a premiere, or one looking for distribution. Some have been already made the rounds and have release dates firmly in place, such as Jim Jarmusch's vampire romance, Only Lovers Left Alive. Debuting at Cannes last year it's been met with enthusiastic response, especially for stars Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, and could be something of a sleeper when it opens in a couple of months.

A brief UK teaser has been released before it hits the snowy climes of Park City, and besides the fangs and blood, there seems to be a pretty introspective look at a number of different subjects dear to Jarmusch's heart. Hiddleston and Swinton play long-lived vampire lovers reunited after years apart, only to have their reunion interrupted by the arrival of her sister, played by Mia Wasikowska.

Co-starring Anton Yelchin, Jeffrey Wright, and John Hurt, Only Lovers Left Alive opens in the UK on February 21st, and here in the U.S. on April 11th.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Mia Wasikowska Faces her Fear in First 'Tracks' Trailer


There are a couple of movies on the way about women looking to move past their troubles lives by walking thousands of miles. Reese Witherspoon is starring in Wild, based on Cheryl Strayed's memoir about her 1100 mile trek along the Oregon Trail. But one that has already hit the festival circuit is Tracks, which stars Mia Wasikowska as Robyn Davidson, who in 1977 rounded up her dog and four camels to make the 2000 mile hike across the Australian outback. Even with Wasikowska starring and John Curran (The Painted Veil) at the helm, response to the film has been mixed to say the least, but the first trailer suggests a powerful, moving experience.

Backed by M83's 'Outro', the trailer captures the gorgeous Australian landscapes, while Wasikowska's sun-baked visage makes for an especially powerful image. Adam Driver co-stars as a photographer for National Geographic chronicling her journey, with his article providing the inspiration for her book.

Tracks opens in Australia next March but has yet to gain a U.S. date. Get on it, Weinstein.

Friday, November 22, 2013

'Alice in Wonderland 2' Gets 2016 Date; Johnny Depp & Mia Wasikowska to Return


Just as Disney hasn't wasted any time securing far off release dates for their Marvel properties, they're doing the same thing for the sequel to Tim Burton's $1B-grossing Alice in Wonderland. Burton won't be back for this one, though, with James Bobin (The Muppets) taking over, and while it took awhile for a deal to get worked out it appears that Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska will be back. And now that the pieces are in place, Disney will send Alice in Wonderland 2 down the rabbit hole on May 27th 2016.

As for plot details? Well, who knows what original writer Linda Woolverton will come up with to keep Depp in crazy hair and hats. Speaking of which, this news probably means we won't see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales until possibly late 2016 or 2017.

A couple of other release dates: Disney has set Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book for October 9th 2015, and Ron Howard's In the Heart of the Sea will set sail on March 13th 2015 because that year isn't busy enough.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Bluesy First Trailer for 'The Double' Starring Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska


The last film from Brit writer/director Richard Ayoade was the charming, Wes Anderson-inspired coming of age comedy Submarine, and while it was met with great critical acclaim it didn't do much here at the box office. His attempt to break through to American audiences as an actor in Ben Stiller's sci-fi comedy The Watch didn't exactly work out because the film was so awful, and thankfully Ayoade jumped right back behind the camera for an adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Double.

Just a day before it's due to premiere in Toronto, the first trailer for The Double has been released, and it's an all around bluesy, eerie affair. Jesse Eisenberg stars in the psychological flick as a man who slowly loses his mind by the appearance of his doppelganger, who happens to be bolder, aggressive, and well-liked than he ever was. The footage doesn't really show us much other than Eisenberg emphatically walking while the supporting cast of Mia Wasikowska, Wallace Shawn, and Noah Taylor flash by.

No release date for The Double has been set but that could change if the response out of TIFF is strong.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Rooney Mara Replaces Mia Wasikowska in Todd Haynes' 'Carol'


Change has been a constant for the adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's Carol (aka The Price of Salt), which was announced last year with the tantalizing trio of Cate Blanchett, Mia Wasikowska, and Closed Circuit director John Crowley. When Crowley was forced to drop out last spring, an equally promising choice was made as Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven) came aboard to replace him. And now it looks like another swap is taking place, only this time it will be in front of the camera.

Screen Daily reports that Wasikowska has now exited the 1950s period piece, with Rooney Mara stepping in. The New York-set tale, penned by Phyllis Nagy, follows the budding relationship between two very different women. Mara would play a 20-something girl working in a department store but with much bigger aspirations; while Blanchett is a wealthy wife stuck in a loveless marriage.

It's a great premise, and for Blanchett should be an interesting twist on the character she played to great acclaim in Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. Mara continues to work with some of today's most accomplished auteurs, and of course the 1950s setting is perfect for Haynes, who has dabbled in the era previously. Filming on Carol begins next spring.

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Mia Wasikowska May Replace Emma Stone in Guillermo Del Toro's 'Crimson Peak'


Ever since she made a splash a few years ago in Disney's Alice in Wonderland, Mia Wasikowska has settled into a nice groove of prestige films. Movies like The Kids Are All Right, Jane Eyre, Lawless, and this year's Stoker have kept her busy, but she's now being called back into the world of blockbusters by joining Guillermo Del Toro's Crimson Peak.

Scheduling conflicts have forced the previously announced Emma Stone to drop out, with Wasikowska being eyed to replace her. She'd be joining Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim), Benedict Cumberbatch, and Jessica Chastain in the Gothic horror/ghost story, which we now have a few new details for. Wasikowska would play "young author named Edith Cushing who discovers that her charming new husband is not who he appears to be", while Chastain and Cumberbatch are siblings.

Filming is set to begin some time in 2014, which should give Wasikowska time to wrap up some of her other projects. She'll be seen later this year in Jim Jarmusch's vampire tale Only Lovers Left Alive. An adaptation of Madame Bovary is in the works, along with Todd Hayne's Carol, and David Cronenberg's Maps to the Stars. She recently wrapped Richard Ayoade's The Double starring Jesse Eisenberg.