Review: "The Favourite" is One of the Wickedest, Most Enjoyable Period Pieces in Ages

Scene from The Favourite

The idea of power is alluring. For a certain breed of people, the idea of getting close to it is a dream come true, and they'll stop at nothing to get it. That is at the heart of director Yorgos Lanthimos' first period piece The Favourite, as two women (Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz) enter a grueling battle to be the faithful companion of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman). Whereas most power struggles feel restrained and calculated, this feels like a truly antagonistic film, unafraid to paint Queen Anne at times as ugly and repugnant. Still, in her moments of weakness she turns to Abigail (Stone) and Lady Sarah (Weisz) help. It's a hostile world with lots of grossness and people assaulting each other, and all so that they can get Queen Anne's affection. Thankfully Lanthimos is a filmmaker who uses this icky surface to explore power not as something to be desired, but why would anyone want it in the first place. Thankfully, it's got a reliably pitch black sense of humor to make the awfulness go down smoothly.

A24 A-to-Z: #57. "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" (2017)

Scene from The Killing of a Sacred Deer

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.

A24 A-to-Z: #34. "The Lobster" (2016)

Scene from The Lobster

In case you didn't know, A24 is one of the great purveyors of modern cinema. Since 2013, the studio has found a way to innovate independent cinema by turning each release into an event. As a result, A24 A-to-Z will be an ongoing series that looks at every release from the studio by analyzing its production history, release, criticisms, and any awards attention that it might've received. Join me on a quest to explore the modern heroes of cinema by exploring every hit and miss that comes with that magnificent logo. They may not all be great, but they more than make A24 what it is and what it will hopefully continue to be for ears to come.

The First Trailer for "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" is Here, and it's On Fire

Scene from The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Among the greatest film of 2017 was Giorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster. It was a movie that took a perverse look at love and found its way to a surprise box office success and Oscar nomination. How does one follow up that success? The Killing of a Sacred Deer is another movie shrouded in prestige and promise, teaming up with several familiar faces from his previous film. Having been nominated for the Plame d'Or at Cannes, it is one of those films that must be watched out for. To say the least, the first trailer has arrived, and it's rather unnerving as it features one of the most haunting covers of a pop song from any trailer this year. Also, it asks a lot of questions (such as "What's going on?") while answering others (such as "Why you should go see it.") It looks incredible, and may continue Lanthimos' hot streak.

Review: "The Lobster" is the Best Romantic Comedy in Years

Scene from The Lobster

There are few movie genres who are in as much of an existential crisis as the romantic comedy. With limited exceptions, the story rarely is capable of escaping the A to B "boy meets girl" logic that services as the groundwork for the best films going back to the screwball comedies of the 1930's. It could be that love is such an inherent thing that nothing has really changed, possibly in centuries. Then there are films like Greek director Giorgos Lanthimos' English language debut The Lobster, which vitalizes the romantic comedy not by providing a traditional love story, but one that creatively and perversely looks into the very idea of what love is. With a strong cast and the most attention-grabbing plot of 2016, The Lobster is both a phenomenal achievement in story telling as well as the best romantic comedy of the year - possibly even the decade.

The First Trailer for Cannes Favorite "The Lobster" is Strangely Funny

Continuing the release of trailers for movies that played at Cannes is the latest from director Giorgos Lanthimos called The Lobster. The Greek director has made a career out of making films that are challenging studies of identity, most prevalent in the films Dogtooth and Alps. With his English debut, he gets a lot of high profile actors to tell what is probably one of the strangest stories yet. If a man doesn't marry, he will turn into a lobster. To most of you, you likely checked out, baffled by that plot description. However, I do think that the first trailer at very least looks to be an entertaining romp.

Films to Watch Out For From This Year's Cannes Festival

As the case with every year, the Cannes Film Festival remains the peak of international cinema. More than Sundance or Toronto International Film Festival, the award embodies a prestige that few other awards can get. In a long and storied run, the festival has awarded some of the finest in world cinema including last year's winner Winters Sleep and the previous year's more successful Blue is the Warmest Color. With the festival now wrapped up, it feels like as good of a time as any to look back on the few films that may likely be worth checking out when they finally arrive stateside.