Though summer isn’t renowned for being the height of good film season, that doesn’t mean we haven’t started to get excited for some forthcoming premiers. We probably won’t be forking over two Chipotle burritos-worth of coinage to see Men in Black 3, but you can likely count on some kind of burrito/movie date night when these films finally hit theatres.
The Canterville Ghost
British comedians Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry first met as student members of the Cambridge University Footlights Dramatic Club. After 13 years of focusing on solo projects, two of England’s finest comedians are set to collaborate on an animated adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost. The wit and farce of Wilde alone would have put this film on my ‘to see’ list, but the addition of Laurie and Fry rocketed it right to the top. It is a comfort to known that Wilde’s genius rests safely in the most competent of comedic hands. Unfortunately, the film isn’t scheduled for release until Christmas 2014. Fortunately, this is the kind of thing the Urchins undoubtedly need to experience together, and that gives us plenty of time to coordinate travel plans.
The Master
After viewing Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch-Drunk Love, I knew that I enjoyed the films of Paul Thomas Anderson but also felt that he was in dangerous territory of soon caricaturing his style. Then, in a grown-ass move, the young filmmaker followed up his first four irreverent, auteur-establishing films with There Will Be Blood, a film unlike any of them. If Anderson’s career before that movie was a flashy car speeding recklessly down the road, There Will Be Blood was Anderson lifting his foot off the pedal and regaining control of his vehicle before the thrill ride ended in a violent crash. And that’s when I really, really started to like him.
An intriguing first clip of his next film, The Master, was just released on the internet about a day ago. There is actually nothing to say about it. If the clip leaves me speechless, who knows what the rest of the film will do.
Hyde Park on Hudson
I’ll just throw this out there: I am extremely skeptical of Hyde Park on Hudson. It’s a skepticism based upon cynicism, of course. Bill Murray stars as FDR in this ‘based upon true events’ in which he strikes up an affair with his distant cousin (played by Laura Linney) just as King George and Queen Elizabeth visit his home in upstate New York. Based solely upon the trailer, my first impression is that this is a very light take on very serious events (at the time, England was on the verge of war with Germany.)
However, I am intrigued by this story being told from the POV of FDR’s mistress, Margaret Suckley (a very unfortunate name.) Also, Bill Murray as FDR? Yet another intrigue. How does one make a feel-good movie about diplomatic relations? I’m curious to see!
