Composer Alex Weston Talks Electro-Surrealness in 'Wander Darkly' [WATCH]
Composer Alex Weston, who's perhaps best known for scoring the 2019 breakout 'The Farewell,' chats with Morgan Rojas before the world premiere of Tara Miele's Wander Darkly.
Starring Sienna Miller and Diego Luna, Wander Darkly tells the story of new parents Adrienne and Matteo who are forced to reckon with trauma amidst their troubled relationship. They must revisit the memories of their past and unravel haunting truths in order to face their uncertain future.
In our exclusive interview, Alex Weston talks about creating the sounds and his inspiration for this pseudo-surreal drama.
Composer Tamar-kali on the Supernatural Sounds of 'Shirley' [WATCH]
Composer Tamar-kali chats with Morgan Rojas after the world premiere of Josephine Decker's Shirley at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
Starring Elisabeth Moss and Michael Stuhlbarg, Shirley tells the story of a famous horror writer who finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple. In our exclusive interview, Tamar-kali talks about creating the dynamic and layered sounds that make up the hauntingly magical realism of Shirley.
'The Assistant' is a Gripping Thriller for the #MeToo Era
A day in the life of an overworked and under-appreciated production assistant plays like a silent horror film as she becomes increasingly aware of her boss's inappropriate transgressions – and the company's feigned ignorance – in Kitty Green's Sundance-selected feature, The Assistant.
The film's protagonist, Jane (Julia Garner), is a reserved yet whip-smart young woman who endures verbal and emotional abuse within the culture of an unnamed NYC production company. As the film opens, it's immediately clear that she is the backbone of the company, keeping the office running in a timely and orderly fashion. Despite her dedication to her position, the office environment is very much a "Boy's Club." She deals with the disparity by keeping to herself and excelling where she can, usually in solo office projects and menial tasks. But when water cooler gossip circulates that the boss is engaging in inappropriate acts with the company's newest intern (Kristine Froseth), Jane is faced with the reality that speaking up for what's right could risk her dreams of "making it" in the film industry.
Julia Garner (Ozark) quietly commands the film as Jane, her performance is steadily impressive and authentic. Co-star Matthew Macfadyen (Succession) plays the intentionally ignorant HR representative with his signature "nice guy" demeanor despite sneaky intentions. In a unique display (and much to my delight), The Assistant is very ASMR heavy. It's a fairly quiet picture and largely dependent on setting up scenes with ambient sound and sound effects during Jane's solitary moments. The deep cleaning, office equipment, and buzzing of florescent lights all add to the hyper-realistic nature of the story, really placing the audience in the office with Jane. Bare and constrained, the film's soundtrack is also delicate, much like our protagonist. Composer Tamar-kali uses sparse piano sequences and strings to convey a sense of fragility. Director Kitty Green's dedication to the ASMR aspect and absence of a large orchestral score is subtle and the perfect choice for this type of film.
The takeaway from The Assistant is a subtly gripping and timely portrait of power in the #MeToo/ Harvey Weinstein exposé era. But as the workplace culture of The Assistant shows, there is still a long way to go before toxic masculinity and improper balances of power are halted and support is given to those brave enough to bring powerful predators to conviction. Kitty Green's defiant drama is the encouragement we need right now.
For more resources to delve deeper into the issues of workplace discrimination and abuse of power, please visit www.nywf.org/
THE ASSISTANT (2020)
Starring Julia Garner, Matthew Macfadyen, Makenzie Leigh
Directed by Kitty Green
Written by Kitty Green
Distributed by Bleecker Street Films. 85 minutes.
Opening in select theaters Friday, January 31, 2020.
Five Films to See Before Sundance 2020
Thursday marks the start of Sundance 2020 and we've studied the film slate for weeks in preparation for this very moment.
Ryan and I have narrowed down our top 10 films and while doing so, noticed a lot of our favorite Sundance alumnae returning with new projects. Beasts of the Southern Wild's Benh Zeitlin and Beach Rats' Eliza Hittman are just a couple of the names we're excited to see again on the big screen. In anticipation of the festival, here are five films to see before Sundance 2020.
Before you see Downhill, check out Force Majeure
Swedish director Ruben Östlund's award-winning Force Majeure is getting an American makeover thanks to directing partners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. The duo, who collaborated on The Way, Way Back in 2013, have strong comedic roots as both directors and writers- which makes Downhill all the more an interesting project to tackle. Östlund's film is predominately a drama with sparse dark comedic moments, and I can't help but wonder if the casting of Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus indicates an emphasis on more of the story's comedic elements. I'm a bit skeptical going into Downhill as the original will be hard to top, but I'm hopeful that Faxon and Rash's remake will be a fresh and welcomed watch.
Force Majeure is available to watch on Hulu.
Before you see Shirley, check out Madeline's Madeline
Shirley director Josephine Decker's last feature film, Madeline's Madeline, premiered at Sundance in 2018 and went on to win multiple Film Independent Spirit Awards. In a breakout performance from Helena Howard, and also starring Molly Parker and Miranda July, Madeline's Madeline tells the story of a young girl's experience of being accepted into a prestigious experimental theatre troupe and the growing struggle to identify between reality and make-believe. Decker's signature style of euphoric imagery and female protagonists in control is what draws us to Shirley, plus the phenomenal ensemble cast: Elisabeth Moss, Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young, and Logan Lerman.
Madeline's Madeline is available to watch on Amazon.
Before you see Never Rarely Sometimes Always, check out Beach Rats
This is the third feature from writer/director Eliza Hittman that has been selected to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, and it's easy to see why she's the indie darling on the rise. Her critically-acclaimed films Beach Rats and It Felt Like Love approach the coming of age theme with sensitivity, compassion, and love, and it sounds like Never Rarely Sometimes Always will follow suit nicely. Hittman also re-enlists Beach Rats cinematographer Hélène Louvart and longtime editor Scott Cummings to lend their signature styles to what is sure to be another breathtaking film.
Beach Rats is available to watch on Hulu.
Before you see Wendy, check out Beasts of the Southern Wild
Director Benh Zeitlin's Beasts of the Southern Wild is arguably one of the most impactful films to ever emerge from the Sundance Film Festival. Premiering in 2012, the heart-rendering drama was nominated for 4 Academy Awards and had an additional 92 wins & 125 nominations. It launched then-unknown six-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis into international fame and continues to be an inspiration to filmmakers everywhere. Zeitlin's sophomore feature, Wendy, has the potential to just as successful and has already been acquired by Searchlight Pictures.
Beasts of the Southern Wild is available to rent on Amazon.
Before you see Dick Johnson is Dead, check out Cameraperson
Documentarian Kirsten Johnson is back with another personal film about family and connection, and this time the subject is her father, in Dick Johnson is Dead. Her last film Cameraperson – which was shortlisted for an Academy Award – is an eye-opening homage to the human spirit and is comprised of footage captured over her twenty-five-year career as a documentary cinematographer. Johnson's superpower is her camera, and there is no doubt that with a film as personal as Dick Johnson is Dead, there will be no shortage of memorable moments.
Cameraperson is available to rent on Amazon.
Valgeir Sigurðsson Crafts Airy, Ambient Sound for 'The County'
Pulling inspiration from the beauty of their surroundings, it's easy to see the otherworldly influence in the work of Icelandic composers. Some of the country's most recognizable names include the late Golden Globe winner Jóhann Jóhannsson (The Theory of Everything), recent Golden Globe winner Hildur Guðnadóttir (Joker), and Atli Örvarsson (Pirates of the Caribbean). Quickly joining their ranks is Valgeir Sigurðsson, whose eerily beautiful and scene-setting melodies fuel the soundtrack to Grímur Hákonarson’s Icelandic comedy, The County.
Cinemacy is excited to exclusively premiere the track "The County (Revisited By Paul Corley)," which premiered at TIFF 2019. The film tells the story of Inga, a middle-aged dairy farmer who rebels against the omnipotent local Co-Op to live life on her terms. In this sneak peek of Sigurðsson's 8-minute-long title track, we're immediately transfixed by the airy and moody ambient sounds from nature coupled with a beautiful mixture of string violins and other experimental electronics.
Sigurðsson explains, "I watched the film a few times, and then I turned off the screen and just wrote music in response to what I had seen. I often do this because I want to make a score that flows with its own narrative. On Grímur’s suggestion, we used a lot of synths and electronic textures and also used some of the real sounds from the film for the score... In the final mix, I think we cut about 50% of the score that I had completed, or more even, we agreed fully on all the cuts. But, on the soundtrack release, I keep many of these elements because they informed my process and I feel that they are integral to the music and necessary when it is stripped of the images it was created for.”
The 15-track album is now available on Sigurðsson's Icelandic music collective/record label Bedroom Community, which he formed in 2016 with composers Nico Muhly and Ben Frost.
Olivia Wilde, Bong Joon-ho Win Big at Hollywood Critics Association Awards
The 2020 Hollywood Critics Association Awards Complete Winner List
The members of the Hollywood Critics Association celebrated 2019 and the end of the decade at the 3rd Annual Hollywood Critics Association Awards Ceremony on Thursday, January 9, 2020. Below is the full list of winners:
Best Picture - 1917
Best Actor - Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Best Actress - Lupita Nyong’o, Us
Best Supporting Actor - Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Best Supporting Actress - Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Best Adapted Screenplay - Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit
Best Original Screenplay - Han Jin-won and Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Best Male Director - Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
Best Female Director - Olivia Wilde, Booksmart
Best Performance by an Actor 23 and Under - Noah Jupe, Honey Boy
Best Performance by an Actress 23 and Under - Kaitlyn Dever, Booksmart
Breakthrough Performance Actor - Kelvin Harrison Jr, Waves
Breakthrough Performance Actress - Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose
Best Cast Ensemble - Knives Out
Best First Feature - Honey Boy
Best Independent Film (Tie) - The Farewell & Waves
Best Action/War Film - 1917
Best Animated Film - Toy Story 4
Best Blockbuster - Avengers: Endgame
Best Comedy/Musical (Tie) - Rocketman & Booksmart
Best Documentary - Apollo 11
Best Foreign Language Film - Parasite
Best Horror - Us
Best Animated or VFX Performance - Rosa Salazar, Alita: Battle Angel
Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins, 1917
Best Costume Design - Julian Day, Rocketman
Best Editing - Lee Smith, 1917
Best Hair and Makeup - Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, and Vivian Baker, Bombshell
Best Original Song - Glasgow, Wild Rose
Best Score - Hildur Guðnadóttir, Joker
Best Stunt Work - John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Best Visual Effects - Dan Deleeuw, Matt Aitken, Russell Earl, and Dan Sudick, Avengers: Endgame
2020 Hollywood Critics Association Honorary Awards
Actor Achievement Award - Anton Yelchin
Filmmaker Achievement Award - Bong-Joon Ho
Artisans Achievement Award - Ruth E. Carter
Game Changer Award - Paul Walter Hauser
Star on the Rise - Taylor Russell
Newcomer - Zack Gottesagen
Trailblazer - Olivia Wilde
End of a Decade Awards Recipients
Actor of the Decade - Adam Driver
Actress of the Decade - Kristen Stewart
Director of the Decade - Denis Villeneuve
Producer of the Decade - Daniela Taplin Lundberg
Next Generation of Hollywood - Kelvin Harrison Jr., Geraldine Viswanathan, Brooklynn Prince, Millicent Simmonds, Mckenna Grace, Jack Dylan Grazer, Thomasin McKenzie, Zoey Deutch, Noah Jupe, Kaitlyn Dever, Lana Condor, and Shahadi Wright Joseph
About HCA:
Formerly known as the Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society (LAOFCS), the goal of the Hollywood Critics Association is to create a diverse community of passionate and professional critics with a passion for entertainment, including film and television.
HCA Board of Directors are as follows:
Scott Menzel, Founder
Ashley Menzel, COO
Nestor Bentancor, President
Jazz Tangcay, Vice President
A Beginner's Guide To: Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Having completed a handful of small roles in short films and TV, the 25-year-old actor got his big break in 2017 when he starred as Travis in Trey Edward Shults' independent film It Comes at Night. Two years later, their opportunity to re-team in Waves would cement Kelvin Harrison Jr.'s reputation as an artist to watch and earn him the Next Generation honor at the 2020 Hollywood Critics Association Awards. What is so exciting about Kelvin Harrison Jr. is that he takes chances with his roles. Every character he embodies is layered with conflict, emotional urgency, and redemption. In what is sure to be the beginning of a long and prosperous career, here are three films to check out so you can tell your friends, "I knew of him then."
Luce
One of 2019's smartest psychological thrillers flew under the radar, but that doesn't mean it's effectiveness is any less superior than last year's heavy hitters (Us, Midsommar, etc). In Luce, directed by Julius Onah, Harrison Jr. play the titular role of Luce, an adopted high school student whose assimilation into "American life" comes easy as he is highly, almost scarily, emotionally intelligent. But being a young black man at a predominately white school, Luce experiences tokenism and heightened expectations from his family (Naomi Watts, Tim Roth) and his teacher Ms. Wilson (Octavia Spencer) that push him over the edge. Luce's mental mind games on everyone around him begin to create an unsettling presence, which he knows and uses to his advantage.
Luce was a fantastic breakout role that highlighted Harrison Jr.'s ability to play two emotions at once: sweet on the surface, sour internally – I suppose it can be considered his sour patch kids performance. His delivery of many monologues are both heartfelt and piercing, and executed just right. He clearly keeps up with Octavia Spencer – who gives one of her strongest performances to date – and leaves the audience with an unforgettable sense of disillusion from his stellar performance.
Luce is available to rent on Amazon.
Waves
His performance as a conflicted high schooler made Waves one of my favorite films of 2019. Directed by arthouse auteur Trey Edward Shults, Waves is a mesmerizing portrait of a hard-lived life and the discovery that every day is a new opportunity for compassion, acceptance, and peace. In an intensely moving performance, Kelvin Harrison Jr. plays Tyler, a high school athlete with a promising future, a steady relationship, and a supportive family. His father (Sterling K. Brown) takes the tough love approach to parenting, riding his son to always push harder, and faster. “We are not afforded the opportunity of being average,” he reminds Tyler, and that despite their suburban middle-class status, society will always identify them as only African-American. When a shoulder injury sidelines Tyler from his college prospects, his life begins to spiral out of control.
We see a different side of Harrison Jr. in Waves: one that's chaotic and immature, trying to get through life with the best of intentions. His mental and emotional breakdown is so affecting, we empathize when he reaches his rock bottom, even justifying his uncontrollable actions. Harrison Jr.'s ability to make us root for him, even when in the wrong, is a sign of his acting power.
Waves is available to buy on Amazon on 1/21/2020.
Gully
Gully, directed by music video veteran Nabil, is billed as a “slightly dystopian version of LA.” While there is truth in that observation, the dystopia isn’t a farfetched depiction of chaos – it’s all rooted in reality, which makes for an even more affecting watch. Best friends Jesse (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), Calvin (Jacob Latimore), and Nicky (Charlie Plummer) live within blocks of each other on the streets of South Central LA and all come from troubled backgrounds.
The effects of abuse, mental health issues, and an overall lack of supervision are contributing factors to the boys’ tough outer shells and their disregard for those around them. Out of boredom and abandonment, the boys cause fun-minded havoc around their impoverished community, despite the ominous warnings from the local homeless prophet (Terrence Howard). They may have been forced to grow up prematurely, but these are still young boys in need of a childhood, trying to figure out who they are and where they’re going amidst the chaos and unfair dealings that life has in store for them.
A release date is still TBD since its premiere at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival, but hopefully, fans of Harrison Jr. won't have to wait long for this unique cinematic work to find a home. The Gully script gives this group of actors an outlet for more provocative expression, and while most of the choices they make are highly divisive, their commitment to character is unwavering. It's a bold choice for Harrison Jr., who further proves his range is insurmountable.
Read more: Gully Review: An Aesthetically Rich Debut From Director Nabil
Gully does not have a release date yet.
Adam Driver, Kristen Stewart To Be Honored at Hollywood Critics Association Awards
Hollywood Critics Association to Celebrate the End of the Decade in Cinema
With 2019 closing out another incredible decade in film, the members of the Hollywood Critics Association will be celebrating with a special montage as well as a series of decade-specific awards at the 3rd Annual Hollywood Critics Association Awards Ceremony on Thursday, January 9, 2020.
“The past 10 years have not only featured remarkable films and filmmaking, but they also served as a time for change within the industry. The fall of Harvey Weinstein launched Time's Up and the Me Too movement. Underrepresented voices within the industry were no longer afraid to speak up and demanded that changes be made. This decade also introduced a new way to watch films, with the launch of original films being made or released exclusively on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, Disney+, and Apple TV+. This decade has been revolutionary for Hollywood and we are delighted that we can pay tribute to it,” notes HCA COO Ashley Menzel.
The decade-specific awards include:
Actor of the Decade
Actress of the Decade
Filmmaker of the Decade
Producer of the Decade
Next Generation of Hollywood
Marriage Story’s Adam Driver will be honored as the Actor of the Decade, while Seberg’s Kristen Stewart will receive the Actress of the Decade award. Incendies and Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve will be honored as the Filmmaker of the Decade, while Daniela Taplin Lundberg, the founder of Stay Gold Features, will be receiving the Producer of the Decade award. Lundberg has served as a producer on over 15 films within this decade, including Harriet, Honey Boy, Beasts of No Nation and The Kids Are All Right.
The Next Generation of Hollywood award highlights actors and actresses aged 25 and under whose talented body of work within the last decade has shown that they are the next generation of stars in Hollywood. Recipients of this award include Kelvin Harrison Jr., Zoey Deutch, Brooklynn Prince, Thomasin McKenzie, Geraldine Viswanathan, Jack Dylan Grazer, Mckenna Grace, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe, and Shahadi Wright Joseph.
About HCA:
Formerly known as the Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society (LAOFCS), the goal of the Hollywood Critics Association is to create a diverse community of passionate and professional critics with a passion for entertainment, including film and television.
HCA Board of Directors are as follows:
Scott Menzel, Founder
Ashley Menzel, COO
Nestor Bentancor, President
Jazz Tangcay, Vice President