(Far Left) Paul Rudd stars in ‘Anaconda’. (Center Left) Paul Giamatti stars in ‘The Holdovers.’ (Center Right) Tatiana Maslany stars in Disney+’s ‘She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.’ (Far Right) Jason Clarke stars in Apple TV+’s ‘The Last Frontier’.
Preview:
Tom McCarthy has gathered the cast for his next movie.
Paul Rudd, Paul Giamatti and Tatiana Maslany are among them.
Sony Pictures Classics is backing the film.
Locking in a cast for a relatively lower budget movie can be a challenge, but it certainly helps when you have the Oscar-winning pedigree of ‘Spotlight’ filmmaker Tom McCarthy.
McCarthy worked alongside Thomas Bidegain and Noé Debré to adapt Nathaniel Rich’s book ‘Losing Earth’, and the true story is set at a beachside resort in Florida in 1980, when twenty experts gather for a weekend conference on a global issue that is starting to gain traction: the effects of Co2 emissions on the climate.
The group of scientists, activists, and policymakers have one simple mandate from Congress — write a statement about what to do. Easier said than done.
The actor/writer/director is scheduled to start the cameras cranking next month on what is described as a darkly comic drama.
What else has Tom McCarthy made?
(L to R) Michael Keaton and Mark Ruffalo in ‘Spotlight.’ Photo: Open Road Films.
In addition to ‘Spotlight, which won Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 2016 Academy Awards, McCarthy has also directed movies including ‘The Visitor’, ‘Stillwater’ and ‘The Cobbler’.
K1tC0i2AmbyI7I6gEN6H37
(L to R) Orlando Bloom as “Boxer” and John Turturro as “Boz” in the Psychological Thriller film, ‘The Cut’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Orlando Bloom and John Turturro about their work on ‘The Cut’, Bloom’s first reaction to the screenplay and his approach to his character, Turturro’s character’s motivations, the relationship between their characters, and working with director Sean Ellis.
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch the interview.
Orlando Bloom as “Boxer” in the Psychological Thriller film, ‘The Cut’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
Moviefone: To begin with, Orlando, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of this character that you were excited to explore on screen?
Orlando Bloom: It was originally an idea that the producer, Mark Lane had brought to me, and we’d worked together on a film called ‘Retaliation’ years before, and I just thought it was a fantastic, fresh take on a boxing genre movie, which I’m a huge fan of I love. I’m very physical, both in life and as an actor. It’s one of my ways in. I just thought it would be an opportunity to really, burn the book, and just go for it. Like take what was written and what was required was for me to drop this weight. I wanted to do it as believably as possible. I dropped from about 185 pounds to 150 pounds, so I’d lost about 30 pounds. It was almost like no acting required because of what it did to my mind and my body. In fact, we had to shoot the movie in reverse chronological order for me to have any kind of brain capacity to do it. Thankfully, with remarkable actors like John and Caitríona, I had an amazing support network and people to perform off, which was just a real gift.
(L to R) John Turturro as “Boz” and Orlando Bloom as “Boxer” in the Psychological Thriller film, ‘The Cut’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
MF: John, can you talk about your approach to playing Boz, his questionable training methods and what he’s willing to do to achieve his goals?
John Turturro: Well, that’s in the script, but there’s a lot of people who have questionable training methods in sports as we read and discover, in a variety of sports. But I thought it was an interesting exploration and descent into what a person is willing to do to have a second shot. When I got to the set, I knew Sean’s work, and I’m a big fan of Caitríona’s, but to see the battle that is within Orlando, bringing it and putting himself through that, the acting is easy then, because you see where the person is. The whole idea is to get them to understand what that is, to seduce them. The most dangerous people are seductive to get what they need and what they want. You know, that’s the reason they’re hired. I’m always actually very skeptical of people who are seductive initially. I have a real sort of aversion to it. I don’t want to be too friendly in real life, and I know what that is, so that was the job. He really brought it, and he had a vulnerability to him that is easy to step inside. To me, that’s when working on something is interesting, because then you’re like, “Wow, the ball is going to go back and forth.” He really had the big burden on his shoulders, and he did a beautiful job. So, when you see that, you go, “Okay, I want to feed that.”
(L to R) Caitríona Balfe as “Caitlin” and Orlando Bloom as “Boxer” in the Psychological Thriller film, ‘The Cut’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
MF: Orlando, your co-star Caitríona Balfe has described the film as a love triangle, with her character competing with Boz for your character’s love. Do you agree with that and how would you describe in your own words the relationship between these three characters?
OB: I mean, honestly, that’s credit to the way John took the script and ran with it, because I had read it, it felt a bit more like it was a drill sergeant of a character initially. But John really came in with this fresh take on it that totally transformed the whole movie, I think in such a beautiful way. Obviously, Caitríona plays my life partner and my training partner, and we have this insane codependent relationship. It’s a crazy codependent relationship and you can see where that comes from when you look at the backstory of the Boxer. John’s character Boz, came in and he just seduces Boxer away. As a trainer he understood what the psychology of the character was, and he just takes that and it’s like he waves his magic wand over it and takes him away and then gets him to do anything he can do to get that second shot. It’s like to me, you’re nothing but a poker chip, you know? She loves him too much and the script was brilliantly written. We had the premiere in London and just listening to the lines again, and the way he delivered them, it’s so well-articulated. It’s such a fresh take for a boxing movie. We all love boxing movies, don’t we? I think most people do. At least we do. that’s why we did it. But this is a fresh take on a boxing movie, because the fight’s happening in his head. That’s what it is for most fighters, any athlete, it’s all happening up here. Can I win? Can I overcome, whether it’s tennis, boxing, golf or any sport? It’s all happening up here and that to me, is so unique. That’s where the fight happens. That’s where we win. That’s so transferable to people in life. You know, we’re all battling with our demons, and doing the weight loss did that to my brain. It was almost like no acting required and it required that we shoot the movie in reverse order, because I wouldn’t have been able to think straight let alone act, but I didn’t need to because I was in that headspace, which was a gift.
Orlando Bloom as “Boxer” in the Psychological Thriller film, ‘The Cut’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
MF: Orlando, was this role both physically and mentally exhausting for you to play, and how did you deal with that on set?
OB: I was out of it. It was all the things the Boxer was feeling and going through. I’m not a method actor. I don’t think of myself as a method actor. I just commit, you know? That’s what we do. We love what we do, and we all commit, and in committing to what was required, it was a lot.
(L to R) Orlando Bloom, Director Sean Ellis and John Turturro on set of the psychological thriller film, ‘The Cut’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
MF: Finally, John, what was it like collaborating with director Sean Ellis on set?
JT: Well, we basically blocked everything out. We talked things through, and he was also shooting it at the same time. But it felt like it was a very collaborative experience all around and a team atmosphere where we were all on the same team. Sean’s carrying a camera at the same time. He’s not sitting at video village, so he’s involved physically in what’s going on, and that’s a very different experience to have that, and it’s a team effort. It really is.
Director Sean Ellis on set of the Psychological Thriller film, ‘The Cut’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
What is the plot of ‘The Cut’?
Determined to win a championship title after coming out of retirement, a Las Vegas fighter (Orlando Bloom) begins a grueling training and weight loss regimen under a demanding, unorthodox boxing coach (John Turturro).
Who is in the cast of ‘The Cut’?
Orlando Bloom as the Boxer
Caitríona Balfe as Caitlin
John Turturro as Boz
(Center) Orlando Bloom as “Boxer” in the Psychological Thriller film, ‘The Cut’. Photo courtesy of Republic Pictures (a Paramount Pictures label).
(L to R) Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
‘The Room Next Door’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.
Opening in wide release in theaters on January 18th, ‘The Room Next Door’ represents something that would ordinarily be cause for celebration among cineastes –– it marks the English-language debut of accomplished and rightly celebrated writer/director Pedro Almodóvar working in the sort of low-key yet meaning-packed drama genre he has shone in in the past.
And it also feature another key element of the filmmaker’s career –– superb female actors in the lead roles. The problem is that with this latest effort, the switch to entirely English has somehow resulted in the life of the piece getting lost in translation.
Does ‘The Room Next Door’ house quality filmmaking?
(L to R) Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Perhaps the biggest issue with ‘The Room Next Door’ is quite how stilted and staid it all feels. While you don’t necessarily look to Almodóvar for genre-smashing fireworks, you might hope for some real level of passion, and that simply doesn’t really come through here.
While the cast acquits themselves adequately, the dialogue they have to deliver sounds more like something out of a film school effort, with labored exposition in the early going (pity poor Tilda Swinton having to explain how she worked late nights and didn’t get to see much of her daughter to the very woman who worked the long shifts with her all those years ago), or Julianne Moore doing her best to breathe life into a sequence where the two women look around a rented house deciding which room to each take.
The film is full of moments that feel like they were excised from other, better dramas and though the main pair are still at the top of their game, nothing in the script is worthy of their talents.
Script and Direction
Director Pedro Almodóvar in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Almodóvar is here adapting Sigrid Nunez’ novel ‘What Are You Going Through’ and you do rather wonder whether the novel had deeper layers that Almodóvar somehow didn’t manage to transfer into his screenplay.
While the early portions feature Moore’s Ingrid and Swinton’s Martha reminiscing about old times, the disjointed nature of Martha’s recollections in particular make the movie tough going. The story jumps around in time, but with little consequence or real impact, and editor Teresa Font doesn’t do too much to help, sequences ending abruptly or feeling choppy.
Visually, the film has more to recommend it as Almodóvar floods the screen with color and keeps the locales beautiful –– it’s just a shame that the actual filmmaking is so timid and staid, cutting from one average, locked-down shot to another, and rarely finding much in the way of natural rhythm.
‘The Room Next Door’: performances
Beyond Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton and later arrival John Turturro, there’s little to recommend on the performance front.
Julianne Moore as Ingrid
Julianne Moore in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
A reporter-turned-novelist, Ingrid is our focal point, but despite Moore giving her some spirit, she’s honestly so bland and first base that it’s hard to argue she’s worth spending time with. Her exchanges with Swinton’s characters only ever work because of the two performers’ consummate skill.
Tilda Swinton as Martha
Tilda Swinton in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Swinton has more to play given that her character, who spent years reporting on conflicts, now finds herself at war with cancer. There are layers and depth to Martha and Swinton naturally finds them all, keeping her composure when necessary but hinting at darker depths.
Yet, like Moore, she struggles to do much with the first-base scripting.
John Turturro as Damian
(L to R) Julianne Moore and John Turturro in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Memorably talked about before he ever arrives on screen (since he’s someone both women slept with and recall as an enthusiastic lover), Turturro’s Damian is possibly the only supporting cast member who really makes much of an impact.
He fully commits to his quirky yet quiet character and his scenes are watchable.
Honestly, the less said about Nivola’s character the better, since he’s more of a stereotype than an actual functioning human being. A police officer who interrogates Ingrid over the circumstances of Martha’s self-administered euthanasia, he’s in one scene and comes across as a plot point –– a religious fanatic who has serious issues with what Martha has done and is threatening Ingrid with punishment for her part in supporting her friend.
Between this and ‘Kraven the Hunter,’ Nivola isn’t having a great time of it lately, though he can thank a great performance in ‘The Brutalist’ for helping keep his cine-ledger balanced between disappointment and success.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
If this is what happens when the great Pedro Almodóvar switches to working entirely in English, he might be better served sticking to Spanish-language movies. He has nothing to prove given his hefty past of successful movies and full awards cabinet, but this feels like a stumble.
If a movie with two of the best actors around and the seemingly compelling twin subjects of friendship and assisted suicide can’t bring the drama, you know something is very wrong.
4TMPAzreOIwMWfSxwYM3X4
What is the plot of ‘The Room Next Door’?
Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton) were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war reporter, and they were separated by the circumstances of life. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Room Next Door’?
Tilda Swinton as Martha / Michelle
Julianne Moore as Ingrid
John Turturro as Damian
Alessandro Nivola as Policeman
(L to R) Tilda Swinton and director Pedro Almodóvar in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
(L to R) Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore star in ‘The Room Next Door’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore about their work on ‘The Room Next Door’, their first reactions to the screenplay, working together to form their characters’ friendship, and collaborating on set with director Pedro Almodóvar.
You can watch the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.
Julianne Moore in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Moviefone: To begin with, Julianne, can you talk about your first reaction to the screenplay and what were some of the aspects of this character that you were excited to explore on screen?
Julianne Moore: Well, I think one of the things that was really thrilling about reading Pedro’s screenplay was that it was centered around this female friendship, and so that is something that I was anxious to bring to the screen. So often, women in films, when you see two women on screen, they’re a relationship that’s like a familiar relationship, their mother and daughter, or it’s a love story, or they’re antagonists, and those things have not been my experience. In my life, my female friendships have been incredibly important to me, and I think it’s such a profound honor to be able to witness another human being as they move through their life. So, the fact that that was what this screenplay was about was incredibly moving to me.
Tilda Swinton in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
MF: Tilda, what was your first reaction to the screenplay and why did you want to play this character?
Tilda Swinton: I was so grateful to Pedro for sending me this script. I mean, I was so grateful to him to know that he wanted to make a film about this subject, it’s a subject that’s extremely personal to me, and that he asked me to make it with him, it was a very happy day. I would say that he wanted me to play Martha because I’ve had the privilege, I would say in my life, to be in what I call the Ingrid position many times, the position of being in support to loved ones who are facing the end of their lives. So, to have the opportunity to download and step into the impulses of someone in the Martha position, I’ve learned so much from the Martha’s in my life, was an amazing gift, a highly personal gift. So, I was beyond thrilled, and its pure happiness for me. The film is all about happiness, and about life and the living of it.
(L to R) Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
MF: Julianne, can you talk about the process of creating this friendship on screen with Tilda?
JM: We didn’t know each other, really, before we started this. She’s someone whose work I’d always admired tremendously, and I loved how she was in the world. We’d always say hi to each other when we were at a film festival, or a press event, or somewhere, or if I saw her in a restaurant, and I’d always wanted to work with her. Then, suddenly, we had this wonderful opportunity, and what was great for us is that is I think our friendship developed in real time. As we spent time together on the set, and talked about our lives, and talked about our work, and talked about our kids and our relationships, I think what you saw on screen was happening. We became real friends.
(L to R) Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
MF: Tilda, Martha makes a big request of her friend Ingrid, can you talk about that and working with Julianne?
TS: Well, their friendship is a very old one. They’ve known each other since they were very young, they were both writers, and they both still are writers. But originally, they were journalists working together at a magazine, in their 20s we assume. Then they drifted apart, mainly because Martha became a war correspondent, and Ingrid became a novelist. They haven’t seen each other in probably 20 maybe even longer years. They haven’t seen each other at all. I mean, they’re aware of what they’ve been doing because they’re both very celebrated and they have a kind of public profile, but they haven’t seen each other. So, this thing of coming back together, knowing someone so well for so long, not seeing them for maybe 20 years, coming back together in this very particular moment, a moment where truth draws on that ancient bond. I know this myself; I’ve had the experience of seeing people again that I hadn’t seen for years, and it’s such a wonderful thing because you just don’t sweat the small stuff. You sort of gloss over the details of the last couple of decades, and then you get down to having a good time again like you are in your 20s. Julianne and I, the great miracle is, we didn’t know each other at all. We’d met each other and we knew of each other, and we both liked the look of each other, but we became old friends within an afternoon, and we are now very old friends who’ve known each other for one year, we’ve been making up for lost time ever since. It was a huge blessing that she came on the film and that we really have that bond. So, there was no acting required, we were truly happy to be in each other’s presence.
Julianne Moore in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
MF: Julianne, can you talk about Ingrid’s reaction to Martha’s request, and how do you think you would react to something like that in your own life?
JM: One of the wonderful ways that this is introduced, I think, is that initially, when Ingrid hears that Martha is sick, the first thing she does is rush to the hospital to see how she’s doing, and she’s the kind of person who shows up. She shows up day after day after day just to keep her company, to talk to her, to make her feel better. Certainly, Ingrid was not expecting this situation, but I think one of the reasons that Martha ends up relying on her is that she sees that Ingrid is reliable, that no matter what, she’s going to try to be there as a real friend and do what her friend needs. It’s painful. I think Ingrid is very honest about it and says that this is not something that she’s comfortable with, but she also realizes that Martha is in need, that this is what she needs at that moment, and she feels like that’s the right thing to do. So, yes, I’d like to think that I would be like Ingrid because I think that’s the kind of friend, we all want to be, and we all want to have.
(L to R) Director Pedro Almodóvar, Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
MF: Finally, Julianne, what was it like working with director Pedro Almodóvar and was it everything that you expected?
JM: He’s a true artist. Everything that you see in his films is in him. The colors, and the composition, and the music, and the point of view. You walk into his apartment in Madrid, and you realize, “Oh my gosh, I’ve seen everything in this apartment on screen in his films.” That’s what’s so wonderful is that it’s intensely personal to him. It’s very meaningful. The books that he’s read and the films that he’s seen, the art that he’s loved, all of it is present there, the people that he’s cared about. After, I met a lot of the members of his crew, and I realized I had seen them in several of his movies before. I was like, “Oh my gosh, she played that part.” So, I love that about him. I love that his films are him. They’re him turned inside out on the screen.
4TMPAzreOIwMWfSxwYM3X4
What is the plot of ‘The Room Next Door’?
Ingrid (Julianne Moore) and Martha (Tilda Swinton) were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war reporter, and they were separated by the circumstances of life. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.
Who is in the cast of ‘The Room Next Door’?
Tilda Swinton as Martha / Michelle
Julianne Moore as Ingrid
John Turturro as Damian
Alessandro Nivola as Policeman
Director Pedro Almodóvar in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Premiering on Prime Video this week, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ loosely –– very loosely –– adapts the 2005 Doug Limanmovie that saw Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie playing married assassins unaware of each other’s secret job whose stale relationship is re-ignited when they’re assigned by their competing agencies to take each other out (and we don’t mean on a date).
But the new series shares really only the title and the most basic concept with the movie. Instead, here we have two strangers who apply for a job that sees them partnered up and moving through the various stages of relationships in their fake coupledom even as real feelings develop and the missions become more perilous.
Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ deployed monsters as metaphor for teenage angst, body changes, and concerns. ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ tries a similar trick (though hopefully without the problematic future Joss Whedon of it all), utilizing the central couple’s various experiences as a mirror for a developing relationship.
It’s not a completely 1:1 situation, though some episodes play to that much more than others (episode 5, for example, sees the duo forced into a situation where their charge, played wonderfully by a superbly grumpy Ron Perlman is effectively a substitute child) but in general, the idea works.
Sometimes the balance of character work to action can be off-kilter, and not everything about the main dynamic works (Donald Glover and Maya Erskine have decent chemistry, though it takes some time to find its groove). Which, we suppose is how all relationships start and end up working.
But on the whole, it’s an entertaining peek into the various marker points of the relationship and the series format certainly offers more scope to explore the character levels than anything in the movie.
‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Script and Direction
(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Though Glover originally developed the show with ‘Fleabag’ creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creative differences saw Waller-Bridge depart and Glover instead create the show with his ‘Atlanta’ cohort Francesca Sloane (who runs the show here).
The writing for the series carries some of the hallmarks of Glover and Sloane’s past work (though none of its experimental, random nature which probably wouldn’t have worked for this). This time around, their focus is on the burgeoning relationships and using the spy missions/job as a giant metaphor for an evolving connection between two people is one that largely works well, even if it does mean there tends to be a larger focus on interaction between the two main characters rather than the action side of things. Jane and John are written decently, though they may end up testing the patience of some audiences.
As for the metaphors, they run the gamut from excellent to exhausting. One episode, where our main pair meet and spend time with another “John” and “Jane” is at times interminable (no fault of the actors involved). But the mission-of-the-week format means that if you don’t spark to one episode, you may well enjoy another.
Directors Hiro Murai, Christian Sprenger and Karena Evans (the first two have ‘Atlanta’ experience on their busy resumes, the latter has focused more on music videos and other TV series) bring a fresh, dynamic look to the show, and if the action moments aren’t quite up there with the likes of the ‘Mission: Impossible’ or ‘Bond’ franchises, that’s because it isn’t the main point here. This is a relationship drama with a side of set-pieces.
‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Performances
(L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
With the guest cast almost constantly changing (only one or two people beyond the leads appear in more than a single episode), the weight is very much on Glover and Erskine. As people who have both been the focus of TV series they co-created, they’re both more than able to carry the load of leading roles.
Of the two, Erskine comes off better, getting to show more development than the slightly more disconnected Glover. She’s excited for the opportunity to begin with, but you can really see the weight settle upon her as the season moves on. Keeping the metaphor of the relationship going, she becomes more and more disenfranchised as she realizes she’s holding up more of her end in terms both missions and personal life.
Which is not to say that Glover is bad –– his John Smith is a man who seems far less willing to leave his old life behind (a nod towards the usual commitment issues found more often in men than women) –– and he has some superb moments as the relationship develops and, at times, sours.
(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Neither of the main pair are natural action stars, but they do their best, aided with a decent stunt team.
Around them is an ever-changing roster of others: Paul Dano is a good-looking neighbor who Jane takes a shine to, while Wagner Moura and Parker Posey are the other John and Jane who share the double date that ends awkwardly (and dangerously). Again, as mentioned above, the actors are perfectly fine in their roles, they’re just let down a little by the episode’s script.
Perlman, meanwhile, is wonderful in his role as the mysterious man that John and Jane are assigned to protect.
‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’: Final Thoughts
(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
If it sometimes stretches the concept a little thin, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ is an effective mix of spy thriller and marriage drama with the emphasis on the latter.
Those seeking the next ‘Atlanta’ won’t find that here, but then, that wasn’t the point –– and as adaptations of movies go, this at least has the confidence to truly be its own thing.
‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
(L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
What’s the story of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?
Two lonely strangers land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan.
The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John (Donald Glover) and Jane (Maya Erskine) navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone.
Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: espionage or marriage?
Prime Video’s ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ has launched its first trailer.
The show stars Donald Glover and Maya Erskine.
The series launches on February 2nd.
Once upon a time, ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith‘ were Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, playing married assassins whose relationship had begun to feel stale. But when they discover their shared, hidden sides, things spice back up –– even if neither might survive it.
In taking that idea, ‘Atlanta’ creator and co-star Donald Glover has given it a slight twist (see below), recruiting Maya Erskine to play Mrs. Smith to his Mr.
From the looks of the first teaser, the show certainly manages to bring both the funny and the action levels, so this is one we’re anticipating.
19793
What’s the story of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?
(L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
While it has a similar basic concept to the 2005 Doug Liman movie (famously the project where Pitt met and ended up married to co-star Jolie), the new series puts a fresh spin on the story.
Here, Glover and Erskine play two lonely strangers who land jobs working for a mysterious spy agency that offers them a glorious life of espionage, wealth, world travel, and a dream brownstone in Manhattan.
The catch? New identities in an arranged marriage as Mr. and Mrs. John and Jane Smith. Now hitched, John and Jane navigate a high-risk mission every week while also facing a new relationship milestone. Their complex cover story becomes even more complicated when they catch real feelings for each other. What’s riskier: espionage or marriage?
Who also appears in ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’?
Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
Glover co-created the series with Francesca Sloane, one of his ‘Atlanta’ colleagues. Christian Sprenger, a fallow ‘Atlanta’ veteran, is the main director.
Originally, ‘Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge was aboard to co-write and co-star, but because of creative differences, she left the show in 2021.
“I worked on that show for six months fully in heart and mind and really cared about it — still care about it. And I know it’s gonna be brilliant. But sometimes it’s about knowing when to leave the party. You don’t want to get in the way of a vision. Creative collaboration is like a marriage, and some marriages don’t work out.”
When will ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ be on our screens?
All eight episodes of the show will debut on Prime Video on February 2nd.
(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.(L to R) Maya Erskine and Donald Glover in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.(L to R) Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith.’ Credit: David Lee/Prime Video. Copyright: Amazon Studios.
‘Severance’ is about a biotechnology corporation called Lumon Industries, which uses a mindwipe medical procedure called “severance” to separate the consciousness of their employees between their lives at work and outside of it. One severed employee, Mark (Adam Scott), gradually uncovers a web of conspiracy. Arquette portrays Harmony Cobel, Mark’s “unsevered” boss, who outside of work goes undercover as Mrs. Selvig, Mark’s next-door neighbor.
How many 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations did ‘Severance’ receive?
‘Severance’ was nominated for two SAG Awards including Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for Adam Scott, and the entire cast was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Patricia Arquette about her work on ‘Severance,’ playing two characters, the success of the series, and the show’s Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations.
Patricia Arquette stars in ‘Severance,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Patricia Arquette about ‘Severance.’
Moviefone: To begin with, what does it mean to you to have the cast nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series by your peers at the Screen Actors Guild?
Patricia Arquette: It’s so exciting. I mean, everyone here worked really hard and in weird circumstances. But we have seasoned actors who’ve been around a long time that came in to play in this as ensemble and then we have younger actors who came out of theater and have given so much to this show. So we’re all super excited and grateful. There’s nothing like being nominated by your peers and we’re just honored.
MF: You’ve worked with Ben Stiller before, both as an actor on ‘Flirting with Disaster’ and as a director on ‘Escape at Dannemora.’ So what was it like reuniting with him on this series?
PA: It was great. We worked together in ‘Escape at Dannemora,’ I was the actor and he was the director. But this has such a different tone, again, I’m blown away by Ben and his talent. I mean, the way that he sets up shots, the way he works with our cinematographer, Jessica Lee Gagné, the composition of things, and the tone, which we never could really understand as actors. Should we go funnier? Should we go darker? He had us kind of hovering somewhere in between, which gives the show a very unique kind of tension. I love working with Ben. I think he’s one of the greatest directors we have in America.
(L to R) Patricia Arquette and Tramell Tillman in ‘Severance,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
MF: You play two roles in the series, Harmony Cobel and Mrs. Selvig. Can you talk about the challenges of making them different, even though they are really the same character?
PA: Well, one of them is this woman who works in this corporation and she’s worked her way up to this upper management position. She speaks in a way that she thinks sounds like leadership, authority and success. She’s desperate to hold onto her position in this corporation. While at the same time she wants more glory for this company. She’s doing something that’s a little bit on the sidelines and she’s trying to insinuate herself into this employee’s life.
Now she has a lot of knowledge about this employee. So she knows the easiest way to get into his life is to play on his mommy issues, be the fumbling aunt next door who needs help. So she’s putting on a character, using the knowledge she has of his emotional story, his emotional flaws, his emotional vulnerabilities. But while she’s doing that, she actually realizes oh, we’re laughing at the same time. Are we becoming friends? So she’s kind of trying on these human feelings, and freedom. She has more emotional freedom as Ms. Selvig than she does as Ms. Cobel.
It’s weird and interesting, and it’s part of the conversation I think that you have with your director. Like, “I want to try this. Is that too far?” At first, they just gave me the pilot, so I didn’t even really know where it was going at all. But to build these characters, to find that sound, I was listening to Mid-Atlantic movies like the sound in the 40’s in Hollywood, and then also ‘Maude,’ her (Bea Arthur) sound. Then looking at images like ‘Rhoda’, the TV show, for Ms. Selvig’s wardrobe, taking inspiration from that and working with our wardrobe department to design that. It’s all really fun, honestly.
MF: Finally, are you surprised by the show’s success and why do you think its resonated with audiences?
PA: I think people do feel like their work life consumes them. I don’t know if people feel that satisfied with their everyday work life. Yet, in that work environment, we see these characters really trying to connect and forging these little kind of family pod groups. Then also on the outside, we see Mark’s life. There’s a lot of pain in the real world. There’s a lot of pain outside and things that we want to run away from. I think as we get older, life isn’t necessarily what we thought it would be like when we were teenagers.
(L to R) Adam Scott, Patricia Arquette, John Turturro, Tramell Tillman and Zach Cherry in ‘Severance,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
A stop-motion-animated adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 fairy tale novel of the same name, the film is a long-in-development passion project of Del Toro, who’s co-directed it with veteran animation director Mark Gustafson.
Pinocchio reworks the classic fable into a tale of fathers and sons, of the virtue of disobedience, and – like so much of Del Toro’s work – of the dangers of fascism.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Guillermo Del Toro about the film’s inspirations and its unique style of animation.
Director Guillermo del Toro for ‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.’
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Del Toro about ‘Pinocchio.’
Moviefone: One of the interesting things about ‘Pinocchio’ is that rather than recall other animated movies, it shares the emotional immediacy of Italian Neorealism and Luis Bunuel‘s films from the 1950s. How did you approach balancing its real life horrors with its fantasy elements? Did you take much the same approach you did with ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’?
Guillermo del Toro: Yeah, it’s very much the same. I mean, it’s instinctual partially, certainly in shaping the first iterations of the tale. Then you’re really, really careful on the composition of the scenes and how they flow from one another. Tonally, it’s a movie that is going to fluctuate between moments of musical comedy or comedy to drama, to melodrama, to conversations that have a gravity for me and an importance for me that is almost existential.
So you have to be able to circulate between Mussolini arriving in a Tex Avery Warner Brothers Cartoon limousine and Pinocchio having a conversation with a fellow bedmate in a fascist reeducation youth camp. So that’s what is difficult. But every time I think about one of my movies, it is that disparity of flavors that attracts me. ‘Shape of Water’ was a love story between a cleaning woman and an amphibian man done by Douglas Sirk with musical numbers. So it is not exactly easy, but it’s what I do. I don’t know if I do it well or not, but I do it.
MF: You’ve said that in making this film you sought to avoid the pantomime shorthand that infects so many animated films today and overly hip characters and how instead you called upon the animators to animate silence and “failed physical acts.” How did you develop this technique?
GDT: It started when I was younger and I saw ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ for the first time. (Director Hayao) Miyazaki has a moment in which the father goes to put on a shoe and he fails to get the shoe in the first and the second time, and finally gets the shoe in. I was transfixed. I thought, “This is amazing.” I read more about Miyazaki of course, and at one point or another, the master Miyazaki said, “If you animate the ordinary, it will be extraordinary.” I decided that real life, in animation, lives in the portions that nobody animates in North America, in the West, in the
industrial animation scene. I started trying it on ‘Tales of Arcadia’ – ‘Troll Hunters,’ ‘3Below,’ and ‘Wizards’ – which were three series that we developed for Netflix and Dreamworks. Little by little I realized, A, how difficult it was, and B, how rewarding it was. So we decided to put eight rules of animation together for the animated crew on ‘Pinocchio.’ I guaranteed them that no one would interfere with our movie, that I would protect it from notes or previews or changes that we didn’t want. I guaranteed them that and I was able to deliver and they invested themselves into animating it as subtle and as naturalistic as they possibly could.
Arriving on Netflix (following a brief theatrical run) on December 9th, Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of ‘Pinocchio’ marks the second major adaptation to arrive this year.
And this is, by a long distance, a much more satisfying, very different version than the Disney offering that landed on Disney+ back in September.
In fact, we’ll go so far as to say that there is more inventiveness, care and technique in one wooden finger of this passion project from the director of ‘Hellboy’, ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ and ‘The Shape of Water’ than in the entire Disney effort, which offered minor charms and little reason to justify its existence.
A passion project of the Mexican director for many years, representing several false starts and financial frustrations, that it’s arriving at all is miracle enough, but that it’s this good is even more reason to celebrate.
Yet this is also no sanitized, completely family-friendly affair. There is a darkness and element of horror at the heart of del Toro’s film, which feels even more in keeping with Carlo Collodi’s moral fable.
Drawing on the classic tale, the stop-motion musical follows the extraordinary journey of a wooden boy magically brought to life by a father’s wish. Brought, it should be said, to life by a wood sprite creature that wouldn’t look out of place in one of del Toro’s live-action fantasies, and voiced by Tilda Swinton, whose character has a sibling in the spirit of Death, whom Pinocchio meets more than once on his travels.
And continuing a theme he established in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, del Toro uses war and totalitarianism as the backdrop for the narrative. Set during the rise of Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy, this is a story of love and disobedience as Pinocchio (voiced by Gregory Mann) struggles to live up to his father Geppetto’s (David Bradley) expectations.
If Disney’s take featured the now-iconic version animated version of the main character overlaid with a CG sheen, its hard angles lovely sanded down to a smooth, kiddie-pleasing finish, so del Toro and co-director Mark Gustafson opt for a gnarly, more realistic puppet that looks like it was carved from waste wood, all knots and stumpy bits of carpentry. Though this living marionette is no less appealing.
An agent of chaos from the off, Mann’s Pinocchio chafes against rules and regulations, finding fun in disobedience, and needing to learn that there’s a time and place for such behavior.
Still, he’s a loveable lad, singing his way through some memorable numbers and encountering fear from the townsfolk. And he has his conscience present and correct––living (literally) in his heart––in the shape of Ewan McGregor’s Cricket.
The expected beats of the story––Pinocchio tempted away from attending school by the lure of fame from manipulative, cruel showman Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz)––are all found here, but this take on the take expands it beyond those boundaries to explore death, disobedience and those (such as Ron Perlman’s Podesta, who fervently believes in the darkness spreading across his country) would champion hurtful ideologies. After all, it’s not every adaptation of ‘Pinocchio’ that would dare to have Mussolini as a character, and then have the lead sing a song that roundly insults him.
Del Toro worked on the screenplay Patrick McHale and Matthew Robbins, and the result of their toil is a clear-eyed and timeless fable.
Voice-wise, the cast is spot on. Mann (doing double duty as Geppetto’s late son Carlo in a flashback to how the poor land died and as the central character) is charming without ever tipping over into precociousness.
David Bradley, who might be better known to audiences as the grumpy Argus Filch from the ‘Harry Potter’ franchise, here infuses Geppetto with real humanity: by turns mournful or frustrated, loving and chastising. Around them, there are the talents of actors such as Waltz, Swinton, McGregor, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, Burn Gorman and voiceover regular Tom Kenny.
When you have Oscar winner Cate Blanchett showing up to provide guttural screeches for simian character Spazzatura, you know the phrase “embarrassment of riches” creeps into the casting discussion (and yes, Blanchett is excellent).
But the voices would be nothing without the beautiful animation and it’s here that that the new effort truly comes alive. Like its central figure (and again, in keeping with its co-director’s sensibilities), this is an authentic, very practical and darkly hewed world, bursting with fascinating little details, such as the skeletal rabbits who guard the link between the world of the living and the dead (and amuse themselves with card games).
Every single puppet, prop, landscape, building and gesture is created with deep attention to detail, and lavish craft.
Though the running time is a hefty one for a movie aimed at families at nearly two hours, it doesn’t waste a moment of that time. And yes, while parents might find themselves having difficult discussions with children about the subjects of death and hatred (and whether Mussolini was a poopy baby), they are themes worth exploring, and the film does so with heart and brains.
There really is no comparison between the two ‘Pinocchio’ films––for all the Disney-friendly fun offered by the Robert Zemeckis movie, del Toro’s makes it look like a bargain bin knock-off with plastic parts. This movie, for all its grungy, darker elements, bears the seal of quality and careful carving. An artisan piece of work that skips pretentiousness and instead bristles with chaos and imagination.
If you only watch one (of the approximately 572) adaptations of Collodi’s story, we recommend this one. Del Toro has been planning this one for nearly two decades––and it has been more than worth the wait and effort.
‘Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio’ receives 4.5 out of 5 stars.
We’ve known since before ‘The Batman’ burst into theaters that an HBO Max-based spin-off was in development, one focused on Colin Farrell’s Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot, AKA The Penguin from the movie.
It has been moving forward since then and is now adding ‘Palm Springs’ Cristin Milioti to the cast list in a major role.
The series, which has been described as in the style of classic crime drama ‘Scarface’ will pick up the story of ambitious criminal type Oz as he rises to power in Gotham City. Mild spoiler alert in case you’ve yet to see ‘The Batman’, but part of the movie involves Oz’s bosses either dying or heading to jail, leaving him a path to achieve his aims.
Yet given that there’s a whole series to fill with this story, we doubt the road will be an easy one. And there’s still that pesky Caped Crusader lurking around (even if Batman likely wouldn’t appear much in the show).
Milioti, meanwhile, will be Sofia Falcone daughter of the late Carmine (as played by John Turturro in ‘The Batman’). Following his assassination – which Oz orchestrated – Sofia will be competing with Farrell’s character for control of the city’s criminal element.
If she’s anything like her father, this fight will get nasty.
Matt Reeves, who co-wrote and directed ‘The Batman’ is an executive producer here, but while he’ll certainly have input (alongside the movie’s fellow producer, Dylan Clark), he won’t be overseeing the day-to-day work of the show. That job falls to Lauren LeFranc, who has worked on series including ‘Agents of SHIELD’, ‘Chuck’ and ‘Hemlock Grove’.
“Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in ‘The Batman’ and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill’” Reeves says in a statement when the show was confirmed. “Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.”
Craig Zobel, who last directed ‘The Hunt’ is aboard as another executive producer and to direct the first two episodes, meaning that he’ll help guide the visual tone of the show. Aside, of course from the template already established by Reeves in the movie.
The show doesn’t yet have a premiere date, but it could conceivably drop on the streaming service in late 2023 or early 2024.
And it’s just one of the spin-offs in the works, as Reeves is also trying to develop a series set at Gotham’s infamous Arkham Asylum and has been meeting writers to hear pitches about potential movie spin-offs featuring the Caped Crusader’s expansive rogues’ gallery.
As for Milioti, she’s been busy of late, more on TV than cinema screens, appearing in shows such as ‘Made for Love’ and ‘The Resort’. She’s also been seen on shows including ‘No Activity’ and ‘Black Mirror’.
