Riz Ahmed stars in ‘Hamlet’. Photo: Focus Features.
In theaters on April 10 is ‘Hamlet’, a fresh update of William Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, which features Riz Ahmed (‘Sound of Metal’), who plays a version of the troubled Dane, here the heir to an elite South Asian empire in modern-day London.
(L to R) Morfydd Clark and Riz Ahmed in ‘Hamlet’. Photo: Focus Features.
If you’re going to tackle a Shakespeare play on film –– particularly the complex web of family tragedy that is ‘Hamlet’ — be prepared for challenges. But with this present-day version, director Aneil Karia and writer Michael Lesslie bring a fierce energy to their effort.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Riz Ahmed and Timothy Spall in ‘Hamlet’. Photo: Focus Features.
Shakespeare is not easy to adapt, and Lesslie here sticks to the traditional language for the most part (while still needing to cut plenty to avoid an overlong running time). But the changes and substitutions (London for Denmark and the use of Indian culture) truly work well.
Karia, meanwhile brings real panache and style, making the world feel relevant and also, in places, timely.
Cast and Performances
(Far Left) Riz Ahmed stars in ‘Hamlet’. Photo: Focus Features.
It’s really Ahmed’s show, and he chews on one of the trickiest parts in drama. Sequences such as the “To be or not to be” soliloquy give him something to truly work with.
Which isn’t to dismiss an impressive supporting cast, especially Art Malik as scheming uncle Claudius and Morfydd Clark, who brings humanity to the relatively smaller role of Ophelia.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Art Malik and Joe Alwyn in ‘Hamlet’. Photo: Focus Features.
Even if you’ve dismissed Shakespeare as impenetrable, the new ‘Hamlet’ shows what can happen in sure hands, the emotion on full display. Purists may balk at the changes, but this is a worthwhile adaptation.
KXhyze0oUeI2SOiBw5XBM4
Riz Ahmed stars in ‘Hamlet’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Riz Ahmed about his work on ‘Hamlet’, taking on the iconic role, shooting the “To be or not to be” speech, and why Shakespeare’s work is so timeless and universal.
You can watch the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview.
Riz Ahmed stars in ‘Hamlet’. Photo: Focus Features.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about the challenges of playing the iconic role of Hamlet, and is it a role that you’ve always wanted to play?
Riz Ahmed: I’ve wanted to play this since I was 17 and I was in English class feeling like this is some stuffy, boring museum artifact, and that Shakespeare is not for me. I had an amazing English teacher who put it in front of me and made me realize, “Wow, this is pretty close to how I’m feeling.” The central feeling, I would say for Hamlet is, “Is the world going crazy or have I lost my mind?” I think that’s how we’re all feeling. That’s how I was feeling then, and it’s how I’m feeling now, and dare I say, it’s how most of the world feels now. So, I wanted to play it because it was very relatable. I think that’s the challenge and the gift of taking on something like ‘Hamlet’, a role like this, is it’s been done so many times. I think the challenge is, what is specific and personal about your interpretation? That’s also a gift. It’s been done so many times, there’s no illusion that someone’s going to perform a definitive Hamlet. You’re liberated in a way to just do something as uniquely specific and personal to you and your experience as possible. So, it’s a strange combination of feeling like, “We’re going to step into these big old shoes that don’t belong to us.” While at the same time going, “Well, actually we get to run around in these shoes however we want.”
(L to R) Morfydd Clark and Riz Ahmed in ‘Hamlet’. Photo: Focus Features.
MF: Shakespeare’s work is universal and can be adapted to any time-period or culture. What is it about his work that you think has made it stand the test of time?
RA: I think it’s a couple of things. Firstly, a lot of the stories are drawn from myths that are not British, that are ancient. The first words you hear in our Hamlet are words from the Bhagavad Gita, which is the foundational Hindu myth. That’s because that story is very similar to the story of ‘Hamlet’. It predates ‘Hamlet’ by thousands of years. This idea of choosing family loyalty or doing the right thing, that’s a timeless theme. So, I think that’s one reason why it can cross barriers of culture. It belongs to myth that belongs to all of us. The second reason is because it’s like music. The logical understanding of every word was not something that even audiences were doing in Shakespeare’s time when it comes to these plays. Shakespeare made up like 4,000 new words. They didn’t understand half of what he was saying, but it’s music. It’s rhythm, its flow, its percussion, its energy, and it’s intention. If you hear it like music, it moves you like music and music crosses all boundaries.
(Far Left) Riz Ahmed stars in ‘Hamlet’. Photo: Focus Features.
MF: Finally, I’ve never seen the ‘To be or not to be” speech depicted the way you did it, with the character in a car speeding towards oncoming traffic. Can you talk about shooting that scene and how that added urgency to the speech?
RA: Absolutely. Our interpretation of “To be or not to be” is that it’s not about, “Should I kill myself or not?” Which is how it’s usually performed, right? It’s a much more urgent, confronting question. The question is, “Should we fight back against injustice, even if it means we might die?” That’s a contemporary, radical question. Then if you look at the language itself rather than looking at the traditional way it’s performed, that’s what it’s saying. So, we had to stage it in a way and have that confrontation and that urgency. If the speech is a game of chicken, we’re going to stage it like a game of chicken. So, he is literally doing that. He’s driving down a freeway, heading towards a lorry a hundred miles an hour, asking himself, does he have the guts to take on something bigger than himself? So, we staged it that way in a way. We’re just trying to honor the DNA of this speech rather than honoring the traditional way it’s done. We really tried to make something that’s for people who feel like Shakespeare isn’t normally for them and hopefully it gives them a visceral experience.
‘Hamlet’ opens in theaters on April 10th.
What is the plot of ‘Hamlet’?
Haunted by his father’s ghost (Avijit Dutt), Prince Hamlet (Riz Ahmed) descends from elite London society into the city’s underground, moving between Hindu temples and homeless camps. In seeking to avenge his father’s murder, he begins to question his own role in his family’s corruption.
Lily James in Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.
Featuring a terrific central performance from Riz Ahmed, ‘Relay’ is styled very much in the mold of classic paranoid thrillers from the 1970s like ‘The Parallax View’ and ‘The Conversation.’ It’s not quite as intense and expansive as those, and its third act falls back into a series of rote reveals and action beats, but for its first two-thirds, the film builds an impressive level of tension and dread – not to mention that its primary plot device is an ingenious hook for the story.
Story and Direction
Riz Ahmed in Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.
Ash (Riz Ahmed) is a solitary fixer who helps whistleblowers – but not in the way you might expect. Instead of assisting them to expose the corporation they’ve been working for, Ash helps the would-be whistleblower (who may have second thoughts or is afraid) return whatever incriminating documents or information they have, in exchange for a substantial payout, a new life, and a promise to be left alone.
A former whistleblower himself, Ash employs a third-party relay service – a phone and text network ostensibly meant for people with hearing disabilities, and the most fascinating aspect of the movie – to ensure that his communications with his clients are anonymous, untraceable, and secure. Ash’s next case is a scientist named Sarah Grant (Lily James), who is being harassed by operatives of the biotech company for which she used to work. She has some devastating information on the company that she wants to give back, and Ash agrees to help her, with all their exchanges conducted through the relay service.
Ash also monitors his clients from afar – and sometimes from right next to them, since they don’t know who he is – and in the case of Sarah, he begins to develop an attraction that threatens the wall of protection that he’s carefully constructed around himself. Sarah begins to take interest in her silent benefactor as well, even though her former employer’s attack dogs – led by the ruthless Dawson (Sam Worthington) – are doing everything possible to destroy her or worse.
A scene from Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.
David Mackenzie, who directed the excellent ‘Hell or High Water’ in 2016, wrings tons of suspense out of ‘Relay’ for its first two-thirds, with the relay service creating a unique layer of separation between Ash and his clients that emphasizes both Ash’s paranoia and the danger of the work he does. Just as he channeled the classic Western in a modern setting for ‘Hell,’ Mackenzie invokes the thrillers of the ‘70s – right down to the gritty urban setting, in this case New York City – and lures you in as we watch Ash go through every meticulous detail of his business, wondering if and when he might finally slip up.
It’s only in the third act of Justin Piasecki’s script that ‘Relay’ begins to unravel, as a series of more conventional action beats, as well as a twist that you can sense coming about halfway through the movie, replace the movie’s slow-burn, simmering narrative with something resembling a more conventional action programmer. It’s not a fatal flaw but it takes the edge off ‘Relay’ just as the movie should be really catching fire.
Cast and Performances
Sam Worthington in Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.
Riz Ahmed is an expert at underplaying – almost deliberately eschewing dialogue in favor of expressing himself through his eyes, physicality, and remarkable stillness. Just as he did in the excellent ‘Sound of Metal,’ in which he played a hearing-challenged musician, he makes Ash almost consciously non-verbal – this is a man whose past trauma has taught him to say as little as possible and avoid even speaking at all. Despite the walls Ash puts up, however, Ahmed’s subtle compelling work transmits the isolated man’s basic decency and the gradual return of his sense of righteousness.
Lily James remains one of the more appealing young British actresses working today, and she too generates both charisma and desperation as Sarah, but the fuzzier aspects of her background and some of her choices make the character frustrating at certain points. Sam Worthington delivers a rather standard if snarky villain in Dawson, while unfortunately the great Willa Fitzgerald – so astonishing in ‘Strange Darling’ – gets little to do as Worthington’s right-hand person.
Final Thoughts
Riz Ahmed in Bleecker Street’s ‘Relay’. Credit: Bleecker Street.
The relatively low-key ‘Relay’ won’t get the big publicity push or elaborate marketing of even an average Hollywood tentpole, but it’s also the kind of movie that audiences claim they want more of – original, adult-oriented, intelligent, and character-driven. It might be a film that finds an audience later on streaming as a result, but it’s worth seeking out in theaters as a cinematic experience that doesn’t rely on IP to succeed. It’s not perfect and you may not walk out completely satisfied, but for the most part, ‘Relay’ gets its message across.
‘Relay’ receives a score of 70 out of 100.
dAW4aLRx
What is the plot of ‘Relay’?
Ash (Riz Ahmed) is a world class ‘fixer’ who specializes in brokering lucrative payoffs between corrupt corporations and the individuals who threaten to ruin them. He keeps his identity a secret through meticulous planning and always follows an exacting set of rules. But when a message arrives one day from a potential client (Lily James) needing his protection just to stay alive, the rules quickly start to change.
(L to R) Benicio Del Toro, Mia Threapleton and Michael Cera star in ‘The Phoenician Scheme’.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton about their work on ‘The Phoenician Scheme’. Del Toro discussed his experience reuniting with director Wes Anderson and what he enjoys about working with him, while Cera talked about what it was like to join Wes Anderson’s company of actors and explore the unique worlds he creates on screen, and Threapleton discussed her character’s estranged relationship with her father and why she accompanies him on his journey.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews.
Moviefone: To begin with, Benicio, can you talk about reuniting with director Wes Anderson after ‘The French Dispatch’ and what do you enjoy about working with him?
Benicio del Toro: Well, I enjoy everything, especially the final product. But the character for ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ is a much more challenging character, full of contradictions, with a hell of an arc that it required a lot of motivation to say the least. It kept me up at night, put it that way, to make sure that I deliver what needs to be delivered day in, day out. But I think that Wes’s foundation as a filmmaker, aside from the fact of the visionary he is, also, he’s an incredible writer. He really is. We were talking about this. The script reads like a novel. You could publish it and it would read like a novel. Usually, I get many scripts, I’ve done many movies, and in many of them, I create the backstory of my character. Here, I think you get the backstory of all our characters that have arcs. Michael’s, Mia’s and me, we all have arcs, but we also get the backstory, which it reads like a novel would do that. So, I think that’s the thing that makes Wes’s projects for me so powerful, beyond just a comedy or a beautiful story. Something that his movies always have, is that you can touch them, but the foundation is a story and the writing, and I think that’s really one of his strengths.
MF: Michael, what was it like for you to join Wes Anderson’s company of actors and have an opportunity to explore the unique worlds he creates on screen?
Michael Cera: It’s such a wonderful group to join. Wes just populates his productions with the most amazing people you can think of, and Mia included in that. It’s so much fun to come in. It’s always an exciting thing about jumping into a project that has this caliber of people working on it, and yeah, the worlds are just so much fun. This movie is an anthology in a way where it’s like the three of us are this unit that hop from story to story, and each one of those was brought to life by the various guest players that would come in for that week or two weeks to work on their sequence and inject a whole new energy and atmosphere into the movie. It was just amazing, and it’s great seeing those people show up and bring that character to life in front of your eyes too, and see what they look like suddenly, and sound like.
MF: Finally, Mia, can you talk about Sister Liesl’s estranged relationship with her father and why she decides to help him on his journey?
Mia Threapleton: I think when we meet her, she has her own reasons for agreeing to meet with him, which are not just because she’s been invited, but she has a lot of unanswered, long time burning questions. Because he’s invited her, I think she realizes, “Okay, he wants something from me. Well, I will acquiesce to this, but I can also get him to give me the answers that I want as well.” So, it’s a little bit like a business negotiation initially, and then by the end of that conversation, I think she realizes, “Okay, actually this is a lot larger than I thought that it was going to be, and maybe he can give me more answers over time. Maybe I’ll find out more information.” I think because of her upbringing within a convent, she literally says it. “I forgive you. We’re taught to.” So, I think there is this forgiving side of her, but I also think that she sees that he is very complex and complicated and wants to understand that more. But perhaps that’s one of the many reasons why she decides to stick it out with this rapscallion, if you will.
840FXz1A16r7w6COVuUvH
What is the plot of ‘The Phoenician Scheme’?
Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) appoints his only daughter, a nun (Mia Threapleton), as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.
After being disappointed by his last outing, ‘Asteroid City’, I’m happy to report that director Wes Anderson has returned to form with ‘The Phoenician Scheme’, which is awkwardly funny and gives off ‘Royal Tenenbaums’ vibes. The movie takes full advantage of Anderson’s unique and quirky humor and is beautiful to look at. Each frame is meticulously designed, and is so breathtaking, it’s like watching at a moving painting.
Benicio del Toro gives a commanding performance as notorious businessman and family patriarch Zsa-zsa Korda, while Mia Threapleton is wonderful in her role as Sister Liesl, Korda’s only daughter and heir to his empire. But its actor Michael Cera that gives one of the best performances of his career as the mysterious Bjørn Lund. Cera is perfectly cast in the role and seems born to be in a Wes Anderson film as his own quirky persona fits the filmmaker’s aesthetic like a glove.
The film begins by introducing us to Zsa-zsa Korda (del Toro), a notorious businessman who has survived several assassination attempts. Fearing that his enemies will eventually be successful, Korda summons his only daughter Liesl (Threapleton) who has recently joined a convent and suspects him of killing her mother. Despite having nine young sons, Korda has chosen Liesl to be his heir and take over his empire. Korda believes that his risky new enterprise, will provide for his family for generations to come.
Korda and Sister Liesl embark on a journey to secure the rest of the funds they’ll need for their venture by visiting acquaintances like Leland (Hanks) and Reagan (Cranston), Marty (Wright), Cousin Hilda (Johansson), and eventually Korda’s brother Uncle Nubar (Cumberbatch), who may be Liesl’s real father. They travel with a mysterious young man named Bjørn Lund (Cera), who becomes Korda’s personal assistant and has feelings for Sister Liesl. Along the way Korda survives several attempted assassinations from an opposing group led by Excalibur (Rupert Friend), each time having a near death experience where he goes to heaven and eventually speaks to God (Murray).
Wes Anderson’s quirky brand of humor is not for everyone, but it is my favorite type of humor. I love absurdly bizarre situations played dead serious, and no one does that better than Anderson. ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ is my favorite of his films, although I really enjoyed the recent ‘The French Dispatch’, and ‘Phoenician Scheme’ is very similar to ‘Tenenbaums’. Both revolve around an eccentric, arrogant, rich patriarch who struggles with being a father and has delusions of grandeur.
Anderson is a unique and singular director. No one else before him or after has ever made a movie that looks like a Wes Anderson film. Everything you see in a Wes Anderson movie was thought out and meticulously placed. Each frame of his movies is like watching a beautiful moving painting. The gorgeous over the head shot of Korda in a bathtub that runs during the opening credits is a perfect example. Congratulations to Anderson and is production design team for their attention to detail, which makes this film and Anderson’s work in general a visual delight.
The three leads completely carry the film including del Toro, Threapleton and Cera. Benicio del Toro, who first worked with Anderson on the criminally underrated ‘The French Dispatch’ fits in to Anderson’s world exceedingly well. Here he is commanding, purposely over-the-top at times, but also measured, playing deadpan at the right moments and he has excellent chemistry with Threapleton.
In fact, Mia Threapleton is a revelation in this film, not surprising as her mother is the iconic Kate Winslet, and obviously the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. She adapts to Anderson’s style and pacing impressively well, and brings heart and humor to the ridiculous situations her character finds herself in.
Michael Cera, who’s dry delivery was on display in ‘Arrested Development’, ‘Superbad’ and ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’, perfectly fits Anderson’s aesthetic as if the actor was born to be in one of the director’s films. As Bjørn Lund he creates a character that is as likable and sympathetic as he is completely ridiculous. And without giving away any spoilers, the actor is also believable in the character’s surprise turn in the third act.
The returning cast of “Wes Anderson Players” were all welcomed, even if most of their roles only amounted to glorified cameos. Bryan Cranston and Tom Hanks are quite funny as the basketball playing Reagan and Leland, respectively. Jeffrey Wright is equally funny as Marty, electing to adopt a very strange characterization.
Scarlett Johansson, marking her third outing with Anderson, shines like an old school movie star and is excellent in her limited role. Playing the pivotal character of Uncle Nubar, Benedict Cumberbatch is fine but perhaps not as intimidating as the role calls for. Richard Ayoade is very funny as revolutionist Sergio, and Anderson mainstay Bill Murray gives a very dry but hilarious performance as God, of course.
While Wes Anderson’s movies might not be for everyone, ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ is one of his better recent films and is reminiscent of perhaps his greatest movie, ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’. Benicio del Toro, Michael Cera, and Mia Threapleton all give excellent performances, surrounded by a marvelous cast of frequent Anderson collaborators. If you like meticulously beautiful and absurdly funny movies, then this one is for you.
840FXz1A16r7w6COVuUvH
What is the plot of ‘The Phoenician Scheme’?
Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) appoints his only daughter, a nun (Mia Threapleton), as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists and determined assassins.
(Left) John Goodman in ‘The Big Lebowski’. Photo: Gramercy Pictures. (Center) Jesse Plemons in ‘Kinds of Kindness’. Photo: Searchlight Pictures. (Right) Riz Ahmed in ‘Sound of Metal’. Photo: Amazon Studios.
Preview:
John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed and more are joining a new Tom Cruise movie.
Alejandro G. Iñárritu is in the director’s chair.
The movie will focus on a powerful man looking to prove he’s humanity’s savior.
Word broke back in March that Tom Cruise –– who has spent the last few years focused almost entirely on making the latest two ‘Mission: Impossible’ movies (the next will be out in 2025) –– had finally found something else to do other than crazy stunts as Ethan Hunt.
Under his deal at Warner Bros., Cruise boarded the new film from ‘Birdman’ and ‘The Revenant’ director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, though details were scant at the time.
Per Deadline, the new film is something the director co-wrote with Sabina Berman, Alexander Dinelaris and Nicolas Giacobone, and focuses on the most powerful man in the world (we’ll go ahead and assume that’s who Cruise will play, but there’s no official word on that yet), who embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything.
In addition to starring, Cruise will also produce the new movie.
What about the new cast for the Iñárritu/Cruise movie?
2023’s ‘Anatomy of a Fall.’ Photo: Le Pacte.
The filmmaker has gathered quite the assortment for this new project, which isn’t surprising given that he’s won (and steered actors to) several Oscars in his time.
Goodman, of course, needs little introduction as he’s been a working actor for years, currently to be found leading the cast of ‘Roseanne’ sitcom ‘The Conners’.
Hüller is best known for starring in last year’s ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, for which she was nominated for an Oscar and won several other awards.
Stuhlbarg is a character acting and supporting stalwart who most recently cropped up in Apple’s ‘The Instigators’.
Ahmed won an Oscar for live-action short film ‘The Long Goodbye’ and nominated for another starring in ‘Sound of Metal’.
And finally, Wilde is perhaps not as well-known as the others, but did good work in horror movie ‘Talk to Me’ last year. She’s also been seen in ‘Everything Now’ and a miniseries called ‘Boy Swallows World’.
When will Iñárritu’s new movie be on screens?
There are no details about the new movie’s release, which is a co-production of Warner Bros. and Legendary. But you’d have to figure it’ll take aim at awards season next year given the talent involved.
Premiering on Netflix June 30th, ‘Nimona’ represents a film that almost never made it to screens, but one that you should be very glad did survive the machinations of studio takeovers.
Originally developed at 20th Century Fox’s Blue Sky arm, the movie was roughly 75% complete when Disney bought Fox and effectively consigned Blue Sky to cinematic history. ‘Nimona’ looked to be going along with it, before being rescued by Annapurna Animation and, following a deal, Netflix.
If there’s one regret from that decision, it’s that audiences really won’t have much chance to see it on the big screen, because ‘Nimona’ really deserves to be experienced in a huge theater with an appreciative crowd. Yet it’s good that the movie is coming out at all.
A thousand years ago, in a fantastical realm, a warrior named Gloreth defeated a monster. That has since passed into legend, upon which a new society of knights and warriors was built.
In the present day of this world –– imagine if Ridley Scott had made mashup of ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ and ‘Blade Runner’, where knights ride flying steeds and giant screens show news updates –– it’s one of the biggest days of the year, when new knights are knighted.
When Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), a knight who has risen from the streets and is still searching for acceptance is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a mischievous teen with a taste for mayhem — who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature Ballister has been trained to destroy.
But with the entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona’s the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for. And as the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur, the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc: for Ballister to clear his name once and for all, and for Nimona to… just wreak serious havoc.
The cast also includes Eugene Lee Yang as Ambrosius Goldenloin, Ballister’s fellow knight and true love, Lorraine Toussaint as Queen Valerin, Frances Conroy as The Director, who runs the knight training program, Beck Bennett as dumb, ambitious knight Sir Thoddeus Sureblade, RuPaul Charles as TV presenter Nate Knight and Julio Torres as Diego the Squire.
The performances
Chloë Grace Moretz attends ‘Nimona’ NY Special Screening at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on June 24, 2023 in New York City. Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix.
One of the movie’s smartest moves – whether it was driven by budget concerns or not, was to largely skip the big-name actor voice cast in favor of people who just fit the roles. Beyond Ahmed, Moretz, Conroy and Bennett (who is a ‘Saturday Night Live’ veteran), most of the cast vanish into their characters, which helps you focus on the story.
Ahmed, of course, is excellent as Ballister, by turns driven and funny, nervous and assured. And he plays well against Moretz, who is a bundle of energy as the title character, who harbors a broken heart inside her ebullient personality. Lee, meanwhile, handles the role of Ambrosius with sensitivity, and Bennet brings big bro energy to Thoddeus.
Writing and directing
(L to R) Troy Quane, ND Stevenson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Eugene Lee Yang, and Nick Bruno attend ‘Nimona’ NY Special Screening at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on June 24, 2023 in New York City. Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Netflix.
Nick Bruno and Troy Quane are in the director’s chair for this one, and they bring the story to life with an assured touch. Working from a script by Robert L. Baird and Lloyd Taylor, it’s an adventure that also has enough good jokes that the movie feels like it had the hand of Phil Lord and Chris Miller involved (it didn’t, so kudos to the team working on the movie).
‘Nimona’s tale rattles along at a good clip, and even when it does pause for necessary exposition, it delivers it in such a way as it doesn’t feel like the momentum grinds to a halt for a lecture. Ballister’s background in particular is conveyed in a manner that is entertaining rather than a chore.
Yet where ‘Nimona’ really scores are in its themes and messages, which are beautifully supported by its narrative. Ideas such as Ballister’s search for acceptance in a world where a kid from the streets can aspire to be knighted, only for the city folk to instantly turn against him. Nimona’s own quest to find a place where she isn’t treated with suspicion, fear and anger just because she’s considered different, and an overall feeling of state-imposed paranoia about the potential for monster attacks, when the real threat is coming from within those who are supposed to protect the populace. And in a pleasingly progressive stance, Ballister and Ambrosius’ relationship is treated without comment. Unlike, say, the recent ‘Elemental’, which took a decent stab at tackling immigration and star-crossed lovers, ‘Nimona’ does more with its subtext than most.
While it may not push the envelope in quite the same way as ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’, ‘Nimona’ does have plenty to recommend it on the animation front. It’s a compelling blend of 2D and 3D, giving real life to the characters and, at times, a painterly feel.
The characters pop, and when the big action finale kicks in, it keeps it visually interesting while never detracting from the heart of the tale.
And again, And unlike ‘Elemental’, which had an interesting, stylized city but suffered from comparisons to, say, ‘Zootopia’, ‘Nimona’s medieval tech look is superbly thought out –– there is a meticulous detail to the world that Ballister and Nimona inhabit. From posters and announcements pushing the message “if you see something, slay something” in the subways to the blend of screens and turrets, it’s completely engrossing.
There are, of course, the expected beats, but ‘Nimona’s team puts such a good spin on them that they go past easily. This is one of the best movies of the year, no matter the medium.
Best Picture nominees ‘Judas and the Black Messiah,’ ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Promising Young Woman,’ ‘Sound of Metal,’ ‘Mank,’ ‘Minari,’ ‘Trial of the Chicago 7,’ & ‘The Father’
Early in the morning on March 15th, Nick Jonas and Prianka Chopra-Jonas announced the nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards. Here are the nominees for this years’ awards:
BEST PICTURE
‘The Father’
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Mank’
‘Minari’
‘Nomadland’
‘Promising Young Woman’
‘Sound of Metal’
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
DIRECTOR
Thomas Vinterberg, ‘Another Round’
David Fincher, ‘Mank’
Lee Isaac Chung, ‘Minari’
Chloe Zhao, ‘Nomadland’
Emerald Fennell, ‘Promising Young Woman’
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Riz Ahmed, ‘Sound of Metal’
Chadwick Boseman, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Anthony Hopkins, ‘The Father’
Gary Oldman, ‘Mank’
Steven Yeun, ‘Minari’
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Viola Davis, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Andra Day, ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’
Vanessa Kirby, ‘Pieces of a Woman’
Frances McDormand, ‘Nomadland’
Carey Mulligan, ‘Promising Young Woman’
Sacha Baron Cohen, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
Daniel Kaluuya, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Leslie Odom Jr., ‘One Night in Miami’
Paul Raci, ‘Sound of Metal’
Lakeith Stanfield, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
‘Onward’
‘Over the Moon’
‘A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon’
‘Soul’
‘Wolfwalkers’
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
‘Borat Subsequent MovieFilm’
‘The Father’
‘Nomadland’
‘One Night in Miami’
‘The White Tiger’
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Minari’
‘Promising Young Woman’
‘Sound of Metal’
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
‘Another Round’ – Denmark
‘Better Days’ – Hong Kong
‘Collective’ – Romania
‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’ – Tunisia
‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ – Bosnia and Herzegovina
‘The Father’
‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
‘Mank’
‘News of the World’
‘Tenet’
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sean Bobbitt, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Erik Messerschmidt, ‘Mank’
Dariusz Wolski, ‘News of the World’
Joshua James Richards, ‘Nomadland’
Phedon Papamichael , ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
‘Burrow’
‘Genius Loci’
‘If Anything Happens I Love You’
‘Opera’
‘Yes-People’
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)
‘Colette’
‘A Concerto Is a Conversation’
‘Do Not Split’
‘Hunger Ward’
‘A Love Song For Latasha’
ORIGINAL SONG
‘Fight For You’ from ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Hear My Voice’ from ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
‘Husavik’ from ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’
‘lo Sì (Seen)’ from ‘The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)’
‘Speak Now’ from ‘One Night in Miami…’
ORIGINAL SCORE
‘Da 5 Bloods’
‘Mank’
‘Minari’
‘News of the World’
‘Soul’
Delayed by the pandemic, the Oscars ceremony will be on Sunday, April 25 on ABC.
Tom Hardy wants his Eddie Brock/Venom “to run with the established family” — meaning the Marvel Cinematic Universe family. The best way to get into that world is probably through a PG-13 rating, despite many comic book fans wanting an R-rated “Venom.”
“Venom” co-stars Tom Hardy and Riz Ahmed talked to MTV International about Sony’s Marvel Comics film — which is separate from Marvel Studios’ Marvel Comics films with the “Avengers.” During the talk, Hardy tried to defend the PG-13 rating, and also pushed for a future crossover with the “Avengers.”
Ahmed first talked about comic book fans being so hardcore, and asking them questions on the street about “Venom.”
MTV International: “Is there a particular question fans have been asking the most about ‘Venom’?”
Tom Hardy: “‘Is it going to be R-Rated?’ That’s the big question and the answers been answered, isn’t it?”
Riz Ahmed: “It’s a 15 in the UK.”
Tom Hardy: “And it’s a PG-13 in the States. But to be fair, the thing can fulcrum into R-Rated, and fulcrum into youth or children. My littlest ones, they watch Spider-Man and Venom quite comfortably and Venom toys appear and LEGO appear in my nostril in the morning, you know what I mean? So it’s not like they’re scared by him. And at the same time there’s a lot in the real estate that you can actually imbue with a complete sense of gratuitous violence if you really wanted to, and I think you’ve got the right people for that job if you want to push it. Of course that’s where I’d love to go with it. And I’d love to through all the Avengers as well with it. But that’s above my pay grade. Riz, maybe you could have a word.”
Riz Ahmed: “You want me to talk to the Avengers and tell them you want to have a fight with them? That Venom wants to fight the Avengers.”
Hardy put them out there for a crossover, but if it doesn’t happen, he thinks they can fight alone.
Watch the full MTV video for more, including the breaking news that Tom Hardy is not actually obsessed with the angel emoji, because someone else runs his social media for him.
“The Sisters Brothers” is one of the year’s very best movies, dark and hilarious, contemplative and wild, and very soon it’ll be coming to a theater near you. And in celebration of that rollout, we are absolutely thrilled to debut an exclusive featurette about the making of the movie and the history that inspired it. This clip gives a great outline of what the central storyline is, with great anecdotes by costar and producer John C. Reilly. If you aren’t excited about seeing “The Sisters Brothers” yet, after watching this, you will be positively jazzed.
In “The Sisters Brothers,” Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix play outlaw siblings hired by their boss to kill a prospector (Riz Ahmed), who has come up with a scientific formula for discovering gold. This puts one of the brothers’ confederates (Jake Gyllenhaal) in a sticky situation; he’s been hired by the brothers to keep an eye on the prospector. At turns violent, hilarious, and deeply beautiful, Jacques Audiard’s “The Sisters Brothers” is a movie you simply cannot miss and while it’s playing in Los Angeles and New York City now, it’ll be rolling out more and more in the next few weeks (see the complete list below). Yee-haw!
