In honor of Anderson’s new movie, ‘The Phoenician Scheme‘, which opens in select theaters on May 30th before opening wide on June 6th, Moviefone is counting down every film of Wes Anderson’s impressive career, including his latest.
Four tales unfold in Wes Anderson’s anthology of short films adapted from Roald Dahl‘s beloved stories, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar”, “The Swan”, “The Rat Catcher”, and “Poison”.
(L to R) Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody and Owen Wilson in ‘The Darjeeling Limited’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Three American brothers (Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman) who have not spoken to each other in a year set off on a train voyage across India with a plan to find themselves and bond with each other — to become brothers again like they used to be. Their “spiritual quest”, however, veers rapidly off-course (due to events involving over-the-counter pain killers, Indian cough syrup, and pepper spray).
(L to R) Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson in ‘Bottle Rocket’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Upon his release from a mental hospital following a nervous breakdown, the directionless Anthony (Luke Wilson) joins his friend Dignan (Owen Wilson), who seems far less sane than the former. Dignan has hatched a hair-brained scheme for an as-yet-unspecified crime spree that somehow involves his former boss, the (supposedly) legendary Mr. Henry (James Caan).
The cast of ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Renowned oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) has sworn vengeance upon the rare shark that devoured a member of his crew. In addition to his regular team, he is joined on his boat by Ned (Owen Wilson), a man who believes Zissou to be his father, and Jane (Cate Blanchett), a journalist pregnant by a married man. They travel the sea, all too often running into pirates and, perhaps more traumatically, various figures from Zissou’s past, including his estranged wife, Eleanor (Anjelica Huston).
(L to R) Jake Ryan, Jason Schwartzman and Tom Hanks in director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
A scene from ‘Isle of Dogs’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island that’s a garbage dump. The outcasts must soon embark on an epic journey when a 12-year-old boy (Koyu Rankin) arrives on the island to find his beloved pet.
(L to R) Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman in ‘Rushmore’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
When a beautiful first-grade teacher (Olivia Williams) arrives at a prep school, she soon attracts the attention of an ambitious teenager named Max (Jason Schwartzman), who quickly falls in love with her. Max turns to the father (Bill Murray) of two of his schoolmates for advice on how to woo the teacher. However, the situation soon gets complicated when Max’s new friend becomes involved with her, setting the two pals against one another in a war for her attention.
(L to R) Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Bruce Willis and Edward Norton in ‘Moonrise Kingdom’. Photo: Focus Features.
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore – and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle.
Ralph Fiennes stars in ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’. Photo: Fox Searchlight Pictures.
The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge (Ralph Fiennes) at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee (Tony Revolori) who becomes his trusted protégé. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting, the battle for an enormous family fortune and the slow and then sudden upheavals that transformed Europe during the first half of the 20th century.
George Clooney as Mr. Fox in ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (George Clooney) bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers (Michael Gambon, Robin Hurlstone, and Hugo Guinness). The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family.
(L to R) Bencio del Toro and Léa Seydoux in ‘The French Dispatch’. Photo: Searchlight Pictures.
The staff of an American magazine based in France puts out its last issue, with stories featuring an artist sentenced to life imprisonment, student riots, and a kidnapping resolved by a chef.
The cast of ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman) and his wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) had three children (Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson) and then they separated. All three children are extraordinary — all geniuses. Virtually all memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums was subsequently erased by two decades of betrayal, failure, and disaster. Most of this was generally considered to be their father’s fault. “The Royal Tenenbaums” is the story of the family’s sudden, unexpected reunion one recent winter.
(Left) Emma Mackey in season 1 of ‘Sex Education’. Photo: Jon Hall/Netflix. (Right) Tilda Swinton as the White Witch in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’. Photo: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Preview:
Emma Mackey will be Jadis, ‘Narnia’s White Witch.
Greta Gerwig is directing the movie.
The movie has scored a rare theatrical release from Netflix for 2026.
Like the titular kingdom itself, details on the ‘Narnia’ movie planned by Greta Gerwig are slowly starting to drip out, as the information freeze begins to thaw.
It’s the first properly confirmed –– if not officially announced yet –– piece of casting, but there have been plenty of rumors in the past; the likes of Natalie Portman, Daisy Ridley, Brie Larson, and Selena Gomez have all shown interest in Gerwig’s project, and the director talked to recent ‘Anora’ Oscar winner Mikey Madison about a role.
2005’s ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’. Photo: Walt Disney Pictures.
In case the various film and TV adaptations have passed you by (the TV series was largely on the BBC in the UK, but the movies were big fantasy productions by 20th Century Fox in an era when studios were looking to capitalize on the success of ‘The Lord of the Rings’), the ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’ is a series of seven books by British author C.S. Lewis.
Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts, and talking animals.
It narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the Narnian world. Except in ‘The Horse and His Boy,’ the protagonists are all children from the real world who are magically transported to Narnia, where they are sometimes called upon by Aslan to protect Narnia from evil. The books span the entire history of Narnia, from its creation in ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ to its eventual destruction in ‘The Last Battle.’
Possibly the most famous tome in the set (and the one more normally adapted) is ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.’
As for Jadis, she’s a nasty sort known for freezing Narnia in an endless winter (where Christmas never comes –– boo! hiss! etc.), and turning her enemies into statues. She’s the main antagonist of both ‘The Magician’s Nephew’ and ‘The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.’
What’s the story of Greta Gerwig’s ‘Narnia’ movie?
‘Barbie’ Director/Writer Greta Gerwig attends a Photo Call at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia. Photo Credit: Caroline McCredie Photography.
Gerwig’s movie will adapt the sixth novel in the ‘Narnia’ series, the aforementioned ‘The Magician’s Nephew,’ which chronologically takes place first in the series. The novel tells the origin of Narnia and is centered on youngsters Digory Kirke and Polly Plummer, who discover the magical world through Digory’s uncle’s magic.
If Gerwig’s first ‘Narnia’ movie is a success, she may end up adapting the others.
The biggest development for the movie before casting started was that Gerwig had managed to swing an exclusive two-week Imax global run in 90 countries across 1,000 auditoriums in advance of the movie’s drop on Netflix.
That’s pretty much unheard of in terms of Netflix releases, which has been loathed to give even its biggest talents more than a cursory theatrical release, mostly preferring to drive subscribers to its servers. So it’s a big vote of confidence in the writer/director (but then, again, when you’ve made ‘Barbie,’ it buys you some clout.)
Where else have we seen Emma Mackey?
Emma Mackey in season 1 of ‘Sex Education’. Photo: Jon Hall/Netflix.
Mackey, as mentioned before, broke out big playing Maeve Wiley in ‘Sex Education,’ which was a big hit on Netflix and ran between 2019 and 2023.
Since then, she’s exploded into the movie sphere, with the likes of ‘Death on the Nile’ and Emily.
But perhaps most pertinent to this latest job is her role as one of the Barbies in Gerwig’s 2023 smash hit named for the doll.
Coming up, Mackey has indie dramas ‘Hot Milk’ and ‘Alpha’ and will also be seen in James L. Brooks’ new political comedy ‘Ella McCay,’ playing the title character.
(L to R) Sylvester Stallone and Julianne Moore in ‘Assassins’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Assassin Robert Rath (Sylvester Stallone) arrives at a funeral to kill a prominent mobster, only to witness a rival hired gun (Antonio Banderas) complete the job for him — with grisly results. Horrified by the murder of innocent bystanders, Rath decides to take one last job and then return to civilian life. But finding his way out of the world of contract killing grows ever more dangerous as Rath falls for his female target (Moore) and becomes a marked man himself.
A young female embezzler (Anne Heche) arrives at the Bates Motel, which has terrible secrets of its own. Although this version is in color, features a different cast, and is set in 1998, it is closer to a shot-for-shot remake than most remakes, Gus Van Sant often copying Alfred Hitchcock‘s camera movements and editing, and Joseph Stefano‘s script is mostly carried over. Bernard Herrmann‘s musical score is reused as well, though with a new arrangement by Danny Elfman and recorded in stereo.
A comedy that follows the chaos that ensues when a meteor hits the Earth carrying alien life forms that give new meaning to the term “survival of the fittest.” David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, and Julianne Moore are the only people standing between the aliens and world domination… which could be bad news for the Earth.
When he finds out his longtime girlfriend (Moore) is pregnant, a commitment-phobe (Hugh Grant) realizes he might have to change his lifestyle for better or much, much worse.
Las Vegas showroom magician Cris Johnson (Nicolas Cage) has a secret which torments him: he can see a few minutes into the future. Sick of the examinations he underwent as a child and the interest of the government and medical establishment in his power, he lies low under an assumed name in Vegas, performing cheap tricks and living off small-time gambling “winnings.” But when a terrorist group threatens to detonate a nuclear device in Los Angeles, government agent Callie Ferris (Moore) must use all her wiles to capture Cris and convince him to help her stop the cataclysm.
(L to R) Chloë Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore in 2013’s ‘Carrie’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
A reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Chloe Grace Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother (Moore), who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.
A suburban family chooses seemingly sweet Peyton Flanders (Rebecca De Mornay) as their newborn’s nanny. Only much later does the infant’s mother, Claire Bartel (Annabella Sciorra), realize Peyton’s true intentions — to destroy Claire and replace her in the family. The nail-biting suspense builds quickly in this chilling psychological thriller about deception and bitter revenge.
Bill Marks (Liam Neeson) is a burned-out veteran of the Air Marshals service. He views the assignment not as a life-saving duty, but as a desk job in the sky. However, today’s flight will be no routine trip. Shortly into the transatlantic journey from New York to London, he receives a series of mysterious text messages ordering him to have the government transfer $150 million into a secret account, or a passenger will die every 20 minutes.
The life of George Falconer (Colin Firth), a British college professor, is reeling with the recent and sudden loss of his longtime partner. This traumatic event makes George challenge his own will to live as he seeks the console of his close girl friend Charley (Moore), who is struggling with her own questions about life.
Julianne Moore in ‘Maps to the Stars’. Photo: Entertainment One Films.
Driven by an intense need for fame and validation, members of a dysfunctional Hollywood family are chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts.
With the nation of Panem in a full scale war, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) confronts President Snow (Donald Sutherland) in the final showdown. Teamed with a group of her closest friends – including Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Finnick (Sam Claflin), and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) – Katniss goes off on a mission with the unit from District 13 as they risk their lives to stage an assassination attempt on President Snow who has become increasingly obsessed with destroying her. The mortal traps, enemies, and moral choices that await Katniss will challenge her more than any arena she faced in The Hunger Games.
Four years after Jurassic Park’s genetically bred dinosaurs ran amok, multimillionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) shocks chaos theorist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) by revealing that he has been breeding more beasties at a secret location. Malcolm, his paleontologist ladylove (Moore) and a wildlife videographer (Vince Vaughn) join an expedition to document the lethal lizards’ natural behavior in this action-packed thriller.
Wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife (Sela Ward) and sentenced to death, Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) escapes from the law in an attempt to find the real killer and clear his name.
(L to R) Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore in ‘Hannibal’. Photo: MGM Distribution Co.
After having successfully eluded the authorities for years, Hannibal (Anthony Hopkins) peacefully lives in Italy in disguise as an art scholar. Trouble strikes again when he’s discovered leaving a deserving few dead in the process. He returns to America to make contact with now disgraced Agent Clarice Starling (Moore), who is suffering the wrath of a malicious FBI rival as well as the media.
When an attack on the Kingsman headquarters takes place and a new villain rises, Eggsy (Taron Egerton) and Merlin (Mark Strong) are forced to work together with the American agency known as the Statesman to save the world.
Carol (Moore), a typical upper middle-class housewife, begins to complain of vague symptoms of illness. She “doesn’t feel right,” has unexplained headaches, congestion, a dry cough, nosebleeds, vomiting, and trouble breathing. Her family doctor treats her concerns dismissively and suggests a psychiatrist. Eventually, an allergist tells her that she has Environmental Illness.
Many loosely connected characters cross paths in this film, based on the stories of Raymond Carver. Waitress Doreen Piggot (Lily Tomlin) accidentally runs into a boy with her car. Soon after walking away, the child lapses into a coma. While at the hospital, the boy’s grandfather tells his son, Howard (Bruce Davidson), about his past affairs. Meanwhile, a baker starts harassing the family when they fail to pick up the boy’s birthday cake.
(L to R) Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore in ‘The Room Next Door’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Ingrid (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.
Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple (Moore and Charles Melton) buckles under pressure when an actress (Natalie Portman) arrives to do research for a film about their past.
“The Hours” is the story of three women (Nicole Kidman, Moore, and Meryl Streep) searching for more potent, meaningful lives. Each is alive at a different time and place, all are linked by their yearnings and their fears. Their stories intertwine, and finally come together in a surprising, transcendent moment of shared recognition.
Alice Howland (Moore), happily married with three grown children, is a renowned linguistics professor who starts to forget words. When she receives a devastating diagnosis, Alice and her family find their bonds tested.
(L to R) Clive Owen and Julianne Moore in ‘Children of Men’. Photo: Universal Pictures.
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist (Clive Owen) agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman (Clare-Hope Ashitey) to a sanctuary at sea, where her child’s birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.
Two women, Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Moore), brought a son and daughter into the world through artificial insemination. When one of their children reaches age, both kids (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) go behind their mothers’ backs to meet with the donor (Mark Ruffalo). Life becomes so much more interesting when the father, two mothers and children start to become attached to each other.
Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is living the American dream. He has a good job, a beautiful house, great children and a beautiful wife, named Emily (Moore). Cal’s seemingly perfect life unravels, however, when he learns that Emily has been unfaithful and wants a divorce. Over 40 and suddenly single, Cal is adrift in the fickle world of dating. Enter, Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling), a self-styled player who takes Cal under his wing and teaches him how to be a hit with the ladies.
Jeffrey ‘The Dude’ Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), a Los Angeles slacker who only wants to bowl and drink White Russians, is mistaken for another Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), a wheelchair-bound millionaire, and finds himself dragged into a strange series of events involving nihilists, adult film producers, ferrets, errant toes, and large sums of money.
Julianne Moore in ‘Boogie Nights’. Photo: New Line Cinema.
Set in 1977, back when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, idealistic porn producer Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) aspires to elevate his craft to an art form. Horner discovers Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg), a hot young talent working as a busboy in a nightclub, and welcomes him into the extended family of movie-makers, misfits and hangers-on that are always around. Adams’ rise from nobody to a celebrity adult entertainer is meteoric, and soon the whole world seems to know his porn alter ego, “Dirk Diggler”. Now, when disco and drugs are in vogue, fashion is in flux and the party never seems to stop, Adams’ dreams of turning sex into stardom are about to collide with cold, hard reality.
(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.
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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.
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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.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Michael Shannon about his work in the film, in which he plays the patriarch of a well-off family who have retreated to a luxurious underground bunker after climate change has brought about the end of human civilization.
Shannon’s character, simply known as ‘Father,’ may have contributed to the collapse of the Earth’s ecosystem as head of a fossil fuel conglomerate. Despite its bleak subject matter, ‘The End’ is a full-blown musical featuring 13 original songs all performed by the members of the cast.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interview with Michael Shannon.
Michael Shannon talks ‘The End’. Photo: Mubi.
Moviefone: Had you seen Joshua’s two documentaries [‘The Act of Killing’ and ‘The Look of Silence,’ both about the mass murder of Indonesian citizens by a brutal far-right regime in the mid-1960s] and having seen those, was finding out what he wanted to do with this kind of a curveball in a way?
Michael Shannon: When I first met with Josh, I had not seen the documentaries. I had heard about them, they’re rather legendary, but I hadn’t actually seen them. So I had a pretty fresh palette going into it. All I had to go on was our conversation and then reading the script. But after I signed on, I watched both of the films, and found them exquisite and painful and all the things that everybody else probably has, and I didn’t really find it to be a curveball. Josh talks about these three films, ‘The Act of Killing,’ ‘Look of Silence,’ and ‘The End’ as being a triptych. He actually got the idea to make ‘The End’ based on the time that he spent in Southeast Asia and meeting a wealthy entrepreneur who was building an underground bunker. So I guess he could have made a documentary about that guy, I don’t know. But he decided instead to make his first narrative film.
MF: What was your reaction reading the script and learning that it was a musical combined with a post-apocalyptic drama?
MS: I was thrilled. I am really disinterested in doing something that’s been done before. I think there’s probably too many movies and TV shows in general, and that people spend too much time watching them. But if you’re going to go through the trouble of making something — and it is trouble, trust me, because he devoted years of his life to making this movie. It wasn’t easy, and it took a small village to get the thing financed. But if you’re going to go through all that, then you better make something that’s unique, and I definitely feel like he’s accomplished that.
Tilda Swinton in ‘The End’. Photo: Mubi.
MF: When you do look at a script, do you have an immediate reaction? Do you have to keep turning the pages, and become aware that you want to be involved in it, or on the other hand, do you read 10 pages and are like, “No, this is not for me”?
MS: Yeah, it’s pretty quick. I don’t like reading screenplays anyway. I don’t know when that happened — it used to be that when anybody thought to send me a screenplay, I was overwhelmingly excited to see it. But I guess just through the years as you read stacks and stacks of them, they become less and less appealing. But yeah, you usually know pretty quick. But this film is about things that are really important to me, and I could tell that basically from the get-go. So this was a very easy script for me to get through.
MF: Do you see a parallel with the story in ‘The End’ to the political moment that we’re in now?
MS: A parallel? Well, it’s interesting, because I guess that’s where your mind is inclined to head, but it’s important to remember that this problem existed before Trump was elected. Even if Kamala Harris got elected or Jill Stein or whoever, it’s been a problem. It’s been a problem since the ‘60s, we’ve known about this for decades and we haven’t done enough to fix it or solve it because, frankly, we’re delusional. Not everybody on an individual basis is delusional. There are a lot of people that are aware of the problem and want to do something about it as individuals, but as a society, I feel like within the United States, there are all different kinds of people obviously, but the United States of America as a country, as a collective country, is mentally ill. It’s like a crazy person that needs treatment, and I don’t know who’s going to give us this treatment. I’m pretty sure it won’t be Donald Trump, but we need some serious time away in a clinic somewhere with a bunch of people saying, “Let’s get to the bottom of this, because you’re clearly very dysfunctional.”
(L to R) Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon in ‘The End’. Photo: Mubi.
MF: Father starts off as kind of empathetic and congenial, and then you learn more about him and his dark side starts to come out. What was your approach to playing him?
MS: Of course he’s congenial, that’s how he got through life. I don’t think many people get to be CEOs or run corporate entities by being complete dickheads. Charm is the name of the game. Is he a sociopath? I don’t know. Sociopaths are very charming. I do believe that he does have a sense of morality ultimately, that he’s not a sociopath per se. But I thought about it, the potential or the possibility for it. But I think ultimately he’s just a man dealing with a profound amount of guilt, which I can relate to. I think guilt is a pretty universal feeling, I would hope. I don’t want people to be afflicted by it, but there are some things, like I mentioned earlier, that perhaps people should have a small amount of guilty feelings about. But I think what you see in the process of the film and the process of the story is a reawakening in him. It starts with Son inspiring him to really try and remember how he and Mother met, and it’s like a thawing of sorts. Like in order to cope with this experience that they’re having, he’s created this persona that he’s perpetuating just out of survival mode, but it’s not actually who he is if he really stops to think about it. But that’s the thing, in the aquarium that they’re all stuck in, self-examination can be a very dangerous thing. You would think, “Oh, I have all this time now, I am just going to get to know myself, and journal and all these things.” But that can lead you to some dark corners or some questions that you don’t know how to answer, and I feel like that’s what happens to Father in the movie.
MF: You’ve sang onstage in a band, but this is the first time that you’ve sang on film, correct?
MS: Well, I did a miniseries called ‘George and Tammy,’ where I played George Jones, and I sang quite a bit in that. But in terms of cinema, yeah, it’s been a long road, but yes, I don’t think I’ve sang in a movie before.
(L to R) Michael Shannon, George MacKay and Tilda Swinton in ‘The End’. Photo: Mubi.
MF: The cast sang mostly live on set. Was that a challenge in any way?
MS: Well, we rehearsed quite a bit before we started filming, we had three weeks of intensive singing rehearsals and a little bit of dancing rehearsals, and also table work with the script, blocking the scenes. The challenging part about a lot of the musical numbers that involved the whole group is that Josh had something very specific in mind about how he wanted it to move and flow and look. It’s always hard when you’ve got an ensemble of people all in frame at the same time and camera movement and all that. Some of those shots took a lot of takes to get them just the way that Josh saw them in his head.
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What is the plot of ‘The End’?
A wealthy family has lived in a vast underground bunker for 20 years while the world above has become uninhabitable and humankind has all but gone extinct. Their carefully controlled life and routines are disrupted by the arrival of a young woman from above who leads them to question everything.
On Netflix beginning November 10th, ‘The Killer’ marks David Fincher’s latest collaboration with the streaming service, a methodical revenge thriller that sees Michael Fassbender as the title figure, a man on a mission after his latest job goes awry.
As per usual with Fincher, this is as carefully constructed as its central character, though it might leave some wishing for a little more excitement in places.
The last time David Fincher shot something for big (and ultimately small, given Netflix’s cinema-then-server policy with its big movie scores), we got ‘Mank,’ which felt like something different for the director.
That one was bursting with huge personalities, a romantic storyline and a compelling if cynical love for old Hollywood. For ‘The Killer’ however, Fincher has dialed the needle back to his more usual stock-in trade, cold-blooded, full-power cynicism.
This is a man, after all, who made the likes of ‘Se7en’, ‘Fight Club’ and ‘The Social Network’, which all blended his rigorous approach to filmmaking with compelling characters at their heart. Michael Fassbender’s unnamed central figure here just about fits into that category with his various quirks and occupational theorizing –– you might find yourself, however wishing for something more to connect to.
‘The Killer’ reunites Fincher with one of his best collaborators, Andrew Kevin Walker, who wrote the screenplay for ‘Seven’. The pair relishes the chances to take another shot at poking around the darker, grubbier corners of life. Though their previous team-up focused on the law enforcement side of things, this new outing is firmly on the side of someone breaking the rules, albeit with his own strict code.
Walker’s script is precise and darkly funny in its way, primarily comprised of internal monologues from Fassbender’s fastidious assassin, who has several repeating mantras, including about anticipating not improvising, and how empathy is weakness.
While we spend most of our time with the character, there are the bursts of activity once his latest job goes bad and the repercussions hit close to home for him (though you do find yourself wondering why someone who seems to against connections in the world because of the baggage they bring was able to make some).
And as usual with David Fincher, the direction is beyond reproach, starkly color washed and full of interest in every frame. As Fassbender’s killer goes globe-trotting on his vengeful quest, we’re treated to some fantastic sights, including fancy restaurants and a billionaire’s very private (though not quite enough) penthouse.
He finds a way to bring the character’s world to life with his usual dark vibrancy, all metallic sheen and well-composed frames. Not a shot is wasted, and the craft at work is clear. The idea that the killer uses music from The Smiths to blot out the distractions of the world is an interesting one (perhaps, given his pessimistic worldview these days, Morrissey might even appreciate it) and adds another subtle layer of humor.
The director’s regular musical team Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross meanwhile, provide a subtle score that complements the visuals.
Michael Fassbender is at the core of this film, his dry (by choice and need) delivery of the killer’s monologues given just the right amount of snark. And when called upon to show his particular set of skills, the actor (who was lured out if a long break from acting for this juicy role) is more than up to the task, watchable when in silent preparation for an assassination or throwing down with a hulking henchman.
There’s also the chance for him to face off against some great actors, his encounter with Charles Parnell’s lawyer/boss/mentor figure one for the ages and, without giving too much away, involving creative use of a nail gun.
Tilda Swinton, meanwhile, is able to prove she’s still among the best, interacting with our man in more cerebral fashion, telling a solid joke about a hunter and a bear and ultimately coming across perfectly as someone who has found that putting their morals and ethics aside was surprisingly easy when the pay is right.
Elsewhere, the smaller roles are effectively filled, even as you mostly just view them in relation to Fassbender. As he tends to, the director has a good eye for interesting people in supporting roles, filling out the world in such a way as you believe it.
This new David Fincher movie will certainly please his regular fans, even if it doesn’t always quite live up to the standards of previous work. There’s a cold aloofness here that might also turn off more casual viewers (though if you’re sitting down to watch a movie called ‘The Killer’, you likely know what you’re in for).
The opening segment (the movie is split into neatly organized chapters, which would surely appeal to the persnickety pistol packer) at its heart is entertaining but does require a patience level as high as our antihero, since it truly takes its time to get to the point.
Still, if we can’t have more ‘Mindhunter’ on Netflix, at least it’s reassuring to know that David Fincher is keeping busy, and this also represents a welcome return for Michael Fassbender. Completely on target? Not always, but certainly well aimed for the most part.
‘The Killer’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘The Killer’?
An unnamed man in unremarkable clothes, The Killer (Michael Fassbender) watches from the floor of an empty office, across from the plush apartment of his target, rifle at hand. Measured, controlled, he takes every step to ensure the job goes flawlessly…
It doesn’t.
The Killer flees, following his strict personal mantra of dispassionate action. But his employers want him erased. By attacking his home, they disturb his sanctuary and, with it, his sense of self. This – he will not abide, traveling through the Dominican Republic and the United States, eliminating anyone who might disrupt his hard-won peace again.
(L to R) Jake Ryan, Jason Schwartzman and Tom Hanks in director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
For his latest, ‘Anderson’ is working on two levels. The first is the production of a play called ‘Asteroid City’, written by playwright Conrad Earp (Edward Norton). His new stage production is itself the subject of a TV documentary fronted by Bryan Cranston’s unnamed host, which is peeking into the creative process behind the work.
We watch some of the cast outside the play, and Earp at work on the script, before sets are built and other actors are introduced. Then the movie itself follows the story of the play, introducing us to war photographer Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman), who is bringing son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) to the titular desert town to take part in a Junior Stargazers event when his car develops trouble.
Steenbeck, who is recently widowed, calls his father-in-law, Stanley Zak (Tom Hanks) to pick up Woodrow and Auggie’s three daughters (who have yet to learn the news of their mother’s passing), and makes the most of the situation.
Asteroid City is hosting the Stargazers’ event partly because it is the site of an asteroid that landed 5,000 years ago and has attracted various characters to its dusty locale. The event, incidentally, is interrupted by the arrival of an alien, who takes the asteroid.
Steve Carell in director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
Who else is in ‘Asteroid City’?
In true Anderson style, the director has tapped many from his recurring roster of actors besides Schwartzman. Scarlett Johansson plays Midge Campbell, Jeffrey Wright is General Grif Gibson, Tilda Swinton is Dr. Hickenlooper, Adrien Brody is Schubert Green, Tony Revolori is Gibson’s
Aide-de-Camp, while Jeff Goldblum plays a role we won’t reveal here.
New to one of his films this time is Hanks plus Steve Carell (as a motel manager), Maya Hawke (as a teacher overseeing school students) and Margot Robbie (as the actress who was to have played Auggie’s late wife in flashback scenes cut from the play).
Writer/director Wes Anderson on the set of ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Roger Do Minh/Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features
Andersonian style
At this point, we all know what to expect from a Wes Anderson films. He has such an established style that he’s been parodied many times. And if you’re expecting a giant switch in terms of the visuals here, you will be disappointed. Likewise, his arch, dialogue-heavy tone is also on full display.
Anderson is a singular director, and if you buy into the vibe and feel of his movies, you’ll have a good time with ‘Asteroid City’. He’s created another set of memorable characters and an engaging locale for them to inhabit. And the idea of the play wrapping makes this stand out compared to the relative disappointment of ‘The French Dispatch’, which suffered from its split storyline.
(L to R) Grace Edwards as Dinah, Scarlett Johansson as Midge Campbell and Damien Bonnaro as Bodyguard/Driver in writer/director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
It helps that the director’s usual company are past masters at delivering his dialogue (here written by Anderson from a story by him and regular collaborator Roman Coppola) and bringing the characters to life.
Johansson (marking her second Anderson movie after voicing a character in ‘Isle of Dogs’) fits in well with the usual crowd, bringing a dual role to life. She plays the actress hired to take the role of Midge Campbell, a movie star who becomes something of a focal point for Auggie. Hanks also blends seamlessly into this world as Auggie’s stern (but not cold-hearted) in-law, a rich man with little time or patience for nonsense.
Bryan Cranston stars as “Host” in writer/director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
Cranston doesn’t have as much to do as the host, but he does fulfill the role with gravitas, while Norton is great as Earp, a troubled sort with a tragic fate.
But despite the large ensemble, this is truly Schwartzman’s film, and the Anderson veteran is more than up to the task of keeping Auggie feeling like a relatable human being amidst all the idiosyncrasy. His relationship with Woodrow is also well-defined, while Ryan is a nervy, yet still likable teen struggling with a mixture of genius and stirring hormones, the latter helped along by the presence of Midge’s daughter Dinah (Grace Edwards).
Around them, there are fun turns from Carell (whose motel manager is obsessed with vending machine and guests’ juice choices) and Wright’s general, who has to deal with endless governmental orders and gives enjoyably rambling speeches.
(L to R) Fisher Stevens, Jeffrey Wright, Tony Revolori, and Bob Balaban in director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
Space oddities
There are a few issues with the film, though they don’t affect its impact too much. Some of the cast have so little to do (Willem Dafoe, for example, whose role is essentially a wordless cameo) that you have to think they only turned up to do the director a favor and that their parts might have been better played by unknown actors. Others, such as Swinton, make the most of smaller roles, but are offered little in the way of depth or story.
And there is, of course, the divisive nature of Anderson’s output –– if you find his movies lacking heart and substance, then we can’t really recommend checking out his latest for all the reasons that devotees will enjoy it. And there are some elements, such as a roadrunner puppet, that deserves more screentime (the roadrunner does at least get his due during a fun musical sequence that plays over the end credits).
Still, there is a lot to like about ‘Asteroid City’, its quirks never overriding its charms. There are human stories to be found here, and some entertainingly out-there sci-fi moments to help Anderson newcomers settle into the place and time.
‘Asteroid City’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
(L to R) Writer/director Wes Anderson, actor Jason Schwartzman and actor Tom Hanks on the set of ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Roger Do Minh/Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
‘Asteroid City’ takes place in a fictional American desert town circa 1955. The itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Scarlett Johansson and Jason Schwartzman about their work on ‘Asteroid City,’ what fans can expect from the film and working with filmmaker Wes Anderson.
(L to R) Jason Schwartzman and Scarlett Johansson in writer/director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Johansson, Schwartzman, Jeffrey Wright, Adrien Brody, Rupert Friend, and Maya Hawke.
Moviefone: To begin with, Scarlett, what would you say to moviegoers sitting down to watch this film to prepare them for the cinematic experience they are about to have?
Scarlett Johansson: What would I say, to prepare them? I don’t know. I don’t like knowing anything about a movie before I go. I just like to go in and be surprised. You just got to let the movie wash over you. I would say be prepared to see it more than once because it’s very dense and complex, and I’ve gotten a lot more out of seeing it a few times. There’s a few movies where I feel like I’ve had that experience. I remember seeing ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ and I remember I saw it and I really liked it. Then the second time I saw it, I really didn’t like it. Then the third time, and now that obviously I’ve seen it many times, I really love it, and I notice different things about it all the time. There’s just some movies that there’s something uncomfortable about them. I think this movie is, at least for me, it’s uncomfortable. So I feel like it’s good to kind of prepare to let it wash over you a few times.
(L to R) Grace Edwards as Dinah, Scarlett Johansson as Midge Campbell and Damien Bonnaro as Bodyguard/Driver in writer/director Wes Anderson’s ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features
MF: Jason, what would you tell viewers to get them ready for Wes Anderson’s latest movie?
Jason Schwartzman: I would say that there’s no wrong way to react to it, which is, I think a fun thing. I’ve watched parts of it with, let’s say my wife and a different person. The reaction to a scene, one person could laugh and the other person could be just really taken aback, or confused, or sad. Both of those reactions are real. I think that’s a really hard place to write and to make things, and to exist in that space is really cool. So yeah, that’d be my only advice is I wouldn’t question whether or not if what you’re feeling or thinking is right. It just goes along with what Scarlett’s saying. It is right. Just go with it. Then it’s what the characters are saying in the movie, so just keep going. Don’t question it. Just live it.
(L to R) Writer/director Wes Anderson, actor Jason Schwartzman and actor Tom Hanks on the set of ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Roger Do Minh/Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
MF: Scarlett, obviously you worked with Wes Anderson on the animated ‘Isle of Dogs,’ but what was it like for you to finally work with him on a live-action movie?
Scarlett Johansson: Well, I got to prepare this with him. He sent me this script and I had many months to talk to him about it and share movies and books and stuff like that, and different vocal stuff. I knew Jason was doing some vocal work too, so I tried to just do some prep work on it and make sure that when we got there, that all the pieces were fitting together. I didn’t get that experience on ‘Isle of Dogs’, so that was fun. The character building part of it was exciting and new for me with Wes, and I loved it. I didn’t have any expectations, but I certainly was surprised I guess, that he was so open to collaborating like that and very open. He didn’t have any particular idea of what this person’s background is, or where they came from, but Wes had great suggestions and it was fun.
Writer/director Wes Anderson on the set of ‘Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Roger Do Minh/Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features
MF: Finally, Jason, what was it like for you working with Scarlett on this film?
Jason Schwartzman: Just as the scheduling of it worked out, I was there from the very beginning to the very end. I was even there after Wes left. I have a photo of Wes’ empty hotel room. But I just will say that Scarlett came towards the end of the time there and we were doing these little scenes and I would say that Wes had so much excitement for Scarlett to come and to be there, and just looking forward to her arrival. It was a really great, brand new exciting experience. Then when she did arrive and we started to do these scenes, just the look on his face of being satiated, I guess. He was so truly happy and I could just see how much he’d been waiting and talking about it, and how excited and how much that meant to him.
Scarlett Johansson in director Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City,’ a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.
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.
