The 2020 Fall Movie Preview – Part 3

October 2, 2020

As the calendar turns to October, I was thinking about what is commonly referred to as “the October surprise”, the piece of news that can drop right before an election is held, that can shape the final vote tally.  You may remember some stories about a candidate’s e-mails four years ago, right about this time.  I was recently reminded of this while watching the new documentary Agents of Chaos, directed by Alex Gibney, one of the best documentary filmmakers we have today.  The two part film (available on HBO Max) outlines in painstaking detail how a campaign of disinformation and hacking by online trolls, funded by the Russian government, may have influenced the 2016 election and continue to influence the level of discourse in our country today.  Pretty scary stuff.  As a reminder, if you get your “news” from Facebook memes, Twitter replies or commenters posting to online articles, well….

I also recently watched a good documentary about the history of voter suppression in this country, which you would think would have ended several decades ago.  Not true – there are some very shady things going on in parts of this country that have a negative consequence on people’s ability to vote.  That film is called All In: The Fight For Democracy, and focuses on the tight 2018 race for Georgia Governor, between Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp.  The race was a nasty one, with accusations of voter suppression on the part of Kemp, who was the Georgia Secretary of State when he ran for governor.  The documentary does a nice job of weaving together the race in 2018 with the history of voting rights in this country, which to be candid, is pretty disgraceful.  You can watch this film on Amazon Prime. 

Lastly, I recently caught a fantastic documentary that was released a few months ago that is now streaming on Hulu.  It’s called The Fight and it tells the story of four cases that the ACLU is battling against the current administration surrounding the issues of voter suppression, reproductive rights, immigration, and LGBT rights.  This film (much like Boys State) doesn’t just dump a bunch of documentary footage on you to figure out.  Instead, it takes the stories of these attorneys and their cases and turns it into a narrative like you would see in a feature film.  At times, it is riveting, heartbreaking, and frustrating, but most of all, it is inspiring.  I highly recommend this one. 

All of these films have a strong political angle to present – they aren’t shy about it, so it’s good to know that going in.  But it’s a reminder to stay informed on both sides of an issue, not just one angle.  As one of the ACLU attorneys pointed out while reading a hate e-mail, “It’s important to read these messages, or else you are just living in your own bubble.”  The films are also a reminder of the crazy times we are currently living in, much like the events of Tuesday night.  Remember my post about Charlie Kaufman where I discussed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?  In the movie, a company had developed the technology to erase painful memories from someone’s  brain.  Anyone else willing to risk a little brain damage to forget what we witnessed Tuesday night?  Yup, me too.

What’s the point of all of this?  One more movie thought, because that’s what I do.  Remember Seven, the masterful David Fincher thriller with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman?  Near the end of the film, their characters are getting ready to go with the serial killer John Doe (played by Kevin Spacey) to a location where he says there are more bodies.  Because the investigation had taken so many dark and sinister turns, Freeman’s character didn’t know how crazy this last act could be, so he wanted his partner to be prepared for anything.  He says, “If John Doe’s head splits open and a U.F.O. flies out, I want you to have expected it.” And Pitt responds, “I will.” It’s 2020 people – when it comes to “the October surprise,” expect the unexpected.  You did see the breaking news Friday morning, right?  Of course you did.  Beware – there are still 29 days left in the month.  No one ever said we’d only get one October surprise.

Anyone else ready to bury their heads in the sand and watch movies?  Ok, good – you came to the right place.  We’re back for the last part of our Fall movie preview.  If you missed the first two parts, you can find them here and here.  We’ve got some good ones this week, so let’s dive in.

A Promising Directorial Debut – Sound of Metal

Every once in a while, you come across an actor and after watching a performance, you think “That person has IT.  I’m in – what are they doing next?”  That was the case when I first came across Riz Ahmed after I watched the 2016 HBO limited series The Night Of.  He played a young man wrongly accused of murder, who gets railroaded through the prison system.  It was a very impressive performance and Ahmed won an Emmy for his work.  I haven’t seen much of him since then, but recently learned about this new film from writer-director Darius Marder, in his feature directorial debut.  Ahmed plays a heavy-metal drummer whose life is turned upside down when he realizes he is losing his hearing.  He seeks the help of a group who counsel deaf individuals and assist them in adapting to their new way of life.  I’ve read strong reviews of the movie, especially for the screenplay, Ahmed’s performance, and the sound mixing, which based on the trailer, looks impressive.  Sound of Metal will have a limited theatrical release beginning November 20^th, before premiering on Amazon Prime on December 4^th. 

A Welcome Reunion – On the Rocks

Imagine for a moment that you are the 19 year-old daughter of one of the most acclaimed filmmakers in history.  Then imagine that you are probably best known for delivering a widely-panned performance in the third film in one of the most famous trilogies of all-time, directed by your father.  After that role, you decide that you are done with acting and instead want to get into the directing business.  Now imagine the pressure you are under to follow in the footsteps of the great Francis Ford Coppola.  That was exactly what Sofia Coppola faced after the brutal reviews of her performance in The Godfather Part III.  Now having Francis Ford Coppola as your father certainly helps get you in the door, but Sofia has been directing films for over twenty years now and she has made some good ones.  Her feature directing debut, The Virgin Suicides was successful and she followed that up with Lost In Translation, the film that would win her an Oscar for Best Screenplay.  It also helped catapult Scarlett Johansson into a “next level” actress and earned Bill Murray an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.  Coppola and Murray are back together again for On the Rocks, a comedy-drama that recently premiered to strong reviews at the New York Film Festival.  Murray joins up with Rashida Jones as a father and daughter who roam around New York City tailing her husband to see if he is cheating on her.  Along the way, they also explore their own relationship.  On the Rocks will have a limited theatrical release beginning October 2^nd, before premiering on Apple TV+ on October 23^rd.  

A Likely Oscar Favorite – Hillbilly Elegy

Every once in a while a book comes along that resonates strongly with millions of readers and is quickly snatched up for a film adaptation.  That was the case with Hillbilly Elegy, the memoir written by J.D. Vance about his Ohio upbringing as part of a family that was struggling to stay afloat in a difficult economy.  Vance was raised with strong values by his grandmother, who helped raised him following his mother’s drug addiction.  The struggles of the family were seen as a microcosm of the feeling of many in the Midwest who felt lost in the 2010s, helping to tilt the scales of the 2016 election.  After the success of the book, the film rights were quickly purchased by Imagine Entertainment, with Ron Howard attached to direct.  Netflix financed the film and Howard brought on Glenn Close and Amy Adams to star in the film.  Expect this one to be on the short list of Oscar favorites later this year.  Hillbilly Elegy is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on a date to be determined in November.

The 19^th Century Love Story – Ammonite

Here we have another film that will likely receive awards attention for the two leading actors, Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, both favorites of the Academy.  Ammonite recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to strong reviews for the two lead performances.  Winslet plays a paleontologist in the 1840s searching for fossils on the English coast when she is approached by a tourist.  He asks her to look after his wife (played by Ronan) who is recovering from a recent tragedy.  Reluctant at first, she accepts the offer as she needs the money.  The two develop a friendship and eventually fall in love.  This one was directed by Francis Lee, in only his second feature film.  Ammonite is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 13^th.

Will We See It This Year? – No Time To Die

Just give us the new James Bond film, please.  Is that too much to ask of 2020?  The frequently delayed fifth (and final) Bond movie to feature Daniel Craig as 007 was directed by Cary Fukunaga, who directed the masterful first season of True Detective.  I’ve run hot and cold on the James Bond franchise over the years.  I find the Connery films somewhat charming (putting aside the misogynistic themes from the 1960s that age very poorly), the Roger Moore films a little too campy (it was the late 70s and early 80s after all) and the Timothy Dalton / Pierce Brosnan films rather forgettable.  But with Casino Royale in 2006, Daniel Craig brought new energy to the role and we’ve seen some high-concept stories, beautiful locations and impressive special effects.  To me, Skyfall is the best of the four Craig films, with Casino Royale a close second.  My one reservation about No Time to Die is the villain – he is played by Rami Malek, who I worry could be cartoonish if he’s playing it over the top, but we’ll see.  That being said, I was encouraged to read that Phoebe Waller-Bridge (creator of Killing Eve and Fleabag) was brought in (at Craig’s suggestion) to help out with the script, and that Ana de Armas (Knives Out) is featured as a CIA agent who assists Bond.  The rest of the cast, like most of the recent Bond films is deep and impressive.  No Time to Die is scheduled to premiere in theaters on November 20^th.  If (when?) it is delayed, I recommend firing up Skyfall as a fine substitute to get your Bond fix. 

Embracing the Moment – The Trial of the Chicago 7

Way back in the Spring, when we first started seeing movie delays (ahem, looking at you, No Time to Die), I wrote about the potential for studios to start shuffling their films off to streaming services to at least get some money for their product.  We saw this play out a number of times over the last six months, including this film from writer-director Aaron Sorkin, that saw its distribution rights sold by Paramount Pictures to Netflix.  Sorkin is probably best known for his work on TV, primarily as creator and show runner (for the first four seasons) of The West Wing.  But he has a strong track record in the movies (and on Broadway), beginning with script for A Few Good Men (based on his play) and The American President, which inspired Sorkin to create The West Wing.  After his TV run, he returned to film, where he would bring his rapid-fire dialogue to The Social Network, Moneyball and Steve Jobs, all excellent films, followed by his directorial debut, Molly’s Game.  Sorkin is one of those artists whose work has been, for the most part, very good over the years, so he is one that I will check out whenever he has a new project.  The Trial of the Chicago 7 was written and directed by Sorkin and tells the story of a group of anti-war protestors who were arrested and put on trial following the 1968 Democratic convention in Chicago.  This film is loaded with a very strong cast including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Keaton, Frank Langella, Eddie Redmayne, Mark Rylance, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Jeremy Strong, among many others.  Expect this film to be high on the list of Oscar contenders for Sorkin’s script, direction and some acting candidates.  The trailer recently dropped and the film looks very powerful, especially in this time of social unrest of our country.  The Trial of the Chicago 7 premieres on Netflix on October 16^th. 

The Return of the Master – Mank

Four words you love to hear “Directed by David Fincher.”  I could stop right there, but I’ll give you a little more, but not too much – we’ll be covering the work of Fincher next week.  Mank is Fincher’s first feature film since 2014’s Gone Girl, as he has been focused on other projects, primarily the Netflix series Mindhunter.  His new film has been a passion project for Fincher for many years, as the screenplay for the film was written by his father, who died in 2003.  It stars Gary Oldman as Herman Mankiewicz, the co-writer of Citizen Kane, the directorial debut of Orson Welles who co-wrote the film with Mankiewicz.  The writing of the film has been one of the legends of Hollywood, especially considering the reverence with which Citizen Kane is still held, some 80 years after its release.  Not too much is known about Mank, except that it tells the story of the battles between Welles and Mankiewicz in getting the film made and for the screenwriting credit.  It’s filmed in black and white and knowing Fincher, will be excellent.  Mank is scheduled to premiere on Netflix on a date to be determined in (hopefully) October.

As I mentioned last week, if you have interest in learning more about any of these films, or checking out the trailers, I recommend imdb.com.

That’s it for this week.  We’ll be back next week to look at the work of one of the best filmmakers we have working today, the great David Fincher.  Thanks for reading and if you’d like to be notified of future posts, you can subscribe here.