Stan & Ollie Review: A Nice Mess, An Even Nicer Biopic

It could have been a standard by-the-numbers origin-story biopic instead, Stan & Ollie looks at the legendary screen duo of Stan Laurel (Steve Coogan) and Oliver Hardy (John C. Reilly) as their career winds down. The emphasis here is on the way the funny bits in their lives come tinged with melancholy not a bad thing, really, when youve actors like these who can deftly balance both comedy and tragedy. Taking a swerve taking from the cocaine cowboys of Filth, director Jon S. Baird seems to have an instinctive grasp that the best course of action would be to trust his performers. Well played, sir.

Born, like Stan, in Lancashire, England,Coogan nails the fussy mannerisms and mischievous wordplay of the British half of duo. Though Laurel was known as the writing brains of the team, he delighted in playing the fool to Ollies exasperated curmudgeon. Reilly, encased in a fat suit and a latex double chin, is staggeringly good as Hardy, never losing sight of the big mans light-on-his-feet performing skills or the painstaking effort it took to make it look easy. Well, heres another fine mess youve gotten us into, was a famous (often misquoted) line of the man nicknamed Babe, always the result of some prank pulled by his partner. Right before our eyes, Coogan and Reilly simply become Stan & Ollie, without ever letting the makeup, costumes and bowler hats do the acting for them. Its a remarkable transformation.

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Working from a warmly personal script by Jeff Pope, who had previously collaborated with Coogan on Philomena, the film follows the two comics on a tour through the British isles in 1953. By this time, their fame had faded; Ollie is overweight and sickly, and their manager (an amusingly manic Rufus Jones)has booked them into half-empty theaters and music halls. Its also made clear that Stan and Ollie rarely socialized in the years between. Still, the bond between the men grows stronger as they run through their old routines in front of live audiences, all of whom grow increasingly enraptured by their antics. Coogan and Reilly are especially enjoyable doing the dance from Way Out West, a series of dainty little steps that became a staple of their act.

Along the ride are their respective wives, ever alert to any slights to their husbands and battling each other for the upper hand. Shirley Henderson is a tiny force of nature as Ollies wife Lucille, a former script supervisor on the teams films. She may be dwarfed by her husbands size but a fierce guardian of his shaky health (after suffering a series of strokes, Hardy died at 65, four years after the period depicted in the film).

A terrific Nina Arianda takes a different tack as Ida, Stans Russian dynamo of a spouse. The actress barrels hilariously through every scene, proudly referencing her former career as a dancer and taking no prisoners when shes crossed. The two wives engage in the same kind of prickly conflict as their husbands. And that situation gets worse when old resentments surface, such as the betrayal Stan felt when Ollie went off to do a film on his own. Yet the abiding love between these two men is never really in question. After the death of his beloved partner, the crestfallen Laurel never worked again.

Kudos to Coogan and Reilly, not just for their gifts of impersonation, but for detailing the bedrock connection at work and play between the two men: Stan the shy workaholic; Ollie the fun-seeking extrovert. The film gins up a few conflicts, like who was to blame for the teams planned film about Robin Hood that never came to fruition. But their lifelong allegiance is never in doubt. When Stan was too ill to attend his friends funeral, he simply said, Babe would understand. And thanks to the award-caliber teamwork of Coogan and Reilly, we also understand. You dont want to miss the pleasure of their company.

Eat Pray Love

Having not read Elizabeth Gilberts bestseller about her yearlong journey to Italy, India and Bali to achieve balance and spiritual enlightenment, I can only speak of the torture of watching the movie. Despite the star shine of Julia Roberts as Gilbert and the presence of gifted Glee creator Ryan Murphy in the directors chair, the movie left me with the feeling of being trapped with a person of privilege who wont stop with the whine whine whine. Endless scenes of Gilbert, bathed in golden light by the great cinematographer Robert Richardson, complaining about guys (Billy Crudup, James Franco, Javier Bardem) who dont understand her needs made me want to starve curse hate and put commas where they belong. Murphys magic touch on TV with Glee and Nip/Tuck mysteriously deserts him in movies (he stalled with his 2006 debut, Running With Scissors). As I watched Gilbert swirl pasta, pet an elephant and visit an ashram, I kept wishing that Glee coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch, my personal guru) would appear her voice engorged with venom and seriously puke in Gilberts bromide-spouting mouth.

What We Do in the Shadows

Heres a vampire movie for people who dont like vampire movies. What We Do in the Shadows is packed with laughs, almost all of them are intentional. In this mock documentary from New Zealand, we follow the lives of aging bloodsuckers who need a little human vitality to give them fresh blood and a new lease on life. Jemaine Clement, immortal on HBOs Flight of the Conchords, plays the orgy-loving Vladislav, a vamp whos lived for 862 years without learning much of anything. His buddy Viago (Taika Waititi), a kid of 379, tries to hide parts of his past, especially the Nazi parts. But things leak out.

As co-writers and directors, Clement and Waitiki give a lot of the good jokes to the other vamps sharing their digs Deacon (Jonathan Brugh), the young, 183-year-old rebel, and Petyr (Ben Fransham), the old bat at 8,000. Dont fret about keeping everyone straight. Just watch those bloody dishes in the sink, and keep an eye out for that poker Vladislav carries around. Is What We Do in the Shadows one sketch stretched to movie length? Maybe. But when the vamps hit the town to party with werewolves, zombies and the strangest creatures of all, you wont be able to wipe the smile off your face. A good sign.

See Hellboy Reject Ancient Sorceress in Bloody Red Band Reboot Trailer

The Hellboy reboots dramatic new Redband trailer explores the complicated relationship between the titular demon (Stranger Things David Harbour) and ancient British sorceress Nimue, the Queen of Blood (Milla Jovovich).

The clip opens with a tease of Hellboys origin story, showing how the character was summoned from the depths of hell on a stormy island off the coast of Scotland. Later, the demon confronts Trevor Bruttenholm (Ian McShane)his adoptive father and leader of the government organization Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (BPRD)about the nature of his existence. You made me a goddamn weapon, he snarls.

We also learn about Nimues plan to eliminate mankind and create a new Eden. Out there, theres a fifth-century sorceress who wants to bring down the curtain on London and the world, Bruttenholm tells the BPRD, which also includes Ben Daimio (Losts Daniel Dae Kim). In another clip, the sorceress begs Hellboy to become her king. We belong together, you and I, she says. We do, but this is not gonna work, ya know, cause Im a Capricorn and youre fucking nuts! he replies.

The trailer, set to an orchestra-infused version of Deep Purples Smoke on the Water, also previews the BPRDs bloody fight scenes and paranormal abilities, including a shot of Daimio transforming into a jaguar.

Game of Thrones veteran Neil Marshall directed the new Hellboy, based on the cult comic book series of the same name. The film, which hits theaters April 12th, follows Guillermo del Toros two films featuring the character, 2004s Hellboyand 2008sHellboy II: The Golden Army.

Once

Summer brings out the Bigfoot in Hollywood with blockbusters at the ready to stomp out any movie that values simplicity and sincere emotion. Well, dont let summer squash Once, the Irish musical from writer-director John Carney that struck a lyrical chord at Sundance earlier this year. Cut through the Spidey-Shrek hype and seek it out. You wont be sorry. Its a magical, beguiling wonder. When I say Irish musical, think U2, not Riverdance, and get set for a gift of a movie that is absolutely worth seeing more than once. The Frames frontman Glen Hansard as a Dublin songwriter who takes his guitar to the streets and sings himself hoarse to deaf ears. That is, until he meets a pretty Czech pianist (Marketa Irglova) who gives him the guts to quit his dads repair shop and t finding the bucks to make a recording. Thats it, a bittersweet love story with ravishing Hansard music (Falling Slowly is a killer) and the ache of romance in its soul. Nothing about this mood piece should work the budget is shoestring and the actors are inexperienced. But Once brims with small pleasures that pay major dividends. Carney, who played bass for the Frames till 1993, is a filmmaker to watch. Blending the hip and the heartfelt, the tough and the tender, he creates a movie you want to hold close.

Q&A: Danny Huston on the Mob Mentality of Magic City

In Starz Magic City, set in Miami just following the Cuban revolution, Danny Huston plays local mob boss Ben Diamond alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgans Ike Evans, the owner of the beachfront Miramar Playa hotel. The son of director John Huston and half-brother of actress Angelica, he delivers a perfectly bronzed, cigar-dragging, usually poolside fallen emperor, a man so vicious he could order a hit by raising an eyebrow. The second season premieres tonight. Rolling Stone spoke with Huston (who is actually very lovely in real life) about Faustian deals, Roman emperors and channeling his father.

Ben Diamond is very evil.
I take great pride in literally taking a scalpel out and opening my characters up and prodding them, especially the villains, and seeing where it is that they feel. In regards to Ben Diamond, I thought you know, Im going to give all that up. Im just going to play him for the badass that he is, because it makes him so unapologetic and somehow honest, amongst all these other characters that are morally compromised. But the sexual depravity is sort of lonely and desperate in an imperial Caligula, narrow kind of way what is it that he needs now to get turned on?

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Going into season two, it feels like he is no longer holding himself back.
I suppose its a Faustian deal that Ike made with Ben Diamond, but its not like he pulled the wool over Ikes eyes. Ike is really very much aware of what hes doing and the game that hes playing. And as the second season develops well realize, I suppose, what a player Ike is and how deceptive he can also be. And now theres the Chicago element thats been introduced with Sy Berman [played by] Jimmy Caan, so thats going to cause pressure for him. In a way, the Sy Berman character is like the Meyer Lansky to my Bugsy Siegel. So Im a little bit out of control.

Why do you think hes named the Butcher? There are a couple of theories presented in the show.
He talks about this Dickensian kind of childhood that he had. He was an orphan, and he was rejected by his mother. And well find out more in regards to his sexual quirks where that stems from. So that will soon be revealed.

I know that its pay cable and I know that Miami is hot, but it almost feels like the nudity is its own character.
I didnt want to scandalize the crew, but I thought to myself, You know, if you think in sort of Roman bath terms, theres no reason why he would be wearing anything when hes at home lounging by the pool. I mean, I suppose the next thing would be him leafing himself with the eucalyptus leaves.

So it was your idea to float in the pool naked?
Yeah, and [creator] Mitch [Glazer] was like, Yeah, absolutely. I also thought it would balance things out a little bit with womens nudity.I thought if theyre doing it, theres no reason why Ben would be bashful. It also helps the lounging aspect, and the bit of a reptile he is. And theres power, I think, to him being exposed and doing nothing.

The New York Times pointed out that Judaism is significant to this story, and these characters are more Tony Soprano than Larry David. How do approach playing a Jewish gangster?
I find the bad Jew an interesting topic. Ive found a lot of Jewish men sort of flattered by Ben Diamonds performance. Why do all gangsters have to be Italian or of that sort of ethnicity? Theres something kind of cool about a bad Jew. And historically, if you look at the Meyer Lanskys and the Bugsy Siegels, they were very prominent.

You read up on Bugsy Siegel and Meyer Lansky. Did you take anything in particular from them?
Yes. I wear a ring which is not dissimilar to Bugsy Siegels ring. I try to bring a certain bit of a show-off, proud somewhat creating an empire, in that sense. Theres a sort of regal quality to him.

We obviously know the Italian gangster really well. How is the Miami gangster different? More cigars?
I think it stems from the gambling in Cuba.Theres the wonderful tropical lawlessness about it, which has a swagger that you only get in the heat. Andwithout a doubt, cigars taste better in a humid environment. The balmy nights have an air of freedom and recklessness to them.

You grew up in Rome and, I imagine, similarly beautiful parts of Los Angeles. Are you familiar with this world of gorgeous women and tanned, rich men sitting by the pool?
I suppose the late Sixties is where my memory starts. I was born in 62. There was that dolce vita, loose feeling. And all those influences from films Key Largo and Edward G. Robinson. I think theres a little bit of Edward G. Robinson in Ben Diamond. Theres an opening scene in Key Largo where hes in a bath, and he puts this towel around his neck. I stole that for a scene where I get out of the pool.

Youve said that you were conceived during Freud, born during the preproduction of The Bible, and teethed on The Night of the Iguana. What was that like?
One of the first cuts I saw of a film was The Bible, and my father was playing Noah. But not only that, he did the voiceover for God. Now, I supposed every kid sees their parents or their father as God, but I was actually, literally hearing the voice of God as a child. My mother was dying of thirst in the desert, and she had this kid, and it wasnt me.So really Ive been sort of scarred, I think, for life. Im muddled insofar as to what is fiction and what is reality.

At one point Ben Diamond actually refers to himself as God. Do you find yourself channeling any aspects of your father? Not in the sadistic, killer sense . . .
Sometimes. And God strike me down, or my father strike me down for saying this, but for me, one of the great villains in cinema was Noah Cross inChinatown [played by my father]. He was just fantastic, and scared the bejeesus out of me and my sister insofar as there are a lot of elements of my dad in that performance. And sometimes I see Ben Diamond, as a character, and I see elements of Noah Cross there.

How do you approach it differently, not knowing where your character is going?
I find that daunting. I asked Jack [Huston], my nephew, actually, for advice, because he already did, onBoardwalk Empire [playing Richard Harrow]. I said, How do you do it? He said, I approach each episode as its own film. I thought Id take on that advice.

But like life, as youve said.
I mean, you could go out and turn a corner, and something could happen. But its a shame, because you cant smile and look up at the sky if a bus is suddenly going to hit you. You want to set it up a little bit.

Nashville Recap: Stand By Your Man

At this point its safe to say that Johnny Cashs A Boy Named Sue has a more complete character arc in three minutes and 44 seconds than Nashville has had in, what is it now, eight episodes? Sheesh. Following a tense episode last week, last nights installment (and the last episode of 2012) held devastating developments for Rayna and Teddy, but love in the air for Gunnar, Scarlett, Sean and Juliette.

Picking up where we left off , backstage at the Ryman, Rayna and Juliettes duet at the Edgehill Republic anniversary concert was a resounding success, and loathsome Music Row dick pig Marshall Evans immediately decides to release the duos Wrong Song as a live single. He also acquiesces to Raynas request to hire Liam to produce her next record which she twists the label heads arm into saying hes so excited about. So may hes not such a dick pig . . . or at least a somewhat redeemable dick pig. One thing thats clear about Marshall is that hes the kind of person nobody would hang out with unless they had to.

One-upping Unlikeable Marshall, Teddy awkwardly strolls into the dressing room and gets affable with all the shit-eating sincerity of a young Sen. John Edwards: Dont let me stop the celebrating! That was fantastic! You were great out there tonight! he tells Rayna.

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Naturally, Teddy does stop the celebrating, taking Rayna home so the couple can have it out over those (marginally) damning photos Coleman took of him and Peggy not fucking. Per Lamars suggestion (i.e., demand), Teddy comes clean about the encounter. And by come clean, I mean spins a yarn about his dirty business partner confiding her marital troubles, because lying is always a good way to repair broken trust in a relationship. Oh, Teddy.

Rayna believes her husband (for now). She confronts Coleman in his office and goes all WTF: Youre gonna drag my family through the mud? . . . You know good and well Teddys not a cheater.

I thought so, too, Coleman retorts as he shows her the pictures. (Sick burn.) If thats not cheating, then what is? he asks.

None of your damn business! she snaps as her decision walks out the door. (Sicker burn.)

Compounding Teddys problems, Peggy is fuh-reeking. The fuck. Out. Showing up at her partner-in-crimes campaign headquarters in tears. Sure, this trumped-up scandal is hell for her, too. But at this point she should be happy shes not still facing time in a white-collar prison thanks to Lamar wiping her dirty, stupid paper trail clean.

In Lamars war room, Rayna interrupts a poli-tricks strategy meeting to chew out Teddy and Lamar, as if Teddy has any actual power or spine and Lamar gives a shit. Anyway, the feud gets all the more fun when Lamars aid consults his iPad and finds that the Teddy/Peggy pics have found their way to the gossip blog DMZ Celebrity News (clever name, doncha think?).

To say the least, Peggy handles this development poorly with pills, and not in the way Jolene handles things with pills. Peggys suicide attempt prompts Rayna to reconsider her faith in Teddys, well, faithfulness. With his back up against the wall (and because financial infidelity, though illegal, isnt as bad a crime as marital infidelity), Teddy finally, actually comes clean to Rayna about the $2 million he and Peggy embezzled. And it only took eight episodes!

I trusted you, Rayna tells Teddy. You still can, he replies. I dont think so, Rayna retorts. (Sick burn.) Though a divorce wont bode well for the Conrad campaign, it will probably give Rayna good lyrical fodder for her new record, and a good enough justification for meeting Deacon for a park-bench heart-to-heart. Hopefully that PI wasnt tailing her.

In the end, Rayna holds an awkward press conference, where she performs a spoken-word adaptation of Stand By Your Man. I did it for our daughters, she whispers in Teddys ear as they embrace for a photo op.

Deacon gets an offer to go on the road with freshly dried-out international rock stars and old friends the Revel Kings. Dont Kings of Leon have a song called Revelry? Is that a reference? Anyway, after an episode of hemming and hawing, Deacon takes the band up on the offer and they toast soda bottles to sex, no drugs and rock & roll.

We end where the show began. Rayna and Juliettes live single reaches Number 15 on the charts, and the co-headlining arena tour is back in the works. And it only took eight episodes!

Reality checks
It seems like Juliette Barnes is pretty popular. Would she really need tour support from her label to hit the road? If Lindsay Lohan can land an acting gig with Lifetime, surely some promoter out there will book Juliette, right?

Also, would a celebrity gossip blog really give two shits about a mayoral election in Tennessee? Probably not.

Previously: Powerball

Outlaw King Review: Bloody Epic Proves Chris Pine Is Brave of Heart

It starts with a close-up of a candle and ends with flaming debris being flung at a castle wall by a catapult in terms of kicking off a period-piece epic with a single unbroken shot, you could say that Outlaw King sets a high bar. This serpentine opening sequence establishes that, in 1304, Englands King Edward seizes power over Scotland after an eight-year-rebellion; the regent forces the countrys lords, including former heir-to-the-throne Robert Bruce (Chris Pine), to bend the knee; his son, Prince Edward II (Billy Howle), has an ax, or rather a sword, to grind with this particular Scotsman; another lord, James Douglas (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), desperately wants revenge for this travesty; and that the king is willing to destroy a perfectly good fortress in a gratuitous display of power. The camera follows these men in and out of tents, circling them as they clang blades together, darting next to them as they approach and reproach their nations new leader. Nine minutes, no cuts.

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Theres a danger in fetishizing such filmmaking virtuosity, not to mention that its a risky gambit to start things off this way: How do you keep people from talking about nothing but your insanely ambitious, technically complex set-up? (Answer: You give your sex-symbol leading man a full-frontal moment.) Yet its astounding how, in one fell swoop, director David Mackenzie gives you the foundation for almost everything you need to know going into this historical drama: the relationships, the stakes, the level-headedness of some and volatility of others, the blend of magnificence and muddiness that will be this epics stock-in-trade, the fact that Pine still looks matinee-idol handsome even when saddled with the worst glam-rock shag do in centuries. Once youve firmly established who the players were and why Scotlands Rebellion 2.0 was inevitable, its a lot easier to get folks invested in your dirtier, scrappier, more-impalement-friendly version of Braveheart.

The freedom fighter from that Oscar-winning film makes two brief cameos here, in fact first as a ripped limb nailed to a post in a public square and then as a head stuck on a pike. Bruce knows that compliance or death are the choices now, which is why he counsels his countrymen to keep calm. Even his new wife Elizabeth (Lady Macbeths Florence Pugh), whos coupled with him as part of an arranged peacekeeping deal between the powers, understands the necessity of playing along. Soon, however, the taxation and oppression get to be too much for him; after dispatching a rival and getting a go-ahead from the church, Robert the Bruce declares himself King of the Scots. This means war. It also means that Prince Edward will counter by grabbing two dead birds by their necks and screaming, in what is the single most pleasurably delirious line reading of the year, BY THESE SWANS I VOW TO AVENGE THIS MURDEROUS INSULT TO GOD!!!

What follows is a less an old-school epic and more of a middle-school one, i.e. the sort of violent, gore-heavy history lessons marinated in guts and grandiosity that we got in between the mid-1990s to mid-2000s (see not just Braveheart but Gladiator, Troy, 300, Kingdom of Heaven you could even count the D-Day assault in Saving Private Ryan). The Scottish rebels literally get medieval on folks asses. I know you as men, Bruce says to his comrades-in-harm, but today, we are beasts. Flaming arrows fly through the air, arterial spray splashes everywhere and troops fall back so another army can ride their horses into pits of wooden spikes. Metal clashes on metal or, more often, on vulnerable flesh and bone. Mackenzie has previously staged everything from bank robberies (Hell or High Water) to prison riots (Starred Up), but his battle scenes here are miniature spectacles involving men with beards, chain-mail and near-masochistic levels of pain. (Not for nothing are several Game of Thrones veterans included in the cast.) Death is nasty, brutish and short on these battlefields. Its also highly cinematic.

The filmmaker also has a history of including some very warped eroticism into his films, from a genuinely disturbing scene in Young Adam (2003) involving custard, condiments and spanking to the manic rutting throughout his haywire epidemic drama Perfect Sense (2011). So its a relief here when Bruce and his headstrong Queen indulge in a passion thats practically chaste and not distracting, as well as featuring actors with chemistry. Pine and Pugh sync up well onscreen, especially in their early scenes together as they feel each other out. They begin to admire each others bravery, ideology and wisdom regarding when to hold back and when to rush once more unto the breach. Both are charismatic, swoonworthy; Pine, especially, reminds you here why he is movie-star material. Plus Mackenzie, to his credit, knows that you cant go wrong when you have two people kiss in silhouette while a camera spins Vertigo-style around them. That, and the notion that emphasizing a sense of personal connection not just love of country, but love itself can ground a sweeping story even when it stumbles.

And Outlaw King does stumble. Its tension-and-release game is not exactly tight, and its dramatic rhythms have a way of losing the beat. Some set pieces are seamless edited, while other scenes feel as if they were jaggedly cut with Robert the Bruces personal broadsword. Few actors can make grinning through a blood-splattered mug as screen-worthy as Aaron Taylor-Johnson, but when he goes into berserker mode in his old home, we dare you not to think of a similar siege in Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Other than that bliss-inducing shriek about swans and vengeance (seriously, its this-level great), Howles tendency to bellow his lines occasionally suggests a volume knob stuck on 11.

Still, this look back at Scotlands fight for independence scratches not one but two itches. Its the sort of big-scope, big-gesture movie that, even if you dont have the advantage of seeing it on a big screen thats Netflixs logo on the front makes you pine (sorry) for the days when studios invested in actual epics instead of franchises. It is also a story about a corrupt king who prefers to enforce his rule through intimidation, division and fear rather than respect and who is met by a resisting force that ultimately endures and survives to the bitter end. You dont just get something filling a past multiplex-niche hole. You also get a major act of contemporary wish fulfillment.

Zama Review: Lucrecia Martels Imperialism Takedown Is a Slow-Burn Masterpiece

A man in a uniform is standing on the beach, staring at the sea. Natives trudge along the shore behind him. His profile makes him look like a statue, the sort of noble Hail the conquering hero! sculpture youd see in national galleries. His name is Don Diego de Zama (Daniel Gimnez Cacho). The place is the edge of Argentina. The century is the 18th. Hes been sent to claim and tame this land for Spain, a good old-fashioned magistrate of the crown in full colonialist bloom. Hearing the sound of laughter behind some rocks, he spies a group of women, naked and coating themselves in mud. After a few minutes, Don Diego is caught: Voyeur! Voyeur! they yell at him (or maybe theyre yelling at us). Red-faced, he scurries away up the cliffside. Its not the last time this invader will be chased off.

Located in the dead center of a Venn diagram encompassing sumptuous costume drama, social commentary and pure cinema, Lucrecia Martels extraordinary new filmZama establishes a pattern from the get-go. Her eponymous hero, a symbol of European manifest destiny, wants to get somewhere, preferably away from his post in South America, and he will be repeatedly shuffled around. He will also try to establish the authority that has been decreed his birthright and get the indigenous equivalent of the Heisman move, as well as the high hat from his peers, superiors and subordinates. Even animals get in on the action after hes read the riot act by the governor of the province hes overseeing, a llama starts giving him grief (and steals the scene). The man is Job with a cutlass and a tri-cornered hat.

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But if all Martel wanted out of adapting Antonio Di Benedettos 1956 novel was to take the piss out of imperialism, this intoxicating, spellbinding vision of the past would not have been half the masterpiece that it is. A cockeyed fable on her countrys history and a sideswipe at an empire crumbling under the weight of hubris and madness, Zama is more than a portrait of the loneliness of the long-distance foreigner. Its the sort of immersive cultural transmission that reminds you just how powerful and transportive this medium can be one of those rarities that can momentarily jolt you out of your ways of seeing things. Poetic is a word that gets thrown around willy-nilly, but it fits perfectly here. So does woozy. It feels less like a film than a high fever, burning slow but hot in order to incinerate a virus.

And frankly, Don Diego doesnt need a written invitation to leave his adopted homeland. Written permission, yes his requests for transfer have yet to receive a royal response. (Theyd have to be sent first; the Governor has told him that it usually takes a few tries before Her Majesty grants such bureaucratic favors, so really, why should the bored politician bother submitting them?) But Zama is ready to return to life outside of the occupied sticks, to see a family he hasnt heard from in eons and to move to a place where he feels less claustrophobic. In the meantime, Don Diego passes the time listening to a ministers wife (Pedro Almodvar regular LolaDueas) complain and flirt and order her servants around, and bearing witness to a fellow white-wigged middle manager (Juan Minujn) using enhanced-interrogation techniques on the locales. A brawl gets our man exiled to the edge of the territories, sentenced to a life waiting in a sort of halfway-house hut populated less by guests than ghosts.

By the time Zamasends its bearded, disillusioned hero into the jungle in search of a famed outlaw and a purpose, the movie has already given us gorgeous imagery galore Portuguese cinematographerRui Poas has a knack for combining beauty and rot, giving you the feeling that youre looking at museum pieces through a patina of mildew and the sense that the terrain itself is expelling the civilized world one conquistador at a time. The third act then proceeds to go into full surreality-bites mode, staking its own claim at the corner of Herzog St. and Buuel Ave.

But anyone whos dipped into this Argentinian writer-directors pitifully small back catalog (if you havent, go straight to The Headless Woman) will tell you that this is the work of a singular artist someone who knows how to correctly crowd a frame for maximum impact, when to drop in a Polynesian-sounding score and how to get her actors to channel existential malaise. Shes already made the case for being a world-class filmmaker, but this movie suggests a grander perspective at work, which connects the dots between her previous class-conscious, character-based explorations of moral slipperiness to a narrative about centuries of exploitation. History just repeats, it cautiously hints. Only the hats change.

So we leave Don Diego wounded and floating on a river to nowhere, heading miles downstream to meet Aguirre on his raft of monkeys or Fitzcarraldo on his boat or Kurtz in his compound or wherever it is that madmen who took on Mother Nature and lost go to grouse. He came, he saw, he was conquered and cast away. As for viewers, theyll be left high on the fumes of a master. Zamahelps to remind you that mans inability to realize that he cant impose his corrupt will on everything is an endlessly looped folly. That, and the fact that there are few buzzes more potent than recognizing a great work of art when you see it.

Richard Linklater Hopes to Film Dazed and Confused Sequel This Fall

Richard Linklater hopes to start shooting the spiritual sequel to his film Dazed and Confused this fall, the director confirmed during an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit yesterday.Describing the film as a college comedy, Linklater added, I feel like mixing it up with a big ensemble.

As The A.V. Club points out, Linklaters been talking about the Dazed and Confused sequel for quite some time now, with the film almost going into production under the title Thats What Im Talking About. Linklater said back in 2010 that while he had financing in place for the film, he was still searching for a distributor.

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The movie will reportedly take place over the course of a weekend at a college in 1980, and while it attempts to capture the style and feel of Dazed and Confused, Linklater has said that none of the characters from the original will reappear.

Linklater recently released Before Midnight, the third installment in the ongoing love story of Jesse and Celine (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, respectively), which he began in 1995s Before Sunrise.

How Do You Know

No one looks at the clash between how we love and how we earn a living with the knowing comic flair of James L. Brooks. How Do You Know takes him out of the halls of TV power (Broadcast News) and into the crashing lives of two careerists in a down economy. Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) is a pro softball player cut from her team for getting slower and older at 31. George (Paul Rudd, a first-class actor savoring material to match) is a suit being set up for stock fraud. And the culprit may be his father (Jack Nicholson, working his witty eyebrows for big laughs). Lisa considers moving in with Matty (Owen Wilson), a major-league pitcher whose idea of fidelity doesnt include anonymous sex. Thats the last yard, he says in a charming whine thats pure Wilson. Lisa hooks up with George on a disastrous blind date. The two shouldnt click, but they do, kind of, as they try to figure out how you know when youre in love. Witherspoon and Rudd spar beautifully, relishing Brooks long takes and deliciously funny dialogue. The movie doesnt pander to attention-deficient audiences, which could be a trouble spot. Brooks, bless him, takes his sweet time.

Holiday Movie Spectacular Six great new movies

Peter Travers gets a lot of criticism from readers who say he's just knocking movies left and right, but this week he's celebrating all the great films arriving in theaters in time for the holidays. In this week's At the Movies, Travers raves about War Horse, The Adventures of Tintin, The Iron Lady, Albert Nobbs, Young Adult and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and gives special shout-outs to Andy Serkis, Hugo and Drive, his favorite movie of 2011.

Neil Finn Reaches Epic Heights on Song of the Lonely Mountain Song Premiere

Click to listen to Neil Finns Song of the Lonely Mountain

Peter Jacksons The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is fast approaching, and the epic adventure movie gets an appropriately epic ballad with Neil Finns Song of the Lonely Mountain. With angelic vocals, swooning strings and a slow, determined build, the tune captures the feel of an arduous trek across a rocky, perilous landscape. Metal crashes invoke blacksmiths hard at work forging weapons in the fire while the classical guitar floats between the chants and clattering percussion.

The Song of the Lonely Mountain was developed from a dark and mysterious theme which the dwarves sing early in the movie, Finn tells Rolling Stone. He says Jackson and his team suggested he get in a dwarven state of mind as he shaped the song to play over the end credits. After some days of mining underground (actually, in Peters office) I emerged with the song, then set about recording it with my sons Elroy and Liam. Dave Fridmann came in at the end with a bold mix. He seemed to respond well to my demands for more anvil! Pop music needs more anvil!

The soundtrack for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be out on December 11th. The film, part one in a trilogy, opens December 14th. You can pre-order the song here.

Star Wars Splits With Episode IX Director Colin Trevorrow

Colin Trevorrow will no longer direct Star Wars: Episode IX, Lucasfilm announced in a statement on the Star Wars website.

Lucasfilm and Colin Trevorrow have mutually chosen to part ways on Star Wars: Episode IX, the note read. Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ. We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon.

Trevorrows departure from the film follows an August shake-up, during which screenwriter Jack Thorne was tapped to take over the script from Trevorrow and his writing partner, Derek Conolly. Per sources, a new set of eyes was needed to finish the final installment of the franchise reboot.

Lucasfilm and its parent company Disney did not say whether the directorial change will effect the timeframe for the as-yet untitled Episode IX. Production is scheduled to begin next January and the movie is expected to open May 24th, 2019.

Trevorrows exit is not without precedent in the Star Wars universe since Disney purchased Lucasfilm and revived the franchise in 2012. Most recently, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller left the Han Solo stand-alone film over creative differences, paving the way for Ron Howard to take over. Lucasfilm and Disney also notably parted ways with screenwriter Michael Arndt, who was tapped to write the franchise reboot, Episode VII. Director J.J. Abrams and Star Wars vet Lawrence Kasdan eventually finished the script for what became The Force Awakens.

The next Star Warsfilm, Rian Johnsons The Last Jedi, opensDecember 15th.

X Factor Recap: Marcus Canty Bites the Dust

The inmates are running the asylum. Simon Cowell and the gang were stripped of their magical decision-making powers last night and forced to watch as America decided which contestants moved on to the finale. There were no Save Me songs, no showdowns, no judges dodging their duties and throwing it over to deadlock. Instead, it was all about what America wants. Democracy in action!

Steve informs us early on that during the performance episode last night, the show received 30 million votes which means, statistically, that at least three people you know voted on The X Factor last night, which seems impossible. Also, Im terrible at math, so thats probably not true. Our boy Steve also mentions that tonights special guests include Florence and the Machine, and Nicole Scherzinger? Howd they manage that coup?

As always, the show opens with a group performance, and this one finds the contestants singing Blackstreet blended with Tears for Fears. Somewhere in the world, Girl Talk is taking a long, hard look in the mirror and thinking things over. From the moment No Diggity kicks in, Josh looks uncomfortable. Its a sharp contrast to Chris Rene and Marcus Canty, who are right at home with this song. Baby, youre a perfect ten/I want to get in, just does not seem like a Josh Krajcik kind of come-on, though. Here, we also get our first hint that Melanie Amaro will survive the night, as the crowd totally loses its collective mind the moment her lips first part.

Some brief Steve-talk about the shows next season leads to the terrifying prospect of X Factor Booths: pop-up enclosures used for audition purposes that will be placed in malls throughout the country and also my nightmares. Imagine the horror that happens in those booths! Next, for the second night in a row, the audience is made to clap along in time to the shows theme song while Steve grills the judges. Heres a gem from Paula, regarding which performances she liked best the previous night: Being the only impartial judge, Im looking at this and taking it very partially. Love her.

After a commercial break, Steve is interviewing the judges and contestants backstage. (Dude shoulders a bigger burden than usual tonight.) He tries three times to get LA to admit that hes feeling smug about the competition, since LA is the only judge with multiple mentees remaining. Getting LA to admit that he feels smug? Next, Steve will be trying to get the Great Lakes to confess that they occasionally feel damp. At first, Paula is missing from all this, due to the magic of live TV, but sure enough, she materializes out of the ether to kiss all of the contestants on the face, apropos of everything. Did I mention that I love her? With my heart?

When Florence and the Machine are introduced, a caption flashes across the screen touting 85 million internet hits, whatever that means, and Grammy nominated. The producers probably would have been better off trusting that people know about Florence in the Machine already (which they must) than using these two selling points. Theres an odd, churchly stained glass window background during the performance, which feels inappropriate for a song that invokes the phrase, Say my name. Florence Welch sounds amazing, though, particularly on the final chorus, which she trills into oblivion.

For the second time tonight, it gets extra time-filler-y up in here, as we get general appraisals from the judges about the contestants. Somebody is running out of ideas. What I like about Marcus is hes had three weeks in the bottom, but he hasnt once sulked or complained, says Simon. It sounds sincere enough, but Simon also sounded really sincere the previous night when he was ripping on Marcus to avenge Rachel Crow and Drew, like Liam Neeson out to harm the men who kidnapped his daughter. Also taking a stance contrary to his demonstrated position is LA. Although he always finds some way to criticize Melanie, here he simply says, When you listen to Melanie sing, its like drinking warm honey. Hmm, maybe that is a criticism. Warm honey is still too sticky and sweet to drink and it could be used as some kind of ant trap. What are you playing at, LA Reid!?

The first two contestants going straight through to next week are Chris Rene and Melanie. Its all down to Marcus and Josh now. Steve interviews the pair backstage about their chances of winning, and they both answer very courteously, somehow managing not to say, I hope America votes off this fool over here, and lets me slide.

Before we get the chance to see who makes it, though, Nicole Scherzinger blesses us with a song called Pretty, about not wanting to be so pretty. Humblebrag much? A wave of fog rolls by the stage as what appears to be the cast of Stomp drums on some upside-down oil barrels. If you thought watching Nicole emote after each of Joshs performance was rough, wait until you see her attempt to put some stank on this chorus. Yikes!

The high point of the night comes afterward, though, when Steve asks Simon to weigh in on the performance, and Simon does so in the style of Nicole, since she cant critique herself: I believe in you. You believe in me. You transcend the universe. God is smiling on you. Life is a waterfall. And you are the ultimate rainbow. The resemblance is uncanny!

Finally, Steve is allowed to reveal who made it through to next week. It feels kind of anticlimactic, with no judges votes leading up to it. Turns out, the audience finally sends Marcus Canty packing. Before he goes, though, he shares a very special moment with Steve. Why you lookin sad, Steve? he asks. Because I like you, and I dont want you to go, the host replies. Its basically the most adorable thing ever.

Marcus takes his lumps more gracefully than any other previous contestant, even cool-as-a-cucumber Leroy Bell. Hes smiling the whole time, he tells his family to stop crying, and he can even be seen dancing along in the corner as the clips from his best performances play. Rasputin has finally fallen, only now he seems like such a nice guy, I wish I could give him a kinder nickname. (Alas, I cannot.)

Next week: ITS THE FINALS OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!

Last episode: Melanie Amaro Dominates Semifinals

Watch Jim Carrey Rage Like Andy Kaufman Off-Set in Doc Clip

When Jim Carrey portrayed Andy Kaufman for the 1999 biopic Man on the Moon, he allowed himself to be swept up in the role, acting like the difficult comedian on set and off. He ultimately won a Golden Globe for the performance, but despite the success, the studio never released any making-of footage as DVD extras content. Now, nearly two decades later, a new documentary Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond With a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton, which will premiere on Netflix on November 17th will show how the film was made.

Universal didnt want the footage we took behind the scenes to surface so that people wouldnt think I was an asshole, Carrey says in the trailer for the film. The clip shows Carrey driving around the set with a paper bag on his head, arguing with director Milos Forman and generally misbehaving. Danny DeVito looks annoyed in several shots and even contends that Carrey behaved exactly like Kaufman.

Spike Jonze produced The Great Beyond, while documentary filmmaker Chris Smith (American Movie, The Yes Men) directed it. To make it, he went through approximately 100 hours of footage shot on set by Kaufmans girlfriend, Lynne Margulies, and writing partner Bob Zmuda during the four-month making of the movie.

I was thinking, How far should I take this?' the actor says. How far would Andy take it? When the movie was done, he said, he didnt know who he was anymore.

Senators to Investigate Contact Between CIA, Zero Dark Thirty Filmmakers

A Senate panel is examining the correspondences between CIA officials and the makers of the new Osama bin Laden manhunt filmZero Dark Thirty, Reuters reports. The investigation will specifically look into whether the CIA gave director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal inappropriate access to secret material, and also whether members of the spy agency were responsible for the portrayal of brutal interrogation techniques and the implication that they were effective.

The film has already found itself in hot water after several senators called Zero Dark Thirtys torture scenes grossly inaccurate and misleading in its suggestion that torture resulted in information that led to the location of bin Laden. Sony released a response from Boal and Bigelow that said the movie showed a variety of controversial practices and intelligence methods and that no single method was necessarily responsible for solving the manhunt.

Best Movies of 2012: Zero Dark Thirty

Though the movie is a dramatized account of the hunt for the Al Qaeda leader, documents obtained by the conservative group Judicial Watch showed that Boal and Bigelow were in touch with top CIA and Pentagon officials, including Michael Morrell, the CIAs current acting chief (he was deputy director at the time) and Michael Vickers, the Pentagons current intelligence chief.

Many of the documents were heavily redacted, though one Pentagon e-mail exchange with senior White House national security aide Ben Rhodes revealed that CIA officials had briefed Boal with the full knowledge and full approval/support of Leon Panetta, who served as CIA director, then Secretary of Defense, while the film was being made.

In response to the initial letter from Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-California), Carl Levin (D-Michigan) and John McCain (R-Arizona) regarding the depiction of torture in Zero Dark Thirty, the CIA released a statement by Morell who said the film was a dramatization, not a realistic portrayal of the facts, and that while the CIA had interacted with Boal and Bigellow the agency didnt control the final product.

Our Idiot Brother Travers on the Curse of Paul Rudd

Peter Travers is concerned about the Curse of Paul Rudd. Few actors out there are as likable or as talented as Rudd, and yet the guy is stuck being the best thing in a series of otherwise lousy movies. Our Idiot Brother, his latest picture as a lead actor alongside Zooey Deschanel, Elizabeth Banks and Emily Mortimer, isn't as bad as some other flicks he's been in recently, but it will leaving you wondering why he can't find better material.

This Week's Reviews
Our Idiot Brother
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
Higher Ground

American Idol Recap: Not-So-Gentle Giant?

If youre a fan of both American Idol and gossip magazines, you may have already heard some rumors about tonights episode. But just because the truth is already out there doesnt mean that the producers are going to tell you anytime soon. Nope, they are going to draw out the big reveal as long as possible. Thats why its not a huge surprise when Ryan Seacrest starts the show by announcing that the producers discovered some information that left them with no choice but to eliminate one of the finalists. And then they cut to the opening credits. Like I said, teasing viewers with the drama isnt a surprise, but it sure is annoying.

After the credits and the arrival of the judges, Ryan promises hell talk more about the eliminated contestant later in the show, but I cant wait that long: Its Jermaine Jones. They found out about some outstanding arrest warrants, which is . . . weird. By all accounts, Idol contestants have to undergo excruciatingly detailed background checks before being allowed on the air. They are role models, after all, and someone has to think of the children. So how exactly did the vetting team miss the four outstanding warrants for Jones arrest? That, in addition to the way Jones arrived on the show as a surprise 13th contestant (something Idol had never done before), and it all gets a bit suspicious. But yes, the gentle giant is out because of a potential conviction for a violent crime, or maybe lying about not having a relationship with his father. There are a lot of possible reasons why Jermaine was booted, but the truth is probably something as simple and callous as the most obvious: ratings. A manufactured scandal does generate ratings, at least in the short term, until viewers catch wise.

Amidst all the drama, the remaining contestants will be singing songs from the year they were born. For Phillip Phillips, thats 1990. Feel old yet? He sings Hard to Handle by the Black Crowes, sans his trusty guitar. The result is a bit bland and straightforward, without any of the twists and twitchiness we love in Phillip. This is probably due to the fact that he had kidney stone surgery between rehearsals. You cant say hes not committed.

Powerhouse singer Jessica Sanchez opts to sing an un-powerhouse song, specifically, Turn the Beat Around. Randy Jackson and I agree that while she is one of the top competitors, it was a bad song choice. Then Steven Tyler and I agree that she should stick to ballads and that her glittery pants are hot. It makes me uncomfortable when I agree with the judges too much.

There is no reason in the world that Heejun Han should have chosen Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx. And yet he does. He stands on stage looking like a banker who insists on singing easy listening karaoke while you sign your deposit slips. The judges do not enjoy the performance, pointing out that he was pitchy, out of breath and struggling. Jennifer Lopez cant help but add that she felt his heart, which is kind of creepy. Luckily Heejun made special guest Will.i.am laugh in the rehearsal clips, so he is probably safe.

Will.i.am loves the rasp in Elise Testones voice as she rehearses Lets Stay Together. After all the lackluster performances weve seen so far, Elises song is a relief. The judges love it, and it validates their decision to save her over Jeremy Rosado last week.

In rehearsals,Deandre Brackensick is prepared to sing an Elton John song, but Will.i.am and Jimmy Iovine nix it. Instead, they inexplicably insist he sing Endless Love by Mariah Carey, because they hate him or have money on someone else. The result is boring and the judges blame the entire performance on the song choice, and thus on Jimmy and Will.i.am. Jimmy may have to take a hit out on them.

In a nice surprise, it turns out that 16-year-old Shannon Magrane is the only contestant to have the balls to say no to Jimmy. He wants her to sing No Doubts Dont Speak, but she picks One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey, and she wont budge. Despite ticking off Jimmy and Will.i.am, the judges like it. J.Lo says, I was terrified for you, but you did a beautiful job. It isnt a great performance, but its better than last weeks, and maybe thats all we can hope for from Shannon.

Before he even sings, lets get a round of applause for Colton Dixon, who is on a one-man mission to bring back Eighties hair-metal band White Lion. He chooses to sing their Broken Heart, despite the fact that no one, not even Will.i.am or the American Idol house band, know the song. The performance is just what weve come to expect from Colton. The judges know that with his looks and sultry stare he is pretty much critic-proof, so they dont even bother critiquing him. Randy compliments his vest, and J.Lo adds, You look pretty when you sing. Which is what will keep him around. As for White Lion, they were probably thrilled to get the royalties. Hairspray isnt cheap, after all.

Jimmy is leading all the finalists astray tonight. Erika Van Pelt wants to sing Heaven by Bryan Adams, but Jimmy has a cool idea of adding a break in the middle of the song, and since no one (except Shannon) says no to Jimmy, she goes along with it. J.Lo says the arrangement left them wanting more, and Randy only kind of liked it.

At least Skylar Laine made a good song choice, opting for Love Sneaking Up on You by Bonnie Raitt. She sings it well, but its predictable. It would have been much more interesting if she took Will.i.ams suggestion that should do a country version of Coolios Fantastic Voyage and call it Guntry, as in Ghetto Country.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new frontrunner: Its the bucket of crawfish that Joshua Ledet brings on stage to share with Ryan Seacrest! The judges finally get up off their duffs to applaud a performance when Ledet stops eating and starts singing Michael Boltons version of When a Man Loves a Woman. Randy thinks it was phenomenal and incredible on every level, while Steven, the mystic, thinks God came through his eyes. J.Lo adds, That was the best thing I have ever seen on American Idol! Which sounds like high praise, but she says that every week.

Hollie Cavanagh wraps it up with a Celine Dion performance worthy of making a career out of Celine Dion impersonations. They probably have a need for that in Reno, or Germany. She sings The Power of Love and the judges are touched, throwing out words like beautiful and heaven and saving the best for last.

So there you have it. Jermaine is out, no one should listen to Jimmy, and White Lion is back on Americas radar. Come back tomorrow to see if Idol is kicking someone off or if Jermaines foibles cost the competition enough for one week.

Last episode: Big Time

Watch Wonder Woman Block Bullets, Kick Ass in Epic New Trailer

Wonder Woman leaves things less than quiet on the Western Front in the gripping, action-filled new trailer for DC Comics highly-anticipated superhero movie starring Gal Gadot.

The new clip follows Princess Diana of Themyscira as she takes on a massive army with her fellow Amazons on the shores of their homeland, then departs with Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) to do battle against the Germans in World War I. Slow-motion battle sequences abound, from the opening standoff to Wonder Womans heroics in the trenches as she blocks bullets with her wrists, stands down explosions and thwarts a bad guy swinging a sword with an expertly timed kick.

After all the action, the clip closes with some fish-out-of-water humor as Diana Prince tries to figure out how shell possibly be able to fight in a giant dress and Etta Candy (Lucy Davis) remarks, Fight? We use our principles although I am not opposed to engaging in a bit of fisticuffs should the occasion arise.

Wonder Womanis scheduled to open June 2nd, 2017.