Opening This Week: Marriage Story, Waves, Honey Boy, Dark Waters, Playmobil: The Movie
Written by Scottie Knollin
WEEK OF: December 2, 2019
Over the course of his over-twenty year career, director Noah Baumbach has delivered a number of modern cinema’s most tantalizing look at vulnerability and life. 1995’s Kicking and Screaming brought praise from Roger Ebert for its script. The Squid and the Whale earned Baumbach his first Academy Award nomination. With Frances Ha, he not only earned additional praise, but he also played a major part in Greta Gerwig’s quick ascension as a formidable filmmaker. And, now with Netflix’s Marriage Story, Baumbach has provided his most grueling triumph to-date.
Starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a married couple in the throes of divorce, Marriage Story finds solace in the quiet moments as each of them adapts to a new way of life. To create the intimate portrait of the end of a marriage, Baumbach worked with his cast, which also includes a career-best turn from Laura Dern, to write the script and craft each scene. The director and screenwriter also used his own recent divorce (from actress Jennifer Jason Leigh) as inspiration.
Marriage Story premiered at the 2019 Venice Film Festival before also screening at the Telluride Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival. It received a limited theatrical run, most notably at the Paris Theatre in Manhattan, before finally landing on Netflix this week.
Don’t miss this anticipated awards season favorite.
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Trey Edward Shults first burst on the scene with his familial drama Krisha, which starred the young director/writer’s actual family. Since then, the festival favorite produced the horror film It Comes at Night, a stylized, slick thriller for A24. But, it’s his newest film, also with A24, Waves, that truly shows his vision and potential.
Shults’ career includes time in various roles on Terrence Malick films like The Tree of Life and Song of Songs. You can see the influence from the auteur director in how Waves reveals its story in a visceral, visual diorama.
After premiering at Telluride and screening in Toronto, the film is on the brink of awards season triumph. Already, Taylor Russell has picked up numerous Breakthrough Artist awards. Her performance as the daughter of the story’s family is a revelation.
You’ll do well to not read too much about Waves. Instead, opt to go in blindly and be ready for the full experience.
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Shia LaBeouf has been a divisive and artistic voice in entertainment since he came of age. From public outbursts and intriguing, attention-grabbing red carpet appearances, to arrests, the actor has channeled his own demons for the sake of his art. With Honey Boy he’s put it all on display.
The drama, written by LaBeouf, follows his real life as a young actor (portrayed by Noah Jupe) to adulthood (Lucas Hedges) with LaBeouf playing his own father. Alma Har’el directs the picture that made the festival circuit after premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
When asked about making the film, LaBeouf said, “It is strange to fetishize your pain and make a product out of it and feel guilty about that. It felt very selfish. This whole thing felt very selfish. I never went into this thinking, ‘Oh, I am going to fucking help people.’ That wasn’t my goal. I was falling apart.”
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After an initial limited release, Todd Haynes’ Dark Waters is showing up in several North Dakota cinemas this week. Starring Mark Ruffalo and Anne Hathaway, the legal drama is based on the real-life story of an attorney bent on justice for a West Virginia town and the corporation poisoning its water.
While Erin Brockovich similarities exist, the strength in Dark Waters is its true crime foundation and the performances turned in by Ruffalo and the ensemble cast. Director Haynes has always been a reliable voice behind troubled citizens, with even rich love stories like Far From Heaven having a tinge of politicism. But, Dark Waters is his most up-front foray into the legal and political territory.
Critics have praised the film and most especially Haynes’ directing, which allows the film to be as in-your-face as it needs to be without overdoing it.
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Hoping to film the niche left behind The LEGO Movie or similar title currently in release, Playmobil: The Movie is an animated comedy that follows a young girl in search of her brother and the adventure they both find in the world of Playmobil toys.
The film touts a head-scratching cast, including Jim Gaffigan, Daniel Radcliffe, Adam Lambert, and Kenan Thompson.
Originally slated to release in early Spring, Playmobil: The Movie was moved to December to allow STX, who’s distributing the film, to put its resources behind Hustlers earlier this season. Now, the film is earning its release during a weekend that has fewer new titles to compete with.
Critics have been mostly negative towards the film, remarking its desire to be on the same level as The LEGO Movie is a dream that’s falling short.
