Drama

REVIEW: Nomadland

Published

2 years ago

January 8, 2021

Nomadland is the third feature film from Chloé Zhao, who previously wrote, directed and produced Songs My Brother Taught Me (2015) and The Rider (2017) and she’s back with another great film. After winning the top award at both Venice and Toronto Film Festivals the film looks set to take home a good number of awards over the coming months including at the Oscars. Nomadland is a fictionalised version of the 2017 book Nomadland: Surviving American in the Twenty-First Century written by Jessica Bruder and it follows Fern, played remarkably by Frances McDormand (Fargo, Three Billboards), a woman who embarks on a journey across the American West after losing everything in the Great Recession.

Nomadland is one of those films where in terms of plot and story, not a lot actually happens throughout its runtime. And in a film like this where you’re not necessarily being immediately captivated and gripped by the narrative, it can be very easy to get bored and to lose interest in the film. But that’s not the case with Nomadland at all. Zhao takes the viewer along the journey with Fern and for every minute of this film and for every step that Fern takes we feel like we are there with her and the film manages to take you on this journey so well. The film progresses and you don’t know where it’s going to take you next and yet it doesn’t matter in the slightest. It places the viewer in a position where you feel almost like a nomad yoursef, just slowly drifting across the country with Fern. The film glides along, moving from all the various characters that she meets and as we experience these characters, mere moments later they’re gone as we’ve moved onto something else and someone else.

Zhao has continued to prove her talent as both a writer and a director as with Nomadland she’s created a really powerful film that is completely driven by the central character Fern. McDormand gives an incredibly moving performance and really brings the character to life but she’s able to do so with such ease because not only is McDormand a great actress but the character is written so well by Zhao and given so much life to her. We don’t have much longer to wait for Zhao’s next film, Marvel’s Eternals,which is currently scheduled to be released in November 2021 and whilst moving from a slow, delicately made, character-driven film like Nomadland to a big superhero film might be a big jump, it seems clear that Zhao should be able to make that leap.

Through the incredible cinematography, directing and performances, certain scenes in Nomadland feel like they could have been taken directly from a documentary. It feels like what you’re watching and experiencing is so real that you almost forget that it isn’t. And because of this, the film just has so much heart and humanity and warmth and all of the film’s characters, even the ones that we only encounter for a few minutes, have such a tenderness to them and really complete the film. The film looks so amazing as well and it takes us from locations like a large, enclosed Amazon warehouse to the vast, open landscapes of the desert and it really feels like the viewer there with McDormand’s Fran.

Nomadland is a powerful film, driven by McDormand’s impressive, yet understated performance as well as the incredible direction and writing from Zhao that looks set to win big at the upcoming awards ceremonies.

★★★★☆

Nomadland is released on 19^th February.

FILM RATING

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Anonymous

2 years ago

Great review super interested in this film and all the hype around it

Adventure

‘1883’ Spinoff Series ‘Bass Reeves’ Adds Dennis Quaid to Cast

Published

2 months ago

January 20, 2023

Darian Scalamoni

Dennis Quaid (Far from Heaven, The Day After Tomorrow) is the latest star to join the cast of Bass Reeves, a new drama series coming from Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone, Tulsa King) and Paramount+, according to Deadline. Bass Reeves was announced as a spinoff to the Yellowstone prequel, 1883 back in May 2022 with David Oyelowo (Selma, A Wrinkle in Time) attached to star as the legendary lawman.

Bass Reeves will follow Oyelowo as someone who is known to many as “the greatest frontier hero” in American history in his own series on Paramount+. The streamer already houses so many Sheridan-fronted programs, most recently, Mayor of Kingstown starring Jeremy Renner returned for its second season while CIA drama, Lioness added to its cast with Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman. Some believe that Reeves served inspiration to “The Lone Ranger” having worked as a peace officer for Indian territory capturing over 3,000 criminals on that land. Quaid will play Sherrill Lynn, a Deputy U.S. Marshall within the show.

Quaid most recently voiced the character Jaeger Clade in Disney’s animated feature Strange World which is currently available to stream on Disney+. He’ll also star in Steven Soderbergh’s upcoming HBO Max series Full Circle alongside Zazie Beetz, Claire Danes and Emmy-winner Jharrel Jerome.

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Drama

Amy Winehouse Biopic ‘Back to Black’ Adds to Cast with Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan and Lesley Manville

Published

2 months ago

January 19, 2023

Darian Scalamoni

Let the casting of music biopics commence! As we’ve been hammered with news of superstar musician biopics each and every week, we have more news of one that is filming currently with Back to Black about the late, great Amy Winehouse. While it was reported back in January that Industry star, Marisa Abela will be leading as Winehouse, we now have details courtesy of Deadline on who will be joining the British pop star’s life story on screen.

The report indicates that Jack O’Connell (Unbroken, ’71), Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread, Another Year) and Eddie Marsan (Ray Donovan, The World’s End) will all appear alongside Abela in Back to Black. O’Connell is set to play Blake Fielder-Civil, the love of Winehouse’s life who she was married to from 2007 until 2009, just a few years prior to her death as their love was unfortunately addled by prescription drug abuse and alcohol as well as multiple stints in rehab for both of them. Marsan will play Winehouse’s father while Manville will play Winehouse’s maternal grandmother in the film.

Back to Black will follow the life of one of the greatest singer-songwriters of all-time in Amy Winehouse. Her sophomore album (which the film is named after) won her 5 Grammy Awards all at the young age of 25 just before her untimely death in 2011 at age 27. The film will focus on Amy’s creativity, genius and upbringing at Camden High School in the UK before she propelled into stardom.

The film will be written by Matt Greenhalgh and directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson reuniting the two of them after their 2009 film Nowhere Boy, which chronicled John Lennon’s formative years and adolescence. Taylor-Johnson is coming off directing episodes of Hunters and Solos for Amazon but is best known for helming Fifty Shades of Grey.

O’Connell had a big 2022 starring in Netflix’s Lady Chatterly’s Lover and MGM+’s new original series, SAS Rogue Heroes. He’ll next star as professional race car driver Peter Collins in Ferrari. Manville most recently starred as Princess Margaret in the recent season of The Crown for Netflix and in Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris for which she earned a Golden Globe nomination. Marsan is best known for playing Ray Donovan‘s brother, Terry in the hit Showtime series but will next appear in the film, Fair Play with Alden Ehrenreich and Phoebe Dynevor.

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Action

Anthony Hopkins to Lead Peacock Gladiator Drama ‘Those About to Die’

Published

2 months ago

January 19, 2023

Darian Scalamoni

Peacock is one of the streamers that has yet to break through in terms of their original content getting recognized for awards contention. One such series that might change that fate for the streaming service is Those About to Die and it’s starting to build out its cast. According to Variety, 2-time Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins (The Silence of the Lambs, The Father) is the first to join the drama series which comes from Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow). Saving Private Ryan screenwriter Robert Rodat will script the series.

Hopkins will play the character known as Emperor Vespasian in the series which is set in the world of gladiatorial battle. It will be an ensemble drama following many different Roman characters that will set forth for violent affairs in the arena among other complexities such as political power and corruption so expect a starry cast for this Peacock drama. Hopkins’ character is described as “despised by the Patricians jockeying for position in the Empire and looking to supplant his heirs to the throne the first chance they get. Vespasian became the Roman emperor after a ten-year civil war. We expect to get more casting news soon as the show will begin filming in Rome in March.

Anthony Hopkins is coming off a terrific performance in James Gray’s Armageddon Time in 2022 after winning his second Academy Award for his role in The Father the year prior. He’ll next voice a character in Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon for Netflix and also will star in British drama One Life alongside Helena Bonham Carter and Jonathan Pryce. Emmerich is coming off directing the sci-fi disaster film, Moonfall in 2022.

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