Feeling Positively "Wonderstruck"

By Spencer Coile 

After the sting of Carol's snub for Best Picture just two years ago, Todd Haynes is coming back, hopefully better than ever. His new film, Wonderstruck, will be premiering at the Cannes Film Festival in a few short weeks, but will also be released through the partnering of Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions. Slotted for a limited release of October 20 with an eventual expasion in November, the studios are giving Haynes' latest effort the awards season push many fans believes he deserves.

As I am sure many of you know by this point, Wonderstruck (based off the book by Brian Selznick) reunites Haynes with Julianne Moore (at long last!) after their collaborations on Safe (1995) and Far From Heaven (2002). It tells two parallel stories-- one taking place in 1927 and the other in 1977. Moore will be joined by Michelle Williams, Amy Hargreaves, Oakes Fegley (the lead of last year's Pete's Dragon), and newcomer Millicent Simmonds. 

The last time Amazon and Roadside partnered up, they produced Manchester by the Sea, which led to the biggest box office either company had seen and two Oscars for the film. Clearly, signs are positive for Wonderstruck. While we wait for the film's premiere at Cannes, let's cross our fingers and hope that sins of Carol's merciless snub will not be committed again. 

"We Can't Wait" Pt 2: Most Anticipated of 2017

Before the Oscar nominations tomorrow help put on a cap on 2016, we here at Team Experience are looking to the year ahead. We took a vote on our 17 most breathlessly anticipated movies of 2017 and here are the results. Part one, posted yesterday, included Beauty and the Beast, Coco, and How to Talk to Girls at Parties among others.

Part two after the jump. Our nine most anticipated films of the year...

Click to read more ...

Linkspray

The Film Stage Kate Winslet will lead Woody Allen's next film which supposedly involves Coney Island
W Magazine gets Tom Hiddleston stripped down (not an unusual triumph of late: see High-Rise)
i09 even though Sterling Archer may or may not be dead (cliffhangers. argh) Archer has been renewed for 3 more seasons. Yay! 
Playbill Kristin Chenoweth is joining TV's next live musical, Hairspray in the Velma Von Tussle role (yup, the Debbie Harry / Michelle Pfeiffer part)  

Gothamist the Bryant Park outdoor movie series begins. If you watch this footage this is why I never go! I've been once and omg the claustrophia and noise and inability to enjoy the movie (full disclaimer: I also hate summer which might have contributed to my distaste for outdoor summer events)
Kickstarter Here's an oddity. Apparently Todd Haynes and Christine Vachon who have brought us so much eventful art cinema in the past 25 years made short films before the films we know and they're trying to find them and restore them
Guardian Sarah Polley will adapt Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace for a Netflix series
AV Club John Boyega joins Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit riots movie
Boy Culture does his annual review of Broadway Bares - so cool that Daniel Dae Kim did his bit for the cause!
Pajiba The Lego Movie predicted Donald Trump's current villany
Antagony & Ecstasy looooves Piper, the new Pixar short. It's true -- it's better than the feature that follows it. 

Superheroics and Hijinx
Tracking Board  glorious ginger viking Kristover Hivju, who devoted Film Experience readers know as a former nominee here for his perfect supporting work in Sweden's Force Majeure but who most of the world knows from Game of Thrones has joined the cast of Justice League
/Film a very long set visit report from Justice League. I know WB is trying to send the message that this will be fun but this sounds like a mess to me. Especially the part about Mother Boxes. I mean after Horcruxes and Infinity Stones who isn't sick of "collect these objects before the villain and win!" plots. SO DULL 
MNPP why did Zach Snyder make this cut from the Batman & Lois bath scene? 
Comics Alliance I wasn't aware that Tank Girl, a comic that once became a Lori Petty movie in the 90s, has been revived but it has. Tank Girl was always so cool looking. Still is
Coming Soon Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter, is joining the Supergirl TV show. Alas not as Wonder Woman but as POTUS. After all the fictional female presidents we've had over the years we better get a real one soon

Look.
It's the Looking movie trailer. Now I have to sob gay tears all over again that these beautiful characters will soon ascend to showbiz heaven never to be seen again. *sniffle*

Beauty Break: Greatest Photos from Hollywood's High Holy Night

We'll promise to wrap the coverage on the 88th Academy Awards tomorrow but there's still a few things to discuss. Consider this is a catch all place for beauties we didn't otherwise write entire posts on. There's much to parse, celebrate or just plain gawk at in this collection of photos starring Todd Haynes, Tom Hardy, Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, and more after the jump...

Click to read more ...

Interview: Ed Lachman on the Exquisite "Carol" and Dancing with Todd Haynes

It's our last Carol interview, he announced with a catch in his throat, attempting to let the best film of 2015 go for awhile. Our subject today is one of the great cinematographers, Edward Lachman. His filmography is loaded with essential mavericks of independent cinema like Sofia Coppola, Robert Altman, Steve Soderbergh, Todd Solondz and European auteurs, too. But his most fruitful collaboration has been with Todd Haynes. Carol marks their fourth and arguably best collaboration and brough him his long overdue second Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography.   

The New Jersey native started in Studio Arts like painting and art history and viewed them as more creative outlet than profession. Eventually he found he could earn a living as a cinematographer and a rich succession of images have flooded out of him ever since -- think of the golden ragged warmth of Erin Brockovich, the supremely stylized Sirkian homage of Far From Heaven, and the hazy mystery of The Virgin Suicides. And that's just three titles.

I was eager to get on the phone with the man behind so many beautiful films and share a personal way his work affected me at the beginning of my cinephilia. But first I had to gush over Carol and how much it rewards repeat viewings. He joked that Carol obsessives have seen the movie more times than he has... and he shot it!

NATHANIEL: I began all my Carol interviews this season with "Why are you such a genius?" 

ED LACHMAN: Someone once wrote that I'm a 'near genius'. I feel like more of a near genius.

NATHANIEL: [Laughs] Stop qualifying. The movie is exquisitely beautiful

LACHMAN: Thank you. A lot of it has to do with our director Todd Haynes. I'm a conduit to his vision. I interpret it through the images but what's so beautiful about Todd is how he references his stories through conceptual ideas. For me, images aren't just about the aesthetics but the gravity of the content and what the images represent.

More after the jump

Click to read more ...