VENICE: "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" Reactions

I think "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" has been the main player in many ways heading into this fall, but most of the buzz seemed to gravitate around Gary Oldman's "lead performance" and what his Oscar chances were. The first reviews for Tomas Alfredson's film do enough to change the field of our first speculations. Word is that this is less an Oldman vehicle than an ensemble piece, which is very much what I gathered from the trailer. It does seem like something of a shame, as this was Oldman's biggest Oscar opportunity in recent memory. The man is far overdue. As for the film itself, there are generally positive ramblings going on. I can see it being a Best Picture play for sure.

Guy Lodge (In Contention; ***1/2 out of 4): "Rarely has a perversely beautiful lack of vitality been so integral to a film’s success: for all the accomplished work done on the storytelling front, principal memories of "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" may well linger on Maria Djurkovic’s splendidly down-at-heel production design, a veritable rabbit-warren of graying wood, petrified office furniture and gloriously tasteless bursts of contemporary modernism, like the queasily orange graphic pattern that papers the Circus’s main conference room. Everyone on set and off seems to have taken their cue from these worn-in but hardly comforting surroundings — Alberto Iglesias’s mournfully brass-heavy score is another asset."

Box Office Update: "Help"! Somebody! Anybody!

Does the enduring box office success of "The Help" have anything to do with how good a film it is? Maybe a little, but it's more to do with the fact that we have nothing better to do. I dismissed the lion's share of releases this weekend, and as it turns out I wasn't the only one. The only slightly positive film this weekend, "The Debt", ended up the strongest release, despite the tepid response on its Wednesday release. "Apollo 18" and "Shark Night 3D" fell just slightly behind, splitting the horror crowd down the middle. It was a very uneven weekend.

As far as long term box office goes, I'd actually say that August has been something of a success. Three films of this month have earned more than $100 million thus far. "The Smurfs" is somewhat arguable, as it premiered at the tail end of July, but it still managed $130 million throughout the month, despite terrible reviews. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" could've been much worse than it was, so the general optimism from it has pushed it to $160 million. And "The Help" is still on the rise, currently with $118 million and climbing. This weekend was about 8% higher than last year, when "The American" arrived to undeserved critical bashing, just barely outrunning "Machete".

1. "The Help" (Fourth Weekend; $14.2 million)

2. "The Debt" (First Weekend; $9.7 million)

3. "Apollo 18" (First Weekend; $8.7 million)

4. "Shark Night 3D" (First Weekend; $8.6 million)

5. "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (Fifth Weekend; $7.8 million)

6. "Columbiana" (Second Weekend; $7.4 million)

7. "Our Idiot Brother" (Second Weekend; $5.2 million)

8. "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" (Second Weekend; $4.9 million)

9. "Spy Kids 4" (Third Weekend; $4.6 million)

10. "The Smurfs" (Sixth Weekend; $4 million)

VENICE: "Shame" Reactions

This is doubtlessly the most interesting prospect on the festival circuit this weekend. After Steve McQueen devastated Cannes in 2008 with "Hunger", he's now taking Venice with his follow-up of "Shame". From everything I've heard and seen, it seems like McQueen is preparing himself a trilogy of entrapment. His recently announced "12 Years a Slave" adaptation lets on about as much, and all that's missing in that effort is Fassbender. That's something I can see being remedied in the coming weeks and months, as it clearly should. With Fassbender having played a victimized political soldier, followed by a more self-destructive character, I'd kind of like McQueen to put him on something deliberately antagonistic.

But that's just personal preferences. As for "Shame", I really didn't have any idea of what to expect from the reception. I imagined one of two outcomes, the first being riotous success above even "Hunger". The second, and as it turns out the right one, is about on even ground as his first film, if only a tad behind. I had no expectations of flat-out failure. Reception out of Venice this morning was positive enough, with main concerns being a somewhat soft screenplay. Telluride hopefully should echo that later this morning.. Now it's just a matter of waiting on distribution.

Guy Lodge (In Contention; ***1/2): "Like the finest filmmakers from a fine-arts background, he has a consistently rewarding understanding of the narrative powers of composition: abetted by heaving, tricky sound design and Harry Escott’s counter-intuitively soaring score, "Shame" conjures image upon image of such astonishing beauty that they’d risk stalling the film if not for the spare depth of feeling grounding the whole. The first of these opens the film, with Fassbender sprawled across his bed, his body as unhappily taut and angular as a Francis Bacon subject. He takes up the top half of the screen, a sea of creased cornflower-blue bedsheet filling the remainder: for its dense chain of trysts and dependencies, "Shame" is most powerfully a film of absence."

VENICE: "Alps" Reactions

If you were worried when you heard about people walking out of the Venice screening of Yorgos Lanthimos' "Alps", you clearly don't know the Lanthimos. That is very much the expected reaction to material such as this. As such, there honestly aren't that many reviews abounding, considering some are in no place to review the film in its entirety. The few that are out there are serving as an earnest recommendation. Rest assured, there will likely be plenty more negatives as the days go on, but for now there's at least one strikingly different film out there. I'll update as further reviews arrive.

Oliver Lyttelton (The Playlist; A): "Lanthimos continues to prove himself a supremely controlled, disciplined filmmaker: his use of focus alone could form the basis of a film school class, and it’s always interesting to note what he doesn’t show, frequently cutting off or obscuring faces and relying on body language. “Alps” has proven Lanthimos to be one of the most fascinating filmmakers anywhere right now, and, while there’s no immediate news on when it’ll hit on the U.S., or anywhere outside Greece, we’re confident it’ll be one of the most talked-about films of the next year: with so much to talk about, how could it not be?"

Guy Lodge (In Contention; ****): "After this description, you’d probably struggle to believe me if I told you "Alps" is a slightly warmer film than its predecessor, but in its cockeyed, proudly foot-in-mouth way, it is: the comedy is sometimes broader and more patiently, zanily observational (as in a cryptic running motif where a couple feed each other lines of stiff English-language dialogue on everything from light fittings to orgasms), which is, admittedly, cold comfort alongside its most heart-stoppingly brutal interruptions."

TELLURIDE: "The Descendants" Reactions

I think this year is facing an overgrown case of likability. Quite often I find myself using the word "inarguable" in my reviews this year. That applied to "The Help", and then the same for "Beginners", and it certainly applies for "The Descendants". I've actually been kind of dreading this film for some time, because from the very first trailer I've had the feeling that it looks too nice. It looks kind, not unintelligent, but altogether safe. Mind you, that's not a bad thing. It can work nicely at times, but having spent seven years away from the big screen, you could've asked for more from Alexander Payne.

Again, not to cast judgment without seeing the film, and I'll have to wait a while to see it as it's not on the list for Telluride by the Sea. The reviews, meanwhile, are pretty much exactly along those agreeable lines. Todd McCarthy is absolutely emphatic, much like he was in his review for "A Dangerous Method". Kris Tapley is quite reserved in thinking it's Payne-lite, and I'm very glad to see someone with that kind of restraint to see a film's flaws. Gregory Ellwood is also sipping the kool-aid, but it serves the purpose of reminding that this is a prominent awards player. No abrasive frills for the Academy. No problem.

Todd McCarthy (Hollywood Reporter): "A major key to the film’s success are the nuances, fluctuating attitudes, loaded looks and tonal inflections among the main characters; the ensemble work is terrific. Despite her father’s admonitions, Alex continues to fling around dirty words, something then picked up by Scottie. Sid starts off seeming like a total dufus, always saying exactly the wrong thing, but even he gets a significant scene later on that completely changes the way he can be regarded."

Weekend Report: And the sharks will come...

It seems like such a coercive duty to hammer out a piece on this weekend's films in a time where more absorbing prospects are happening elsewhere. Indeed I'd much rather spend time writing what is, more or less, unread gossip on films I haven't had the chance to see as of yet. Taking things with a grain of salt doesn't quite cut it. You have to realize that your work requires a higher calling than simple ideas and impressions. As much as this business is based on such, it's also necessary to reserve bias to a degree until just seconds before the film begins.

On the other hand, there's no harm in ripping the mickey out of the trash bag collection of films spewed onto the big screen on a weekly basis. One almost wishes these films were let out infrequently throughout the week, rather than just dumped on Friday like an afterthought. In that respect, "The Debt" did manage to get out ahead of the pack, just to escape the comparative doltishness of the mainstream releases. That said, John Madden's less than bombastic thriller didn't get off to a great start on Wednesday, so prognostication for the weekend box office isn't too friendly.

There is, regrettably, more reason for the masses to flock to the more mainstream horror smashes of the weekend. "Apollo 18" arrives on a mix of post-"Cloverfield" era mockumentary idiocy and faux-conspiracy laced buzz that will probably manage to get people in the theaters anyway. I mean, it looks like "Paranormal Activity" is space, right? What could go wrong? And then there's "Shark Night 3D", working off the same formula of mindless carnage as "Piranha 3D" did last year, probably to less enthusiasm.

TELLURIDE BY THE SEA: Titles Announced!

I was worried I'd have to wait another three excruciating hours just to find out what's playing, but was happy to find out at 9 a.m. this morning. So what exactly is so exciting right now? The titles for the Portsmouth, NH mini-festival, Telluride by the Sea, have been announced and narrowed down from the list we were handed yesterday. Which title am I most disappointed about? Steve McQueen's "Shame" is not on the list to appear this year. It's such a shame, no pun intended, as it's the one I've been most eager to see from the festival. On the other hand, I'm not surprised that it isn't here. It doesn't quite fit the mold that the Portsmouth Music Hall has built over the past few years.

So what am I going to be able to see come September 23-25? For one thing "Albert Nobbs", directed by Rodrigo Garcia of last year's "Mother and Child". It's a typical choice, with period influence as well as an Oscar-bait performance from Glenn Close. Can't say I'm surprised, and can't say I'm too interested either. Last year, the weekend kicked off with "Tamara Drewe", and I steered clear of that one. Depending on how critics react to the film this weekend, I might skip out on "Albert Nobbs" as well.

VENICE: "A Dangerous Method" Reactions

And with that yet another film is brought to ground level in terms of my expectations. As it turns out, not even the best directors are free from folly, and David Cronenberg has been somewhat due for a fall. That doesn't at all state my opinion on these reviews right out of the gate, does it? Indeed the Oscar slate has become bent somewhat unpredictably since Venice start, with "The Ides of March" taking a moderate fall, if only a moderate one. "A Dangerous Method" may be in a similar sort of situation, as the first reviews I really see are from Guy Lodge, whose opinion quite often opposes the view of the Academy.

So to do some further digging, as much is often needed, opposition isn't quite so heated, but it does give credence to my earlier theory that this would be a lesser effort of Cronenberg. Those hoping for something kinkier should've dropped those ideas off at the trailer. Much debate is already abounding at Cronenberg's skills at play this time around, some in defense, others in attack. Keira Knightley is getting the lion's share of praise as the more dramatically frantic of the group, with Mortensen right behind her. Oddly enough, I'm hearing a lot more about Vincent Cassel's prowess in a cameo appearance than I am about Michael Fassbender's leading performance. I remain on the outside of casting judgment until I see it, but these reviews certainly have me making heavy considerations.

Todd McCarthy (Hollywood Reporter): "Despite having to cover stages in the trio's relationships spread over many years, Hampton's screenplay utterly coheres and never feels episodic. The dialogue is constantly confronting, articulate and stimulating, the intellectual exchanges piercing at times. Cronenberg's direction is at one with the writer's diamond-hard rigor; cinematographer Peter Suschitzky provides visuals of a pristine purity augmented by the immaculate fin de l'epoch settings, while the editing has a bracing sharpness than can only be compared to Kubrick's."

TELLURIDE: Wants & Desires

This week has been made nearly unbearable by the impending announcement of the films slated for the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado. As gratifying as it is, I still have to wait until tomorrow to find out which will be recurring onto Telluride by the Sea in Portsmouth, NH later this month. Of course, I do have my own wishlist of "The Artist", "A Dangerous Method", "Shame", "A Separation", "We Need to Talk About Kevin", and "The Turin Horse" (Recently announced as Hungary's entry for Foreign Language Film). I must admit, I'll be terribly lucky to get just half of those. I could see them skipping out on "Shame", which would be the greatest disappointment, but the most expected. I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Finger's crossed!

· ALBERT NOBBS (d. Rodrigo Garcia, U.S., 2011)

· THE ARTIST (d. Michel Hazanavicius, France, 2011)

· BECOMING BERT STERN (d. Shannah Laumeister, U.S., 2011)

· BITTER SEEDS (d. Micha X. Peled, U.S., 2011)

· BONSÁI (d. Cristián Jiménez, Chile, 2011)

· A DANGEROUS METHOD (d. David Cronenberg, U.K.-Switzerland-U.S.-Canada, 2011)

· THE DESCENDANTS (d. Alexander Payne, U.S., 2011)

· DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL (d. Lisa Immordino-Vreeland, U.S., 2011)

· FOOTNOTE (d. Joseph Cedar, Israel, 2011)

· THE FORGIVENESS OF BLOOD (d. Joshua Marston, U.S.-Albania-Denmark-Italy, 2011)

· GOODBYE FIRST LOVE (d. Mia Hansen-Løve, France, 2011)

· LE HAVRE (d. Aki Kaurismäki, Finland, 2011)

· HOLLYWOOD DON’T SURF (d. Greg Macgillivray, Sam George, U.S., 2011)

· IN DARKNESS (d. Agnieszka Holland, Poland, 2011)

· INTO THE ABYSS: A TALE OF DEATH, A TALE OF LIFE (d. Werner Herzog, U.S., 2011)

· THE ISLAND PRESIDENT (d. Jon Shenk, U.S., 2011)

· THE KID WITH A BIKE (d. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Belgium, 2011)

· LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD (d. Martin Scorsese, U.S., 2011)

· PASSERBY (d. Eryk Rocha, Brazil, 2011)

· PERDIDA (d. Viviana García Besné, Mexico, 2011)

· PINA (d. Wim Wenders, Germany, 2011)

· A SEPARATION (d. Asghar Farhadi, Iran, 2011)

· SHAME (d. Steve McQueen, U.K., 2011)

· THE STORY OF FILM: AN ODYSSEY (d. Mark Cousins, U.K., 2011)

· TARGET (d. Alexander Zeldovich, Russia, 2011)

· THE TURIN HORSE (d. Béla Tarr, Hungary, 2011)

· THE WAY HOME (d. Dr. Biju, India, 2010)

· WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (d. Lynne Ramsey, U.K., 2011)

Some People Just Can't Handle Their "Gummo"

Taking a bit of a detour off of the festival circuit for a minute, though I guess that's somewhat untrue. More on that later. So as part of my film education I found myself in Cinema and Diversity, which is a lot less ethnically involved than one might think. During the first hour we spent time discussing the topic of diversity, and while the first few comments were that we were a diverse group, I broke in by simply saying no. We like to think of ourselves that way, but in reality we're more eager to be part of a crowd than to be an individual. This got us rolling into a far more interesting string of dialogue, and the class became so much more than it could've been.

So then the conversation settles, and we head straight into some viewing, starting with excerpts from "Freaks" of 1932. It is a truly sickening film, in about every aspect possible. The best I could say is that the director challenged convention in a time when it could end your career, and pretty much did. No intention to see the rest of it. And then we watched the entirety of "Gummo", which as it turns out premiered at Telluride in 1997. Suffice it to say that the instructors weren't intent on going soft on us out of the gate. It really separates us pretty strongly by opening with such a polarizing film.

VENICE: "Carnage" Reactions

I suppose this outcome is a tad bit less than surprising, but whatever. "Carnage" was the second big name on the list for appearance at Cannes, and after that trailer I was very much expecting the critics to react in such a way as this. The film itself seems to be less of a talking point than the characters and actors within it. There's enough positivity towards John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster, surprisingly enough. Kate Winslet seems to be the odd one out, which is even more surprising. Christoph Waltz, as per usual, is stealing the show again. So I'll still see the film when it arrives, but it won't be for Polanski, who isn't really a talking point at all here. Why'd he choose something that so belittles his importance?

Guy Lodge (In Contention; **1/2 out of 4): "It’s Christoph Waltz, however, who most creatively interprets and restyles Reza’s brittle writing, and consequently walks off with the film: elegantly wielding a slippery Euro-Yank accent and maintaining a chilly calm when the remaining characters are pushed into hysteria, his indifferent, work-wed father is the most waspish of the four, yet somehow the closest the script comes to a sympathetic character — if only because he seems to be the only one aware how awful they all are."

For Your Anticipation: It's (not) Gonna Be A Good Weekend

Sadly enough, between "Apollo 18" and "Shark Night 3D", I have more interest in the latter. Not to say I have any interest in this material. Aside from the fake girls and dumb guys, there's also the fact that it's mostly not at night. So change the title? It seemed so easy for films like "(The Invention of) Hugo (Cabret)", and "John Carter (of Mars)".