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 Shadows reviews  
Trailers and other previews... | ||
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C O M I N G S O O N to the UK & US... | O N T H E H O R I Z O N can’t hardly wait... |
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5 Jun:
 A RAINY DAY IN NEW YORK
THE LAST FULL MEASURE
A CLEAR SHOT
DON'T LOOK DOWN (Fr)
PULSE
THE ACCOMPANIST
YOU DON'T NOMI
THE UNCERTAIN KINGDOM (shorts)12 Jun:
DAYS OF THE BAGNOLD SUMMER
HOOKING UP
YOU DON'T NOMI19 Jun:
BABYTEETH
THE PAINTED BIRD (Cz)3 Jul:
A WHITE, WHITE DAY (Ice)Sep: * DREAM HORSE TBC: * COUNTY LINES
DEERSKIN (Fr)
KOKO-DI KOKO-DA (Swe)
LES MISERABLES (Fr)
MONSOON
REAL
RIALTOC O M I N G U P . . .
N O U K R E L E A S E D A T E . . .
SHADOWS FILM FEST |
NOTE: With cinemas closed in US and UK due to covid-19, MULAN 
dir Niki Caro; with Liu Yifei, Donnie Yen, Jet Li, Gong Li, Jason Scott Lee, Tzi Ma, Rosalind Chao, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Jun Yu, Jimmy Wong 20/USrelease US/UK 24.Jul.20 This is the kind of live-action remakes Disney should be doing, retelling the story in a completely new style. Here, an animated romp becomes a full-on action adventure with a powerful female protagonist. Niki Caro was an inspired choice as director, with her ability to combine art and storytelling. And the trailer looks seriously gorgeous too. The 1998 original is one of Disney's underappreciated little masterpieces (apart from that chatty dragon), and this could be even better if it doesn't get too digital. 
A QUIET PLACE PART II 
dir John Krasinski; with Emily Blunt, Noah Jupe, Millicent Simmonds, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou, Lauren-Ashley Cristiano, Wayne Duvall, Okieriete Onaodowan 20/USrelease US/UK 4.Sep.20 The first film was 2018's best break-out surprise, and it didn't scream out for a sequel, so let's hope Krasinski has found somewhere inventive to send these characters. Blunt, Jupe and Simmonds are so good that the idea of watching them do pretty much anything makes this a muse-see, and the trailer hints at some intriguing big twists, plus added Murphy and Hounsou. It's hard to imagine that this will be better than the original, but we can hope.
BLACK WIDOW 
dir Cate Shortland; with Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, David Harbour, Ray Winstone, William Hurt, O-T Fagbenle, Robert Downey Jr 20/USrelease US/UK 6.Nov.20 Marvel finally gives Johansson the spin-off she deserved way back when she first played this character a decade ago. Of course, after the events of Endgame, it's unclear how this movie will fit into the over-arching Avengers story - a prequel? flashback? alternate reality? game changer? Whatever, the presence of powerhouse costars like Pugh and Weisz bodes very well indeed. As does the quirky hiring of Aussie director Shortland, gifted at making wrenching indie dramas. Bring it on.
NO TIME TO DIE 
dir Cary Fukunaga; with Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Rami Malek, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw, Jeffrey Wright, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen 20/UKrelease UK 12.Nov.20; US 25.Nov.20 Making a Bond movie seems to get more complicated year by year, and this one certainly went through some messy gyrations, including a false start with Danny Boyle. But Cary Fukunaga is a terrific filmmaker who should be able to bring something fresh to the franchise, and it will be interesting to see Craig reconnecting with figures from his previous 007 adventures. It's not only about the action - the story needs to be clever and engaging, and the characters just a little bonkers.
ANTLERS 
dir Scott Cooper; with Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons, Jeremy T Thomas, Graham Greene, Scott Haze, Rory Cochrane, Amy Madigan, Cody Davis 20/USrelease US/UK delayed This looks like an intriguing shift in direction for writer-director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart), dipping into creepy horror alongside producer Guillermo del Toro. The low-key cast adds even more interest, avoiding starry leads for actors who are much easier to identify with as things turn seriously creepy in a rural Oregon community. And of course del Toro's visual effects experience clearly comes in handy when the monsters appear.
THE NEW MUTANTS 
dir Josh Boone; with Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, Charlie Heaton, Blu Hunt, Alice Braga, Happy Anderson, Henry Zaga, Colbi Gannett, Thomas Kee 20/USrelease US/UK delayed Shot more than two years ago, then delayed by both Disney's acquisition of Fox and extensive reshoots, this looks like an interesting new direction for Marvel's X-Men, described as a cross between Stephen King and John Hughes. This certainly tracks with filmmaker Boone, who previously directed The Fault in Our Stars before moving on to King adaptations. And the cast has an intriguing mix of young stars who are also great actors.
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN 
dir-scr Emerald Fennell; with Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Laverne Cox, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Alison Brie, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Molly Shannon, Sam Richardson, Connie Britton, Max Greenfield, Adam Brody, Alfred Molina 20/USrelease US/UK delayed The trailer for this thriller doesn't give much away, aside from Mulligan's scene-tearing performance as a woman seeking some kind of vengeance against someone who did her wrong. The attitudes look fierce, with a terrific cast of actors given rather a lot to chew on. It's definitely the kind of trailer that makes you sit up in the cinema and take notice. The big question is director Fennell, a writer-actress who is making her feature directing debut. But one of her writing-producing credits is Killing Eve.
WENDY 
dir Benh Zeitlin; with Devin France, Yashwa Mack, Tommie Milazzo, Shay Walker, Stephanie Lynn Wilson 20/USrelease US 28.Feb.20, UK n/a This looks like an ambitious and very cool followup to Beasts of the Southern Wild for filmmaker Zeitlin. The trailer looks like a fresh take on the classic Peter Pan story, with an earthy, intriguingly realistic exploration of the theme of childhood imagination and independence. With hints of Lord of the Flies, it appears like it will be powerfully involving and perhaps also darkly moving. Oddly, it vanished from the UK release schedule even before covid-19 caused its chaos on the industry, so I'll look for it to quietly appear in home entertainment at some point.
Also on my want-to-see list... 
Spring: THE GREEN KNIGHT
Summer: EUROVISION
FORCE OF NATURE
THE OLD GUARD
SPONGEBOB: SPONGE ON THE RUN
TENET
WONDER WOMAN 1984
Autumn: THE FRENCH DISPATCH
SOUL
Winter: FREE GUY
PETER RABBIT 2: THE RUNAWAY
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
RESPECT
Spring 2021: GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE
Summer 2021: JUNGLE CRUISE
MINIONS: THE RISE OF GRU
Release TBC: ANTEBELLUM
THE LOVEBIRDS
SPIRAL
THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW
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Release dates: British film release schedules are much more fluid than American ones, so please be patient as I try to keep up with UK distributors. I'm working to keep this list up-to-date as they keep trying to outfox me. I'm sure it's personal. Embargoes: Britain's Film Distributors Association asks us to hold reviews until the week of release, and some distributors are even more restrictive. Normally, once the film is shown to a paying audience, either on release or at a festival, the full review can appear on the site. © 2020 by Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall HOME | REVIEWS | NEWS | FESTIVAL | AWARDS | Q&A | ABOUT | TALKBACK | ||
• THE DINNER PARTY. GUEST OF HONOUR. TOMMASO. TO THE STARS. 1BR. THE COLLINI CASE. HOMOSAYWHAT.
THE LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME. THE DEPARTURE. DARKNESS FALLS. TELL TALE HEART.
CITIZENS OF THE WORLD. THE AUSTRALIAN DREAM.
DA 5 BLOODS. ARTEMIS FOWL. DRIVEN. THE SPY. SHEPHERD: THE HERO DOG. VALHALLA: LEGEND OF THOR.
WENDY. BAD TRIP. FIRST KISS.
