The programmers for Venice don't fall for generic documentaries shaped by anecdotes told by talking heads, leaning instead on the projects that say as much about their creators as their subjects. Ross McElwee, Lucrecia Martel, and Alexandre O. Philippe use their backgrounds, interests, and even their flaws to tell their newest stories, and all of them are worth a look. One will even break your heart.
The movie is about this guy who's an unlikely hero who becomes one and fights against the evil forces in this town that are conspiring to sort of take over and harm people, The movie takes place in a slightly heightened reality with over-the-top violence and kind of absurd wild characters, very much paying homage to the Troma films that inspired it, telling a new story within the context of that universe,
Yorgos Lanthimos's macabre and amusing new film has a predictably strong performance from Emma Stone, an intestine-shreddingly clamorous orchestral score from Jerskin Fendrix and, most importantly, a wonderful montage finale but frankly it's a very, very long run-up to that big jump. Added to which, there is the question of whether this bizarre if sometimes heavy-handed black comedy has fully earned its eventual pivot to serious tragic issues in the ending.
Let's update on Oblivion and the shadow drop. I'll give people a week now - the week of April 21, so basically the last week of this month, next week essentially.