Tag Archives: ed norton

BFI London Film Festival 2022 Closing With Glass Onion

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It’s either been announced or it’s been shown at every major film festival going at the moment and now, like the Lionesses, it’s coming home. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will close the 66th BFI London Film Festival.

The film will have its European premiere on October 16th at Southbank Centre at the Royal Festival Hall with Rian Johnson, Daniel Craig, Kate Hudson, Janelle Monáe, Ed Norton and more confirmed to attend. The sequel to his 2019 whodunnit hit takes place in Greece with Craig reprising his role as detective for hire, Benoit Blanc as he takes on a new case. Hopefully he will suspect even more foul play with plenty of doughnut holes.

Discussing his new film being show at the London Film Festival, Rian Johnson, says, “I’m thrilled to be back at LFF with Glass Onion, and it’s an honour to be closing the festival. A proper whodunnit really does belong in London, so it feels a bit like coming home!” Also in the cast are Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline and Dave Bautista. Whether we’ll see anyone else from the previous movie remains to be seen, however it looks unlikely at this point.

Tricia Tuttle, BFI London Film Festival Director, said: “Rian Johnson’s Knives Out was a major hit when we hosted the European Premiere at the Festival in 2019. Our audiences adored the film’s wit and that it tipped its very stylish hat to the wonderful tradition of British onscreen sleuths. And here, Rian Johnson strikes gold again with the help of the year’s hottest ensemble cast. Like its predecessor, Glass Onion is entertaining and culturally literate in equal measure, making some hilarious, razor sharp observations about the world we live in. The European Premiere of the Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery will bring the house down as the Closing Gala of the 66th BFI London Film Festival!”

Recently via Twitter when announcing the title of the Knives Out sequel, Johnson described his admiration for Agatha Christie and her mystery novels. He said that there was a misperception of her novels and that she stretched the boundaries of the whodunnit in that her books were also spy stories, gothic romances, serial killer hunts, psychological character guides and much more. He has said he is using this as inspiration for the Knives Out films and that each one will have its own tone. Very interesting to hear this and now all we need is a trailer.

The 66th BFI London Film Festival will take place between 5th – 16th October with the full programme being announced on September 1st.

Keep. It. Reel.

Birdman, review

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When you type in Michael Keaton’s name into IMDB, the film he’s credited for first, amongst all of the fortunate souls who have similar names, is Batman from 1989. It’s apparently the best film people know him for and it’s been difficult for him to come out of the Bruce Wayne shadow. That’s more than 25 years, being known for one role in two movies and not too much ever since then. He’s had small roles and big ones including Beetlejuice, his part in the not-that-bad reboot of Robocop as well as voicing a couple of Pixar characters however his role as Batman is the one he’s always known for. Perhaps this film will change that.

In Birdman, Keaton plays Riggan, an actor whose most famous and revered role is a fictional superhero known as Birdman, a character who is also Riggan’s alter ego throughout the film, speaking in a very Christian Bale-esque Batman voice. He is trying to recapture the fame he once had by directing and starring in a Broadway play where he has to battle with his ego as well as those of his co-stars and his recovering drug addict daughter who also happens to be his assistant. Keaton’s character is suffering from a loss of identity, not knowing where his place is in the world and everyone has moved onto digital media with a particular reference to Twitter. It’s something that he refuses to accept and it is within his stubborn ways that he has created a very old fashioned bubble in which he likes to live in. He clings onto his Birdman character as if this is the only thing that’s ever mattered to him. But who can blame him? During a couple of scenes, the residents of New York city become very excited when they see him, yelling out references of this old character to him in the street. He also has problems with alcohol, a chaotic relationship with his daughter, he’s not respected by other actors and with all of this going on he has a show to put on.

 

The film is also styled in an interesting way, there is a constant drumming soundtrack throughout the movie which gives the feeling that we are being lead up to something momentous. It’s shot as if it is in one long take which is an ambitious filming technique for the director and it is something that works well with this kind of storytelling. The director, Alejandro Gonzalz Inarritu, has plenty of experience dealing with well-rounded characters and complex story lines, looking at his work with 21 Grams and Babel, both of which deal with the complex human condition in several actors at any one time.

 

There are times when you wonder if Keaton has gone through these problems within his real life and battled with fellow actors for popularity during his career. The similarity between Batman and Birdman is undeniable, both superheroes, both admired. It’s within this that you realise that no other actor could play this role as well as Keaton, he is able to bring the personal experience of his own resume and of his own life. There are scenes in which he is screaming or being screamed at, scenes which make you wonder if art is imitating Keaton’s life. Along with his supporting cast especially Emma Stone and Ed Norton plus a director who is perfect for the job, this makes Birdman a real hero.

New Avengers artwork and DVD case.

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The Avengers are Assembling, again. Now I I hope you aren’t quite sick of the super hero lovefest I’ve been having here on Neel’s Reel Deel because here is some great new artwork and a stunning collectors edition case for the release of Marvel’s The Avengers Assemble. Each piece of artwork is for the discs included for the solo films of all the characters plus the bonus “Phase One Archives”. So in this mammoth boxset, you will get Iron man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, The Avengers Assemble as well as the bonus disc of “Phase One Archives.” Very exciting, so much so that I wish I didn’t have any of the film so I could buy this box! Probably the most amazing looking case for any sort of DVD / Blu Ray release, just take a look, it’s beautiful. Well happy buying and watching!