Did you hear that James Franco’s Tommy Wiseau failed miserably in the first trailer for The Disaster Artist? That Guillermo Del Toro has given us a first look at his newest fairytale flick, The Shape of Water? What about filmmaker Christopher Nolan taking some big swings at Netflix? No? We’ve got you covered. Welcome to The CineFiles! A weekly show where we zoom in on the biggest news Hollywood and the indie scene has to offer.
#3: James Franco’s The Disaster Artist Drops First Teaser
Audiences finally got their first look at James Franco’s much buzzed-about film, The Disaster Artist, centering on the ridiculous making-of of one of The Room – one of the worst movies ever made.. The teaser-trailer has Seth Rogen directing James Franco’s Tommy Wiseau in the infamous rooftop scene. The original scene itself is extremely awkward with wooden acting, and the trailer goes behind-the-scenes to see why exactly that was.
Franco’s Wiseau repeatedly forgets his ridiculously simple lines: “I did not hit her. It’s not true. It’s bullshit. I did not hit her. I did not. Oh, hi, Mark.†That leaves the cast bewildered with the actor’s inability to nail the scene. The trailer showcases several cringe-inducing, yet hilarious takes in which Wiseau fails miserably, culminating with the miraculous “perfect†take. Ironically, the film was a critical darling at South by Southwest, earning a standing ovation. The film goes wide December 1, 2017.
#2: First Trailer to Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water Released
This one looks like vintage Del Toro. Fox Searchlight dropped the first trailer to Guillermo Del Toro’s newest film, The Shape of Water, which sees a mute janitor befriend an aquatic creature in a secret government lab. The trailer shows off the film’s style, which is reminiscent of Del Toro’s earlier masterpiece, Pan’s Labyrinth. From the wardrobe, to the decor, to the human-like creature that reminds of Pale Man, the film seems to be somewhat of a callback to the movie that put Del Toro on the map for many moviegoers.
The mute woman, who feels lonely and isolated due to her impairment, stumbles upon the aquatic creature experiment, and builds a relationship with the misunderstood creature. However, a mad scientist played by Michael Shannon views the creature simply as an experiment. The Shape of Water looks to be a classic fairytale in the making, possessing all the pieces needed to create yet another Del Toro classic.
#1: Christopher Nolan Slams Netflix’s Movie Model
One of the most powerful filmmakers in Hollywood just took a huge shot at the giant of streaming services. Dunkirk director Christopher Nolan didn’t mince words when talking to indiewire about Netflix, saying that he would never work with their “mindless†movie sector because of their “bizarre aversion to supporting theatrical films.†Nolan kept the jabs coming, calling their theatrical model “pointlessâ€, accusing them of using their sizable investments in filmmakers like Noah Baumbach and Bong Joon Ho to hold leverage against theatres in order to shut them down.
Nolan is referring to how Netflix refuses to release their films theatrically prior to their air date on the site. He isn’t against all streaming platforms, however, as the director also voiced his support of Amazon, who send their originals to the big screen for 90 days before moving them to their site. After all, Nolan does know film, so maybe he’s onto something, as his $1.8 billion in ticket sales has him at number 8 on the all-time total gross list for directors.
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