For a prestige fall project is specially designed to get you thinking, gasping, gazing, singing, crying, talking and of course, awards-prognosticating. In fact, mark my words right now: Will Smith is best actor nomination lock for King Richard and Kristen Stewart has a nod sewn up for Spencer. (Only one of those films involves actual royalty, by the way.)

So what’s in store for this fall? A host of intriguing stars and offerings, ranging from Timothee Chalamet attempting to broker peace on a desert planet to Andrew Garfield belting his heart out about his fledgling career in a Broadway-adapted musical.

Even the latest Marvel offering — Eternals — boasts Angelina Jolie in the starring role and newly minted two-time Oscar winner Chloe Zhao behind the camera. Here are 10 of the buzziest offerings coming soon to a screen near you.

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This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Mara Reinstein

Kristen Stewart is Spencer. That’s not stating the obvious about the actress’ high-profile role as the late Princess of Wales, who was born Diana Frances Spencer. Kristen Stewart is Spencer. As in, she is the breathtaking soul of her film, owning every scene and single-handedly elevating it to must-watch status. Her performance is just that compelling, while Spencer is just that eccentric.

So, let’s just get this out of the way: After four seasons of The Crown, you may think you already have a solid grip on the inner-workings of the royals and don’t need to process one more awkward five-course dinner. But this drama, which bills itself as “a fable from a true tragedy,” winnows the family’s extravagant multi-generational narrative down to one unnerving slice-of-life snapshot.

Queen Elizabeth II et al are presented as a cast of uncaring-to-the-extreme characters in a thriller, with their country estate backdrop as a literal chilly house of horrors. That means Princess Diana is our heroine desperate to break free of her trappings. And you better believe you will be rooting for her to succeed.

Her first words are “Where the f—k am I?” The answer is somewhere in the barren and rustic Norfolk section of England, which happens to be located a few fields away from her now-dilapidated family childhood home. It’s Christmas weekend in 1991, and Diana has decided to drive herself in her Porsche convertible to Sandringham House. (The rest of the family arrived earlier in a fleet of chauffeur-driven vehicles.) For Diana, this is hardly the most wonderful time of the year.

Her Christmas present from Prince Charles (Jack Farthing) is a gaudy pearl necklace identical to the one he gave his mistress, sending her into a tailspin. She wants — no, needs — to end her marriage. Soon. Or else.

Diana’s suffering isn’t just tied to her husband’s open infidelity. The devil is in the details: Her Majesty’s Christmas musts include weighing all the guests upon their arrival and exit, ostensibly to ensure that the in-house chefs have done their jobs. Diana must use a personal servant to select an appropriate outfit for breakfast. The omnipresent Major Gregory (Timothy Spall) is the de facto ruler of the house, spying on her in the dark as she tip-toes downstairs on Christmas Eve to grab a snack. (She vomited up her meal earlier in the evening.) She’s instructed her to pull up the shades and board her windows in her room, lest anyone see her. She must give her beloved young sons William and Harry their Christmas presents on the sly, for fear of upending tradition. “There is no future,” she tells them at one point. “Only past and present.”

These problems are all relative, of course. (Um, pun intended.) So you’re a princess with only 10 minutes to get dressed for Christmas dinner? So your judgmental mother-in-law shuts you out? Get out the antique violin! But Diana’s genuine feelings of sadness and loneliness pervade the film, whether she’s stabbing herself in the arm or comparing herself to being a bug dissected under a microscope.

Though this weekend is most definitely a work of fiction, Diana’s physical and emotional struggles during her ill-fated marriage have been well-documented — and her death in 1997 remains the coda of a tragic life cut short.

None of the above would be effective without Stewart’s masterful, sure-to-be-Oscar-nominated work. I will admit I was initially skeptical of this casting. Not that she hasn’t proven herself an accomplished actress in recent years; it’s just . . . five-foot-five L.A. baby Kristen Stewart as a statuesque British princess?! I couldn’t envision it. I didn’t realize she’d completely immerse herself into this role, leaving zero trace of her lip-biting Twilight teen past.

By using her real-life shyness to her advantage, Stewart plays Diana as a soft-spoken yet self-reliant modern woman who daydreams of the rambunctious girl she used to be. In her heart, the People’s Princess can still dance with exuberance and sing with abandon and eat all the fast food she desires. It’s a joy, not to mention a revelation, watching the star pull this all off.

The film’s whimsical snippets also make up for some of its more bizarre arthouse elements. (See: Diana wrapping Ann Boleyn’s old coat around a scarecrow.) To be sure, Spencer is not one of those juicy biopics ripe for a repeat watch on a rainy Sunday. Like the austere artwork in the Sandringham House, it deserves to be framed and hung on a wall. Admire it, don’t embrace it. Maybe that’s the point.

Spencer, which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival on September 4, opens in theaters on Friday, November 5.

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Mara Reinstein

Black Widow deserved better. This sentiment first applied when the former Russian assassin made her onscreen debut in the woeful Iron Man 2 in 2010, and certainly when she martyred herself and died in Avengers: Endgame nine years later. Now, Scarlett Johansson‘s OG female Avenger — worthy of her own movie since she drop-kicked her first villain — is saddled with an underwhelming prequel.

And just to underscore that life is not even fair in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the pioneering character’s standalone has been delayed for more than a year due to the pandemic. Totally understandable. But during the interim, the Disney+ streaming service has debuted and delivered three ultra-innovative MCU TV series (WandaVision, Falcon and Winter Soldier and Loki) that have all pushed the saga forward. As much as we root for Black Widow and have long clamored for this day, wading into her past at this point seems a wee bit counterproductive.

We find our heroine in that crevice of a time frame after the post-Sokovia Accords (as seen in Captain America: Civil War back in 2016) and before the Avengers reassembled Infinity War. Black Widow, née Natasha Romanoff, is on her own and in a transient place both emotionally and physically. She’s soon drawn back into her old life as a trained killing machine, leading to a reunion with her former undercover “family.” We first meet them in a thrilling on-the-run prologue set in Ohio in 1995 when Natasha is an adolescent. As her “sister” (Florence Pugh), “mother” (Rachel Weisz) and “father” (David Harbour) each enter the picture years later, the foursome bond in their mission to defeat the sinister brainwasher-in-chief (Ray Winstone). Think The Incredibles with more faux-Eastern European accents.

That promising revenge story devolves into silliness when body pheromones (?!) are used as a weapon. A magical anti-mind-controlling antidote is in play too, but it’s hardly ever used even though it’s an anti-mind-controlling antidote. Annoyingly, the movie follows that “one step forward, two steps back” pattern throughout its two-plus-hour run time. Pugh’s fiery line readings — love the way she mocks Black Widow for her glamorous, hair-tossing and posing — give way too often to heft-free familial turmoil. Smart action choreography is hampered by messy CGI enhanced set pieces. (A prison break involves an avalanche and an extended shootout via land and air; the bullet-riddled helicopter flies off fancy-free anyway!). Characters talk ominously about a Red Room as if Christian Grey himself designed it; the actual reveal is anticlimactic.

Kick-bam-wham action is part of the MCU DNA, of course. The problem in the Black Widow context? The stakes are nonexistent. No matter how many times a bad guy (or girl) aims a gun at Natasha, we know she has a specific, er, end game and will live to see the closing credits. This conceit was always going to be a risk with a prequel. Still, comic book-based origin stories such as X-Men: First Class and Wonder Woman prove that a built-in lack of suspense can be overcome. The key is a well-executed character study that also fills in the blanks for the fans. The introduction of a family tree alone doesn’t cut it. Does Black Widow have some extra special affection in her heart for Chris Evans‘ Captain America? Or perhaps she was secretly in contact with Jeremy Renner‘s Hawkeye prior to saving his life? We don’t get the answers about her fellow Avengers and, sigh, we never will.

The real triumph here is the dynamic between the two lead actresses. Johansson, who’s earned two Oscar nominations since 2019’s Endgame, stays true to her signature character despite the new confines. She’s the rare action heroine who conveys emotions in her eyes while twisting and turning all other parts of her body. And Pugh refuses to wilt, making her presence known in every scene with her de facto sister. They beautifully bridge the past and future, leaving fans to wonder if Black Widow: Just Kidding, She’s Alive! is a remote possibility.

Black Widow opens in theaters and on Disney+ premium on Friday, July 9.

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Mara Reinstein

After the sad effort of 2020 — thanks for trying, Tenet — the class of ’21 is determined to deliver the comedy-and action-packed goods. Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel and a wickedly fun Emma Stone help, as do the usual slew of sequels and a musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda that will make you want to dance in the aisles. And hey, multiple sources even confirm that Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow will finally check in too.

Here’s an early look at 17 hot titles coming to a screen near you.

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This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Mara Reinstein

The documentary is Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry, streaming on Apple TV+ on Friday, February 26, and as you may have surmised, it’s an intimate fly-on-the-wall glimpse of the singer attempting to navigate the most extraordinary 12 months of her life. The journey starts with Eilish, 19, in her bedroom with her older brother, Finneas O’Connell, scribbling lyrics in her notebook that would eventually filter into her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? It ends with her collecting five trophies at the 2020 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. She was 18.

In between, Eilish breaks Spotify records, tours the world, meets awestruck A-list fans and records the theme song for the new James Bond movie. She has enough poise to tell screaming iPhone-clad fans during her Coachella set in 2019, “In life, we tend to do things and then we’re always looking forward to the next thing everything is about what’s happening right now … And this is happening right now. So why don’t we be in the moment, yeah?” Almost 20 tracks are featured in all, with many heard in their entirety during performance clips.

This documentary is at its most engaging when Eilish is Just Like Us. It’s easy to relate when she makes up silly handshakes with Finneas and practically skips across the front lawn upon getting her driver’s license. Like any angsty 18-year-old, she’s also prone to mood swings, eye-rolling and spats with her parents.

The differentiating factor here is that she argues with them about her attitude during a backstage meet-and-greet with record label VIPs. (Thankfully, director R.J. Cutler never cuts from the drama to some music expert sitting in a chair expounding on Eilish’s genius.) These raw moments help justify the film’s extremely generous 140-minute running time.

Oh, and to be clear about Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry: There are also revelations galore, from her Justin Bieber crush to her real-life heartbreak. Scroll through for more.

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This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Mara Reinstein

But that didn’t mean anyone was deprived of the cinematic goods. Here are the top 10 offerings from the festival. Keep them on your radar now; check them out and put them on your awards scorecard later.

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This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Mara Reinstein

Meanwhile, anticipated films such as Black Widow, No Time to Die and F9 were pushed to 2021 and beyond. Even Tenet, the one entry that debuted on the big screen this summer, managed to disappoint with a convoluted story — and that’s with Robert Pattinson time-traveling a tailored suit!

Still, there were some bright spots. Thanks to the booming streaming service market, we were treated to big-budget, big-star vehicles via Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max and more. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Alexander Hamilton sang to us in the front row of our living rooms on July 4, while Happiest Season arrived just in time to make the holidays cheery.

We’re (finally) getting Wonder Woman 1984 too! And remember the Oscars? The right movie — Parasite — actually won Best Picture. Here are the Top 10 movies of 2020. Maybe they didn’t all break through the Queen’s Gambit/The Crown/Tiger King buzzsaw, but they still reigned supreme.

10. Taylor Swift: Miss Americana
We’ll never shake off the hell that was 2020, but at least we got a wildly insightful and unvarnished look at one Taylor Swift. With the cameras on her at her most vulnerable, the former teen queen showed her fans why she’s done hiding behind the wholesome good-girl sheen and proved to her doubters that in terms of musicality, she’s the real deal. (Her two subsequent surprise albums sealed it.)

9. Nomadland
One can still push forward despite the setbacks. That’s the message behind this award-winning and beautifully rendered drama from future Oscar-nominated director Chloe Zhao that explores life on the fringes. It chronicles the journey of a disenfranchised widow (Frances McDormand) who drives in her beat-up van all over the country trying to make a go of it. She does.

8. Bad Education
Over his long and versatile career, Hugh Jackman has played everything from a Wolverine to a singing P.T. Barnum. Still, who knew he could slip so easily into the role of a popular-yet-super-corrupt New York school superintendent. His performance is at the center of a compelling work of entertainment, based on a real-life money embezzlement scandal. And special shout-out to Allison Janney for mastering a Long Island accent.

7. The Invisible Man
If Elisabeth Moss’ crazy and controlling boyfriend is dead, then why are closed doors suddenly opening? And who stole her architectural designs? And, omg, what just happened in that crowded restaurant with her sister?!! What easily could have been a silly B-grade horror flick is instead a first-rate piece of heart-thumping escapism. Even when the story unravels, the wide-eyed Moss sells it all.

6. The Trial of the Chicago 7
There are two kinds of courtroom dramas — ones written by the great Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, Molly’s Game, The Social Network) and everything else. Here, seven anti-war activists are on trial for clashing with the police during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Smart and compelling from gavel to gavel, the film also features sterling performances from Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Keaton and Jeremy Strong.

5. Da Five Bloods
Four Vietnam veterans and friends return to the jungles to claim the remains of their beloved captain (Chadwick Boseman) — and find the bars of gold they buried near him. Spike Lee’s searing epic manages to be both an intimate drama of regret and a big-picture take on the country’s evolving race relations, worthy of evoking important conversations.

4. Minari
The big Sundance Film Festival award winner (which will get a rollout release in early 2021), is the lovely personal story of a Korean American family, led by Steven Yeun, that uproots from California to a small farm in Arkansas in the 1980s in search of a better life. (Director Lee Isaac Chung used his own childhood as inspiration.) It’s a richly textured tale that offers an engaging view of the immigrant experience while also recognizing its hardships.

3. The Prom
It turns out that the sight of Meryl Streep singing and cavorting in an Indiana high school gym made for the year’s fizziest tonic. This unabashedly charming musical extravaganza — about four faded Broadway stars (Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Andrew Rannells) who hit the road to help an ostracized gay high-schooler take her girlfriend to the prom — is chock full of laughs, heart and old-fashioned razzle-dazzle. What an honor to be invited.

2. Palm Springs
Imagine the dreaded sensation of waking up in the same place every damn morning and realizing that nothing has changed. Somehow, Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti turned this fantastical-and-yet-all-too-authentic time loop premise into a poignant romantic comedy. And though their plight in the desert touches on loneliness, pain and commitment, it’s ultimately optimistic. Yay and phew.

1. Promising Young Woman
Just wow. A never-better Carey Mulligan is the titular woman on a singular mission to right the violent wrongs of her med school past. Her bold actions are wickedly audacious, culminating in a breathless final act. But this is no simple #MeToo revenge fantasy. Rare is the film that has the guts to confront such a prickly subject, forcing viewers to examine their own behavior. Written and directed by Killing Eve’s Emerald Fennell, it’s a truly amazing and stunning mindf–k that stands apart.

Honorable mentions: The Father, Babyteeth, Sylvie’s Love, Run, The Sound of Metal and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Mara Reinstein