2023 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

The Venice Film Festival, about to celebrate its eightieth year making this the world's oldest annual film event, will be held August 30th through September 9th on the island of the Lido in the Venice Lagoon. American filmmaker, Damien Chazelle has been chosen to preside over the jury which will select the prizes for this year’s edition as President. His fellow jurors are an impressive group of international figures in cinema: Palestinian actor, Saleh Bakri; New Zealand filmmaker, Jane Campion; French filmmaker, Mia Hansen-Løve; Italian filmmaker, Gabriele Mainetti; British-Irish filmmaker, Martin McDonagh; Argentine filmmaker, Santiago Mitre; American filmmaker, Laura Poitras and Taiwanese actress, Shu Qi.

The films in competition include the latest works by some of the world's greatest filmmakers. This includes Luc Besson ("Dog Man"), Bradley Cooper ("Maestro"), Sofia Coppola ("Priscilla"), Ava DuVernay ("Origin"), David Fincher ("The Killer"), Michel Franco ("Memory"), Matteo Garrone ("Io Capitano"), Ryusuke Hamaguchi ("Evil Does Not Exist"), Agnieszka Holland ("The Green Border"), Yorgos Lanthimos ("Poor Things"), Pablo Larrain ("El Conde"), and Michael Mann ("Ferrari").









Luca Guadagnino's tennis drama, "Challengers" was originally scheduled to have its premiere as the festival's opening film, but its release has been delayed due to the ongoing WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes ("Challengers" will now be released next spring). "Comandante", an Italian war drama directed by Edoardo De Angelis, will now open the fest. Set during WWII, the war submarine, Comandante Cappellini sinks the Belgian ship, Kabalo. The Italian captain (Pierfrancesco Favino) of the Comandante decides to disobey orders and attempt to rescue the Kabalo's crew.

A few highlights of films premiering Out-of-Competition are Harmony Korine's new feature, "Aggro Dr1ft", an experimental drama featuring musician, Travis Scott; a remake of the legal drama, "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" which will be the final feature film by the late William Friedkin; "Hit Man", an action-comedy by Richard Linklater that stars Glen Powell, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Linklater; and new films by two very controversial directors: "The Palace", a dark comedy by Roman Polanski and the fiftieth feature film by the eighty-seven year old, Woody Allen, "Coup de chance (Stroke of Luck)", a French-language thriller that stars Niels Schneider, Lou de Laage and Melvil Poupaud.





The Closing Night Film will be "La Sociedad De La Nieve (Society of The Snow)" from J.A. Bayona. This dramatic thriller tells the true story of a Uruguayan rugby team whose plane crashes on a glacier in the Andes in 1972 and the few passengers who lived find themselves struggling to survive in extremely harsh conditions. This is an Out of Competition screening, and the film will be released by Netflix.



And this year's recipient of Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award, which began in 2006 and honors the careers of people who have made a significant contribution to cinema, will be Wes Anderson. His latest, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar", a short film based on story by Roald Dahl, will make its world premiere screening at the fest and can be seen on Netflix in September.

PASSAGES (2023)

Written by Mauricio Zacharias and Ira Sachs



Directed by Ira Sachs



Where & When: Outfest LA, Directors Guild of America, Los Angeles, CA. July 20, 2023 7:15 PM



"Passages", the latest feature film from writer/director Ira Sachs, is a European based, love triangle involving two men and a woman. Yet what makes this drama far more intriguing and very modern is that the men are the long-term couple, and the young woman is the one who comes between them. With an audacious narrative and thrillingly sensual, "Passages" takes us on an emotional journey filled with several unexpected twists and turns.

Living in Paris, Tomas (Franz Rogowski), a German filmmaker working on his new film and Martin (Ben Whishaw), a British print maker have been together for fifteen years, still caring for each other yet fallen into comfortable, routine relationship. During a wrap party for Tomas' film, Martin wants to call it a night after spending the evening supporting his partner. But Tomas is not ready to go home, deciding to stay at the party. He begins to pay attention to Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos) a young French school teacher who was invited by friends working on the film. Just ending a relationship with a clingy boyfriend that evening, she is open and ready for some fun. And later in an apartment at an after party, Tomas and Agathe lock eyes, sneak off into a bedroom and become intimate.

Buzzing with excitement, Tomas goes home the next morning and can't wait to tell Martin what happened. Yet he's not nearly as thrilled or amused by this revelation from his partner. Later while in the editing bay, Tomas comes across Agathe once again, paying a visit to a friend. They attempt some small talk before going off to a private room where they tear each other's clothes off. Tomas is soon sneaking off to be with Agathe any chance he can get, falling surprisingly into a romantic relationship. And this comes to a head with Martin as Tomas announces to him that he is leaving to take a chance in this new love affair. A devastated Martin tries to move on, starting a causal relationship with a writer (Erwan Kepoa Falé). But Tomas refuses to let go of him completely, missing the familiar intimacy with a man while struggling to understand Agathe's emotional needs and dealing with her concerned parents.

Whishaw (seen in the last three Bond movies as "Q", appeared in the Oscar-nominated, "Women Talking" and voiced the beloved, British bear in the "Paddington" films) reliably delivers a solid performance of a man trying to find a way to be supportive of the man he loves while refusing to allow him to trample over his heart and their long relationship. Exarchopoulos, who first attracted international attention in the controversial 2013 drama, "Blue Is the Warmest Colour", brings a warmth and steely reserve to her role as Agathe. But the real standout is Rogowski, commanding the screen with a rakish swagger that is extremely appealing. The unconventionally handsome actor, who previously made a great impact in Christian Petzold's films, "Transit" and "Undine" and recently in the acclaimed prison drama, "Great Freedom", brings to mind a European version of Joaquin Phoenix, matching in physicality and sharing the same intensity burning through their eyes. Yet Rogowski is a little less edgy, having a softer, more vulnerable quality than Phoenix.

As an artist and filmmaker, Tomas has always been largely focused on satisfying his needs, motivations and desires. And his narcissistic nature was not going to be any different in his personal life. His behavior becomes appalling as we watch Tomas deviously exploit Martin and Agathe's affection for him to best serve his selfish needs. The film doesn't make any effort in trying to define Tomas' sexuality, but it seems clear that his initiating an affair with Agathe was more about doing something new and exciting than an innate attraction.

"Passages" boldly explores sexual identity, touching on how that has recently evolved into something less rigidly defined and fluid. This film is an erotic drama that features several scenes of sexuality with the most extended and detailed involving Tomas and Martin (which earned "Passages" an unwarranted NC-17 rating but the film's distributor, MUBI chose to release unrated instead of forcing Sachs to make any cuts). This genre used to be a staple in theaters but has virtually disappeared from US cinemas and I applaud Sachs for bravely offering something for adults. I'm sure the European setting was a necessity as Americans now tend to be far more cautious and nervous over sexual intimacy, particularly when two men are involved. Gloriously uninhibited and fiercely provocative, "Passages" is a welcome return of a dramatic narrative that features messy and complicated characters that actually reveal themselves emotionally and physically.

WILLIAM FRIEDKIN (1935 - 2023)

William Friedkin, who was one of the young filmmakers during the American New Wave movement of the 1970's, responsible for moving the industry away from glossy, hyper-stylized productions and into more realistic narratives, has passed away. Never attending college nor studied film, Friedkin is probably best known for two groundbreaking movies: the gritty detective thriller, "The French Connection" from 1971 which won five Academy Awards (including Best Picture and Best Director) and the controversial 1973 supernatural drama, "The Exorcist". He had just completed a new feature film, a remake of "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial" which had been selected to screen at this year's Venice Film Festival later this month but Friedkin had been in poor health recently and died from heart failure and pneumonia on August 7th at the age of eighty-seven.

Born and raised in Chicago, Friedkin initially had interest in becoming a professional baseball player while in high school but it would be the movies, a first viewing of the Orson Welles classic, "Citizen Kane" in particular, that would later truly capture his attention. After getting a job in the mail room at a local television station, he quickly worked his way up until he was directing live television shows and documentaries. A documentary, "The People vs. Paul Crump" he submitted to the San Francisco International Film Festival won him a prize in 1962 and giving Friedkin an opportunity to head West.

Friedkin's first major job in Hollywood was directing an episode of the television series, "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" in 1965. The true sign in the changing of the guard was Hitchcock giving Friedkin a hard time for not wearing a tie on-set. This lead to the chance for him to direct his first feature two year later, the comedy-spoof, "Good Times" which starred the pop music duo, Sonny & Cher. The movie was savaged by critics and was a box-office flop and his following films, "The Birthday Party" and "The Night They Raided Minsky's" (co-written by Norman Lear) didn't fare much better yet Friedkin persevered. His next film was an unexpected and daring choice at the time: an adaptation of the Off-Broadway play, "The Boys in the Band". And while it was not a success at the box-office, largely due to it's subject matter involving a gathering of NYC gay men to celebrate the birthday of a friend, it did offer Friedkin the first taste of some positive critical reactions and this 1970 drama would become a milestone in the history of queer cinema.

This was followed by "The French Connection", shot in a style more suited for documentaries to create a sense of realism, with this low-budget film receiving almost universal critical raves, becoming a huge financial success and making unlikely movie stars out of Gene Hackman (who won the Best Actor Oscar for this role) and Roy Scheider. Then came, "The Exorcist", based on William Peter Blatty's best-selling novel, with the story involving the demonic possession of a young girl and her mother's attempt to save her through an exorcism by two priests that revolutionized the horror genre. Audiences waited for hours in long lines for a chance to see this disturbing, graphic film (many seeing it multiple times). Once in the theater, some viewers would have strong reactions to the film, ranging from people fainting, becoming violently ill to someone actually having to be carried out on a stretcher during a screening, helping to make "The Exorcist" one of the biggest hits of the year.

The rest of Friedkin's cinematic output had a few intriguing highlights ("To Live and Die in LA", "Sorcerer", "Cruising") yet most were poorly received and viewed as disappointments ("Deal of the Century", "The Guardian", "Jade", "Blue Chips" "Killer Joe"). Friedkin tended to gravitate towards themes involving the darker side of human nature in his movies, making them challenging and unsettling for some viewers. Yet regardless of the underwhelming receptions of these films during their inaugural release, the work of Friedkin, stimulating, provocative and highly influential, has been reevaluated over the years with some finding a greater appreciation from a new generation of movie audiences.

Friedkin was married four times: first in 1977 for three years to French actress, Jeanne Moreau, then to British actress, Lesley-Anne Down for four years. He married American journalist, Kelly Lange in 1987 before divorcing in 1990. Then Friedkin met Sherry Lansing, an actress turned producer and later became studio chief of Paramount Pictures for twelve years beginning in 1992. They wed in 1991 and remained together until his passing. Friedkin is survived by two children: a son, Cedric from a relationship with Australian choreographer, Jennifer Nairn-Smith and a son, Jack with his second wife, Down.

PAUL REUBENS (1952 - 2023)

Paul Reubens, who is probably best known to the world for his hilarious, man-child creation, Pee Wee Herman, passed away on July 31st. He had been privately dealing with cancer for the last six years. Reubens was seventy years old. 

Born Paul Rubenfeld in Peekskill, NY and grew-up in Sarasota, FL, Reubens got interested in entertainment early as a child after being fascinated with the Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus and watching television sitcoms, leaving him with a strong desire to make people laugh. After heading to California to attend college, Reubens honed his improv skills by performing at comedy clubs and joining The Groundlings. It was during his time with this improv comedy team that he first started to develop Pee Wee Herman around 1978. These elements, a grown man still filled with adolescent wonder with a cartoon-character voice, shrunken, gray suit, little red bowtie and the name "Pee Wee" which came from a brand of harmonica, would come from various ideas and experiences from Reubens' life.

After failing to land becoming a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" in 1980, Reubens decided to start his own stage show in Los Angeles with his Pee Wee Herman character, which was forming a cult following, landing him a bit part in the stoner-comedy film, "Cheech & Chong's Next Movie". This caught the attention of HBO who offered Reubens to bring "The Pee Wee Herman Show" as a television special, expanding his character to an even wider audience. And this led to the 1985 movie, "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" which gave Tim Burton, who was gaining attention at the time with his animated shorts, his first feature film as a director. This box-office hit would lead to Pee Wee Herman to be featured in a live-action children's program, "Pee Wee's Playhouse" in 1986 which had a cast that featured Laurence Fishburne, Phil Hartman and S. Epatha Merkerson.

After a less than successful movie sequel, "Big Top Pee-wee" in 1988 and the end of the series two years later, Reubens was suffering from burn out playing this popular character, wanting to be seen as a versatile actor. Not surprisingly, Reubens had difficulty being viewed outside of Pee Wee but he did manage to get a few roles in television ("Murphy Brown", "Ally McBeal", "30 Rock") and movies ("Batman Returns", "Blow", "Mystery Men") with plenty of character-voice parts in between.