The Western is a genre that's mostly gone by the wayside in recent decades, as portraits of straight-shooting American heroes and uncomplicated "bad guys" have become less digestible to the public. While popular neo-Westerns (like "Justified" or the works of Taylor Sheridan) and perspective-changing genre breakdowns have made a splash in recent yers, the genre has mostly died out. Of the relics that remain, few are as prolific and familiar as "Bonanza," a Western series that ran for an impressive 14 seasons on NBC in the '60s and '70s.
As a long-running TV series, "Bonanza" was able to chart the change — or stubborn lack thereof — within the genre and the country, frankly addressing topics like racism and bigotry while also delivering regular laughs and a dash of melodrama to loyal viewers. The series starred Lorne Green as widower Ben Cartwright and Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts, and Michael Landon as Ben's three sons.
As a long-running TV series, "Bonanza" was able to chart the change — or stubborn lack thereof — within the genre and the country, frankly addressing topics like racism and bigotry while also delivering regular laughs and a dash of melodrama to loyal viewers. The series starred Lorne Green as widower Ben Cartwright and Dan Blocker, Pernell Roberts, and Michael Landon as Ben's three sons.
- 3/30/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
All titles below begin streaming for free on January 1 unless otherwise noted:
Originals
Action
Prepare To Die
– 1/13-
A young man trains in the ways of martial arts to seek vengeance on the corrupt landowner who murdered his family.
Documentary
Vice News Presents: Epstein Didn’T Kill Himself
-1/17-
How the mysteries surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s life and death gave rise to a conspiracy theory that will never die.
Gone Before His Time: Kobe Bryant
-1/26-
Recount the achievements – some personal, some professional, and many halted – of an NBA legend before his untimely death.
TMZ No Bs: Hollywood’S Dumbest Moments
-1/31-
Join TMZ as they examine baffling & cringe worthy celebrity moments – Hollywood stars aren’t always the sharpest tools in the shed.
Horror
Where The Devil Roams
-1/5-
A family of murderous sideshow performers traverse the harsh conditions of Depression-era America in a bloody deal with the Devil.
Originals
Action
Prepare To Die
– 1/13-
A young man trains in the ways of martial arts to seek vengeance on the corrupt landowner who murdered his family.
Documentary
Vice News Presents: Epstein Didn’T Kill Himself
-1/17-
How the mysteries surrounding Jeffrey Epstein’s life and death gave rise to a conspiracy theory that will never die.
Gone Before His Time: Kobe Bryant
-1/26-
Recount the achievements – some personal, some professional, and many halted – of an NBA legend before his untimely death.
TMZ No Bs: Hollywood’S Dumbest Moments
-1/31-
Join TMZ as they examine baffling & cringe worthy celebrity moments – Hollywood stars aren’t always the sharpest tools in the shed.
Horror
Where The Devil Roams
-1/5-
A family of murderous sideshow performers traverse the harsh conditions of Depression-era America in a bloody deal with the Devil.
- 1/12/2024
- by Stephen Nepa
- Age of the Nerd
Butcher’s Crossing was reviewed at TIFF 2022.
Plot: A young man (Fred Hechinger) forsakes his wealth and privilege to explore the American west. He’s talked into bankrolling a Buffalo hunting expedition by Miller (Nicolas Cage), who’s become obsessed with his all-consuming trade. Soon, the two are on an endless expedition threatening their lives and sanity.
Review: As a lifelong Nicolas Cage fan, it’s tremendously rewarding to see him again respected as perhaps the most iconoclastic actor of our era. While I’d argue there are bigger stars out there, there are few on-screen personalities to match Cage, and while he was stuck in an endless loop of Dtv movies for too long, he’s since re-emerged and regained his reputation as a master of his craft. It helps that even in his worst movies, Cage never phoned it in, which is perhaps why he’s been able to...
Plot: A young man (Fred Hechinger) forsakes his wealth and privilege to explore the American west. He’s talked into bankrolling a Buffalo hunting expedition by Miller (Nicolas Cage), who’s become obsessed with his all-consuming trade. Soon, the two are on an endless expedition threatening their lives and sanity.
Review: As a lifelong Nicolas Cage fan, it’s tremendously rewarding to see him again respected as perhaps the most iconoclastic actor of our era. While I’d argue there are bigger stars out there, there are few on-screen personalities to match Cage, and while he was stuck in an endless loop of Dtv movies for too long, he’s since re-emerged and regained his reputation as a master of his craft. It helps that even in his worst movies, Cage never phoned it in, which is perhaps why he’s been able to...
- 10/14/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Director Pedro Almodovar “didn’t pay a lot of attention” to Westerns early in his life because he didn’t think the Spaghetti Western movies he was exposed to at the time were very good. But around when he was 18 he discovered American Westerns and “fell completely in love with the genre.” Now he has made a romantic Western short film, “Strange Way of Life,” and discussed it at the New York Film Festival. Watch his complete Q&a below.
It was “in the last three years that I started writing this,” Almodovar explained about this script, about two men (Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal) who are reunited after decades apart, but divided again by loyalty to their families. “I didn’t know it would become a short, but sometimes I write just for fun, and then I have many set pieces in my computer, and sometimes those set pieces...
It was “in the last three years that I started writing this,” Almodovar explained about this script, about two men (Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal) who are reunited after decades apart, but divided again by loyalty to their families. “I didn’t know it would become a short, but sometimes I write just for fun, and then I have many set pieces in my computer, and sometimes those set pieces...
- 10/5/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
While TIFF 2023 is in the books, a selection from TIFF’s 2022 edition is finally coming out over a year after its debut. Butcher’s Crossing, starring Nicolas Cage as a buffalo hunter in the old west, played to good reviews (including my own), with many noting that it was much artier fare for Cage, being an adaptation of the classic novel by John Edward Williams. In the movie, a young man (Fred Hechinger) bankrolls a buffalo hunting expedition with two older guides, including the mysterious Miller (Cage), which soon becomes a journey into madness.
Directed by Gabe Polsky and co-starring Sound of Metal’s Paul Raci, Tokyo Vice’s Rachel Keller and Xander Berkley, Butcher’s Crossing takes a dark, sombre look at the buffalo trade, which brought the animal to near extinction levels, starving the indigenous population, who relied on buffalo for food.
Butcher’s Crossing is a more austere, slower-paced...
Directed by Gabe Polsky and co-starring Sound of Metal’s Paul Raci, Tokyo Vice’s Rachel Keller and Xander Berkley, Butcher’s Crossing takes a dark, sombre look at the buffalo trade, which brought the animal to near extinction levels, starving the indigenous population, who relied on buffalo for food.
Butcher’s Crossing is a more austere, slower-paced...
- 9/18/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Portland local Todd Haynes turned out at the Oregon city’s art museum in late June not to tout his own movies — and he certainly has a major one on the horizon thanks to Netflix’s Cannes pick-up “May December” — but to celebrate his peers: namely screenwriter and author Jon Raymond, longtime collaborator of Haynes’ friend Kelly Reichardt. Raymond also co-wrote with Haynes the script for his acclaimed 2011 HBO miniseries “Mildred Pierce” and developed the story for Haynes’ upcoming gay romance starring Joaquin Phoenix.
Haynes, who moved to Portland in 2000, was among speakers at the Portland Art Museum Center for an Untold Tomorrow’s (Pam Cut) Cinema Unbound Awards, which honored the likes of Raymond, Guillermo del Toro, Tessa Thompson, Jacqueline Stewart, and Portlander Fred Armisen. The lively gala was held in honor of not only raising funds for the museum — one of the largest in the country and now...
Haynes, who moved to Portland in 2000, was among speakers at the Portland Art Museum Center for an Untold Tomorrow’s (Pam Cut) Cinema Unbound Awards, which honored the likes of Raymond, Guillermo del Toro, Tessa Thompson, Jacqueline Stewart, and Portlander Fred Armisen. The lively gala was held in honor of not only raising funds for the museum — one of the largest in the country and now...
- 7/10/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The new A24 film “Showing Up” comes from writer/director Kelly Reichardt (“First Cow“) and the filmmaker reunites with Oscar-winning actress Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans“). The pair previously worked together on “Wendy & Lucy,” “Meek’s Cutoff,” and “Certain Woman” and all those collaborations are arguably both their best works.
Continue reading Watch An Exclusive Clip From Kelly Reichardt’s A24 Drama ‘Showing Up’ Starring Michelle Williams, Hong Chau & Judd Hirsch at The Playlist.
Continue reading Watch An Exclusive Clip From Kelly Reichardt’s A24 Drama ‘Showing Up’ Starring Michelle Williams, Hong Chau & Judd Hirsch at The Playlist.
- 4/14/2023
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Editors note: This review was originally published May 27 after its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. The film opens in limited release Friday.
Kelly Reichardt has been making minimal Americana since the early 1990s, mostly around the state of Oregon where she lives and mostly about her favored awkward squad: quiet square pegs who don’t quite fit the round holes society provides. In this ongoing quest she has found many collaborators, but none more attuned to her recessive brand of naturalism than Michelle Williams.
As a homeless woman trying to find her stolen dog in Wendy and Lucy, as part of a wagon train heading west in the counter-Western Meek’s Cutoff, and as half of a married couple trying to build their dubious “dream home” in Certain Women, Williams lets her performances ripple almost imperceptibly towards us, which is very much the Reichardt way. Each character’s drama,...
Kelly Reichardt has been making minimal Americana since the early 1990s, mostly around the state of Oregon where she lives and mostly about her favored awkward squad: quiet square pegs who don’t quite fit the round holes society provides. In this ongoing quest she has found many collaborators, but none more attuned to her recessive brand of naturalism than Michelle Williams.
As a homeless woman trying to find her stolen dog in Wendy and Lucy, as part of a wagon train heading west in the counter-Western Meek’s Cutoff, and as half of a married couple trying to build their dubious “dream home” in Certain Women, Williams lets her performances ripple almost imperceptibly towards us, which is very much the Reichardt way. Each character’s drama,...
- 4/7/2023
- by Stephanie Bunbury
- Deadline Film + TV
Chicago – The acclaimed director Kelly Reichardt has been an influencer in cinema since her debut film “River of Grass” in 1994. Her multi-award winning films include “Wendy and Lucy” (2008), “Meek’s Cutoff” (2010) and “First Cow” (2019). Her most recent film, set to release April 7th, is “Showing Up.”
Long time Reichardt collaborator Michelle Williams portrays Lizzy, an academic sculptor artist in Oregon (where Reichardt sets her films) who is getting some recognition feelers from New York City. But for the moment she lives a spartan life in an artist’s community, aided by her colleague and landlord Jo (Hong Chau), and her continued connection to her divorced parents Bill (Judd Hirsch) and Jean (Maryann Plunkett). When her brother Sean (John Magaro) has an episode related to his ongoing bi-polar disorder, one of the Lizzy’s most important gallery shows is heading towards disruption.
Michelle Williams in ‘Showing Up,’ Co-Written/Directed by Kelly Reichardt...
Long time Reichardt collaborator Michelle Williams portrays Lizzy, an academic sculptor artist in Oregon (where Reichardt sets her films) who is getting some recognition feelers from New York City. But for the moment she lives a spartan life in an artist’s community, aided by her colleague and landlord Jo (Hong Chau), and her continued connection to her divorced parents Bill (Judd Hirsch) and Jean (Maryann Plunkett). When her brother Sean (John Magaro) has an episode related to his ongoing bi-polar disorder, one of the Lizzy’s most important gallery shows is heading towards disruption.
Michelle Williams in ‘Showing Up,’ Co-Written/Directed by Kelly Reichardt...
- 4/6/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Like many people passionate about movies, particularly those who grew up in the golden age of trash-talking critics like Pauline Kael, Judith Crist, Rex Reed, Gene Siskel, and Roger Ebert, Quentin Tarantino isn't shy about throwing an elbow or twelve when discussing cinema. He doesn't vacillate, nor does he spend much time discussing films that elicit a ho-hum response. You could say he likes to play contrarian, but that would suggest he's basically the Skip Bayless of film discourse. While you may vehemently disagree with Tarantino from time to time, he is anything but a full-of-it blowhard who spouts off inflammatory opinions to get a rise out of low-information fanatics. Tarantino knows his subject inside and out. If you want to enter his arena, you better come armed with ardor and a lifetime's worth of film knowledge.
This doesn't mean Tarantino can't be infuriating on occasion. This is, after all,...
This doesn't mean Tarantino can't be infuriating on occasion. This is, after all,...
- 1/23/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The Western genre waned in popularity in the 1980s, but 21st-century cinema still has the occasional film that harks to its heyday. Most of these are genre hybrids, like Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” or S. Craig Zahler’s “Bone Tomahawk,” while others, like “Meek’s Cutoff” or “Slow West” attend to the genre’s classic nuances.
Read More: ‘The Fall Guy’: Emily Blunt Joins Ryan Gosling In David Leitch’s Take On The Classic TV Series With Ryan Gosling
Now, Amazon & BBC will bring their take on the Western to Prime Video this fall with an all-new limited series.
Continue reading ‘The English’ First Look: Emily Blunt & Chaske Spencer Star In New Western Limited Series On Amazon Prime Video at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘The Fall Guy’: Emily Blunt Joins Ryan Gosling In David Leitch’s Take On The Classic TV Series With Ryan Gosling
Now, Amazon & BBC will bring their take on the Western to Prime Video this fall with an all-new limited series.
Continue reading ‘The English’ First Look: Emily Blunt & Chaske Spencer Star In New Western Limited Series On Amazon Prime Video at The Playlist.
- 8/18/2022
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
There has been an outpouring of love for Kelly Reichardt as of late, with the “Showing Up” helmer awarded a Carrosse d’Or at Cannes – only the fourth woman to be honored this way – and now a Pardo d’Onore Manor at Locarno.
But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the U.S. director, described by the Swiss festival as a “committed, political and independent auteur.”
“Things have gotten easier over time,” Reichardt tells Variety ahead of the event, looking back on her 28-year career.
“I have done a lot of work in the last two decades and I work in a similar kind of mode and budget size. People are familiar with my producers and know them to be very reliable people. I’m not having to prove myself at every outing.”
Since her 1994 debut, “River of Grass,” Reichardt has been celebrated for intimate, simple stories. A...
But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the U.S. director, described by the Swiss festival as a “committed, political and independent auteur.”
“Things have gotten easier over time,” Reichardt tells Variety ahead of the event, looking back on her 28-year career.
“I have done a lot of work in the last two decades and I work in a similar kind of mode and budget size. People are familiar with my producers and know them to be very reliable people. I’m not having to prove myself at every outing.”
Since her 1994 debut, “River of Grass,” Reichardt has been celebrated for intimate, simple stories. A...
- 8/2/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Two years after First Cow, which we collectively named our favorite film of 2020, Kelly Reichardt returns with a work like a line drawing: neat, lean, evocative. Showing Up is about art, how art is made, and the people who use their time to make it. It stars Michelle Williams, an actress who has always been at home to the quiet rhythms of Reichardt’s filmmaking, appearing over the years as a down-on-her-luck drifter in Wendy and Lucy (2008), a settler on the wagon trail in Meek’s Cutoff (2011), and as a woman burdened by a belittling man in the director’s anthology Certain Women (2016).
In Showing Up, Williams plays Lizzie, a sculptor who is neither famous nor struggling, but somewhere in-between: an undefined lower-middle-class of artist that cinema tends to overlook. Lizzie is hard-working, passionate about her craft, protective of it, and rather good at what she does (foot-high clay sculptures of...
In Showing Up, Williams plays Lizzie, a sculptor who is neither famous nor struggling, but somewhere in-between: an undefined lower-middle-class of artist that cinema tends to overlook. Lizzie is hard-working, passionate about her craft, protective of it, and rather good at what she does (foot-high clay sculptures of...
- 6/1/2022
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt’s work with Michelle Williams has spanned four movies now with the Cannes Film Festival closer Showing Up.
In the movie, Williams plays a sculptor preparing to open a new show as she balances her creative life with the daily dramas of family and friends. The show could be a game changer for her.
Similar to previous Reichardt features, Showing Up is a portrait about the nuances and minimalism in life. Deadline reviewer Stephanie Bunbury points out that “Each character’s drama, if you could call it that, lies under the surface.” Bunbury also says, “Showing Up is about endless, tiny acts of persistence. Very little happens.”
“We keep writing about introverts,” said Reichardt at the Cannes presser this Am about her work with Williams which also spans Meek’s Cutoff, Certain Women and Wendy and Lucy.
“That gets left on Michelle’s shoulder a lot,” added the director,...
In the movie, Williams plays a sculptor preparing to open a new show as she balances her creative life with the daily dramas of family and friends. The show could be a game changer for her.
Similar to previous Reichardt features, Showing Up is a portrait about the nuances and minimalism in life. Deadline reviewer Stephanie Bunbury points out that “Each character’s drama, if you could call it that, lies under the surface.” Bunbury also says, “Showing Up is about endless, tiny acts of persistence. Very little happens.”
“We keep writing about introverts,” said Reichardt at the Cannes presser this Am about her work with Williams which also spans Meek’s Cutoff, Certain Women and Wendy and Lucy.
“That gets left on Michelle’s shoulder a lot,” added the director,...
- 5/28/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The exquisite and sublime journeys of Oregon-based filmmaker Kelly Reichardt are arguably, more or less, incidental or oblique political statements about survival in America, often focusing on two or more friends, usually outsiders, and their struggle to endure. “Wendy And Lucy,” about a destitute woman and her soulmate canine companion, was overt about human inequity and hardship; “Meek’s Cutoff” depicted the unbearable burden of living off a hostile, unforgiving land; and “First Cow” presented the warm, but sad futility of two friends trying to sustain themselves under the grueling rigors of nascent American capitalism.
Continue reading ‘Showing Up’ Review: Kelly Reichardt Captivates With A Warm & Comical Look At The World Of Arts & Crafts [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Showing Up’ Review: Kelly Reichardt Captivates With A Warm & Comical Look At The World Of Arts & Crafts [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/27/2022
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
American auteur Kelly Reichardt, an icon of the international film community thanks to her signature “slow cinema” style, will be honored by the Locarno Film Festival with its Pardo d’onore Manor lifetime achievement award.
Since making her acclaimed 1994 debut “River of Grass,” Reichardt has followed her own singular orbit as a true outlier of indie cinema over the course of nearly quarter of a century and a dozen works including “Old Joy,” “Wendy and Lucy,” “Meek’s Cutoff,” “Night Moves,” and “First Cow” — which opened Locarno in 2020 — that have cemented her reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in cinema today.
Reichardt’s new pic “Showing Up” is tipped to premiere in Cannes in May.
The Swiss fest dedicated to indie and cutting-edge cinema in a statement described Reichardt’s films, which she also edits, as being “characterized by intense research on realism and hallmarked by proudly independent creative and production processes.
Since making her acclaimed 1994 debut “River of Grass,” Reichardt has followed her own singular orbit as a true outlier of indie cinema over the course of nearly quarter of a century and a dozen works including “Old Joy,” “Wendy and Lucy,” “Meek’s Cutoff,” “Night Moves,” and “First Cow” — which opened Locarno in 2020 — that have cemented her reputation as one of the most distinctive voices in cinema today.
Reichardt’s new pic “Showing Up” is tipped to premiere in Cannes in May.
The Swiss fest dedicated to indie and cutting-edge cinema in a statement described Reichardt’s films, which she also edits, as being “characterized by intense research on realism and hallmarked by proudly independent creative and production processes.
- 4/13/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
It’s rare that our favorite film of the year actually receives love from the Academy, but there’s an exception as Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car racked up four nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film. The three-hour Murakami adaptation also features one of the best scores of the year, courtesy Eiko Ishibashi.
While the score has Drive My Car Score & Watch Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Music Video”>been available to listen for some time, it’s now getting an official release via Newhere Music/Space Shower Music featuring two bonus tracks. Working with longtime collaborator Jim O’Rourke (who also mixed and mastered the soundtrack), Ishibashiʼs wistful score synthesizes jazzy instrumentals with romantic strings and lush electronics. This release of the soundtrack features new songs “Drive My Car (Hiroshima)” and “ʻWeʼll live through the long, long days, and through the long nightsʼ...
While the score has Drive My Car Score & Watch Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Music Video”>been available to listen for some time, it’s now getting an official release via Newhere Music/Space Shower Music featuring two bonus tracks. Working with longtime collaborator Jim O’Rourke (who also mixed and mastered the soundtrack), Ishibashiʼs wistful score synthesizes jazzy instrumentals with romantic strings and lush electronics. This release of the soundtrack features new songs “Drive My Car (Hiroshima)” and “ʻWeʼll live through the long, long days, and through the long nightsʼ...
- 2/9/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
As he glancingly returns to the genre with his new film, Cry Macho, it’s worth taking a look at the last Western that Clint Eastwood made, 1992’s Unforgiven. While he’s circled back to certain themes and concepts endemic to the Western in films since then, Unforgiven was his last film specifically and explicitly set in the Old West and was — as he said at the time — his final word on the subject.
Eastwood has pretty much stayed true to that, even as Unforgiven stands nearly 30 years later as a masterpiece in its own right and arguably one of the greatest Westerns of all time.
Much as Cry Macho attempts to strip away modern myths about what it means to be a man or “macho,” Unforgiven tears down the longstanding mythology built around the American Old West and propagated through scores of Westerns that Hollywood pumped out for decades.
Eastwood has pretty much stayed true to that, even as Unforgiven stands nearly 30 years later as a masterpiece in its own right and arguably one of the greatest Westerns of all time.
Much as Cry Macho attempts to strip away modern myths about what it means to be a man or “macho,” Unforgiven tears down the longstanding mythology built around the American Old West and propagated through scores of Westerns that Hollywood pumped out for decades.
- 9/16/2021
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
The red desert and horses draw from a familiar playbook, but almost everything else in Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” upends expectations. The writer-director’s triumphant first feature in 12 years transforms Thomas Savage’s novel into a riveting and immersive study of Western motifs, along with the boundaries that have limited it for generations. She’s on brand and on schedule: Campion is the kind of visionary auteur who deserves to work at her own pace, and “The Power of the Dog” arrives as the Western faces fresh scrutiny through a slew of new works.
Returning to the sexual inquisitiveness of “The Piano” and “Sweetie,” the New Zealand filmmaker uses the ambiguous dynamic between her characters to build a tapestry rich with thematic implications (read Anne Thompson’s interview with the director here). Though ranch owner Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) initially bullies the openly gay Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee...
Returning to the sexual inquisitiveness of “The Piano” and “Sweetie,” the New Zealand filmmaker uses the ambiguous dynamic between her characters to build a tapestry rich with thematic implications (read Anne Thompson’s interview with the director here). Though ranch owner Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) initially bullies the openly gay Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee...
- 9/7/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
John Magaro stars in the latest Kelly Reichardt film “First Cow,” which is one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2020. His work as Cookie, a sensitive baker living in 1800s Oregon, earned him a Best Actor nomination at the Gotham Awards.
Magaro recently spoke with Gold Derby contributing writer Kevin Jacobsen about working with Reichardt, the relationship between Cookie and King-Lu (Orion Lee) and the huge critics’ reception for the film. Watch the exclusive interview above and read the transcript below.
SEEOrion Lee interview: ‘First Cow’
Gold Derby: People say that it’s difficult in the business to work with children and with animals, and you are sharing the screen with the titular first cow. How was your experience working with her?
John Magaro: Well, that’s an udder lie.
Gd: There ya go.
Jm: My two favorite scenes were the scene with the baby in the bar and the scenes at the cow.
Magaro recently spoke with Gold Derby contributing writer Kevin Jacobsen about working with Reichardt, the relationship between Cookie and King-Lu (Orion Lee) and the huge critics’ reception for the film. Watch the exclusive interview above and read the transcript below.
SEEOrion Lee interview: ‘First Cow’
Gold Derby: People say that it’s difficult in the business to work with children and with animals, and you are sharing the screen with the titular first cow. How was your experience working with her?
John Magaro: Well, that’s an udder lie.
Gd: There ya go.
Jm: My two favorite scenes were the scene with the baby in the bar and the scenes at the cow.
- 2/14/2021
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Kelly Reichard’s First Cow, based on her frequent collaborator Jonathan Raymond’s 2004 novel The Half Life, brings new life to pre-statehood Oregon and the early Americans seeking to stake their claim in the burgeoning Pacific Northwest.
The A24 film, which is up for three Film Independent Spirit Awards including best feature and best director among its string of honors from critics groups this awards season, centers on the friendship between a kind-hearted cook named Cookie (John Magaro) and King-Lu (Orion Lee), an entrepreneurial-minded Chinese salesman. When the outsiders cook up a plan to sell sweet treats, the first bovine in the area becomes their cash cow – but with a catch.
When penning his novel, Raymond said he wanted to write about American history in a way that was “against or contrary to East-to-West manifest destiny.” Featuring more than just white settlers, Raymond said he sought to spotlight the internationality of 1820s global capitalism,...
The A24 film, which is up for three Film Independent Spirit Awards including best feature and best director among its string of honors from critics groups this awards season, centers on the friendship between a kind-hearted cook named Cookie (John Magaro) and King-Lu (Orion Lee), an entrepreneurial-minded Chinese salesman. When the outsiders cook up a plan to sell sweet treats, the first bovine in the area becomes their cash cow – but with a catch.
When penning his novel, Raymond said he wanted to write about American history in a way that was “against or contrary to East-to-West manifest destiny.” Featuring more than just white settlers, Raymond said he sought to spotlight the internationality of 1820s global capitalism,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Accepting the Robby Muller award online this week, ahead of a talk at the International Film Festival Rotterdam to celebrate her work, Kelly Reichardt appeared delighted with its form.
In its second year, the award has taken the guise of an enlarged Polaroid print featuring a solitary tree, which was taken by Muller on a winter’s day in Munich during the eighties.
Both Muller and the award’s recipient have a talent for capturing landscapes and Reichardt said that she studied the late cinematographer’s work closely early in her career to “try and figure out the connection between what you dream of and what you can actually capture.”
She recalls making her first film, “River of Grass” in the early nineties, which focused on her native Miami landscapes, as she honed her own distinct voice and vision.
“I knew I needed to school myself in lenses after that...
In its second year, the award has taken the guise of an enlarged Polaroid print featuring a solitary tree, which was taken by Muller on a winter’s day in Munich during the eighties.
Both Muller and the award’s recipient have a talent for capturing landscapes and Reichardt said that she studied the late cinematographer’s work closely early in her career to “try and figure out the connection between what you dream of and what you can actually capture.”
She recalls making her first film, “River of Grass” in the early nineties, which focused on her native Miami landscapes, as she honed her own distinct voice and vision.
“I knew I needed to school myself in lenses after that...
- 2/6/2021
- by Ann-Marie Corvin
- Variety Film + TV
A biopic of Peggy Lee that’s been kicking around Hollywood for nearly a decade is getting revived by “Far From Heaven” and “Carol” director Todd Haynes. Deadline has the scoop that Haynes will reunite with his “I’m Not There” and “Wonderstuck” star Michelle Williams, who will play the jazz chanteuse in the film. Williams is stepping in for Reese Witherspoon, who was attached when the project was first announced back in 2014. The script is written by Tony and Pulitzer winner Doug Wright.
Billie Eilish is also in talks to come on board as an executive producer, as she is an admirer of the vocalist, who burst out of the big band era and died in 2002. Lee is famous for her rendition of tracks like “Fever,” “I’m a Woman,” “Lover,” and “Is That All There Is?” Peggy Lee was also an actor onscreen and earned an Oscar nomination for...
Billie Eilish is also in talks to come on board as an executive producer, as she is an admirer of the vocalist, who burst out of the big band era and died in 2002. Lee is famous for her rendition of tracks like “Fever,” “I’m a Woman,” “Lover,” and “Is That All There Is?” Peggy Lee was also an actor onscreen and earned an Oscar nomination for...
- 2/4/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Kelly Reichardt and Michelle Williams on the set of Meek's Cutoff (2010). Kelly Reichardt and Michelle Williams will be working on a fourth project together, entitled Showing Up. The film, which goes into production this summer, follows an artist ahead of a career-changing exhibition. The Berlin Film Festival is unveiling its plans for this year's festival, beginning with its selection of six titles to premiere at the Berlinale Series that follow this year's theme: Toxic Antiheroes, Utopias of Freedom. Italian director, screenwriter, and producer Alberto Lattatuda will be the subject of the Locarno Film Festival's annual retrospective, to be held August 4-14. Following his biopic of Siegfried Sassoon, Terence Davies is set to direct an adaptation of Stefan Zweig’s post-wwi-set novel The Post Office Girl. Recommended VIEWINGThe official trailer for Beginning, the striking...
- 1/27/2021
- MUBI
A24 has revealed two exciting new projects in the works: The latest collaboration between Kelly Reichardt and Michelle Williams, as well as a new TV series produced by Amy Adams. “Showing Up” is set to mark the fourth Reichardt film to star Williams, following “Wendy & Lucy,” “Meek’s Cutoff,” and “Certain Women.” The project is said to be a vibrant and witty portrait of an artist in the lead-up to a career-making exhibition. Reichardt announced the project during a conversation with “Manchester by the Sea” filmmaker Kenneth Lonergan on The A24 Podcast.
The company also announced that it has teamed with Amy Adams to adapt the alt-feminist Western “Outlawed” for television. Written by Anna North, the New York Times bestseller, which debuted earlier this month, follows a young midwife through her initiation into the infamous Hole in the Wall Gang. In the novel, the real-life band of 19th century outlaws...
The company also announced that it has teamed with Amy Adams to adapt the alt-feminist Western “Outlawed” for television. Written by Anna North, the New York Times bestseller, which debuted earlier this month, follows a young midwife through her initiation into the infamous Hole in the Wall Gang. In the novel, the real-life band of 19th century outlaws...
- 1/26/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Exclusive: In what is turning into quite a successful partnership, Michelle Williams and Kelly Reichardt look to have found their next project together. A24 has come on to Reichardt’s next film Showing Up with Williams attaching herself to star. The news was confirmed via a new episode of The A24 Podcast, which drops today, that features a conversation between Kenneth Lonergan and Kelly Reichardt. The project is mentioned at the top of the podcast. This will mark the fourth film, the two have worked on together, having previously collaborated on Wendy & Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, and Certain Women.
Showing Up is set to go into production summer 2021. The script is written by Reichardt and her long-time writing partner, Jon Raymond. Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani, and Vincent Savino will produce. Scott Rudin and Eli Bush will serve as executive producers.
Reichardt’s latest film is a vibrant and sharply funny...
Showing Up is set to go into production summer 2021. The script is written by Reichardt and her long-time writing partner, Jon Raymond. Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani, and Vincent Savino will produce. Scott Rudin and Eli Bush will serve as executive producers.
Reichardt’s latest film is a vibrant and sharply funny...
- 1/26/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
The 50th anniversary event will take place in February and June.
Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen’s comedy Riders Of Justice starring Mads Mikkelsen will open the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). The festival is taking place as multi-part event from February to June 2021, with the first part running as hybrid festival from February 1-7. Organisers hope it will culminate in a physical event from June 2-6, 2021.
Some 60 titles spanning the Tiger Competition, Big Screen Competition and its Ammodo Tiger Shorts and Limelight sections are screening in February.
The festival’s flagship Tiger Competition will showcase 16 titles, which will...
Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen’s comedy Riders Of Justice starring Mads Mikkelsen will open the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). The festival is taking place as multi-part event from February to June 2021, with the first part running as hybrid festival from February 1-7. Organisers hope it will culminate in a physical event from June 2-6, 2021.
Some 60 titles spanning the Tiger Competition, Big Screen Competition and its Ammodo Tiger Shorts and Limelight sections are screening in February.
The festival’s flagship Tiger Competition will showcase 16 titles, which will...
- 12/22/2020
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Anders Thomas Jensen’s action comedy “Riders of Justice,” starring Mads Mikkelsen, will open the 50th International Film Festival Rotterdam. The festival will be staged in two parts this year: the first, in a hybrid format, running Feb. 1-7, and the second, hopefully a physical event, June 2-6. The awards ceremony will take place on Feb. 7.
In “Riders of Justice,” Mikkelsen plays Markus, a military man who returns home to look after his daughter Mathilde following his wife’s death in a train accident. At first it looks like she was the victim of a tragic piece of bad luck, but then mathematics geek Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), a fellow passenger on the train, shows up with his two eccentric colleagues, Lennart (Lars Brygmann) and Emmenthaler (Nicolas Bro), and floats the theory of a possible murder conspiracy. The film plays in the Limelight section.
Jensen is Denmark’s top screenwriter,...
In “Riders of Justice,” Mikkelsen plays Markus, a military man who returns home to look after his daughter Mathilde following his wife’s death in a train accident. At first it looks like she was the victim of a tragic piece of bad luck, but then mathematics geek Otto (Nikolaj Lie Kaas), a fellow passenger on the train, shows up with his two eccentric colleagues, Lennart (Lars Brygmann) and Emmenthaler (Nicolas Bro), and floats the theory of a possible murder conspiracy. The film plays in the Limelight section.
Jensen is Denmark’s top screenwriter,...
- 12/22/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
For her eighth feature film, Kelly Reichart returned to the American frontier to tell the story of a baker from the Northeast (John Magaro) and a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) who together build a profitable baking business in the Oregon Territory using the stolen milk from the area’s first milk cow. Based on a script she co-adapted with Jonathan Raymond from his novel “The Half Life,” Reichardt works within her wheelhouse of the American West as a setting to provide one of the year’s strongest indie films. Could it be her first Oscar contender?
Reichardt is one in a growing number of American independent filmmakers who could finally break through into the mainstream and catch the eye of the academy. Directors that have already made that jump after a series of successful indie films include Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Barry Jenkins, and David O. Russell.
SEEOscar Predictions for Best Actor & Actress: Variety vs.
Reichardt is one in a growing number of American independent filmmakers who could finally break through into the mainstream and catch the eye of the academy. Directors that have already made that jump after a series of successful indie films include Wes Anderson, Richard Linklater, Barry Jenkins, and David O. Russell.
SEEOscar Predictions for Best Actor & Actress: Variety vs.
- 11/30/2020
- by John Benutty
- Gold Derby
We're already in withdrawal. Tuesday are when we normally get a new episode of Michael Cusamano's insightful and engaging series "The New Classics," which focuses on top-notch 21st century films by dissecting a single defining scene. But season 2 just ended last week so no new episode today. But if you missed any of his great great articles, please catch up. We're just assuming you might need cinematic healing / distraction tonight and tomorrow given all the anxiety and stress of waiting for election results.
Season 1 of The New Classics (22 episodes)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) | Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) | Sexy Beast (2001) | Master and Commander (2003) | Shattered Glass (2003) | Before Sunset (2004) | Collateral (2004) | Eastern Promises (2007) | Michael Clayton (2007) | No Country For Old Men (2007) | Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) | The Hurt Locker (2009) | Inglourious Basterds (2009) | In the Loop (2009) | I Am Love (2010) | Meek's Cutoff (2010) | A Separation (2011) | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) | It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012) | Blue Ruin (2014) | 20th Century Women (2016) | The Florida Project...
Season 1 of The New Classics (22 episodes)
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) | Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) | Sexy Beast (2001) | Master and Commander (2003) | Shattered Glass (2003) | Before Sunset (2004) | Collateral (2004) | Eastern Promises (2007) | Michael Clayton (2007) | No Country For Old Men (2007) | Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) | The Hurt Locker (2009) | Inglourious Basterds (2009) | In the Loop (2009) | I Am Love (2010) | Meek's Cutoff (2010) | A Separation (2011) | Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) | It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012) | Blue Ruin (2014) | 20th Century Women (2016) | The Florida Project...
- 11/4/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAbove: Madeleine Lim's Sambal Belacan (1997)After two decades of censorship by the Singapore government, Madeleine Lim's 1997 film Sambal Belacan will be screened in Singapore. The film, "a personal, intertextual, and poetic document about three Southeast Asian lesbians who discuss the social and political climate of Singapore," has previously only been shown in underground viewings. Meanwhile, The Meg 2 has found its director: Ben Wheatley, whose adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca recently debuted on Netflix. Recommended VIEWINGThe official trailer for Carlo Mirabella-Davis's thriller Swallow, which follows a pregnant housewife's stomach-churning struggle for bodily autonomy. This Halloween, watch the film on Mubi. Béla Tarr's 1988 film Damnation has been restored in 4K from the original 35mm camera negative by the Hungarian National Film Institute. Co-written by frequent collaborator László Krasznahorkai, the film...
- 10/28/2020
- MUBI
[Editor’s note: The below piece was originally published on February 26, 2019. It has been expanded from the 100 greatest films directed by women of all time to the 111 greatest, as of October 3, 2020.]
For as long as there have been movies, there have been women making them. When the Lumière brothers were shocking audiences with their unbelievable depiction of a running train, Alice Guy-Blaché was pioneering her own techniques in the brand-new artform. When D.W. Griffith was pioneering advances in the art, and building his own studio to make his work, Lois Weber was doing, well, the exact same thing.
When Hollywood was deep in its Golden Age, Dorothy Arzner, Dorothy Davenport, Tressie Souders, and many more women were right there, making their own films. It’s not even a trend that really abated, because it was never a trend. For so long, women being filmmakers was simply part of the norm, and while recent studies have made it clear that the industry needs a wake-up call when it comes to the skills of some of our finest working filmmakers (who just so...
For as long as there have been movies, there have been women making them. When the Lumière brothers were shocking audiences with their unbelievable depiction of a running train, Alice Guy-Blaché was pioneering her own techniques in the brand-new artform. When D.W. Griffith was pioneering advances in the art, and building his own studio to make his work, Lois Weber was doing, well, the exact same thing.
When Hollywood was deep in its Golden Age, Dorothy Arzner, Dorothy Davenport, Tressie Souders, and many more women were right there, making their own films. It’s not even a trend that really abated, because it was never a trend. For so long, women being filmmakers was simply part of the norm, and while recent studies have made it clear that the industry needs a wake-up call when it comes to the skills of some of our finest working filmmakers (who just so...
- 10/3/2020
- by Kate Erbland, Eric Kohn, Christian Blauvelt, Anne Thompson, David Ehrlich, Chris O'Falt, Zack Sharf, Jude Dry, Tom Brueggemann, Bill Desowitz, Tambay Obenson and Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Most Oscar observers know the 93rd Academy Awards will be far from routine this year. But I am wondering whether some possible contenders that are directed by a woman could benefit somehow from this extended season. Given the push back last year when no female made the cut in the director’s race, including Greta Gerwig for her Best Picture-nominated remake of “Little Women,” perhaps the rather unusual circumstances this year will allow more of a spotlight be put on woman filmmakers. Only five women have ever been a directing nominee, with Gerwig being the most recent candidate for 2017’s “Lady Bird,” while Kathryn Bigelow is the lone female winner for her 2009 war film “The Hurt Locker.”
The good news is that there are at least 10 notable lady filmmakers whose work could turn out to be awards worthy when nominations are announced on March 15, 2021. Take the poll below and pick...
The good news is that there are at least 10 notable lady filmmakers whose work could turn out to be awards worthy when nominations are announced on March 15, 2021. Take the poll below and pick...
- 8/19/2020
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
Welcome back to Intermission, a spin-off podcast from The Film Stage Show. In a time when arthouse theaters are hurting more than ever and there are a plethora of streaming options at your fingertips, we wanted to introduce new conversations that put a specific focus on the films that are foundational or perhaps overlooked in cinephile culture. Led by yours truly, Michael Snydel, Intermission is a 1-on-1 supplementary discussion podcast that focuses on one arthouse, foreign, or experimental film per episode as picked by the guest.
For our ninth episode, I talked to Executive Editor of Seventh Row, Orla Smith, about Kelly Reichardt’s 2016 film Certain Women, which is currently available to stream on The Criterion Channel. Throughout her career, Reichardt has been one of the great observers of the “ordinary.” Her past otherworldly visions of the Pacific Northwest complement and antagonize characters beset by institutional and individual alienation. Transplanted to Montana,...
For our ninth episode, I talked to Executive Editor of Seventh Row, Orla Smith, about Kelly Reichardt’s 2016 film Certain Women, which is currently available to stream on The Criterion Channel. Throughout her career, Reichardt has been one of the great observers of the “ordinary.” Her past otherworldly visions of the Pacific Northwest complement and antagonize characters beset by institutional and individual alienation. Transplanted to Montana,...
- 8/3/2020
- by Michael Snydel
- The Film Stage
It is good news of sorts that the first official Academy Awards screener that was mailed to members this week, “First Cow,” is directed by a woman, Kelly Reichhardt, and features Asian actor Orion Lee. Diversity counts more than ever these days. The filmmaker’s minimalist style usually caters more to the Independent Spirit crowd as well as such international festivals including Cannes and Venice when it comes to cinematic honors. Her previous movies include “Old Joy,” “Wendy and Lucy,” “Meek’s Cutoff” and “Certain Women,” the last three starring Michelle Williams.
The 2021 Oscar nominations won’t be announced until mid-March and the 93rd ceremony won’t take place until April 24 due to delayed productions and constantly moving opening dates because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the well-reviewed “First Cow” had its premiere at Telluride Film Festival last year and opened theatrically on March 6 to a strong first weekend. But the...
The 2021 Oscar nominations won’t be announced until mid-March and the 93rd ceremony won’t take place until April 24 due to delayed productions and constantly moving opening dates because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the well-reviewed “First Cow” had its premiere at Telluride Film Festival last year and opened theatrically on March 6 to a strong first weekend. But the...
- 7/23/2020
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
‘First Cow’: Gentle Moments Shouldn’t Overshadow Kelly Reichardt’s Enraged Tragedy Of American Greed
Some spoilers follow for “First Cow.”
Kelly Reichardt’s films are chameleons. At first, they seem like romanticized versions of American tropes: the bond between a girl and her dog, in “Wendy and Lucy;” a pair of friends on a camping trip, in “Old Joy;” the pioneering spirit of early settlers, in “Meek’s Cutoff.” But look again, and the deeper emotional truths of these films are revealed: the crippling grip of poverty; the foreign terror of the frontier; the loneliness of adulthood.
Continue reading ‘First Cow’: Gentle Moments Shouldn’t Overshadow Kelly Reichardt’s Enraged Tragedy Of American Greed at The Playlist.
Kelly Reichardt’s films are chameleons. At first, they seem like romanticized versions of American tropes: the bond between a girl and her dog, in “Wendy and Lucy;” a pair of friends on a camping trip, in “Old Joy;” the pioneering spirit of early settlers, in “Meek’s Cutoff.” But look again, and the deeper emotional truths of these films are revealed: the crippling grip of poverty; the foreign terror of the frontier; the loneliness of adulthood.
Continue reading ‘First Cow’: Gentle Moments Shouldn’t Overshadow Kelly Reichardt’s Enraged Tragedy Of American Greed at The Playlist.
- 7/15/2020
- by Roxana Hadadi
- The Playlist
With each successive film she directs, Kelly Reichardt refines and clarifies her unique aesthetic, one that’s rooted in gentle observation and cumulative grace notes. Set in 1820’s Oregon, First Cow, Reichardt’s latest feature, follows two men—Cookie (John Magaro), a soft-spoken cook, and King-Lu (Orion Lee), a Chinese immigrant new to the region—who start a business selling oily cakes at a local trading post. In order to make the cakes, however, Cookie and King-Lu are forced to steal milk from a new cow purchased by a wealthy English chief who lives in the community, putting themselves and their new operation at immediate risk. It’s a portrait of an American community in progress at a time when the country’s capitalist society, and its hard-lined values, were still being developed.
Yet, First Cow also feels like a grab-bag of allusions to Reichardt’s filmography. Shades of her previous work like Old Joy,...
Yet, First Cow also feels like a grab-bag of allusions to Reichardt’s filmography. Shades of her previous work like Old Joy,...
- 7/9/2020
- by Vikram Murthi
- The Film Stage
Kelly Reichardt was at the Berlin Film Festival when it first occurred to her that the release of “First Cow” might not go as planned. Her tender portrait of Cookie (John Magaro), a soft-spoken cook, and Chinese immigrant King (Orion Lee) in the Oregon Territory of 1820 brings a poignant flourish to her understated style. It also marks her first collaboration with A24, which hoped to build word of mouth: The movie found fans last fall in Telluride and in Reichardt’s hometown of New York; Berlin was the final festival stop before its March 6 theatrical release in North America.
As “First Cow” screened in Berlin’s competition, the coronavirus snaked through Europe, including a ballooning set of cases in Milan. “The virus was really hitting Italy,” Reichardt said. “I remember stepping into the crowded lobby of the hotel where I was staying and wondering if we would all regret this.
As “First Cow” screened in Berlin’s competition, the coronavirus snaked through Europe, including a ballooning set of cases in Milan. “The virus was really hitting Italy,” Reichardt said. “I remember stepping into the crowded lobby of the hotel where I was staying and wondering if we would all regret this.
- 6/29/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Exciting news! Michael Cusamano's engaging series "The New Classics," which focuses on top-notch 21st century films by dissecting a single scene, begins its second season April 28th --weekly editions Tuesdays at 1 Pm! Here's what's been covered previously if you'd like to catch up. Any suggestions for season two?
Season 1 of The New Classics
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) Sexy Beast (2001) Master and Commander (2003) Shattered Glass (2003) Before Sunset (2004) Collateral (2004) Eastern Promises (2007) Michael Clayton (2007) No Country For Old Men (2007) Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) The Hurt Locker (2009) Inglourious Basterds (2009) In the Loop (2009) I Am Love (2010) Meek's Cutoff (2010) A Separation (2011) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012) Blue Ruin (2013) 20th Century Women (2016) The Florida Project (2017)...
Season 1 of The New Classics
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) Y Tu Mama Tambien (2001) Sexy Beast (2001) Master and Commander (2003) Shattered Glass (2003) Before Sunset (2004) Collateral (2004) Eastern Promises (2007) Michael Clayton (2007) No Country For Old Men (2007) Happy-Go-Lucky (2008) The Hurt Locker (2009) Inglourious Basterds (2009) In the Loop (2009) I Am Love (2010) Meek's Cutoff (2010) A Separation (2011) Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011) It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012) Blue Ruin (2013) 20th Century Women (2016) The Florida Project (2017)...
- 4/24/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
For the last several years, the Western has been undergoing a silent renaissance. Modern directors are taking the formulae set down by genre pioneers like John Ford and twisting them around, making a number of minor masterpieces in the process. Films like Meek’s Cutoff, The Mustang, and Slow West all pay homage to classic Westerns while pushing forward, but […]
The post ‘True History Of The Kelly Gang’ Movie Review: Aussie Western Aims High, Hits Hard appeared first on uInterview.
The post ‘True History Of The Kelly Gang’ Movie Review: Aussie Western Aims High, Hits Hard appeared first on uInterview.
- 4/21/2020
- by Harrison Whitaker
- Uinterview
Perhaps the only genre of film that has ever feared the status of going extinct is the western. For many, it may seem that’s already the case. Believe it or not, this quintessential American genre of filmmaking is still holding on by its bootstraps.
However, despite the abundant history of western movies, the bulk of the filmography pre-dates the 1960s. I argue that the modern era is the true golden age of the western and the showcase for what potential the genre holds.
For me, the western is the epitome of quantity over quality. Prior to the 1960s, the Hollywood machine churned out countless examples of mostly formulaic flicks. Only a select portion of these deserved any significant praise.
Our contemporary fare, however, shows the opposite to be very true. As uncommon as it is to see a new western film hit theaters, or even direct-to-streaming, we find a...
However, despite the abundant history of western movies, the bulk of the filmography pre-dates the 1960s. I argue that the modern era is the true golden age of the western and the showcase for what potential the genre holds.
For me, the western is the epitome of quantity over quality. Prior to the 1960s, the Hollywood machine churned out countless examples of mostly formulaic flicks. Only a select portion of these deserved any significant praise.
Our contemporary fare, however, shows the opposite to be very true. As uncommon as it is to see a new western film hit theaters, or even direct-to-streaming, we find a...
- 4/6/2020
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Before the entire world shut down, there was an extremely good Kelly Reichardt movie (“First Cow“) halfway into theaters. Now it’s shelved indefinitely, with promises from distributor A24 that it will see theaters again, but our career-spanning look at the American independent stalwart continues.
Read More: Kelly Reichardt On The 16-Year Journey Of ‘First Cow’ & Those Delicious Oily Cakes [Interview]
Known for their lived-in detail, complex female leads and incisive social commentary about class, struggle and identity, Reichardt titles like “Wendy and Lucy” (2008), “Meek’s Cutoff” (2010) and “Night Moves” (2013) examine the age-old cracks in the Pacific Northwest’s rebellious mythology.
Read More: ‘First Cow’: Kelly Reichardt Makes A Tranquil North Western Story About The Nature Of Friendship [Telluride Review]
Often her characters are faced with the difficult choices after bouts of naïveté, trust in “the system” or, frankly, men.
Continue reading Kelly Reichardt: The Essential Films [Be Reel Podcast] at The Playlist.
Read More: Kelly Reichardt On The 16-Year Journey Of ‘First Cow’ & Those Delicious Oily Cakes [Interview]
Known for their lived-in detail, complex female leads and incisive social commentary about class, struggle and identity, Reichardt titles like “Wendy and Lucy” (2008), “Meek’s Cutoff” (2010) and “Night Moves” (2013) examine the age-old cracks in the Pacific Northwest’s rebellious mythology.
Read More: ‘First Cow’: Kelly Reichardt Makes A Tranquil North Western Story About The Nature Of Friendship [Telluride Review]
Often her characters are faced with the difficult choices after bouts of naïveté, trust in “the system” or, frankly, men.
Continue reading Kelly Reichardt: The Essential Films [Be Reel Podcast] at The Playlist.
- 3/21/2020
- by Chance Solem-Pfeifer
- The Playlist
The 2020 release calendar hit a snag with the coronavirus outbreak, but not before a number of cinematic highlights made their way to U.S. screens. IndieWire spent much of 2019 reviewing films on the festival circuit prior to their release dates, and some of them finally made it to theaters this year. Others simply materialized over the last few months, and we’re all the better for having them.
Our running list of the best movies of 2020 so far only includes movies that have received a U.S. theatrical release or have become available on VOD platforms accessible in North America. Films that received a B+ or higher qualify for the list. We’ll keep it updated as the year continues. Check out brief excerpts below and links to the full review.
More from IndieWire'Adventure Time' Is Slowly Going Off the Air, And Everyone's Moving On'Children of Men' Turns 10: Finding...
Our running list of the best movies of 2020 so far only includes movies that have received a U.S. theatrical release or have become available on VOD platforms accessible in North America. Films that received a B+ or higher qualify for the list. We’ll keep it updated as the year continues. Check out brief excerpts below and links to the full review.
More from IndieWire'Adventure Time' Is Slowly Going Off the Air, And Everyone's Moving On'Children of Men' Turns 10: Finding...
- 3/13/2020
- by IndieWire Staff
- Indiewire
Kelly Reichardt’s signature minimalism permeates “First Cow,” a good-natured friendship tale — enmeshed with a subtle critique of capitalism — set in the mid-19th-century Oregon Territory. Based on Jonathan Raymond’s novel “The Half-Life,” the adaptation follows John Magaro’s recluse chef Cookie and Orion Lee’s immigrant runaway King Lu, two dreamers who launch a mischievously lucrative business, frying up biscuits made with milk stolen from the region’s first cow, owned by a wealthy Englishman.
Reichardt entrusted prior collaborators Dp Christopher Blauvelt and costume designer April Napier, to help deliver the film’s look. They drew inspiration from Reichardt’s references, such as “Ugetsu,” Kenji Mizoguchi’s mystery-drama about wartime profiteers, and “The Apu Trilogy,” Satyajit Ray’s coming-of-age classics.
The film shot in cold and wet terrain, but Blauvelt was well-equipped for the elements, having shot Reichardt’s other Pacific Northwest-based pictures, “Certain Women,” “Night Moves” and “Meek’s Cutoff.
Reichardt entrusted prior collaborators Dp Christopher Blauvelt and costume designer April Napier, to help deliver the film’s look. They drew inspiration from Reichardt’s references, such as “Ugetsu,” Kenji Mizoguchi’s mystery-drama about wartime profiteers, and “The Apu Trilogy,” Satyajit Ray’s coming-of-age classics.
The film shot in cold and wet terrain, but Blauvelt was well-equipped for the elements, having shot Reichardt’s other Pacific Northwest-based pictures, “Certain Women,” “Night Moves” and “Meek’s Cutoff.
- 3/11/2020
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
There was a stampede of new titles opening this weekend at the specialty box office, and despite coronavirus-induced fears of being in close proximity in theaters, there weren’t any glaring slumps in the indie and arthouse space. Of the films released this weekend, First Cow made some moo-ves at the box office, earning an estimated $96,059 with a per-theater average of $24,015. Not only is that an impressive debut for the A24 title, but it marks a career-high for the talented auteur Kelly Reichardt.
The period film about a prized bovine, starring John Magaro and Orion Lee, had four exclusive runs in New York at the AMC Lincoln Square and Angelika, as well as Los Angeles at the Arclight Hollywood and Landmark. The opening was a solid start for the film that will hopefully fuel the long roll-out that will continue into spring. Reichardt has been lauded for her intimate, cinematic...
The period film about a prized bovine, starring John Magaro and Orion Lee, had four exclusive runs in New York at the AMC Lincoln Square and Angelika, as well as Los Angeles at the Arclight Hollywood and Landmark. The opening was a solid start for the film that will hopefully fuel the long roll-out that will continue into spring. Reichardt has been lauded for her intimate, cinematic...
- 3/8/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Not everyone is a fan of Quentin Tarantino’s Academy Award-winning ode to 1969 Los Angeles, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” especially not filmmaker Kelly Reichardt. The indie director, whose pastoral buddy movie “First Cow” just opened in theaters from A24, told Mel Magazine in a recent interview her thoughts on the movie, one with a sensibility quite the opposite of her new movie.
“I just don’t understand [macho men] — I don’t get it,” Reichardt said. “It’s beyond my comprehension. Like, in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ the idea of the shirtless man on top of the roof — the white man who beats up Bruce Lee, saves the damsel in distress, and sets on fire the ‘scummy hippies’ — I’m just like, ‘Really?’ People love it, but I don’t understand, especially in the climate we live in, how the macho-man thing just keeps being interesting to anybody.
“I just don’t understand [macho men] — I don’t get it,” Reichardt said. “It’s beyond my comprehension. Like, in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ the idea of the shirtless man on top of the roof — the white man who beats up Bruce Lee, saves the damsel in distress, and sets on fire the ‘scummy hippies’ — I’m just like, ‘Really?’ People love it, but I don’t understand, especially in the climate we live in, how the macho-man thing just keeps being interesting to anybody.
- 3/7/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
A24 is ready to milk the weekend with their new film First Cow from director Kelly Reichardt. The film isn’t about a presidential cow, but it is about a special bovine creature.
Set in the 19th century, the film follows a lone cook (John Magaro) as he travels west with a group of fur trappers. Out of all of them, he connects with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) and they collaborate on a lucrative business that hinges on the participation of a nearby wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow. Through her distinct vision, she tells what seems like a peculiar story but is, in fact, a tale about America and the sensitive depiction of the friendship between two men. All the while, First Cow builds suspense in its own special way.
Co-written by Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond, the film debuted at Telluride in 2019 before making stops at the New...
Set in the 19th century, the film follows a lone cook (John Magaro) as he travels west with a group of fur trappers. Out of all of them, he connects with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) and they collaborate on a lucrative business that hinges on the participation of a nearby wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow. Through her distinct vision, she tells what seems like a peculiar story but is, in fact, a tale about America and the sensitive depiction of the friendship between two men. All the while, First Cow builds suspense in its own special way.
Co-written by Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond, the film debuted at Telluride in 2019 before making stops at the New...
- 3/6/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Over the years, filmmaker Kelly Reichardt has proven to be a rather steady and unique voice in the world of independent cinema. Largely starting with Old Joy (her breakthrough early feature), Reichardt has crafted a host of quality indies, including Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff, Night Moves, and Certain Women. Now, she’s back this week with First Cow, which has a feel of mixing some of her greatest hits together, thematically. In that way, she manages to craft perhaps her most accessible work to date. To that end, A24 may well be able to make this one a bit of a small scale crossover success. The film is largely a two hander, looking at an unlikely friendship. After a modern day prologue, we meet Cookie Figowitz (John Magaro). Working as a cook as he heads west, he’s very much a loner, never connecting with anyone. Having joined a...
- 3/5/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Viva La Vache: Reichardt Paints A Surprising Portrait Of Friendship
Kelly Reichardt conjures up an unlikely buddy-movie out of 19th-century fledging America: a tender, no-frills ode to friendship, spiked with pockets of suspense and unexpected laughter. Her vivid, mud-caked frontier (previously explored in her impressionist western Meek’s Cutoff) convinces but never distracts. Instead, from its opening frame, First Cow is rooted in human emotion—and here, it thrives. Reichardt achieves the thrills and laughs of a traditional buddy-movie, with none of the affectation. In fact, her masterfully understated touch is what makes her seventh feature film a winner.
Co-written by repeat collaborator Jonathan Raymond (and very loosely inspired by his 2004 novel “The Half-Life”), the film opens with a thesis from William Blake’s Proverbs of Hell: “The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.”…...
Kelly Reichardt conjures up an unlikely buddy-movie out of 19th-century fledging America: a tender, no-frills ode to friendship, spiked with pockets of suspense and unexpected laughter. Her vivid, mud-caked frontier (previously explored in her impressionist western Meek’s Cutoff) convinces but never distracts. Instead, from its opening frame, First Cow is rooted in human emotion—and here, it thrives. Reichardt achieves the thrills and laughs of a traditional buddy-movie, with none of the affectation. In fact, her masterfully understated touch is what makes her seventh feature film a winner.
Co-written by repeat collaborator Jonathan Raymond (and very loosely inspired by his 2004 novel “The Half-Life”), the film opens with a thesis from William Blake’s Proverbs of Hell: “The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.”…...
- 3/5/2020
- by Dylan Kai Dempsey
- IONCINEMA.com
‘First Cow’ Film Review: Kelly Reichardt Crafts Another Quiet Masterwork About the Pacific Northwest
Kelly Reichardt’s newest film, “First Cow,” calls to mind the work of 19th century landscape artists like Albert Bierstadt or Frederic Edwin Church, whose tactile depiction of each leaf and shard of sunlight is so engrossing that it’s a jolt when you finally notice a couple of tiny figures somewhere in the background, dwarfed by the sheer spectacle of nature.
Most of us have to visit major museums for this experience. But Reichardt paints her own breathtaking landscape and then zooms in on the miniscule humans just trying to survive amidst the greater workings of the world.
She is among the select few modern filmmakers who’ve earned the term “auteur,” and fans will find her personal signatures throughout the film. It’s the fifth of her seven features set in the Pacific Northwest, opens with a scene that brings to mind “Wendy and Lucy,” evokes “Old Joy...
Most of us have to visit major museums for this experience. But Reichardt paints her own breathtaking landscape and then zooms in on the miniscule humans just trying to survive amidst the greater workings of the world.
She is among the select few modern filmmakers who’ve earned the term “auteur,” and fans will find her personal signatures throughout the film. It’s the fifth of her seven features set in the Pacific Northwest, opens with a scene that brings to mind “Wendy and Lucy,” evokes “Old Joy...
- 3/4/2020
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
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