“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Cast: Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie
Synopsis: A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.
What You Need to Know: A controversial title since its announcement, the latest addition to Quentin Tarantino’s oeuvre, which premiered at this years Cannes, has been met with a combination of reactions from exuberant to ho-hum. Starring returning faces such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt (reportedly doing wonderful work) to actors marking their first collaboration with the director such as Margot Robbie as the tragic Sharon Tate (with the treatment of the character – or lack of screen time – being one of the critics’ biggest complaints). Our critic didn’t love the film but had plenty of positive things to say, calling it an “enthralling notalgia piece.”
Release Date: July 26th
“Honeyland”
Cast: Hatidze Muratova, Nazife Muratova
Synopsis: A woman utilizes ancient beekeeping traditions to cultivate honey in the mountains of Macedonia. When a neighboring family tries to do the same, it becomes a source of tension as they disregard her wisdom and advice.
What You Need to Know: Who would’ve guessed that a documentary on beekeeping could deliver something so wholly captivating? Directed by Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska, “Honeyland” is a beautiful film about a traditional way of life that has been slowly been edged out by modern society. Both a welcome reminder of those still immersed in nature and two fine talents who surely will have incredible and eclectic careers ahead of them, “Honeyland” is one of the must-see documentaries of the year. Our critic surely thought so, saying, “It’s a quiet and passive film that’s content to luxuriate in place and revel in solitude, which, in turn, both drags the narrative’s loose pacing and instills a certain natural structure that, once embraced, becomes almost mesmerizing.”
Release Date: July 26th
“The Mountain”
Cast: Tye Sheridan, Jeff Goldblum, Denis Lavant, Udo Kier
Synopsis: Since his mother’s confinement to an institution, Andy has lived in the shadow of his stoic father. A family acquaintance, Dr. Wallace Fiennes, employs the introverted young man as a photographer to document an asylum tour advocating for his increasingly controversial lobotomy procedure. As the tour progresses and Andy witnesses the doctor’s career and life unravel, he begins to identify with the institutions’ patients.
What You Need to Know: In the midst of a season that promotes mega studio monsters more than anything else, it’s important to sit back and remember the little guys trying to pull through with smaller distributors such as Rick Alverson’s “The Mountain.” Premiering at the 2018 Venice Film Festival, it’s taken a while for the film to hit screens (a fact of life for some of these smaller films) but it doesn’t diminish the strong work of its lead performers, Tye Sheridan and Jeff Goldblum. Following critic favorites such as “The Comedy” and “Entertainment,” “The Mountain” is another reminder of director Alverson’s tremendous talents, with our critic writing that it is “Alverson’s most beautiful act of bafflement to date.”
Release Date: July 26th