George Clooney, Emma Stone and Jude Law set Venice alight • FRANCE 24 English

George Clooney, Emma Stone and Jude Law set Venice alight • FRANCE 24 English

[Music] [Applause] [Music] Hello and welcome to our film show here on Arts 24. This week, we’re taking you to the Mustra in Venice as the city’s canals glitter with the reflection of stars premiering their latest movies. We’re joined by critic Emma Jones, who’s got the latest on those films. Hi, Emma. Now, given that sumptuous backdrop, Venice does attract some big stars. Who have we seen so far there? Uh, pretty much everybody. And hello, Olivia, by the way, as well. Now, the festival may have got underway with an Italian film, Lagratzia, by Italian maestro Paulo Sorentino, but since then, it seems to have been a neverending parade of Hollywood stars and some pretty big movies, too. So, to give you an idea about who’s been in town, Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield have been here for Luca Guardino’s new thriller, After the Hunt. George Clooney and Adam Sandler have been in town for Noah Boundback’s new comedy Jay Kelly. The cast of Frankenstein by Gilmo Del Toro. That’s a really anticipated movie. Oscar Isaac, Mia Goth, Jacob Alli have been walking the carpet. Emma Stone and Jesse Plemens reunited for another time in Yorgos Lantimos’s new film Beonia. We’ve had Kate Blanchett leading an allstar cast uh for indie darling Jim Jarmush’s new movie Father, Mother, Sister, Brother. And indeed, we’ve also had Dwayne Johnson, formerly known as The Rock and Emily Blunts here for his new movie, The Smashing Machine. Wow. So, Hollywood royalty and wrestling royalty as well. Now, you mentioned Beonia there. The Greek director Yorgos Lantimos is back uh in Venice two years after he won the big prize, the Golden Lion for poor things with his favorite leading lady, of course, Emma Stone. Tell us about this new one. What did you think of it, Emma? Do you know what? I really like Beonia, and I’d say it’s probably my favorite film of the festival. Uh it’s a really interesting concept. So, Limos is reuniting with Jesse Plemens again, who is in his last film, Kinds of Kindness, as well as Emma Stone. Now, Plemens plays a conspiracy theorist called Teddy, and he kidnaps Michelle. That’s Stone’s character. She plays a ruthless CEO of a drug company, and Teddy is convinced Michelle is an alien. Now, what follows in the film is a battle of wills between the two. I cannot tell you how good Jesse Plemens is in this role. He’s an early favorite for the best actor Oscar this year, for sure. Um, but Lantimos is also asking a deeper question than exploring favorite conspiracy theories on the internet. He’s really asking, “Has humanity had its day? Has it failed?” Oh, wow. Big questions there. Okay, let’s get a feel for that film, Bonia. Welcome to the headquarters of the human resistance. Where is my hair? Your hair has been destroyed to prevent you from contacting your ship. What ship? In the next 48 hours, the police and the FBI will begin a statewide manhunt. I’m a high-profile female corporate executive. I am crucial. In all humility, I can say that. Think of it like you abducted the governor, but worse. And it’s not just Bugonia. There’s an apocalyptic feel to other features there in Venice this year, I believe. Yes. Specifically, a house of dynamites by the great Katherine Bigalow. Of course, an Oscar winner for best director herself. Now, this is about a possible nuclear attack on US soil, and it has an ensemble cast starring Idris Ela and Rebecca Ferguson, amongst others. Now, this is no blockbuster action movie where a hero president might come in to save the day. As you might expect from the director of films like Zero, Dark 30, and The Herz Locker, you know, this is a sober assessment of a countdown to a nuclear attack and really a look at America itself at the moment. Wow, sounds quite dark. Now, going from the US to Russia, French filmmaker SAS, he’s been in Venice with his latest film, The Wizard of the Kremlin. This is a portrayal of Vladimir Putin, in fact. Yes, indeed. And it’s a French production, although it has been made in English with an international cast. And this is really looking at the rise of Putin. So, in actual fact, it’s like the it’s like Russian history over the last 30 years. It goes on to nearly the present day. The film also stars Paul Do and Alicia Vicander, but the real talking point of this film is Jude Law because he is playing Vladimir Putin. Now, I’ve yet to see a film clip with uh with Jude Law playing Putin. I think they might be keeping that under wraps, but he has been telling journalists more about his transformation as well. Wow. And as we saw from that photo, quite the physical transformation. Let’s hear a bit more from Jude Law. Olivia and I discussed very early on that, you know, this wasn’t to be an impersonation of Vladimir Putin and he didn’t want me to hide behind a a mask of prosthetics. You know, we weren’t looking for controversy for controversy’s sake. And more more importantly, I I think it was key to to for me to remember that it’s a character within a much broader story. So, SAS not the only uh French talent on the red carpet in Venice. Who else have we seen representing French cinema there? Yeah, it’s a big year for France actually. They have four films in competition. Franco Ozon is back with a film, The Stranger. Now, this is an adaptation of the Albert Camus novel. Of course, that has been adapted for cinema before, but this time the great Bonjan Voan is playing the leading character. Valeria Donelli has been premiering her eighth feature film and this is called at work. Now I found this quite a fascinating watch actually. Vasia Buon is the leading role here and he’s kind of proving how hard it is to make a living as a creative. He plays a writer who has to turn handyman in order to make a living. Okay. And I know that the fourth French film in competition uh comes from the Tunisian Oscar nominee uh Kelte Benha. this she’s been uh nominated for previous work. It’s in competition. It’s the story of the death of Hind Rajab. This is a 5-year-old Palestinian girl who lived in the Gaza Strip. Yes, indeed. It’s a docky drama that’s a big talking point at Venice. It’s produced amongst others by names such as Brad Pitt and Alfonso Quiron. So, um a real political moments and and the festival has had political moments over the situation in Gaza. There was a protest with quite a few thousand people um on the island at the weekend that was organized by the group Venice for Palestine. Now this group of film professionals also sent an open letter before the festival calling upon the events to condemn the suffering in Gaza and also wanted the festival to rescend an invitation given to the actors Galgado and Jared Butler. Now the organization insisted that they had publicly supported the Israeli Defense Forces. Those actors are not at the festival, but they’d actually made the decision apparently not to attend long before this hit the news. And Venice, of course, being part of the big three film festivals in Europe, Berlin, can and Venice chronologically. I guess it falls at the beginning of what is awards season officially open, let’s say. Anything to look out for there? Yes. Ah, the the start of awards season, right? It gets longer and longer. Well, before the festival, I would have said Frankenstein. Now, I think when Gilmo del Toro, you know, adapts a literary masterpiece that that’s got to be a favorite for an Oscar, right? But I am honestly not so sure. Now, it is epic. It’s more really of a fairy tale rather than, you know, a a dark, edgy story as you might expect from Del Toro. It’s had mixed reviews from critics, and I have to say it disappointed me. I think though you should look out for a potential Oscar campaign from Dwayne Johnson of all people. He’s really transformed in the film, The Smashing Machine in order to play real life pro wrestler Mark Kerr and it’s really um the film got apparently a near 20 minute standing ovation here at Venice. Now I’m not sure he necessarily deserved that. You know the the rumor mill is circulating. Not sure he necessarily deserved that scale of evation, but it’s certainly a departure for him and his first real gritty character role, let’s say. Indeed, I wouldn’t have expected to see Dwayne Johnson in a Safy Brothers film. Let’s hear from him on that role. I have for a long time wanted this. And you know we have talked we the three of us have talked for a very very long time about you know when you’re in Hollywood as we all know and it it had become about box office and I understood that and I made those movies and I liked them and they were fun and some made some were really good and did well and some not so good. Um but I think what I did realize is that uh the most important thing I just had this burning desire and this this this um just voice that was saying well again what if but what if there is more and what if I can’t do you have any stronger pain medication advil yeah Don can you take this picture for us what are you thinking at the beginning of the fight it’s simple am I going to hurt him before he hurts me. [Music] And finally, I don’t think it’s really an Oscar movie, but it certainly provided some light relief at this festival and is a real crowd-pleaser. That’s the movie Jay Kelly by Noah Boundback, starring George Clooney and Adam Sandler. Clooney is great. Well, he is playing to type. is playing a movie star of all all things who has possibly neglected the more important things in life to focus on his career. He’s left with his manager a great turn by Adam Sandler. They grow they go on a road trip to Italy. So George Clooney gets to work in his favorite country and he also got to muse to journalists about the cost of fame. You know, when I was a very young man and I cut tobacco for a living, a farmer, and I would hear about some famous person complaining Yes. about like fame takes away all my freedom to and I’m like, you know, you drive a nice car, you live in a nice house. Shut up. And so I I tend to not talk about the things that are taken away. I like to talk about the things that are added. That’s good. Yeah. Jay Kelly J [Music] Kelly J. Kelly is a hero of cinema. Jay Kelly. What do you say to people who say you only play yourself? I think what you do is magic. You know how difficult it is to be yourself. You try it. You make movies. That’s what the world wants from you. Is that Jake Cully? You’re never alone. Really? I think I’m always alone. Thanks a lot. You are. Well, it looks quite meta but very fun. Now, we mentioned that top prize, the Golden Lion earlier, Emma, who’s going to win this year. Ah, you’re asking me to make a prediction. Well, I can tell you what the critics’s favorites have been, and that is Beonia, of course, we discussed that. And also Korean, the great Korean director, Park Chan Wuk’s No Other Choice. This is a black comedy starring one of the uh Squid Games actors. Um, and I think, you know, it’s had rave reviews, so I could be wrong, but one of those two, I think, big prizes ahead. Okay, thank you very much for the tip. Well, let’s see if it is Park Chan Works a year. He’s won a prize in Venice in the past, but never the big one. Thanks for that roundup, Emma, and do enjoy the festival. We’ll leave you with a preview of that last film right now. It’s No Other Choice by Park Chanwick. Do check in with us next time here on Arts 24 for more movies, arts, and culture. There’s more news coming up just after this. [Music] Finally, Oh, mom. [Music]

The 82nd Venice Film Festival got underway with a constellation of stars on its red carpet, as Julia Roberts and Andrew Garfield attended the premiere of “After the Hunt”, directed by Luca Guadagnino. Film critic Emma Jones tells us why she was impressed by Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Bugonia”, starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemmons. We also discuss the French-made political intrigue “The Wizard of the Kremlin”, with Jude Law playing Vladimir Putin himself. And politics were ever-present at this year’s Mostra, with Venice4Palestine protests and Kaouther Ben Hania’s powerful docu-drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab”, which is set in Gaza.
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