Post-Pandemic Cinema: Something to Get Excited Over
Good afternoon curious readers, from wherever you may be reading from.
Of late, I’ve found myself looking forward with an excited twinge at the potential of upcoming cinematic releases. Away from the usual razzmatazz of Marvel movies and ill-conceived spin-offs, there’s a lot to get giddy over.
Looking past the soon-to-be delivered No Time to Die, which, by this point, has effectively stuck two fingers up at a once staunch audience with its repeated, revenue-centric delays, it’s still incredibly easy to get wrapped up in Marvel’s next inundation of feature-length flicks and television series, all with some symbolic association to the other. But I find it all to be a little insincere - as if the studios at play don’t have a wealth of faith in us, the audience. Are we, as an audience, so easily taken in and amused as to be distracted by shiny CGI and endlessly half-baked narratives that rely on a lazy multiverse theory? I certainly don’t concur. Cinema, at its best, shuns a comfortable, familiar discourse or scripts that lack any stakes. It thrives on hair-raising stories, innovation, and pure emotion. Yet, too often mainstream films pass us by with not much more than a whimper.
But, there seems to be a change in the wind. 2021 marked the first year that two women were nominated for best director at the Academy Awards. Chloe Zhao won, deservedly, for Nomadland, while Emerald Fennell went on to win the Best Original Screenplay award for the equally brilliant Promising Young Woman.
Are we to see a new, bold and risk-taking dimension return once more to cinema? Perhaps it’s simply easier to pluck the diamonds from a more rewarding bunch. Either way, it’s inspiring to see - for this writer, and surely for a grateful audience waiting in their own right. And we’ve been waiting far too long, haven’t we?
So, in observation and in celebration, here are a few examples of upcoming cinema to embody all described here. Get the popcorn ready, there’s not long left to wait.
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The Green Knight
Release Date: August 6th 2021
A24
My issue with superheroes is largely with their rigidness. By their very nature, they are largely incomprehensible, and it’s that very fundamental difference that makes the escapism of a superhero narrative appealing.
But writer and director David Lowery can tap into that childish portion of ourselves that loves a good story, a fable even, without adopting such methods. He does it by utilising very human, empathetic characters that exhibit very human desires and emotions. His characters, while usually flawed, are admirably driven in their narrative purpose.
His latest, an epic fantasy adventure based on the Arthurian tale of The Green Knight, seems to be no different. The story follows Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur's rash and headstrong nephew, as he embarks on a meaningful journey to confront the famed Green Knight, a foe of gigantic proportions.
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Dune
Release Date: October 22nd
Warner Bros Pictures
While a remake in itself (now the third retelling of Frank Herbert’s famous sci-fi novel), the frankly stellar reputation of director Denis Villeneuve is enough to set the pulse running.
Like Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival before that, expect to see masterful character development and intricate mystery take centre stage over CGI and unnecessarily extravagant production design.
Everything in a Villeneuve narrative seems to be consequential and it’s entirely justified to find yourself pulled into layers of tense and mesmeric storytelling. His ability to drop clues and keep his audience dutifully motivated is second to none, a quality that’s increasingly rare in modern cinema.
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Last Night in Soho
Release Date: October 29th
Film 4
Having grown up with Spaced and The Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy, perhaps I’m a little biased in this selection, as we all are to someone or something layered with personal roots.
All this aside, it’s the dramatic tonal shifts and often dark underbelly that embody Edgar Wright’s work. His ability to toe the line between expedient and excessive is what sets him apart from the run-of-the-mill director.
But it’s the apparent distinction of Last Night in Soho that intrigues most. If Baby Driver (2017) is an entertaining, stylish getaway, this film is like a walk down a back alley to a dark and deviant party, though, perhaps that’s the point.
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