It’s been while since I’ve put out an article letting you know what directors you should be digging. But I’ve been inspired by this undeniably awesome director, Denis Villeneuve, and the new trailer for Blade Runner 2049 which Villeneuve will be directing. Check out the trailer here…
Blade Runner 2049 looks awesome (although Harrison Ford running looks hilarious, just check him out in the Force Awakens, as great as Harrison is, don’t get me wrong) but more importantly it looks and feels like a Blade Runner sequel should (loved the sound track and what’s up with Jared Leto’s robot eyes?) I’m a Gosling fan and I’m a Villeneuve fan so I’ve got faith that Blade Runner fans like myself will be pleased. There’s a huge amount of anticipation for this movie and I think Villeneuve is totally the right person for the job. His movies can be gritty, intense, and they always look spectacular. Plus Villeneuve’s got a great track record of films.
I only recently saw Arrival but I loved it. It was subtle and smart and like all of his films it looked great (I was also very into the score which at least for me sounded like there were some hints of the Akira score, I think it happens about 50 mins in give or take). Arrival is a type of science fiction we don’t often get and on top of that it’s original, not a sequel or prequel or some type of known property. This proved Villeneuve is more than capable of handling a science fiction story.
Sicario was nuts. Benicio totally killed it, Emily “Halpert” Blunt totally killed it, everyone in this movie brought amazing performances to scenes that were tense and crazy and gorgeous as hell. It’s beautifully shot and there are tons scenes that will cause you to yelp “holy fuck” while you wear your big stupid headphones on your airplane to Universal Studios that happens to be packed with way too many kids.
Enemy was weird. But Enemy was also cool as hell and creepy as hell and at times confusing as hell. Basically the story is this… there are two Jake Gyllenhaal’s and obviously that cannot be… so naturally some hi-jinks ensue. Once again, like all of Villeneuve’s films Enemy looks gorgeous and the film has a great sense of atmosphere that matches the uncomfortably creepy tone.
Prisoners was the first movie of Villeneuve’s that I saw and I fuggin love Prisoners. Prisoners has a great cast, once again starring Gyllenhaal who is at the top of his game here as a detective trying to find a pair of abducted children, and Hugh “Which knot did you tie!” Jackman as one of the father’s of the abducted children. Besides them the movie stars Paul Dano, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, and Dylan Minnette (from the popular 13 Things I Hate About You…too soon… my b…) Prisoners was tense and mysterious and it completely absorbed me the whole way through and I think it has an amazing ending.
If you need any proof that Blade Runner 2049 will probably surpass all of our expectations just go to any of Villeneuve’s pervious films. Each one of them showcases the talent that Villeneuve has and the talent that a satisfying Blade Runner sequel needs. I know I didn’t mention any of Villeneuve’s earlier work and that’s because unfortunately I haven’t seen any of it. If you’ve got any suggestions from pre-Prisoners days let us know.
Let us know what you think about Blade Runner 2049 and let us know your favorite Villeneuve movies, and thanks for reading…
Photo Credits: birthmoviesdeath.com(original source EW), theverge.com , nerdist.com , online.com , rogerebert.com
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