“The Shape Of Water”
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, Doug Jones
Synopsis: This hypnotic sci-fi period piece by Guillermo del Toro follows Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute night janitor at a government laboratory. When she and her coworker (Octavia Spencer) discover a humanoid creature (Doug Jones) living in a water tank, they unwittingly become caught up in a top-secret conspiracy — and things become doubly complicated when Elisa and the creature fall in love.
What You Need to Know: If you’ve been waiting for del Toro to make a movie that emulates the aesthetic of the “Bioshock” games, he is about to fulfill that weirdly specific wish. This 60’s-set romance combines del Toro’s captivating visual prowess with a heartfelt, emotionally charged screenplay (co-written by del Toro and Vanessa Taylor). If you’re not sold on this project, check out its mesmerizing trailer. It’s hard not to fall in love with “The Shape of Water,” as the film perfectly blends nostalgia and fantasy. It’s clear why this highly-anticipated Fox Searchlight project with an all-star cast (including a moving turn by storied creature actor Doug Jones) is hitting Venice before its wide release this December.
“Brawl In Cell Block 99”
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Don Johnson, Jennifer Carpenter
Synopsis: Bradley, a former boxer, loses his job as an auto mechanic, falls into the drug trade and winds up in prison. There, his enemies force him to commit acts of violence that turn the place into a savage battleground.
What You Need To Know: From the demented mind of S. Craig Zahler, the writer/director of “Bone Tomahawk” — 2015’s most memorable (read scarring) film — “Brawl In Cell Block 99” has our interest peaked for more reasons than one. The first of which being that Zahler took on a well-worn genre with “Bone Tomahawk” and twisted it into something utterly unsettling and mesmerizing, and the prison survival flick is certainly in need of some new blood (pun intended). Second, Zahler managed to craft some truly inspired characters for Kurt Russell and Richard Jenkins for his previous film, so there’s hope he can give Vaughn and Johnson something better to do than their typical, tired roles — like bashing people’s heads in. Then there’s the fact that TIFF’s Midnight Madness programmer called the movie “absolutely deranged.” What’s left to say?
“Downsizing”
Cast: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Laura Dern, Jason Sudeikis, Neil Patrick Harris
Synopsis: In an overpopulated world, a husband and wife decide to shrink themselves down in order to have a better life.
What You Need To Know: It’s been four years since Alexander Payne delivered “Nebraska,” a quiet, soulful film that, while an awards contender, didn’t deliver the same acerbic, failure-laden punch we’re used to from Payne. In fact, it’s been over a decade since the director truly knocked one out of the park (“Sideways” is still excellent), but with “Downsizing,” Payne is shifting gears like never before. Without altogether abandoning his social satire inclination, he’s adding a touch of sci-fi to his usual, Middle-America-set, everyman story. Then, of course, there is the incredibly stacked cast backing him up and the buzz the film generated at CinemaCon. Payne’s film will be opening the fest, which in the past few years has served as a launch pad for “La La Land,” “Gravity” and “Birdman,” which at the very least bodes well for its Oscar chances.
Sally Hawkins will become an Academy Award Winner, I have this feeling.