Nightmare Alley | December 17, 2021 (Wide Release) | Searchlight | Directed by Guillermo del Toro and starring Bradley Cooper

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

Finally finished reading Nightmare Alley...the hardboiled crime novel is really not my thing (the bleakness, the casual racism, the gratuitous descriptions of "dames"...part and parcel of the genre,  but still, meh) though it did fill in some of the blanks left by the 1947 version. All those moments from the movie where I wondered if I missed something, or why a character acted in a certain way, made more sense after getting the story that was left unsaid due to the production code of the day. 

 

The book covers a much longer period of time than the 1947 movie seems to. I am skeptical that this movie is really going to play out over the novel's extended time frame. And some of the subject matter,  studios are still reluctant to deal with, even now. The novel covers some very thorny areas that could potentially attract separate mainstream and thinkpiece outrage during an awards cycle due to the (book spoilers) : 

Spoiler

animal cruelty, religious hucksterism, a psychologist exploiting doctor-patient confidentiality for financial gain and engaging in an S&M relationship with a patient, an illegal abortion backstory, and sexual assault.

 

The characters supposed to be amoral/sleazy so that might help mitigate any controversy. GdT's last movie featured a woman hooking up with a fish man and it won Best Picture, but it's not an overwhelming issue that resonates in the real world, so people weren't going to get bothered over it in the same way. TSoW didn't have a big-name star bringing in a mainstream audience with more basic expectations, either. Also, the novelist was not the greatest guy IRL but doesn't have such a legacy that people will be rushing out to defend him. Going to be interesting to follow this one...

Edited July 8, 2019 by BoxOfficeFangrl

[TMP]

 

[TMP]

 

[ddddeeee]

That's such a fab cast.

[gadd]

Contemporary auteurs are blessing us with terrific ensemble casts. The 2021 SAG Ensemble award is going to be very competitive.

[dudalb]

2 hours ago, TMP said:

 

Damn near perfect casting for the female lead.

 

And Ron Perlman.Ron Perlman never changes...….\

 

I am extremely skeptical of  classic movies being remade because of the very high failure rate, but this is looking damn good....

Edited August 2, 2019 by dudalb

[Morieris]

Bradly Cooper: 😒😒😒

 

Everybody Else: 👀👀👀

[filmlover]

Shit what a cast. GDT is coming for more Oscars.

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

Buried in the Blachett story from Variety is that filming isn't scheduled to start until the beginning of 2020. Before, it was supposed to be next month, that may have been when it was still going to star Leo, though. 

 

Weird that Collider thinks Willem Dafoe would have to be playing Toni Collette's father, even though the characters they are lined up to play are husband and wife in the book/movie. They are less than 20 years apart, for Hollywood that's not even a big age gap for a couple. 

 

If Rooney is playing the character I think, this is Lion redux in terms of her feeling almost overqualified for the role. It'll be a bit of a Carol reunion, with Cate in this, too.

Edited August 4, 2019 by BoxOfficeFangrl

[TMP]

Just now, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

If Rooney is playing the character I think, this is Lion redux in terms of her feeling almost overqualified for the role. It'll be a bit of a Carol reunion, with Cate in this, too.

I wonder if she'll get cast in that new Fincher film?

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

 

[dudalb]

Trying to figure out why Nightmare Alley needs an R rating.

ANyway, saw the Del Toro produced/written  "Scary Stories To Be Told In The Dark" and it is set in 1968,which gives me to think the Del Toro might indeed be planning a 30s or 40s settings for Nightmare Alley.

Edited August 12, 2019 by dudalb

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

4 hours ago, dudalb said:

Trying to figure out why Nightmare Alley needs an R rating.

ANyway, saw the Del Toro produced/written  "Scary Stories To Be Told In The Dark" and it is set in 1968,which gives me to think the Del Toro might indeed be planning a 30s or 40s settings for Nightmare Alley.

The 1947 movie was made during the days of the Hays Code, so a version of this story can be told while only going so far. This movie could be grittier with the drinking issues, really linger on the whole "geek" thing, and the book has a lot more sex plus (book spoilers) :

Spoiler

a rape attempt and an illegal abortion subplot 

among other things which could be shown in enough detail to get the R-rating. But double R-rated? IDK, definitely not the vibe I got from the story. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Edited August 13, 2019 by BoxOfficeFangrl

[dudalb]

Just now, BoxOfficeFangrl said:

The 1947 movie was made during the days of the Hays Code, so a version of this story can be told while only going so far. This movie could be grittier with the drinking issues, really linger on the whole "geek" thing, and the book has a lot more sex plus (book spoilers😞

  Reveal hidden contents

a rape attempt and a fatal illegal abortion subplot 

among other things which could be shown in enough detail to get the R-rating. But double R-rated? IDK, definitely not the vibe I got from the story. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Yeah, a lot of people will be surprised at what a "geek" in a circus/carnival was. But I could argue that describing it and letting the viewer's imiganation take over is more effective then actually showing it. Buy your comment on the book having a lot more sex is well taken.

 

[BoxOfficeFangrl]

1 hour ago, dudalb said:

Yeah, a lot of people will be surprised at what a "geek" in a circus/carnival was. But I could argue that describing it and letting the viewer's imiganation take over is more effective then actually showing it. Buy your comment on the book having a lot more sex is well taken.

 

I agree, the geek stuff is likely to be implied, the double R-ratedness will happen in other areas. Finding it difficult to believe that Bradley and Cate and Rooney are going to bare all (or even most) for a film noir remake, but then again, we live in a strange timeline...

[Eric Atreides]

 

[dudalb]

6 hours ago, Eric! said:

 

I presume she will be Molly, with Toni Collete as Zeena and Cate Blanchette as Dr. Lilith Ritter, the psychologist from hell and one of the most evil femme fatales in all of Film Noir.

Edited September 4, 2019 by dudalb

[filmlover]

 

 

[The Futurist]

When I think about Silver Lining Playbook, I feel dizzy.

 

2 Very different career paths.

 

Ouch !

[TMP]