Good Morning, World

I'm sure Wagner Moura's career is going to get a great big boost from this past awards season where he was deservedly nominated for his ace turn in The Secret Agent. (How incredibly handsome did he look at the Oscars this past weekend when he was presenting and he put on those glasses? I swooned.) He's already got seven titles in his "upcoming" projects including a remake of Abbas Kiarostami's masterpiece Taste of Cherry (from the director of Jauja!) and a Star Wars project (of course) -- I'm sure much-deserved bigger projects are in the works though. I'd love to see him reunite with Secret Agent director Kleber Mendonça Filho again. That said -- I've never yet watched Narcos, the show where he played drug kingpin Pablo Escabar seen above, and... that picture is making me think I really should watch Narcos. There's also the Boyd Holbrook and Pedro Pascal of it. Hrm. Thoughts? Also if you wanna give me your answers for a Narcos-themed "Do Dump or Marry?" in the comments, those three are ready and willing...

A Complete Unknown in 350 Words or Less

As with Wicked I don't think anybody needs my thoughts on a Bob Dylan bio-pic given the fact that I have never in my life given a shit about Bob Dylan -- add on top of that the fact that I have never loved a movie by director James Mangold and we're really cooking with gas (as in flatulance). But unlike Wicked and unlike every single one of Mangold's previous movies I actually walked out of A Complete Unknown with a smile on my face and a few tears wiped from my eyes -- this is a solid, totally respectable and enjoyable movie. 

Obviously I'm one of the founders of Team Timmy so you might think me biased due to that, but honest to blog he crafts a real character here -- this movie doesn't feel exhaustingly yolked to the bio-pic conventions of "here I was born and here I died and oh I did some Forrest Gump like shit in between;" it gives us an arc, and characters, to care about. Granted the real life arc it bridges -- "Folk Music can't be Electric or the world will end, oh my gahhhhhhhh" -- is hella silly from the vantage point of now; the film, as sweet as Edward Norton's performance as Pete Seeger is, really never manages to make that line of thinking seem like anything but nonsense. So that conflict never rises above a shrug. 

But the fiery relationship triangle between Chalamet, Elle Fanning (as a semi-fictional take on a real girl that Dylan dated), and Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez (both actresses superb) is beautifully acted and surprising and truly honestly earned my heart. And the film is very good at involving us in the songwriting process -- even if I'm not a Dylan fan the movie made me appreciate his skills as a wordsmith and a world-shifting entertainer. A Complete Unknown doesn't break open the bio-pic mold but it's about as good an example of what's-to-be-expected can be. Gonna be a fine pic over the holidays for those forced to endure family time.

Hey Look It's a Bob Dylan Movie

Whilst I was scuttled away in an NYFF screening this morning the first trailer for A Complete Unknown, the Bob Dylan biopic starring our boy Timmy C, dropped -- I'm on the record (probably more than once) in admitting I could give a shit about Bob Dylan, so I'm not the primary audience for this. But that cast is something! Besides Tim-Tim there's Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, Scoot McNairy as Woody Gurthie, Ed Norton as Pete Seeger, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, and Elle Fanning as "Some Girl." (I think she's playing a made-up character? No doubt to show how the great man changes as he becomes great, like usual. God I could write the script for this movie right now, feels like. Anyway this is a trailer for this movie and I am now back at my desk from my morning screening.

A Complete Unknown is out on Christmas Day. 

Thoughts, if you care?

Behold, The Folk Fuckboi

The first trailer for James Mangold's Bob Dylan bio-pic A Complete Unknown starring Timmy, yes Timmy, has arrived -- I've said this on every ocassion when this film's come up but I just do not give a flying fuck about Bob Dylan and watching this trailer yup, still do not care. That said Timothée Chalamet does fall under my jurisdiction of consideration and sure I guess he's doing a good Dylan here. Big folk fuckboi energy. It's also nice to see Elle Fanning (big Elle fan) and I didn't notice them in the trailer (okay yes my eyes sort of glazed over watching this) but Scoot McNairy and Boyd Holbrook are in the movie somewhere too. Looks like fairly routine bio-pic stuff -- Mangold is not a director that excites me either and this looks very much like his Johnny Cash movie Walk the Line, which I couldn't describe to you a single frame from now. But gawrsh the Oscars loved it and one assumes that's what everybody's hoping for here. 

A Complete Unknown is out in December.

Today's Fanboy Delusion

 Today I'd rather be...

... horse-backing with Boyd Holdbrook.

Good Morning, World

This is kind of a weird Matryoshka kind of rabbit hole of references within references but a photography book of photos taken from the set of Jeff Nichols' upcoming biker gang movie The Bikeriders, a movie that is based on photographer Danny Lyon's 1968 photography book of the same name, was released last week and you can buy yourself a copy right here if you're so inclined. And/or buy a copy of Lyons' legendary book if you don't own it already right here.)  The new book is titled Vandals and it's from photographer Bryan Schutmaat and it's styled to ape Lyon's photography -- just with actor hotties like Tom Hardy, Austin Butler, Jodie Comer, Boyd Holbrook, Karl Glusman, etc etc, inhabiting their roles in the movie, based off Lyon's photographs of midcentury Midwestern bikers. I told y'all last week that biker gang movies are suddenly a big thing! Anywayb after some delays The Bikeriders is finally hitting screens on June 21st -- having seen it ages and ages ago I can tell you upfront that it's a terrific movie full of terrific performances.

I Quit Smoking 16 Years Ago Today

Well, here we are. My nicotine cessation can officially drive a car in the United States now. Today marks sixteen years since I touched a dirty filthy cigarette and sixteen years of me doing these posts of famous men looking hot as shit while smoking dirty filthy cigarettes. I regret nothing! I admit remain surprised that I can continue to find enough photos to fill up these posts, but I hear smoking has become cool with the kids again? I don't recommend it obviously, but I also can't lie...

... sexy motherfuckers be looking sexy while doing it. And listen, nobody should be looking to me for moral guidance. I'm just a fucked up girl who's lookin' for my own peace of mind -- don't assign me yours! Oh wait that's Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine. The point remains! Don't smoke! Unless you're sexy! Then do whatever the hell you want to. Hit the jump for a pile of photos and gifs...

The Answer My Friend is Blowin' in Timmy's Hair

The internet was ablaze -- ablaze I tells ya! -- with photos of TImothee Chalamet out in NYC over the weekend shooting his forthcoming and long gestating baby Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown with director James Mangold. Just google them and you can find more -- I don't care. Y'all know my feelings about Timmy and I'll see this movie but I am not in the slightest a Dylan fan and kind of resent that I'm being made to care about this movie. And now even moreso, because today they've announced a heaping pile (a piling heap?) of actors who've joined the movie's cast and there are several names of import. Mainly the ones that matter to me are Boyd Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, and Gossip Girl hottie Eli Brown...

There's no word on who anybody is playing yet so don't ask. But those three snacks aren't the only names dropped -- there's also "Dan Fogler (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Will Harrison (Daisy Jones & The Six) …... P.J. Byrne (Babylon), Nick Pupo (Halt and Catch Fire), Big Bill Morganfield, Laura Kariuki, Eric Berryman (Atlanta), David Alan Basche (Egg), Joe Tippett (Monarch) and James Austin Johnson (Saturday Night Live)." Plus the previously annouced Edward Norton and Elle Fanning. Sigh. At least I'll have nice faces to look at while I suffer through more Dylan mythologizing. And Timmy's hair looks lush. It's the little things! Or in the case of Timmy's hair, the big ones.

Good Morning, World

I like my men like I like my tighty-whities - cheap and loose!

Happy Friday, everybody. We made it.

Back To Boyd

Lots of Boyd Holbrook popping up this week unexpectedly -- I re-watched both Gone Girl and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny over the past two nights (I'd totally forgotten he was in Gone Girl at all) -- and along with the fact that it's his birthday tomorrow, well why not let him have tops-of-the-blog honors before I head off for a long weekend? And somehow these two vintage photos of Boyd from his pre-acting modeling days didn't make it into the enormous gratuitous post I did of him back in 2015. (I go back to that post so often -- it soothes me.) Anyway yup, it's a four day weekend. I am off until Tuesday and there are zero movies out this weekend worth talking about so I got nothing to recommend. I'm going to spend it catching up on the quite terrifyingly large piles of blu-rays I have been buying, and going to see a couple of movies at the "Bigger & Louder" series at the Paris here in NYC, which just revamped their system. I am seeing Playtime in 70mm tomorrow, holy shit! Anyway this weekend is just the quiet before the storm of fall movie releases -- NYFF will be swallowing me up by the end of September -- so I'm going to enjoy this breath whilst I can take it. Y'all have a good one and see you in September! (And as always if you see something good, say something in the comments.)

Good Morning, World

Am I nuts or has this new season of Justified been way more gratuitous than the old seasons? I didn't even post half of the Boyd Holbrook stuff I could've (just this one priceless gif here) and now they got Timothy Olyphant with his boxers falling halfway down to Jesus. Did they bring me in to direct these things and then wipe my memory or what?

Boyd Holbrook Four Times

Didn't expect today to be double-dipping on the Boyd Holbrook content (see him here in his tighty-whities from this morning) but I ain't mad about it! No sir eeeee bob. Interview Magazine is chatting him up (well technically they had Michael Shannon do it) since he's on the new run of Justified episodes (not to mention his turn in the last Indiana Jones a couple of weeks back), and these photos came along for the ride. We've been fans of his for a very long time -- click his name above and behold the splendor of our Boyd archives, but specifically check out this post, this post right here, for the goodest goodies of all, i.e. his salad days as a male model mostly) -- and we expect to continue being along for this ride for as long as he'll have us. Hit the jump for the rest of the photos...

Good Morning, World

Somebody tell me I can watch the new Justified episodes

without having seen any old Justified episodes, please.

We Named the Dog Indiana

Okay baby -- tonight's Indy 5 night! Spin that dastardly Dial of Destiny because this is really happening. Whatever the hell a "dial of destiny" is. I guess I will know tonight. And I'm not sure if I am excited, terrified, indifferent -- we'll see what the movie delivers and decide then. Which is the way it should be, I suppose -- I just wish I could go in anticipating more. I tried to re-watch Kingdom of the Crystal Skull a few weeks ago and, uhh, didn't make it too far. I think I have tried to re-watch that movie like four times since its release and I never make it all the way through? I definitely haven't seen the ending with the spinning alien nonsense since the first watch, even though that shit's burned into my brain. And not in a good way. Anyway stay tuned for my opinion next week, I will be reviewing this one. I'll be off for the rest of the week for Tribeca stuff -- more reviews will be appearing soon enough! Until then have a good weekend...

Which is Hotter?

Although they're still withholding the title of the film from us (boo!) Empire magazine has the first information on the fifth Indiana Jones movie -- the first that wasn't directed by Steven Spielberg it should be noted, which gives me pause, especially since I'm no fan of director James Mangold. But I suppose there's plenty of time before it's out next June, and the movie does have an absolutely stacked and killer cast -- Antonio Banderas, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Toby Jones, Thomas Kretschmann, and the villainous two-some of Mads Mikkelsen and Boyd Holbrook, the latter of whom describes his character as, "a lapdog to Mads, and a crazy one at that." Now raise your hand if you wanna see Mads and Boyd dom-sub it up hardcore! Which brings me to my main question...

online polls

Karl Glusman's Come To Give Us a Ride

I am about to make several mostly-unfounded conjectures about this shirtless selfie that actor and MNPP fave Karl Glusman posted on his Instagram a few minutes ago, so bear with me. One, and this one doesn't seem like a stretch -- he appears to be in a trailer. You know, like a set trailer, not a double-wide in West Virginia. A film production trailer where actors stay when they are shooting movies. That kind of trailer. That seems pretty clear. So I looked at his IMDb to see what he might be filming right now and IMDb has two projects listed as "Filming" right now under his name -- a movie called Little Death that has him playing a drug addict who breaks into the house of a TV writer played by David Schwimmer. But the full photo seen down below with the inscription about Fight Club makes me think he's filming the other project right now -- a movie called The Bikeriders that's about, you guess it, bike riders. In this case we mean a motorcycle club. Oh and I guess I should mention this is the new movie from Take Shelter director Jeff Nichols, and Karl's co-stars, include (deep breath) Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Boyd Holbrook, Norman Reedus, Beau Knapp, Emory Cohen, Toby Wallace, and Mike Faist. That's one hell of a cast! I suppose that is a project I should plan on paying some attention to then. Thanks, Karl's abs! Karl's abs are always doing good work.

My Eyes Are Yours, Boyd Holbrook

What did I do this past weekend, you ask? Why I am glad you care. I will tell you. I finally binged Netflix's Sandman series, is what I did. I had no intention of doing that but that happened and I'm glad it did. I've never read any of the Sandman comics but I've read enough Gaiman otherwise and... this certainly was a Neil Gaiman product. I'm still not entirely convinced his books can be adapted to the screen without me groaning at goth fetishism that works better on the page -- Dream isn't the most compelling of leading men, y'all -- but there was enough goofing off at the edges that I was entertained. Particularly by Boyd Holbrook playing a gay maniac (my favorite kind!) and by Gwendoline Christie simply existing. If there will indeed be lots more of her in the next season as teased they will totally have me back happily. Have you watched it? Thoughts? 

I think the SANDMAN has been surveying my dreams because all of this Boyd Holbrook stuff is ITTT #NowWatching #TheSandman pic.twitter.com/leEn4DGeK7

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) August 21, 2022

Boyd Holbrook Nine Times

I have been feeling a little guilty Boyd-wise after I basically called his new werewolf movie real bad awful trash in my review from Sundance (in a few more words, anyway) -- cuz hey, we still like lookin' at you, Boyd! Don't let one bad review get ya down. I mean what do I know anyway? And hey his next project -- he's playing "The Corinthian" in that Netflix adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman that announced its cast last week (also including Tom Sturridge!) -- promises to be a big something. So here are a few old photos (circa 2012-ish) I stumbled upon (via) to remember the happier times, and inspire us for the future ones, after the jump...

Plowing Thru Sundance

Besides some lingering screenings today of the films that won prizes at Sundance 2021 -- and you can see a list of winners over here; per usual I saw like one of the movies that won awards (and I didn't even like that movie) because my tastes never seem to overlap with such things -- Sundance 2021, the first one I have ever covered, is done. When I get home from work tonight I'm gonna check to see if any of those screenings have tickets left but I doubt it, so I've probably seen all I'm personally going to see. Which was a whole lot. But this post is not actually a wrap-up of Sundance as a whole, because I'm going to have reviews popping up over the next couple of days still, and I'll do a wrap-up once that's done. For now though, this is a catch-up. I shared my first two reviews on Friday -- my review of Human Factors is here and my review of the doc The Most Beautiful Boy in the World is here -- but a ton's gone up since, so let's list 'em! First up at The Film Experience...

... here is my take on Strawberry Mansion, Kentucker Audley and Albert Birney's surreal lo-fi sci-fi romance that brought to mind sprinklings of Michel Gondry.

... here is my take on John and the Hole, a wicked child fable about a boy and his hole and y'all get your minds right out of the gutter right now! Right now.

... here is my take on the period lesbian romance The World to Come starring Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby (plus Casey Affleck and Christopher Abbott as their beards). And yes putting the words "period" and "lesbian" so close together always makes me think of like a moon-cup, doesn't it you?

... here is my take on the doc Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street, which is exactly what that title tells you it is. Muppetlicious!

Then we head over to Pajiba, where I've also been reviewing things -- my first Sundance review over there was of the killer horror flick Censor, which played in their Midnight movie series. You can read that one right here. (Psst this was one of my faves.)

... and here is my take on the doc A Glitch in the Matrix, which dives cyber-face-first into the concepts of "Simulation Theory" from the director of Room 237 and The Nightmare.

... and here is my take on the Boyd-Holbrook-starring werewolf flick Eight For Silver, a big disappointment. Boyd barely takes his shirt off! What is this nonsense?

And then finally, for the moment anyway, here's my take on the new Ben Wheatley freak-out called In the Earth, which returns the director to his folk horror roots after the perfume-ad that was his Rebecca re-do.

Anyway that's what's up as of this writing -- there's more

scheduled over the next couple days, so keep your ass tuned.

Good Morning, World

.

Did y'all watch Narcos? I didn't watch Narcos even though I love its leading men with the heat of a vinyl backseat in Charleston August -- Pedro Pascal! Wagner Moura! And today's birthday boy, Boyd Holbrook! I just seem to have an aversion to dramas about the drug wars -- I can't think of a single one I love. I don't even truly love Brian De Palma's Scarface (besides Michelle Pfieffer obviously) -- if you asked me to rank my favorite BDP movies Scarface probably wouldn't even crack the Top 10. 

Anyway I don't know why I am talking about Scarface now -- it's Boyd Holbrook's birthday! I deeply, profoundly recommend you take a hike through our Boyd Holbrook Archives here at MNPP -- there are posts, like this one especially, that will show you why he's a fave... in ways these gifs from Narcos might not. Not that I'm discrediting what's seen here! The stache, after all. But these are a little vanilla and when you see some of his modeling shoots from his younger days... hoo doggy. That's some Neapolitan shit. Hit the jump for the rest...