๐ฟ67: Beau Is Afraid
Scorsese's next (next) film, three new trailers and the sheer disappointment of Ari Aster's latest release.
โ"Be afraid. Be very afraid.โ
~ The Fly, 1986
Who turned on the lights?
First off, Iโd like to thank Chris of
for taking the Salty helm a couple of weeks ago. I always enjoy reading other peopleโs reviews, and seeing how a new voice can shape an issue of SP.All of our guest editors take great care, and pride, in the issues they put together and Iโm very thankful for their hard work and dedication. For those of you who enjoy reading as much as watching, I fully recommend subscribing to Toasted Fiction.
While Chris was handling all things Salty, I was in Sicily making small but meaningful progress on the house I bought, with SPโs greatest supporter Mia โ who regularly โvolunteersโ to proofread an issue before itโs sent out.
We first saw the house a year ago, and for the first time ever, we slept in it. Despite the lack of electricity, running water, clean air, or the crumbling plaster and millions of millipedes.
We pitched a tent in the living room (the weather was rubbish) but we only managed to โsleepโ in it for a total of three nights. After a terrifying bat experience in an Irish Airbnb a year ago, weโre not very good at ignoring the unfamiliar sounds of a new place anymore. And the lack of basic utilities made it harder โ but we did manage to cook pasta on a camping stove and drink wine on our terrace. It was the best of times, it was the worst of timesโฆ
We also managed to get rid of the black mould, sort through (and clean) cups and crockery, take junk to the dump, and, on the day we left out Sicilian mountain town, we even managed to get the lights turned on.
But youโre not here for holiday/house updates, youโre here for film! So letโs get on with the show.
Here are the headlines:
Following a private audience with the Pope, Martin Scorsese plans to make another film about Jesus. Read more.
Quentin Tarantino is starting work on his next (and apparently final film), The Movie Critic, which will be based on a real person. Read more.
The Little Mermaid fished almost $100m at the North American box office during its opening weekend. Read more.
People can now โownโ a pieces cinema, with digital collectables (such as NFTs), with LALA - the worldโs first digital collectable marketplace. Find out more.
Salty Popcorn is 100% free, but if you enjoy SP, please consider buying us a cinema ticket for just ยฃ5 per month - or a bunch of tickets for just ยฃ30 per year. Thank you!
Upcoming Releases
Killers of the Flower Moon
UK: 6 October // USA: 6 October
Martin Scorsesโs latest, and long-awaited film, explores the true story of the mysterious Osage murders, which sparked a major F.B.I. investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover.
The trailer dropped two weeks ago, but just in case youโve not seen it yet, we thought weโd throw it in the mix.
Theatre Camp
UK: 25 August // USA: 14 July
Eccentric staff members of an upstate New York theatre camp must band together when their beloved founder falls into a coma.
Earth Mama
UK: 7 July // USA: 7 July
Gia (Tia Nomore), a pregnant single mother with two children in foster care embraces her San Francisco Bay Area community as she fights to reclaim her family.
Fact of the week
Ever wondered where the worldโs largest cinema screen is? Well, thanks to a reader that calls themselves โThe Queen of Sleepyโ, youโre about to find out.
Measuring 814.8 square metres (38.80m x 21.00 m) โ bearing in mind that a Boeing 737 is 40m long โ this whopping IMAX screen can be found in Leonberg, Germany, and has been certified by the Guinness World Records as the largest permanent screen in the world.
Review: Beau is Afraid
Star rating:
2 (out of 5)
Where to watch:ย
USA: Select cinemas
UK: Select cinemas
Runtime:
2hr 59m
Director:
Ari Aster
Blurb:ย
Following the sudden death of his mother, the mild-mannered (but anxiety-ridden) Beau (Joaquin Phoenix) confronts his darkest fears as he embarks on an epic, Kafkaesque odyssey back home.
The review (NO spoilers):
Despite a strong cast and a decent production, Beau is Afraid is far from the odyssey it sets out to be. With a murky and disjointed narrative and a menagerie of mostly irrelevant characters, this film resembles little more than a drug-fuelled fever dream.
This so-called โhorror comedyโ is neither funny nor scary. Now, comedy doesnโt always travel well over the Atlantic and thereโs a chance that American audiences would โgetโ the humour that went over my head - so weโll forgive that aspect. But, Ari Aster, director of Hereditary โ a film that terrified me โ has fallen short of my estimations.
The longer this film goes on, the more farcical and frustrating it becomes. At three hours long, this was a gruelling watch without a climax. Or rather, the climax was there but it didnโt mean anything. It felt like there was really no point in any of it.
Iโm sorry to say that I havenโt been this bored in the cinema for a very long time. In fact, if it wasnโt for you, dear reader, I would have walked after the first 90 minutes (just as the older couple sitting in front of me did after 30). And I would have had no regrets.
The irony is, this film was originally titled Disappointment Blvd, which Iโd argue would have been much more apt.
For a difference of opinion, check out Clarisse Loughreyโs review in The Independent.
Scroll down to see whatโs in the next issue.
If you likedย Beau is Afraidโฆ
Mother!
2017 | UK: Amazon Prime (ยฃ2.49) // USA: Paramount+
There are much better films than Beau is Afraid, but if you genuinely enjoyed it then I think youโll also like Darren Aronofskyโs Mother!, which is just as mad and self-indulgent. In fact, I thought of Mother! a lot while watching Beau โ though itโs scarier and an hour shorter.
On the other hand, if you didnโt Beau, then donโt let it put you off Ari Asterโs other work. Hereditary terrified me when I saw it a few years ago, and the trailer still gives me shivers.
In the next issue:
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
UK: 2 June // USA: 2 June |ย Watch the Trailer
Another great issue. Thanks for letting me guest edit the previous one!
I love Mother! The queen of sleepy sounds pretty cool too...