IMDb's Venice 2024 Cheat Sheet
The 81st Venice International Film Festival is presented each year by La Biennale di Venezia (a premier part of the Italian government's arts organization which also celebrates art, architecture, music & theater) and managed by the recently re-upped Alberto Barbera, Director of the Festival. VIFF takes place on the Venice Lido (that's across the lagoon from Venice proper) from August 28th to September 7th, 2024. There are films with a lot of potential in the In Competition, Out of Competition, and in the expanded Orizzonti sections ("Horizons) but these are the ones I'm most excited to see - Keith Simanton
List activity
329 views
• 13 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
- 17 titles
- DirectorTodd PhillipsStarsJoaquin PhoenixLady GagaBrendan GleesonStruggling with his dual identity, failed comedian Arthur Fleck meets the love of his life, Harley Quinn, while incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital.Todd Phillips' JOKER debuted on August 31st, 2019, 34 days before its wide release in the U.S. on October 4th. It tore the Venice critics in two. I had a memorable, heated exchange on the beach below the Hotel Excelsior (the fulcrum of the Lido events) about what it meant and what it was going to do. Neither of us really knew what the future held but I was quite sure it would be terrific, in the sense of it being substantial, and maybe a hit, while my sparring partner thought the film was dangerous and would not be received by the public. The same sense of anxiety and anticipation appears to hang off FOLIE à DEUX, a purported musical (but the original was too, in many ways). In another way of history rhyming, JOKER: FOLIE à DEUX premieres October 4th this year too.
- DirectorKevin CostnerStarsTodd AllenArthur AndersonAustin ArcherThe continuation of one story of the settlement of the American west. It follows the further adventures of characters first featured in Horizon: An American Saga.I'm looking forward to Kevin Costner's HORIZON: AN AMERICAN SAGA – CHAPTER 2 precisely because CHAPTER 1, which engrossed me, just kindof ended. It was as if Costner finally was so amazed and depleted after getting the first one done, and aware of what was coming down the line, that he shoed it out to make room for the next one. But you could tell he was aiming for something huge, off in the distance, something even he couldn't even get his hands around, at least not in CHAPTER 1. Let's hope things come more into focus for CHAPTER II.
- DirectorLuca GuadagninoStarsDaniel CraigDaan de WitJason SchwartzmanIn 1950s Mexico City, an American ex-pat in his late forties leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student stirs the man into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone.Director Luca Guadagnino was supposed to kick off Venice last year with CHALLENGERS as the Opening Night Film but it was not to be. The film was supposedly pulled because the ongoing dual strikes in Hollywood wouldn't allow the talent (like Zendaya) to participate and was bumped to April 26th of this year in the States. It's a shame because Venice has mostly been very, very good to Luca's narrative features. I AM LOVE debuted there in 2009, A BIGGER SPLASH in 2015, SUSPIRIA (the exception) in 2018 and BONES AND ALL in 2022. I'm looking forward to this protean director's take on the William Burrough's novel.
- DirectorJustin KurzelStarsJude LawNicholas HoultTye SheridanA series of bank robberies and car heists frightened communities in the Pacific Northwest. A lone FBI agent believes that the crimes were not the work of financially motivated criminals, but rather a group of dangerous domestic terrorists.There are plenty of reasons for my interest in this film. First off, the actual events took place in the backyard of Seattle, where I work, and I know the story of the rise of The Order fairly well. Second, the director excels at the real crime scenarios, like his debut THE SNOWTOWN MURDERS. Third, look at that cast: Nicholas Hoult, Jude Law, Tye Sheridan, Jurnee Smollett, George Tchortov & Alison Oliver.
- DirectorPedro AlmodóvarStarsJulianne MooreTilda SwintonJohn TurturroIngrid and Martha were close friends in their youth, when they worked together at the same magazine. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.A new Pedro Almodóvar! We haven't had a feature from him in three years, the last being PARALLEL MOTHERS in '21. This time out he's not working with his longtime cinematographer, José Luis Alcaine, but the more journeyman, Eduard Grau (though it must be said that Grau's black and white work on PASSING was singled out for notice in that film, winning a Spirit Award). This is also, amazingly, the first time the great Spanish director has worked with Moore.
- DirectorJon WattsStarsGeorge ClooneyBrad PittAmy RyanTwo rival fixers cross paths when they're both called in to help cover up a prominent New York official's misstep. Over one explosive night, they'll have to set aside their petty grievances and their egos to finish the job.No, it isn't the pairing of two of the old time stars of Hollywood, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, disembarking from a wooden speed boat that thrills me here. If you'd seen 2015's COP CAR, Jon Watt's smart little hit at Sundance, the one that got him the 2017 SPIDER-MAN gig, then you'd know that anything he'd had sitting in a desk drawer, while he went out and made three very entertaining Spidey movies, must be worth the wait.
- DirectorHalina ReijnStarsNicole KidmanHarris DickinsonAntonio BanderasA high-powered CEO puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much-younger intern.Director Halina Reijn made the sadly overlooked BODIES BODIES BODIES and her ability to mix satire, with out-and-out humor, and biting drama make this an unexpected must-see.
- DirectorWalter SallesStarsFernanda TorresFernanda MontenegroSelton MelloA mother is forced to reinvent herself when her family's life is shattered by an act of arbitrary violence during the tightening grip of a military dictatorship in Brazil, 1971.I've been waiting for director Walter Salles to make something with the strength and conviction of 2004's THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES ever since. 2012's ON THE ROAD, sadly, wasn't it. Back in his home turf perhaps this is what I've been waiting 20 years for.
- DirectorNicolas Winding RefnStarsVeronica BragaMaria Vittoria De GiorgioStefano GaetanoA priest undergoes a crisis of faith after a young woman's confession ignites desires he can't ignore, sharing in her sin through a forbidden act.It's seven minutes and it's written and directed by Nic Refn, whom I personally love. Not to mention that Refn has single-shot scenes in features that run longer than seven minutes! All joking aside, Refn is always more than just a watch. He demands active participation.
- StarsNikolaj Lie KaasAlbert Rudbeck LindhardtAmaryllis April Maltha AugustIn a not-too-distant future, Denmark faces total evacuation due to rising water levels. As the nation prepares to leave their homes, high school student Laura must choose between her divorced parents and the boy she's fallen in love with.I normally kindof avoid Series at film festivals--what's the point?--but this is from Thomas Vinterberg, he of ANOTHER ROUND, THE HUNT, and FESTEN. So that's the point.
- DirectorBrady CorbetStarsAdrien BrodyFelicity JonesGuy PearceWhen visionary architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet flee post-war Europe in 1947 to rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of modern America, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious and wealthy client.Again, it's a stacked cast with Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce
& Joe Alwyn, so I'm going to look past the fact that Brady Corbet wrote and directed VOX LUX, a cerebral hemorrhage starring Natalie Portman, from 2018. - DirectorClaude LelouchStarsKad MeradElsa ZylbersteinMichel BoujenahLawyer suffering from a condition preventing him from lying takes a cross-country road trip in France. Musical fantasy blending trumpet and piano. Original Ibrahim Maalouf soundtrack.Does this look like a bit of treacle from the man who brought us A MAN AND A WOMAN, some 60 years ago? Why, yes, yes it does, and I'll be watching what the 86-year-old Lelouch has to say, thankyouverymuch.
- DirectorDelphine CoulinMuriel CoulinStarsVincent LindonBenjamin VoisinStefan CreponPierre, a widowed father, struggles as one of his sons becomes drawn to an ideology he doesn't comprehend. His son's change tests Pierre's ability to maintain their bond, set against the backdrop of post-May '68 France.Actor Vincent Lindon is having a great third act in his career. He was the confused, tragic fireman/father in TITANE and happily droll in THE SECOND ACT by Quentin Dupieux. His weathered face lends credibility instantly from the audience, which he can use for good, or for ill.
- DirectorDave BushoreStarsAmuche ChukudebeluDaisuke TsujiDanny FehsenfeldYou have been chosen. The Multiverse needs you to collect the Power, Reality and Time Stones before they can be used by a Masked Man, young Thanos and child Hela.I'm a big fan of the Venice Immersive program of VR installations. Some of my most memorable times have been in the small island, just off of the Lido, that was used in the 17th century as a holding pen for lepers being shipped away. I'm not really sure what WHAT IF is doing there but I'm going to find out.
- DirectorTim BurtonStarsMichael KeatonWinona RyderCatherine O'HaraAfter a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia's life is turned upside down when her teenage daughter, Astrid, accidentally opens the portal to the Afterlife.Cinema Bienalle director Alberto Barbera must be looking at the directors the fest has corralled and chuckling. Tim Burton is one of those creators that can be referred to with just the last name, like some of the earlier picks on this list, Guadagnino, Almodovar, & Refn. No, the numerous versions of the trailer, have not thrilled me but I'm hoping there's still some juice left in the old beetle.
- DirectorHarmony KorineStarsAnonymousJuan BofillShawn ThomasAn ultra-realistic, multiplayer FPS game follows a group of mercenaries using baby faces as avatars. Tasked with entering mansions of the rich and powerful, players must explore every rabbit hole before time runs out.Experimental filmmaker Harmony Korine could be messing with us all again (most likely) in this first-person-shooter work. But Korine made SPRING BREAKERS so he gets a lot of latitude here.
- DirectorEric FriedlerMichael LurieStarsMel BrooksRune EricsonJerry LewisExplores Jerry Lewis' unreleased 1972 film "The Day The Clown Cried", its mysterious disappearance, and the search for footage. Includes interviews with Lewis' associates and previously unseen production content.You can't tell it from the title (and they really should fix that) but this is the documentary about Jerry Lewis’ infamous, unreleased Holocaust film THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED. In 1972 the famed comedian directed and starred as Helmut Doork, a clown condemned to entertain Jewish children being forced into gas chambers.
The finished film was supposedly so bad that the star hid all the footage and CLOWN has never been seen in its entirety. Before his death in 2017 Lewis donated a version to the Library of Congress, where it will be available to view in 2025, per Lewis' stipulation. Could this be like THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, Orson Welles' last film, which debuted at Venice in 2018?