There’s concern in some indie quarters that dynamic new filmmakers are being sucked into a studio system that cares not for directorial voice and vision but makes hey with the chewing and spitting of rising talent. Marvel’s Eternals suffocated Chloé Zhao and The Fantastic Four took down Chronicle’s Josh Trank. No such fear can land at the door of Gareth Edwards. Having cut his teeth with the micro-budgeted Monsters, Edwards has spent much of the past decade delivering big on blockbuster budgets. His Rogue One remains the best Star Wars since Darth Vader wasn’t Luke’s father. But now, the circle closes. Originality wins out. There’s no mistaking Edwards’ voice in The Creator, a shining example of what an indie director can do with the trust won from major financiers.
There’s not inconsiderable irony in the rapidity with which Dumb Money was snapped up by the big money of Hollywood. Heck, the GameStop shock of 2021 hadn’t even abated when the film was conceived. Ben Mezrich‘s book, on which Dumb Money is based, hadn’t even found a publisher. Back then, the film was to be called The Antisocial Network, in tribute to another adaptation of a Mezrich text. You may have seen it. Mezrich finally published a book for the film to adapt in September 2021, three months after Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo were hired to write its screenplay. I, Tonya’s Craig Gillespie was signed to direct only last year and, just seventeen months later, here we are. Such speed is near whiplash inducing.
A dramatic shift, from glossy whodunnit to gothic horror, goes only so far in remedying the frustrating dreariness of Kenneth Branagh’s vision for big screen adventures with Hercule Poirot. A Haunting in Venice is a more interesting film than Branagh’s previous two, certainly, but still feels leaden. It’s another severe and somber affair, with little of the campy thrill at the heart of Agatha Christie’s best mysteries. A less starry ensemble ought allow for stronger character performances but does not. Haunting’s a fine looking film but never comes to life, even as the death count ramps up.
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