Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
09-17-21, 03:47 PM
#26
DVD Talk Reviewer
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Formerly known as "12thmonkey"/Frankfort, IL
Posts: 7,790
Received 35 Likes
on
31 Posts
re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
The original Gresham novel is pretty fucking dark (much moreso than the 1947 movie, which I absolutely love).
I am hoping del Toro digs into some of those even bleaker elements.
This is my most anticipated movie of the year....
I am hoping del Toro digs into some of those even bleaker elements.
This is my most anticipated movie of the year....
11-18-21, 09:18 AM
#27
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
Only in Theaters December 17
In NIGHTMARE ALLEY, an ambitious carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn
In NIGHTMARE ALLEY, an ambitious carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.
Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn
The following users liked this post:
IBJoel (11-18-21)
11-20-21, 03:04 PM
#28
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
I am guessing this will be limited in December and then go wide early next year? I love the look and GDT but this seems a bit dark and dreary for a wide release during the holiday season.
11-20-21, 03:25 PM
#29
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
Nope. Seems like it is a wide release, not a slow roll out.
11-21-21, 12:31 AM
#30
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
Saw an ad on TV and hadn't heard of this before. Looks interesting.
11-21-21, 09:12 AM
#31
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
I notice they're doing a lot more wide releases with movies nowadays than they used to do . Is it because of the short window until streaming is available? My concern is that if the movie is something they think is award worthy and they release it wide without building buzz in other markets it will bomb with general audiences immediately, which seems to somehow affect eligibility for awards in major categories. Last year was different as nothing really got a wide release, but we are definitely in a time where a movie's success seems to have more to do with overall opinion with people that matter than anything else.
11-21-21, 09:31 AM
#32
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
I read this in an article a few weeks ago regarding Last Night in Soho. It’s pretty much the same for smaller films.
Don’t forget, at the end of the day, this film owned by Disney.
Don’t forget, at the end of the day, this film owned by Disney.
Focus isn’t alone, other distributors have made a similar choice as the theatrical marketplace struggles to recover. There are a few reasons why:
-TV windows: Focus hasn’t announced the pay video-on-demand window for Last Night but it has recently followed a 17-day pattern for its films. Assuming that’s the case here, some theaters would be less willing to show it after that time — so it needs to get out as wide as possible as fast as possible. “There are different variables. If you are going on PVOD or streaming relatively shortly, you can’t roll it out on TV and have it hit theaters at the same time,” said one distributor.
-Economic considerations: Distributors can get a bigger bang for their initial blast of marketing dollars with a bigger theatrical sweep, especially if PVOD isn’t far behind.
-Why not?: Directors like it. And even incremental, diminishing-return ticket sales from suburban multiplexes are still cash in hand. The wider the opening, the more people may have heard of the film once it hits PVOD.
The downside is having the industry think, and say, the film didn’t do well, didn’t perform, and coming to conclusions about it based on the opening number. But we live in such odd times, Bunnell said, that “Adult movies now are not trackable. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s the pandemic. All of the ways we used to judge where movies are going, up or down, are less reliable.”
-TV windows: Focus hasn’t announced the pay video-on-demand window for Last Night but it has recently followed a 17-day pattern for its films. Assuming that’s the case here, some theaters would be less willing to show it after that time — so it needs to get out as wide as possible as fast as possible. “There are different variables. If you are going on PVOD or streaming relatively shortly, you can’t roll it out on TV and have it hit theaters at the same time,” said one distributor.
-Economic considerations: Distributors can get a bigger bang for their initial blast of marketing dollars with a bigger theatrical sweep, especially if PVOD isn’t far behind.
-Why not?: Directors like it. And even incremental, diminishing-return ticket sales from suburban multiplexes are still cash in hand. The wider the opening, the more people may have heard of the film once it hits PVOD.
The downside is having the industry think, and say, the film didn’t do well, didn’t perform, and coming to conclusions about it based on the opening number. But we live in such odd times, Bunnell said, that “Adult movies now are not trackable. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s the pandemic. All of the ways we used to judge where movies are going, up or down, are less reliable.”
The following users liked this post:
Dr. DVD (11-21-21)
12-02-21, 09:44 AM
#33
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
12-02-21, 10:32 AM
#34
Senior Member
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
12-02-21, 04:13 PM
#35
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
Didn't Kim Morgan (Co-writer of the screenplay) used to contribute to DVDTALK? I've been a longtime follower (Even back when Chris Gore replaced her on G4) and it's real cool to see her reach this far.
12-02-21, 05:36 PM
#37
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
The original Nightmare Alley is pitch dark and it will be interesting to see how far this one goes given the freedom of filmmakers in 2021 vs. 1947. I also didn't love how the ending played out in the original, so I hope Del Toro can improve on that. Either way, I imagine this will be dark, dark, dark and won't be surprised if mainstream audiences turn away.
12-02-21, 10:47 PM
#38
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
Crazy, last night it went from 80% to 64% and now it's back at 81%
The following users liked this post:
JayTL (12-07-21)
12-07-21, 08:51 AM
#40
Senior Member
12-10-21, 08:54 AM
#41
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
They are doing early screenings on Wednesday at 7pm.
12-12-21, 10:09 AM
#42
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
Grace Randolph loved the movie, and she typically doesn't care for stuff by GDT , or any auteur director for that matter. She does say that it will probably flop commercially due to doing a wide release during a time people don't really want dark stories. I'm sure the fact that it doesn't have a Marvel logo on it hurts as well.
12-12-21, 08:47 PM
#43
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
The following 3 users liked this post by Hokeyboy:
12-13-21, 12:54 AM
#44
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
Yup, our former DVD TALK Reviewer colleague is not only GDT's screenwriting collaborator, she's also Mrs. Guillermo Del Toro.
She definitely likes older dudes. She was married to director Guy Maddin. He's 65, but was married to her from 2010-2014, so she may have been in her 20's. She looks like she's still in her 30's.
12-16-21, 02:00 AM
#45
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
Gotta say, I thoroughly enjoyed this. It might be my favorite Del Toro film alongside Pan's Labyrinth.
I was surprised that this movie had zero supernatural elements to it. No monsters, ghosts, or otherworldly creatures that Del Toro loves to fall back on. I thought Crimson Peak was hurt by his overuse of supernatural gimmicks to tell its story, so this was a refreshingly mature approach to storytelling that I haven't seen before from Guillermo.
I have never caught the original movie, but it was pretty obvious by the halfway point to know where this story was headed. It's a very old fashioned morality tale/film noir shot with gorgeous modern day cinematography. The performances by a star studded cast were all top notch and Cate Blanchett was stunningly photographed as if she were an iconic 50's Hollywood star.
The movie does run a little too long and some scenes could have been trimmed down a bit to better effect.
One scene I didn't care for was:
Overall, though, this was riveting stuff and a very good example of how to do a proper remake.
I was surprised that this movie had zero supernatural elements to it. No monsters, ghosts, or otherworldly creatures that Del Toro loves to fall back on. I thought Crimson Peak was hurt by his overuse of supernatural gimmicks to tell its story, so this was a refreshingly mature approach to storytelling that I haven't seen before from Guillermo.
I have never caught the original movie, but it was pretty obvious by the halfway point to know where this story was headed. It's a very old fashioned morality tale/film noir shot with gorgeous modern day cinematography. The performances by a star studded cast were all top notch and Cate Blanchett was stunningly photographed as if she were an iconic 50's Hollywood star.
The movie does run a little too long and some scenes could have been trimmed down a bit to better effect.
One scene I didn't care for was:
Spoiler:
Overall, though, this was riveting stuff and a very good example of how to do a proper remake.
12-16-21, 02:44 PM
#46
DVD Talk Reviewer Emeritus
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
Pretty much agree, especially with the spoiler. All we needed was the news report.
As far as Cate Blanchett is concerned, I wish she wasn't so posed and statuesque in this role. Maybe that's the point, but the performance seemed over the top. I preferred the arc and treatment of Rooney Mara's character, actually--she may have been the most interesting aspect of the story, far more than in the 1947 original. Speaking of the original, this film has very similar plot points, so if you're seen that, the surprises will be muted. Perhaps that's obvious, given they're both adapted from the Gresham novel, but I thought del Toro would ... bring more to it?
A very good film, though! Probably in the middle of my del Toro rankings.
As far as Cate Blanchett is concerned, I wish she wasn't so posed and statuesque in this role. Maybe that's the point, but the performance seemed over the top. I preferred the arc and treatment of Rooney Mara's character, actually--she may have been the most interesting aspect of the story, far more than in the 1947 original. Speaking of the original, this film has very similar plot points, so if you're seen that, the surprises will be muted. Perhaps that's obvious, given they're both adapted from the Gresham novel, but I thought del Toro would ... bring more to it?
A very good film, though! Probably in the middle of my del Toro rankings.
12-17-21, 10:24 AM
#47
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
12-18-21, 09:54 AM
#48
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
This was pretty good. It is much more enriched and fleshed out than the original version.
The production design is gorgeous, but that’s to be expected.
The production design is gorgeous, but that’s to be expected.
12-18-21, 06:49 PM
#49
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
GORGEOUS looking film. Del Toro never disappoints me. This was definitely Cooper's best performance. He, Mara and Blanchette all deserve an Oscar nomination. And it better get a Best Picture nomination as well. One of 2021's best. 9/10 rating from me.
12-18-21, 09:59 PM
#50
DVD Talk God
Re: Nightmare Alley (2021, D: Del Toro) S: Cooper, Blanchett, Collette, Dafoe, Jenkins, Mara, Perlman
I went to go see this today and I can't really say I saw it. Because I'm embarrassed to say that I completely dozed off for probably half the movie. I guess I was really tired from work and going out to lunch with friends earlier in the day. Or it's middle age creeping up on me. 
Shit, I felt like I wasted 2 1/2 hours because I wasn't completely alert. The last time this happened was 4 years ago when I saw Blade Runner 2049 at an 11pm show and fell asleep for more than half the movie.
I'm going to need to make a return trip to see this again.
Last edited by DJariya; 12-18-21 at 11:30 PM.