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Anne Hathaway, Mark Ruffalo, and Tim Robbins lead Haynes' next film on the legal battle against the DuPont chemical company

This seems... odd. Todd Haynes and legal drama about corporate malfeasance don't exactly strike me as a match made in heaven.

No, but I have to admire the risk. I mean, they could get Michael Mann but that's like asking for no surprises, just a paint-by-numbers movie. (And I say this because I like Michael Mann and he did a fine movie that dealt with corporate malfeasance among other things in The Insider.)

It's as if Haynes is deliberately forcing himself not to go back to any of the themes and motifs that have made his work interesting thus far (queerness, taboo desire, pastiche, lush period decor, female glamour, etc.). Maybe there's an experimental twist to this somewhere? (Maybe it'll be like Safe?) It all sounds dreadfully boring but I'll try and stay open-minded...

There was an eerieness to this clip that I could see Todd Haynes recreate (disturbing imagery).

Not sure if this has been posted anywhere yet: Todd Haynes' previously-untitled legal drama is apparently now called Dark Waters and has a November 22 release date.

Trailer

And it's a little hard to see through the fast-cuts-bwomph trailerisms, but I... uh... think this looks... possibly not bad?

It looks like Todd Haynes doing his version of a Pakula-style conspiracy thriller, with perhaps shades of his own Safe. Ed Lachman's cinematography looks beautiful and interesting. I'm certainly looking forward to this.

Poster:

That poster is an impeccable example of that particular, Dennis Lehane-ass genre of poster. Those are literally the best word choices I could come up with, sorry!

mfunk9786 wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2019 7:36 pm That poster is an impeccable example of that particular, Dennis Lehane-ass genre of poster. Those are literally the best word choices I could come up with, sorry!

It's like he's saying, "Oh please scary outoffocus guy in suit, please don't key my car!"

Dylan wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2019 7:28 pm It looks like Todd Haynes doing his version of a Pakula-style conspiracy thriller, with perhaps shades of his own Safe. Ed Lachman's cinematography looks beautiful and interesting. I'm certainly looking forward to this.

Poster:

A modern day Pakula-style conspiracy thriller mixed with Spotlight... give it to me now!
Haynes doing his own All The President's Men/Parallax View is just what I need in my life..

mfunk9786 wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2019 7:36 pm That poster is an impeccable example of that particular, Dennis Lehane-ass genre of poster. Those are literally the best word choices I could come up with, sorry!

I’m going to have to object to using Dennis Lehane as a pejorative when James Patterson is right there for the taking.

Dylan wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2019 7:28 pm It looks like Todd Haynes doing his version of a Pakula-style conspiracy thriller

Praying that it's this and not Spotlight 2. I'm still so confused by Haynes' involvement in this project.

It's certainly not like environmental illness and the perils of living in the modern world are subjects he's made movies about before...

Haynes going mainstream should be an enticing, not worrisome, prospect.

(I mean, the trailer makes it look like a standard hot-button thriller; maybe the finished product will be more idiosyncratic.)

The shots themselves appear to be very in keeping with Haynes and Ed Lachman's previous movies (there's even a direct visual quote of the Carol diner scene), it's just that the trailer editing is so frantic that it makes it seem more conventional than it probably is.

ianthemovie wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 2:18 am

Dylan wrote: Wed Sep 18, 2019 7:28 pm It looks like Todd Haynes doing his version of a Pakula-style conspiracy thriller

Praying that it's this and not Spotlight 2. I'm still so confused by Haynes' involvement in this project.

It really rather looks not bad. But yeah, Haynes involvement is confounding. It kinda feels like his first "director for hire" film. Doesn't feel like a Todd Haynes film. But a film by him is always worthwhile, so I will see it if the reviews are good.

But yeah, remains a perplexing choice of material for him.

Haynes has done so much experimenting in his career thusfar that I'm genuinely surprised that he's someone who's getting put in a box under the guise that he only makes certain kinds of films. It's just... completely incorrect?

Cremildo wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 2:39 am Haynes going mainstream should be an enticing, not worrisome, prospect.

(I mean, the trailer makes it look like a standard hot-button thriller; maybe the finished product will be more idiosyncratic.)

I feel like Haynes is as mainstream as he's going to get. Three of his past four films have been Oscar nominees in one or another category. He's already somebody casual filmgoers I know know by name. If this is good, I'm skeptical it will be for reasons that lead to more mainstream success—though the trailer's clearly aiming for it: "In a SMALL TOWN.. In a CLOSE COMMUNITY..."

The Narrator Returns wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 2:25 am It's certainly not like environmental illness and the perils of living in the modern world are subjects he's made movies about before...

mfunk9786 wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 5:33 am Haynes has done so much experimenting in his career thusfar that I'm genuinely surprised that he's someone who's getting put in a box under the guise that he only makes certain kinds of films. It's just... completely incorrect?

I love that "this is in keeping with past themes and visual style" and "Haynes has always been protean" are both legit reactions to incredulity here, and mostly, sure, yes, I agree. But still... paranoiac legal procedural? His movies ride emotional/interpersonal/conceptual axes, and is-there-a-car-bomb suspense mixed with escalating boardroom yelling isn't really something I would say is on those. (And he's coming off his worst film by a country mile...Though I just looked up the thread on Wonderstruck after typing that and it seems I'm in the minority thinking that here.)

Also in that trailer:"FROM PARTICIPANT WHO BROUGHT YOU The Post" is... uh... the bar we're using now? That's gotta be an oversight...

They're trying to market the movie to the sorts of people for whom "From visionary director Todd Haynes" would not have as much of a punch. Whether it'll work is to be determined.

But as for your point about his other movies - I tend to think of what makes them different moreso than what ties them together. He's worked on some very divergent projects, so for a new one to be, well, different, isn't surprising.

mfunk9786 wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 3:11 pm They're trying to market the movie to the sorts of people for whom "From visionary director Todd Haynes" would not have as much of a punch.

The fact that this movie is being marketed to people who presumably don't know/don't care who Haynes is seems telling, and speaks to my point that this project feels out of character for him.

Haynes' attachment to this alone will make me see it. I'm just curious to see how/where his academic and intellectual side comes into play here. This is a guy who has a B.A. in Semiotics, remember, and whose films are constantly referencing concepts from queer theory, film theory, etc. He seems incapable of making a purely straightforward genre movie so I'm anxious to see what else he might be exploring/experimenting with here, either on a generic or thematic level.

Where's an example of his being incapable of making a straightforward genre movie? Has he tried and failed at it in your view?

ianthemovie wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 8:02 pm

mfunk9786 wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 3:11 pm They're trying to market the movie to the sorts of people for whom "From visionary director Todd Haynes" would not have as much of a punch.

The fact that this movie is being marketed to people who presumably don't know/don't care who Haynes is seems telling, and speaks to my point that this project feels out of character for him.

If the marketers at Focus Features tried harder wouldn't they try pushing it as the film "from the director of Carol," which has a strong enough mainstream recognition that Netflix of all things sketch a parody for Christmas? Though the mentions of The Post producers makes me believe they want to get the old geezers who tuned in MSNBC nightly.

They already know they're bringing in the fans of Carol / Haynes. This trailer is for Joe Q Public who just wants to see stars he knows in a dramatic true story

mfunk9786 wrote: Thu Sep 19, 2019 8:44 pm Where's an example of his being incapable of making a straightforward genre movie? Has he tried and failed at it in your view?

Sorry for unclear wording. I meant that Haynes has never seemed interested in making a straight-forward genre movie--i.e., doing so seems to be antithetical to his artistic sensibility. So either Dark Waters is either Haynes suddenly selling out/going mainstream (which seems unlikely and would be unfortunate), or else there is more to this seemingly by-the-numbers conspiracy thriller than meets the eye. Hoping it's the latter.