From ‘Joker 2’ to ‘Queer’: 10 Exciting Movies to Watch

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are getting ready to descend on the Venice Film Festival this week, from George Clooney and Angelina Jolie to Lady Gaga and Brad Pitt.

But while the allure of A-listers on those picturesque docks is a welcome return to form after last year’s lower-wattage edition amid the strikes, the spotlight that matters most will be on their films. Along with Cannes, Venice — which runs from Aug. 28 through Sept. 7 — is one of the most glamorous launching pads for awards season. The films that do well on the Lido will be dominating the conversation until the Oscars in March.

In this year’s lineup, there’s both big Hollywood fare (“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” and “Horizon: An American Saga—Chapter 2” to “Wolfs”) and a vast array of intriguing films from auteurs around the world. At festivals, the best thing is to keep an open mind and see as much as possible — you never know what might hit. In the meantime, though, here are 10 films to get excited about at Venice.

No matter which side of the “Joker” discourse you were on five years ago, the fact that all involved would bring the sequel “Joker: Folie à Deux” back to Venice to play in competition is promising. “Joker: Folie à Deux” doesn’t need the festival buzz, after all. The first film made over $1 billion and was nominated for 11 Oscars. Venice chief Alberto Barbera told Deadline that it’s completely different from the first, a dystopian musical that is “one of the most daring, brave and creative films in recent American cinema” and “confirms Todd Phillips as one of the most creative directors working at the moment.” It’ll be in theaters Oct. 4.

Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín is not to be ignored when he makes a film about a famous woman with a tragic narrative (“Spencer,” “Jackie”). This time he’s teamed with screenwriter Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”) and Jolie to bring opera singer Maria Callas back to life in “Maria.” The soprano was a tabloid fixture, perhaps most famous for her affair with Aristotle Onassis, who would end up leaving her for another of Larraín’s tragic women: Jacqueline Kennedy. Callas died in 1977 but remains one of classical music’s bestselling artists. “Maria” is playing in competition and seeking distribution.

Luca Guadagnino returns to Venice with “Queer,” an adaptation of the William S. Burroughs novel, starring Daniel Craig in a performance that Barbera has called “career defining.” It follows an American expat to Mexico City on a quest for a drug. There, he encounters all sorts of characters and develops an obsession with a young man. The novel was written in the early 1950s but not published until 1985.

Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language debut “The Room Next Door” stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton. Details are vague, but it’s said to be about an imperfect mother and a resentful daughter estranged due to a “profound misunderstanding.” It also covers topics like war, death, friendship, and sexual pleasure. The film will also make a stop at the New York Film Festival before a December release.

Dutch filmmaker Halina Reijn made the wildly fun “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” so we’re especially curious what “Babygirl” holds. The erotic thriller stars Nicole Kidman as a powerful CEO who begins an affair with a younger intern, played by Harris Dickinson. Antonio Banderas also co-stars. A24 plans a December theatrical release.

This 3 1/2-hour drama from filmmaker Brady Corbet follows architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet as they flee Europe post-World War II and attempt to set up a life in America. There, Toth meets industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren who commissions him to design a modernist monument, changing their lives. Focus Features and Universal are distributing, but the movie does not yet have a release date.

Wang Bing’s “Youth (Homecoming)” is the conclusion to his verité documentary trilogy in which he followed migrant workers in Zhili, China’s textile factories across five years. It’s seeking distribution.

Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili’s sophomore film “April” is about Nina, an OB-GYN working in rural Georgia who also performs abortions. When a newborn dies in her care, rumors about her morality and professionalism spread. This film is also set to play at TIFF and the New York Film Festival.

Jude Law produced and stars in “The Order,” a 1980s-set crime thriller about a white supremacist group his FBI agent character suspects is tied to a series of crimes in the Pacific Northwest. Nicholas Hoult plays the group’s charismatic leader. The film is directed by Justin Kurzel and will be released in theaters in December.

“Harvest,” an adaptation of the Jim Crace novel by Athina Rachel Tsangari, is set in a medieval English village where the locals use three newcomers as scapegoats for economic turmoil. Though Mubi has distribution rights in several European territories, no dates or U.S. plans have been announced yet.

This seven-episode psychological thriller series “Disclaimer” from Alfonso Cuarón is coming to AppleTV+ on Oct. 11. Cate Blanchett stars as a journalist who discovers she’s a character in a novel revealing her dark secret.

For more coverage of the 2024 Venice Film Festival, visit https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival.

Source: AP News, Deadline, A24