Take Two: A Critical Look at “Empire Of Light,” “Guillermo del Toros Pinocchio” and “The Whale”

Editor’s note: Deadline presents the 43rd episode of its video series Second try, in which Pete Hammond and Todd McCarthy explore the artistry of movies that hit theaters every weekend. Each has spent decades reviewing and writing about the craft, and has built up a remarkably broad knowledge of films past and present. When we asked them, we were hoping for a concise, mature and thoughtful conversation similar to what we saw from Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.

In this week Second try offers another look at three new films set to debut for consumers this pre-Christmas holiday season, which has seen numerous new releases gain momentum as exhibitors prepare for the Avatar: The Way of Water Tidal Wave, which hits theaters next week (and we’ll cover it here until then). We’re going to see a new Sam Mendes movie rich in light which we both first saw in Telluride over Labor Day weekend, is a film that is arguably the most personal work of the Oscar winner’s career. It’s also another film that showcases a filmmaker’s love of movies from a filmmaker’s perspective, with compelling performances from Olivia Colman (of course) and relative newcomer Micheal Ward (his first name’s spelling is NOT a typo ).

Also this week we look at Darren Aronofsky’s captivating adaptation of the whale, Originally a stage play and now an independent theater experience, it stars Brendan Fraser in the role of his career as a £600 online tutor desperate to reconnect with his daughter (played by Sadie Sink). strange things).

Both films will open limited theatrical releases as they are theatrical exclusives. The other film we see is Guillermo del Toro’s masterful stop motion version of Pinocchio which actually has the right title Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro, and there’s a good reason for that, because it’s unlike any version ever made. It has played limited screenings in theaters for the past few weeks, but will debut on Netflix on Friday. Any way you look at it, this is one we think should be at the top of everyone’s bucket list this holiday season, and don’t be fooled into thinking it’s just a kid’s movie. As we say, it’s much, much more than you might think.

Click above to watch our conversation.

Hammond has been a columnist for Deadline’s Awards for the past decade, covering the Oscar and Emmy seasons year-round. He is also Deadline’s chief film critic, having previously reviewed films for MovieLine, box office Magazine, BackstageHollywood.com and maximumhow Film Guide by Leonard Maltin, for which he was an editor. In addition to writing, Hammond also hosts the KCET Cinema Series and the network’s weekly series Must see movies.

McCarthy is a veteran film critic, columnist and reporter who has also written several award-winning books and documentaries. He served two terms on staff diversity and The Hollywood Reporter and internationally acclaimed film festivals for both publications. his video visions of