The Secrets Behind how Filmmakers Made the Most Memorable Aliens of All-Time
The existence of aliens has been confirmed time and time again (in the world of movies). These beings span a wide variety of origins and appearances, genres and styles, as well as unique creative processes and innovative applications for visual and special effects (SFX) in film production. Extraterrestrials have been a rich source of inspiration for filmmakers since nearly the advent of the medium, and have become the stars of some of the most iconic films in history.
Oscar Watch: Editor Joe Walker Masters Time and Space in Arrival
Oscar-nominated Arrival editor Joe Walker contributed his unerring instinct for the well-timed cut to his 2014 collaboration with director Denis Villeneuve in drug-trafficking thriller Sicario. "When I saw Sicario with an audience for the first time at Sundance, I nearly had a heart attack," laughs Walker, referring to film's hyper-suspenseful opening sequence. This time around, Walker's edit steered the Best Picture nominated Arrival toward a non-violent payoff brimming with existential mystery.
Arrival‘s Screenwriter on Crafting one of the Year’s Best Films
For sci-fi fans, there was something doubly wonderful about watching director Denis Villeneuve's Arrival; it proved that the most malleable of genres is still alive and well, and, confirmed that Villeneuve was absolutely the right choice to helm the upcoming Blade Runner sequel, Blade Runner 2049.
Ridley Scott's 1982 Blade Runner is one of sci-fi's most iconic films (coming just a few years after his equally iconic
Gorgeous Early Concept art for Arrival
If you haven't seen director Denis Villeneuve's brilliant sci-fi film Arrival yet, you're in for a treat. The short and sweet synopsis is this: Linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) leads an elite team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down in 12 locations around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must race against time to find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors.
Go see Arrival This Weekend
We've been talking about Denis Villeneuve's Arrival since it had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival this past September 1. There couldn't be a more appropriate time for a film about the importance of communication in times of peril then right about now. Arrival's conceit is simple and brilliant: linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is tasked with leading an elite team of investigators to decipher what,
How Arrival’s Production Designer Created an Alien Language
Oscar-nominated production designer Patrice Vermette was tasked with creating an alien language for the new movie Arrival — and although he started by studying the languages used in other films about alien invasion, he ended up “reverse engineering” the language that Amy Adams uses to communicate with the invaders in the new film (in theaters Nov. 10). Vermette took a feelings-first approach to crafting the alien language by thinking about what it said to the audience without words.
Communication Breakdown: Arrival‘s “Kangaroo” Featurette
Last week we shared with you this beautiful Arrival promo that Paramount released that gets at the very heart of the film's conceit. Paramount took people from all across the world and paired them in groups of two, with the caveat being they had to speak different languages and therefore be unable to communicate with words. This leads them to drawing, acting, and other clever work arounds in order to explain to each other who they are,
This Arrival Promo Will Make you cry
This new promo Paramount Pictures put together for Denis Villeneuve's Arrival is brilliant. The film's conceit is that a dozen alien ships have touched down all across the globe and it's up to linguistics professor Louise Banks (Amy Adams) and an elite team of investigators to try and decode their language and figure out a way to communicate with them before the world breaks out into a global war. Villeneuve is going for something beyond your usual alien attack film,
The Final Arrival Trailer Teases one of Fall’s Most Antcipated Films
We’ve written before how excited we are for Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. After helming the thrilling, blood-soaked Sicario, Villeneuve’s turn towards a cerebral, haunting sci-fi film was just the type of unexpected transition you love from an up-and-coming director. The film premiered to rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, and this final trailer gives us one more reason to look forward to the film’s release.
Telluride Film Festival Ignites Oscar Buzz
The Telluride Film Festival is the first official American fest of the fall season, and once again it has provided real excitement with a crop of high quality films by up-and-comers and legends alike. Telluride functions as a cinematic palate cleanser after the often heavy, loud, and CGI-reliant summer blockbuster films. One of the lovely things about Telluride is the fest has had an uncannily good history of programming, plus, for those lucky folks who make it to the Colorado mountains,
Arrival Plays at Venice International Film Festival, Wows Critics
When we shared the remarkably promising trailer to Denis Villeneuve's Arrival two weeks ago, lots and lots of readers were enthused. Villeneuve's already proven he's an ace at creating ambitious, tense dramas—see his previous films like Sicario, Prisoners and Enemy for proof. You don't get tapped to direct the sequel to Ridley Scott's brilliant Blade Runner by being a slouch.
WOW: Watch 1st Trailer for Director Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival
Director Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Sicario) has quickly become the type of filmmaker whose every movie warrants attention. His latest is a major swerve from the claustrophobic thrillers he has become a master at—Arrival, based on Ted Chiang's 1998 novella "Story of Your Life," is a film about mysterious alien spacecraft that touch down all across the globe and the small team brought together to investigate what they might want, lead by a linguist tasked with deciphering their language.
