2011 – The French Dispatch (2021)

spacetime coordinates: 20th-century (~50’s – 60’s) French city Ennui-sur-Blasé

The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun is a 2021 American anthology comedy film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman. The film features a large ensemble cast, and follows three different storylines as the French foreign bureau of the fictional Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper creates its final issue.

The first segment, “The Concrete Masterpiece”, follows an incarcerated and unstable artist, and stars Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, and Léa Seydoux. The second, “Revisions to a Manifesto”, is inspired by the May 68 student protests, and stars Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, and Lyna Khoudri. “The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner” features Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, and Stephen Park, and follows the kidnapping of a police commisioner’s son. Bill Murray also stars as Arthur Howitzer Jr., the paper’s editor, while Owen Wilson appears in a short segment that introduces the film’s fictional setting of Ennui-sur-Blasé. (wiki)

During the ending credits some covers of The French Dispatch through its history are shown. They were created by Spanish illustrator Javi Aznarez and were loosely inspired in The New Yorker’s covers.

imdb

2010 – Antlers (2021)

spacetime coordinates: 2018 small town in central Oregon

Antlers is a 2021 US-Mexican supernatural horror film directed by Scott Cooper, and stars Keri Russell, Jesse Plemons and Jeremy T. Thomas,. The screenplay, written by C. Henry Chaisson, Nick Antosca, and Cooper, was adapted from Antosca’s short story “The Quiet Boy,” originally published in Guernica magazine in January 2019. (wiki)

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2009 – Beforeigners (TV Series 2019– )

spacetime coordinates: season 1 takes place in 2019 Oslo, where sudden flashes of light appear in the bay in Bjørvika. People from different time periods—the Stone Age, Viking Age, and the 19th century—suddenly appear in the present. 

Beforeigners is a Norwegian sci-fi buddy cop series created and written by Eilif Skodvin and Anne Bjørnstad and directed by Jens Lien. The main protagonists are Lars (Nicolai Cleve Broch), an Oslo police detective, and Alfhildr (Krista Kosonen), a Viking-era recruit, who investigate the murder of a Stone Ager. (wiki)

imdb   /    Shield-maiden   /   Thorir Hund   /   Olaf the Stout   /  Battle of Stiklestad   /   neo-Luddism

2006 – Encounter (2021)

Encounter is a 2021 thriller film directed by Michael Pearce. It stars Riz Ahmed, Lucian-River Chauhan, Aditya Geddada and Octavia Spencer.

“A decorated Marine goes on a rescue mission to save his two young sons from a mysterious threat.” rottentomatoes   /   wiki   /   imdb

2005 – Belfast (2021)

spacetime coordinates: 1969 – 1970 Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast is a 2021 coming of age drama written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film stars Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan, and newcomer Jude Hill. The film, which Branagh has described as his “most personal film”, centres on a young boy’s childhood amidst The Troubles of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the 1960s. (wiki)

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2002 – The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

spacetime coordinates: + 1970’s – 80’s + USA 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a 2021 American biographical drama film directed by Michael Showalter based on the documentary of the same name. The film depicts the controversial history of televangelists Tammy Faye Bakker and Jim Bakker, portrayed by Jessica Chastain (who also produces the film) and Andrew Garfield, respectively. (wiki)

The film had been a passion project of Chastain‘s for a number of years before it ended up being made. She had seen the documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000) around 2012 and felt drawn to tell Tammy’s story after acquiring the rights to produce a biopic about the infamous televangelist.

Jessica Chastain does her own covers of Tammy Faye’s original songs.

 

imdb

2001 – The Last Duel (2021)

spacetime coordinates: 14th century France (1370 – 1386)

The Last Duel is a 2021 epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, based on the 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager. Set in medieval France, the film stars Damon as Jean de Carrouges, a knight who challenges his former friend, squire Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) to a judicial duel after Jean’s wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer), accuses Jacques of raping her. The events leading up to the duel are divided into three distinct chapters, reflecting the contradictory perspectives of the three main characters. Affleck also stars in a supporting role as Count Pierre d’Alençon.

During an interview on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron in November 2021, Scott blamed the film’s box-office failure on millennials, arguing: “I think what it boils down to — what we’ve got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these fucking cell phones. The millennian do not ever want to be taught anything unless you are told it on the cell phone” 🙂 (wiki)

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