American Animals
After scene stealing turns in American Horror Story and as Quicksilver in the latest X-Men movies, it was only a matter of time before Evan Peters landed something meatier to showcase his burgeoning charisma. The first narrative feature from documentary filmmaker Bart Layton set this year’s Sundance ablaze with its story of four college students who decide they’ve watched enough classic heist movies to pull one themselves. Their target: one of the university’s most valuable rare books, an illustrated copy of John Audebon’s “Birds of America.” Peters apparently shines as the erratic mastermind behind the heist, as does Dunkirk’s Barry Keoghan who finds himself reluctantly drawn into the escalating fray of do-it-yourself robbery. Of course, the worst laid plans of mice and men often go awry, which in this case gives Layton a good vehicle to show off some dynamo filmmaking chops as he critiques the ill-considered consequences of youthful hubris. In theaters June 1st.
Succession
Fine, we give in! HBO has beaten us into submission with non-stop trailers for its new It’s-Not-Rupert-Murdoch Media Empire succession series that is, of course, totally about the infamous Murdoch clan. Brian Cox plays the Murdoch-esque patriarch Logan Roy, who must contend with a plethora of dysfunctional family dynamics as he chooses which of his children (played by Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook) will succeed him—that is if they don’t stab him or themselves in the back(s) first. Early reviews indicate the series boasts some fantastic writing, and sharp performances, if you can manage to stomach the dark, acid comedy. That’s not entirely surprising considering that creator Jesse Armstrong hails from the Armando Iannucci school of humor, having written on The Thick of It, In the Loop and Four Lions, all no-holds-barred satires that have taken Shakespearean profanity and cutting British wit to unparalleled heights. Premieres on HBO June 3.
