Steve Carell plays a traumatized photographer in the new movie Welcome to Marwen, the true story of artist Mark Hogancamp’s battle with PTSD by creating miniature World War II town. Director Robert Zemeckis puts a cinematic spin on the story, which was depicted in the 2010 documentary Marwencol. The tech-savvy filmmaker combines flesh-and-blood footage with motion capture action to capture Hogancamp’s fictitious town, which he populated with characters resembling himself, his loved ones and, as Nazis, the men who attacked him and left him brain damaged.
The film’s synopsis states, “When a devastating attack shatters Mark Hogancamp and wipes away all memories, no one expected recovery. Putting together pieces from his old and new life, Mark meticulously creates a wondrous town where he can heal and be heroic. As he builds an astonishing art installation—a testament to the most powerful women he knows—through his fantasy world, he draws strength to triumph in the real one.”
Welcome to Marwen, which opens in time for awards season on November 21st, co-stars Janelle Monae, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger and Eiza Gonzalez.
*Text from Rolling Stone
If you take What Lies Beneath out of the equation, you get Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future II and III, Death Becomes Her, Forrest Gump, Contact, Cast Away, and Polar Express. I know there are people who might quibble about Death Becomes her, or point out the narrative flaws in the Polar Express, but as far as I am concerned, what I just laid out is an almost-unbroken, almost-unprecedented run of magical movies, all merging heart with a special kind of technical prowess.
Zemekis of course has gotten older, and his movies are not quite the same these days, and this new one will be a hard sell. Not that easy to pigeonhole, not very easy to market.
It does, however, look wonderful. The Walk suffered from a sort-of perfunctory screenplay, but still brought the Zemekis magic back, I thought, provided you were one of the lucky few who got to see it in IMAX. This film looks similar, a continuation of the director’s ongoing return to form. I’ve been a little depressed lately. No movies have been getting me excited. This one just did. Thanks for shining the spotlight.
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I would take What Lies Beneath every time over Allied, but I agree with you. I just posted a new Zemeckis themed article on Back to the Future that plays off our earlier discussion on story and directors so I shall refer you to that (yes, I CAN totally cannibalize thread discussions for post fodder if I so choose mwahahaha).
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I was just reading about the lesson Disney has apparently taken away from Solo. Apparently, if audiences did not go for a film about the character of Han Solo, audiences probably won’t go for an even lesser-known character like Boba Fett. So that movie needs to be re-conceptualized.
It’s funny. I would not have thought that Disney would find a way to latch onto a completely nonsensical takeaway, but they have.
Just to be clear: Han Solo is one of the three main characters of the original trilogy, and a recent poll showed that he was actually the public’s favorite SW character. I guess Disney is saying that audiences have no interest in seeing SW movies about any of the characters, including the protagonists, and everyone involved in making the films should give up, sit on their couches, and eat potato chips while bingeing on the new Lost in Space.
Oh how i wish Zemekis had taken up Lucas on his offer to direct The Phantom Menace. Imagine a world where the first significant IP to be resurrected after more than a decade was embraced with open arms, and showed everyone else how it was done. The entire tone of the pop culture landscape might be different.
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I think Disney is shelving the Star Wars Stories until the franchise is back on better footing. They should be putting everything they have into Episode IX and not thinking about anything until that’s perfect (or as perfect as it can be). I find it hard to believe they’ll never make more of them. I dunno. Honestly, I really am glad I don’t have to think about Star Wars for awhile. I need a break.
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I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I want it to end after 9. I wish it had ended after the prequels. SW feels like ST now. The good times are not invalidated, but the brand has been diluted, and is not special anymore.
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Right now, I would say I agree. If Disney came back with a new strategy and a new head of Lucasfilm, I might feel differently. I don’t want more average Star Wars.
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This looks like a fun watch … on DVD though. 🙂
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DVD…Wids, high def…high def…my apparently electronically challenged friend Wids. You crazy kids get yerself a blu ray player immmmediately lol.
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Bwhahahaha 😀 … there has to be a single word that encompasses all the viewing platforms that aren’t cinemas. 🙂
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…video?
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