Viggo Mortensen loves him a good Western. The actor has starred in several of them, 2008’s “Appaloosa,” 2004’s “Hidalgo,” and even more recent arthouse international films like “Jauja” and “Far from Men” employ elements of this genre. Mortensen has also moved into writing and directing features in recent years, following the critically-acclaimed “Falling,” and so his next directorial effort, “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” is also returning to the dangerous Western frontier.

Continue reading ‘The Dead Don’t Hurt’ Trailer: Viggo Mortensen’s Latest Western Stars Vicky Krieps & Arrives In May at The Playlist.

Top-billed Vicky Krieps dies in the opening frame of Viggo Mortensen’s “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” with a tear running down her cheek and her co-star/director keeping vigil at her bedside, which might prompt some confusion from the casual viewer; is this a Western zombie movie? It is not, but it’s a picture that takes some time to reveal its methodology and motives; the viewer’s patience is required but rewarded.  

READ MORE: Toronto International Film Festival 2023: 26 Must-See Films To Watch At TIFF

Mortensen’s bona fides as a distinctive Western director are established moments later in scenes of offhand, unflinching brutality.

Continue reading ‘The Dead Don’t Hurt’ Review: Writer/Director/Star Viggo Mortensen’s Contemplative Western Is A Dazzling Showcase For Vicky Krieps [TIFF] at The Playlist.

It’s officially September. Summer is winding down, school is starting, and the Fall film festival circuit has kicked off. By the time you read this, you’ll have seen dozens of our reviews from the Venice Film Festival and Telluride Film Festivals. And so, while TIFF boasts much-anticipated titles like Christos Nikou’s “Fingernails” with Jessie Buckley, Richard Linklater’s “Hitman,” Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” reuniting him with Paul Giamatti, Michel Franco’s “Memory” with Jessica Chastain, Kitty Green’s “The Royal Hotel” with Julia Garner and Jessica Henwick, you’ll have read our reviews of those now.

Continue reading Toronto International Film Festival 2023: 26 Must-See Films To Watch At TIFF at The Playlist.

Eventually, Vicky Krieps is going to have her moment. The “Phantom Thread” star has already won a Cannes juried award and the European Award for Best Actress for the acclaimed period drama “Corsage.” Is an Oscar nomination in her future? As Krieps told us last month, “I find these awards very strange because they bring up a sense of competition when it’s not about competition. It’s about companionship and about doing it together.

Continue reading Vicky Krieps Took Her Teenage Fascination & Made ‘Corsage’ Happen [Interview] at The Playlist.