The Kelly Gang's Coming Soon

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I have no idea when Snowtown and Macbeth director Justin Kurzel's newest film, called True History of the Kelly Gang and which got some very fine attention at the Toronto Film Festival in September -- including tell of a Nicky Hoult nude scene worth the price of admission -- will be getting a release here in the U.S., but I'm guessing it'll be some ways into 2020. But the film, which also stars Babadook legend Essie Davis and Russell Crowe and 1917 star George Mackay (hey he just sat five inches away from me a couple of days ago) and Charlie Hunnam...

... excuse me, and Naked Charlie Hunnam...

... the film is getting released in its home country on the Australian streaming service called Stan (which is sort of their Netflix, although they have Netflix too) on January 26th. And so they've gone and released a vertiginous-shaped trailer, which thanks to the wonders of the internet I've now got to share with you. It looks absolutely bonkers. Watch:

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Obviously this is one I'll be covering every single little sniff of information about, so keep coming back to MNPP if you want such a thing! Assassin's Creed aside I think Kurzel is absolutely one of the most interesting directors working today and I can't wait to see what he does with the story of the Kelly Gang -- one of, if not The, Great Aussie Myths, which has already been filmed a ton of times at this point -- and with this insanely talented cast.

And also with Nicholas Hoult wearing nothing but sock garters. Did I mention Nicholas Hoult wearing nothing but sock garters? Nicholas Hoult wearing nothing but sock garters. There's no glimpse of that bit just yet but obviously they're gonna save the big money-shot for when it counts...

5 Off My Head: Hoult, My Hand

Thanks to Nathaniel over at The Film Experience for reminding me that it's Nicholas Hoult's 31st birthday today! And double the thanks for reminding me of that with gifs of Nicky naked in this year's True History of the Kelly Gang. We are always, always here for him in those sock garters and nothing else. Anyway as Nat said Mr. Hoult's become one of our most exciting young actors, and it ain't just because he looks like he looks  -- Pretty Nicky's got acting talent to boot. He's shown a real spark for comedy in particular. And wigs. Also wigs! And so to celebrate his day, here, a list...

My 5 Favorite Nicholas Hoult Performances

Peter, The Great

Nux, Mad Max: Fury Road

Kenny, A Single Man

R, Warm Bodies

Harley, The Favourite

Runners-up: About a Boy, Equals, Kill Your Friends,

True History of the Kelly Gang

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What are your favorite Nicky perfs?

Good Morning, World

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I wish I had gotten to see True History of the Kelly Gang in a theater instead of at home -- I've had trouble writing about it (but then, in case you hadn't noticed, I've been having trouble writing about everything since this *gestures at everything* began) and I think my thoughts might've been more concrete had I been consumed by the movie in the way movie theaters have a habit of making happen. At home, on my TV, I think it lost something -- what should have felt monumental... didn't. It felt like a puffing out of the chest but not an actual honest to goodness chest, know what I mean?

I'd like to give it a re-watch though, and not just -- not just -- because Nicholas Hoult and Charlie Hunnam and George Mackay form a Transformers-like tripod of exquisite male beauty within the thing. Justin Kurzel's proven himself a challenging, surprising filmmaker every time up to bat and I think there's a chance I could connect with it better on a second go-round. All of the pieces are there. The costumes, the mythic staging, the Shakespearean bonkers of it all. We will see.

Anyway I'm not actually here for THOTKG even though I just talked for two paragraphs about it and even though these gifs you see here of Nicky Hoult are from that film -- I'm here because Nicky's series The Great with Elle Fanning premieres on Hulu tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, and I wanna tell you...

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I can’t remember if I’m embargoed or not on The Great but let me just say that Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult owe it to all of us to get married and have lots and lots of gorgeous tall talented babies, for it is the beautiful future we all deserve

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) May 11, 2020

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... it's fucking dynamite. I was fairly certain it was a show made for me when I posted about it the very first time and then even more sure when we saw the first full trailer (here) but I have indeed seen the show now (all but the finale, that is) and it's My New Favorite Thing. It lives up to the trailer and more -- it's thigh-slappingly funny, stuffed with sumptuously outrageous costumes and characters (there's a deep bench of people doing very funny work) and indeed I could just stare at Elle & Nicky for a thousand more hours. I love this show like I love chocolate cake or oral sex. Chocolate cake AND oral sex, even.

Hoult here in particular continues to prove himself to be one of our best young actors -- this leans pretty hard into what he was doing with The Favourite (not a surprise given it's from The Favourite's writer) but why fix what's not broken? Give me a million shows and movies where he plays a contemptible shit-heel in ridiculous wigs (and, uhh, less -- cough cough keep an eye out for the sixth episode and you shall be rewarded) and I will sign up every goddamned time.

The Order of Men

I know that Justin Kurzel, the extremely talented director of Snowtown, Nitram, True History of the Kelly Gang, and the Macbeth with Michael Fassbender, is partnered up with Aussie queen (and Babadook mamma) Essie Davis. But every time he starts casting a movie and it fills up with hot dude after hot dude I... look askance. That's all I am saying. The dude casts his movies like he's me casting a movie. And on that note Deadline has word (thx Mac) that his next flick, a crime thriller called The Order, will star Tye Sheridan, Jude Law, and Nicholas Hoult. And let us recall that the last time Kurzel worked with Nicky, this happened...

That said we should perhaps temper our expectations this go-around since The Order doesn't exactly have a plot that screams sexytimes, as evidenced by this plot description:

"The film adapts the book The Silent Brotherhood by Kevin Flynn and Gary Gerhardt, which chronicles the escalating crimes of the titular white supremacist domestic terror group. It’s set in 1983 amongst the series of increasingly violent bank robberies, counterfeiting operations and armored car heists that frightened communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. As baffled law enforcement agents scrambled for answers, a lone FBI agent (Law), stationed in the sleepy, picturesque town of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, came to believe the crimes were not the work of traditional, financially motivated criminals, but a group of dangerous domestic terrorists, inspired by a radical, charismatic leader (Hoult), who are plotting a devastating war against the federal government of the United States."

Even though there's no mention of Tye Sheridan's role there it's impossible not to have half the script written, guessing where he fits in -- a young dude who falls under Hoult's entrancing but evil spell, but is torn, Jude Law tries to make him see the light, yadda yadda. It'll be interesting to see Nicky play a terrifying villain type though, right? He's been so hot and friendly lately. Even that dickhead Peter on The Great isn't meant to be utterly terrifying. 

This Gang's Got Bang

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I am always excited when Snowtown and Macbeth director Justin Kurtzel has a new movie coming out -- yeah okay sure Assassin's Creed was his last one and it was awful, but did you guys SEE those two other movies I mentioned? Every director's allowed a misfire, especially when they try to wrestle ye olde infernal video-game monster to the ground, Fassbender or no along for the flop.

Anyway what I'm trying to say is I was excited about True History of the Kelly Gang before I heard that there's a scene where Nicholas Hoult wears nothing but sock-garters. I really was! But these two new images from the movie, of Hoult's co-stars George MacKay -- our big gratuitous post about George was the first time we mentioned this movie at all -- and Charlie Hunnam below, are even more of a thrill. I mean not "more" than imagining Nicholas Hoult in only sock-garters. Nothing's more thrilling than imagining Nicky in only sock-garters. But these costumes are promising a thrill themselves!

Waters Flows Freely

Knew about these a few days ago but now I can link to them properly, instead of tweeting out a low-res image -- John Waters' Top 10 list for 2020 has arrived! Every year the Prince of Puke himself gifts us with his favorite films via Art Forum magazine, and every year they turn out to be the most delightfully idiosyncratic picks, as you'd expect from the man who filmed Mink Stole giving Divine a rosary-job inside an actual church. Atypically this year I've seen all but two of his eleven choices (he has one tie) -- usually that percentage is even more askew, but maybe my abilities to properly scout out the weird stuff beforehand are getting better. Huzzah, I'm comin' for ya, John!

As for what I haven't seen I haven't watched Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7 yet (John always loves a courtroom drama about political terrorists), and I hadn't even heard of Netflix's true-crime doc American Murder: The Family Next Door. Any of you seen it? I would link to all of my reviews of his other picks, most of which I've reviewed already, but I don't want to spoil the surprises if you haven't seen the list yet. You can find any reviews of mine then at this link as always, where they're listed in alphabetical order. And now I'd just like to thank John for giving me an opportunity to post a couple pictures of Charlie Hunnam & Nicholas Hoult in True History of the Kelly Gang, a gift I'll always grab at. See lots more back here!

Today's Fanboy Delusion

Today I'd rather be...

... putting my feet up with George Mackay.

I have a feeling I'm being impatient sharing these shots of George in Esquire (via) -- I think more will show up once the article attached to them does and I should probably wait until then to post them with that link... and yet here we are. All of this True History of the Kelly Gang stuff hitting in the past week (didja see Nicholas Hoult in his sock garters this morning?) has me overexcited -- I'll update this post with more pictures and a proper link once that arrives.

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And The Clock Strikes Nicky

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Today was one of them days where I just sort found myself staring at the wall for awhile... I'm sure we're all having those days now and then... more than usual, I mean. Anyway hence the quietude here on the site -- I didn't have anything much to say! And I still don't. But I do have a quartet of new Nicholas Hoult photos to share (via Vanity Fair) that are selling his show The Great with Elle Fanning, which I showed you the new trailer for yesterday; coincidentally Nicky's movie True History of the Kelly Gang (with Charlie Hunnam and George Mackay, which I went on and on about for awhile there) is out on streaming today as well, so it's a real Nicky Time To Be Alive. (Nuthin new there.) Hit the jump for the other three photos...

Good Morning, Jude Law

Our good boy Jude has a couple of movies out this fall -- there's The Order, his FBI versus the white supremiscists thriller (co-starring Nicky Hoult) from Snowtown and True History of the Kelly Gang director Justin Kurzel, and he has Eden, Ron Howard's film telling the true (weird, very weird) story of a group of bohemians and scientists clashing in the Galapagos in the 1920s. I have seen both of these movies, and they are both totally solid entertainments -- from Kurzel, who I revere, a "totally solid entertainment" is less than what I expect. While from Howard it's the opposite since I generally think he's become a terrible director. So a "totally solid entertainment" from him is a step up! 

Either way they're both serious adult movies worth watching, although I doubt they'll make much of a splash in the current entertainment landscape -- well except for Jude showing his dick in Eden. There have already been headlines about that! Anyway point being Jude has stuff coming out (heh, indeed) so he's on the cover of British GQ this month and these are the photos. I haven't read the interview yet so I don't know if he talks about them, if he talks about his penis, or what. So I did it for him. You're welcome, Jude. Hit the jump for the photos...

Pics of the Day

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You shouldn't expect too much coverage of this fall's Toronto Film Festival from yours truly here at MNPP because 2019 marks another year where I didn't apply for press accreditation because I'm a dingbat, and now that they're announcing what they're screening I just feel filled with rage and inadequacy (or I should say more rage and inadequacy than is usual) and even thinking about TIFF will make me crazy for the next few months. But they did indeed announce a bunch of line-up today, you can scan through all the movies right here -- they're screening the fall's must-see's like Justin Kurtzel's True History of the Kelly Gang (that's our boy George MacKay in the lead role up top, starring opposite Charlie Hunnam and Nicholas Hoult)...

... plus Bong Joon-ho's Parasite, Marielle Heller's A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (we just posted that trailer yesterday), the Safdie Brothers Good Time follow-up Uncut Gems, The Witch director Robert Eggers' latest heavy period horror flick The Lighthouse, Cannes' ecstatically reviewed Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Rian Johnson's Knives Out (trailer here), new flicks from Almodovar and Soderbergh and Noah Baumbach and Taika Waititi and on and on and on. Whatever you guys! You're just showing off now. Check out them all at this link.

Good Morning, World

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Good grief, I've been staring at this scene all weekend and no, no it's impact has not been lessened. Justin Kurzel's True History of the Kelly Gang was released on Australia's online streamer Stan over the weekend, meaning basically that the film was released worldwide as long as one knows how to go about such things. Which means I, and now you, didn't have to wait any longer to see the infamous "Nichols Hoult wearing nothing but sock garters" scene that we've been hearing about since the film debuted in Toronto. And my friends...

... it did not disappoint. Not only is Nicky looking the best he's ever looked on screen right now, but this scene is loaded with homoeroticism between him and George Mackay, who are talking sexy things, smoking sexy pipes, and so close on that sofa that one might slip inside the other without even realizing. It's a gift I will never forget or get over, truly. Hit the jump for several more gifs...

Noah Jupe is in Morning

Honey Boy and A Quiet Place actor Noah Jupe, who appears to be growing up, has just joined the cast of Macbeth and Snowtown director Justin Kurzel's next science-fiction movie called Morning, and it's one hell of a cast he's joining -- Laura Dern and Benedict Cumberbatch, namely. Here's the plot via Deadline:

"The film is set in a near future where society has a pill that does away with the need to sleep. With the added help of an artificial sun, there is no end to morning daylight, living and work. However, as a young generation grows up deprived of the world of sleep, they consider rebelling to reclaim their dreams."

Kurzel's last released film was True History of the Kelly Gang, which we gave a lot of play around these parts as 1) it's very good and 2) its cast of George Mackay, Charlie Hunnam, and Nicholas Hoult (in nothing but sock garters), was of specific this-site-interest. Kurzel has another finished film in the can -- called Nitram and starring Caleb Landry Jones and Judy f'ing Davis I actually shared the trailer for it last August and IFC was said at the time to be releasing the film in the first part of this year, but I haven't heard anything since then. Anyway we dig Kurzel and we clearly dig this new cast so sign us up. As for Jupe well I found this photoshoot of the sixteen-year-old so I am posting it after the jump but nobody look unless it's appropriate for you to do so (I personally wrote this post with my eyes closed)...

Good Morning, Naked Nicky

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Y'all remember how last Tuesday I posted the trailer for Justin Kurzel's crazy-looking and gorgeously-cast True History of the Kelly Gang and I said, and I quote, that "There's no glimpse of [Nicholas Hoult wearing nothing but sock garters] just yet but obviously they're gonna save the big money-shot for when it count"...? Because we'd heard that was a thing when the movie screened in Toronto? Well I was wrong, I can admit when I'm wrong, because they didn't save it for all that long -- there is a glimpse! My god. Here's the full image:

(via, thx Anon; click to embiggen) This movie looks so beautiful already, and I'm not even meaning the cinematically underrepresented fetish gear strapped to Nicky's calves. That appears to be co-star George Mackay on the sofa beside him too, and no, I cannot wait for this movie either. They get it in Australia in January -- no word for us poor un-Aussies just yet. Anyway in related news another trailer besides the first one I shared has been floating around this week and it includes a blurry hint more Naked Charlie Hunnam flopping buns-first onto a bed than the previous one showed, if you stare long enough to sort of which body part is which anyway...

Good Afternoon, Gratuitous George MacKay

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I can't remember what it was I was watching with the boyfriend the other day but he expressed a wish for more movies set during in World War I, and I immediately knew just what he meant - he meant that the military uniforms of WWI are really fine and don't get utilized on-screen by having attractive young actors wear them nearly enough. And I concur. Anyway today's news...

... that George MacKay here is going to star in a WWI movie for director Sam Mendes reminded me of that. It's to be called 1917 and MacKay will co-star with Tommen himself (aka Dean-Charles Chapman from A Game of Thrones) as "two young soldiers who have to trek across dangerous terrain." Certainly not a new story for a war movie, but what matters is execution, of course. And I tend to trust Sam Mendes' execution.

If you're wondering what you know MacKay from he was the oldest son in Captain Fantastic with Viggo Mortensen, and he was the oldest son in this year's horror film Marrowbone (read my review right here) and he was the ostensible lead (as much as the film had a lead) in Pride, the very good small-town gay-movie from 2013. It's felt like MacKay has  been waiting for his break-out year for a bit now, and maybe this'll do it.

(That photo is not from Pride but it should have been. Dammit.) But anyway even besides starring in the new Sam Mendes movie he's also co-starring opposite Charlie Hunnam and Nicholas Hoult in The True History of the Kelly Gang from Snowtown director Justin Kurzel, so yeah, it's gonna be a big couple of years for George MacKay, it seems. Although really it's all downhill from that time he did a super homoerotic photo-shoot with Theo James and Douglas Booth...

... where does one even go from there? Kidding aside I think MacKay has proven himself to be really very talented already, and I'm glad that casting directors seem to have noticed that as well. The best of luck to him and let's all hit the jump for over eighty (yes indeed, over eighty) more pictures as a way of communally celebrating his good fortune...

Pics of the Day

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Lucky goddamned dog! Justin "Snowtown" Kurzel's True History of the Kelly Gang is out in cinemas in Australia today and here are three new photos of Charlie Hunnam in it with which we shall celebrate that fact -- the last we talked about it we posted a very similar shot so if these are to your liking click here for one more. Oh and there's also that glimpse of Nicholas Hoult wearing nothing but sock garters, we shouldn't forget that shit! And don't miss the trailer either, which promises all sorts of further cinematic goodies to come. I don't know when this film will get an international release but it hits Australia's streaming platform called Stan. on January 26th so perhaps we won't have to wait too long...