Marion Cotillard wears Chalayan SS15 Look 43
Who: Marion Cotillard
What: Chalayan SS15 – Look 43
Where: Two Days One Night Press Conference, Los Angeles
When: 11th November 2014
Tag Archives: Marion Cotillard
56th BFI London Film Festival: What’s On
The programme for the 56th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express launched today under the new creative leadership of BFI’s Head of Exhibition and Festival Director, Clare Stewart, bringing a rich and diverse programme of international films and events from both established and upcoming talent over a 12 day celebration of cinema. The Festival will screen a total of 225 fiction and documentary features, including 14 World Premieres, 15 International Premieres and 34 European Premieres. There will also be screenings of 111 live action and animated shorts. A stellar line-up of directors, cast and crew are expected to take part in career interviews, master classes, and other special events. The 56th BFI London Film Festival will run from 10-21 October 2012.
This year sees the introduction of several changes to the Festival’s format. Now taking place over 12 days, the Festival expands further from its traditional Leicester Square cinemas – Odeon West End, Vue West End, Odeon Leicester Square and Empire – and the BFI Southbank to include four additional new venues – Hackney Picturehouse, Renoir, Everyman Screen on the Green and Rich Mix, which join existing London venues the ICA, Curzon Mayfair, Ritzy Brixton and Ciné Lumière.
GALAS
The Festival opens with the European Premiere of Tim Burton’s 3D animation FRANKENWEENIE, whilst Mike Newell’s visually stunning adaptation of GREAT EXPECTATIONS, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes will close the Festival, with key talent from both films expected to attend. Among the highly anticipated Galas is the American Express Gala World Premiere of CROSSFIRE HURRICANE, a documentary celebrating 50 years of rock legendsThe Rolling Stones who are also expected to attend the Festival. For the first time this year both the Opening Night Gala and the American Express Gala red carpet events and screenings will be screened simultaneously to cinemas across the UK. Other Galas include the American Airlines Gala of Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut, QUARTET, featuring an outstanding British cast including Dame Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly and Michael Gambon; and Ben Affleck directs and stars in the Accenture Gala presentation of political thriller ARGO which he also produced with George Clooney. British film directors making their mark this year include Paul Andrew Williams with London-based comedy drama, SONG FOR MARION, which screens as The Mayfair Hotel Gala and features a sterling cast headed by Vanessa Redgrave, Terence Stamp, Gemma Arterton and Christopher Eccleston; and Roger Michell, whose HYDE PARK ON HUDSON is the Centrepiece Gala supported by the Mayor of London, stars Bill Murray, Laura Linney, Olivia Colman and Olivia Williams and is set on the eve of WWII when the King and Queen of England make a visit to see Franklin D Roosevelt in upstate New York. Nintendo Gala THE SAPPHIRES, is an inspirational Australian musical comedy set in the 60s starring comic man of the moment Chris O’Dowd, who appears alongside Australian Idol star Jessica Mauboy; and THE SESSIONS, is a moving drama, based on a true story with superb performances from John Hawkes, Helen Hunt and William H. Macy.
AWARDS AND COMPETITIONS
The BFI London Film Festival Awards have undergone a significant change this year by introducing competitive sections that are given much more prominence in the Festival campaign and programme. The Best Film Award in partnership with American Express; the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature and the Grierson Award for Best Documentary will now be presented to the winning films from three programme sections: Official Competition, First Feature Competition and Documentary Competition. Each section is open to international and British films and 12 films have been shortlisted for each Competition.
Official Competition
The inaugural Official Competition line-up, recognising inspiring, inventive and distinctive filmmaking, includes four European premieres:
· Michael Winterbottom’s EVERYDAY
· Sally Potter’s Ginger and Rosa
· Deepa Mehta’s Midnight’s Children
· Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths
Together with UK premieres of
· Michel Franco’s After Lucia
· David Ayer’s End of Watch
· Rama Burshtein’s Fill the Void
· Daniele Ciprì’s It Was the Son
· François Ozon’s In the House
· Cate Shortland’s Lore
· Pablo Larraín’s No
· Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone
Titles in consideration for the First Feature Competition recognising an original and imaginative directorial debut are:
3 European premieres
· Masaaki Akahori’s The Samurai that Night
· Anand Gandhi’s Ship of Theseus
· Barry Berk’s Sleeper’s Wake
and 9 UK premieres
· Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild
· Tom Shkolnik’s The Comedian
· Maja Miloš’ Clip
· Gabriela Pichler’s Eat Sleep Die
· Sally El Hosaini’s My Brother the Devil
· Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Neighbouring Sounds
· Scott Graham’s Shell
· Andrey Gryazev’s Tomorrow
· Haifaa Al Mansour’s Wadjda
In the Documentary Competition category, in partnership with the Grierson Trust, recognising documentaries with integrity, originality, and social or cultural significance, the Festival is screening:
4 World Premieres
· Charlie Paul’s For No Good Reason
· Nick Ryan’s The Summit
· Sarah Gavron’s Village at the End of the World
· Greg Olliver’s Turned Towards the Sun
1 International Premiere
· Sébastien Lifshitz’s Les Invisibles
4 European Premieres
· Jay Bulger’s Beware of Mr Baker
· Shola Lynch’s Free Angela and All Political Prisoners
· Alex Gibney’s Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God
· Amy Berg’s West of Memphis
3 UK Premieres
· Katja Gauriloff’s Canned Dreams
· Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns’ The Central Park Five
· Ulises Rosell’s The Ethnographer
Closing the Awards section is the prize for Best British Newcomer, in partnership with Swarovski, which highlights new British talent and is presented to an emerging writer, actor, producer or director. The recipient of this prize will also receive a £5,000 bursary, courtesy of Swarovski.
This year’s nominees are:
1. Rowan Athale – director/screenwriter Wasteland
2. Sally El Hosaini – director/screenwriter My Brother the Devil
3. Fady Elsayed – actor My Brother the Devil
4. Scott Graham – director/screenwriter Shell
5. Eloise Laurence – actor Broken
6. Rufus Norris – director Broken
7. Chloe Pirrie actor Shell
8. Tom Shkolnik – director/screenwriter The Comedian
STRANDS / PATHWAYS
This year significant changes have been made to the structure of the Festival programme with new focused categories that are clustered around the themes of Love, Debate, Dare, Laugh, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Sonic and Family. With over 200 features screened during the Festival this new approach is designed to help Festival goers find the films that mean the most to them and to open up entry points for new audiences.
LOVE
Sweet, passionate, tough – LOVE is a complex and many splendoured thing.
The Love Gala is Michael Haneke’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner AMOUR, with Haneke making a welcome return to the Festival this year.
Other titles in this section include: BROKEN starring Tim Roth and Cillian Murphy; Ira Sachs’ KEEP THE LIGHTS ON; Xavier Dolan’s LAURENCE ANYWAYS; Liz Garbus’ documentary tribute to Marilyn Monroe LOVE, MARILYN; ROBOT AND FRANK starring Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon, and Ursula Meier’s SISTER with Léa Seydoux and Gillian Anderson.
DEBATE
Riveting films that amplify, scrutinise, argue and surprise screen in the DEBATE section and this year’s Gala is the European Premiere of THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO IDEOLOGY an absorbing documentary sequel to THE PERVERT’S GUIDE TO CINEMA from Sophie Fiennes featuring renegade philosopher and bionic cineaste Slavoj Žižek who also takes part in an ‘In Conversation’ event during the Festival.
Other highlights in this section include Marco Bellocchio’s DORMANT BEAUTY featuring Toni Servillo and Isabelle Huppert, Thomas Vinterberg’s THE HUNT featuring Mads Mikkelsen’s Cannes award-winning performance, and the European Premiere of ZAYTOUN.
DARE
In-your-face, up-front and arresting, the films in DARE will take audiences out of their comfort zone. The Dare Gala is Mira Nair’s Venice-opener THE RELUCTANT FUNDAMENTALIST, starring Kate Hudson, Kiefer Sutherland, Riz Ahmed and Liev Schreiber.
Other highlights in this strand include: the European Premiere of HELTER SKELTER featuring Japanese supermodel Erika Sawajiri, the World Premiere of KELLY + VICTOR Kieran Evans’ adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Niall Griffiths, and the International Premiere of Antonio Campos’ SIMON KILLER, Carlos Reygadas’ Cannes-winner POST TENEBRAS LUX, Pablo Trapero’s gripping and intelligent drama, WHITE ELEPHANT, and Sergei Loznitsa’s critically celebrated IN THE FOG.
LAUGH
From laugh out loud through romantic comedy to dry and understated – humour in all its forms can be seen in the LAUGH section. A romantic caravan trip quickly descends into chaos when a young couple’s dream holiday takes a wrong turn in acclaimed British director Ben Wheatley’s dark comedy SIGHTSEERS which has its UK premiere as the Laugh Gala.
Other titles in this strand include the International Premiere of Bollywood-meets-Tollywood Amelie style AIYYA, the UK Premiere of romantic comedy CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER starring Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg and the European Premiere of Stephen Gyllenhaal’s GRASSROOTS, and the International Premiere of Australian cricketing ‘bro’mantic comedy SAVE YOUR LEGS!
THRILL
The films in THRILL are nerve shredders that will get the adrenalin pumping and keep audiences on the edge of their seat; The Gala presentation for this section is the World Premiere of Bollywood action epic CHAKRAVYUH, directed by Prakash Jha who will be attending the Festival.
Other highlights in this section include: controversial Sundance hit COMPLIANCE, Nordic Noir double bill of EASY MONEY and its sequel; the Berlin Golden Bear winner CAESAR MUST DIE and Korean box office smash NAMELESS GANGSTER: RULES OF THE TIME.
CULT
The CULT section features films from the mind-altering and unclassifiable, to fantasy, sci-fi and horror. The Cult Gala is the European Premiere of A LIAR’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY chronicling the life of Monty Python’s Graham Chapman through multiple animation styles and featuring Chapman’s fellow Pythons in the voice cast.
Other highlights in this section include: ANTIVIRAL, the feature film debut of Brandon Cronenberg; the International Premiere of Actress Katie Aselton’s directorial outing, the survival horror BLACK ROCK; Japanese maestro Takashi Miike’s FOR LOVE’S SAKE and Juan Carlos Medina’s fantasy horror PAINLESS, along with documentaries MY AMITYVILLE HORROR, THE JEFFREY DAHMER FILES, and ROOM 237.
JOURNEY
Whether it’s the journey or the destination, the films in JOURNEY will transport and shift perspectives.
Celebrated Romanian director Cristian Mungiu returns to the Festival with BEYOND THE HILLS screening as the Journey Gala . The film won Best Screenplay at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, where actresses Cristina Flutur and Cosmina Stratan also shared best actress award.
Other titles in this strand include: riveting Moroccan drama HORSES OF GOD, Raymond Depardon and Claudine Nougaret’s documentary JOURNAL DE FRANCE, Jem Cohen’s MUSEUM HOURS, Michel Gondry’s THE WE AND THE I and the World Premiere of Marc Isaac’s new documentary about the A5 –THE ROAD: A STORY OF LIFE AND DEATH
SONIC
Music inspired films and events that will have audiences dancing in the aisles can be discovered in SONIC.
Highlights in the Sonic screening programme include Mat Whitecross’ coming-of-age story SPIKE ISLAND about an Indie band of 1990 vintage, who are determined to see their heroes The Stone Roses; GOOD VIBRATIONS, the biopic of Terri Hooley, Belfast’s Godfather of Punk, which was declared the best Irish film at Galway Film Fleadh earlier this year; and world music is represented with films from Africa and Chile, KINSHASA KIDS and VIOLETA WENT TO HEAVEN.
The Festival is delighted to include two popular events from the year-round programme at BFI Southbank for the first time – BUG and Sonic Cinema, both celebrating the links between music and film. Sonic Cinema presentations include a focus on the Sigur Ros Valtari Mystery Film Experiment featuring premieres of new clips and, in celebration of Warp Films’ 10th Birthday, a special presentation of Shane Meadow’s THIS IS ENGLAND screening with a live score from composer Ludovico Einaudiand and musician Gavin Clark. Regular BUG host Adam Buxton will present a special artist focus with talent to be announced.
FAMILY
The Festival showcases films for all ages in its FAMILY section and this year’s Family Gala is ERNEST & CELESTINE, the delightful animated story of an unlikely friendship between a bear and a mouse from the directors of A TOWN CALLED PANIC. In addition to Opening Night Gala FRANKENWEENIE, there are five other animated features screening in the Festival as well as an animated shorts programme. Three of the family features are hand-drawn films from France, and WOLF CHILDREN is the new hotly anticipated animated title from Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda.
SHORTS
An original and innovative line-up of short films and animation that will enthral audiences young and old make up this year’s SHORTS programme including a dedicated section for younger audiences. Animated shorts for children include THE SANDPIXIES: DA CAPO GEORGE, THE MISSING MEATBALLS and I WANT TO SEE DWARFS.
Short film compilation programmes include Crime & Punishment with films featuring criminals, their actions and the consequences; Blood is Thicker Than Water with films examining interactions and relationships between friends, lovers and families and Obsessive and Compulsive with films that examine far-from-healthy obsessions.
Once again the London Calling section features a selection of shorts from budding filmmakers from across the capital and this year student films from some of the UK’s best film schools will be showcased in Back to School
These short films feature a host of well known faces including: Alison Steadman, Ralf Little, Tom Hollander, Martin Freeman, Stephen Graham and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
EXPERIMENTA
This year’s the Festival will present its largest ever series of artists moving image programmes, culminating in the annual EXPERIMENTA Weekend from 19-21 October 2012. In collaboration with the ICA, the Festival will also present several screenings of artists’ films to coincide with the Frieze Art Fair, from 10-13 October 2012. Peter Kubelka’s new work ANTIPHON will screen with ARNULF RAINER in an expanded projection event – Monument Film. Both films will be physically installed on the walls of the BFI Southbank Atrium for the duration of the Festival. The extraordinary presentation of Monument Film in the NFT1 cinema forms the centrepiece of an Experimenta Weekend which is full of outstanding visions. Thom Andersen, Nathaniel Dorsky and Laida Lertxundi return with new films, whilst Mati Diop introduces her award-winning work in London for the first time, and Beatrice Gibson premieres THE TIGER’S MIND.
TREASURES
Treasures brings recently restored cinematic treasures from archives around the world to the Festival.
This year’s previously announced Archive Gala is the World Premiere of the restoration of Alfred Hitchcock’s THE MANXMAN at the Empire Leicester Square with a live accompaniment by Stephen Horne. The Gala marks the grand finale of the BFI’s The Genius of Hitchcock project which commenced in June 2012 and is currently screening at BFI Southbank.
Digital restoration can have spectacular results, as shown in, David Lean’s LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, the full length director’s cut of the brand new 4K digital restoration which will premiere at the NFT1 showcasing BFI Southbank’s new 4K projector for the first time. The screening will be accompanied by a presentation from Grover Crisp, who will give a talk about the restoration work. Sir Laurence Olivier’s iconic RICHARD III also benefits from a fully restored print which will be screened at the Festival. Other highlights include silent movie THE SPANISH DANCER, a lavish costume romp with a live piano accompaniment; the BFI-backed revival of Roman Polanski’s TESS; a newly made documentary BERGMAN & MAGNANI:THE WAR OF VOLCANOES screening alongside a restoration of Roberto Rossellini’s VIAGGIO IN ITALIA and the latest restoration by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation, AFTER THE CURFEW which is a political commentary on what happened after Indonesia was liberated from Dutch occupation.
EVENTS & EXHIBITIONS
The EVENTS programme features the highly anticipated Screen Talks and Masterclasses.
This year’s Screen Talks in partnership with American Express, includes celebrated author Salman Rushdie whose adaptation of his own novel MIDNIGHT’S CHILDREN screens in Official Competition and Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney who is at the Festival with his new film MEA MAXIMA CULPA: SILENCE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD in Documentary Competition.
The Masterclasses, presented in partnership with Swarovski, feature leading music supervisor Ian Neil (SPIKE ISLAND) and production design team David Wasco and Sandy Reynolds-Wasco who designed Martin McDonagh’s SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS. Time Out continues to support the free access ‘In Focus’ events, which this year sees four events with a focus on British Cinema.
The Art of Frankenweenie Exhibition supported by American Express is taking place at the Festival Village, Southbank Centre. In addition, the Festival is proud to be working alongside the V&A’s major autumn exhibition Hollywood Costume with two events celebrating the role of costume on film and featuring the exhibition’s senior curator, the Academy Award- nominated costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis.
The Festival will announce its complete guest line-up in early October.
The Dark Knight Rises {Film Review}
*WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!*
Since 2005, Christopher Nolan rebooted the Caped Crusader as we all thought he was long gone with Batman Begins. No one had expectations when the director of Memento was on-board but he delivered one of the biggest surprises and created a film that many other comic book hero films will try to imitate. Then he raised the expectations even higher with the announcement of a sequel and he delivered The Dark Knight in 2008. Continuing to bring maturity and intellectual story-telling but also made an impact to many filmmakers. Now Batman has risen from the darkness and finally has a new challenge, not only from new villains but also Christopher Nolan announcing it will be the conclusion to The Dark Knight Trilogy. Many argue there hasn’t yet been a great comic book hero trilogy and the third in the series always tends to not live up to its predecessors (X-Men, Spider-Man etc.) I can safely say this isn’t that case and will say early that this is the best comic book hero trilogy to date!
The story is set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne hanging up his mantle as Batman and keeping away from the spot-light since. Until the terrorist known as Bane enters the stage and plans to bring destruction and chaos to Gotham City. Meanwhile, Bruce interacts with Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman, though never referenced by that name), a cat-burglar but an anti-hero who only helps her own (survival of the fittest). Bruce sees this as an opportunity to go back as the dark knight and come face-to-face with Bane but things go worse than expected (A LOT worse!).
There’s only so much I can reveal the story but it is better to experience it on the big screen. Wally Pfister’s cinematography and Nathan Crowely’s production design really amps the scale, you feel the anarchy Bane delivers from the many set-pieces this film delivers (if you thought the hallway fight scene in Inception was mind-blowing, Nolan really tops that from the opening sequence which could mistake it as a Bond opening). Hans Zimmer’s music is a more bombastic score, further bringing the thundering emotion of Bane’s menacing speeches and actions. Everything about the production in this film is top-notch, do you expect anything less with a Christopher Nolan film? I will say the film is bold and daring to go to places most filmmakers would not even think twice on going, all credit goes to not only Chris Nolan but co-writers David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan. Though people will find obvious references to Occupy Wall Street, especially Bane’s motivation on punishing the wealthy and supporting the people (even releasing the prisoners of Gotham to have the city to their own will). The story really does come to full-circle, whatever happened in Begins or Knight comes to full affect in Rises. With all the gloom and doom in this film, Nolan doesn’t forget to bring some humour into this film as he had done from his previous films. The story’s events comes from these three Batman comic book story arcs; The Dark Knight Returns, Knightfall and No Man’s Land.
Christian Bale really does shine as he delves deeper to his emotional struggles in this movie, you can feel the suffering and pain he has to go through. Which makes his journey to rise from the ground and come out soaring! Like his father says to him in Batman Begins “why do we fall, Bruce? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up!”, a line that runs through his motivation to save the city and its citizens. Tom Hardy brings a brute menace to Bane and finally brings justice to the character that was ruined in Batman & Robin. He may have the muscles and brawn to show but it’s his tactical thinking that makes him even more threatening. He may lack the sinister edge of Heath Ledger’s Joker but that doesn’t detract the type of villainy he delivers. You honestly worry about Batman, as Bane just brushes off everything Batman throws at him from fists to various techs from his utility belt. Anne Hathaway is terrific as Selina Kyle / Catwoman, she has her own code which is she looks for her own self and doesn’t get involved with anyone else. Though the chemistry between Bruce and Selina is quite electric, both exchanging quips and sassy comebacks but it evolves to something more intimate. Seeing the both of them work together is probably my favourite scenes from the whole film and I honestly think (controversy incoming) Hathaway does portray Catwoman more faithfully than Michelle Pfeiffer did in Batman Returns. The rest of the supporting cast continue to bring the best of their characters; Michael Caine makes an emotionally strong performance as Alfred, fearing the loss of Bruce and not wanting to go through the pain again as he lost Bruce’s parents (a powerful scene where Alfred confesses to Bruce that he wished he never came back). Gary Oldman continues to be the best Jim Gordon, growing to stand being a strong character and is actually exciting he can take care of himself despite his age. Morgan Freeman is the ever charming Lucius Fox, he too continues to grow such a strong supporting character.
Is it perfect? No but neither was The Avengers and I enjoyed the hell out of it. The surprise twists won’t surprise most comic book fans but I also blame the media on releasing a few images online that really should have been left offline. Bruce’s reason on exiling himself from the world for such a long time because of the death of Rachel Dawes is a bit hard to swallow but is a minor nit-pick that doesn’t affect the overall film. Zimmer’s score is great to listen to and gets your adrenaline going but it is a bit too thundering at places (and sometimes partially hard to listen when characters are talking). I think many people (including the YouTube community) will start to make fun of Bane’s voice, though I never had a problem understanding him from trailers and didn’t have a problem understanding him in the film. The ending may split opinions, as some may find it being something really bold and broad but then leads to something completely different. Also a reference towards the character of John Blake felt a bit forced and didn’t work in my opinion.
As much I really do enjoy this Batman series immensely, I am glad Christopher Nolan has finished with the series and will be moving forward to make more films in the same vein as Memento or Inception where his strengths as a story-teller really does show! Though for now, he’ll be producing Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in 2013 with Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman.
Overall; this film is fantastic, a satisfying conclusion to The Dark Knight Trilogy. Despite the minor faults this movie has, it still delivers an epic blockbuster not only just from the scale but also in emotion. Thank you Mr. Nolan, you made an honourable farewell to one of the greatest iconic heroes of our time.
4 out of 5
CANNES 2012 PREVIEW
The most prestigious and coveted film festival on the planet is upon us as filmmakers, stars and journalists descend on the southern French seaside resort to view and critique some of the most anticipated films of the year. Of course I cannot be going myself; the rigour of the festival is said to drive even the most dedicated of film journalists to the edge let alone a beginner. But I can definitely cast my eye over the selection and pick ten of them that have caught my and other cinefiles eyes. Some of these have confirmed UK release dates, others do not. Either way the calibre of these titles should see them generating plenty of buzz before their arrival on these shores.
MOONRISE KINGDOM
The seventh feature from the king of idiosyncratic American indie cinema Wes Anderson is a period piece set in the mid sixties following two runaway teenagers in love and the haphazard search party that sets out after them. Anderson stalwarts Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman are joined by newcomers Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and Frances McDormand to name a few. Anderson’s exceptionally detailed, designed and witty directorial style may not be to all tastes but for fans of his work this is set to tick all the boxes.
LOVE
Austrian master of discomfort Michael Haneke returns to France for a tale of a couple who must care for the wife’s elderly parents. French acting legend Isabelle Huppert appears alongside William Shimmel of the magnificent Certified Copy in what would appear to be a more gentle approach for Haneke. Those familiar with his work however, will be prepared for terrible things to happen.
KILLING THEM SOFTLY
The Assassination of Jesse James was one of the most criminally underrated films of recent years so hopes are high for director Andrew Dominik and star Brad Pitt’s reunion in this gritty crime thriller about an underworld investigation into a card game heist co starring Sam Shepard, Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini and Ray Liotta. Pitt appeared in last year’s big Cannes winner The Tree Of Life. Can he make it two in a row?
COSMOPOLIS
Robert Pattinson has the hearts of millions of Twilight fans and now we find out if he can win critical acclaim in Canadian maestro David Cronenberg’s twisted thriller about a young elitist yuppie travelling across New York City for a designer haircut and getting caught up in a dystopian, cultural revolution. Imagine a science-fiction take on American Psycho.
GRANDMASTERS
Wong Kar- wai has had glory at Cannes before with his visually lush and unconventional takes on traditional genre features with In The Mood For Love and Chungking Express. Now he turns his fine eye to a classic martial arts tale (based on the Ip Man series) with Asian superstar Tony Leung pulling all the moves.
RUST AND BONE
Jacques Audiard is known for his poetic yet brutal dramas such as A Prophet and The Beat My Heart Skipped. Hopes are high for this dramatic tale of a marine park worker crippled in an accident who finds solace with an immigrant bouncer. The magnificent Marion Cotillard plays the lead and after being sadly relegated in recent American roles she may have to clear space next to her first Oscar for La Vie En Rose…
LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE
Abbas Kiarostami is a master of blurring the line between fiction and cinematic construct and recently had glory at Cannes with Certified Copy. Here he heads to Japan, focusing on the relationship between an aging academic and a student side-lining as a prostitute. Whatever the context of their relationship the director’s previous work dictates that appearances can be deceiving.
ON THE ROAD
Jack Kerouac’s seminal road journey novel has been rolling around studios for years and now Walter Salles of the excellent road movie The Motorcycle Diaries turns his attention to the tale of two young men making their way across fifties America. Sam Riley of the the brilliant Control appears alongside Kirsten Stewart, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Elisabeth Moss and Steve Buscemi. For the cast alone this is a must see.
LAWLESS
Reminiscent of his gritty western The Proposition, Australian director John Hillcot’s latest is another tale of outlaw brothers (here in prohibition era America) whose familial bonds are pushed to the limit by the pursuing lawmen and each other. Again this is a stellar cast; Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain and Gary Oldman to name just a few.
THE ANGEL’S SHARE
Britain’s poet of the people Ken Loach is another Cannes stalwart and this appears to balance the mix between gentle humour and gritty realism of his previous work and concerns a young tearaway who finds a chance at redemption and success in the surprisingly sophisticated world of whisky brewing and selling.
The Cannes Film Festival runs from 16 May to 27 May.
Midnight in Paris – Review
It’s hard to go into a film fresh, viewing it as a single work, as opposed to comparing it to similar films or previous films from the creator. Especially when it comes to Woody Allen.
He is a writer/director who has had, in many critics’ eyes, a very specific golden age. There’s been many calls of a ‘return to form’, but these are often followed up by huge flops.
Sweet and Lowdown was followed by Small Time Crooks, Match Point by Scoop and Casandra’s Dream, Vicky Cristina Barcelona by Whatever Works.
Everyone wants to see him hit his heights again, and so are constantly comparing his recent output to early greats like Annie Hall and Manhattan. However, this is unfair to Allen, and it’s a point he makes well in his most recent ‘return to form’.
While many could see Midnight in Paris as a love letter to a bygone era, it can also been seen as a dig at critics who are always looking for something greater in the past.
After all, it’s about a screenwriter who has been successful in the Hollywood system but who is trying to break out in writing something real, a true work of art, his great American novel.
Allen has been doing this his whole career – yet he’s been trapped by mainstream success. Even in Annie Hall, Alfie suffered a similar problem.
Like the critics who endlessly long for the days of Hannah and her Sisters, Owen Wilson’s Gil longs for Paris in the 1920’s. And, through one of the most simple time travel devices ever, he manages to find it.
Hemingway, the Fitzgerald’s, Dali, Picasso and many more all happen to be holidays in Paris and Gil takes a tour of his dream world with the greatest hosts he could imagine. However, it’s when he meets Marion Cotillard’s ‘art groupy’ that things start to get real for him.
Not only does she highlight the problems he’s facing with his soon-to-be wife in the real world, she, too, also longs for a different era, declaring Paris in the 20’s to be boring.
As a movie, it’s the most fun Allen has been in a while. While not really touching upon some of the bigger issues Allen has handled in the past, it doesn’t matter as its so funny, charming, and beautifully shot.