Director James Gray ("Two Lovers," "The Immigrant"), currently serving as jury president at the 2018 Marrakech Film Festival, thinks critics should not be given as much power at film festivals to criticize movies because, quite frankly, they are bad judges of movie quality:
Read moreJames Gray says the Cannes Film Festival is “stuck in 1968" and “protectors of the status quo"
Maybe we can scratch off James Gray's films being selected in the future for the Cannes Film Festival.
The writer-director of "Two Lovers" recently told Variety “The critical establishment [of Cannes] is stuck in 1968. (…) They are protectors of the status quo.” And yet, Gray had the luxury of premiering his 2013 film “The Immigrant” during the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
Read moreFremaux: Cannes and Netflix May Settle Their Feud; Not Sure If Scorsese's "The Irishman" Will Be Finished On Time For Cannes 2019
Interviewed by French outlet Le Point, Cannes director Thierry Fremaux discussed the next steps in the Cannes/Netflix debate.
The topic of Alfonso Cuaron's incredible film "Roma" came at the forefront of the conversation:
Read moreJames Gray's 'Ad Astra' moves from January to May 2019
I kept telling HE's Jeffrey Wells that there is absolutely no chance in hell that 20th Century Fox’s James Gray sci-fi movie "Ad Astra" (which was meant to be released in mid-January) would receive an Academy-qualifying release in December. No chance. Gray's films are not Oscar-bait, he's a lone-wolf that goes by his own creative juices. So, of course, unsurprisingly, it was announced yesterday that Gray's “epic science fiction thriller” is now set for release on May 24th, 2019. You can put a Cannes premiere in the bank with that date now settled-in.
Read moreLee Chang-Dong’s ‘Burning' is the Best Movie of 2018 so Far
My favorite film of the Cannes Film Festival, and of the year so far, has been Lee Chang-Dong's "Burning," which, so it happens, is a damn-near miraculous achievement. I would go as far and say I've never really seen anything quite like it. The cinematic movement happening right now in Korea is quite special.
Bar none, the best movie I saw at the last Cannes Film Festival. There wasn't even debate. Why? Because I don't think I've ever seen a movie quite like the genre-morphing "Burning." Even if it uses many of the enticing tropes of a whodunit drama, it feels incredibly fresh. Some of the filmmaker coming out of South Korea these days are utterly fascinating.
Read moreDirector Jacques Audiard says he will refuse a Cannes invitation in the future
The Cannes Film Festival made quite a few enemies this year. After all, it rejected filmmakers such as Mike Leigh, Carlos Reygadas, Luca Guadagnino, Lazslo Nemes, Mia Hansen-Love, Jennifer Kent, Paolo Sorrentino, and Tomas Vinterberg, not to mention the four Netflix titles it had accepted but then had to rescind due to its ongoing spar with the streaming giant; films by Alfonso Cuaron, Paul Greengrass, Orson Welles, and Jeremy Saulnier were all given the boot.
Read moreItalian Filmmaker Decides to Wear a Homemade "Weinstein is Innocent" T-Shirt at Red Carpet Premiere of 'Suspiria'
“One person's craziness is another person's reality.” ― Tim Burton.
When it comes to bad ideas, this might just take the cake. Director Luciano Silighini Garagnani showing off his homemade "Weinstein is Innocent" T-shirt during the red carpet premiere of Luca Guadagnino's "Suspiria" at the Venice Film Festival. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a joke, but now people know who he is.
Nadine Labaki’s ‘Capharnaüm’ Restlessly Moves Like An Uber-Realist ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ [Cannes Review]
After it screened, Nadine Labaki's "Capharnaum" was the frontrunner to win the Palme D'Or due to its rather pushy sentimentalism and the fact that it was directed by a woman. Well, regardless, it lost to "Shoplifters," but was given the third place prize. I liked a lot of what I saw in this film, especially young Zain Alfreea, whose scenes here are remarkable for an 11 year old actor. My review.
Hirokazu Kore-Eda's “Shoplifters” wins the Palme d’Or
The closing night ceremony of the 71st Cannes Film Festival happened yesterday, but I was already on a flight back to Boston when President Cate Blanchett and her group of jurors including Lea Seydoux, Kristen Stewart, Ava DuVernay, Denis Villeneuve and more decided that Hirokazu Kore-Eda's “Shoplifters” was the Palme d’Or winner. Kore-Eda was at Cannes previously with seven different efforts, and “Like Father, Like Son” even won the Jury Prize in 2013. Apparently, the jury decision was unanimous. “No blood was shed,” said Blanchett.
Palme d’Or
Shoplifters, dir: Hirokazu Kore-Eda
Grand Prize
Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
Jury Prize
Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
Special Palme d’Or
Jean-Luc Godard, Image Book
Best Actor
Marcello Fonte, Dogman
Best Director
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War
Best Screenplay
TIE
Alice Rohrwacher, Happy As Lazzaro
Nader Saeivar, 3 Faces
Best Actress
Samal Yeslyamova, My Little One
Caméra d’Or
Girl, dir: Lukas Dhont
Short Film Palme d’Or
All These Creatures, dir: Charles Williams
Special Mention: On The Border, dir: Wei Shujun
‘Lazzaro Felice’: Alice Rohrwacher’s Evokes Timeless, 1960s Cinema [Cannes Review]
Full review at The Playlist.
Cannes: Lars Von Trier's “The House That Jack Built" is much more thoughtful and meditative than you think
CANNES – Lars von Trier‘s "The House That Jack Built" came to Cannes with a lot of heavy baggage, but, after having seen it at this morning's press screening, the end result is actually von Trier indicting himself and his sins more than anything else, even as he repulses us. This is exactly the film you'd expect when delving into a serial killer drama directed by von Trier and yet, perverse fetishes aside, there are moments that give us a kind of satisfaction, as if the filmmaker is telling us that he deserves to be damned into the deepest pits of hell.
Read moreCannes: Spike Lee's “BlackKklansman" delivers rousing political entertainment
CANNES – Spike Lee‘s “BlacKkKlansman" is his best film since 2006's "Inside Man" and, maybe even, 2002's "The 25th Hour," although it doesn't come close to equaling the aforementioned latter which is a indisputably great movie. No, this latest joint from Lee shares more similarities to "Inside Man," in its unequivocally joyous attempt to entertain in every which way possible.
Read more‘Girl’: A Breakout Director & Performer Create A Tender, Artful Tale Of Trans Struggle [Cannes Review]
Full review at The Playlist.
Interview: Paul Verhoeven Talks ‘Elle,’ Why Well Known Actresses Turned It Down & The Problem With Hollywood
I spoke to Paul Verhoeven at Cannes about his upcoming film, “Elle”. Full Interview can be found HERE.