Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 8:00AM by Nathaniel R
THREE KILOMETRES TO THE END OF THE WORLD © Vlad Dumitrescu
It's that time of year when countries are regularly announcing their Oscar submission. We started the week with 15 contenders but now we're at 18 and we have three new finalist lists, as well...
Monday, May 20, 2024 at 2:00PM by Elisa Giudici
BIRD
A couple of renowned names in competition have presented less-than-perfect movies, while newcomers have showcased some convincing entries today at Cannes Film Festival.
BIRD by Andrea Arnold
Since Fish Tank, I've never quite rekindled my enthusiasm for Andrea Arnold's films. However, Bird came very close. Some may argue that it feels more like a feature-length attempt to mimic Arnold's style than an actual Arnold film, but I personally found it compelling...
Friday, May 17, 2024 at 10:00PM 
KINDS OF KINDNESS (2024) Yorgos Lanthimos
After the uproar Megalopolis caused, day four at the Cannes Film Festival was bound to pale in comparison. Nevertheless, it was a busy time at the Croisette, with three Main Competition films making their bows. First was Emanuel Pârvu's Three Miles to the End of the World, which was thought to be a strong contender for the Queer Palm before being met with tepid reviews. Next was Yorgos Lanthimos' Kinds of Kindness, an anthological reunion between the director and his erstwhile writing partner, Efthymis Filippou. The well-reviewed picture marks their first collaboration since 2017. Finally, beloved auteur and Facebook nuisance Paul Schrader presented Oh, Canada, ruminating on mortality and regret.
Walking down memory lane into these directors' past work, let's consider a tryptic bound by themes of guilt. They're Pârvu's Mikado, Lanthimos' The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Schrader's Light Sleeper…
Monday, April 22, 2024 at 9:00PM 
Michel Hazanavicius joins the Official Competition with an animated film.
As expected, a few more titles have been added to this year's Cannes Film Festival lineup. In the Premiere section, Jessica Palud's Maria Schneider biopic joins a star-studded selection. One of this year's two Count of Monte-Cristo adaptations will screen Out of Competition, while a pair of buzzy documentaries will bow in the Special Screenings program. They are Oliver Stone's Lula and Lou Ye's An Unfinished Film. Other new titles in that section include Arnaud Desplechin's latest Paul Dedalus film and Nasty, directed by Tudor Giurgiu, Cristian Pascariu, and Tudor D. Popescu. But of course, the most important announcements concern the Main Competition, where three films complete the 22-title lineup…
Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 11:00PM So many films wear the label of "provocative" as a medal of honor, boasting about their challenges to the audience and engaging shock. Yet, most of those reveal themselves as anything but, their provocation an empty buzzword for a press release. Because disappointment is so common, it feels doubly refreshing when a genuinely provocative film comes about, like a punch to the solar plexus that makes you smile and beg for more. That's the case of Radu Jude's Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, a Locarno prize-winner recently announced as Romania's official submission for the 96th Academy Awards. Pardon the vulgarity, but it's a fucking masterpiece...
