CANNES 2013
James Gray's 'The Immigrant' Trailer Chases the American Dream
With the 2014 Cannes Film Festival coming up, it's been nearly a year since The Immigrant debuted at last year's French film festival, and now the film is poised for release in limited theaters next month. The film follows two sisters (Marion Cotillard and Angela Sarafyan) in 1921 who head to America in search of a new life, but their immigration turns into a nightmare when one is quarantined for a lung disease, and the other is forced into prostitution in order to try and get her out, all while dealing with a dastardly man named Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix) who may have ruined her chance at a happy ending with his cousin Emil (Jeremy Renner). The movie hasn't garnered much buzz, but it looks like it could be worth checking out.
› Posted on April 17 in Cannes 13, To Watch, Trailer | 4 Comments
Cannes Interview: Nicolas Winding Refn on Cinema, Art & Hollywood
"Art is not about perfection… perfection is not art." Now this is a great interview. At the end of the Cannes Film Festival I was given the opportunity to interview Nicolas Winding Refn, the controversial Danish writer & director of Only God Forgives, Drive, Valhalla Rising and Bronson. I was at Cannes back in 2011 when Drive premiered and was on the positive side of Only God Forgives when it premiered this year. I lucked out and ended up having a full 22-minute video discussion with Refn in Cannes, covering art and cinema to the Chinese food he just ate, to collaboration in Thailand and violence in society to everything else inbetween. Plus, that James Bond scoop I posted the other day is my last question at the end. Must watch!
› Posted on May 30 in Cannes 13, Interview, To Watch | 8 Comments
Cannes Interview: 'Fruitvale Station' Writer & Director Ryan Coogler
2013's breakout success - Ryan Coogler. He swept the awards at Sundance this year, with Fruitvale taking home both the Grand Jury & Audience Award, then went on to play Cannes to a standing ovation. Next stop, Oscars? Well, before we get to that, it's time to catch up with the man behind it all, Ryan Coogler himself. I've been looking forward to talking with him ever since first seeing Fruitvale during Sundance. I finally got the chance to catch up with Ryan and chat about the film on the beach at the Cannes Film Festival this summer. The interview was recorded on a Flipcam and gives a good introduction to the story. Watch below.
Cannes 2013: My Top Films of the Fest - 'Blue', 'Llewyn Davis' & 'Lost'
The best of the fest revealed. Over the last few years I've notoriously disliked the Palme d'Or winner in Cannes. Ironically enough, this year's Palme d'Or winner and Grand Prix winner happened to match my own #1 and #2 best films. And I wrote up this list on the flight home before the winners were announced. As a recap, I've also listed 4 other favorite films of the fest, ones that left an impression and have been lingering in my mind ever since first seeing them. My #1 film (Blue!) I saw late in the fest but it swept me off my feet and I fell in love with it, even though it runs 3 hours long (the longest film I saw). Other than that, I enjoyed a good variety of other unique films and wanted to highlight the best out of the 24 Cannes movies I watched.
Cannes 2013: Our Festival Experiences Captured in Vines & 'Grams
The 2013 Cannes Film Festival just concluded this past weekend, and most critics and attendees have returned home. Capturing the experience of Cannes is hard to do in words alone, as it takes place right on the beach on the French Riviera, mostly inside of a building called the Palais des Festivals. After spending two weeks there taking photos on the Croisette and inside the various theaters, I wanted to share a gallery that provides a better idea of what it's like to be there. I love attending this fest and I love living in France for two weeks, and I capture my experiences best in photos on Instagram and 6-second Vines. Take a look!
› Posted on May 27 in Cannes 13, Cool Stuff, Feat, Photos | 2 Comments
Cannes 2013 Blog: New Friends & Terrific Memories 24 Films Later
All good things must come to an end. It's that time again. That time when the last of us still left in Cannes pack our bags, grab a final dinner and drinks with friends, and head to the airport. We've reached the end of the 12 days of the Cannes Film Festival and my typically cheery demeanor has morphed into bittersweet sadness. Nostalgia has already kicked in thinking back over the last two weeks (and the last four years) I've spent in the South of France in cinema heaven with amazing friends. My fifth year at Cannes has come to an end, but I've begun to love this fest more and more each year I go. Now 24 films later it's time to get home.
› Posted on May 26 in Cannes 13, Editorial, Indies | 9 Comments
Fest Fave 'Blue is the Warmest Color' Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes 2013
Blue! Winners of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival awards, including the coveted Palme d'Or, were revealed at a ceremony today in Cannes. The big winner is Blue is the Warmest Color, the 3-hour lesbian drama that won over just about everyone late in the fest. Over the past few years I've often complained about the Palme winner usually being a film I did not like, or just didn't care for, but this year I truly respect all the winners. It seems to be a particularly superb year, with the Coen Brothers earning the second place Grand Prix prize as well and Berenice Bejo from Farhadi's The Past taking Best Actress. Fantastic picks all around.
› Posted on May 26 in Cannes 13, Indies, Movie News | 6 Comments
Sony Classics Grabs Jarmusch's Vampire Film 'Only Lovers Left Alive'
One of the very last films to premiere late in the Cannes Film Festival, wrapping up this weekend, is Jim Jarmusch's new film - Only Lovers Left Alive, starring Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, John Hurt and Mia Wasikowska as long-haired hipsterish vampires living in Detroit. Not long after the film showed to a theater full of press, Sony Pictures Classics released a press release announcing their acquisition of the film for North American release. It's a smart move and fast buy, likely pre-arranged, and perfectly timed with the film's unveiling, which received quite a bit of positive buzz. It's a low-key but awkwardly funny film.
› Posted on May 25 in Cannes 13, Indies, Movie News | 4 Comments
Positive/Negative: Divisive Reactions to Refn's 'Only God Forgives'
This past Wednesday morning at 8:30AM, Nicolas Winding Refn's ninth feature film, Only God Forgives, premiered inside the Grand Lumiere at the Cannes Film Festival to a crowd of critics and press from all over the world. The response 90 minutes later was instantly divisive, with reactions ranging from incredibly negative and "hated it" to overly positive and "loved it". While the majority of responses I saw seemed to lean towards the negative side, there's always something fun about emerging from a film that gets such split response. As long as there are people who did love it (like me!), there's something curious there to discuss.
Cannes 2013: J.C. Chandor's 'All is Lost' is Meticulous, Extraordinary
Lost at sea. This film is a work of art. Stunning in so many ways, and it couldn't be simpler, but that's why it's so extraordinary. All is Lost, the second feature from Oscar nominated writer/director J.C. Chandor (of Margin Call previously), stars Robert Redford and only Redford as the sole captain of a sailboat that ends up lost at sea after being damaged in the Indian Ocean. There isn't any dialogue, only a few lines from Redford throughout, and nothing but him trying to survive on a boat for 106 minutes. It's grueling, thrilling, meticulous, inspiring and most importantly, moving. I can't stop thinking about it and how wonderful it is.
› Posted on May 23 in Cannes 13, Review | 2 Comments
Cannes 2013: Bloody, Nasty Revenge in Refn's 'Only God Forgives'
Tarantino is out, Refn is in. At the start of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, it opens with the Klingon Proverb, "Revenge is a dish best served cold." Back in the 90s, Tarantino was leading the genre game in Cannes, winning the Palme d'Or for Pulp Fiction. While he's still making great films today, the next generation has tagged in. In 2011, Nicolas Winding Refn rocked the Croisette with the film Drive and he has returned this year to premiere Only God Forgives. Starring Ryan Gosling again this artsy, slow burn, extremely violent Bangkok-set revenge drama is a dish definitely served cold, with a slice of style and minor substance.
› Posted on May 22 in Cannes 13, Review | 12 Comments
Cannes 2013: Sci-Fi 'Last Days on Mars' Retreads Familiar Territory
One of the very few full-on science fiction films premiering at the Cannes Film Festival this year is a thriller called The Last Days on Mars, directed by Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson making his feature debut after a number of shorts including Blinky™ and Fifty Percent Grey. Set on Mars at the end of a six month manned mission to the planet to search for signs of life, it starts out as an intriguing indie sci-fi with some promise. But alas devolves into something that I hate to say is derivative and brings absolutely nothing new to the sci-fi game, which is a bit unfortunate because it otherwise visually looks great—some concept work was done by Weta, but the rest of the visual effects were made entirely by Screen Scene based out of Ireland.
› Posted on May 20 in Cannes 13, Review, Sci-Fi | 12 Comments
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