May 2006
Cannes hangover.
By Alison Willmore on 05/31/2006
At Salon, Andrew O'Hehir churns out what's totally our favorite Cannes wrap-up.Perhaps the only thing more startling than Loach's Palme d'Or was the list of films that went totally unmentioned, either during the Palmarès or the subsequent press conference. The jury members had plenty of opportunity to discuss favorite films they couldn't quite find awards for; we heard about how much Tim Roth loved Chinese director Lou Ye's "Summer Palace," and how much Samuel L. Jackson was affected by Giacomo Rizzo's performance as a cynical loan shark in Paolo Sorrentino's "The Family Friend." Everybody waxed eloquent about Portuguese director... MORE »
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Bits and pieces and rumors.
By Alison Willmore on 05/31/2006
We don't really see films in the theater anymore, or going near the theater...or, well, getting outside much. Still, the "Apocalypto" poster? Rather compelling, even on screen. MonkeyPeaches comes across a rumor (just a rumor, please treat it as such!) that Donnie Yen, Zhang Ziyi and...George Clooney were approached at Cannes by the Weinsteins regarding possible roles in their planned (though possibly blasphemous) remake of "The Seven Samurai." At Variety, Ben Fritz writes that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences is considering making day-and-date released films ineligible for Oscar consideration, something that seems unfair and backward and... MORE »
Cannes: "The Wind" done won.
By Alison Willmore on 05/30/2006
So: Palme d'Or: Ken Loach's "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" Grand Prix: Bruno Dumont's "Flandres" Prix du Jury: Andrea Arnold's "Red Road" Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu, for "Babel" Screenplay: Pedro Almodóvar, for "Volver" Actress(es): Penélope Cruz, Carmen Maura, Lola Dueñas, Chus Lampreave, Yohana Cobo and Blanca Portillo for "Volver" Actor(s): Jamel Debbouze, Samy Naceri, Sami Bouajila, Roschdy Zem and Bernard Blancan for "Indigènes" Camera d'Or: Corneliu Porumboiu's "A Fost Sau NA Fost?" So. Safe to say that no one saw that coming, even if, as Roger Ebert writes, "It is apparently true that Sam Jackson told somebody there were... MORE »
Shohei Imamura, 1926-2006.
By Alison Willmore on 05/30/2006
Director Shohei Imamura, who portrayed modern Japan's downtrodden in raw realism and eroticism and became the first Japanese to win the prestigious Palme d'Or at Cannes twice, died of cancer. He was 79. Often considered the top Japanese director since the late Akira Kurosawa, Imamura was a pioneer of the country's New Wave movement, moving away from classical themes to focus on prostitutes, ex-convicts and other characters from the underground.Others will eulogize Imamura with far more knowledge and poetry than we ever can (and some have already), but we...we will always associate him with the extremely prosaic (and ever... MORE »
"Wanderlust" and the weekend.
By Alison Willmore on 05/26/2006
We're about to spoon ourselves out of the Cannes and head home for the long weekend. (There's not much left beyond "Pan's Labyrinth," which, incidentally, we're heard great things about from two sources already after an unofficial press screening at the festival the other day.) Unrelated: this Monday on the ol' network, you can catch the premiere of "Wanderlust," an original documentary on road movies written and directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, the filmmakers responsible for "American Splendor." We haven't actually seen it yet, but hey, who the hell didn't like "American Splendor"? Back Tuesday.... MORE »
The week's critic wrangle: Er...what?
By Alison Willmore on 05/26/2006
Filed under: Critic wrangleSave "An Inconvenient Truth," a bit quiet this weekend on the film front. Oh, and there's some comic book movie. + "Cavite": Neill Dela Llana and Ian Gamazon's uberindie (see this interview with them for more, they're pretty amazing) gets a tiny release in New York and LA and acclaim from all sides. At LA Weekly, some uncredited person (Ella Taylor? Scott Foundas?) writes that it's "nearly as taut from a political standpoint as it is from a narrative one." Dennis Lim at the Village Voice observes that "Despite its indie ingenuity, 'Cavite' is a blockbuster at heart," but that... MORE »
Odds: Thursday - Cannes, the rest o' the world.
By Alison Willmore on 05/25/2006
Roger Ebert (whose meandering festival reports we find ourselves enjoying much more than his reviews, which we of course scoff at: "What the hell do you know, you damn Pulitzer Prize winner?! Scoffscoffscoffscoff.") reflects not once, but twice, on Cannes booing: One, re: the infamous "Marie Antoinette" press screening:Variety, the showbiz bible, reported the booing was "Gallic-accented.â€" As a test I have been trying to boo with a French accent. I think a Gallic boo sounds like BOOoo! starting strong and fading abruptly, while an American boo sounds like a prolonged booOOO! In any event, I did not boo.... MORE »
"The Host," acquired.
By Alison Willmore on 05/25/2006
Straight from the inbox: MAGNOLIA PICTURES ACQUIRES BONG JOON-HO’S THE HOST New York, New York, May 25, 2006 – Magnolia Pictures announced today the acquisition of all English language territories for Director’s Fortnight entry Bong Joon-ho’s (Memories of Murder, Barking Dogs Never Bite). Called “the best film I’ve seen to date at this year’s festival†by Manohla Dargis of the New York Times, Magnolia has slated the film for a late 2006 release. A hybrid of genre elements drawn from science fiction, horror, family drama and more, The Host finds present-day Seoul terrorized by an unidentified monster... MORE »
Your Adequacy.
By Alison Willmore on 05/24/2006
Tired and under the weather last week, we skipped a screening of Davis Guggenheim's "An Inconvenient Truth," grumbling something about the doc being presented to the public as the equivalent of "cinematic spinach" (and the counter of how many people have "pledged to see the truth" at the top of the official site ain't helping that impression). Andrea Meyer, one of IFC News writers, tossed that back in our face with a piece that is entirely a direct appeal to the public to see the film. Now, in light of that and other recent press, we stand thoroughly chastised...yes,... MORE »
Cannes: Weinsteins take Asia, everyone hearts "Babel."
By Alison Willmore on 05/24/2006
The juicy biz announcement du jour: via Gregg Kilday at Hollywood Reporter, "Bob and Harvey Weinstein unveiled a new label Tuesday called Dragon Dynasty, under which the Weinstein Co. will release Asian films." Given the Weinsteins' track record releasing Asian films through Miramax, this announcement has probably sent fans shrieking in fear off into the distance (and straight to the bootleg import DVD store)...but don't worry, all, Quentin Tarantino has been called in to advise on the new label, which will span DVDs and some theatrical releases. Yeah. At least this explains the fate lying in store for the... MORE »
Cannes: Marie, darling, you're looking a bit peaky.
By Alison Willmore on 05/24/2006
The "Marie Antoinette" premiere is happening as we speak on the Cannes Cam; meanwhile, early word is mixed (when is it not?) regarding Sofia Coppola's latest effort. Jeffrey Wells notes that the crowd booed, and suggests that "This will certainly rank as a stain upon Coppola's reputation, as she has arguably made the shallowest and dullest historical biopic of all time." At the Hollywood Reporter, Kirk Honeycutt is far more generous to the film, and does point out that:This is not a portrait, even though it is based on Antonia Fraser's biography "Marie Antoinette: The Journey," that will play... MORE »
A few Cannes snapshots.
By Alison Willmore on 05/23/2006
Matt Dentler (who also notes that "Tartan did pick up North American rights for that film, 'Princess,' I liked and blogged about the other day") offers up a slew of photos, including one of "alas, my new best friend: the guy who sells crepes off a cart on the street." Jeffrey Wells has a shot of the poster for the new Wong Kar Wai "My Blueberry Nights" (still, of course, only in pre-production) with Norah Jones looming large (Jude Law and Natalie Portman have just been added to the cast). Scott Roxborough at the Risky Biz blog shares that:London-based... MORE »
Cannes: Over the hump.
By Alison Willmore on 05/23/2006
We've just past the midpoint of the 59th Cannes Film Festival, and it's either so good there are no clear Competition frontrunners...or so inconsistent there are no clear Competition frontrunners, or maybe just so unexceptional. Kirk Honeycutt and Ray Bennett at Hollywood Reporter:The 59th edition of the Festival de Cannes is shaping up as the best Competition since the much-celebrated 2002 vintage. ("The Pianist" won, you'll recall.) Which does not mean that one can easily spot the winners. There are some obvious front-runners though, as well as some obvious disappointments. And certainly this jury, weighed so heavily with actors,... MORE »
Val Guest, 1911-2006.
By Alison Willmore on 05/22/2006
Writer/director Val Guest passed away on May 10 at age 94. Via the AP:Guest died of prostate cancer on May 10 in a Palm Desert hospice, said his wife, actress Yolande Donlan. He "brought a lot of intelligence to a genre that is often sorely in need of it," said director Joe Dante, a longtime fan of his films. "Every single one of his pictures is thoughtful and well-done."The extremely prolific Guest directed dozens of films in his long career, but was probably best known for his Hammer films "The Quartermass Experiment" (which we recall weeping in fear over... MORE »
What weekend?
By Alison Willmore on 05/22/2006
A few quickies: "The Da Vinci Code": Color us bemused. $77 million opening weekend, despite those reviews. At Cannes, people are plotzing over DreamWorks' 20-minute preview of Bill Condon's "Dreamgirls," which stars Beyoncé and Jamie Foxx and which is based on the Broadway musical based on the rise of Diana Ross and the Supremes. Bob Tourtellotte at Reuters:Shouts of "more" echoed round the room after the four brief scenes were shown -- the first ever screening of the clips -- and when Foxx addressed the crowd, Oscar whispers filled the air.We imagine that's like smoke filling the air, but... MORE »
The week's critic wrangle: "Twelve and Holding," "The King."
By Alison Willmore on 05/19/2006
Filed under: Critic wrangle+ "Twelve and Holding": "L.I.E."'s Michael Cuesta returns with another shocking look at teenage suburban life as — Armond White writes in the NY Press, he has "what Truffaut called an 'idée fixe.' He's stuck on recreating adolescent trauma, examining that period when sex and social rules don't come together satisfactorily." White, who liked "L.I.E.", is not impressed by "Twelve and Holding," which he believes "offers no revelation." Dennis Lim at the Village Voice goes further: "[S]triking in both its confidence and its incoherence...Cuesta's new poisoned valentine to adolescence, a tragicomedy of pubertal acting out, is likewise premised on... MORE »
"The King."
By Alison Willmore on 05/19/2006
Screenwriter Milo Addica likes his themes big and biblical (or Greek): Death. Redemption. Rebirth. "The King," the third film he's scripted (after 2001's "Monster's Ball" and 2004's "Birth") has a similarly grand wingspan: Directed by doc veteran James March, the film is about a Southern Gothic tale about David, a born-again preacher (William Hurt) who's visited by a ghost from his less-than-righteous past, a son he fathered and abandoned in Mexico who'll end up offering him a near-impossible test of his beliefs. We never see that resolution: as the title implies, this film is about faith (and about family,... MORE »
Two Cannes quickies and nerd paradise.
By Alison Willmore on 05/19/2006
Dave Kehr, managing to break Cannes news from afar, writes that:A source close to the production of Johnnie To's "Election 2," which is screening out of competition in Cannes, tells me that mainland Chinese security forces confiscated and burned the promotional brochures that had been prepared for the film’s Croisette launch. The apparent reason: To's "director’s statement," in which he draws a parallel between the fictional Triad power struggle he depicts and Chinese politics.Kehr includes an excerpt of To's director's statement; Grady Hendrix at Kaiju Shakedown, following up on the story, offers a PDF of the brochure in question. Please,... MORE »
Today's Cannes, plus: some Tom Hanks film.
By Alison Willmore on 05/18/2006
"Code"...something? L, we know it begins with L! Yes, so, as has been well-reported, Cannes critics are, for the most part, not fond of Mr. Howard's latest effort. Still, no one (and you can see most current reviews here at Rotten Tomatoes) seems to take as much pleasure in their pan as the New York Times A.O. Scott, who's apparently been spending his "book leave" sharpening his long knives in anticipation of applying them to Dan Brown:To their credit the director and his screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman (who collaborated with Mr. Howard on "Cinderella Man" and "A Beautiful Mind"), have... MORE »
Cannes pre-commencement bits.
By Alison Willmore on 05/17/2006
Are you all watching the Cannes Cam? Opening ceremonies start soonish. Speaking of, more inevitable "Da Vinci Code" stories (and we've avoiding the bulk of them). At the New York Times, Sharon Waxman writes about the unprecedented marketing of a film 96% of people polled were aware of and 60% "definite interest," and then slaps us with this:Industry estimates of the film's expected ticket sales for the opening weekend at the domestic box office range from $70 million to over $100 million.Ouch! For a film that's never going to keep the interest of most anyone under 16? We shall... MORE »
Yo ho, yo ho, a critic's life for me.
By Alison Willmore on 05/16/2006
At his blog, Dave Kehr writes about the New York Daily News' decision not to renew the contract of film critic Jami Bernard, and then rants about the paper in general:During my tenure at the news – seven years that I keep hoping will disappear down an Ambien hole and never disturb my troubled sleep again – Jami and I suffered unbelievable interference from the editorial higher-ups, all of whom seemed to believe that they were vastly more capable of registering the “populist†perspective on a given film (in DN speak, “populist†is a term of art meaning “barely... MORE »
The Cannes Cam lives!
By Alison Willmore on 05/16/2006
It lives! In fact, it lives here. Yes, for the duration of Cannes this webcam will provide a live feed of the red carpet. Of course, as the festival hasn't started yet, all you can see right now are the dimly lit silhouettes of a few palm trees and the occasional backs of heads of persons unfamous. But tomorrow, yes, tomorrow, will be the opening ceremonies and the "Da Vinci Code" premiere — plenty of opportunities to see the backs of the heads of the rich and famous. For the meantime, may we suggest you turn up your speakers... MORE »
Odds: Monday - Playing catch-up.
By Alison Willmore on 05/15/2006
This did make us giggle. It's awful, but we did giggle. From Caveh Zahedi's blog:The film opened in Corvallis, Oregon, this week. It made 5 dollars on Friday, 5 dollars on Saturday, and 9 dollars on Sunday because of word of mouth.At Slate, Armond White lavishes exorbitant praise on something we, for once, actually like: that Wes Anderson commercial. But really, the piece is a springboard for White to discuss the slowness with which certain hipster filmmaker churn out films: "For unaccountable reasons, it seems to take forever for this generation of bright young film artists—Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze, David... MORE »
Cannes-d.
By Alison Willmore on 05/15/2006
Anything exciting happen while we were gone? So everyone's talking about John Anderson's piece in yesterday's New York Times about the tough time winners of film's most prestigious festival award have had in the US, more specifically last year's Palme d'Or recipient, "L'Enfant." In fact, solely "L'Enfant," which prompts David Poland at The Hot Blog to dig up numbers for past, more successful Palme d'Or winners and Anthony Kaufman to write: "L'enfant," the Dardenne brothers' marvelous morality fable and winner of last year's Palme, may have not made $2 million at the box office, but that's because it's in... MORE »
Like painted kites, those days and nights - went flyin' by.
By Alison Willmore on 05/10/2006
In line with our generally bloggish flakiness the past weeks, we're going to be absent for a few days (in California to see the folks). In the meantime, here are the IFC News team's summer picks. [Incidentally, until we saw it on the Onion AV Club's very funny summer movie preview, we hadn't realized that "The Lake House" was that "Il Mare" remake we'd seen floating around for ages. Finally, we've moved beyond mediocre remakes of Asian horror flicks to sure-to-be-lukewarm remakes of Asian romances! Bring it on, Gurinder Chadha.]+ FEATURE: Our Picks of the Flicks of Summer (IFC News)... MORE »
Interviews: Glover, Clowes, Bernal.
By Alison Willmore on 05/09/2006
We know everyone and their mother has read this already, but still: Keith Brammer's interview with one Crispin Hellion Glover at the Onion AV Club on "What Is It?", self distribution and the state of indie film is solid gold. Weird, weird gold.One of the reasons I made the film in this fashion is that films right now sit within the boundaries of what's considered good and evil. And if a filmmaker wants to make or distribute a film which has elements in it that go beyond good and evil, where there is not a commentary on those elements,... MORE »
You childhood will eat itself: The Return.
By Alison Willmore on 05/09/2006
Continued from last year, in which we spent far too much time fantasy casting a "Thundercats" adaptation (we're still drumming our nails over that inevitable announcement). In the Hollywood Reporter today, word that the Weinstein Co. is going forward with a "Knight Rider" motion picture (to begin production next year), with the following quote from show creator Glen A. Larson:The project had previously been in development at Revolution Studios. Larson has bandied about the project for years. "A number of people wanted to do a pure comedic send-up of it, but I always felt that would throw away the franchise,"... MORE »
Tribeca: Fin.
By Alison Willmore on 05/08/2006
The complete list of festival winner is here. Selections:Best Narrative Feature: "Blessed By Fire," Dir: Tristán Bauer (Spain) Best Doc: "The War Tapes," Dir: Deborah Scranton (USA) Best NY Narrative Feature: "The Treatment," Dir: Oren Rudavsky Best NY Doc Feature: "When I Came Home," Dir: Dan Lohaus Jury Prize: "Voices of Bam," Dirs: Aliona van der Horst and Maasja Ooms (The Netherlands) Audience Award: "The Cats of Mirikitani," Dir: Linda Hattendorf The general grumblings about the festival seem to be that it's looking a little porky around the midsection, and that sure as hell isn't muscle under there in... MORE »
The end of things.
By Alison Willmore on 05/05/2006
[Jonathan Rhys Meyers is in "Mission: Impossible III"? We're totally going to go see it now. Oh, turn those judging eyes away.] In the Guardian, Alex Cox writes about the prolonged death of the western at the hands of Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah. Describing a photo of the two with Monte Hellman on the set of "China 9, Liberty 37," he writes:In the photo, Peckinpah and Leone don't look at each other. Leone is gazing out, past the camera, his glasses reflecting movie lights. Peckinpah is looking at Hellman, his director. The significance of the second photograph, I... MORE »
The week's critic wrangle: "The Promise," "The Proposition," and "Art School Confidential."
By Alison Willmore on 05/05/2006
Filed under: Critic wrangle+ "The Promise": We'd been forewarned about Armond White's review of Chen Kaige's pricey fantasy epic. But still!With "The Promise," Chen Kaige joins cinema’s archetypal visionaries from Murnau to Kurosawa, Bertolucci to Boorman. He’s made an action movie rich with adult meaning and paradox—as when the Princess pauses and kisses the General, a kiss that gives orgasmic rest. Chen commits to genre refinement; he shows exactly what you need to see with no excess—but with sudden shifts where dreamlike events take on a realism of supernal clarity. "The Promise" is a corrective to the HK/Peter Jackson trend where action... MORE »
"Art School Confidential."
By Alison Willmore on 05/05/2006
How do you make fun of the art world? Like the current presidential administration, the art world eludes any approach with satirical intent — whatever jabs you can come up with, the reality is probably far stranger and worse. Daniel Clowes published the comic on which "Art School Confidential" is loosely based earlier in his career — a short, amusing, bitter "expose" of the art school world (Clowes attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn) from someone whose art school days were clearly not so far behind him. The film, the second collaboration between director Terry Zwigoff and Clowes, is... MORE »
Tribeca! Part deux.
By Alison Willmore on 05/04/2006
A more promising round this time: "The Road to Guantanamo"Directors: Michael Winterbottom, Mat WhitecrossWinterbottom's Silver Bear winner brushes by Tribeca on its way to a US theatrical release slated for June 23rd, one of the higher-profile Middle East-focused films in a festival heavy with them. Fleet and imbued with an extraordinary sense of urgency, "The Road to Guantanamo" isn't a film you can really like or dislike — it's intended to provoke a sense of outrage and, in that regard, it's extremely effective. Winterbottom turns the story over to Ruhel Ahmed, Asif Iqbal and Shafiq Rasul, the "Tipton Three,"... MORE »
Odds: Wednesday - Lhomme and "The Long Goodbye."
By Alison Willmore on 05/03/2006
At our own IFC News, Dan Persons talks with "Army of Shadows" cinematographer Pierre Lhomme (who also supervised restoration of the new 35mm print currently playing at Film Forum) about returning to the film and about working with director Jean-Pierre Melville:He said, "Mr. Lhomme, would you please come into the car?" So I went into the car, and he then he drove me to his home, just like in a thriller. And he immediately spoke to me of cinema. He was fond of cinema; he was speaking always of cinema, nothing else. And he spoke to me mostly of... MORE »
The many faces of controversy.
By Alison Willmore on 05/03/2006
We're still making our way through the "United 93" reviews (which, despite their surprising sameness in sentiment, we still find more interesting than the film itself). David Segal at the Washington Post was at the Tribeca premiere, and writes about the surreality of the first 9/11 Hollywood blockbuster:The theater was filled with relatives and friends of those who died that day, and at the end of the film, the section where they sat -- in rows of seats in the balcony -- dissolved into a collective wail of grief. Have you ever heard 100 people crying at the same time?... MORE »
Clash of the (indie) titans.
By Alison Willmore on 05/01/2006
This was quite a weekend for film if you were in New York, what with Cristi Puiu's critically adored "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu" at the Film Forum (our New York Film Festival review is here) along with "Army of Shadows," and of course, you could pick your version of cinematic Asian femininity: demure Korean revenge-obsessive, languid Taiwanese pseudo-Bardot, or waifish Cantonese recovering addict (all of these films being strategically released together and during the first weekend of the Tribeca Film Festival to insure minimal attendance: "Lazarescu" apparently pulled in a fat opening weekend haul of...$5880). We've seen "Lady... MORE »
How do you solve a problem like Tribeca?
By Alison Willmore on 05/01/2006
That title is to be sung with a backup band of nuns, naturally. With over 250 films, many mid-level ones arriving without any kind of buzz, airing twelve at a time at press and public screenings scattered throughout the city from 68th Street to Battery Park, the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival is enough to make a grown journalist cry. We've seen it. Or perhaps we've done it ourselves. We haven't had much luck so far with our picks, possibly because we've stuck mainly with the narratives when by most accounts the docs have been far stronger (which is becoming... MORE »
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