The Review Rack

Here are some of the reviews of note that have been coming up at various festivals recently.
These are mainly mentioned because they single out a performance or two, which I like to do as it makes the acting races not seen like they are from such a small pool (as the choices usually are).

'Another Year'

So far the new Mike Leigh film is by and far the best reviewed film coming out of Cannes at the moment.
He is already a Cannes legend, but still continues to make movies that people are passionate about, even if his films are always the simplest premise (at first thought that is).
The film features wonderful performances from Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen, David Bradley, Philip Davis and Imelda Staunton, however the person with the biggest buzz is Leigh regular Lesley Manville. People are going ga ga for her performance and she is already being buzzed for the Actress prize at Cannes.


'Frankie & Alice'

Halle Berry's multiple personality movie got a decent review from 'The Hollywood Reporter'. Duane Byrge called Berry "Spellbinding" and also singled out Phylicia Rashad as her enabling mother. But before you mark you ballots remember that this same magazine gave 'Amelia' a rave last year.


'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps'

Getting pretty decent reviews, but on an acting front, it seems to be the Michael Douglas show with great support from Frank Langella. However it seems the whole cast seems to do well in the film with Josh Brolin and Carey Mulligan getting some fine notices as well.


'Meet Monica Velour'

And finally a big ole surprise.
This comedy about a teenage boy meeting and becoming obsessed with a former 80's porn star got a lot of buzz from the Tribeca Film Festival. It is supposed to be a surprisingly warm and tender comedy that is extremely well written and acted.
The majority of the acting buzz goes to Kim Cattrall - Yes people, Samantha Jones is getting raves.

"The effectively deglamorized Cattrall is terrific, investing her portrayal with a complex mixture of vulnerability, toughness and still-powerful sexuality." - Frank Scheck - The Hollywood Reporter

"Of course, after thirty years of professional wear and tear and marital and substance abuse, Ms. Velour is nothing more than a decaying façade of the glimmering beauty she once was. Spiteful and world-weary, Cattrall shines through the runny make-up and cheap outfits her character has become accustomed to and delivers an authentic portrayal of a woman who walked on the wild side and came through a marvelous mess. Her performance, along with the nostalgic reminiscence of porno’s home-video heyday, offers a loving nod to the skin-flick industry while poking fun at its ludicrous, unnecessary plot lines and C-rate production values." - Daniel Hubschman - Hollywood.com

"Thesping is excellent throughout. Cattrall kills as the cynically foul-mouthed ex-sex queen desperately trying to keep her head above water" - Ronnie Scheib - Variety

It would be a wonderful miracle to see her as a major award contender, but stranger things have happened. I for one will be routing for her. Out of all the SATC women she is the one most people would have never thought of being called a thespian.

Cannes Line Up

And so it begins! Bolded those to look out for!

Opening film:
Ridley Scott – ROBIN HOOD (Out of Competition)

In Competition
Mathieu Amalric – TOURNÉE
Xavier Beauvois – DES HOMMES ET DES DIEUX
Rachid Bouchareb – HORS LA LOI
Alejandro González Iñárritu – BIUTIFUL
Mahamat-Saleh Haroun – UN HOMME QUI CRIE (A Screaming Man)
IM Sangsoo – HOUSEMAID
Abbas Kiarostami – COPIE CONFORME
Takeshi Kitano – OUTRAGE
Lee Chang-dong – POETRY
Mike Leigh – ANOTHER YEAR
Doug Liman – FAIR GAME
Sergei Loznitsa – YOU. MY JOY
Daniele Luchetti – LA NOSTRA VITA
Nikita Mikhalkov – UTOMLYONNYE SOLNTSEM 2
Bertrand Tavernier – LA PRINCESSE DE MONTPENSIER
Apichatpong Weerasethakul – LOONG BOONMEE RALEUK CHAAT
Derek Cianfrance – BLUE VALENTINE
Manoel De Oliveira – O ESTRANHO CASO DE ANGÉLICA (Angelica)
Xavier Dolan – LES AMOURS IMAGINAIRES (Heartbeats)
Ivan Fund, Santiago Loza – LOS LABIOS
Fabrice Gobert – SIMON WERNER A DISPARU… (1st film)
Jean-Luc Godard – FILM SOCIALISME
Christoph Hochhäusler – UNTER DIR DIE STADT (The City Below)
Lodge Kerrigan – REBECCA H. (RETURN TO THE DOGS)
Ágnes Kocsis – PÁL ADRIENN (Adrienn Pál)
Vikramaditya Motwane – UDAAN (1st film)
Radu Muntean – MARTI, DUPA CRACIUN (Tuesday, After Christmas)
Hideo Nakata – CHATROOM
Cristi Puiu – AURORA (Aurora)
Hong Sangsoo – HA HA HA
Oliver Schmitz – LIFE ABOVE ALL
Daniel Vega – OCTUBRE (1st film)
David Verbeek – R U THERE
Xiaoshuai Wang – RIZHAO CHONGQING (Chongqing Blues)

Out of Competition:
Woody Allen – YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER
Stephen Frears – TAMARA DREWE
Oliver Stone – WALL STREET - MONEY NEVER SLEEPS

Midnight Screenings:
Gregg Araki – KABOOM
Gilles Marchand – L'AUTRE MONDE (Blackhole)

Special Screenings:
Charles Ferguson – INSIDE JOB
Sophie Fiennes – OVER YOUR CITIES GRASS WILL GROW
Patricio Guzman – NOSTALGIA DE LA LUZ (Nostalgia For The Light)
Sabina Guzzanti – DRAQUILA – L'ITALIA CHE TREMA
Otar Iosseliani – CHANTRAPAS
Diego Luna – ABEL (1st film)

'Limits of Control' trailer

Aside from the Lynchesque trailer there are many reasons to want to see this movie. Jim Jarmusch, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Gael García Bernal, John Hurt, Hiam Abbass and Isaach De Bankolé.

We will see what the word from Cannes is (I assume it will premier there).

Film Clipperoo's

Since everything is about Cannes right now, I thought I would link up some of the film clips for the movies most likely to be still buzzed about come year end.

Che
What Just Happened?
Two Lovers
The Exchange (Changeling)
Synecdoche, New York

You really get a taste of Jolie's performance.....kind of excited about that one now!

Cannes update

So 'A Christmas Tale' was screened to ok reaction, but the wonderful Catherine Deneuve was singled out as being.....well.....wonderful. Some reviewers felt it too talky and it would not translate well across the pond.

Korean crimer pic "The Chaser" got great reactions, especially for the lead Kim Yoon-suk 'star making' performance. Already it is being remade in English for all those illiterate people in the world (are there so many???). Just read subtitles you lazy gits!! And Hollywood...STOP PANDERING TO THEM!!

"Moscow, Belgium" got a great reaction too, especially for lead Barbara Sarafian in what Variety calls a "Knockout Performance". Yay! I so love a good female performance. the film actually looks like a lot of fun too!


Probably most interesting is the fact that Woody Allens "Vicky Christina Barcelona" got a good reaction, singling out Penelope Cruz. Variety says:

"Cruz, who officially graduated from sex kitten to powerhouse melodramatic actress in "Volver," is in full Anna Magnani mode here, storming up and down mountain peaks of emotion and captivating everyone in the process.

Allen even generates affectionate comic mileage from the common rap on Cruz's acting--that she's great in Spanish but blah in English--by having her deliver Maria Elena's colorful tirades in her native language, only to be told again and again by Juan Antonio to speak English so Cristina can understand her. She's dynamite here in either language."

Emanuel Levy says:

"Penelope Cruz, who give the film's outstanding performance and should be considered seriously for the Supporting Actress Oscar (and other kudos) at year's end"

Again I say "Yay!" But we all know Allen has an amazing track record with supporting Actresses. He has directed how many to Oscar nominations? Seven?

I will be very happy to welcome her back! Hopefully for the win!

A blind chance

Well it seems as though the first proper review of "Blindness" is out from Cannes.


Justin Chang was not impressed with Fernando Meirelles film of the beloved novel by Jose Saramago.

It seems are first major contender has wobbled a little out of the gate. Over at Awards Daily there is another review saying the same thing. The film does not have impact.

"Despite a characteristically strong performance by Julianne Moore as a lone figure who retains her eyesight, bearing sad but heroic witness to the horrors around her, Fernando Meirelles' slickly crafted drama rarely achieves the visceral force, tragic scope and human resonance of Saramago's prose."

Bad news for the film, but good news for Julianne Moore who turns in another strong performance in "Savage Grace" (see trailer below) who may have a shot at the Oscar shortlist come January. Still it is disappointing to be able to visualize a film in your head as you read the book, and then read a review like this. Indifferent reviews are really the worst for a film, especially when so many of us have such passion about movies, and especially from a publication such as Variety.

That all being said, there are a few good reviews to be found, so perhaps this space should be watched still.

Cannes

I have not mentioned the Cannes Film Festival at all, mainly because the buzz from there is sometimes so hard to read. Most films that go on to win the film festival's top prize do that and only that…Oscar seldom follows. Also true for the performances which hardly ever translate (hello BJORK !!!!)

What the festival does, is bring attention to wonderful films that may slip by and get missed in the Blockbuster and Oscar races and therefore allowing an interested audience knowledge of films that have an important global dialogue.

Check out a wonderful listing of Cannes honourees here, and then go to the ‘FESTIVAL ARCHIVES’ link at the top and select ‘All Awards’ and you can browse by year and update you DVD rental list.

Check out the wonderful Entertainment Weekly film critic Lisa Schwarzbaum’s take take on the festival and the films to triumph.