Cannes 2015

[sir_luke]

Looks like Love will be getting a Midnight Screening after all

[yoshimori]

The addition of Apichatpong and Noé makes me feel a bit better about doing Cannes again this year. Last year's presentation was pretty horrible, and this year's actually looks worse, despite the relatively nice set of late announcements:

IN COMPETITION
Cronic by Michel Franco
Valley of love by Guillaume Nicloux

UN CERTAIN REGARD
Alias Maria by José Luis Rugeles Gracia
Taklub by Brillante Mendoza
Lamb by Yared Zeleke – 1st film, first entry of Ethiopia in Official Selection
Cemetery of Splendour by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
AN by Naomi Kawase, will be presented in Opening of Un Certain Regard

SPECIAL SCREENING
Une histoire de fou (Don’t Tell me the Boy was Mad) by Robert Guédiguian

MIDNIGHT SCREENING
Love by Gaspar Noé

And since no one's posted them yet, here are the Quinzaine features:

A Perfect Day by Fernando León de Aranoa / 1h46
Beyond My Grandfather Allende by Marcia Tambutti / 1h37
Arabian Nights by Miguel Gomes
Volume 1, The Restless One – 2h05
Volume 2, The Desolate One – 2h11
Volume 3, The Enchanted One – 2h05
Les Cowboys by Thomas Bidegain / 1h54
Dope by Rick Famuyiwa / 1h45
Embrace of the Serpent by Ciro Guerra / 2h05
Fatima by Philippe Faucon / 1h18
Yakuza Apocalypse : The Great War of the Underworld by Takashi Miike / 1h55
Green Room by Jeremy Saulnier / 1h34
Much Loved by Nabil Ayouch / 1h45
Mustang by Deniz Gamze Ergüven / 1h40
In the Shadow of Women by Philippe Garrel / 1h10
Preceded by an unseen short film by Philippe Garrel made in 1968, Actua 1
Peace to Us in Our Dreams by Sharunas Bartas / 1h42
Songs My Brothers Taught Me by Chloé Zhao / 1h34
The Here After by Magnus von Horn / 1h42
The Brand New Testament by Jaco Van Dormael / 1h43
My Golden Days by Arnaud Desplechin / 2h

And, apparently just announced, the Critics' Week pics:

DÉGRADÉ Arab & Tarzan Nasser (Palestine, France, Qatar)
KRISHA Trey Edward Shults (États-Unis)
MEDITERRANEA Jonas Carpignano (Italie, France, États-Unis, Allemagne)
NI LE CIEL NI LA TERRE Clément Cogitore (France, Belgique)
PAULINA Santiago Mitre (Argentine Brésil, France)
SLEEPING GIANT Andrew Cividino (Canada)
LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA (LA TERRE ET L’OMBRE) César Augusto Acevedo (Colombie, France, Pays-Bas, Chili, Brésil)

FILM D’OUVERTURE
LES ANARCHISTES Elie Wajeman (France)

FILM DE CLÔTURE
LA VIE EN GRAND Mathieu Vadepied (France)

SÉANCE SPÉCIALE
COIN LOCKER GIRL HAN Jun-hee (Corée du Sud)
LES DEUX AMIS Louis Garrel (France)

[Grand Wazoo]

Interview with David Pablos + trailer for Las Elegidas (The Chosen Ones)

[Grand Wazoo]

Also, back in the fall I was able to attend a test screening for the new Villeneuve.

Spoiler

I was pretty excited for this having enjoyed the artistically (for Hollywood) pitched-to-11 Prisoners and especially Enemy. This one however felt extremely generic for the most part, a slightly above average thriller. Emily Blunt does her best but feels extremely miscast in her tough cop/audience surrogate role, and we are subjected to lots of "you'll never understand this border war" speeches and Josh Brolin's "Are you tough enough for this?" growling toward Blunt. But there is a single bravura sequence that is so mindblowingly tense and masterful that it partially makes up for the generic drug war dross around it. Emily Blunt's character is brought to a briefing for a mysterious operation in Juarez and we follow the entire process from her totally in-the-dark POV. Her, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, various DEA agents (I believe, this was about 8 months ago) and a crew of terrifying Blackwater-esque soldiers ride from El Paso deeper and deeper into Juarez and back with the goals of the mission becoming blurrier. Thing is this sequence went on for almost 20 minutes and was such a perfect "descent into Hell" exemplifying the incomprehensible nature of the entire war on drugs that hammering it home for the whole film becomes unnecessary. This also came about a half hour into the runtime making much of the rest feel familiar and dull by comparison. My fear is that this sequence has been hacked up since the screening probably for "pacing" issues, but if it remains intact I'd say the film is worth seeing if only for that.

Otherwise, there is one other tense nighttime operation (beautifully photographed by Deakins) later on more prominently featuring those Blackwater guys that was also impressive. There are a few scenes from a Mexican perspective that almost feel tacked on as if to say "look, we're showing both sides!" but they are so few and barely explored. On the whole though I felt it was some great craft looking for a better film. Granted, maybe it has been tweaked in some positive ways since I saw it

[JAP]

Cannes Classics line-up has been revealed.

[jsteffe]

Lots of great films on the list of restorations, but I am especially excited about Jancsó's THE ROUND-UP and Solanas's SUR. I saw the latter in 35mm years ago and really liked it. The score by Astor Piazzolla is wonderful. The press release also mentions a forthcoming Blaq Out box set devoted to Solanas, which is beyond desperately needed! I hope the discs include English subtitles.

[zedz]

Les Ordres is a fantastic, brutal film. Would make for an exquisitely terrifying double feature with The Round Up.

[Michael Kerpan]

Les ordres is on my short list of best Canadian films ever.

[Perkins Cobb]

Don't think there's anything better than VHS out there on Joe Hill. Eager for that one to trickle down to Blu-ray.

[repeat]

Don't think there's anything better than VHS out there on Joe Hill. Eager for that one to trickle down to Blu-ray.

Well, we're still waiting for the previous batch of Widerbergs from Olive - would sure like to get a straight answer to what their plans are with those. (Just tell me if I'm getting unbearably repetitive here...)

Cool to see the Fukasaku restored as well - maybe a future possibility for Arrow? Or was Toei's stuff out of reach for them?

[Berzeli]

Don't think there's anything better than VHS out there on Joe Hill. Eager for that one to trickle down to Blu-ray.

Considering that it took Paramount 11 years to hand back the original camera negative, you may be in for a long, long wait (the film is known for its complex rights situation). Joe Hill will however be part of a comprehensive DVD-boxset which is being released later this year in Sweden, no word on English subtitles though.

[ordinaryperson]

A guide to every review, interview, and news item of the 2015 festival (by Indiewire)

[ordinaryperson]

"Standing Tall" review

"Our Little Sister" review

"Tale of Tales" review

"Standing Tall" photocall

"Standing Tall" red carpet

"Standing Tall" conference

Jury photocall

Jury interview

Jury Confrence (in English)

[ianungstad]

Garrone's Tale of Tales is getting slightly above average reviews. A few rapturous (The Guardian) and a few major pans (Anne Thompson). Probably worth a watch.

Surprisingly the new Hirozaku Koreeda film has been getting mediocre to negative reviews.

[zedz]

Garrone's Tale of Tales is getting slightly above average reviews. A few rapturous (The Guardian) and a few major pans (Anne Thompson). Probably worth a watch.

Surprisingly the new Hirozaku Koreeda film has been getting mediocre to negative reviews.

I feel that Koreeda has been patchy for a while now. His technical chops remain impressive, but the content has been increasingly conventional and / or sentimental.

[Michael Kerpan]

You know what -- the criticisms of Kore'eda on the order of "doing the same thing too often" -- sound like the old-fashioned knocks against Ozu (and Rohmer). In fact, I Wish and Like Father, Like Son (etc.) are all pretty distinctive -- to anyone paying attention -- and not dismissive of "family drama" as a worthwhile field of endeavor.

[ordinaryperson]

"Son of Saul" review

"An" review

"In The Shadow of Women" review

"Tale of Tales" interview

"Tale of Tales" conference

"Tale of Tales" photocall

"Little Sister" photocall

"Little Sister" interview

"Little Sister" conference

"Little Sister" red carpet

"Tale of Tales" and "Mad Max" opinions

[mfunk9786]

Ignatiy is doing amazing daily write-ups for The AV Club, here's the first one

[ordinaryperson]

"The Lobster" review
Another "Son of Saul" review
"The Lobster" photocall
"The Lobster" interview
"The Lobster" conference
"Son of Saul" photocall
"Son of Saul" interview
"Son of Saul" conference
"Son of Saul" red carpet
and to add from yesterday
"Tale of Tales" red carpet
"Our Little Sister" focus
"Tale of Tales" focus

[ianungstad]

While Son of Saul may wind up as the most critically acclaimed film in competition; I think it's more likely to take the Camera D'or and one of the top competition prizes (but not the Palm). Has any film won both the Camera D'or and Palm D'or?

I wouldn't be surprised if The Lobster took the Palm. Apparently Del Toro was raving about it (I though Jury members were embargoed from talking about the films until after the awards are handed out?) It also seems like something that would play like gangbusters to the Coens.

The new Arnaud Desplechin film is also getting some really good reviews. There was a bit of a controversy over the fact that this film was not granted a competition slot and is playing as part of Director's Fortnight.

[ordinaryperson]

"Mia Madre" review
Another "Mia Madre" review
"Mia Madre" conference
"Mia Madre" photocall
"Mia Madre" interview
"Mia Madre" red carpet
"Sea of Trees" photocall
"Sea of Trees" interview
"Sea of Trees" conference
"Sea of Trees" red carpet
"Irrational Man" photocall
"Irrational Man" interview
"Irrational Man" red carpet
"Irrational Man" conference
"Son of Saul" focus
"The Lobster" focus
"Son of Saul" and "Irrational Man" opinions

[ordinaryperson]

"Mon Roi" review
"Carol" review
"Mon Roi" photocall
"Mon Roi" interview
"Mon Roi" conference
"Carol" photocall
"Carol" interview
"Carol" conference
"Mia Madre" focus
"Sea of Trees" and "Irrational Man" opinions

[spectre]

This is where it's at, really.

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[ellipsis7]

Cannes in hot water...

Screen Daily reports...

Cannes: Women denied Palais entry for wearing flats | 19 May, 2015 | By Andreas Wiseman

Stiff ‘croisetiquette’ sees older women denied access for ‘wrong’ shoes.

After being criticised for the lack of women filmmakers playing at recent editions of the Cannes Film Festival, this year organisers have made efforts to bridge the gender imbalance by foregrounding women directors and producers [despite the main competition still only including two female directors].

However, in a bad PR move for the push for gender equality, a handful of women in their 50’s were turned away from the screening of Todd Haynes’ competition entry Carol [the film’s feminist appeal further ironising the shut-out] on Sunday night after being told the height of their smart footwear didn’t pass muster.

Multiple guests, some older with medical conditions, were denied access to the anticipated world-premiere screening for wearing rhinestone flats.

The festival declined to comment on the matter, but did confirm that it is obligatory for all women to wear high-heels to red-carpet screenings.

Senna director Asif Kapadia, whose Amy Winehouse documentary Amy screened during the festival, subsequently tweeted that his wife had received similar treatment, but was eventually let in.

One Cannes regular told Screen: “I’ve heard this happening several times now, even to older women who can’t wear heels for medical reasons. It’s bulls***.

“Someone I know was turned away for wearing nice flats, nothing you would wear to the beach. They were in their 50’s. They told her she could go and buy appropriate shoes and come back.”

While Cannes glamour is an essential part of the festival’s mystique and fun – men are required to wear bow-ties - the festival might need to rethink its sartorial policies to accommodate those physically unable to remain slaves to fashion or who don’t fancy opting in to gender codes.

The Guardian takes up the cause... Seems ludicrous in this day & age for the Festival to have such a policy let alone to try & enforce it so clumsily...

And The Hollwood reporter: "Cannes: Festival Stumbles Over 'Flatgate' Controversy", reporting that...

...security might be on alert for shoe-based irregularities at Wednesday night's red-carpet screening after Sicario director Denis Villeneuve said he was planning to stage his own protest over "flatgate."
"Benicio [Del Toro], Josh [Brolin] and I will walk the steps in high heels," he told the press conference.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

There was a less publicized "scandal" just before the festival when some folks noticed they hadn't included a Taiwanese flag alongside those of the other participating nations, plus they were flying the Chinese flag upside down. So now they've had a Flaggate and a Flatgate...