French actors did very well at Cannes 2015, and it was definitely the year of Emmanuelle Bercot. Standing Tall, a drama she co-wrote and directed, opened the festival, and she went on to share the best actress award (in a tie with Carol’s Rooney Mara) for starring in fellow actress/director Maïwenn’s rowdy hothouse drama Mon […]
The classy thriller Maryland singlehandedly jolted me from encroaching jet lag during my first full day at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. (The not-as-elegant English title is the blunter Disorder.) The screening was in the early afternoon after lunch, making it particularly sleep inducing. The movie’s initial slow pace and the often dreamy, bordering on […]
Among the nearly three dozen films I saw at Cannes, the one that had the strongest emotional hook was, without question, Asif Kapadia’s in-depth biodoc of the late singer Amy Winehouse. Granted, the tender and trenchant Amy has an added resonance for fans and also for the melancholic question (one of many) that lingers […]
In one of the most diverse and compact film series that New York City has to offer, Rendez-Vous with French Cinema makes its annual late-winter trek to the Film Society of Lincoln Center, bringing with it films that have made the rounds in France’s awards season. (The top prize winner at the César Awards, Timbuktu, […]
With 41 French (co-)productions debuting at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the event has evolved into an important platform for the country’s film industry, offering premieres that outnumber French debuts at Cannes. Just as Toronto kicks off the awards season in North America, it also serves the same purpose for the French films. Many […]
What went into the creation of this list? Mostly strong first impressions, followed by second (or third or fourth opinions) and a second viewing, confirming that there is some “there” there. Because this compilation is made right at the end of the year, it’s a judgment of its time made under at least condition since […]
Directed by Rob Marshall
Produced by John DeLuca, Rob Marshall, Marc Platt, Callum McDougall
Written by James Lapine, based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim and Lapine
Released by Walt Disney Studios
USA. 124 min. Rated PG
With Anna Kendrick, Daniel Huttlestone, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Christine Baranski, Tammy Blanchard, Lucy Punch, Tracey Ullman, Lilla Crawford, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp, […]
Directed by Jean-Marc Vallée
Written by Nick Hornby, based on the book by Cheryl Strayed
Produced by Reese Witherspoon, Bruna Papandrea and Bill Pohlad
Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures
USA. 119 min. Not rated
With Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Michiel Huisman, Gaby Hoffmann, Kevin Rankin, W. Earl Brown, Mo McRae, and Keene McRae
What propels a young woman in […]
Directed by Tommy Lee Jones
Produced by Michael Fitzgerald, Peter Brant, Brian Kennedy, Luc Besson and Hilary Swank
Written by Jones, Kieran Fitzgerald, and Wesley A. Oliver, based on the novel by Glendon Swarthout
Released by Roadside Attractions/Saban Films
France/USA. 122 min. Rated R
With Tommy Lee Jones, Hilary Swank, Miranda Otto, Grace Gummer, Sonja Richter, Hailee Steinfeld, Meryl Streep, […]
