Film
From Cannes: ‘Euforia’ Misplaces Humor, Undercuts Tragedy
Italian director Valeria Golino turns her film into a bloodless pseudo-comedy that handles its very serious subjects with flippant, misplaced humor.
From Cannes: ‘Manbiki Kazoku’ (‘Shoplifters’) A Heartbreaking Look at Family
Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda gently teases out the truth, until the Shibata family reveals the dark secrets that bind them together.
From Cannes: 'BlacKkKlansman' a Thriller That Brings Together Past and Present
Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” is a testament to the director’s ability to weave the politics of the past and present, of identity, race, and religion, in an alternatively comedic, disturbing, and suspenseful thrill ride based on an unbelievably true story.
From Cannes: ‘Capharnaüm’ Says No to Child Neglect, Yes to Child Acting Prodigies
In “Capharnaüm,” director Nadine Labaki paints a depressing tableau of a vicious cycle that Zain unfortunately gets caught up in, one that starts one node up in Zain's family tree with his parents.
From Cannes: ‘Un Couteau dans le Coeur’ (‘Knife + Heart’) Takes Little Death to Fatal Extremes
“Un Couteau dans le Coeur” tries to achieve some semblance of self-awareness, a sly wink at its own garish kitsch in neon lettering. But unlike Anne’s pornography, the film never reaches its—ahem—climax.
From Cannes: ‘Zimna wojna’ (‘Cold War’) a Bleak Love Story
Without seeming resolute or preachy, Pawlikowski’s “Cold War” is a clarion call for the enduring power of love in a bleak time.
From Cannes: ‘Under the Silver Lake’ a Psychedelic, Pedantic Story of Los Angeles Folklore
Mitchell’s imagery simmers evocatively, refreshingly trippy—though it all seems to gesture at a statement that he hasn’t clarified, even to himself, like a string of blissed-out, drug-addled musings he scribbled while half-asleep.
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Takes Forever, Gets Halfway
The problems largely center around Thanos (Josh Brolin), the villain of the sprawling film, a large purple man who wants to wipe out half the universe’s inhabitants in a population control plan that suffers from a basic misunderstanding of exponential growth.
From Cannes: Gaspar Noé’s Craze-Inducing Warning Against Drugs Reaches a ‘Climax’
"Climax" is a trippy prism of an arthouse film that succeeds in its attempt to destabilize its audience into the same debauchery as its characters, though at times the actors and director, too, fall into the easy trap of overdoing it.
From Cannes: Han Flies ‘Solo’ in New Star Wars Spin-Off
Han Solo is the hero who wants to be the anti-hero, the pilot who wants to fly solo but secretly needs a fleet.
From Cannes: ‘Le Grand Bain’ (‘Sink or Swim’) Makes A Big, Chlorinated Splash
Part synchronized swimming training practice, part group therapy session, the group of aging, out of shape, and hopelessly dedicated men make an unexpectedly supportive and uproarious—if not unoriginal—party.
From Cannes: ‘Girl’ En Pointe, Slightly Less On Point
While “Girl” begins as a stunning body of work, it stumbles somewhere in its empathy, and doesn’t quite recover to stick the landing.
From Cannes: ‘Les Chatouilles’ (‘Little Tickles’) A Carefully Choreographed, Poignant Account of Abuse
Simply by the act of telling her therapist about her childhood, Odette becomes the author of her own story in "Les Chatouilles."
From Cannes: ‘Lazzaro Felice’ (‘Happy as Lazzaro’): A Sad, Mythological Tale
Rohrwacher’s fifth feature film is a testament to her directorial talent, her visually stunning work as mythical as the tale it depicts.
From Cannes: ‘Di Qiu Zui Hou De Ye Wan’ (‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night’) Scintillating In Its Obscurity
Bi Gan makes 3D film into a cinematic experience integral to the film’s second half, in a way that amplifies the first half’s slow-moving narrative—both in direction and in plot—a beautiful tale of a man in search of the ghost of his past.
