One of the pleasures of the Cannes Film Festival is seeing what films and what directors break out. Sure, in the current crop of films premiering at the 77th festival this May, there are some big names everybody knows; you don’t need an explainer to know that Francis Ford Coppola and “Megalopolis” are a big deal. But Cannes is also where filmmakers such as Julia Ducournau and Justine Triet gained wide exposure and became international known quantities, thanks to the prestige granted by nabbing the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or.
Introduced a full decade into the festival’s existence, the Palme d’Or has a strong pedigree associated with it; several of the films that received the prize — “La Dolce Vita,” “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” “Taxi Driver,” “Paris, Texas,” “Pulp Fiction,” “The Tree of Life,” “Parasite,” and way too many others to properly list — have claim...
Introduced a full decade into the festival’s existence, the Palme d’Or has a strong pedigree associated with it; several of the films that received the prize — “La Dolce Vita,” “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” “Taxi Driver,” “Paris, Texas,” “Pulp Fiction,” “The Tree of Life,” “Parasite,” and way too many others to properly list — have claim...
- 5/15/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
As Cannes Film Festival kicks off, the Paris-based international sales company MK2 Films has revealed it has acquired three films and made substantial investments in new restorations, set against the backdrop of a strong presence at Cannes Classics.
MK2 Films has entered into a collaboration with the Niki Charitable Art Foundation on the global rights (excluding the U.S.) for two films directed by artist Niki de Saint Phalle: “Un Rêve plus long que la nuit” (1976) and “Daddy” (1973). “Un Rêve plus long que la nuit” has been restored in 4K by L’Immagine Ritrovata (Bologna-Paris) under the supervision of Arielle de Saint Phalle and with funding from Dior. It was presented at Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, New York Film Festival and the new Los Angeles Festival of Movies. “Daddy” will soon be available in a restored version. MK2 Films described it as a “unique feminist work by one of...
MK2 Films has entered into a collaboration with the Niki Charitable Art Foundation on the global rights (excluding the U.S.) for two films directed by artist Niki de Saint Phalle: “Un Rêve plus long que la nuit” (1976) and “Daddy” (1973). “Un Rêve plus long que la nuit” has been restored in 4K by L’Immagine Ritrovata (Bologna-Paris) under the supervision of Arielle de Saint Phalle and with funding from Dior. It was presented at Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, New York Film Festival and the new Los Angeles Festival of Movies. “Daddy” will soon be available in a restored version. MK2 Films described it as a “unique feminist work by one of...
- 5/14/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
It’s here! The first full trailer for Doctor Who‘s new series has arrived, giving us never-before-seen glimpses of Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson in action. And with it comes glimpses of a whole host of new adventures and scenarios, promising a very different take on Doctor Who than we’ve seen before.
Before we dig into the trailer for hints as to what will be in store for series 14, give the the video a watch if you haven’t already:
Alright, below are all the important things we noticed in the trailer. Let us know in the comments if there’s anything we missed!
The Hooded Stranger
The Christmas Special “The Church on Ruby Road” not only introduced the Doctor’s next companion Ruby Sunday, but also a good ol’ mystery. Like Clara and Rose before her, Ruby is much more than she appears.
“Ruby Road” began with a “hooded stranger,...
Before we dig into the trailer for hints as to what will be in store for series 14, give the the video a watch if you haven’t already:
Alright, below are all the important things we noticed in the trailer. Let us know in the comments if there’s anything we missed!
The Hooded Stranger
The Christmas Special “The Church on Ruby Road” not only introduced the Doctor’s next companion Ruby Sunday, but also a good ol’ mystery. Like Clara and Rose before her, Ruby is much more than she appears.
“Ruby Road” began with a “hooded stranger,...
- 3/22/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
French cinema icon Catherine Deneuve has begun filming in Japan of “Spirit World,” a fantasy-drama film directed by Singapore’s Eric Khoo.
Deneuve portrays a singer who dies suddenly while on tour in Japan. But her spirit lives on and she embarks on a journey to find humanity in the after-world.
The project was revealed by the city government of Takasaki, an ancient town on Honshu Island between Tokyo and Kyoto, where production began over the weekend. Work is expected to continue for 10 days, before moving to other locations.
“I’m happy that a movie starring Deneuve is filmed in Takasaki. I’d like to cooperate in the filming,” said city mayor, Tomioka Kenji.
The film is understood to be based on an original screenplay. It is structured as a three-way production involving companies from Singapore, Japan and France and with financial support from authorities in Singapore. The producers are...
Deneuve portrays a singer who dies suddenly while on tour in Japan. But her spirit lives on and she embarks on a journey to find humanity in the after-world.
The project was revealed by the city government of Takasaki, an ancient town on Honshu Island between Tokyo and Kyoto, where production began over the weekend. Work is expected to continue for 10 days, before moving to other locations.
“I’m happy that a movie starring Deneuve is filmed in Takasaki. I’d like to cooperate in the filming,” said city mayor, Tomioka Kenji.
The film is understood to be based on an original screenplay. It is structured as a three-way production involving companies from Singapore, Japan and France and with financial support from authorities in Singapore. The producers are...
- 1/10/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The soundtrack to Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" movie is full of wall-to-wall bangers, but the bombastic anthem "I'm Just Ken" has become a bonafide (and charting) sensation. And to think that the song almost had a much smaller presence in the film. In an exclusive featurette from Vudu to promote the highest-grossing film of the year's arrival on video on demand. Gerwig, music producer Mark Ronson, Ryan Gosling, Ncuti Gatwa, and others discuss how the now-beloved scene came to be. Ronson's song was originally just a short little ditty, but Gerwig loved it so much she wanted more.
"It went from being this song that was maybe gonna be played somewhere in the film to this song that they built this epic battle around," Ronson said. Once Gerwig heard the song, she wanted more — which became the nearly 11-minute long song.
The goal was to use the song as...
"It went from being this song that was maybe gonna be played somewhere in the film to this song that they built this epic battle around," Ronson said. Once Gerwig heard the song, she wanted more — which became the nearly 11-minute long song.
The goal was to use the song as...
- 9/25/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Movies about movies tend to be as sentimental as Cinema Paradiso, the all-time tearjerker in the genre, or as caustic as the recent Babylon. But Lone Scherfig finds a fine balance between love of movies and the harsh wider world in The Movie Teller, a beautifully made coming-of-age film about Maria Margarita, who acts out the Hollywood movies she has seen at the local cinema in her small mining town. Set in the Chilean desert in the late 1960s and early ’70s, the drama benefits greatly from the sure hand and clear eye Scherfig has brought to her best films, other period pieces including An Education (2009) and Their Finest (2016). All that can’t quite make up for the rocky screenplay, though.
The story is adapted from the Chilean writer Hernan Rivera Letelier’s 2009 novel. The first version of the screenplay was tackled years ago by the Brazilian director Walter Salles,...
The story is adapted from the Chilean writer Hernan Rivera Letelier’s 2009 novel. The first version of the screenplay was tackled years ago by the Brazilian director Walter Salles,...
- 9/18/2023
- by Caryn James
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Last year, as movies conceived and shot during the Covid-19 pandemic began to be released, we saw a sudden influx of films rejoicing in the act of moviemaking and movie-watching. From Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” to Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon,” from Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light” to the Indian Oscar entry “Last Film Show,” a surprising number of films bred during pandemic isolation were movies about movies.
And a year later, during the final days of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, another movie that belongs in that company had its world premiere. “The Movie Teller,” a Spanish-language film set in Chile and made by a Danish director with a cast whose biggest names are known for French and German movies, puts an international spin on the love of movies and embraces the art of storytelling in a way that is at times profoundly moving.
The film is a mixture of genres,...
And a year later, during the final days of the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, another movie that belongs in that company had its world premiere. “The Movie Teller,” a Spanish-language film set in Chile and made by a Danish director with a cast whose biggest names are known for French and German movies, puts an international spin on the love of movies and embraces the art of storytelling in a way that is at times profoundly moving.
The film is a mixture of genres,...
- 9/17/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
When I was in college cinema courses I made a Super 8 film called Movie Girl. It was a Hollywood-set love letter to movies centered on a Musso & Frank waitress who put herself dreamily into the plots of classic films. It won an award there but was the highlight of the directing career I never had. However, I have always been partial to filmmakers who put their own early film-going experience and passion into their careers now. You may have heard of them: Kenneth Branagh won an Oscar for doing just that in Belfast. Steven Spielberg got several nominations last year for his very personal The Fabelmans. Woody Allen had his own charming take in The Purple Rose of Cairo. Peter Bogdanovich made a lasting impression with 1971’s The Last Picture Show, as did Giuseppe Tornatore with his Oscar winner Cinema Paradiso.
It is a combination of the latter two especially...
It is a combination of the latter two especially...
- 9/16/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Once Upon a Time, in a Far Away Land, the Vibes Were Fucked
I’m a simple man with simple political views: I believe the United States government should take all of its pageantry cues for state events from the film “Donkey Skin.” Dead presidents should be laid to rest inside a giant glass Christmas ornament. White House staffers should be required to paint themselves red or blue to reflect the party in power. And the Speaker of the House should preside over congress while sitting on a giant stuffed cat.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Once Upon a Time, in a Far Away Land, the Vibes Were Fucked
I’m a simple man with simple political views: I believe the United States government should take all of its pageantry cues for state events from the film “Donkey Skin.” Dead presidents should be laid to rest inside a giant glass Christmas ornament. White House staffers should be required to paint themselves red or blue to reflect the party in power. And the Speaker of the House should preside over congress while sitting on a giant stuffed cat.
- 9/9/2023
- by Christian Zilko and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
When the human eye stares at one color for too long, it experiences a phenomenon known as cone fatigue. The cones in one's eyes are the cellular photoreceptors that process color and are particularly good at processing reds, blues, and greens. And, yes, cones can get tired of looking at certain things. For instance, when one stares at the color red for too long, the cones wear themselves out and fall into a state of complete rest. As a result, the eye will produce a "ghost" spectrally opposite image of red when it looks at a white area. Test it out! Stare at a red spot for about 30 seconds without blinking, then glance quickly to a white piece of paper. You will see, for a few moments, a "burn" of a cyan spot floating in front of you.
The makers of Greta Gerwig's new blockbuster "Barbie" must have likely...
The makers of Greta Gerwig's new blockbuster "Barbie" must have likely...
- 9/4/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
When Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto got a call from filmmaker Greta Gerwig to work on her next project, he was excited. He had been an admirer of her work, and was eager to work with her. But when she pitched her bubbly, 1950s musicals-inspired take on “Barbie,” he could not have been in a more different headspace — he was in Oklahoma prepping Martin Scorsese’s dark true crime drama “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
“It was hard for me to completely shift gears in such a tremendous way,” he admitted during an interview with TheWrap, but he was immediately intrigued and excited by Gerwig’s pitch for “Barbie,” and knew he wanted to do it before he even read Gerwig’s script. “I knew that she wasn’t going to do what you’d expect,” he said.
Prieto knew “Barbie” was special, but said no one could have predicted the...
“It was hard for me to completely shift gears in such a tremendous way,” he admitted during an interview with TheWrap, but he was immediately intrigued and excited by Gerwig’s pitch for “Barbie,” and knew he wanted to do it before he even read Gerwig’s script. “I knew that she wasn’t going to do what you’d expect,” he said.
Prieto knew “Barbie” was special, but said no one could have predicted the...
- 8/18/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” is destined to be a classic in its own right, already garnering nearly half a billion dollars at the box office in under a week. The film, about a stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) in the grips of an existential crisis that sees her going to the Real World, is all manner of fun and wacky, with a number of Old Hollywood influences.
Gerwig herself has cited a number of features that either directly or indirectly inspired “Barbie,” starting with the 1939 Technicolor classic, “The Wizard of Oz.” That film, with its now iconic transition between Kansas and the land of Oz, no doubt factored into how the feature approaches color. The idea of a character transitioning from one world to another draws comparisons to “The Truman Show” and “Heaven Can Wait.”
Among the more nuanced, less obvious films, Gerwig took inspiration from “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,...
Gerwig herself has cited a number of features that either directly or indirectly inspired “Barbie,” starting with the 1939 Technicolor classic, “The Wizard of Oz.” That film, with its now iconic transition between Kansas and the land of Oz, no doubt factored into how the feature approaches color. The idea of a character transitioning from one world to another draws comparisons to “The Truman Show” and “Heaven Can Wait.”
Among the more nuanced, less obvious films, Gerwig took inspiration from “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,...
- 7/28/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
This post contains spoilers for "Barbie."
One of the many joys of watching "Barbie" is catching all the film's references to classic cinema. "The Wizard of Oz" was an obvious inspiration for co-writer and director Greta Gerwig's take on the iconic doll, from the yellow pink brick road that cuts through Barbieland to the ghost of Barbie creator and Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman), who gradually emerges as a Wizard-like guide to Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) on her journey of spiritual discovery. Moreover, the film is a love letter to 20th-century movie musicals in general, as seen in the "I'm Just Ken" sequence -- a musical number that includes a Gene Kelly-styled dream ballet where the Kens adapt all-black attire recalling John Travolta's getup from "Grease" -- and the bold, vivid color palette of Barbieland, which brings to mind the production design for "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
One of the many joys of watching "Barbie" is catching all the film's references to classic cinema. "The Wizard of Oz" was an obvious inspiration for co-writer and director Greta Gerwig's take on the iconic doll, from the yellow pink brick road that cuts through Barbieland to the ghost of Barbie creator and Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler (Rhea Perlman), who gradually emerges as a Wizard-like guide to Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) on her journey of spiritual discovery. Moreover, the film is a love letter to 20th-century movie musicals in general, as seen in the "I'm Just Ken" sequence -- a musical number that includes a Gene Kelly-styled dream ballet where the Kens adapt all-black attire recalling John Travolta's getup from "Grease" -- and the bold, vivid color palette of Barbieland, which brings to mind the production design for "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.
- 7/28/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
“Barbie” will soon be unleashed on an eagerly waiting world, and cowriter/director Greta Gerwig would like to provide you with some context, courtesy of her Letterboxd list of films she watched for inspiration, in a clip you can watch above.
Just looking at the list, you can see where some of the inspiration would come from — the candy-colored musical world of “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie as the titular doll, does bring to mind several of her selections like “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Red Shoes” and “Playtime.” The idea of a character transitioning from one world to another is also pretty apparent in selections like “The Truman Show” and “Heaven Can Wait.”
For “Heaven Can Wait,” Gerwig said that the movie is “extremely high concept, but always human… There’s nothing about it that makes you feel distanced from it. It totally works even though...
Just looking at the list, you can see where some of the inspiration would come from — the candy-colored musical world of “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie as the titular doll, does bring to mind several of her selections like “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Red Shoes” and “Playtime.” The idea of a character transitioning from one world to another is also pretty apparent in selections like “The Truman Show” and “Heaven Can Wait.”
For “Heaven Can Wait,” Gerwig said that the movie is “extremely high concept, but always human… There’s nothing about it that makes you feel distanced from it. It totally works even though...
- 7/18/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
From the early, lo-fi days of her career as something of a muse for the mumblecore movement, Greta Gerwig has been interested in messy tales of nascent adulthood. And from her partnerships with now-husband Noah Baumbach, most notably 2012’s Frances Ha, to her own solo directorial work (2017’s Lady Bird and 2019’s Little Women), her films have continued to bear the mark of a storyteller who understands the ways that modern adults, but especially women, are burdened by the weight and expectations of responsibility.
Gerwig’s Barbie is partially inspired by psychologist and author Mary Pipher’s Reviving Ophelia, a 1994 bestseller about how adolescent girls lose their identities while navigating a looks-obsessed, media-saturated culture. That should be enough to quell expectations of the film playing out as a show of allegiance to one of the most recognizable brands in the world. And if it doesn’t, the subversive streak of...
Gerwig’s Barbie is partially inspired by psychologist and author Mary Pipher’s Reviving Ophelia, a 1994 bestseller about how adolescent girls lose their identities while navigating a looks-obsessed, media-saturated culture. That should be enough to quell expectations of the film playing out as a show of allegiance to one of the most recognizable brands in the world. And if it doesn’t, the subversive streak of...
- 7/18/2023
- by Greg Nussen
- Slant Magazine
Every night in Barbieland is “girls’ night,” or so goes the bedazzled legend of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. The Barbies stay up late, talking, splashing in the pool, and the Kens go, well, wherever Kens go. What if one particular Ken (Ryan Gosling) wanted to stay over to make good on his promise of being Barbie’s (Margot Robbie) boyfriend? No can do. “The president is here!” Barbie insists. Ken goes home. Another day in paradise.
Gerwig’s vision of Barbieland is not so much a matriarchy but a Barbie-archy, a for-Barbie, by-Barbie culture in which every Barbie from President Barbie (Issa Rae) to Doctor Barbie (Hari Nef) to Writer Barbie is empowered to be the best Barbie she can be. The Barbies are Nobel Prize winners, astronauts, pilots. They’re happy garbagewomen and delivery workers. For the Barbies of Barbieland, their world is devoid of all that is miserable...
Gerwig’s vision of Barbieland is not so much a matriarchy but a Barbie-archy, a for-Barbie, by-Barbie culture in which every Barbie from President Barbie (Issa Rae) to Doctor Barbie (Hari Nef) to Writer Barbie is empowered to be the best Barbie she can be. The Barbies are Nobel Prize winners, astronauts, pilots. They’re happy garbagewomen and delivery workers. For the Barbies of Barbieland, their world is devoid of all that is miserable...
- 7/18/2023
- by Fran Hoepfner
- The Film Stage
Not much is yet known about the plot of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. There are rumors that its plot is tangentially related to the manufacture of real-life Barbie toys; it seems that Ryan Gosling has fully submerged himself in the character of Ken; and thematically the film is expected to have a great deal in common with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer when it releases on the same day. Clearly.
Still, all we know for certain is that Barbie will be the greatest, most revolutionary use of cinematography since The Horse in Motion (1878).
Needless to say, we’ve become fascinated by this film well before it’s come out, and any snippet or clue about Gerwig’s intentions has been eagerly snapped up. So we were immediately interested when, in an interview with Vogue magazine, Margot Robbie revealed that the cast and crew regularly gathered for “Movie Church,” which was a...
Still, all we know for certain is that Barbie will be the greatest, most revolutionary use of cinematography since The Horse in Motion (1878).
Needless to say, we’ve become fascinated by this film well before it’s come out, and any snippet or clue about Gerwig’s intentions has been eagerly snapped up. So we were immediately interested when, in an interview with Vogue magazine, Margot Robbie revealed that the cast and crew regularly gathered for “Movie Church,” which was a...
- 6/13/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Initially announced in 2014, the upcoming “Barbie” movie has quickly become one of the most anticipated releases of 2023.
Audiences have praised and criticized each “Barbie” update, but this April, Warner Bros.’ released the official first-look image of Margot Robbie as Barbie, and anticipation has been growing ever since — especially after Warner Bros.’ stoked the flames with our first look at Ryan Gosling as Ken.
In addition to co-writing the latest “Barbie” draft, Oscar-nominated “Little Women” and “Lady Bird” filmmaker Greta Gerwig is directing the project. In addition to starring as the titular character, Robbie is also a producer alongside “Dallas Buyers Club” producer Robbie Brenner (Mattel Films) and “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman (Heyday Films), as well as her husband, Tom Ackerley (LuckyChap Entertainment).
Below, we run down everything we know about the “Barbie” movie so far — from the release date to the cast to the project’s lengthy production history.
Audiences have praised and criticized each “Barbie” update, but this April, Warner Bros.’ released the official first-look image of Margot Robbie as Barbie, and anticipation has been growing ever since — especially after Warner Bros.’ stoked the flames with our first look at Ryan Gosling as Ken.
In addition to co-writing the latest “Barbie” draft, Oscar-nominated “Little Women” and “Lady Bird” filmmaker Greta Gerwig is directing the project. In addition to starring as the titular character, Robbie is also a producer alongside “Dallas Buyers Club” producer Robbie Brenner (Mattel Films) and “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman (Heyday Films), as well as her husband, Tom Ackerley (LuckyChap Entertainment).
Below, we run down everything we know about the “Barbie” movie so far — from the release date to the cast to the project’s lengthy production history.
- 6/2/2023
- by Charna Flam and Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
The 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival came to a close on Saturday, May 27 after two weeks of films, celebrities, parties and interviews in the small city on the French Riviera. Now that the prizes have been given out, we can start looking at what could be top contenders for next year’s Oscars. Let’s analyze the results from this year’s festival and see this history that each category has when it comes to the Academy Awards.
Over the past several years the festival has been a springboard for major players in the Oscar derby. We’ve really seen it be an influence in the International Feature category where in-competition films have been nominated a regular basis. Recent Cannes films that ended up being top awards contenders in above the line categories include “Triangle of Sadness,” “Drive My Car,” “Parasite,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “BlacKkKlansman.
Over the past several years the festival has been a springboard for major players in the Oscar derby. We’ve really seen it be an influence in the International Feature category where in-competition films have been nominated a regular basis. Recent Cannes films that ended up being top awards contenders in above the line categories include “Triangle of Sadness,” “Drive My Car,” “Parasite,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “BlacKkKlansman.
- 5/28/2023
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Every day is perfect in Barbie‘s world, as we see during the opening of the first full trailer for director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” But there’s trouble in paradise that begins with a Barbie dance party ending with Margot Robbie’s title character asking, “Do you guys ever think about dying?”
From there, and to the poppy sounds of Dua Lipa — who also has a role in the film as Mermaid Barbie — Barbie goes on an adventure to find out why she’s dealing with cold showers, nightmares and getting flat feet. The journey to solve the riddle of what’s happening takes Barbie to another Barbie, played with demented glee by Kate McKinnon, who offers her the ability to travel to the real world — whether Barbie likes it or not.
The real world leads to all manner of hijinks, including Barbie’s arrest for assault and a Mattel executive,...
From there, and to the poppy sounds of Dua Lipa — who also has a role in the film as Mermaid Barbie — Barbie goes on an adventure to find out why she’s dealing with cold showers, nightmares and getting flat feet. The journey to solve the riddle of what’s happening takes Barbie to another Barbie, played with demented glee by Kate McKinnon, who offers her the ability to travel to the real world — whether Barbie likes it or not.
The real world leads to all manner of hijinks, including Barbie’s arrest for assault and a Mattel executive,...
- 5/25/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
If you’ve been paying attention to indie filmmaking for the last decade, you’ve long been familiar with Greta Gerwig, but now her ascension reaches its greatest heights yet with Barbie. Following the adaptation of the believed Little Women, her latest project finds her exploring something even more ubiquitous and, judging from the latest trailer, with very much her own style. Ahead of a July release, WB has now unveiled the first full trailer, after a number of teasers, which reveals much more of the story as we find Margot Robbie’s Barbie and Ryan Gosling’s Ken entering the real world.
In a new cover story at Vogue, it’s also been confirmed Gerwig, who scripted the film with Noah Baumbach, was heavily inspired by films like The Red Shoes and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, influences she would screen every Sunday morning for her cast and crew aka “movie church.
In a new cover story at Vogue, it’s also been confirmed Gerwig, who scripted the film with Noah Baumbach, was heavily inspired by films like The Red Shoes and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, influences she would screen every Sunday morning for her cast and crew aka “movie church.
- 5/25/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Is this the real life, or is this just a doll fantasy?
Margot Robbie leads Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” centered on the history of plastic womanhood in all her glory. Generic Barbie (Robbie) ventures outside of her dreamland and finds herself caught up in the real world alongside Ken (Ryan Gosling) during a path of self-discovery. Simu Liu, Hari Nef, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, John Cena, Dua Lipa, and more play other variations of the dolls, while Will Ferrell stars as a Mattel executive antagonist. America Ferrara, Michael Cera, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Nicola Coughlan, and Emerald Fennell also star.
Director Gerwig co-wrote the script alongside partner Noah Baumbach, with no one from Mattel, lead star Robbie’s LuckyChap production banner or Warner Bros. reading any part of the script until it was completed.
Robbie ensured that LuckyChap structured the deal so Gerwig and Baumbach could have an “open” creative process, “which...
Margot Robbie leads Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” centered on the history of plastic womanhood in all her glory. Generic Barbie (Robbie) ventures outside of her dreamland and finds herself caught up in the real world alongside Ken (Ryan Gosling) during a path of self-discovery. Simu Liu, Hari Nef, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, John Cena, Dua Lipa, and more play other variations of the dolls, while Will Ferrell stars as a Mattel executive antagonist. America Ferrara, Michael Cera, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Nicola Coughlan, and Emerald Fennell also star.
Director Gerwig co-wrote the script alongside partner Noah Baumbach, with no one from Mattel, lead star Robbie’s LuckyChap production banner or Warner Bros. reading any part of the script until it was completed.
Robbie ensured that LuckyChap structured the deal so Gerwig and Baumbach could have an “open” creative process, “which...
- 5/25/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Gal Gadot could’ve been a part of the star-studded “Barbie” movie cast.
In a new interview with Variety, star Margot Robbie admitted they were looking for a certain “Barbie” energy from actors while casting for the film adaptation of the Mattel franchise – an energy they found embodied in Gadot.
Read More: Matt Damon On ‘Oppenheimer’ And ‘Barbie’ Opening The Same Weekend: ‘People Are Allowed To Go See Two Movies’
“Gal Gadot is Barbie energy. Because Gal Gadot is so impossibly beautiful, but you don’t hate her for being that beautiful, because she’s so genuinely sincere, and she’s so enthusiastically kind, that it’s almost dorky. It’s like right before being a dork,” she explained, before sadly revealing the casting didn’t work out due to scheduling.
Instead, they were able to find the unique energy in Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Emma Mackey, Dua Lipa, Sharon Rooney,...
In a new interview with Variety, star Margot Robbie admitted they were looking for a certain “Barbie” energy from actors while casting for the film adaptation of the Mattel franchise – an energy they found embodied in Gadot.
Read More: Matt Damon On ‘Oppenheimer’ And ‘Barbie’ Opening The Same Weekend: ‘People Are Allowed To Go See Two Movies’
“Gal Gadot is Barbie energy. Because Gal Gadot is so impossibly beautiful, but you don’t hate her for being that beautiful, because she’s so genuinely sincere, and she’s so enthusiastically kind, that it’s almost dorky. It’s like right before being a dork,” she explained, before sadly revealing the casting didn’t work out due to scheduling.
Instead, they were able to find the unique energy in Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Emma Mackey, Dua Lipa, Sharon Rooney,...
- 5/24/2023
- by Anita Tai
- ET Canada
The first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” showcased a candy-coated pink world that perfectly mimicked the aesthetic everyone associates with America’s favorite doll. Now, in a new interview for Vogue, the cast and director of the upcoming “Barbie” discussed how that look came together.
When the film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling entered production the cast and crew regularly assembled every Sunday morning to watch a movie that would be referenced, in some way, in the film for what was dubbed “movie church,” according to the interview.
According to Vogue, Gerwig foresaw “Barbie” being akin to an Old Hollywood movie musical. Specifically cited is the 1948 feature “The Red Shoes,” directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and Jacques Demy’s 1964 musical “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.” Interestingly, Demy’s film is also cited as an influence on Damien Chazelle’s musical “La La Land.”
“They have such a...
When the film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling entered production the cast and crew regularly assembled every Sunday morning to watch a movie that would be referenced, in some way, in the film for what was dubbed “movie church,” according to the interview.
According to Vogue, Gerwig foresaw “Barbie” being akin to an Old Hollywood movie musical. Specifically cited is the 1948 feature “The Red Shoes,” directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and Jacques Demy’s 1964 musical “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.” Interestingly, Demy’s film is also cited as an influence on Damien Chazelle’s musical “La La Land.”
“They have such a...
- 5/24/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Greta Gerwig found a muse in Barbie before signing on to write and direct the Warner Bros. film, produced by lead star Margot Robbie.
Oscar nominee Gerwig penned a poem inspired by Apostle’s ‘Creed’ in addition to a treatment with partner Noah Baumbach to land the project, Robbie revealed in a Vogue cover story.
“Greta wrote an abstract poem about Barbie,” Robbie said. “And when I say ‘abstract,’ I mean it was super abstract.”
“Little Women” director Gerwig only added that the poem “shares some similarities with the Apostles’ ‘Creed,'” and no one from Mattel, Robbie’s LuckyChap production banner, or Warner Bros. read any part of the script until it was completed.
Robbie noted that it was important for Gerwig and co-writer Baumbach to have complete creative freedom when crafting the “genius” script for “Barbie,” yet, “At the same time, we’ve got two very nervous ginormous companies,...
Oscar nominee Gerwig penned a poem inspired by Apostle’s ‘Creed’ in addition to a treatment with partner Noah Baumbach to land the project, Robbie revealed in a Vogue cover story.
“Greta wrote an abstract poem about Barbie,” Robbie said. “And when I say ‘abstract,’ I mean it was super abstract.”
“Little Women” director Gerwig only added that the poem “shares some similarities with the Apostles’ ‘Creed,'” and no one from Mattel, Robbie’s LuckyChap production banner, or Warner Bros. read any part of the script until it was completed.
Robbie noted that it was important for Gerwig and co-writer Baumbach to have complete creative freedom when crafting the “genius” script for “Barbie,” yet, “At the same time, we’ve got two very nervous ginormous companies,...
- 5/24/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The black and white poster depicts Deneuve on the set of Alain Cavalier’s 1868 romance Heartbeat.
Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the poster for its 76th edition (May 16-27) which honours French actor Catherine Deneuve.
The black and white poster depicts Deneuve on the set of Alain Cavalier’s 1968 romance Heartbeat which shot on Pampelonne beach, near France’s Saint-Tropez.
In the film, Deneuve plays a 25-year-old woman caught between the luxury of being a mistress and the love of a man her own age. The festival likened the character’s heart, which beats “frantically, hurriedly, passionately”, to that of...
Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the poster for its 76th edition (May 16-27) which honours French actor Catherine Deneuve.
The black and white poster depicts Deneuve on the set of Alain Cavalier’s 1968 romance Heartbeat which shot on Pampelonne beach, near France’s Saint-Tropez.
In the film, Deneuve plays a 25-year-old woman caught between the luxury of being a mistress and the love of a man her own age. The festival likened the character’s heart, which beats “frantically, hurriedly, passionately”, to that of...
- 4/20/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
French film legend Catherine Deneuve will be front and center at the Cannes Film Festival as the subject of the official poster for its 76th edition.
The shot of a young Deneuve in 1968 standing on the Pampelonne beach, near Saint Tropez, as the cameras roll on La Chamade by director Alain Cavalier is the iconic photo for the poster this year. The French romantic drama had Deneuve playing Lucile, the mistress of a wealthy man who misses the material comforts of life when she leaves him for a younger lover.
“Her heart beats frantically, hurriedly, passionately. Like the heart of cinema that the Festival de Cannes celebrates every year,? Cannes organizers said of the poster in a statement.
Côte d’Azur, 1968.
The iconic Catherine Deneuve embodies what cinema should never stop being: elusive, daring, irreverent. Here is the poster of the 76th Festival de Cannes. From May 16 to 27, let's celebrate the love of cinema.
The shot of a young Deneuve in 1968 standing on the Pampelonne beach, near Saint Tropez, as the cameras roll on La Chamade by director Alain Cavalier is the iconic photo for the poster this year. The French romantic drama had Deneuve playing Lucile, the mistress of a wealthy man who misses the material comforts of life when she leaves him for a younger lover.
“Her heart beats frantically, hurriedly, passionately. Like the heart of cinema that the Festival de Cannes celebrates every year,? Cannes organizers said of the poster in a statement.
Côte d’Azur, 1968.
The iconic Catherine Deneuve embodies what cinema should never stop being: elusive, daring, irreverent. Here is the poster of the 76th Festival de Cannes. From May 16 to 27, let's celebrate the love of cinema.
- 4/19/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the poster for the 76th edition featuring none other than Gallic cinema icon Catherine Deneuve.
The black and white photo pictures the noted performer in the film “La Chamade” (Heartbeat), directed by Alain Cavalier. Shot in 1968 on Pampelonne beach, near Saint-Tropez, the film stars Deneuve as Lucile, who the festival describes as living a “worldly and superficial life, tinged with ease and a taste for luxury. Her heart beats frantically, hurriedly, passionately.”
Cannes official 2023 poster featuring Catherine Deneuve
The festival called her “an embodiment of cinema, far from what is conventional or appropriate. Without compromise and always in tune with her convictions, even if it means going against the grain of the times,” recalling that Deneuve has been the muse of filmmakers including Jacques Demy, Agnès Varda, Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut, Marco Ferreri, Manoel de Oliveira, André Téchiné, Emmanuelle Bercot and Arnaud Desplechin.
In...
The black and white photo pictures the noted performer in the film “La Chamade” (Heartbeat), directed by Alain Cavalier. Shot in 1968 on Pampelonne beach, near Saint-Tropez, the film stars Deneuve as Lucile, who the festival describes as living a “worldly and superficial life, tinged with ease and a taste for luxury. Her heart beats frantically, hurriedly, passionately.”
Cannes official 2023 poster featuring Catherine Deneuve
The festival called her “an embodiment of cinema, far from what is conventional or appropriate. Without compromise and always in tune with her convictions, even if it means going against the grain of the times,” recalling that Deneuve has been the muse of filmmakers including Jacques Demy, Agnès Varda, Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut, Marco Ferreri, Manoel de Oliveira, André Téchiné, Emmanuelle Bercot and Arnaud Desplechin.
In...
- 4/19/2023
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
As a slight shift from the scope and scale of Frances Ha and Mistress America, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach’s latest project, Barbie, comes in around $100 million. But so it’s required to continue an indie tradition amidst Biden-era inflation, and the Mattel property isn’t getting any cheaper at Toys R Us, either. Ahead of a July 21 release (making a peculiar double-feature with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer), the Margot Robbie- and Ryan Gosling-led feature has a full trailer.
Shot by Rodrigo Prieto and scored by Alexandre Desplat, as rumored, the film clearly draws inspiration from the vibrant musicals of Jacques Demy, notably The Young Girls of Rochefort and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as seen in the last few seconds of the trailer.
With a cast also including America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell, and Rhea Perlman, check out the preview below.
Shot by Rodrigo Prieto and scored by Alexandre Desplat, as rumored, the film clearly draws inspiration from the vibrant musicals of Jacques Demy, notably The Young Girls of Rochefort and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as seen in the last few seconds of the trailer.
With a cast also including America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, Will Ferrell, and Rhea Perlman, check out the preview below.
- 4/4/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
After last month kicked off with Sight and Sound unveiling of their once-in-a-decade greatest films of all-time poll, detailing the 100 films that made the cut that were led by Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, they’ve now unveiled the full critics’ top 250. While the discourse up until now has featured many wondering why certain directors were totally absent and why other films that previously made the top 100 were left out, more clarity has arrived with this update.
Check out some highlights we clocked below, the full list here, and return on March 2 when all ballots and comments will be unveiled.
The films closest to making the top 100 were Rio Bravo, The House Is Black, and Vagabond, which tied for #103. Four directors absent in the top 100––Terrence Malick, Paul Thomas Anderson, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Jacques Demy––have two films each in the top 250: The Tree of Life...
Check out some highlights we clocked below, the full list here, and return on March 2 when all ballots and comments will be unveiled.
The films closest to making the top 100 were Rio Bravo, The House Is Black, and Vagabond, which tied for #103. Four directors absent in the top 100––Terrence Malick, Paul Thomas Anderson, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Jacques Demy––have two films each in the top 250: The Tree of Life...
- 1/31/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
More than 50 years after she made her Venice debut as the star of Luis Buñuel’s 1967 classic Belle du Jour, Catherine Deneuve is being feted by the festival with its Golden Lion for Career Achievement.
“It feels like yesterday. It was a very important festival for me,” Deneuve told a packed press conference as she cast her mind back to her attendance in 1967.
The actress took to the stage wearing a Ukrainian flag but said she did not want to make a verbal statement about the war in Ukraine.
“I’m very aware like a lot of people and that was why I wanted to wear it for the press conference, but I don’t want to express myself because it’s worse and worse. My mind and my spirit, [is with them] every day but I don’t have any declarations to make.”
The actress said she found it hard to take stock of her career.
“It feels like yesterday. It was a very important festival for me,” Deneuve told a packed press conference as she cast her mind back to her attendance in 1967.
The actress took to the stage wearing a Ukrainian flag but said she did not want to make a verbal statement about the war in Ukraine.
“I’m very aware like a lot of people and that was why I wanted to wear it for the press conference, but I don’t want to express myself because it’s worse and worse. My mind and my spirit, [is with them] every day but I don’t have any declarations to make.”
The actress said she found it hard to take stock of her career.
- 8/31/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
French cinema legend Catherine Deneuve was all smiles as she glided into the press conference room of the Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday.
Deneuve is being honored in Venice this year with the festival’s Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement.
Naming her this year’s honoree, Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera rattled off the long list of acclaimed creatives Deneuve has worked with, and inspired, from directors Roger Vadim, Jacques Demy, Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut and Roman Polanski to such actors as Marcello Mastroianni and Gérard Depardieu. She is also one of the rare performers to have received an Oscar nomination for a non-English performance, picking up a best actress nom in 1993 for Régis Wargnier’s Indochine.
“It is always very difficult when you have to stop and look back at things as if you made decisions as if you were thinking of the future,...
French cinema legend Catherine Deneuve was all smiles as she glided into the press conference room of the Venice International Film Festival on Wednesday.
Deneuve is being honored in Venice this year with the festival’s Golden Lion award for lifetime achievement.
Naming her this year’s honoree, Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera rattled off the long list of acclaimed creatives Deneuve has worked with, and inspired, from directors Roger Vadim, Jacques Demy, Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut and Roman Polanski to such actors as Marcello Mastroianni and Gérard Depardieu. She is also one of the rare performers to have received an Oscar nomination for a non-English performance, picking up a best actress nom in 1993 for Régis Wargnier’s Indochine.
“It is always very difficult when you have to stop and look back at things as if you made decisions as if you were thinking of the future,...
- 8/31/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Film Forum
To mark the great Alain Resnias’ centennial, a massive retrospective starts with Marienbad, Muriel, Hiroshima, and Je t’aime, je t’aime; The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg screen.
Bam
“Intimate Epics” begins with a print of Yi Yi, Happy Hour, and Ottinger’s Joan of Arc of Mongolia.
Museum of the Moving Image
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Licorice Pizza play back-to-back on 70mm this weekend, while one of cinema’s most unsung heroes—women in Australian cinema—get their due in a new retrospective.
Japan Society
Kore-eda’s After Life is screening on Friday.
Film at Lincoln Center
Three Colors: Blue, Three Colors: White, and a massive retrospective of King Vidor all continue.
Roxy Cinema
The series “Woman as Witch” offers plenty scintillating—prints of Alien 3, Lady Sings the Blues,...
Film Forum
To mark the great Alain Resnias’ centennial, a massive retrospective starts with Marienbad, Muriel, Hiroshima, and Je t’aime, je t’aime; The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg screen.
Bam
“Intimate Epics” begins with a print of Yi Yi, Happy Hour, and Ottinger’s Joan of Arc of Mongolia.
Museum of the Moving Image
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Licorice Pizza play back-to-back on 70mm this weekend, while one of cinema’s most unsung heroes—women in Australian cinema—get their due in a new retrospective.
Japan Society
Kore-eda’s After Life is screening on Friday.
Film at Lincoln Center
Three Colors: Blue, Three Colors: White, and a massive retrospective of King Vidor all continue.
Roxy Cinema
The series “Woman as Witch” offers plenty scintillating—prints of Alien 3, Lady Sings the Blues,...
- 8/11/2022
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
After two years of cancellations and delays, the Cannes Film Festival finally returned to the south of France during the month of May. The winners of this year’s festivities were announced on Saturday, May 25. How many of these will become major players in this year’s Oscar derby? Below let’s review the results from the 75th installment of the international festival and examine the history each serves as a forecaster for the Academy Awards.
In recent years, Cannes has served as a launching pad for films that have become major contenders in awards season. This is particularly true in the International Feature category which, for the past several years, has had several nominees that were screened in competition. It’s also been true in other categories, including several above the line races, with films like “Drive My Car,” “Parasite,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “BlacKkKlansman” having their premieres on the Croissette.
In recent years, Cannes has served as a launching pad for films that have become major contenders in awards season. This is particularly true in the International Feature category which, for the past several years, has had several nominees that were screened in competition. It’s also been true in other categories, including several above the line races, with films like “Drive My Car,” “Parasite,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and “BlacKkKlansman” having their premieres on the Croissette.
- 6/6/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
The Fever (Maya Da-Rin)
The Fever, director-cum-visual artist Da-Rin’s first full-length feature project, puts a human face to a statistic that hardly captures the genocide Brazil is suffering. This is not just a wonderfully crafted, superb exercise in filmmaking, a multilayered tale that seesaws between social realism and magic. It is a call to action, an unassuming manifesto hashed in the present tense but reverberating as a plea from a world already past us, a memoir of sorts. – Leonardo G. (full review)
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
French New Wave
Dive into one of the most fertile eras of moving pictures with a new massive 45-film series on The Criterion Channel dedicated to the French New Wave. Highlights include Le...
The Fever (Maya Da-Rin)
The Fever, director-cum-visual artist Da-Rin’s first full-length feature project, puts a human face to a statistic that hardly captures the genocide Brazil is suffering. This is not just a wonderfully crafted, superb exercise in filmmaking, a multilayered tale that seesaws between social realism and magic. It is a call to action, an unassuming manifesto hashed in the present tense but reverberating as a plea from a world already past us, a memoir of sorts. – Leonardo G. (full review)
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
French New Wave
Dive into one of the most fertile eras of moving pictures with a new massive 45-film series on The Criterion Channel dedicated to the French New Wave. Highlights include Le...
- 1/7/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Actor best known for playing Guy Foucher in the French musical film classic The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
The actor Nino Castelnuovo, who has died aged 84, starred in one of the indisputable masterpieces of 1960s French cinema: Jacques Demy’s heartbreaking and visually ravishing musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964).
Castelnuovo was tender and compelling as Guy, the handsome mechanic in love with Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve), who works in her mother’s umbrella shop. Their romance is interrupted when Guy is summoned to do his military service in the Algerian war. Immediately after he breaks this news to Geneviève, the tearful couple, filmed from the waist up, are borne smoothly along the street as if on a conveyor belt. The scene suggests their trance-like state of shock while hinting at forces beyond their control.
The actor Nino Castelnuovo, who has died aged 84, starred in one of the indisputable masterpieces of 1960s French cinema: Jacques Demy’s heartbreaking and visually ravishing musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964).
Castelnuovo was tender and compelling as Guy, the handsome mechanic in love with Geneviève (Catherine Deneuve), who works in her mother’s umbrella shop. Their romance is interrupted when Guy is summoned to do his military service in the Algerian war. Immediately after he breaks this news to Geneviève, the tearful couple, filmed from the waist up, are borne smoothly along the street as if on a conveyor belt. The scene suggests their trance-like state of shock while hinting at forces beyond their control.
- 9/19/2021
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Francesco “Nino” Castelnuovo, the Italian actor who starred in the Palme D’Or winner “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” and the Best Picture Oscar winner “The English Patient,” died on Monday after a long battle with illness, his family announced. He was 84.
Born in Lombardy, Castelnuovo took on blue-collar jobs like house painting and mechanic work before traveling to Milan and enrolling in the Piccolo Teatro acting school. In 1957, he got his start as an actor as a mime on a children’s TV show and five years later, got his first taste of Hollywood via Walt Disney in “Escapade in Florence,” a mini-movie that aired on the “Disneyland” TV show starring Disney regulars Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk.
But Castelnuovo’s big break came in 1964 with “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” a sung-through romantic drama directed by Jacques Demy. Castelnuovo starred alongside Catherine Deneuve as a teenage couple forced apart by the Algerian War.
Born in Lombardy, Castelnuovo took on blue-collar jobs like house painting and mechanic work before traveling to Milan and enrolling in the Piccolo Teatro acting school. In 1957, he got his start as an actor as a mime on a children’s TV show and five years later, got his first taste of Hollywood via Walt Disney in “Escapade in Florence,” a mini-movie that aired on the “Disneyland” TV show starring Disney regulars Annette Funicello and Tommy Kirk.
But Castelnuovo’s big break came in 1964 with “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” a sung-through romantic drama directed by Jacques Demy. Castelnuovo starred alongside Catherine Deneuve as a teenage couple forced apart by the Algerian War.
- 9/8/2021
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
This review of “Annette” was first published on July 6, 2021 after the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
When Leos Carax’s “Holy Motors” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May of 2012, it screened just past the halfway mark of the 12-day festival — an ideal position for Carax’s lunatic fantasy to set the festival abuzz, drawing a mixture of raves and boos and WTFs.
But when Carax’s new film, “Annette,” premiered at Cannes, it faced a tougher road. The French filmmaker, after all, has the opening-night competition slot this year, which means his new film can’t come as a breath of fresh, weird air the way his last film did. This year, he’s setting the tone, not providing the contrast.
Besides, “Annette” (an Amazon Studios release) may be bonkers in its own way, but it’s less bonkers than “Holy Motors” was. Carax set...
When Leos Carax’s “Holy Motors” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May of 2012, it screened just past the halfway mark of the 12-day festival — an ideal position for Carax’s lunatic fantasy to set the festival abuzz, drawing a mixture of raves and boos and WTFs.
But when Carax’s new film, “Annette,” premiered at Cannes, it faced a tougher road. The French filmmaker, after all, has the opening-night competition slot this year, which means his new film can’t come as a breath of fresh, weird air the way his last film did. This year, he’s setting the tone, not providing the contrast.
Besides, “Annette” (an Amazon Studios release) may be bonkers in its own way, but it’s less bonkers than “Holy Motors” was. Carax set...
- 8/19/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
After going virtual last year and not handing out any prizes due to the Covid pandemic, the 2021 Cannes Film Festival returned to form by announcing its winners on July 17. How many of these will figure in the upcoming Oscar race? We recap the results from the 74th edition of this foremost of film festivals and review its history as a forecaster of the Academy Awards.
The top award at Cannes is the Palme d’Or. Over the years, 40 winners of this prize have amassed 135 Academy Award nominations. Seventeen of these have claimed a combined 32 Oscars. This year, the Palme d’Or went to French filmmaker Julia Ducournau‘s “Titane.” Her dramatic thriller centers on a father reunited with his son who was missing for a decade during which several unexplained crimes were committed. Ducournau is the second woman to take this top prize following Jane Campion‘s breakthrough in 1993 with “The Piano.
The top award at Cannes is the Palme d’Or. Over the years, 40 winners of this prize have amassed 135 Academy Award nominations. Seventeen of these have claimed a combined 32 Oscars. This year, the Palme d’Or went to French filmmaker Julia Ducournau‘s “Titane.” Her dramatic thriller centers on a father reunited with his son who was missing for a decade during which several unexplained crimes were committed. Ducournau is the second woman to take this top prize following Jane Campion‘s breakthrough in 1993 with “The Piano.
- 7/18/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
The final full day of screenings at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival ended with a statistic, which was delivered by Cannes General Delegate Thierry Fremaux on the stage of the Salle Debussy just before midnight on Friday:
Over the first 11 days of the festival and the thousands of Covid-19 tests administered on the premises each day, 70 people tested positive for the virus. For Fremaux and the festival, the stat – slightly more than the three-positive-tests-per-day estimate made earlier – was still one to celebrate, suggesting that the scaled-down Cannes managed to navigate a difficult time without turning into a superspreader event.
Of course, Fremaux’s announcement preceded the screening of Gaspar Noe’s “Vortex,” a movie about aging, illness and death, which perhaps made it a tricky moment to be celebrating all the negative tests.
The prize parade
According to the awards that have been handed out in Cannes, the festival’s top...
Over the first 11 days of the festival and the thousands of Covid-19 tests administered on the premises each day, 70 people tested positive for the virus. For Fremaux and the festival, the stat – slightly more than the three-positive-tests-per-day estimate made earlier – was still one to celebrate, suggesting that the scaled-down Cannes managed to navigate a difficult time without turning into a superspreader event.
Of course, Fremaux’s announcement preceded the screening of Gaspar Noe’s “Vortex,” a movie about aging, illness and death, which perhaps made it a tricky moment to be celebrating all the negative tests.
The prize parade
According to the awards that have been handed out in Cannes, the festival’s top...
- 7/17/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSThe prolific, captivating Sean Connery has died. As critic Glenn Kenny writes in his obituary for Decider, Connery will always be "tied to the role of James Bond, [but] so many of Connery’s non-Bond roles were [...] fascinating, challenging, and cinematically important." Recommended VIEWINGGrasshopper Films' official trailer for the new 4k digital restoration of Manoel de Oliveira's 1981 Francisca, an adaptation of Agustina Bessa-Luís’ acclaimed novel. Oscilloscope has released the first trailer for The Twentieth Century, Matthew Rankine's dark comedy-drama that reimagines the life of former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King. The film won the Fipresci prize in the Forum section of the 2019 Berlinale. The Asian Film Archive has announced Monographs 2020, a series of video essays commissioned and conceived during lockdown. Featuring a wide range of filmmakers, the series aims to offer "an...
- 11/4/2020
- MUBI
by Cláudio Alves
Back in the 1960s, unlike now, a film could be recognized in the Best Foreign Language Film category one year and still compete for the other Oscars the next. Such a strange fate befell Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, an intoxicating love letter to the classic Hollywood musical by one of the most inventive auteurs of the Nouvelle Vague. In 1964, the picture was a nominee for Best Foreign Language Film and would go on to conquer four other nods in 1965, the year of our next Supporting Actress Smackdown.
While it's easy to resent the Academy for not fully embracing the flick (it won nothing), the citations it received, for Demy's script and Michel Legrand's music, were fully deserved...
Back in the 1960s, unlike now, a film could be recognized in the Best Foreign Language Film category one year and still compete for the other Oscars the next. Such a strange fate befell Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, an intoxicating love letter to the classic Hollywood musical by one of the most inventive auteurs of the Nouvelle Vague. In 1964, the picture was a nominee for Best Foreign Language Film and would go on to conquer four other nods in 1965, the year of our next Supporting Actress Smackdown.
While it's easy to resent the Academy for not fully embracing the flick (it won nothing), the citations it received, for Demy's script and Michel Legrand's music, were fully deserved...
- 10/5/2020
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Great directors, like adventurous travelers, explore new lands not trying to impose their sensibilities on them but allowing the foreignness to wash over them and reveal new layers that complement their worldviews. Although Hirokazu Kore-eda’s entire filmography has been set in his native Japan, within the very first few minutes of The Truth––his first film set outside of his homeland––he has taken the riches of France and filtered them through his soul-stirring humanism.
As Lumir (Juliette Binoche) arrives in her childhood home in Paris, accompanied by her American husband (Ethan Hawke) and their young daughter (Clémentine Grenier), the golden sunlight that throughout the decades lit the works of Renoir, Clement, Truffaut, and Bresson, suddenly seems more meditative, like it will be able to warm more than the characters’ bodies and reach straight into their souls.
They will all need that warmth as they face Fabienne an iceberg of a woman,...
As Lumir (Juliette Binoche) arrives in her childhood home in Paris, accompanied by her American husband (Ethan Hawke) and their young daughter (Clémentine Grenier), the golden sunlight that throughout the decades lit the works of Renoir, Clement, Truffaut, and Bresson, suddenly seems more meditative, like it will be able to warm more than the characters’ bodies and reach straight into their souls.
They will all need that warmth as they face Fabienne an iceberg of a woman,...
- 7/9/2020
- by Jose Solís
- The Film Stage
If both your parents were famous and beguiling filmmakers, at some point you have to make a choice between turning your back on lineage to become a teacher or lawyer or something completely non-showbiz, or just embracing your genealogy and accepting the struggle to emerge from two very imposing shadows.
For Mathieu Demy there was never any doubt about which road he would take. He first appeared onscreen at age 5 in One Sings, the Other Doesn’t under the direction of his mother, Agnes Varda, and made his mark in his 20s as a man with AIDS in the musical Jeanne and the Perfect Guy. His father Jacques Demy had a way with musicals as well, having directed the immortal The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort, as well as Lola, Bay of Angels and Une Chambre en Ville.
Lately, Mathieu, who calls Los Angeles home but is currently working in Paris,...
For Mathieu Demy there was never any doubt about which road he would take. He first appeared onscreen at age 5 in One Sings, the Other Doesn’t under the direction of his mother, Agnes Varda, and made his mark in his 20s as a man with AIDS in the musical Jeanne and the Perfect Guy. His father Jacques Demy had a way with musicals as well, having directed the immortal The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and The Young Girls of Rochefort, as well as Lola, Bay of Angels and Une Chambre en Ville.
Lately, Mathieu, who calls Los Angeles home but is currently working in Paris,...
- 7/6/2020
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
(Welcome to The Quarantine Stream, a new series where the /Film team shares what they’ve been watching while social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.) The Movie: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max and the Criterion Channel The Pitch: In a seaside French town, two gorgeous young people declare their love for each other, but […]
The post The Quarantine Stream: ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ is a Colorful, Unconventional Musical appeared first on /Film.
The post The Quarantine Stream: ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ is a Colorful, Unconventional Musical appeared first on /Film.
- 6/5/2020
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Alice (Josephine Mackerras)
It makes no sense. The night before saw Alice Ferrand’s (Emilie Piponnier) husband François (Martin Swabey) going out of his way to passionately make-out with her in front of their friends at a dinner party and now he won’t answer her calls. Despite his running out of the house earlier than usual without any explanation, however, there’s nothing to make her think something is wrong until a trip to the drugstore exposes a freeze on their finances. One credit card won’t work. Then another. The Atm won’t accept her sign-in and François still isn’t picking up his phone.
Alice (Josephine Mackerras)
It makes no sense. The night before saw Alice Ferrand’s (Emilie Piponnier) husband François (Martin Swabey) going out of his way to passionately make-out with her in front of their friends at a dinner party and now he won’t answer her calls. Despite his running out of the house earlier than usual without any explanation, however, there’s nothing to make her think something is wrong until a trip to the drugstore exposes a freeze on their finances. One credit card won’t work. Then another. The Atm won’t accept her sign-in and François still isn’t picking up his phone.
- 5/15/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Bad Boys For Life (Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah)
Much has been made in retrospect how quaint the original ‘95 Bad Boys plays in comparison to its ‘03 follow-up. It rode on the rapport of its leads through only a handful of gunfights and fisticuffs, culminating in an airport climax Bay had to front his own money to finish. The second installment contains not one but two extended car chases with trucks emptying obstacles onto our heroes, and an entire slum being obliterated by a Hummer with little regard for human life–all across a gratuitous two and a half hours. In short, eight years apart, the...
Bad Boys For Life (Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah)
Much has been made in retrospect how quaint the original ‘95 Bad Boys plays in comparison to its ‘03 follow-up. It rode on the rapport of its leads through only a handful of gunfights and fisticuffs, culminating in an airport climax Bay had to front his own money to finish. The second installment contains not one but two extended car chases with trucks emptying obstacles onto our heroes, and an entire slum being obliterated by a Hummer with little regard for human life–all across a gratuitous two and a half hours. In short, eight years apart, the...
- 4/3/2020
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The pretty girl, the bad boy, the Champs-Élysées ... nope, never seen Jean-Luc Godard’s debut masterpiece. But I know what it’s about – don’t I?
See the other classic missed films in this series
I’ve never seen a Jean-Luc Godard movie. Or, I hadn’t, until this assignment. I know, embarrassing, especially for a so-called film critic. I’ve long blamed this gap in my knowledge on the fact that I didn’t take a first year university course in French New Wave cinema, but I know as well as anyone you don’t need to be a student to study. It’s not even that the Nouvelle Vague is a blind spot, necessarily – I’m an admirer of other films from the movement, such as Alain Resnais’s Hiroshima Mon Amour, Agnés Varda’s Cléo de 5 à 7, François Truffaut’s Jules et Jim and Jacques Demy...
See the other classic missed films in this series
I’ve never seen a Jean-Luc Godard movie. Or, I hadn’t, until this assignment. I know, embarrassing, especially for a so-called film critic. I’ve long blamed this gap in my knowledge on the fact that I didn’t take a first year university course in French New Wave cinema, but I know as well as anyone you don’t need to be a student to study. It’s not even that the Nouvelle Vague is a blind spot, necessarily – I’m an admirer of other films from the movement, such as Alain Resnais’s Hiroshima Mon Amour, Agnés Varda’s Cléo de 5 à 7, François Truffaut’s Jules et Jim and Jacques Demy...
- 4/1/2020
- by Simran Hans
- The Guardian - Film News
Unlike the Vietnam War, which spawned Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket and several other modern classics, the Algerian War, which was very much France’s Vietnam, did no such thing. In fact, beyond a few outliers like The Battle of Algiers (an Italian-Algerian production with a partial French cast) or the work of director René Vautier, many of whose movies were banned upon release, French cinema generally steered clear of a major 20th century conflict that would mark the end of its colonial empire. Or else, in films as diverse as Godard’s Le Petit soldat, Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg or ...
- 1/29/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Unlike the Vietnam War, which spawned Apocalypse Now, The Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket and several other modern classics, the Algerian War, which was very much France’s Vietnam, did no such thing. In fact, beyond a few outliers like The Battle of Algiers (an Italian-Algerian production with a partial French cast) or the work of director René Vautier, many of whose movies were banned upon release, French cinema generally steered clear of a major 20th century conflict that would mark the end of its colonial empire. Or else, in films as diverse as Godard’s Le Petit soldat, Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg or ...
- 1/29/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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