Opening Film
- Robin Hood Reviews for Ridley Scott & Russell Crowe's Robin Hood origin story have been up for a little while and they're decidedly mixed. Todd McCarthy over at IndieWIRE calls it "a fashionably gritty period drama, conceived by intelligent minds and handsomely decked out, but featuring no beating heart or compelling raison d’etre." But Empire Magazine declares it "the mullet-free Robin Hood movie we’ve been waiting decades for." Over at Little White Lies, the main complaint seems to be that "Robin Hood doesn’t seem too certain what to do with itself."
In Competition
- Chongqing Blues Director Xiaoshuai Wang's film about a Captain returning home from sea to find his son has been the victim of a police shooting is starting off the film with mixed reviews. The Hollywood Reporter calls it "An average father-and-son angst story with a strong lead performance." But over at AwardsDaily, Sasha Stone says its "a moving story well told."
- Tournée (On Tour) Actor Mathieu Amalric best known to Americans as a James Bond villain or for starring in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly acts in and directs this film about a man who leaves his life and ends up with a lovable Burlesque touring troupe. The AV Club says "Amalric is so detail-oriented that the big picture tends to escape him." Time Out London chimes in with another shaky review giving the film two stars. And continuing the trend of so-so notices is Guy Lodge at In Contention.
Un Certain Regard
- The Strange Case of Angelica 102 year old Manoel de Oliveira directs this film about a photographer who falls madly in love with a young deceased bride he's just photographed. Matt Bochenski at Little White Lies seems to think its good but "doesn't rank with the director's best work." The Hollywood Reporter echoes those sentiments, calling it "pretty but uninvolving."
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5 comments:
Mathieu Amalric is someone who considers himself a director first, even though his acting resume is longer.
Not a good start, considering all the mixed reviews.
Although I think it is a shame that Manoel de Oliveira couldn't show his best talents here with The Strange Case of Angélica, as a Portuguese, I'm just glad he is how old he is and he WRITES the screenplay and DIRECTS it with such passionate vision.
It's amazing. Still, this O Estranho Caso de Angélica is a bit worse that his last, Singularidades de Uma Rapariga Loira.
But to appreciate de Oliveira, you should see Aniki Bobó. It's excellent.
So, day 1 has passed, nothing interesting surfacing yet, hey? Robin Hood not off with a good start, although I remember Ang Lee and Quentin Tarantino getting mixed reviews there and both of their films were among my favourites last year.
Can I just make a tiny complain?
Why oh why no one produces a Portuguese film one can be fully proud of?! Is it so difficult to make a good film that can actually have a shot at an Oscar nomination
Why do we have to be so morally divisive, so disturbingly complex, so layered in our characterizations? We keep pushing weird dramas and theatrical, artsy pieces that no one is interested in...
Ok, rant over.
Yay, thanks for these Cannes updates! I'm following Guy Lodge's coverage but these overviews are wonderful. :)
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