Cannes: “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" is the best Terry Gilliam movie in more than two decades

Make no mistake about it, “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” is a love letter to art, to those that dare dream and how it can also lead us to madness, but the best most joyous kind. The overt symbolism is delivered here with a wink from Terry Gilliam, who returns to his roots of satirical comedy with this fantastic film. The best way to compare Gilliam’s achievement is to a delirious dream happening before your very eyes. It is an uncompromising work, purposely delivered as a mess, I mean, how could it not be, with the tumultuous journey this film has had these last 25 years, Gilliam, quite frankly, doesn’t give a damn about failing. And so, he invites us to check logic at the door before entering the world of ‘Quixote.” Explanations take a backseat for the moment-to-moment chaos happening before our very eyes. Which results in some of the most personal filmmaking he’s done in more than two decades, with more than a few references to art and the creative here. In other words, this is a rejuvenation. Terry Gilliam, the auteur, is back because, it seems, like taking chances and possibly failing clearly excites him again. “Quixote” is a fearless movie that is easily his best work since his streak of films in the ’90s. He infuses his film with Gilliam-esque mayhem and set-pieces too outrageous to describe in a single passage. Mainstream audiences might not be pleased, but this is the Gilliam we used to love, the go-for-broke creative that refused to adhere to conventionality. 

Moses Farrow: Mia Farrow, not Woody Allen, was the abusive, brainwashing parent

Director Woody Allen attends the "Cafe Society" premiere and the Opening Night Gala during the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 11, 2016 in Cannes, France.

Moses Farrow, the adopted son of Woody Allen and Mia Farrow, has always shot down the claim that his sister was molested by Woody back in August 1992. He also has accused his mother Mia of being a manipulative control freak when he and his siblings were younger

 Today Moses doubled-down on Mia in an op-ed entitled “A Son Speaks Out.” In it, the most shocking claim, for many sadly, is that his mother Mia was abusive towards he and his siblings.
Dylan said he published the essay as “an attempt to deflect from a credible allegation made by an adult woman, by trying to impugn my mother who has only ever been supportive of me and my siblings.”

 “To those who have become convinced of my father’s guilt, I ask you to consider this: In this time of #MeToo, when so many movie heavyweights have faced dozens of accusations, my father has been accused of wrongdoing only once, by an enraged ex-partner during contentious custody negotiations. During almost 60 years in the public eye, not one other person has come forward to accuse him of even behaving badly on a date, or acting inappropriately in any professional situation, let alone molesting a child."
“As a trained professional, I know that child molestation is a compulsive sickness and deviation that demands repetition. Dylan was alone with Woody in his apartment countless times over the years without a hint of impropriety, yet some would have you believe that at the age of 56, he suddenly decided to become a child molester in a house full of hostile people ordered to watch him like a hawk.

 “To the actors who have worked with my father and have voiced regret for doing so: You have rushed to join the chorus of condemnation based on a discredited accusation for fear of not being on the ‘right’ side of a major social movement.” Are you listening, Timothy Chalamet and Greta Gerwig?

 “But rather than accept the hysteria of Twitter mobs, mindlessly repeating a story examined and discredited 25 years ago, please consider what I have to say. After all, I was there — in the house, in the room — and I know both my father and mother and what each is capable of a whole lot better than you.”

Plenty of horror fans hate “The Witch" and “The Babadook."

Image result for the witch eggers movie

We are truly living in the Golden Age of horror. I mean what else would you call a decade that has given us "A Quiet Place," "The Babdook," "The Witch," "Hereditary," "Get Out," etc. 

However, recently, I have seen a pushback from old-school horror fans that, especially, don't like "The Witch" and "The Babadook," in fact they HATE them. Is it because they are serious, classy, arthouse horror films?

Take for example a review of Hereditary, from The Verge's Tasha Robinson who warned of “some skeptical backlash from horror fans who felt burned by similar advance praise for films like "The Witch" and "It Comes At Night," two extremely tense horror films in which not a whole lot ultimately happens.”

I would hate to think that I live in a world where mainstream horror fans don't realize the brilliance of "The Witch." Robert Eggers' "New England Folk Tale" only has a 6.8 rating on IMDB, which is blasphemous considering how great of a horror movie it is.

The dumbing down of the horror genre in the '90s still has its many fans. Muschietti's "It" kind of adhered to that crowd, but did feel like a slightly smarter film. Nevertheless, I think films like "The Babadook," and "The Witch" are very much "art films" more than any kind of generic horror, which is clearly turning off Joe and Jane popcorn who expect jumpscares every few minutes with their horror. They just aren't "entertained" by atmosphere and character.

David Lynch On Social Media Reactions to Movies: ‘Unless You’re A Poet, Words Will Fail You’

David Lynch

 “You finish a film these days and right away you have this pressure to write about it in words,” Lynch said when asked by an audience member about social media. The director advocated for the need to sit with one’s thoughts and explore the abstractions of any given film without feeling pressured to instantaneously comment on it. In some cases, Lynch said it’s better not to comment at all but live in your emotional response to a film. He summed up his argument by saying, “Unless you’re a poet, words will fail you.”

 [IndieWire]

Do I even need to do a Summer Movie Preview this year?

Before I headed to the Cannes Film Festival, I was pondering whether I should do a Summer Movie Preview. Alas, I wrote a few entries for The Playlist and called it a day because, quite frankly, the movies just don't look good this summer. There are exceptions of course and the indies that are being released I already saw at Sundance and they will surely be the highlights of the summer movie season.  I'm alarmed by the number of sequels, prequels, retreads and mostly safe entertainment that are for the masses.  It's more a box-office extravaganza, as compared to the fall which is all about Oscar. 

With "Infinity War," "Deadpool 2," and "Solo: A Star Wars Story" having already been seen, I narrowed it down to six major-studio films that have potential to be standouts:


"The Incredibles 2"
If you loved 2004’s Pixar classic “The Incredibles,” still considered one of the very best movies of the superhero genre, and for good reason, then you will be pleased to know that Elastigirl, Mr. Incredible, Edna, and Frozone will all be back for this highly anticipated sequel, almost 14 years in the making. Brad Bird, The brains behind the original film, not to mention “The Iron Giant,” “Ratatouille,” and “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” is back for the sequel which has Mr. Incredible having to take care of Jack-Jack while Elastigirl is busy saving the world. 
"Ocean's 8"
In a way, the mediocre sequels that followed Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s Eleven” were probably what helped make the case for Gary Ross’ “Oceans 8.” We don’t really know much about the plot for this spinoff of Soderbergh’s classic. However, what we do know is that “Oceans 8,” will not be a remake or reboot of the original. The cast is also great: Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Carter are some of the best actresses of their generations, oh, and we also have Rihanna added in for good measure. The film is surely a risky bet for Warner Bros and Ross, the underrated filmmaker of “Pleasantville,” “Seabiscuit” and “The Hunger Games,” must surely know what happened to Paul Feig and his failed attempt at an all-female version of “Ghostbusters” just a few years ago. 

"Sicario: Day Of Soldado"
We would have never guessed that a sequel to Denis Villeneuve‘s visceral 2014 drug-cartel film “Sicario” would be happening, but writer Taylor Sheridan seems to think there’s still plenty of ground to cover. Fresh off the indie successes of “Hell or High Water,” and last year’s “Wind River,” Sheridan is back for a sequel that promises to be rougher and tougher than the original. Villeneuve is replaced here by director Stefano Sollima as Benicio Del Toro, returning as undercover operative  Alejandro Gillick, and Josh Brolin, CIA agent Matt Graver, team up to stop Mexican Drug cartels from smuggling Jihadi terrorists into the U.S. border.  The cast also includes Matthew Modine, Catherine Keener, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, and Jeffrey Donovan. Blunt and director Denis Villeneuve opted not to return. 

"Mission Impossible - Fallout"
You can always count on the “Mission: Impossible” franchise to deliver the goods.  It does really help that Tom Cruise, playing Ethan Hunt, does his own stunts, which brings an authentic feel to the set pieces which many summer blockbusters would lack in their CGI-filled action. This July’s “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” the sixth installment of a franchise that just keeps upping the ante and quality with every movie, has Cruise returning as Hunt who yet again has to race against time after a mission goes terribly wrong in  Europe. Christopher McQuarrie, who also directed ‘Rogue Nation,’ returns as writer-director. The returning cast includes Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Michelle Monaghan, Ving Rhames, and Henry Cavill, with a non-digitally-removed mustache to boot. The piece-de-resistance stunt here will have Cruise strapped onto an airplane as it takes off. You can never fault Cruise for not trying to entertain us. 
"Mile 22"
Filmmaker Peter Berg and actor and producer Mark Wahlberg have quite the bff working relationship. Having collaborated on three films so far, including “Lone Survivor,” “Deepwater Horizon,” and “Patriots Day,” he creative duo’s fourth collaboration will be the action thriller “Mile 22.”Berg and Wahlberg stated that they plan on making “Mile 22” the first entry of a trilogy. All three of their previous collaborations have been action dramas based on real-life events. Berg stated that he hopes “Mile 22,” Berg and Wahlberg’s first fiction, will be “an intelligent, adult action film that’s got a lot of muscle and intensity.” Read the official synopsis below.

"The Happytime Murders"
Brian Henson, the son of “Muppets” creator Jim Henson, and his deliriously R-rated muppet movie “The Happytime Murders.” The trailer is a neo-noir puppet action comedy, and I was reminded of “Team America” quite a bit. Yes, Melissa McCarthy is in it but I'll give this film a shot when it is released in August because, frankly, the summer movie lineup is lethargic this year in terms of inspiration. 

‘The Happytime Murders’ is the extremely R-rated, explicitly violent, sexually hardcore, and filthy Muppet movie we've been waiting for all our lives



STX Films chairman Adam Fogelson said about “The Happytime Murders”
“You know in your hearts when Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy go home at night, and there are no cameras around and no children, it’s filthy, [It’s] lovable, relate-able, but it’s filthy.”
That could basically sum up what's in store for us with Brian Henson, the son of “Muppets” creator Jim Henson, and his deliriously R-rated muppet movie “The Happytime Murders.” The trailer is a neo-noir puppet action comedy, and I was reminded of “Team America” quite a bit. Yes, Melissa McCarthy is in it but I'll give this film a shot when it is released in August because, frankly, the summer movie lineup is lethargic this year in terms of inspiration. 
 ‘Happytime Murders,’ is Rated-R, filthy, violent and, just by its final moments in this trailer, looks plainly fucked up. Here’s the official synopsis:
No Sesame. All Street. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS is a filthy comedy set in the underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist. Two clashing detectives with a shared secret, one human (Melissa McCarthy) and one puppet, are forced to work together again to solve the brutal murders of the former cast of a beloved classic puppet television show.
‘The Happytime Murders” will be released on August 17 

Hirokazu Kore-Eda's “Shoplifters” wins the Palme d’Or

The closing night ceremony of the 71st Cannes Film Festival happened yesterday, but I was already on a flight back to Boston when President Cate Blanchett and her group of jurors including Lea Seydoux, Kristen Stewart, Ava DuVernay, Denis Villeneuve and more decided that Hirokazu Kore-Eda's “Shoplifters” was the Palme d’Or winner. Kore-Eda was at Cannes previously with seven different efforts, and “Like Father, Like Son” even won the Jury Prize in 2013. Apparently, the jury decision was unanimous. “No blood was shed,” said Blanchett.

Palme d’Or
Shoplifters, dir: Hirokazu Kore-Eda

Grand Prize
Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman 

Jury Prize
Nadine Labaki, Capernaum

Special Palme d’Or
Jean-Luc Godard, Image Book 

Best Actor
Marcello Fonte, Dogman

Best Director
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War 

Best Screenplay
TIE
Alice Rohrwacher, Happy As Lazzaro 
Nader Saeivar, 3 Faces

Best Actress
Samal Yeslyamova, My Little One

Caméra d’Or
Girl, dir: Lukas Dhont 

Short Film Palme d’Or
All These Creatures, dir: Charles Williams
Special Mention: On The Border, dir: Wei Shujun

Cannes: Lars Von Trier's “The House That Jack Built" is much more thoughtful and meditative than you think

CANNES – Lars von Trier‘s "The House That Jack Built" came to Cannes with a lot of heavy baggage, but, after having seen it at this morning's press screening, the end result is actually von Trier indicting himself and his sins more than anything else, even as he repulses us. This is exactly the film you'd expect when delving into a serial killer drama directed by von Trier and yet, perverse fetishes aside, there are moments that give us a kind of satisfaction, as if the filmmaker is telling us that he deserves to be damned into the deepest pits of hell.

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Cannes: Spike Lee's “BlackKklansman" delivers rousing political entertainment

CANNES – Spike Lee‘s “BlacKkKlansman" is his best film since 2006's "Inside Man" and, maybe even, 2002's "The 25th Hour," although it doesn't come close to equaling the aforementioned latter which is a indisputably great movie. No, this latest joint from Lee shares more similarities to "Inside Man," in its unequivocally joyous attempt to entertain in every which way possible. 

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“The VVitch" Director Robert Eggers’ ‘The Lighthouse’ Will Be Shot In Black and White

Robert Eggers is prepping for his next project and I'm glad to report that he'll be staying in the horror genre with "The Lighthouse." Little is known about this follow-up to "The Witch," but its editor has said that it's being shot in black and white. 

Louise Ford (“Don’t Breathe” and “Thoroughbreds”) stated in an interview:

“It’s set in 1890, and we’re shooting on 35mm black and white stock, virtually unheard of nowadays,” she says. “Most black and white movies are shot in colour, and then converted to black and white in post. The dailies look beautiful; it’s very exciting.” Ford’s most recent film, Paul Dano’s “Wildlife,” premiered at Sundance earlier this year and is currently at Cannes.

Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe will star in the film which has been described as “a fantasy horror story set in the world of old sea-faring myths.”