On January 29th, 1979, President Jimmy Carter and Chinese Deputy Premier Deng Xiaoping signed historic accords, reversing years of U.S. opposition to China. But now, on the forty-year anniversary of this normalization, the U.S. and China are at the threshold of what many fear is a new cold war. “Better Angels,” a documentary directed by two-time Academy Award winner Malcolm Clarke, explores the ... more >
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PREVIEW: Boring down on US-China relations with “Better Angels”
Beyond misperceptions, a mutual understanding?
OPINION: the Cannes Festival’s strange pas-de-deux
Will the coronavirus claim the Cannes Festival as its next victim? Nobody knows.
Canceled, not canceled. And now--maybe--merely postponed? The Cannes Festival, in a PR pas-de-deux that has sowed confusion and let on few key details, has issued a press release last night. In its usual imperfect English (but their heart was in it), the Cannes communiqué went : "Today, we have made the following decision : The Festival de Cannes cannot be held on the scheduled dates, from May 12 ... more >
SCANDAL down in le cinéma français! The CESARS, France’s copy-and-paste version of our Oscars, in shambles after its entire board resigns
But the show must go on. The awards ceremony will take place on February 28th
"[with a view to] ... honor those involved in making cinema in 2019, to regain calm and to make the cinema festival [otherwise known as the ceremony “Les Césars”] a celebration, the board of directors of the Association for the Promotion of Cinema has made the decision to resign unanimously [...]” PARIS - So read part of the press release issued by the executive board of the César Awards last ... more >
OSCARS: Bong Joon-Ho crowned King of the World
"1917" by Sam Mendes was among the favorites. The film went home with a "Best visual effects" Oscar
Tonight in Hollywood, and across the globe, it's all about "Parasite." “Parasite” by the Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, netted four Academy Awards on Sunday, winning in the Best Film, Best Director (Bong Joon-ho), Best Foreign Film and Best Screenplay categories. What a winning streak! Joon-Ho made history, too, in the process. This is the first time that a non-English-language film won for Best ... more >
Yes WE CANNES!
Is Covid19, a.k.a. novel coronavirus, going to spell the death of the Cannes Festival this year? I say, I sure hope not. And, I really don't think it will. But the signs, they're worrisome. According to the powers-that-be, France is currently in what is known as Phase Two. That's when a virus has entered the country and efforts are underway at containing it. When and if the country enters Phase ... more >
FESTIVAL NEWS: SBIFF35 will open with the Shelly Love-directed “A bump along the way”
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) earlier this week announced the lineup for the 35th edition, which will run January 15 to 25, 2020. The festival will feature forty-seven world premieres and seventy-one U.S. premieres from fifty countries. During a press conference SBIFF’s executive director Roger Durling said, “for 35 years, SBIFF has been a reflection of the city that ... more >
SUE LYON (she played Lolita in the Stanley Kubrick film) dead at 73
Sue Lyon was born in Davenport, Iowa. When she was ten months-old her family moved to L.A., hoping that Sue could help support them working as a child model. She got jobs modeling for J.C. Penney and shot a commercial that featured her bleached-blonde hair. Later, she got parts on "Dennis the Menace" (1959) and "The Loretta Young Show" (1953). Stanley Kubrick saw Sue on the show and suggested to ... more >