Of all the sick Nazis whose names have gone down in history as an unforgettable reminder of that period’s infamy, surely one of the very worst is the Auschwitz doctor Josef Mengele. One can only imagine this mad “scientist” given thousands of live subjects he could submit at will to his experiments, pulling out eyes, cutting out hearts and other organs without anesthesia, conjoining twins, using benighted and shaky science

After "If you die, I'll kill you" ("Si tu meurs, je te tue" in French) Kurdish filmmaker Huner Saleem has teamed up with Golshifteh Farahani again in this modern-day western set in a Kurdistan that's emerging from years of civil warring. In this second film with the Iranian actress Saleem subtly juggles epic with intimate, the tragic with the comical. And while he borrows from the genre's archetypes he also manages to avoid its pitfalls.

This year's selection in Cannes, while not being particularly exceptional in terms of big-name wattage, could lead to some interesting results. For example, this marks Xavier Dolan's first year bringing a film to the competition series (he's been at Cannes before, but was never in line to compete for the Palme D'Or). A win for Dolan would validate years of efforts and progress. This year also marks Jean-Luc Godard's return, so to speak.

(this is Screen Comment's second review of "Nebraska") American indie cinema also has its giants. Just like his cohorts Wes Anderson and Jason Reitman Alexander Payne has, after directing only a few movies, spearheaded this other cinema in which America and its history fill the screen and the script. As it were in “Nebraska” America is the focus. Not the one that’s portrayed by superheroes but indeed the one that we've come to gradually forget.

PARIS - A kind of good-humored anticipation is manifest inside UGC’s Normandie movie theater on the Champs Elysées: today we find out who the Cannes nominees are. I plop into a chair next to a friend, who, punctual as always, already found his seat. We come out of the theater about an hour later, our marching orders in hand. Eighteen films in the competition series, and eighteen other ones in the Un Certain Regard program.

With two first-round picks in the 2012 NFL draft the Cleveland Browns were favorites to trade up to the number two overall pick and land the rights to Heisman trophy-winner Robert Griffin, III. They were outbid by the Washington Redskins, whom Griffin would lead to the playoffs. The Browns kept their picks and chose running back Trent Richardson and quarterback Brandon Weeden. Two short years later, neither

The Cannes Festival's Thierry Frémaux and Gilles Jacob will be holding their annual press conference this Thursday here in Paris. The full list of films competing for the Palme D'Or and the Un Certain Regard will be revealed then. Already confirmed for the May 14-25 festival is opener "Grace of Monaco" starring Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly. Here's our guess as to who else will be on that list: