Filmmaker Auden Lincoln-Vogel was in Cannes this year in support of “Bill and Joe go Duck Hunting,” which he's written and directed. In “Bill and Joe Go Duck Hunting,” a slow and contemplative film that was a part of the Cinefondation program, two friends go on a duck hunting expedition and much vexation ensues, the great outdoors the setting for an oppressive “huit-clos” film that's punctuated ... more >
MOVIES
“When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro,” “FEAR AND LOATHING IN ASPEN” | REVIEW
Directed by Bobby Kennedy IIIIn 1970 Hunter S. Thompson began a bizarre run for sheriff of Pitkin County, Col., where he ran on the “Freak Power” ticket. The title of Thompson’s ticket is a pushback on the prejudice toward the local hippies from his opponent Carol Whitmire. Coming on the heels of the documentary “Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb,” which examined the same subject, writer/director Bobby Kennedy III’s “Fear ... more >
CANNES FESTIVAL – and now to one of my favorites, “Red Rocket” by Sean Baker (review)
After twenty years of working in the adult film industry in Los Angeles, Mikey Saber (Simon Rex), returns with his tail between his legs to Texas City, Texas, a small oil town south of Houston with twenty-two dollars in his pocket. He manages to convince his wife Lexi (Brie Elrod), with whom he’s separated, and his mother-in-law, to let him crash for a few days. Promises are made. Mikey will ... more >
CANNES FESTIVAL – Asghar Farhadi’s “A HERO”
CANNES, France - Ethics and civility are not synonymous with honor but it’s generally understood, by most, that if you adhere to an ethical and civil conduct in life, honor will naturally flow from it. The idea of honor endures more or less overtly in Iranian society, and Asghar Farhadi’s new film “A Hero” thrives on it as leitmotif. The honor of one man, a painter calligrapher, crushed by debt ... more >
AFI DOCS: some parting words
This year's iteration of AFI DOCS showed once again that truth is more important than ever. Documentaries are enjoying a golden age, with not only major filmmakers but up-and-comers getting into the form to show us what is really real in our world. Many looked into the past, whether it was examining some truly courageous nuns or popping open the vault of a departed rock star. Some examined ongoing ... more >
DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT: Panah Panahi carves himself a place in world cinema with quirky road movie “Hit the Road”
Pantea Panahiha, Hassan Madjooni and Rayan Sarlak
Directed by Panah Panahi
CANNES, France - A passing of the torch, of sorts, happened this year in Cannes, quietly: Jafar Panahi, high priest of Iranian cinema, bestowed the title upon his son (figuratively, of course). The Panahi name also became synonymous with a film dynasty, the counterweight, if one were to unseriously look at world cinema as a congeries of fiefdoms, to the House of Makhmalbaf. Panahi, whose films ... more >
CANNES FESTIVAL: the “Mothering Sunday” effect
CANNES, France - France counts a growing number of filmmakers making cool cinema and getting their films into festivals like Cannes, Berlin and the Biennale. Names such as Julia Ducournau (“Grave”), Hafsia Herzi (“Bonne Mère”) and Eva Husson come to mind, all of whom are presenting films this year at Cannes. The latter has directed her fourth film, "Mothering Sunday." Her previous work, "The ... more >