This year, there was a before- and an after-Tarantino Cannes Festival. Quentin Tarantino's new film “Once upon a time in Hollywood” was the marker. And it was also the most anticipated film of the 2019 festival. What a party! There is no other American auteur who can command the kinds of huge crowds like the ones seen yesterday in Cannes, when he and the cast walked the red carpet. The Croisette ... more >
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CANNES FESTIVAL – A very tarantinesque UPON UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD came and went (Best Acting Prize to Leonardo DiCaprio, please!)
This film is competing for the Palme D'Or
GOLDEN GLOBES 2016 – GERVAIS LASHES OUT, REVENANT WINS TOP NOD
Bill Cosby, Mel Gibson and Roman Polansky were among the few (corrected: the many) Hollywood bold-faced names that got trashed by British comedian and Golden Globe host Ricky Gervais ("The Office"). There was a whiff of shenanigannery to the affair, with Gervais promising that he would hold his tongue only to start lashing out at everyone before him and creating, I assume, some major discomfort ... more >
The Revenant
True story
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Will Poulter
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Of course, the historical Hugh Glass, legendary nineteenth-century frontiersman left for dead by his fellows after surviving a horrific grizzly bear attack, never had a half-Native American son. But neither did he violently confront the traitor who left him for dead and murdered the aforementioned imagined son. It’s also improbable that during his journey he was rescued and aided by a lone Pawnee ... more >
The Wolf of Wall Street
"The year I turned 26 I made 49 million dollars"
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Got to give it to Martin Scorsese’s distributor for their great sense of timing: the consumerist orgy that is the holiday season is an apt backdrop for the release of “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Also, if you think you've already placed your Oscar bets, you may want to think again. “Wolf” is quite the juicy offering this end-of-year in theaters. Budget cuts? Unemployment blues? Who in their right ... more >
A different take on “The Great Gatsby”
Comparing the new with the old film adaptation
Leonardo Di Caprio and Carey Mulligan
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Lucky the [few] viewers of Baz Luhrman’s "The Great Gatsby" who come to the film virgin of the book, without even a brush with it in high-school. They can dive into the vulgarity of the jazz age depiction, replete with fireworks, flowing champagne, Charleston and period sound-track (with a dash of Jay-Z for the would-be cute and saucy note, much like the sneakers in Coppola’s “Marie ... more >
The Great Gatsby
An rousing 3-D version of the great American novel
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is the billion-dollar staple of American high-school reading. At times, watching Baz Luhrmann’s fantasy “The Great Gatsby” feels like reliving the entire length of junior year. At other times, it reaches out to the green light and snatches what it’s after: a mad dream of one of America’s essential novels. "The Great Gatsby" by Baz Luhrmann is exactly like ... more >
DiCaprio to take a break from acting, champion cause of the environment
Actor makes declaration in German daily Bild
In an interview with German daily Bild Leonardo DiCaprio said he is planning on leaving show business, for a while at least (see interview here--in German). "I am a bit drained," he declared. "I’m now going to take a long, long break. I’ve done three films in two years and I’m just worn out," the "Shutter Island" actor said (read our review). Out promoting "Django Unchained," in which he plays ... more >