Did you love 'Downton Abbey: A New Era'?

by Nathaniel R

If you are the target audience for Downton Abbey: A New Era, you probably hit the movie theater this weekend (or hope to soon). Chris reviewed it here for us from an early critics screening but he had a different perspective as a confessed Downton agnostic. It's a much different experience for Downton loyalists. It has so many shots panning across the entire teeming cast that it's not unlike Avengers Endgame in terms of the fan service optics. I went with the boyfriend and best friend and we all had a blast. Very happy to report that it's much better than the first Downton film. 

Over the weekend yours truly was a guest at Next Best Picture to discuss the film. Have a listen whether or not you've seen it -- though it was difficult we avoided spoilers for the full hour!

Cannes at Home: Day 4 – Christmas on the Nile

by Cláudio Alves

French filmmaker Arnaud Desplechin seems to be on a downward trajectory. His new film, Brother and Sister, has been slaughtered by critics at Cannes, the worst-reviewed Main Competition title so far. For those legions who hoped this would be the year when Marion Cotillard finally won the festival's Best Actress prize, better luck next time! Tarik Saleh's Boy from Heaven was more warmly received despite some cries of conventionality. Through procedural tropes and thriller stylings, the Swedish director explores themes of corruption in Islam, a recurring motif throughout his filmography. These Cannes contenders are both directors' second 2022 pictures – Desplechin's Deception is a new MUBI release, while Saleh's The Contractor has been available for a while. Unfortunately, neither title got much in the way of critical praise.

To keep the Cannes at Home series a celebratory exercise, today's selection looks back at lauded works from these auteurs – A Christmas Tale and The Nile Hilton Incident… 

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Anthony Hopkins to play Sigmund Freud (and a little Oscar history)

by Nathaniel R

Hopkins image via The Guardian

Sir Anthony Hopkins, who is now 84, is in the middle of a late career golden period winning a much-deserved second Oscar for The Father and now getting mostly glowing reviews for a grandfather role in Armageddon Time.  He'll also appear in The Father 's thematic sequel The Son late this year, though this time he doesn't have the leading titular role. Yesterday we learned that Hopkins is set to play Sigmund Freud in a new film called Freud's Last Session. Announcements about famous actors doing biographical roles is not particularly noteworthy as it seems to happen about 24 times each year. But this news is amusing and interesting given Hopkins film history...

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Cannes Gowns, Round 5: Swinton and Stone, Noomi and Naomie

Previous Cannes 2022 Polls: 1, 2, 3, and 4

And we're back after a tiny fashion lull (typical after the first few days of the festival). Tilda Swinton, always a red carpet stunner, returned to Cannes for 3000 Years of Longing, Noomi Rapace went to the Chopard Gala, Sharon Stone showed up for celebrity glamour purposes (what other purposes are needed?) and Naomie Harris attended the Women in Film event.

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Cannes Diary #5: Genies, Spies, Influencers, and Xenophobia

by Elisa Giudici

Sometimes I wish people who plan the daily schedule of festivals would love their audiences more. Placing a Cristian Mungiu movie at the end of very long day of screenings is a challenge. Even the most hardy of festivalgoers might have trouble. Why not use a more energetic movie for the 10 PM slot like Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness? Sorry for whining a little, but sometimes the real struggle is to give every movie the right chance to shine. Revising titles after seeing them at festivals throughout the years, I've noticed that late night spots sometimes result in harsher reviews than the film deserved.

After the jump three main competition films plus the buzzy Three Thousand Years of Longing from George Miller starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton... 

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