Hou Hsiao-Hsien @75: New Millennium (2001-2022)

The conclusion of a four part series by Cláudio Alves

In the cinema of Hou Hsiao-Hsien, the 21st century started with a neon dream. The camera follows Shu Qi's Vicky as she runs through a Taipei tunnel, lights flickering above. Everything happens in slow-motion, flickers turn into waves and the actress's movement makes a strange unnatural dance. She looks back at us, hair flying in a cloud of black tendrils, her eyes asking us to follow her down the tunnel, like Alice down the rabbit hole. It's a hypnotic sight, made more seductive by the music of Lim Giong, house beats and techno dronings that transform the screen into a pulsing heart.

2001's Millennium Mambo fulfills the formalistic promise of Daughter of the Nile, transcending Goodbye South, Goodbye's tethering to material truth. Like its protagonist, the film looks back at its director's history while moving forward to an unknown future. It's the start of a new chapter for Hou Hsiao-Hsien…

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Winners of the 4th annual Meihodo Festival

by Nathaniel R

You may recall that in January we shared the news that Michael Douglas was the guest of honor at this year's "Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival". (That's quite a mouthful of a title to try to say. Perhaps they need an acronym or nickname?) But their core team this year actually had three Oscar winners on it, Douglas, Binoche, and composer Tan Dun. This year the festivalhad 2431 contestants from 110 countries. The winners (which were unfortunately awarded in crypto and NFTs -- agh stop the madness) are after the jump...

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Posterized: one of a kind auteur Leos Carax

"Posterized" returns for a new season. Every Friday!

by Nathaniel R

If you've followed the career of French director Leos Carax over the years than the response to his latest picture, Annette, which opened Cannes last month and hits theaters today, did not surprise you. He's always been a director who left some scratching their heads while leaving others thrilled or even reverently besotted. If you haven't yet experienced any of his movies we urge you to try them out to see which camp you fall into. 

How many of his 7⅓  pictures have you seen?  The posters are after the jump...

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Would you rather?

Would you rather...

• Enjoy an ice cream cone with Debi Mazar?
• Return to the Met with Helen Hunt?
• Quarantine with Cheyenne Jackson?
• Learn to drive a truck with Juliette Binoche?
• Make an Italian dinner with Sir Anthony Hopkins?
• Go horseback riding with Colman Domingo?
• Do an Escape Room with Gina Gershon and Jamie Lee Curtis?
• Scuba dive with Brie Larson?
• "Audition" for Cruella 2 with Alec Utgoff?
• Welcome in the summer with January Jones?

Pictures are after the jump to help you decide!

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74th Cannes. Directors' Fortnight Selection

The Cannes festival runs July 6th through July 17th this year (departing from the usual May) due to taking a year off given COVID-19. After the Main Competition, Un Certain Regard, and Critics Week we have the announcement of the final section: Directors Fortnight. Let's investigate that new group of films though this is the list we have the least information about.

DIRECTORS FORTNIGHT
If a film has an asterisk it's a debut and thus eligible for the Camera d'Or.

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