TIFF: Lee Jung-jae’s ‘Hunt’

By Abe Friedtanzer

It’s always interesting to see what a performer, who is already well-regarded in their home country, does in the wake of international success. Lee Jung-jae just made history with his SAG and Emmy wins for his leading role on Squid Game. Last week he was announced as the star of the upcoming Star Wars TV series The Acolyte. It’s more than fair to say that he’s hot right now. That makes his directorial debut, Hunt, which he also wrote and stars in, all the more exciting.

The now internationally famous actor stars as the head of the foreign unit of the KCIA, South Korea’s Central Intelligence Agency. It's the 1980s and a period of deep unrest and an assassination attempt in the United States. Back at home, he finds himself pitted against the head of the domestic unit (played by Jung-jae’s friend and frequent collaborator Jung Woo-sung), both tasked to uncover the identity of a North Korean spy...

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74th Emmys in Quick Review: Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lee Jung Jae, Jennifer Coolidge and more...

by Nathaniel R

The 74th Emmys last night were a good time, don'cha think? Further proof that you dont really need a host (sorry Kenan Thompson!) just a lively crowd, memorable speeches, and good presenter bits. Herewith a quick list of the sky highs (and a couple of lows) of the evening.

And the winners too of course...

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Drive My Cannes: The New Competition Lineup!

Direct from France, please welcome longtime reader / first time contributor Arnaud Trouvé to talk about the Cannes festival and share the new lineup... uPDATE 04/23: new additions indicated below under red headlines

Ruben Östlund's "Triangle of Sadness" © SF Studios

by Arnaud Trouvé

My first encounter with the Cannes Film Festival was in 1998, when Roberto Benigni kissed Martin Scorsese’s feet after winning the Grand Prix for Life is Beautiful (which he mistakenly took for the Palme d’Or). Cannes ceremonies are always broadcast live on French TV and my interest grew rapidly over the years. Flash-forward to 2009: the Paris visual effects company I’m working for had to deliver over a hundred shots for an upcoming production destined for the Croisette. "It has to be ready for Cannes," was the motto as we worked on a very tight schedule. This production happened to be Gaspar Noé’s Enter The Void and we managed to screen it in Competition at the last minute, with no opening or closing credits!

A decade later, the announcement of the Cannes lineup is still an annual event for cinephiles around the world. And after a bonkers ceremony in the summer of 2021 that saw the victory of Titane, the festival is ready to get back to its usual May slot. Let’s have a look at its anticipated official selection unveiled today by artistic director Thierry Frémaux...

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Linko

• Vulture Jackson McHenry surveys the current scam artists on TV dramas
• The Grio Ruth E Carter to be honored with an NAACP "Vanguard" Award
• BuzzFeed Reliving the Lizzo vs Melissa MCCarthy Little Mermaid casting drama, now with fresh quotes
• Vox Emily VanDerWerff on the rise of art about evangelicals from Midnight Mass to The Righteous Gemstones to current novels, too

More after the jump including Jessica Chastain, The Northman, Sean Penn, Peter Sarsgaard, and the shirtless dancers from Euphoria...

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