NYFF: Margaret Qualley anchors ‘Stars at Noon’ from Claire Denis

By Abe Friedtanzer

At the NYFF introduction of Stars at Noon, the most recent work by Claire Denis,  it was noted that the acclaimed auteur doesn’t have a consistent style or preferred genre in her filmmaking. Recent works like High Life and Let the Sunshine In, both of which screened at NYFF and featured her frequent collaborator Juliette Binoche, are not at all indicative of her two 2022 films (the other is Both Sides of the Blade). Stars at Noon is another about face. It's a romance mired in political mystery, a puzzle that never truly feels like it needs to be solved.

Stars at Noon is based on the 1986 book by Denis Johnson that's set during the then-recent Nicaraguan War. Denis has updated the material to the present, and centered it on Trish (Margaret Qualley), an American journalist who has clearly outstayed her welcome and is struggling to find the big story that will get her back on track...

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TIFF: Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott in ‘Sanctuary’

By Abe Friedtanzer

Two-handers aren’t easy to pull off. They require strong actors who understand how to play off each other well enough to keep things interesting for the duration of an entire film. Fortunately, Zachary Wigon’s Sanctuary makes a great case for this format, showcasing excellent performances from its stars, Margaret Qualley and Christopher Abbott. It's a 96-minute power struggle rollercoaster that never lets up…

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Cannes Gowns, Round 10. Vote

Previous Cannes Fashion: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and double-sized 9

We're nearing the finish line. The closing ceremony hits this weekend. In the meantime, will it be Milla Jovovich (who wore a Ukrainian brand in support... she's Ukranian-American), Margaret Qualley in town for her sexual drama Stars at Noon (read Elisa's review), Cynthia Erivo or Maggie Gyllenhaal for you? 

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Cannes Diary #9: Rock n' Sex on the Croisette

by Elisa Giudici

Two disappointing movies for me today. But at least they're the kind of disappointments that spark intense discussion among cinephiles. I was not blown away either by Claire Denis Stars at Noon or Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, but there has been a wide range of interesting opinions on both in the press room today in Cannes; The audience will be the final judge...

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Which of these '94 born actors will follow Saoirse Ronan to an Oscar nomination?

by Nathaniel R

Saoirse Ronan for Vogue magazine

It's 27 days until Oscar so we thought we'd have a little speculative discussion prompt with the magic number of 27. Saoirse Ronan, who turns 27 next month, is the only actor born in 1994 to have been Oscar nominated so far. What's more she's already done it an incredible four times. Still Saoirse won't be the only Oscar-nominated member of the '94 vintage for much longer. The late twentysomething years is when female actors start getting Oscar-nominated and it's when the male actors start buiding the kind of fame that eventually earns them nominations (we don't make these double standard arbitrary age rules but it's how Hollywood operates, statistically and generally speaking).

So who do you think will be the first to join Saoirse from this crop of actors turning 27 in 2021? We've selected six that we're most impressed by (currently) after the jump as well as a few handfuls of alternates. Which of these actors are you rooting for and who has the brightest future?

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