Sundance: A24’s Very Hyped ‘All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt’

By Abe Friedtanzer

A24 is known for taking leaps of faith on many of their projects. Their films aren't necessarily for everyone, but there’s something unique about most of them. That’s most definitely the case with All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, a drama that makes no effort to present its events in chronological order. In between any given screening at Sundance, all anyone is talking about is how incredible this film is. Whether or not future audiences have a similar response \will be dependent on their ability to appreciate its glacial pace and its unconventional approach to storytelling, one that reminds very much of Terrence Malick, which is not a light statement…

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BAFTA has a funny definition of "Rising Star"

by Cláudio Alves

"Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical" | © Netflix

The EE Rising Star Award is the only BAFTA category where the final vote doesn't belong to the British Academy but to the public. Over the years, many performers won the award on their way to the top, getting this honor before they were considered household names. Last year's victor, Lashana Lynch, quickly proved a worthy winner, showcasing her range in two shockingly different roles. First, she was a charisma bomb in The Woman King, electrifying the screen with good humor and action star chops. Next, Lynch gave life to Miss Honey in the Matilda musical, singing her way through a gentle, motherly figure who slowly learns how to make herself heard.

Most of this year's nominees don't have anything left to prove, nor do they need help getting recognition. This puts into question the award's purpose. Should previous BAFTA winners be eligible for this honor? Shouldn't the category be reserved for up-and-coming names who could benefit from a career boost at the start of their artistic journey? It seems not, judging by the nominees. They are…

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Cannes Gowns, Round 4 (and 'Armageddon Time')

Previously: round 1, 2 and 3 

Anne Hathaway is in Cannes to attend the premiere of James Gray's memoir drama Armageddon Time. Juror Rebecca Hall and Cannes mainstay Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai also walked the red carpet. Sheila Atim, who you'll recall just won the Olivier Award, is having a very good year. She was this year's actress honorary at Chopard's annual Cannes ceremony which spotlights one male and one female star each year (Jack Lowden was the male winner this year). The four most recent actress winners were Anya Taylor-Joy (2017), Elizabeth Debicki (2018), Florence Pugh (2019), Jessie Buckley (2021) so that's very good company to be in. Atim is onscreens now in a small role in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and supports Viola Davis later this year in The Woman King.  

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Armageddon Time has received very warm reviews which might bode well for a James Gray movie finally being in Oscar competition (*might* because his films aren't as sentimental as this genre and Oscar voters like to embrace). The movie is based on Gray's memories of his 80s adolescence. THR says "Hathaway does her best work since Rachel Getting Married" as the mother and both Entertainment Weekly and IndieWire single out Anthony Hopkins as the grandfather mentioning his golden late career phase and that he continues "to mine raw honesty from the depths of human frailty". The Guardian though didn't much like it describing it as "slightly laborious and self-consciously acted" 

Jessie Buckley and Eddie Redmayne win Olivier Awards

by Nathaniel R

Jessie Buckley & Eddie Redmayne at the Olivier Awards yesterday

On Sunday across the pond the West End's Olivier Awards were held at the Royal Albert Hall. Since Broadway and the West End are on different schedules despite cross pollination you can sometimes get clues as to what future shows might be big at the Tony Awards and which Broadway shows have transferred well to London. Regarding the latter, London got two high profile Broadway transfers this season, the 2011 Sutton Foster led revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes and the 2019 musical adapation of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! both of which won multiple Tony Awards in their seasons. In stark contrast, they took only one prize each at the Oliviers. Disney's Frozen also lept across the pond but, just as it had in NYC, it received a few courtesy nominations but no wins.

The big Olivier winners were a new play based on the book/movie Life of Pi using actor operated puppets for the animals and yet another revival of Kander & Ebb's eternally thrilling Cabaret...

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AFI World Premiere: Halle Berry's "Bruised"

by Eurocheese

Bruised gives us Halle Berry behind and in front of the camera, telling the story of a former MMA fighter who has been down on her luck for some time. When her life is complicated by the return of her son, she is forced to get her priorities in order and address the demons of her past. Berry spoke about revamping the script – originally written with a young white protagonist in mind – to reflect her own vision with the writer’s assistance, and it’s clear this was a passion project for her.

Does that passion translate to the screen? Yes, but this can be both a curse and a blessing...

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