Cannes: The cowboys of Almodóvar

Elisa Giudici reporting from Cannes

Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke as lovers in "Strange Way of Life". © Sony Pictures Classics

After 25 years, two former hired guns meet again in a small town in the Far West. After crossing the desert, Silva (Pedro Pascal) arrives at Bitter Creek where his old friend and ex-lover Jake (Ethan Hawke) has become sheriff. The two share a dinner and then a night of passion, but as they make the bed together (a tender first time in Western movies history, according to the director) hidden meanings, old wounds, and possible hidden agendas on both sides emerge in a heated discussion.

As usual, 30 minutes of Almodovar can be more impactful and memorable than three hour from other auteurs...

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Michelle Yeoh for Meihodo

by Nathaniel R

Some people never sleep. Michelle Yeoh, recently Oscar crowned, must surely be one of them. The jetsetting movie star works on mutiple tv shows and movies each year and still has time for extra-curriculars. The latest is the Guest of Honor gig later this month in Japan (date TBA) at the fifth annual Meihodo Youth Visual Media Festival. The annual festival gives out medals as well as cash funding in three short film categories: Narrative, Documentary, and Music Video.

The press release is after the jump...

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Were there even any upsets on Oscar night?

by Danny Cox

Part of the fun of the Oscars are when the winner of the award is not the odds on favorite that  had been predicted. Olivia Colman winning over Glenn Close, Parasite taking Picture and  Director from 1917, and Anthony Hopkins over Chadwick Boseman all added a sense of surprise  and shock to each of their ceremonies. With the uprise of precursor award shows, internet communities dedicated to predicting the awards, and even gambling sites taking odds and  providing bets the outcome of the awards tend to be more predictable. Last night’s awards were  no exception, with Everything Everywhere All at Once winning 7 of its 11 nominations as pretty much predicted from the outset even though sweeps hadn't yet happened in the Best Picture era. But was everything as predictable as it seems? Were there any  moments of surprise and shock? The answer is tricky. 

While some of the categories seemed set in stone (Supporting Actor, Animated Film, Visual  Effects) there were others with uncertain outcomes...

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Best of Animated Features, Shorts, and Voice Work

by Nathaniel R

Wagner Moura and Antonio Banderas do fine voice work in "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish"

For today's installment of Oscar talk and our own Film Bitch Award nominations, let's discuss cartoons. Our nominations are up for Best Animated Feature which you can see here and include the thoughtful eccentricities of Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio,  the witty propulsivesness of Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and the strangely undervalued hormonal marvel that is Turning Red. Three clear worthies that are difficult to choose between! It's a more mainstream list than we usually have but that's the way the year panned out (and we only have 3 nominees each year due to, well, sanity).

Apologies to the punk riot of Inu-Oh which is an intermittent thrill. As for Marcel the Shell...

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Sundance: Here are your 2023 winners!

by Cláudio Alves

Another year, another Sundance Film Festival reaches its end, concluding a grand celebration of independent cinema in the snowy Utah landscape. This edition, the reviews were especially glowing across the international press, with many a title earning acclaim - sadly, that's not always guaranteed. One of those productions was the eventual winner of the U.S. Dramatic Competition – A.V. Rockwell's A Thousand and One. The jurors (Jeremy O. Harris, Eliza Hittman, and Marlee Matlin) praised the film's tenderness and how it felt real, so and full of pain. In its citation, the jury further mentioned the project's fearless commitment to emotional truth born of oppressive circumstances. American audiences won't have to wait long to see this award-winning feat in theaters, as the film's scheduled for a March 31st release. 

After the jump, find the full list of winners and some stray observations…

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