"Fallen Leaves" and "The Zone of Interest" lead the EFA nominations

by Cláudio Alves

Because of their specific focus and disconnection from the mainstream release calendar, the European Film Awards are rarely seen as part of the long road to Oscar. Then again, there's always the exception that proves the rule, and this year is exceptional, alright. Many Academy Award contenders showed up across the board, even beyond those submitted for the Best International Film category. Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest and Aki Kaurismäki's Fallen Leaves, for instance, scored nominations for Picture, Director, Actress, Actor, and Screenplay. Sandra Hüller even managed to double-dip, getting recognized for this Nazi nightmare and her turn in Justine Triet's Palme d'Or winner, Anatomy of a Fall.

Discover the complete list of European Film Awards nominations, plus some additional commentary, after the jump…

Click to read more ...

Two Shorts = One Feature, sí?

by Nathaniel R

You may have heard that Sony Pictures Classics has decided on a release strategy for Pedro Almodóvar's short Strange Way of Life (which Elisa reviewed at Cannes). It will debut in NY & LA theaters on Wednesday October 4th and expand that Friday Oct 6th to other cities. Since the western starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as lovers is only 31 minutes long it will be paired in release with the auteur's only previous English language effort, The Human Voice (reviewed here in 2020) which starred Tilda Swinton and is 30 minutes long.

Together that's just one hour and a single minute of cinema but it's Almodóvar so it stands to reason it's worth the ticket price. Do you think people will shell out for a double-short bill? 

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...

Click to read more ...

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...

Click to read more ...

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...

Click to read more ...