Cannes Film Festival 2014
Back from a wonderful Cannes 2014. As usual Cannes is all about quality rather than quantity, although this year I manged to see a personal record of 13 films across my 7 days (one on opening night and then two on each other day).
I attended from opening night (14 May) and left early in the following Wednesday morning (21 May) so missed some of the movies I really wanted to see from my Cannes 2014 Interest List
You can discover more about the festival at IMDb's Cannes section.
I saw movies #1 to #13 at the festival and then #14 onwards elsewhere afterwards ...
I attended from opening night (14 May) and left early in the following Wednesday morning (21 May) so missed some of the movies I really wanted to see from my Cannes 2014 Interest List
You can discover more about the festival at IMDb's Cannes section.
I saw movies #1 to #13 at the festival and then #14 onwards elsewhere afterwards ...
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- DirectorOlivier DahanStarsNicole KidmanTim RothAndré PenvernThe story of former Hollywood star Grace Kelly's crisis of marriage and identity, during a political dispute between Monaco's Prince Rainier III and France's Charles De Gaulle, and a looming French invasion of Monaco in the early 1960s.A great way to open the festival and it played well after the opening ceremony on Wednesday night. It has Alfred Hitchcock and Grace Kelly as characters, it features Nicole Kidman in the lead role along with the lovely locations of Monaco.
- DirectorMarie Amachoukeli-BarsacqClaire BurgerSamuel TheisStarsAngélique LitzenburgerJoseph BourMario TheisAn aging nightclub hostess decides to settle down and get married.The opening film of Un certain regard and it was excellent.
- DirectorMike LeighStarsTimothy SpallPaul JessonDorothy AtkinsonAn exploration of the last quarter century of the great, if eccentric, British painter J.M.W. Turner's life.A stunning biopic from Mike Leigh with a tremendous performance from Timothy Spall in the title role (J.M.W Turner: love the art, loathe the artist).
- DirectorMathieu AmalricStarsMathieu AmalricLéa DruckerStéphanie CléauIn their blue hotel room, a clandestine couple of two married lovers plan an impossible future, as death shutters their already frail tranquillity. Now, the noose tightens more and more around innocents and sinners; but, was there a crime?Another festival favourite (#2) of mine from Un certain regard. A Hitchcockian thriller from director/writer/star Mathiu Almaric with a gradual reveal of the plot, complete with Bernard Herrmann inspired score.
- DirectorJessica HausnerStarsChristian FriedelBirte SchnöinkStephan GrossmannBerlin, the Romantic Era. Young poet Heinrich wishes to conquer the inevitability of death through love, yet is unable to convince his skeptical cousin Marie to join him in a suicide pact. It is whilst coming to terms with this refusal, ineffably distressed by his cousin's insensitivity to the depth of his feelings, that Heinrich meets Henriette, the wife of a business acquaintance. Heinrich's subsequent offer to the beguiling young woman at first holds scant appeal, that is until Henriette discovers she is suffering from a terminal illness
- DirectorAtom EgoyanStarsRyan ReynoldsScott SpeedmanRosario DawsonEight years after the disappearance of Cassandra, some disturbing incidents seem to indicate that she's still alive. Police, parents and Cassandra herself, will try to unravel the mystery of her disappearance.A clever thriller from Atom Egoyan with multiple timelines to keep you guessing. My #3 film of this year's festival.
- DirectorBertrand BonelloStarsGaspard UllielJérémie RenierLouis GarrelYves Saint Laurent's life from 1967 to 1976, during which time the famed fashion designer was at the peak of his career.This one looks great (watch for a mirror placed in nearly every shot) and would make a good double bill with Yves Saint Laurent (2014) as the earlier film gives more context from which to appreciate this later release.
- DirectorTommy Lee JonesStarsTommy Lee JonesHilary SwankGrace GummerThree women who have been driven mad by pioneer life are to be transported across the country by covered wagon by the pious, independent-minded Mary Bee Cuddy, who in turn employs low-life drifter George Briggs to assist her.An unusual and intelligent western with echoes of Unforgiven (1992) and excellent performances from director Tommy Lee Jones and Hilary Swank, along with gorgeous cinematography from Rodrigo Prieto
- DirectorDavid MichôdStarsGuy PearceRobert PattinsonScoot McNairy10 years after a global economic collapse, a hardened loner pursues the men who stole his only possession, his car. Along the way, he captures one of the thieves' brother, and the duo form an uneasy bond during the dangerous journey.Another pair of top notch performances from Guy Pierce and Robert Pattinson in this tense thriller from David Michôd.
- DirectorDavid CronenbergStarsJulianne MooreMia WasikowskaRobert PattinsonA tour into the heart of a Hollywood family chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts.My favourite film of Cannes 2014 and the first time my Cannes favourite has been in the English since I started attending the festival in 2008. The story, the direction, the cast, the dialogue, the characters and the inside references all make for an awesome film. Just when you forget that this is a David Cronenberg film, he goes all Cronenberg on you.
Chosen for the reasons above and not due to the IMDb reference in the dialogue which was just a nice finishing touch. - DirectorBennett MillerStarsSteve CarellChanning TatumMark RuffaloU.S. Olympic wrestling champions and brothers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz join "Team Foxcatcher", led by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont, as they train for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, but John's self-destructive behavior threatens to consume them all.Start your long list of Best Actor nominees for next year with an almost unrecognisable Steve Carrell as John du Pont in this fantastic, yet true, story.
- DirectorRyan GoslingStarsChristina HendricksIain De CaesteckerMatt SmithA single mother is swept into a dark underworld, while her teenage son discovers a road that leads him to a secret underwater town.
- DirectorJean-Pierre DardenneLuc DardenneStarsMarion CotillardFabrizio RongioneCatherine SaléeLiège, Belgium. Sandra is a factory worker who discovers that her workmates have opted for a EUR1,000 bonus in exchange for her dismissal. She has only a weekend to convince her colleagues to give up their bonuses in order to keep her job.A simple yet compelling story set over a weekend in which Marion Cotillard excels in the lead role. Bravo to directors Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne (why do French weekends only have one night though?)
- DirectorPascale FerranStarsJosh CharlesAnaïs DemoustierRoschdy ZemIn an airport hotel on the outskirts of Paris, a Silicon Valley engineer abruptly chucks his job, breaks things off with his wife, and holes up in his room. Soon, fate draws him and a young French maid together.
- DirectorOlivier AssayasStarsJuliette BinocheKristen StewartChloë Grace MoretzA film star comes face-to-face with an uncomfortable reflection of herself while starring in a revival of the play that launched her career.
- DirectorKen LoachStarsBarry WardFrancis MageeAileen HenryDuring the Depression, Jimmy Gralton returns home to Ireland after ten years of exile in America. Seeing the levels of poverty and oppression, the activist in him reawakens and he looks to re-open the dance hall that led to his deportation.
- DirectorFrank CapraStarsRonald ColmanJane WyattEdward Everett HortonWhen a revered diplomat's plane is diverted and crashes in the peaks of Tibet, he and the other survivors are guided to an isolated monastery at Shangri-La, where they wrestle with the invitation to stay.
- DirectorXavier DolanStarsAnne DorvalAntoine Olivier PilonSuzanne ClémentA widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbor inserts herself into their household.
- DirectorKristian LevringStarsMads MikkelsenEva GreenJeffrey Dean MorganIn 1870s America, the fury of a notorious gang leader is unleashed when a peaceful American settler avenges the death of his family. Then as his cowardly fellow townspeople betray him, he is forced to hunt down the outlaws alone.