You know when you can feel your friends getting sick of hearing you talk? Well, I get that feeling often when I start spouting off about how the trailer we’re watching is for a film that I saw in Cannes. Then I’ll share some story about how Michelle Williams, who stars in the film, was in the theater while I was watching it. As Tina Fey so smartly coined it in Mean Girls,this is what we call “word vomit” — you want to make it stop, but it just keeps coming up.
As the summer comes to a close, more and more Cannes titles begin to trickle into the U.S. market and my excitement begins to rise. There are many films I saw that I’d love to see again; there are others that I wasn’t able to see while I was in France and hope to catch stateside.
One of my Cannes favorites that has done surprisingly well in the U.S. is The Kids Are All Right starring Annette Bening, Julianna Moore and Mark Ruffalo. The film tracks one lesbian couple and their two children as they deal with relationship issues and the struggles of parenthood. I lied and connived my way into this “buyers only” screening at the festival market, and it was so worth any damage I did to my conscience in the process. I’ve heard mixed reviews from friends and family about the film, but I’m a huge fan. Independent filmgoers in the U.S. seem to like it as well — it’s grossed over $19 million at the box office, a hefty sum for a special-interest independent film. I’ve so enjoyed tracking this project since I discovered it in May. Oops, there I go with my pretentious word vomit again…
Of the 29 films that I saw in Cannes, Of Gods and Men was hands down my favorite. The film is based on a real-life story of a group of monks who are faced with the difficult decision of leaving their congregation when terrorists threaten their livelihood. This French film is never going to be a box office champ in the states — with subtitles, a slow-moving plot, long shots and many long scenes of monks praying, it’s not exactly what U.S. audiences are generally drawn to. But for anyone who appreciates quality film, it’s a masterpiece.
Last I checked, Ryan Gosling and Michelle William’s Blue Valentine will hit theaters on New Years Eve, just in time to make the two eligible for Academy Award nominations. And they will certainly be strong contenders for the honor in this heart-wrenching account of a couple falling out of love and struggling to salvage their relationship.
Other films to be on the lookout for are Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps starring Shia Labeouf, Carey Mulligan, Michael Douglas, Frank Langella, and Josh Brolin; Javier Bardem in Iñárritu’s Biutiful; the magnificent Helen Mirren in Love Ranch; and The Housemaid.
