Thursday Movie Picks is hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. Head over to her site and join in! This week's themes is favorite movies that played in Cannes. Like my Sundance entry, I consulted a list to see which ones I've seen, and it turns out not many. Here are my picks for the week.
Sicario - Sicario stars Emily Blunt as a FBI agent who gets to be a part of a drug sting, but turns out to be more than she bargained for. I really liked Blunt in this one, and Benicio del Toro gives a fantastic performance that should have been recognized at the Oscars. I'm looking forward for the sequel of sorts.
Clouds of Sils Maria - This is about an aging actress who tries to come to terms with her personal and professional issues as she is set to play a role that was the antagonist to her original role that thrusted her to the spotlight in her earlier years. Both main actresses were really good, with this being an award-winning role for Stewart.
The Beaver - This is possibly my favorite Mel Gibson movie and performance. He plays a man who communicates through a beaver puppet on his hand. This was a subtle movie, and Jodie Foster does good work in bringing the film together.
I've seen bits of The Beaver and... it's OK. The other 2 films are definitely great films that played at Cannes.
ReplyDeleteI never saw The Beaver, though I've had it in my Netflix queue for ages because of Anton Yelchin. I like your other two picks though. Sicario came out of nowhere for me. I missed the Cannes talk about it and I wasn't even planning on going to see it until I read reviews. Then it ended up on my favorite list of that year.
ReplyDeleteOh I've only seen Sicario, but it's really good pick. Looking forward to the sequel, too!
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen any of these yet though Sicario is in my queue so I will be soon. I heard of Clouds and the fact that Stewart is good in it, we'll see I'm not a fan of hers but maybe she'll grow on me over time.
ReplyDeleteI don't pay much attention to Cannes though if I read that something was praised there it does give the film a bit more cache. That's bit me at times though but I did like these three.
Union Pacific (1939)-As the Union Pacific Railroad stretches westward across the wilderness toward California corrupt banker Asa Barrows (Henry Kolker) hopes to profit from obstructing it. Troubleshooter Jeff Butler (Joel McCrea) has his hands full fighting Barrows' agent, gambler Sid Campeau (Brian Donlevy) and his partner Dick Allen (Robert Preston) who was Jeff's war buddy and rival suitor for engineer's daughter Molly Monahan (Barbara Stanwyck). Rivalries escalate until a fateful showdown set piece. Big rollicking Cecil B. DeMille directed adventure was the winner of the first Palme D’Or.
Rome Open City (1945)-In Nazi occupied Rome regulations have been somewhat relaxed so the inhabitants can move freely during daylight but danger still lurks everywhere as food is rationed, curfews enforced and resistance fighters rigorously hunted. This focuses on the search for one freedom fighter and the people working to help him. Directed by Roberto Rossellini with a fierce lead performance from Anna Magnani this was the leader in the birth of the neo-realism movement. It won the Grand Prize of the Cannes Film Festival in 1946.
Cranes Are Flying (1957)-In Moscow as the winds of World War II approach young lovers Veronika (Tatyana Samoylova) and Boris (Aleksey Batalov) watch the cranes fly overhead and promise to rendezvous before Boris leaves to fight. Boris misses the meeting and is off to the front lines, while Veronika waits patiently, sending letters faithfully. After her house is bombed, Veronika moves in with Boris' family and seeming safety. But Boris’s cousin Mark has darker intentions and as the war rages sorrow spreads in all directions. Winner of the 1958 Cannes Grand Prize.
I have only seen Sicario which is excellent. I haven't heard of the second film but I did want to see The Beaver because I heard it is quite good.
ReplyDeleteHave not seen your first two picks but have heard good things about both. Can't remember much of the Beaver, but I think I liked it.
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