HeyUGuys were there for most of the festival and in addition to the coverage on the site I have also been Tweeting some brief thoughts on the films I’ve seen @cskinner.
In addition to the major screenings I also made an effort to take in a few films that did not receive as much attention and I also made a point of checking out a few market screenings too in an effort to bring you all a broad idea of the films playing at Cannes 2012.
There are still a few more reviews to come but below you can read some of my quick thoughts on all the films I saw and also some short reactions to three footage presentations also shown at Cannes 2012.
MOONRISE KINGDOM: Anderson seems to have hit a bit of wall with Moonrise Kingdom. Style continues to be almost opposed to function & there’s nowhere near as much charm as in his previous films.
[Rating:2.5/5]
RUST AND BONE: So much about Rust and Bone shouldn’t work but somehow Audiard manages to pull off a magic trick of sorts. Beautiful & very emotional. [Full review here]
[Rating:4/5]
BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD: Style not always in service of the story.What works in the film is beautiful & the child’s eye view is effective.
[Rating:3/5]
SADAKO 3D: A lack of ideas beyond screams of MORE EVERYTHING! 3D used in interesting ways in tiny sections but mostly dreadful. [Full review here]
[Rating:1.5/5]
THE WE AND THE I: Absolutely loved it. Single location suits Gondry’s visual inventiveness. Dialogue is sharp & clever. [Full review here]
[Rating:5/5]
LAWLESS: Masculinity, maturation and moonshine. Near perfect script, great performances & satisfyingly unfussy direction. [Full review here]
[Rating:4/5]
AMOUR: Utterly heartbreaking. The beauty and agony of a couple growing old. Far more emotional than Haneke’s previous films.
[Rating:5/5]
THE SAPPHIRES: Pleasant enough songs & soap opera plotting but mostly pretty dreadful. Chris O’Dowd is on top form though.
[Rating:2/5]
DRACULA 3D: Why Argento, why? The brightest film I’ve ever seen, technically, but in many ways one of the dullest. Awful. [Full review here]
[Rating:1/5]
FLYING SWORDS OF DRAGON GATE 3D: A familiar story given a refreshing new spin. Somewhat fantastical, epic in scale & wholly entertaining. Tsui Hark appears to be on a roll again and I couldn’t be happier. The Dragon Gate story continues to provide a great platform for really cool female characters. It passes the Bechdel Test too.
[Rating:4/5]
WRONG: Witty, strange & delightfully mischievous. Lacking the definite sense of purpose that RUBBER had though.
[Rating:3.5/5]
ROOM 237: More Bible Code than film analysis. Rather entertaining though, albeit occasionally for entirely the wrong reasons.
[Rating:2/5]
ME AND ME DAD: Very absorbing and intimate portrait of John Boorman. Deliberate rough edges add a lot of charm.
[Rating:4/5]
THE ANGEL’S SHARE: Slight but incredibly charming tale of a criminal trying to reform. Could have done without The Proclaimers.
[Rating:3/5]
AI TO MAKOTO: A musical/action/comedy/love story from Takashi Miike. Drags a bit in places but mostly joyously entertaining.
[Rating:3.5/5]
CHAINED: Chilling story of serial killer. Interesting dynamics surrounding influence and control.
[Rating:3.5/5]
ON THE ROAD: Lacking a lot in a number of important areas. Salles ensures it looks good but it’s all a bit empty and flat. [Full review here]
[Rating:2/5]
LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE: Glacial pacing mixed with an aimless sense of discovery build to very little. Alluring cinematography but little else.
[Rating:2/5]
IN ANOTHER COUNTRY: Three similar tales, none of which are particularly compelling. Awkward dialogue & horrible, horrible zooms.
[Rating:2/5]
VIAGGIO IN ITALIA (2012 Restoration): Excellent restoration of a beautiful and moving film.
[Rating:4/5]
THE PAPERBOY: Ludicrous but oddly entertaining in places (not for the right reasons necessarily). Lots of Daniels visual styling nonsense. [Full review here]
[Rating:2/5]
HOLY MOTORS: “Weird, weird, so weird”. Deliciously strange & so enjoyable.
[Rating:4/5]
MISS LOVELY: A grim slog through Bollywood B-movie filmmaking. Very little to say & not at all compelling.
[Rating:2/5]
ONLY GOD FORGIVES (3mins of footage): Gliding, operatic sequence involving a violent attack by Gosling. Stylised to the extreme.
SPRING BREAKERS (3min Sizzle): Bikinis, drugs, drinking & Franco as a sleazebag. Looks commercial & glossy for Korine. Intriguing.
GRANDMASTERS (5mins footage): Beautiful sequence that told so much through its visual language. Stunning cinematography. Adored it.