The Cannes 2012 Film Festival has now drawn to close after 11 days of fascinating films, extraordinary films and even some rather terrible films.
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.
