Festival Circuit 2022

[yoshimori]

The Jury Grid doesn't seem to be totally accurate though because Bradshaw actually gave the Gray two stars in the paper. Maybe the one star rating was his initial reaction shared with Screen Daily and he upgraded it to two stars for the Guardian.

Maybe. But it seems The Guardian ratings system is a bit different -- "five stars" are possible there, but a maximum of four for the grid. So maybe that accounts for the discrepancy.

If we care about his opinion -- and I don't think I particularly do, though the summaries of his other opinions on the grid are not often especially problematic for me -- here is some of it:

Headline: Hopkins and Hathaway can’t save this stagy tale of a quasi-Trump

First paragraph: This slightly laborious and self-consciously acted family coming-of-age drama features some perfunctory plot resolutions, and dinner-theatre performances from its all-star cast, including Anthony Hopkins, Jeremy Strong and Anne Hathaway.

[Finch]

Some of the British critics have never warmed to James Gray (and I find Bradshaw a fairly bland critic) but yes, objectively, we have to acknowledge that other international as well as American reviewers were disappointed by Armageddon Time (I think the title is terrible even while recognising that it's based on a song) as much as the other faction loves it. Personally, I like some of his films but never had any interest in this one, and I'm not sure that even across-the-board raves would have compelled me to go as autobiographical films generally just aren't my cup of tea.

[beamish14]

Stars at Noon never hooked me as a novel, either. Some people love Denis Johnson’s prose, but he was one of those writers who always seemed to relish putting his reader at an extreme distance and feel deeply alienated from what they’re reading about, and that resonates with a lot of critics and MFA students, but it just frustrated me.

[Finch]

MUBI have bought Holy Spider for the UK, Ireland and Latin America.

[yoshimori]

... I'm not sure that even across-the-board raves would have compelled me to go as autobiographical films generally just aren't my cup of tea.

Ha. Yes. I'd personally recommend you stay away then. This one has no "edge" at all, if that matters to you.

One last swipe at it from my end of things. The movie looks dreadful. The lighting is unusually flat. It was shot by Darius Khondji who is, in the view of several of my DP friends, one of the most overrated cinematographers still working. In all its components, the movie -- as the kid in Annie Hall, which Gray tries to imitate, to zero success, in the early moments of Armageddon Time, says -- "has been run through the deflavorizer."

[Finch]

I'm going to make a (probably wrong) prediction that they'll give Best Director to David Cronenberg. He's never won, and at his age, they might feel like he's due one (and his Jury Special Prize for Crash was in 1996).

[Never Cursed]

...the movie looks dreadful. The lighting is unusually flat. It was shot by Darius Khondji who is, in the view of several of my DP friends, one of the most overrated cinematographers still working.

Not gonna lie, I think that's a little silly of them, particularly given his fantastic work on Uncut Gems - one of the best short-form articles about the production of a film in the past few years dealt with the focus pulling on that film

[therewillbeblus]

What a strange charge. His work with Woody Allen alone is an incredibly reputable resume (and Magic in the Moonlight may be the most gorgeously-shot movie of the millennium, talk about hyperbole!)

[yoshimori]

Hmm. The linked piece isn't about Khondji's work at all, but is rather a kind of extended paean to the automated focus-pulling gear the crew used. If that's the fantastic work you're talking about, that's the AC's and his equipment's, not the DP's.

[diamonds]

Darius Khondji who is, in the view of several of my DP friends, one of the most overrated cinematographers still working.

I too am curious about the reasons behind that remark, though I'm coming from the same direction. Although I think Khondji has shot some very pretty films, I have found his images lacking a certain ineffable something (which I would be completely unable to articulate) that keeps him out of my personal pantheon. The story goes that he approached the Safdies after seeing Good Time and asked them to give him a call if they wanted to "level up," which of course they did, but between the two I've found Sean Price Williams to consistently produce far more electrifying work.

[yoshimori]

Their general view is that they're overlit, both the large spaces and faces, that there's a tendency to wrap relatively soft light around faces, severely reducing contrast on them, that the quality of light often feels irrational (very soft light, for example, in exterior day scenes) but isn't stylish. The overall effect, as in the Gray and in the WA films, a bit less so in Uncut Gems, is that they feel flat.

There's no comparison, lighting-wise, between the geniuses WA worked with (Willis, Nykvist) and Khondji. [The Storaro work with Allen clearly isn't his best, but he's at least going for something.] If your eyes don't feel that distinction, so be it.

And if that "level up" story is literally true, it says something about Khondji's personality that's not so flattering, huh?

[The Narrator Returns]

I would certainly disagree that Khondji's eccentricities aren't "stylish". His work on Neil Jordan's In Dreams (otherwise a pretty bad movie) is some of the most audacious, beautiful cinematography I can remember, so brazen in mixing golden light and impenetrable darkness that it absolutely merits Gordon Willis comparisons.

And whatever you're insinuating about Khondji viewing himself as above the Safdies/Sean Price Williams is not actually borne out by how Khondji has since talked about working on Gems (including on the Criterion disc), where he's overjoyed that the Safdies bent him to their will and forced him to do things he'd never otherwise do.

[John Cope]

I'm holding out for Lukas Dhont's Close.

I certainly hope he doesn't drop the ball in the climax with this new film like he did with his debut feature.

Sounds like he did. I'm pulling for the Serra now instead.

As for Khondji, he will always be a god to me simply for Zidane.

[JabbaTheSlut]

C’mon, Se7en alone. Easily one of the most influential pieces of cinematography of the past 30 years. He’s a master.

[Pavel]

Doesn't really make sense to try and predict what Cannes juries will favor, but still, here are my quickly assembled predix:
Palme d'Or — Close
Grand Prix — Crimes of the Future
Best Director — Park Chan-wook, Decision to Leave
Jury Prize — Eo & Holy Spider
Best Screenplay — Saeed Roustaee, Leila's Brothers
Best Actor — Pierfrancesco Favino, Nostalgia
Best Actress — Michelle Williams, Showing Up

[JabbaTheSlut]

Alternative predictions
Palme d’Or: Leila’s Brothers
Grand Prix: Triangle of Sadness
Director: Claire Denis
Jury: Close
Actor: Benoit Magimel
Actress: Zar Amir Ebrahimi
Script: Tori et Lokita

[Persona]

Nm

[Pavel]

According to the New York Times' Kyle Buchanan, these films will likely receive awards tonight (based on their directors getting called to come back for the ceremony):

SpoilerShow

Close (Lukas Dhont)
Tori and Lokita (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
Decision to Leave (Park Chan-wook)
Broker (Hirokazu Koreeda)
Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund)
EO (Jerzy Skolimowski)
The Eight Mountains (Felix van Groeningen)
Boy from Heaven (Tarik Saleh)
and maybe Stars at Noon (Claire Denis) and Armageddon Time (James Gray)

SpoilerShow

He's also apparently heard rumors that Close and Tori and Lokita are jury faves.

[Persona]

I have been reading a lot of the reviews and listening to some podcasts, at least the English ones, and it's interesting how divided the critics are on nearly all of the films. Maybe this is usually the case but I can't say I remember it being THIS much of an aggregated shrug about nearly everything showing at the festival.

Aftersun seems like the film with the fewest detractors while at the same time it doesn't seem like anyone was just absolutely blown away by it.

[Pavel]

Palme d'Or for Short goes to The Water Murmurs and Lori gets a special mention

[Pavel]

Camera d'Or goes to War Pony (co-directed by Riley Keough) and Plan 75 gets a special mention

[Omensetter]

I'm not reading any leaks, but it looks like Reichardt and Cronenberg won't win the Palme, unfortunately. Go Skolimowski, I suppose. (I'd be fine with Ruben Östlund again, too, actually.) I'm pulling for the Dardennes to win the 75th Anniversary Prix (if given) since they are taken for granted these days. I don't think Mungiu is on the red carpet? Rooting against Dhont, but of course this is only on the basis of abhorring his previous film.

[Pavel]

Zar Amir Ebrahimi wins Best Actress for Holy Spider

[Pavel]

Best Screenplay goes to Tarik Saleh for Boy from Heaven

[Pavel]

The Best Actor winner is Song Kang Ho for Broker