In light of the massive controversy around #OscarsSoWhite, host Chris Rock reportedly tossed his plans for the 88th Academy Awards in favor of a brand new set of material. We’re all psyched to see what he has in store. The festivities begin at 7 pm EST on ABC (or online). The full list of 2016 Oscar […]
Timbuktu
When Abderrahmane Sissako‘s Timbuktu hit screens around France, it had a modest start at French box office. But after winning Prize of the Ecumenical Jury and the François Chalais Prize at Cannes last year, a remarkable seven Césars including Best Movie and Best Director and a nomination for Best Foreign Picture at this year’s Oscars (though it ultimately lost to Ida), the movie is now enjoying renewed popularity […]
Thibault’s Top Movies of 2014
2014 was a great year for the cinema industry from a critical standpoint, even if it was a terrible year business-wise. Failing box office returns were almost a good thing; I enjoyed the quieter transitional period for U.S. film before we head into a year laden with mega-franchises (Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Avengers, etc.). I discovered comparatively smaller movies in that time, […]
Thibault Talks: The Disney Singularity
“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” nobody would’ve imagined that Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck would one day share a family with Iron Man and Chewbacca. Yet in 2012, that’s what happened. Disney approached George Lucas and $4.05B later the rights (and a few lightsabers) transferred hands. This is just the latest […]
Mommy
Xavier Dolan is a 25-year-old writer and director from Canada. He’s already produced of five movies and won 36 awards in festivals ranging from Toronto to Cannes. The phenomenal young filmmaker is back this year with Mommy. The film won the Jury Prize at the last Cannes Film Festival and was recently selected to compete in the Best Foreign Language Film category for Canada […]
Sin City: A Dame to Flop For
It was during the Cannes Film Festival in the spring of 2005 when the world first discovered a cult classic: Sin City. Robert Rodriguez’s take on the renowned comic by Frank Miller was chosen to screen in competition at the famous French film festival. At that time, most critics commended the film for its audacious design and smart […]
Samba
As America has the Coen brothers, France has Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. While they found national success in the early 2000s (Those Happy Days, So Close), it was in 2011 that they became internationally renowned for their last movie, The Intouchables. They’re now easily the most famous and successful writer/director duo in France. In fact, The Intouchables is recognized as the […]
Omar Sy Introduces Samba At Premiere
Last Monday evening, I had the chance to attend the premiere of the French film, Samba, at the Cinema Gaumont in Saint-Etienne, France. Samba is the new drama/comedy from the writer/directors of The Intouchables, Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache (you can read Søren’s review of that movie here). The talented Omar Sy rejoins the filmmaking duo for their latest feature. Sy’s career has been on […]
Thibault Talks: U.S. Summer Box Office Tanks
Overview It is not an exaggeration to say that this 2014 U.S. summer box office was catastrophic in terms of both profit and attendance. May, ($1.23B, -15.7% compared to May 2013), June (~$994$, -19.2% compared to June 2013), and especially July (~$803M, -39.2% compared to July 2013) were all big disappointments for American studios. We did see a turnaround […]
Lucy
“The average person uses 10% of their brain capacity. Imagine what she could do with 100%.” That was the tagline seen on the posters for Lucy. It’s useless harp on the fact that this ” 10%” theory is absolutely untrue. What matters is that this myth well-known and widespread, and so captured the imagination of Luc Besson’s potential audience. Unfortunately, […]
