For three decades, filmmaker Takeshi Kitano was fixated on a period of Japanese history, in which Lord Oda Nobunaga was inexplicably betrayed by one of his closest allies, Akechi Mitsuhide, in an ambush at Honno-ji Temple. The reasons behind Mitsuhide’s deception are unknown, but Kitano dedicated years to concocting his own theories, going so far as to pen a novel imagining the events that led to the incident. 

Adapted from his own book, “Kubi” is an outrageously exhilarating update of the samurai epic, dialing up the blood and guts and sprinkling in the sick humor to match.

Continue reading ‘Kubi’ Review: Takeshi Kitano Stages A Blood-Soaked Samurai Epic [Cannes] at The Playlist.

Of King Henry VIII’s six wives, his final marriage to Catherine Parr is perhaps the most ignored. The others are rife with tragedy: there are the two he detested the most that he bent the will of God to legalize divorce; there’s Jane Seymour, who died soon after giving birth to an heir; and most notoriously of all, there are the wives he beheaded. But Catherine Parr has been remembered in the history books as the one who simply survived.

Continue reading ‘Firebrand’ Review: Karim Aïnouz Paints A Dull Version Of History In Handsome Period Drama [Cannes] at The Playlist.

Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest gem, “Monster,” begins on an enormous inferno. The facade of a hostess club is engulfed in flames of mysterious origin, attracting everyone from curious neighbors to squealing children chasing down roaring fire engines to witness the chaos. But such a fire can be traced back to its igniting spark, and “Monster” delicately examines how, like a growing flame, seemingly innocuous falsehoods can spiral into total destruction. 

Continue reading ‘Monster’ Review: Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Time-Hopping Melodrama Movingly Shows The Power Of Perspective [Cannes] at The Playlist.

In Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters,” a group of small-time thieves forms their own makeshift family, living every day not only through pure survival instinct but a genuine love for each other. For his first film set in Korea, the Japanese filmmaker considers similar themes in “Broker,” a road trip odyssey reflecting on the family we choose and the family we tearfully let go of.

Continue reading ‘Broker’: Human Trafficking, Murder & More Are Softened By The Warm, Empathetic Touch Of Hirokazu Kore-eda [Cannes] at The Playlist.

“Tori and Lokita” opens on a tight close-up on the teenage Lokita (Joely Mbundu) as she struggles with the questions delivered by an immigration officer. She has fabricated a story about how she found her brother, Tori (Pablo Schils) in an orphanage, but no one believes her. As the line of questioning becomes more intense, more interrogative, Lokita’s muscles tense and her eyes grow sadder with despair, giving way to a panic attack — one of many that afflict her throughout the film.

Continue reading ‘Tori And Lokita’ Review: The Dardennes’ Trademark Sense Of Urgency & Empathy Missteps Into Exploitation [Cannes] at The Playlist.

“Decision To Leave” deals in illusions. Is Song Seo-rae’s dress blue or green? Is she really the innocent wife she claims to be? In her living room, she sits surrounded by sapphire wallpaper, its lines suggesting the mountains near her Busan home that she so loathes — but they could easily be seen as waves, too. Opening up about her fear of heights to police detective Jang Hae-joon, she recites a Confucious saying: “Wise people like water.

Continue reading ‘Decision To Leave’ Review: Park Chan-Wook Conjures Elusive Illusions & A Seductive Romance [Cannes] at The Playlist.

For his most subdued film yet, Belgian director Felix van Groeningen, along with co-directing partner Charlotte Vandermeersch take to the Italian Alps for a decades-spanning story of friendship. Following Groeningen’s solo effort, 2018’s “Beautiful Boy,” “The Eight Mountains” is a quiet return to form with its stunning mountain scenery and strong performances from Luca Marinelli and Alessandro Borghi, but this elegiac personal epic is far too languid for its length.

Continue reading ‘Eight Mountains’ Review: Felix Van Groeningen Returns To Form With A Sentimental Ode To Friendship In The Alps [Cannes] at The Playlist.

While the internet IRL is drenched in morbidity and toxicity, Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Hosoda imagines a brighter semi-utopia in “Belle.” Five billion users have signed up to a virtual society called “U,” a vast chasm of lights and screens, and is populated by algorithmically generated avatars that supposedly bring out the person’s inner strengths. For Suzu, a shy high school student, she enters U as an ethereal pink-haired songstress called Belle, whose angelic voice and inspiring songs quickly go viral.

Continue reading ‘Belle’: Mamoru Hosoda Crafts A Hopeful & Joyful Vision Of Utopia That Is Vibrant Maximalism [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

“Where are you really from?” It’s an invasive question that’s awfully familiar to people of color, one that intrudes its way into our everyday lives. Though it can have innocent intentions, it’s often hostile and only works to invalidate our livelihood. You don’t really belong here, is the true meaning that lurks under that query. This is also the same question that’s asked of Antonio (Justin Chon) at the beginning of “Blue Bayou,” albeit in a different variation.

Continue reading ‘Blue Bayou’: Justin Chon’s Wong Kar-Wai Influenced Story Of Identity With Alicia Vikander Says We All Belong [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

Midway through “The Worst Person in the World,” everything stops. Everyone in the streets of Oslo is frozen in an instant. Pedestrians are suspended mid-stride, a couple passionately making out against a tree is stuck in stasis. Running gleefully amidst the stillness, with the widest carefree grin on her face, is Julie (Renate Reinsve), who would surely love for the passage of time to come to a halt for real if only so she could get a moment to figure out what she wants from her life.

Continue reading ‘The Worst Person In The World’: Joachim Trier Latest In An Exuberant Delight Reminiscent Of ‘Frances Ha’ & ‘Reprise’ [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

You can never really predict what François Ozon might do next. As evidenced by his wide-ranging works, from the lush historical drama “Frantz” to the lazy summer romance “Summer of 85,” the prolific director can do just about anything with the stylistic prowess to boot. His latest, “Everything Went Fine,” comes as another surprise, not because it shocks in any way, but because it’s restrained to the point of lacking any emotion.

Continue reading ‘Everything Went Fine’: François Ozon’s Assisted Suicide Drama Is Too Restrained To Connect [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.