The recent Greatest Films of All Time list made by Sight and Sound was obviously controversial, naming Chantal Akerman’s “Jeanne Dielman, 23 Commerce Quay, 1080 Brussels,” the greatest film of all time (it’s great, watch it, and just let it be experiential). I tend not to get worked up over these lists cause it’s just voting and math—no one is trying to collectively conspire against you and your taste with some agenda, ok?— and it’s tough to get mad at arithmetic and a democratic process.

Continue reading ‘The Conformist’ 4K Restoration Trailer: Bernardo Bertolucci’s Chilling Masterpiece Of Fascism Returns To The Big Screen at The Playlist.

In all this talk about the awards season, how could we forget that we had a new movie from Michael Haneke on the way? Debuting this spring at the Cannes Film Festival, “Happy End” has been keeping a low profile, but a new trailer is here to remind you that you have yet another prestigious film to look forward to this fall.

Starring Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Mathieu Kassovitz, Fantine Harduin, Franz Rogowski, Laura Verlinden and Toby Jones, I could break down the plot in a bit more detail, but perhaps it’s best to give the official, very enigmatic synopsis:

READ MORE: ‘In The Fade’ Trailer: Diane Kruger Wants Justice

“All around us, the world, and we, in its midst, blind.”
A snapshot from the life of a bourgeois European family.

Continue reading ‘Happy End’ Trailer: Michael Haneke Takes Apart A Bourgeois Family at The Playlist.

Michael Haneke is back with “Happy End,” and for anyone concerned that the 75 year-old filmmaker might’ve lost his touch, rest assured the result is nothing short of “stunning cinema.” The austere drama was well received at the Cannes Film Festival, and while we don’t yet have a U.S. release date, it looks like the movie is coming soon.

Jean-Louis Trintignant, Isabelle Huppert, Mathieu Kassovitz and Toby Jones are part of the ensemble cast in this dissection of the upper class, with the story revolving around the Laurent family and their dark secrets, which are all enhanced in one way or another by the social media age.

Continue reading First Trailer For Michael Haneke’s ‘Happy End’ Steps Into The Social Media Age at The Playlist.

Michael Haneke‘s “Happy End” was easily one of the most anticipated films at Cannes this year. Coming off his last two films, “The White Ribbon” and “Amour,” which both won the Palme d’Or, expectations for his latest effort were sky high. Some were saying they never saw a line outside the famous Debussy theater as big as the one for the film’s press screening earlier this week.

Continue reading Michael Haneke Talks Making ‘Happy End’ But Won’t Explain The Film For You [Cannes] at The Playlist.

Shutting the blinds on the warmth that shined through his previous critically-lauded opus “Amour,” Austrian arthouse maestro Michael Haneke is back to doing what he does best: peeling the decadent, bourgeois layers off the European upper class to uncover its festering core full of lies, deceit and misery. The director’s immaculate compositions and sui generis brand of thematic depth suspend “Happy End” with the violent undertones of a high-strung piano wire, creating a nourishing cerebral treat that will nestle itself in the back of the mind to grow forevermore as yet another brilliant entry in the filmmaker’s intimidating catalog.

Continue reading Michael Haneke’s ‘Happy End’ Is Austere, Darkly Comic & Stunning Cinema [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.

As we draw closer to the premiere of Michael Haneke‘s “Happy End,” the curtain continues to rise on the new movie from the provocative filmmaker, and today we have our best look yet (especially for those not lucky enough to be at the Cannes Film Festival).

Jean-Louis Trintignant, Isabelle Huppert, Mathieu Kassovitz and Toby Jones star in the film that takes a snapshot of a bourgeois European family.

Continue reading 3 Clips And New Images From Michael Haneke’s ‘Happy End’ at The Playlist.

Cannes starts two weeks from today, and the anticipation is getting hard to bear. Guessing potential Palme D’Or frontrunners is always a fool’s errand, especially with a jury as eclectic as the one Pedro Almodovar is heading up this year, but given that Michael Haneke won the top prize for both of his last two films, “The White Ribbon” and “Amour,” his latest has to be a strong contender.

Continue reading First Look Image For Michael Haneke’s ‘Happy End’ Reveals Toby Jones Is In The Cast at The Playlist.

Europe is currently in as disastrous a state as any time in the last seventy years, one could argue. The refugee crisis that has seen thousands die in the Mediterranean as they attempt to seek sanctuary from war, the rise of the far-right in multiple countries, and, most recently, Britain cutting off its nose to spite its face and voting to leave the E.U., sending world economies tumbling and setting off a new era of fear and uncertainty.

Continue reading Michael Haneke’s New Film ‘Happy End’ Is Now Filming, Mathieu Kassovitz Confirmed To Join Cast at The Playlist.

Michael Haneke Reteams With 'Amour' Duo Isabelle Huppert & Jean-Louis Trintignant For Refugee Film 'Happy End'

Continue reading Michael Haneke Reteams With ‘Amour’ Duo Isabelle Huppert & Jean-Louis Trintignant For Refugee Film ‘Happy End’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading Exclusive: Michael Haneke Rebooting ‘These Two’ With Isabelle Huppert, Will Shoot In 2011 at The Playlist.

The abandoned project was tentatively titled “Ces Deux,” roughly translated to “these two,” and cheerfully explored ideas of “humiliation and the physical deterioration of the aged” (surely this one is a picture you’d like to take your mom and dad to).

French icon Jean-Louis Trintignant was set to return to acting after a five-year hiatus along with usual Haneke muse Isabelle Huppert in tow for a planned summer shoot in France.

Continue reading Michael Haneke Abandons Old Age Project, Tentatively Titled ‘Ces Deux,’ For New Film About The Internet at The Playlist.

The duo have worked together successfully twice before; the aforementioned ‘Piano Teacher’ in 2001 and “Time Of The Wolf” in 2003.

Continue reading Michael Haneke & Isabelle Huppert To Punish The Elderly For Third Film Collaboration at The Playlist.

Continue reading True Grit: The William Lusting ’70s Action Weekend at The Playlist.

The Criterion Collection has set three new DVD releases for the month of October.

Remember in the ’80s when Wim Wenders could seemingly do no wrong? One of these releases is his atmospheric wandering-angel classic, “Wings Of Desire,” with the great German actor Bruno Ganz (Oct 20). Criterion calls the film one of the “loveliest city symphonies” and “movie poetry,” and you can’t argue with that. It’s a wonderful film. Let’s hope this means they put out “Paris, Texas” on Criterion one day.

Continue reading Criterion To Release ‘Wings Of Desire,’ ‘Z’ & ‘Monsoon Wedding’ In October at The Playlist.

Continue reading In Theaters: ‘The Taking of Pelham 123,’ ‘Moon,’ & ‘Tetro’ at The Playlist.