June 2, 2017

Cannes 2017: The Great Netflix Debate, the cheekiest Palme d’Or in years, and a vital VR statement piece

Mind-blowing VR (Carne y Arena)

“The most immersive movie experience I’ve ever engaged with” — PH

“I left the 6-minute experience choking back tears, and literally shaking with emotion and adrenaline” — CK

Netflix, Okja (dir. Bong Joon-ho) and the weird elephant-looking thing in the room

“Online giant Netflix has caused a furor in Cannes for refusing to commit to a traditional theatrical release in France of the two films prior to online distribution” — PH

“A novel twist on the big budget monster movie, but it was the studio behind it that first caught the audience’s attention at the festival” — BDJ

“Certainly no E.T.,” and more on the Netflix debate — PH

“Certainly fun… if sometimes too broad for such a visionary filmmaker” — JH

“As an affable kids movie with dark undertones, the film works pretty well” — JG

The cheekiest Palme in years: The Square (dir. Ruben Östlund)

“Very funny but also sharply critical, asking the serious question, “How much inhumanity does it take before we access your humanity?” — PH

“A fit of outrageous comedy that disrupts the solemnity of all the serious art” — BDJ

“A magnificent piece of filmmaking that manages to be as broadly comic as it is morally sophisticated” — JG

“A film about the social contract, as well as the bystander effect, Östlund has made something hilarious, frustrating and very clever” — JH

Four films at Cannes? We’re in the Kidmanaissance

“Nicole Kidman, the most visible actress at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, made an impassioned pitch Wednesday for more female directors of movies and TV shows as she criticized the slow pace of change in male-dominated Hollywood” — PH

The never-ending career resurgence of Nicole Kidman is dominating Cannes — CK

More features on Cannes 2017

Speed-dating the stars: talking life, death, and anything but movies — BDJ

Short in length; long in talent: Canadian talent comes to Cannes — CK

Jessica Chastain sparks a debate on women in film — PH

Takashi Miike opens up about his career, changing audiences and his latest film — JG

A masterclass from Clint Eastwood — PH

A moment of silence on the Croisette — PH

Festival Reviews

Brigsby Bear (JG)

The Meyerowitz Stories (JG)

April’s Daughter (JG)

Redoubtable (positive, JG) and Redoubtable (highly critical, JH)

Based on a True Story (JG)

You Were Never Really Here (JG)

Jupiter’s Moon (JH)

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (JG) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (JH)

Loveless (PH), Loveless (BDJ), Loveless (JG), Loveless (JH)

Wonderstruck (PH, with more on the kids at Cannes), Wonderstruck (JG), Wonderstruck (JH)

How to Talk to Girls at Parties (JG)

The Florida Project (JG)

Reports from: Peter Howell (PH), Brian D. Johnson (BDJ), Jason Gorber (JG), Chris Knight (CK), Jake Howell (JH).