Liz Garbus’ new documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone?, consists mainly of rousing historical footage of Simone’s concerts and interviews, while paying tribute to Simone’s achievements and illuminating the struggles in her life. Nina Simone wanted to become the first black female classical pianist to perform at Carnegie Hall. She had to settle for becoming a […]
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‘A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence’: Andersson’s dark humour and humanist touch are a rare delight
Roy Andersson’s final installment in his trilogy about being a human being (You, The Living and Songs from the Second Floor), A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, begins with a comedic bang of twisted humour: a series of three vignettes that detail “meetings with death.” In my favourite one, we find two […]
Review: Love & Mercy reveals the real Brian Wilson
Photo credit: Francois Duhamel Early on in Love & Mercy, the middle-aged Brian Wilson of the 1980s phones up a car saleswoman he’s just met, Melinda (a luminous Elizabeth Banks), and says, “Hi, it’s Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys.” It’s a fact he was coy about acknowledging when they first met, but it works […]
Bujalski whips the rom-com into new shape with Results
Results, Andrew Bujalski has reinvented and rejuvenated the romantic comedy, dispensing with the formulaic boy meets girl, boys loses girl, boy gets girl back trajectory. Beginning in the middle of the love story, the opening credits play over a moving, striped sheet that fills the screen while moans can be heard in the background. Bujalski […]
Cannes Director’s Fortnight reviews
Arabian Nights, L’Ombre des Femmes, and Trois Souvenirs de Ma Jeunesse The Director’s Fortnight and its relationship to the Cannes Film Festival can be a perplexing one. It’s generally considered to be part of the festival — often a stepping stone to admission into the Official Selection — although it’s technically a separate, simultaneous film […]
Mon Roi: an abusive relationship won’t end
The title of Maïwenn’s messy but compelling Mon Roi, is indicative of the film’s primary problem. When divorcee and criminal lawyer Tony (Emmanuel Bercot) asks her new beau, Georgio (Vincent Cassell), if he’s a jerk, he flirtatiously replies that he’s “The King of Jerks,” and as the film’s title indicates with affection, he becomes her king (of jerks).