While the Palme d'Or and the other prestigious awards won't be handed out for a few hours, the 2018 Cannes Film Festival has just about wrapped up. After the non-stop discussion before this year's festival about the supposedly weak lineup, the conflict with Netflix, and Thierry Fremaux's selfie ban, Cannes still ended up capturing the attention of the film world. Even with a lack of American movies (Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman and David Robert Mitchell's Under the Silver Lake were the only U.S. titles in competition), several titles generated excitement and critical discussion, often accompanied by the release of a new trailer. So as Cate Blanchett's jury prepares to choose the best of the fest, let's take a look at some of the films that debuted at Cannes, both in and out of competition. First, watch the brief teaser for Gaspar Noe's buzzed-about Climax!
Climax premiered in the Directors Fortnight section of Cannes, emerging as the biggest winner by far. Noe, best known for provocative films such as Irreversible (notorious for what is purported to be one of the most disturbing sequences in modern cinema), Enter the Void, and Love (basically a 3D porno), has seemingly made his most commercially viable and crowd-pleasing movie. Climax sold to A24 earlier this week, and critics praised it as a brilliant mix of Step Up-like dance sequences and LSD-laced horror mania. This first teaser may not even be a minute in length, but it perfectly conveys the vibe of Noe's trippy spectacle. While I have very little familiarity with his other projects, the deafening reception at Cannes has firmly put Climax on my radar.
Next up, watch the first clip from Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War.
Pawlikowski last appeared on the international film scene with Ida, which won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Cold War, which has secured distribution from Amazon, entered Cannes as one of the most anticipated films of the festival, and if early reactions are to be believed, it did not disappoint. The film was labeled as "Po-La-La-Land" by one critic and "one of the bleakest love stories ever told" by another, so it seems like we're in for a gorgeous, heartbreaking journey. With incredible black-and-white cinematography and a mesmerizing tracking shot, this brief clip really caught my eye. I never did see Ida, but you can guarantee that I'll be first in line for the Polish filmmaker's follow-up outing. Cold War looks terrific, and it could be another Oscar play for Pawlikowski.
Now, watch the trailer for Lee Chang-dong's Burning!
Burning is Lee Chang-dong's first film since 2010's Poetry, and it turned into the biggest critical darling of the fest. In Screen International's jury poll of major critics, Burning set a new record with an average score of 3.8, topping Maren Ade's Toni Erdmann, which received a score of 3.7 back in 2016. This is a surprising and unsettling trailer, teasing a love triangle that appears to be hiding some dark secrets. It looks like a great role for Okja and Walking Dead star Steven Yeun, and the performances by Ah-in Yoo and Jong-seo Jeon were also praised by festival-goers. Burning was hotly anticipated by many critics, but for me, this is one of the more compelling discoveries of the fest. I can't wait to see more.
Next up, watch the trailer for Lars von Trier's The House That Jack Built.
WARNING- GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND DISTURBING CONTENT.
Ah, we've arrived at the most controversial film of the festival. Seven years after being declared persona non grata thanks to comments about Hitler, Lars von Trier returned to Cannes with The House That Jack Built, another provocative and horrifying new feature. While the film premiered out of competition, it did hold a gala screening on Monday and received quite the reception. Reports indicated over a hundred walkouts, with patrons disturbed and nauseated by sequences of violence against children and the mutilation of women. Critics were mixed on the film- many found von Trier's latest to be repulsive, while others thought the dramatic reactions were a bit over-the-top. This trailer is obviously extreme and hard to watch, and I couldn't decide if I wanted to feature it in this article. But I can't deny that the polarized reactions to the serial killer drama have inspired a sort of morbid curiosity, and I'm intrigued to see if von Trier's new project is as hard to stomach as some have said.
Now, watch the first trailer for the acclaimed Shoplifters!
Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of the most critically beloved filmmakers on the planet, and I'm slightly ashamed to say that I've never seen any of his films. However, that will certainly change with Shoplifters, which looks absolutely terrific. Critics have described this film, the story of a family of petty criminals in Tokyo, as a shattering emotional experience, and that level of pathos is on full display in this brief clip. Magnolia Pictures picked up Shoplifters for release in North America, so we'll likely see this film in theaters later in 2018.
Finally, watch the full trailer for Terry Gilliam's long-awaited The Man Who Killed Don Quixote!
He did it! It actually premiered! The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is now a real movie that exists and will play in French theaters starting today.
After decades spent trying to get this wacky story to the big screen, financial battles over the rights, and a health scare, Terry Gilliam's dream project finally premiered on Friday. The reaction was decidedly mixed, but most seemed impressed by the vision on display from the director of Brazil. Amazon recently revealed that they will no longer be distributing this film in the U.S., so it's anyone's guess as to when we'll see this movie in America. But this international trailer previews a strange and enticing adventure, and I'm ready to see what Gilliam has up his sleeve.
Well, that's it for today's trailers. But come back this evening for a recap of the Cannes awards, including the winner of the Palme d'Or, which will be announced shortly.
Climax premiered in the Directors Fortnight section of Cannes, emerging as the biggest winner by far. Noe, best known for provocative films such as Irreversible (notorious for what is purported to be one of the most disturbing sequences in modern cinema), Enter the Void, and Love (basically a 3D porno), has seemingly made his most commercially viable and crowd-pleasing movie. Climax sold to A24 earlier this week, and critics praised it as a brilliant mix of Step Up-like dance sequences and LSD-laced horror mania. This first teaser may not even be a minute in length, but it perfectly conveys the vibe of Noe's trippy spectacle. While I have very little familiarity with his other projects, the deafening reception at Cannes has firmly put Climax on my radar.
Next up, watch the first clip from Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War.
Pawlikowski last appeared on the international film scene with Ida, which won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Cold War, which has secured distribution from Amazon, entered Cannes as one of the most anticipated films of the festival, and if early reactions are to be believed, it did not disappoint. The film was labeled as "Po-La-La-Land" by one critic and "one of the bleakest love stories ever told" by another, so it seems like we're in for a gorgeous, heartbreaking journey. With incredible black-and-white cinematography and a mesmerizing tracking shot, this brief clip really caught my eye. I never did see Ida, but you can guarantee that I'll be first in line for the Polish filmmaker's follow-up outing. Cold War looks terrific, and it could be another Oscar play for Pawlikowski.
Now, watch the trailer for Lee Chang-dong's Burning!
Burning is Lee Chang-dong's first film since 2010's Poetry, and it turned into the biggest critical darling of the fest. In Screen International's jury poll of major critics, Burning set a new record with an average score of 3.8, topping Maren Ade's Toni Erdmann, which received a score of 3.7 back in 2016. This is a surprising and unsettling trailer, teasing a love triangle that appears to be hiding some dark secrets. It looks like a great role for Okja and Walking Dead star Steven Yeun, and the performances by Ah-in Yoo and Jong-seo Jeon were also praised by festival-goers. Burning was hotly anticipated by many critics, but for me, this is one of the more compelling discoveries of the fest. I can't wait to see more.
Next up, watch the trailer for Lars von Trier's The House That Jack Built.
WARNING- GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND DISTURBING CONTENT.
Ah, we've arrived at the most controversial film of the festival. Seven years after being declared persona non grata thanks to comments about Hitler, Lars von Trier returned to Cannes with The House That Jack Built, another provocative and horrifying new feature. While the film premiered out of competition, it did hold a gala screening on Monday and received quite the reception. Reports indicated over a hundred walkouts, with patrons disturbed and nauseated by sequences of violence against children and the mutilation of women. Critics were mixed on the film- many found von Trier's latest to be repulsive, while others thought the dramatic reactions were a bit over-the-top. This trailer is obviously extreme and hard to watch, and I couldn't decide if I wanted to feature it in this article. But I can't deny that the polarized reactions to the serial killer drama have inspired a sort of morbid curiosity, and I'm intrigued to see if von Trier's new project is as hard to stomach as some have said.
Now, watch the first trailer for the acclaimed Shoplifters!
Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of the most critically beloved filmmakers on the planet, and I'm slightly ashamed to say that I've never seen any of his films. However, that will certainly change with Shoplifters, which looks absolutely terrific. Critics have described this film, the story of a family of petty criminals in Tokyo, as a shattering emotional experience, and that level of pathos is on full display in this brief clip. Magnolia Pictures picked up Shoplifters for release in North America, so we'll likely see this film in theaters later in 2018.
Finally, watch the full trailer for Terry Gilliam's long-awaited The Man Who Killed Don Quixote!
He did it! It actually premiered! The Man Who Killed Don Quixote is now a real movie that exists and will play in French theaters starting today.
After decades spent trying to get this wacky story to the big screen, financial battles over the rights, and a health scare, Terry Gilliam's dream project finally premiered on Friday. The reaction was decidedly mixed, but most seemed impressed by the vision on display from the director of Brazil. Amazon recently revealed that they will no longer be distributing this film in the U.S., so it's anyone's guess as to when we'll see this movie in America. But this international trailer previews a strange and enticing adventure, and I'm ready to see what Gilliam has up his sleeve.
Well, that's it for today's trailers. But come back this evening for a recap of the Cannes awards, including the winner of the Palme d'Or, which will be announced shortly.
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