Filmmaker Tom Hooper manages to break a record for climbing to the apex of movie musicals with Les Misérables. Unfortunately, he does it within the first hour of proceedings and the slide back to the bottom is a laborious walk through the famous stage musical’s song book.
Tom Hooper’s (The King’s Speech) garishly epic screen adaptation of the timeless tale of redemption features a large ensemble cast and though his bombastic ambition doesn’t amount to a wholly successful work, there are some remarkable sequences.
Modern movie musicals for this reviewer are an oxymoron. Musicals on stage are immediate, spontaneous, and impressive in their imperfection; while modern musicals are a flaccid mess because of their dependence on ‘autotune’ (Rock of Ages, 9). That’s until Les Miserables arrived.
Roman Holiday certainly deserves its place in the canon of great classic films, and is an absolute treat to experience. Read more →
Exactly fifty years ago, The Leopard won the Palm D’or at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, and this is why. Read more →
So now on to some reasons WHY Singin’ in The Rain (co-directed by greats Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen) is so beloved … Read more →
Kern Saxton, the writer, producer, editor, director and star of 'Sushi Girl' sat down with Graffiti With Punctuation to share his pick for a Five Star Film. Read more →
TK: "I think that 'Fargo' is a superb film." Read more →
As my friend’s alarm clock signalled the start of another Cannes day, I tentatively opened my eyes, scared to feel the presence of a hangover. There was none, and I was relieved that I had enough sense to stop after a few glasses of champagne last night, which was flowing freely at the Weinstein party.
It’s amazing how the weather can affect your mood. Walking out into the sun this morning, seeing the rain cleaned streets sparkle in the sun, I almost wanted to kick up my heels, pull out some jazz hands and possibly break into song. If only I could sing.
After yet another pain au chocolat for breakfast, I walked through some relentless rain, cursing my giant umbrella. Here in Cannes, the smartest guys are the umbrella sellers posted on every corner.
Waking with a start, my tired eyes struggled to focus. Wait, where am I? I asked myself, and… am I late for something?
Given all the traveling I do, you’d think I’d be good at it. This month, by the time I get back to LA after Cannes, I will have sat in a plane seat for about
