‘I’ll Be Gone in June’ Review: Wispy but Atmospheric Drama Follows a German Student to New Mexico in 2001

‘I’ll Be Gone in June’ Review: Wispy but Atmospheric Drama Follows a German Student to New Mexico in 2001

German teenager Franny (newcomer Naomi Cosma) arrives in New Mexico to spend the 2001-02 academic year at a high school in Las Cruces, living with a local family, just before the terrorist attacks of 9/11 in writer-director Katharina Rivilis’ wispy but engaging debut feature. Even if you didn’t know that this was inspired by Rivilis’…

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‘The Samurai and the Prisoner’ Review: The Verb is Mightier Than the Sword in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Dialogue-Laden Historical Mystery   

‘The Samurai and the Prisoner’ Review: The Verb is Mightier Than the Sword in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Dialogue-Laden Historical Mystery   

Japanese genre maven Kiyoshi Kurosawa is mostly known outside his homeland for eerie, visually inventive films like Cure, Pulse and Loft that brought the J-horror trend into the arthouse. But he’s also made psychological thrillers (Creepy), serial killer flicks (Serpent’s Path), science-fiction movies (Before We Vanish), a darkly comic anti-capitalist actioner (last year’s Cloud) and…

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Hollywood Ghosts the Croisette, Queer Cinema Owns It and AI Crashes the Party: Five Takeaways From Cannes 2026

Hollywood Ghosts the Croisette, Queer Cinema Owns It and AI Crashes the Party: Five Takeaways From Cannes 2026

Quiet on the surface, Cannes 2026 exposed the fault lines reshaping cinema — from the evolving indie ecosystem and the studios’ festival retreat to the industry’s uneasy embrace of AI. Published on May 23, 2026 (L to R): Competition favorite ‘The Black Ball,’ ‘Club Kid’ director Jordan Firstsman, Vin Diesel at ‘The Fast and The…

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Cannes Winners Unveiled (Updating Live)

Cannes Winners Unveiled (Updating Live)

The closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival has begun in the Grand Théâtre Lumière, where the jury will announced the winners of this year’s event, including the Palme d’Or. You can watch the ceremony live on TikTok Brut or, inside France, on public channel France 2. This year’s jury is headed by South…

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‘The Birthday Party’ Review: Hafsia Herzi, Benoît Magimel and Monica Bellucci in Léa Mysius’ Gripping if Uneven Home-Invasion Thriller

‘The Birthday Party’ Review: Hafsia Herzi, Benoît Magimel and Monica Bellucci in Léa Mysius’ Gripping if Uneven Home-Invasion Thriller

Lean, mean and frequently terrifying, The Birthday Party (Histoires de la nuit) is a home-invasion thriller in the vein of films like Funny Games and Speak No Evil, even if it stops well short of the sadistic shocks of either of them. Adapted from a French bestseller by Laurent Mauvignier, writer-director Léa Mysius’ third feature shares its remote setting and appetite…

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‘Awards Chatter’ in Cannes: Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Comedy, Staying Relevant and New Animated Alzheimer’s Pic ‘Tangles’

‘Awards Chatter’ in Cannes: Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Comedy, Staying Relevant and New Animated Alzheimer’s Pic ‘Tangles’

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is best known for comedy. A recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and the National Medal of Arts, and an inductee of the Television Academy Hall of Fame, the veteran actress shares, with the late Cloris Leachman, the record for most Emmy wins for acting — eight, spread between the unforgettable…

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