What's with those long Cannes' standing ovations?

I’ve been travelling lately and haven’t had the time to watch movies. So don’t have a lot to comment on. However, the Cannes Film Festival, just ended, always brings a smile to my face. That’s because so many films – seemingly good or bad in terms of future critical and popular appeal – end up getting standing ovations by the beau monde attendees. And not just a brief ovation but ones that last for minutes on end. This year, the haut monde beautiful people gave Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis – the “most talked about” firm at the festival – a seven-minute standing. Critically the movie, Coppola’s swan song for which he spilled $120 mil of his own bread and which stars Adam Driver, has been a bomb with some dubbing it Magaflopolis. Not to be outdone is Kevin Costner’s western epic An American Saga – Chapter 1. As a Brit critic sneered, “The Cannes audience gave it a ten-minute standing ovation, but perhaps they were just trying to get their blood circulating again.” What is it about these longstanding Cannes’ ovations that have been going on year after festival year? I posit the seats are too damn hard in the Grand Theatre Lumiere. Said Reuben Baron of Wealth of Geeks, “At most film festivals, any standing ovation stirs excitement. Not so at the Cannes Film Festival, where audiences will stand up and applaud for literally anything — even for films they also booed. To judge the true hype level for films premiering at Cannes, measure the length of a film’s standing ovation. Nowhere else in the world could a three-minute standing ovation mean “people didn’t really care for it,” but when moviegoers at the prestigious French festival love a movie, they’ll stay on their feet for 10 or even 20 minutes! Critics, the general public, and Oscar voters went on to share the love for some of these films. Others, it seems you had to be there to get into the applauding spirit.”

My upcoming festival schedule? There’s the Windsor Jewish Film Festival at the Capitol Theatre next month June 17 – 20 (see earlier posts about its rescheduling and venue change). And then I’ll have to wait until fall. But what an autumn line-up! I usually head to Montreal for the Festival du nouveau cinema (FNC) - the city’s oldest film festival but with often premier and cutting-edge works, October 9 - 20. Then it will be time to return home for the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) Oct. 24 – Nov. 3. And for the first time, Windsor’s under-the-radar but internationally well-regarded avant-garde festival, Media City, in its 26th edition, has been rescheduled this year to Nov. 7 – 11, immediately following WIFF. After being in London last fall and just getting the dregs of the famed BFI maybe, with advance notice, I could scoot over for a few days this year. But it also runs Oct. 9 – 20.  Maybe split the diff between Montreal and London?

Best of the bunch, Frosted over and another Hot Docs misstep

Some of the better films I've watched on Netflix lately have been the Argentinian film Rest in Peace, the French film Nothing to Hide and the US flick The Rewrite. In Sebastián Borensztein’s Rest in Peace (2024) a businessman is caught in a massive debt crisis and has to do something to save himself from the mob. What he does becomes an existential crisis for both him and his family. The film has taut acting and good pacing, shot in Argentina and Paraguay. In Nothing to Hide, this “dramady” is more drama than comedy if only because of what it reveals about the duplicitous character of human nature. The 2018 film by Fred Cavayé uses the metaphor of a full lunar eclipse for the evening of a dinner party, when a group of friends play a game that cuts too deeply into their psyches. (Interesting how even with dubbing rather than subtitles some foreign films can be better than American ones.) In 2014’s The Rewrite (Marc Lawrence) Hugh Grant teams up with Marisa Tomei in a college-setting comedy. I’d forgotten how enjoyable Grant is to watch, one of those actors you never want to miss a movie he’s been in. And he’s great here, the charming, witty and self-denigrating Brit who winds up in a job he never wanted in a backwater town he’d never heard of. Tomei, also a personal fave, plays off him equally, undermining his professional arrogance and giving him the comeuppance he deserves. 

But this film shouldn’t have been released. Jerry Seinfeld’s directorial debut, Unfrosted, came out this month on Netflix. The comedy, starring, again, Hugh Grant,  with Amy Schumer, Jim Gaffigan and Melissa McCarthy, is laughable alright but you’re laughing at it not with it. It’s a Baby Boomer’s delight as a fictional version of how Kellogg’s created everyone’s favorite breakfast joke, Pop Tarts. The entire film has the look of a cartoon. That's part of the point with all those breakfast cartoon characters, interesting how they so appropriately went together during Saturday morning TV cartoons. And while some of the sets are faithfully nostalgic, this flick just tries too be hard to be funny. (Ok, it’s Pop Tarts – we get it!) I felt sorry for Seinfeld with what amounts to a hokey premise and script with the look of a bad college stage play. Likely, all these good actors, their payday made, are trying to put this thing behind them.

Two things occurred to me when watching films from about 10 or 15 years ago, such as The Rewrite and Morning Glory (Roger Michell 2010). One is how better or more professionally dressed people were even that recent time ago. In offices suits and formal wear abound. Nowadays pretty much anything goes, often the uglier the better. The second is age. Many of those actors probably have gray hair now, nor likely dressed as well! And two dead giveaways for films that might seem recent but are many years old are the types of cellphones and desktop computers in scenes, especially those of the heavy boxy look.

Hot Docs, the long running Toronto documentary film festival, not only is in major debt and has suffered a management crisis where some employees walked last year calling the operation a  “toxic” work environment. But it had – just had - to come out and make a statement about the Israel-Hamas War. Of course it was biased to the pro-Palestinian side, the natural position of leftists, and the arts community is made up of plenty of them. According to Honest Reporting Canada, the fest “expressed sympathy for ‘the Palestinian people’ while failing to mention Israel or Hamas, the genocidal terrorist group which started the war, a single time. Equally bad, the statement falsely claimed that Israel is holding Palestinians hostage, a claim without any merit.” Hot Docs has never recovered from the pandemic with audiences down 40 per cent since 2019. 

Shed a tear as yet another arthouse cinema closes

It is with a very sad heart that I read that The Maple Theater in Bloomfield Township has closed. This after the Main Art Theatre in Royal Oak was torn down almost two years ago. It was a sad day for local cineastes then and it’s a sad day again – two major blows within two years. That leaves people in the wider metropolitan area with  just the Detroit Film Theatre at the DIA. There is of course Cinema Detroit, which has also been downsized, and now housed in Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck. And of course, WIFF’s monthly schedule in Windsor. But for Detroit, it’s a major blow for independent theatres and screening of arthouse movies. I have long time memories of both theatres, often attending one or the other on a weekly basis, sometimes with friends, on dates or alone. For “The Main” I’d drive from my apartment in downtown Windsor, up I-75, then take 11 Mile to Main Street and the corner parking lot in Royal Oak. Sometimes we’d frequent Royal Oak’s robust dining scene before or after. I remember one time heading home from a film on 11 Mile and being stopped by a cop for speeding. “Would you do that in your own country?” the officer said. Thankfully I didn’t get a ticket. When the Emagine Royal Oak multiplex in The Main's backward opened about a decade ago that created more parking problems with a partly shared lot. And as the commercial and condo complex built up around The Main, this increased congestion and a further strain on parking. Among the last times I attended the cinema I parked blocks away on residential streets. Meanwhile I also loved the more modern Maple (one time Maple Art Cinema), also three screens, because of its interesting suburban vibe in the Bloomfield Plaza shopping center, which often had a cool restaurant or bar, one of the city’s best known Jewish delis in Steve’s, and in recent years a Trader Joe’s. I one time got a Montreaux Detroit Jazz Festival poster by Andy Warhol & Keith Haring framed at Frames Unlimited, still at the plaza. And incredible history: What is now an Andiamo’s restaurant on the parking lot was the Machus Red Fox, the last place where disappeared Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa was seen. From Windsor, it was a long haul drive up there: the Lodge to Telegraph and several miles up to West Maple. Claim to fame: I remember seeing Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom in line once. Sometimes, I would see a film late on a Sunday night, driving on near deserted freeways back to Windsor and getting home by 1 am, when I had to be up just a few hours later for work. One of the first times I drove there, in early 1991, I remember returning on I-96 near the Ambassador Bridge, tuning into the news and learning that Operation Desert Storm, the allied repelling of Saddam Hussein’s forces from Kuwait, had just begun. Oh, memories, memories.

I almost fell out of my chair when watching the new Ripley eight-part series on Netflix. Among the trigger warnings at the beginning of the series were “language, smoking, violence.” Smoking? Well, I never!

Good news! Jewish film fest changes not in response to threats

This is good to know. After a lot of speculation in light of world events, the 21st edition of the Windsor Jewish Film Festival has not changed its dates or venue due to any threats or security reasons but simply for decisions that it made on its own. The event is usually held mid-Spring but now will run June 17-20. The venue was also changed from its longtime home at Devonshire Mall to downtown’s Capitol Theatre. WJFF programmer Joe Schnayer said it was “time to mix things up” with a new location. “The Capitol brings a new energy, a new ambience and showcases downtown Windsor with lots of great restaurants and attractions nearby.” The change in dates is only because the Capitol, city-owned and operated by the Windsor Symphony Orchestra, is a busy venue and these were the next closest dates available. “The Capitol Theatre had several other events in the months of April and May (when we usually have our festival) so June was the best option for our festival this year,” he said. But, in light of the Israel-Hamas War and now the attack by Iran on the Jewish state, Schnayer said there will be extra security. “To ensure the safety of our guests and volunteers, the Windsor Jewish Film Festival will have a greater security presence than we have had in the past including a police presence throughout the festival.” Despite threats elsewhere such as in Vancouver and Hamilton “very few cities actually cancelled their festivals,” Schnayer said. “A few have postponed and Hamilton had to move to a different venue but very few have cancelled altogether.” He said the festival will continue as a public event. “It is important to our festival and our community that we continue to share Jewish culture and history, regardless of external factors.” Schnayer said 10 films will be on tap from North America, Europe and Asia.

I finally watch The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973), one of the two most seminal popular horror films coming out of the poist-0war new Hollywood, the other being Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, which I also have never seen. Scary? A couple of moments, after which when I turned on a hall light after a bathroom break, for good measure. But the actual horror part of the film took a lot of building up to get there. Otherwise, we see scenes of a quotidian world where actress Chris MacNeil (a very young Ellen Burstyn – she’s now 91!) goes about her life in Georgetown DC. I’d forgotten Bergman’s preeminent actor Max von Sydow as Father Merrin, the all-seeing Catholic priest, has the titular role. The tumult in daughter Regan’s (Linda Blair) bedroom looked pretty real. But I still wonder why movies can’t get fake blood - looking all too much like tomato ketchup – right……The next night I watch an entirely different film by the same director, Deal of the Century (1983) starring Chevy Chase, Gregory Hines and Sigourney Weaver, a comedy about an incompetent arms dealer (Chase) who stumbles upon, well, the arms deal of the century. It’s a send-up of the international arms trade and would make a good pairing with Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove (1964). And while I laughed along, in light of what’s going on in the Middle East right now, I also in part doubted the film’s message. Without that triple layer of Israeli defense, backed by US and Arab allies, last night, Israel would have been utterly devastated today by Iranian missiles and drones today.

Jewish Film Festival continues but timing and venue changed

The decision by The Playhouse independent cinema in Hamilton to cancel its hosting of the Hamilton Jewish Film Festival is just another example of a non-partisan institution caving to the anri-Israel - and frankly anti-Jew - hate crowd, which has been demonstrating on Canada's streets since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre and kidnapping of Israeli Jews. The Hamilton fest, which in the past has collaborated with the Windsor Jewish Film Festival (WJFF), has saved the event anyway, moving it to an arts centre in neighbouring Ancaster. (One wonders how long before that organization caves because of threats.) The Playhouse weasley cited the all too typical reasons for cancellation: "numerous security and safety related emails, phone calls and social media messages," coming at a "particularly sensitive time." The Hamilton Jewish Federation was having none of it, citing "a small number" of individuals claiming "any film produced in Israel is a form of Zionist propaganda" and the cinema was "prioritizing the will of anti-semites over an apolitical cultural festival that stands for artistic excellence and integrity." It's considering legal action. The WJFF, the 21st edition of the fest - Windsor’s oldest film festival even predating the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) - is "most definitely going ahead", Windsor Jewish Fed director Dan Brotman told me. It's scheduled June 17 - 20. And at the Capitol Theatre, publicly owned by the City of Windsor. But this raises two questions. Why the later start? The event is usually scheduled mid-Spring. Second: why the change in venue? For years it has been held at Devonshire Mall's Cineplex theaters. I've contacted the federation for more information but have not heard back. I have also contacted Cineplex HQ to ask if this was a corporate decision. Businesses have long been known to shy away from anything controversial, let alone today's current events. It may have even been a Devonshire Mall management decision given the Christmas disruption at Toronto’s Eaton Centre by anti-Israel demonstrators, and I will contact them as well. In any case, the Hamilton event is hosting six films and I wonder, based on past collaboration, if Windsor will host the same. Programming director Joe Schnayer said the schedule will be posted "very soon" on the federation's website. But if the Windsor festival had to move from Devonshire for the same reasons the Hamilton’s original venue cancelled the show, or in the cliched "safetyism" term of our time, "out of an abundance of caution," it’s disgusting. Even more so in a city where there has been relative peace between Jews and Muslims, even since Oct. 7.

Congratulations to Windsor filmmaker Min Bae on his documentary about the horrific sinking of the South Korean Sewol Ferry a decade ago, with the loss of hundreds of school children in one of the world's most horrendous shipping disasters. The 90-minute Reset has already been screened at last fall's WIFF and has had screenings at a few other festivals and is scheduled this December at the Madrid documentary fest. It's also available online on several platforms. The film asks: "why the rescue of our children and people was neglected on the fateful day the Sewol sank." The movie's closest screening to Windsor near term will be April 6, 7 pm at University of Toronto's Innis Hall. "I think another screening is planned for Windsor," the filmmaker and University of Windsor film production professor told me. "I will keep you posted."

Think of Malaga as a little Cannes

The Malaga Film Festival, or as it's known here the Festival de Málaga, is now in its 27th year and seems a big deal in this exquisite midsize city in southwestern Spain (pop. half a million) and Picasso's birthplace. Now in its 27th year it has the flavor of a mini Cannes, with a huge red carpet rolled out all the way along a central promenade, a grand entrance way, and packed streets with people behind festival barricades around the central cinema, Teatro Cervantes in Malaga’s Casco Antiguo (old town). It ran 11 days in early March and I was happy to catch at least three of the flicks. The festival is a toast to Spanish cinema and so many of the films, especially those made in Spain itself, don't have English subtitles. I of course opted for the few that did, and they were all North American. The first was by veteran Spanish and internationally-acclaimed filmmaker Isabel Coixet's and her Things I Never Told You, part of a retrospective of her work. She attended the screening and it was a kick to see the Spanish paparazzi (or whatever the Spanish term is) out in force to snap pix of the director during her introduction. The 1994 release stars then popular actress Lili Taylor along with Andrew McCarthy and Seymour Cassel. This thoroughly American film, in English and shot in rural Oregon, is about a displaced young woman (Taylor) at wit's end after being dumped long distance by her boyfriend. It was fun to see Taylor again after all these years, whose demeanor was split between subtle sarcasm and calm anger in an obvious character study of the whims of anomie. The second film was Lumbrendream (Firedream) by José Pablo Escamilla of Mexico. Dark both figuratively and literally, this film about the trap of young people with no futures working in the fast food industry, was well acted. But its characters' angst had a repetitive element and the picture, shot in gloomy and tight indoor surroundings, had a claustrophobic quality. Yes, I looked at my watch several times! The third film was, from Cuba, The Wild Woman by Alan Gonzalez. Here we had at least the semblance of a plot and tension, which the last film lacked. Lola Amores as Youlanda, caught in a cycle of violence and on the run, is trying to find her son in the backstreets of Havana's barrio. (The flick had its world premiere last Sept. in Toronto.)....The festival’s central theatre, Cervantes - and a stone's throw from Picasso's childhood home - is a beautifully intimate opera house style historic venue. The Festival de Málaga may not have been Cannes but it had a similar atmosphere on a smaller scale, and, alas,  is located on the Mediterranean to boot.

No particular need to hold over The Holdovers

I wanted to like The Holdovers, Alexander Payne's celebrated and Best Picture nominated film starring Paul Giamatti. I caught it on an Air Canada flight to London, a surprise since the film was still out in theatres (but not in Windsor-Detroit to my frustration). When it comes to films, Air Canada is no slouch, with a great selection of several genres including obviously current releases. Giamatti is one of my favourite actors, best known for Miles Raymond's 2004 Sideways, a buddy film about a frenzied tour of California wine country. Giamatti is great here as well, about the best thing in this film that otherwise is depleted in story, quite a disappointment from what I was expecting and the generally quite favourable reviews. It’s about a group of students at a New England college in the early 1970's. Why that time I don't know, unless the filmmakers like the era's music; it could be set at any time. Giamatti is perfect as the irascible curmudgeon teacher Paul Hunham (more like Humbug, as the move is set at Christmas). You know the type, a pedant and sticker for details, the kind of prof students just love to hate. He’s a stuffed shirt and tight ass as well, which is the unexpected character reveal in this film, which is as much about his character's deficiencies as the dynamics of his supervision over a group of students who are stranded at the college, for whatever reasons, and can’t get away for the holidays. Frankly, I was expecting a film more along the lines of My Dinner with Andre (Louis Malle, 1981), with teacher and students, stuck together with nothing else to do, engaging in free-flowing dialogue about philosophy and life, with spark and wit bouncing off each one. It wasn't to be. Instead Hunham, the tight ass, forces his students to study over the holidays - what an  idiot! - until such time as one student’s parent arrives and rescues most of them for a ski vacation. That leaves just Angus (Dominic Sessa) and the film turns into a kind of buddy picture with Hunham letting his hair down (what he has of it) and trooping into Boston for the day with his student. But it doesn't end well for out ultimately sad sack hero, another plot twist that didn't need to be.

I’m in Malaga Spain and the Malaga Film Festival is on all this week. It's the first time I’ve been here when the festival is on. But to my chagrin the overwhelming number of films are in Spanish (makes sense) and lack English subtitles. But I am going to see an exception tonight, Things I Never Told You, 1996's Spanish director Isabel Coixet's American-based film starring Lili Taylor. It's being screened in the beautiful Cine Albéniz (photo left), right beside the Roman amphitheater and sheltered under the hilltop Alcazaba (fortress) on the edge of the old town, perfect for a scene in a movie.