Retro Cannes

This year we’ve moved most of our updates over to our Twitter feed IMDbKeith but I’ll keep some updates in our blog.

You can accuse the Cannes Film Festival of many things but wallowing in nostalgia is not one of them. . Given it’s the 65th Anniversary of the festival they have more than reason to boast but, instead of what could have been two weeks of retrospectives the amazing “general delegate,” essentially the director of the festival, Thierry Fremaux has once again pushed the boundaries of the expected.

The films, as was the case last year, have divided critics. Many cherished Wes Anderson‘s opening night film, Moonrise Kingdom while a strong minority found it precious and twee (two words used in many, many reviews of the film). In talking to Anderson and the filmmakers what surprised me was that the strongest accusation about him, that he’s just being hipster and ironic, is not the case at all and that he’s in earnest and extremely sincere.

Raves (and raspberries) also came from Jacques Audiard‘s Rust and Bone with many citing Marion Cotiard‘s performance as a front-runner for Best Performance – Female.

Reality, by director Matteo Garrone (Gamorrah), is an homage to early Fellini and a biting satire of celebrity culture and greed. Cinematography by Marco Onaroto is sumptuous and Alexandre Desplat score is one of his best. The movie is a bit on the nose but 9 of 10 stars.

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Hit List: March 26, 2012

Hit List is a handful of items that we find noteworthy, shared with you daily on our homepage. Enjoy!

The Hunger Games vs. Lord of the Rings: Who Said It? from GeekSugar.com (Suggested by TolkienExaminer)

The Chief Offenses Against Good Comedy from MacGuffinPodcast.com (Suggested by fahrenheit-2)

A Conversation with VFX Supervisor John Knoll from FlickeringMyth.com (Suggested by amie_18)

TV Characters Whose Absence Would Instantly Improve Their Shows from TelevisionWithoutPity.com (Suggested by hillary-goldsmith)

The Joy of Trailers from LouiseReviews.com (Suggested by louiseajm )

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Hit List: March 23-25, 2012

Hit List is a handful of items that we find noteworthy, shared with you daily on our homepage. Enjoy!

An Oral History of “The Sopranos” from VanityFair.com

A Conversation With “Mad Men” Creator Matthew Weiner from Slate.com

Poster Gallery: If The Hunger Games Saga Was Directed By Herzog, Corman and More from EW.com

Is the Screwball Comedy Making a Comeback? from Independent.co.uk

Compare the Pickup Styles of “New Girl”’s Schmidt and “Parks and Rec”’s Tom Haverford from Vulture.com

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Hit List: March 22, 2012

Hit List is a handful of items that we find noteworthy, shared with you daily on our homepage. Enjoy!

Interview: Jon Hamm from AVClub.com

Javier Bardem: From Movie Villain to Real-Life Hero from Independent.co.uk

The Hunger Games Snuggie and Other Dubious Tie-In Products from TheWeek.com (Suggested by merrickcoleman)

Why “Big Bang Theory” Reruns Are One of the Most Powerful Forces on Cable from Vulture.com

Coming Soon: A Lego R2-D2 Set from Wired.com

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Hit List: March 21, 2012

Hit List is a handful of items that we find noteworthy, shared with you daily on our homepage. Enjoy!

Jennifer Lawrence: In Hunger Games, a Heroine for Our Times from LATimes.com

Alfred Hitchcock’s Definition of Happiness from BrainPickings.org (Suggested by blindoldfreak)

American Psycho and the Female Gaze from SunTimes.com (Suggested by ebertchicago)

The Search for Indie TV from IndieWire.com (Suggested by postmod2u)

The Hobbit Pub’s Licensing Fee Paid by Stephen Fry and Sir Ian McKellen from Tolkien Examiner

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Hit List: March 20, 2012

Hit List is a handful of items that we find noteworthy, shared with you daily on our homepage. Enjoy!

What Makes Jason Segel Tick? from LATimes.com

Starring On Capitol Hill: The Celebrity Or The Cause? from NPR.org

Movie Lovers We Love: Michael Sayers of Greenpoint’s Photoplay Video and DVD from IndieWire.com

Interview: Will Ferrell from AVClub.com

The Movie Night Conundrum: Try Something New, or Rewatch a Classic? from DenOfGeek.com (Suggested by simon_brew)

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Hit List: March 19, 2012

Hit List is a handful of items that we find noteworthy, shared with you daily on our homepage. Enjoy!

Cops and Doctors and Lawyers, Oh My!: Networks and their Love Affair with the Procedural from SoundOnSight.org (Suggested by katekulzick)

Video: Matt Damon and Cameron Crowe Interview Each Other from TheUncool.com

America’s Most Cantankerous Film Critic from TheAtlanticWire.com

Interview: Director Lee Hirsch Discusses Bully from NPR.org

Will Ferrell and Cast Explain Casa de mi Padre from IFC.com

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Hit List: March 16-18, 2012

Hit List is a handful of items that we find noteworthy, shared with you daily on our homepage. Enjoy!

Interview: Oscar Winner and “Community” Star Jim Rash from AVClub.com

Sonja Sohn: Changing Baltimore Long After “The Wire” from NPR.org

A Plea for Refurbished Theaters from TDYLF.com (Suggested by larue2121)

A Fan’s Photos from a Visit to the Hobbiton Movie Set from NZNoldor.com

Darth Vader and the Imperial March on Bagpipes and Unicycle from YouTube.com

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Hit List: March 15, 2012

Hit List is a handful of items that we find noteworthy, shared with you daily on our homepage. Enjoy!

The Godfather: 40 Years Later from VirginMedia.com (Suggested by aligray)

Singing The Praises of the Unsung Heroes of “Community” from FrontRoomCinema.com (Suggested by scott-176-841176)

Profile: Freida Pinto from Independent.co.uk

TV Crossover Ideas for “Revenge” Character Nolan Ross from HuffingtonPost.com

Infographic: Popular IMDb Keywords Associated With Countries from VerySmallArray.com (Suggested by cn)

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Hit List: March 14, 2012

Hit List is a handful of items that we find noteworthy, shared with you daily on our homepage. Enjoy!

Excerpts from Joss Whedon’s SXSW Panel from IndieWire (Suggested by postmod2u)

Watch: Lost 1951 Short Film Modern Football Directed by Robert Altman from The Playlist

Interview: Mosquita y Mari Writer/Director Aurora Guerrero from NPR.org

Similarities Between The Big Lebowski and The Big Sleep from TDYLF.com (Suggested by larue2121)

Jeff Bridges to Release “The Dude and the Zen Master” Book from EW.com

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