Final Cut / Coupez! (2022)

Coupez! (Cut, but English title Final Cut, 2022) was the opening film at Cannes Film Festival in 2022. A high profile remake of Japanese cult classic from 2017, One Cut of the Dead, written & directed by Michel Hazanavicius (OSS, L'artiste, Le redoutable) and distributed by Wild Bunch. A film-in-film, meta-film if ever was one;), zombies included (I think worse we can do is to spoil it!),  the making of a Z grade zombie film. It is one of the year's most fun and underrrated films. Think in comparison of the (a)void The Dead Don't Die, another opening in Cannes, this time by Jim Jarmusch in his one-too-many deconstruction of genres. My two-bits on that here!

But Coupez! has to be seen especially in its construction of 3 acts, 1st and 3d mirroring one another. I have seen only bits of the original Japanese which was a low-budget 25.000$ production but it was a huge hit (25 million $ BO) with awards in over 20 genre festivals. The French remake had a 4 million euros budget and known actors in the lead, Romain  Duris as the neurotic director, Berenice Bejo as his actress/makeup artist wife.  It's more sophisticated (mais oui, c"est français) and also nods the Japanese original, with members of the original cast, adding a most funny sound effects technician. The Z comes from the Z channel, a genre streaming initiative. You just have to watch the one-take act 1 (first half hour) with patience and then you'll be rewarded ;) Crazy rhythm and joie-de-cinema, Day for Night avec beaucoup du faux sang!

RIP Christine McVie

...sad,sad,sad...on St.Andrew's day..

.Christine McVie, the golden voice of the Fleetwoods and the McVies (she was the wife of FM bass player John McVie) ,the Songbird is gone at 79....She composed among the other songs, some of FM's greatest hits, Don't Stop, Everywhere, Songbird and Little Lies.

I got to see her with Fleetwood Mac (minus Lindsey ;() in Dublin in June 2019...a gorgeous unforgetabble day (and nites:)...

My favourite album of hers is not with the Macs (though it should've been a FM album  at 1st, but Stevie said no; ( ), so with only Lindsey Buckingham in tile and her billed first, one of the highlights of 2017 (though John McVie and Mick Flletwood are on all the tracks:).  One of my top emotional favourites of that year (here).

BBC Four documentary about her, Fleetwood Mac's Songbird – Christine McVie in 2019.

I want it all
All the sparkling things
A new merry go round...

(Carnival Begin)

The Fabelmans (2022)

 The Fabelmans could've /should've been called The Spielbergs :)

A very personal account of Steven Spielberg childhood, from the age of seven to age 18, his family and his passion for cinema developing. More interesting than many of the new films (it's a cycle ,a series) that famous directors do recently about their childhood/coming-of-age (Branagh's Belfast, PTA's Licorice Pizza, Cuaron'sRoma, Linklater'sAppolo, James Gray's ArmageddonTime). 

Overlong sure (2h31)  and over-sentimental (Spielberg ?!, his own memories...) but a real treat for cinema lovers. One of the year's best films and what we expected from SS in aloong time...

To be seen in the movie theatre, especially for the visual qualities.

Variety called it `the Rare Great Movie About the Ecstasy of Making Movies`. 

Agreed!

TBC...

Gabriel LaBelle personifies a very motivated and ambitous SS (Sammy Fabelman). 

Also you gotta see who John Ford is;)

Ruben Östlund talks about his favorite films

 Ruben Östlund talks here (or direct link below) about his favorite films, etc. With the occasion of French release of Triangle of Sadness (my review here), named en francais 'Sans filtre'.

He also names as one of his favorite films Godard's Sympathy for the Devil (One+One), of which I recently wrote on the Godard tribute here. Intersting to see he apreciates Annette (on my top of 2021 here),as well as Parasite and Roy Andersson, and that made ski films before he went to film school.

This is a great programme that takes directors into a video (DVD) shop in Paris. Konbini Video club.

You can also check other episodes, Cronenberg, Argento or Brad Pitt )