Why I Love "Indulgent" Films

I’m not one of those writers who likes to fuss over his phrasing, and I’m definitely not one of those writers who likes to come up with what he’s going to say ahead of time (in fact, I’m more the opposite – the kind of writer who comes up with something interesting to say long after he’s already filed his review), but years ago I came up with an expression I really hoped I could one day use in a review. It was inspired by some of the initial reviews coming out of Cannes about Wong Kar-Wai’s 2046. They all seemed to suggest that the film was: 1.) gorgeous and 2.) impenetrably indulgent. I hadn’t seen it, obviously, but for some reason these words flashed across my brain:

I Guess Kathy Griffin Really Wants an Oscar…

This alarming image comes from Paolo Sorrentino’s upcoming This Must Be the Place, starring Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, and (um) Judd Hirsch. One of a number of films screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, it sounds utterly insane: Penn basically appears to be playing an aging rock star-cum-potential Nazi hunter. Advance word suggests though that the film is closer in feel to the director’s breakthrough film The Consequences of Love -- which is a masterpiece, but a very understated, mournful one.

Tribeca Comes Out of Its Wilderness

The Tribeca Film Festival started last night, and I must say, it promises to be a good one -- I watched a sizable number of the films playing for this piece about the 25 Films to See at the Festival, which I collaborated on for Vulture.