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FNC 2015: ‘The Assassin’ is a slow-burning feast for the eyes

Those coming to The Assassin, the new wuxia from Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien (winner of the Best Director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival), expecting an all-out action martial arts fest are in for a bit of a rude surprise. There certainly is action, and it carries considerable weight in the story. But rather than glorify the violence, the weight serves to magnify its importance and emphasize its effect upon those involved.

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Woody Allen doesn’t watch ‘Mad Men’ and regrets Amazon streaming deal

Well we know that someone isn’t losing sleep over what will happen to Don Draper and company during the series finale of Mad Men this week. In an interview on Thursday with Deadline, acclaimed writer/director Woody Allen opened up about his move from movies to television after he signed a deal with Amazon earlier this …

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Images from Polanski’s ‘Venus in Furs’

Sundance Selects has picked up the U.S. rights to Venus in Furs (La Vénus à la fourrure), a French drama directed by Roman Polanski and starring Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric. The film premiered in competition for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and is an adaptation of a play by David Ives …

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‘Sarah préfère la course’ runs on maturity and a great sense of character

Sarah préfère la course (English title: Sarah Would Rather Run) Written by Chloé Robichaud Directed by Chloé Robichaud Canada, 2013   Some people are driven to accomplish a perfectly singular goal, even at a young age. Be it a professional career, an artistic endeavour, a pilgrimage to a specific place, the objective means everything to …

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Where to Next? An Ode to the Importance of the Festival Circuit

With this weekend’s Total Recall cashing in on a trend we could conceivably never see the end of (at least in this lifetime), the question I’m posing refers to what we have to look forward to, but not from bombastic, shallow-minded “anti-auteurs;” we look instead to the distinguished festival elite. Putting aside the innumerable trademarks …

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“Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” – A film to be discussed for years

“A cinematic rarity, this will be a film to be discussed for years to come with a special warmth reserved for films that touch and change all those willing to open up their heart and soul to its influence.” Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul Though often difficult to …

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