This movie is set in our times, though like all of Kaurismäki’s films, it has an unusually retro mise-en-scene, apparent in even the teeniest design detail. Ansa’s radio has a circular analog dial on its face. While she does own a microwave, it’s the most basic box imaginable. A band shows up late in the … Read more
The latest in the category is the twistedly brutal “Lords of the Fallen,” a game that doesn’t quite live up to the best of the genre but contains enough addictive gameplay and world-building to keep fans engaged through the holiday season. Like many Soulslikes, I was almost ready to give up during a few particularly … Read more
Happily, Kaurismaki’s filmmaking skills have not slackened in the interim. While not quite as bleak as those earlier movies, he does an intriguing job of taking classic rom-com tropes and finding new ways of approaching them. The deadpan style of humor he has always favored ends up fitting in nicely with the romance that he … Read more
Gerard Butler’s Olympus Has Fallen lawsuit settles after the actor and producer alleges producers owed him roughly $10M in profits. While Hollywood continues to negotiate with SAG-AFTRA for agreeable terms to the ongoing strike, Gerard Butler is resolving a dispute with producers of Olympus Has Fallen, the actor’s 2013 blockbuster starring Butler, Aaron Eckhart, and Morgan … Read more
Chaz Ebert Chaz is the CEO of several Ebert enterprises, including the President of The Ebert Company Ltd, and of Ebert Digital LLC, Publisher of RogerEbert.com, President of Ebert Productions and Chairman of the Board of The Roger and Chaz Ebert Foundation, and Co- Founder and Producer of Ebertfest, the film festival now in its … Read more
RogerEbert.com publisher Chaz Ebert’s fourth video dispatch from the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, made with Scott Dummler of Mint Media Works, features her discussion with Ben Kenigsberg about various selections at the festival, including Aki Kaurismäki’s “Fallen Leaves,” Wang Bing’s “Youth (Spring),” Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” and more. Also included is an excerpt … Read more
Walking the red carpet for his Cannes premiere on Monday, Kaurismäki, instead of treating the procession like a formal occasion, goofed around with photographers and even poked a little fun at the festival’s head programmer, Thierry Frémaux, at the top of the steps. This is a filmmaker who delights in life. “Club Zero,” directed by … Read more