Some readers may be old enough to remember when every network was actively trying to find the next “Friends,” hiring often random collections of unknown young performers and throwing them into comic hijinks together. The result was a wave of awful television with a few standouts (long live “Happy Endings”) and a form that quickly

In past years, Cannes has often prided itself on not making overt political statements. But the wars waging in Gaza and Ukraine were felt powerfully throughout this edition—particularly given the tragic context of “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” made by Iranian director Sepideh Farsi and premiered in the independent ACID sidebar, which

Publisher and Editor Chaz Ebert and a team including Managing Editor Brian Tallerico, Scott Dummler, Robert Daniels, Isaac Feldberg, Ben Kenigsberg, Zachary Lee, Robert Long, and Jason Gorber report from Cannes with a series of video reports and daily reviews and dispatches. Full Reviews Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning by Brian Tallerico Eddington by

After my last dispatch’s uncommon thematic synergy, I’ve come back with two films that, on their face, couldn’t be any more different in style and tone. One is a far-reaching work from a Chinese filmmaker already known for his transportive, otherworldly style. The other is a deeply American filmmaker known for his biting sense of

For comedian Tim Robinson, doubling down is almost always an unforced error, the kind of bad instinct that can escalate one fleeting social faux-pas into something far more catastrophic.  Across his absurd and hilarious sketch-comedy series “I Think You Should Leave,” the character type he excels at playing is that of an initially nice-enough guy—a

The relationship between art and power—and, more specifically, cinema and power—is the subject of “Eagles of the Republic,” showing in competition. Tarik Saleh, who wrote and directed, won the festival’s screenplay prize in 2022 for “Cairo Conspiracy,” then titled “Boy From Heaven.” The actor Fares Fares, who in “Cairo Conspiracy” played a shadowy colonel who

Joe Don Baker was one of the first to teach me what screen acting was. As a kid, I was a “Mystery Science Theater 3000” obsessive, wearing out our VHS collection, buying the DVDs, taking near the entirety of my life to work out what every joke meant. As any other diehard will tell you,

Sean Baker, the winner of last year’s Palme d’Or (and four Oscars) for “Anora,” already has a new film at Cannes—sort of. “Left-Handed Girl,” in Critics’ Week, was directed by Shih-Ching Tsou, Baker’s collaborator of more than two decades. Together, they wrote and directed their first feature, “Take Out” (2004). Tsou has produced several of

The 78th Cannes Film Festival kicked off on Tuesday with two films—one that’s 100 years old, and another that seems likely to be forgotten by the end of the week. The official opening-night selection was “Leave One Day,” which on paper was a bold choice. It’s unusual for the festival to hand over this marquee

In the run-up to the 78th Cannes Film Festival, which takes place May 13-24, Donald Trump issued an executive order requiring a multiplex that only shows 100% American films be erected on Alcatraz. Okay, I made up the part about the multiplex on Alcatraz (it’ll probably be one free-standing theater) but as seen by my European