Todd McCarthy talks to George Clooney, Alexander Payne, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges,
and Judy Greer at the press conference for The Descendants. Photo by Eugene Hernandez.
The New Yorker's Richard Brody underlines the successful storytelling in the NYFF Closing Night film, The Descendants:
“The movie catches, better than any movie I’ve seen, one of the crucial aspects of contemporary American family life: the parental tradeoff of authority for openness and complicity with children.”
Slant Magazine's Elise Nakhnikian calls The Descendants Alexander Payne's “best film since the segment he directed in Paris Je T'aime” and praises George Clooney's performance:
“But the real power of Clooney's performance rests in his eyes, which always let us know just what Matt is feeling, whether he's warily greeting a cousin, confronting his wife's lover in a near-paralyzing rage, watching his daughters in frustrated silence, or gazing into space, stunned at the news of another betrayal.”
Bill Stamets from Chicago Sun-Times reports that New York Film Festival Main Slate selection Le Havre wins top prize, Gold Hugo for Best Film, at the 47th Chicago International Film Festival.
indieWIRE's The Playlist sits down with Dardenne Brothers for an interview about their latest film, The Kid With A Bike:
“Yes, every kid rides a bike, but something about the familiar two-wheeler really spoke to the filmmakers more than anything else. 'We knew he was going to be an abandoned child, and right away we saw him with a bike without fenders, without a luggage carrier/basket. The bike of someone who is alone and solitary—also, he would be able to exercise his violence on it,' Jean-Pierre explained. 'It was also his friend—much like, say, a dog. Eventually it evolved and we used it for the story between Cyril and his father, it was the link for Cyril and Samantha…in a way, it helped build the story.'”
George Whipple from NY1 covers last night's Pina screening at NYFF with an interview by Wim Wenders:
“'Her work changed my life,' says Wenders. 'I've never seen anything that beautiful and anything that moving before. Neither on a movie screen or on a stage. That is 25 years ago and it blew me away.'”
