Earlier this year, the film world lost one of its truly unsung icons. On February 17, director Andrzej Zulawski passed away, leaving behind not only a filmography of some of cinema’s most singular works but a critically beloved festival darling that had yet to arrive in theaters stateside. Now, beginning this weekend exclusively at The Metrograph in New York City, Zulawski’s last film is finally available to general audiences, and is without a doubt the most delightfully off-kilter picture you’re bound to see all year.
Entitled Cosmos, the picture may sound as though its eyes are set to the heavens, but with a tight runtime of just a pinch under 100 minutes, this is a ground level, if delightfully histrionic melodrama in the vein of Zulawski’s very best films. Standing as a perfect culmination of everything that made the director an auteur of entirely singular vision, Cosmos opens...
Entitled Cosmos, the picture may sound as though its eyes are set to the heavens, but with a tight runtime of just a pinch under 100 minutes, this is a ground level, if delightfully histrionic melodrama in the vein of Zulawski’s very best films. Standing as a perfect culmination of everything that made the director an auteur of entirely singular vision, Cosmos opens...
- 6/17/2016
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
To help sift through the increasing number of new releases (independent or otherwise), the Weekly Film Guide is here! Below you’ll find basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.
Starting this month, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list here, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for June 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, June 17. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Central Intelligence
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Aaron Paul, Amy Ryan, Danielle Nicolet, Ryan Hansen, Bobby Brown, Megan Park, Timothy John Smith
Synopsis: “After he reunites with an old pal through Facebook, a mild-mannered accountant is lured into the world of international espionage.
Starting this month, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list here, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for June 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, June 17. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Central Intelligence
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Aaron Paul, Amy Ryan, Danielle Nicolet, Ryan Hansen, Bobby Brown, Megan Park, Timothy John Smith
Synopsis: “After he reunites with an old pal through Facebook, a mild-mannered accountant is lured into the world of international espionage.
- 6/16/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Andrzej Żuławski. Photo by Isabelle Vautier.How does one translate into film the books by Witold Gombrowicz, who ranks among the greatest modernists of the 20th century? Few have actually dared. Whereas Peter Lilienthal’s adaptation for television of Pornografia (Die Sonne angreifen, 1971) has been all but consigned to oblivion, the famed Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski went on a 17-year hiatus following his failed adaptation of Ferdydurke (30 Door Key, 1991). However, the opposite holds true for Andrzej Żuławski, who came out of a 15-year pause to adapt for the screen Gombrowicz’s fourth novel Cosmos (1965), also his last and most complex. Unfortunately, it became a farewell work for Żuławski as well. What kind of cosmos is it? First and foremost, it’s the bizarre microcosm of a boarding house where the young writer Witold (Jonathan Genet) arrives with his friend Fuchs (Johan Libéreau) in tow to finish his novel The Haunted.
- 3/13/2016
- by Boris Nelepo
- MUBI
Kino Lorber has acquired all North American distribution rights to celebrated Polish filmmaker Andrzej Żuławski's "Cosmos." The movie, a dark adaptation of Witold Gombrowicz's absurdist novel of the same name, marks the director's first feature in 15 years. Żuławski won the Best Director prize at the Locarno Film Festival last year, where the film had its world premiere. The movie was also an official selection at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Read More: Locarno Review: Andrzej Zulawski's First Film in 15 Years, 'Cosmos,' Delivers the Crazy The film's official synopsis reads: "Witold (Jonathan Genet), who has just failed the bar, and his companion Fuchs (Johan Libéreau), who has recently quit his fashion job, are staying at a guesthouse run by the intermittently paralytic Madame Woytis (Sabine Azéma). Upon discovering a sparrow hanged in the woods near the house, Witold’s reality mutates into a whirlwind of...
- 2/16/2016
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
If there’s any way to synthesize the many pieces that form the bull-in-a-china-shop filmmaking that is Andrzej Żuławski‘s Cosmos, an adaptation of Witold Gombrowicz‘s novel, consider its status as his first feature in fifteen years. Might some sense of long-awaited release account for its why and how — the intensity of its performances, the force of its camera moves, the sharpness in its cuts, the bombast of its emotions? I’m inclined to think so, but it’s possible I’m only proposing this in search of a “what” — what’s going on, what he was thinking, and what we’re meant to take from any and all of it. Answers, if they do come at all, will only gradually present themselves, and they won’t arrive via exposition or, with some exception, clearly stated themes. A filmmaker who values the power of shock, but not necessarily thrills for thrills’ sake,...
- 11/23/2015
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
In Andrzej Zulawski's Cosmos, Sabine Azéma's Madame Woytis welcomes aspiring novelist Witold (Jonathan Genet) and Fuchs (Johan Libéreau) to a family hotel "where Witold is entranced by the beautiful Lena (Victoria Guerra) and intrigued by excitable maid Catherette (Clémentine Pons) who has a deformed mouth," writes Allan Hunter for Screen. "The two men become part of a family where Madame Woytis stops moving when she becomes over-excited and her blundering, radish-loving husband Leon (Jean-François Balmer) talks ceaselessly. There is a barely suppressed hysteria that seems to have permeated the entire edifice." We're collecting early reviews and clips from Locarno. » - David Hudson...
- 8/9/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
In Andrzej Zulawski's Cosmos, Sabine Azéma's Madame Woytis welcomes aspiring novelist Witold (Jonathan Genet) and Fuchs (Johan Libéreau) to a family hotel "where Witold is entranced by the beautiful Lena (Victoria Guerra) and intrigued by excitable maid Catherette (Clémentine Pons) who has a deformed mouth," writes Allan Hunter for Screen. "The two men become part of a family where Madame Woytis stops moving when she becomes over-excited and her blundering, radish-loving husband Leon (Jean-François Balmer) talks ceaselessly. There is a barely suppressed hysteria that seems to have permeated the entire edifice." We're collecting early reviews and clips from Locarno. » - David Hudson...
- 8/9/2015
- Keyframe
With an attention to detail that is almost documentarian in its realist precision, Rebecca Zlotowski’s Grand Central boasts electric performances from its joint leads, Tahar Rahim and Léa Seydoux, with a pulsating rhythm that drives it towards a climactic final act.
With little to no qualifications to speak of, a murky past life, and a family that has come to reject him, Gary (Rahim) applies for a position at the eponymous nuclear power plant, Grand Central, willing to trade the dangers that come with the job for the money it pays.
Befriending another couple of new-starters, Tcherno (Johan Libéreau) and Isaac (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), Gary picks up a job in ‘outage’, work that involves maintaining and fixing the active plant and taking doses of radiation in the process. For the workers, it’s unduly up to them to keep track of their own radiation levels, and to make sure they keep those levels down,...
With little to no qualifications to speak of, a murky past life, and a family that has come to reject him, Gary (Rahim) applies for a position at the eponymous nuclear power plant, Grand Central, willing to trade the dangers that come with the job for the money it pays.
Befriending another couple of new-starters, Tcherno (Johan Libéreau) and Isaac (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart), Gary picks up a job in ‘outage’, work that involves maintaining and fixing the active plant and taking doses of radiation in the process. For the workers, it’s unduly up to them to keep track of their own radiation levels, and to make sure they keep those levels down,...
- 10/14/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Soon You Will Know: Zlotowski’s Sophomore Effort a Bleak and Appealing Entanglement
Reuniting with Lea Seydoux, the star of her 2010 film, Belle Epine, filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski returns with dark romantic drama, Grand Central, set within the closed off community of nuclear power plant workers. The maudlin romantic triangle at the center of the film may unfortunately be overlooked or outshined due to other higher profile projects of domestic discord also featuring this film’s two leads (Lea Seydoux in Blue Is the Warmest Colour; Tahar Rahim in The Past). While not as forceful as either of those two features, Zlotowski’s latest is a superlative portrait of contaminated passion, using its overtly specific metaphors to create a quietly memorable tale.
We meet Gary (Rahim) as he’s being pickpocketed on a train by the scampy Tcherno (Johan Libereau). Catching up with his perpetrator, they bond rather than argue, and...
Reuniting with Lea Seydoux, the star of her 2010 film, Belle Epine, filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski returns with dark romantic drama, Grand Central, set within the closed off community of nuclear power plant workers. The maudlin romantic triangle at the center of the film may unfortunately be overlooked or outshined due to other higher profile projects of domestic discord also featuring this film’s two leads (Lea Seydoux in Blue Is the Warmest Colour; Tahar Rahim in The Past). While not as forceful as either of those two features, Zlotowski’s latest is a superlative portrait of contaminated passion, using its overtly specific metaphors to create a quietly memorable tale.
We meet Gary (Rahim) as he’s being pickpocketed on a train by the scampy Tcherno (Johan Libereau). Catching up with his perpetrator, they bond rather than argue, and...
- 6/4/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
French distributors Gaumont have announced that on June 1 they will release on Blu-ray Abel Ferry's Vertige (aka High Lane), starring Fanny Valette, Johan Libéreau, Raphaël Lenglet, and Nicolas Giraud.
This taut tale follows a groups of friends on a climbing vacation in Eastern Europe. One mountain they want to climb is closed for repairs, but urged on by group leader Fred (Giraud), they ignore the warning signs and start their ascent anyway. There’s underlying tension among the friends to begin with, as Luke (Libéreau) is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, Chloe (Valette), and has joined the journey just to be near her. But the usual perils of mountain climbing (and broken hearts) start to pale next to the prospect of collapsing rope bridges, bear traps, torture and other deadly dangers supplied by a deranged and mysterious killer hiding in the adventurers’ midst.
Blu-ray special features include:
Audio...
This taut tale follows a groups of friends on a climbing vacation in Eastern Europe. One mountain they want to climb is closed for repairs, but urged on by group leader Fred (Giraud), they ignore the warning signs and start their ascent anyway. There’s underlying tension among the friends to begin with, as Luke (Libéreau) is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, Chloe (Valette), and has joined the journey just to be near her. But the usual perils of mountain climbing (and broken hearts) start to pale next to the prospect of collapsing rope bridges, bear traps, torture and other deadly dangers supplied by a deranged and mysterious killer hiding in the adventurers’ midst.
Blu-ray special features include:
Audio...
- 5/6/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
The Film:
From the opening scene I knew I was going to enjoy High Lane (Vertige). The cinematography in the picture is gorgeous, and elevate this horror-thriller a notch on the kick ass movie ladder. Director Abel Ferry creates a tense atmosphere that is both engaging and disorienting.
The flick follows climbers Loïc (Johan Libéreau), Guillaume (Raphaël Lenglet), Fred (Nicolas Giraud), Karine (Maud Wyler), and the very beautiful Chloé (Fanny Valette) as they decide to brave a trail up high in the mountains that is closed because it is in disrepair. Of course this doesn’t stop these young hotshots from ignoring the warnings. It doesn’t take long for things to go wrong. After avoiding a near fatal accident, and realizing they could be trapped on the mountain until they can find another route down, they start falling into various booby traps, and soon realize that they are not alone.
From the opening scene I knew I was going to enjoy High Lane (Vertige). The cinematography in the picture is gorgeous, and elevate this horror-thriller a notch on the kick ass movie ladder. Director Abel Ferry creates a tense atmosphere that is both engaging and disorienting.
The flick follows climbers Loïc (Johan Libéreau), Guillaume (Raphaël Lenglet), Fred (Nicolas Giraud), Karine (Maud Wyler), and the very beautiful Chloé (Fanny Valette) as they decide to brave a trail up high in the mountains that is closed because it is in disrepair. Of course this doesn’t stop these young hotshots from ignoring the warnings. It doesn’t take long for things to go wrong. After avoiding a near fatal accident, and realizing they could be trapped on the mountain until they can find another route down, they start falling into various booby traps, and soon realize that they are not alone.
- 2/22/2011
- by Donny Broussard
- Killer Films
There are several horror titles releasing on DVD and Blu-Ray today. The most notable releases for Tuesday, February 8th include Wes Craven's poorly received My Soul to Take, a chilling production from France titled High Lane, Anchor Bay Entertainment's I Spit on Your Grave and finally, Paranormal Activity 2. This last title has already confirmed a sequel, with High Lane standing out amongst these titles. High Lane promises double terror from terrific heights and from socially isolated cannibals. Have a look at each of the titles below, with special features attached to each (if available).
High Lane
A synopsis...
"A group of friends on vacation decide to venture onto a trail high up in the mountains that has been closed for repairs. The climb proves more perilous than planned. Especially as they soon realize that they're not alone. This adventure will turn into a nightmare."
Release Date: February 8th,...
High Lane
A synopsis...
"A group of friends on vacation decide to venture onto a trail high up in the mountains that has been closed for repairs. The climb proves more perilous than planned. Especially as they soon realize that they're not alone. This adventure will turn into a nightmare."
Release Date: February 8th,...
- 2/9/2011
- by Remove28DaysLaterAnalysisThis@gmail.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
IFC released High Lane on VOD late last year and now has announced the street date for the French thriller. The flick will drop on DVD on February 8th but no specs have been announced yet. The foreign slasher is directed by Abel Ferry from a script by Johanne Bernard and Louis-Paul Desanges and stars Fanny Valette, Johan Libéreau, Raphaël Lenglet, Nicolas Giraud, Maud Wyler, and Justin Blanckaert. Synopsis:
Towering heights and beautiful vistas turn into a haunting mindtrip in Abel Ferry’s gripping French scarefest that will definitely make you think twice about your next mountain climbing trip. In the film, a group of friends on vacation in Eastern Europe embark on an ambitious mountain expedition along a trail that they discover – way too late – is closed for repair. The thrill of this foolish challenge quickly turns sour as it becomes clear that not only is the path a...
Towering heights and beautiful vistas turn into a haunting mindtrip in Abel Ferry’s gripping French scarefest that will definitely make you think twice about your next mountain climbing trip. In the film, a group of friends on vacation in Eastern Europe embark on an ambitious mountain expedition along a trail that they discover – way too late – is closed for repair. The thrill of this foolish challenge quickly turns sour as it becomes clear that not only is the path a...
- 1/26/2011
- by brians
- GeekTyrant
IFC Films to bringing the French thriller High Lane (Vertige) to DVD February 8th, 2011. Our own Donny Broussard reviewed the film here from Fantastic Fest.
Here’s the press release: The gorgeous rising French star Fanny Valette (Moliere, Little Jerusalem) leads a cast of sexy young actors in High Lane, a taut tale following a groups of friends on a climbing vacation in Eastern Europe. One mountain they want to climb is closed for repairs, but urged on by group leader Fred (Nicola Giraud, Taken), they ignore the warning signs and start their ascent anyway. There’s underlying tension among the friends to begin with, as Luke (Johan Libereau, You Will Be Mine) is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, Chloe (Cesar nominee Valette), and has joined the journey just to be near her. But the usual perils of mountain climbing (and broken hearts) start to pale next to the prospect of collapsing rope bridges,...
Here’s the press release: The gorgeous rising French star Fanny Valette (Moliere, Little Jerusalem) leads a cast of sexy young actors in High Lane, a taut tale following a groups of friends on a climbing vacation in Eastern Europe. One mountain they want to climb is closed for repairs, but urged on by group leader Fred (Nicola Giraud, Taken), they ignore the warning signs and start their ascent anyway. There’s underlying tension among the friends to begin with, as Luke (Johan Libereau, You Will Be Mine) is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, Chloe (Cesar nominee Valette), and has joined the journey just to be near her. But the usual perils of mountain climbing (and broken hearts) start to pale next to the prospect of collapsing rope bridges,...
- 1/26/2011
- by Jon Peters
- Killer Films
The French horror flick High Lane, or Vertige for you purists out there, is coming home to DVD soon, and we've got all the details you need to hang on tight!
From the Press Release
The gorgeous rising French star Fanny Valette (Moliere, Little Jerusalem) leads a cast of sexy young actors in High Lane, a taut tale following a groups of friends on a climbing vacation in Eastern Europe. One mountain they want to climb is closed for repairs, but urged on by group leader Fred (Nicola Giraud, Taken), they ignore the warning signs and start their ascent anyway. There’s underlying tension among the friends to begin with, as Luke (Johan Libereau, You Will Be Mine) is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, Chloe (Cesar nominee Valette), and has joined the journey just to be near her. But the usual perils of mountain climbing (and broken hearts) start...
From the Press Release
The gorgeous rising French star Fanny Valette (Moliere, Little Jerusalem) leads a cast of sexy young actors in High Lane, a taut tale following a groups of friends on a climbing vacation in Eastern Europe. One mountain they want to climb is closed for repairs, but urged on by group leader Fred (Nicola Giraud, Taken), they ignore the warning signs and start their ascent anyway. There’s underlying tension among the friends to begin with, as Luke (Johan Libereau, You Will Be Mine) is still in love with his ex-girlfriend, Chloe (Cesar nominee Valette), and has joined the journey just to be near her. But the usual perils of mountain climbing (and broken hearts) start...
- 1/26/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Dear Prudence (Belle épine) is a new French flick about the dark side of underground teen street-bike racing in Paris. !
Rebecca Zlotowski wrote and directed this strange little movie known as Belle épine in its native tongue and Dear Prudence for all the Americans. It's going to screen later this month at the 2010 Vancouver Film Festival and stars Léa Seydoux, Anaïs Demoustier, Agathe Schlencker, Johan Libéreau, Guillaume Gouix, Anna Sigalevitch, Michaël Abiteboul, and Marie Matheron
Paris in the 1980s. 17-year-old Prudence Friedmann (the gifted Léa Seydoux) has just lost her mother. Left to her own devices in the family apartment, she enjoys this sudden freedom along with her new friend Marilyne. They both start frequenting the dangerous illegal racing track at Rungis, where big-engined cars and souped-up motorbikes drive around chaotically.
In any case, there isn't a freakin' real trailer up for this, just a clip, of the lead character...
Rebecca Zlotowski wrote and directed this strange little movie known as Belle épine in its native tongue and Dear Prudence for all the Americans. It's going to screen later this month at the 2010 Vancouver Film Festival and stars Léa Seydoux, Anaïs Demoustier, Agathe Schlencker, Johan Libéreau, Guillaume Gouix, Anna Sigalevitch, Michaël Abiteboul, and Marie Matheron
Paris in the 1980s. 17-year-old Prudence Friedmann (the gifted Léa Seydoux) has just lost her mother. Left to her own devices in the family apartment, she enjoys this sudden freedom along with her new friend Marilyne. They both start frequenting the dangerous illegal racing track at Rungis, where big-engined cars and souped-up motorbikes drive around chaotically.
In any case, there isn't a freakin' real trailer up for this, just a clip, of the lead character...
- 9/12/2010
- by Superheidi
- Planet Fury
Film: ‘Vertigo’; Cast: Fanny Valette, Johan Libereau, Raphael Lenglet, Nicolas Giraud, Maud Wyler, Justin Blanckaert; Director: Abel Ferry; Ratings: * 1/2
What makes a thriller or horror film worth a watch is minute attention to detail. Since usually the story is implausible in the first place, this attention to plot, characters etc adds to its believability with the viewer. Sadly, ‘Vertigo’ fails in this simple, cardinal rule.
Five friends on a mountain climbing vacation, survive the vagaries of nature and accidents that plague their climb, only to be at the mercy of someone who seems to be hunting them for no apparent reason.
First of all the basic story itself is confusing..
What makes a thriller or horror film worth a watch is minute attention to detail. Since usually the story is implausible in the first place, this attention to plot, characters etc adds to its believability with the viewer. Sadly, ‘Vertigo’ fails in this simple, cardinal rule.
Five friends on a mountain climbing vacation, survive the vagaries of nature and accidents that plague their climb, only to be at the mercy of someone who seems to be hunting them for no apparent reason.
First of all the basic story itself is confusing..
- 8/27/2010
- by realbollywood
- RealBollywood.com
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