‘Universal Language’ Review: Matthew Rankin Channels the Best of Iranian Cinema in Absurdist Canadian Comedy

Ariana Madix and Katie Maloney are speaking up about the Vanderpump Rules bombshell that was dropped during the third part of the Season 11 reunion.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Of all the films premiering at Cannes this year, “The Most Precious of Cargoes” is both an anomaly (the first animated feature to compete for the Palme d’Or since “Persepolis” in 2007) and the most likely to become a classic. Blending the heavy lines of early-20th-century woodcuts with the gentle pastels of watercolor painting, “The Artist” director Michel Hazanavicius finds a poignant way to address not only the horrors of the Holocaust, but the kinds of kindness that combatted it, crafting an indelible parable destined to be watched and shared by generations to come.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic For more than two decades, Iman (Misagh Zare) has functioned as a civil servant, doing work that his kids — who represent Iran’s younger generation — would be ashamed of. Better to keep them in the dark. At last, for his loyalty, Iman has been given a promotion, not to judge (the job he wants) but to inspector (a job no one wants).

This year, the gala’s host is Demi Moore, with performances by Nick Jonas and Jess Glynne. The one and only Cher, who just turned 78, just performed her hit song “Believe.”Dimitri Rassam steps out in Cannes ahead of Charlotte Casiraghi’s red carpet appearanceHeidi Klum shows off her amazing body in an itty bitty bikini in FranceSalma Hayek celebrates ‘magical night’ at Cannes’ Women in Motion eventThe fundraiser has significantly advanced the foundation’s mission to find a cure for HIV/AIDS.

Canadian director Matthew Rankin’s Persian and French-language drama Universal Language has won the inaugural Audience Award of Directors’ Fortnight.

Jamie Lang Late screenwriter-director Sophie Fillières‘ seventh and final feature, “This Life of Mine” was the opening film at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight and today wrapped things up as the France Writers’ Guild’s favorite French-language feature, winning the SACD Authors’ Favorite Prize. In the film, Barbie, once a devoted mother and partner, faces the realities of middle age as she turns 55. Following a classic three-act structure, the film advances from comedy to tragedy to epiphany, at times toying with the absurd.

Ellise Shafer Film industry players gathered at Mr. Nakamoto at the Mondrian hotel in Cannes on Monday night to celebrate Universal Pictures International.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic At first, the violence seems limited to news reports. Every time a gangster is gunned down or a car bomb goes off in the streets of Corsica, the local channel flashes footage of the crime scene.

Gregg Goldstein For more than two decades, French auteur Christophe Honoré has made provocative features, frequently exploring romantic entanglements or focusing on gay characters that reflect his sexuality. His third Palme d’Or-nominated film premiering May 21, “Marcello Mio,” is a comic change of pace that may be his most commercial and entertaining project to date. After Honoré’s longtime collaborator Chiara Mastroianni, playing a version of herself, gets compared to her movie star father, Marcello Mastroianni, she decides to adopt his look and personality, creating chaos with her mother, Catherine Deneuve, and co-stars like Melvil Poupaud, who also play themselves.

CANNES – Eduard Limonov was a complicated man. He was a poet, a novelist, and a political activist, At one point a Russian dissident who lived in New York and Paris, he returned to his homeland to lead a fascist party that supported a return to an ideology closer to that of the former Soviet Union.

The owners of a beloved fish and chip shop say they are 'truly devastated' after a fire ripped through it.

“When we leap into the unknown, we prove that we are free,” says Cesar Catalina, the futuristic architect at the beating heart of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis (to give it its full title), a mad eco-sci-fi blockbuster some 40 years in the making. Catalina says it several times, and it’s one of the more succinct aphorisms that he spouts in a script that is stuffed with seemingly random literary allusions from the likes of Petrarch, Crassus and Marcus Aurelius to Goethe, Shakespeare, H.G. Wells and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Watching Anthony Mann’s The Fall of the Roman Empire and eating cheese afterwards would be the only way to replicate its fever-dream grandeur, a series of stunning images, carried along by the loosest of plots, that pontificate on the self-destructive nature of humankind, the only species capable of civilizing itself to death.

Universal Pictures on Thursday announced release dates for three major genre titles, revealing at the same time that two of its most anticipated sequels will shift on the calendar.

The L.A. Chargers released their schedule by channeling The Sims with a few famous cameos.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor I spent the first 37 years of my life on the East Coast, and even there, I knew who Sam Rubin was. The beloved KTLA Los Angeles entertainment reporter, who died May 10 at age 64, was a Hollywood fixture for over 30 years, beloved, trusted and respected.

William Earl administrator If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. In today’s ever-changing financial landscape, the pursuit of wealth through investment can be both tantalizing and daunting – especially for beginners. But technological advancements in recent years have ushered in a new area of accessibility, where even novice investors can dip their toes into the vast ocean of stocks, options and cryptocurrencies.

Lana Del Rey is having a successful year. Just weeks after her performance at Coachella, where she surprised the audience by bringing Billie Eilish and Camila Cabello to the stage, the singer is sharing her excitement ahead of her birthday, as she already received the gift she wanted the most this year.Afterparty looks at the 2024 Met Gala: Shakira, Kendall Jenner, Bad Bunny Zendaya, and moreInside Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner’s romantic reunion in NYC: Are they back together?Ice Spice praises Lana Del Rey’s discography: ‘I’m obsessed with her’During her recent appearance at the Met Gala, where she made headlines for her stunning look, referencing an archival Alexander McQueen design from the Fall 2006 collection, Lana was asked what she wanted the most for her birthday.

Katy Perry was not present at the Met Gala 2024, yet within hours, images of her attending the prestigious fashion event started circulating on social media. The buzz made her mother, Mary Hudson, believe her daughter had participated in the gala. Those who watched every minute of the event knew something was off.

Amazon UK MD Chris Bird was among the latest group of industry execs to appear in front of the UK’s British Film & High-End TV Inquiry this afternoon, during which he revealed how much cash the streamer has invested in content from UK broadcasters for the first time.

Rudie Obias editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. With the return of “Bridgerton” to Netflix, a lot of attention is focused on the steamy romance series for season three. The first part of the season drops on Thursday, May 16, while the second part comes out on Thursday, June 13.