Cannes 2014 Predictions...How they came in.

Just after the announcement of the selection of films for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, I took a quick, rough set of predictions about the outcome of the results and general reaction to a handful of films which can be viewed HERE. This wasn't to suggest insider knowledge, but rather to at the rather self-fulfilling prophecy that Cannes often creates, and its rare willingness to take risks in film selection. This was also to look at the idea that critics, as a group, are often a fairly predictable group, with notions of what will be good, rather than being willing to stand aside from the crowd.

Winter Sleep:  My prediction with the Ceylan film was pretty spot on. Winter Sleep received a slightly more lukewarm reception by critics, many complaining it dragged. It did however, as expected, win the Palme D'or, in a gesture that can be seen as more a reward for his whole filmography

Mr Turner and Jimmy's Hall: I was incorrect with a prediction that Jimmy's Hall would win some sort of token award, with an award instead going to Leigh's Mr Turner. However, as predicted both were especially well received in Great Britain, arguable more so than any other place.

Goodbye to Language: Slightly more off with this, apart from (and extremely predictably) that it would split audiences. I didn't expect it to win anything, but did share the Jury Prize.

Maps to the Stars; Two Days, One Night and Foxcatcher: Mixed bag with this prediction, after stating they were unlikely to win anything. Two Days, One Night came away with nothing, despite incredibly strong reviews from critics. As expected, critics were perhaps weary of rewarding the Dardennes too much. Maps to the Stars won best actress, however was not viewed as a contender for anything else. Miller winning best director for Foxcatcher seemed to have been perhaps the biggest surprise. Received near total praise, especially in terms of acting, completely unexpected on my part.

Mommy: Dolan seemed to have surprised everyone with the, again, near total praise received for Mommy. Dolan has seemingly continued to take risks with his development, and a shared Jury Prize with Godard is a massive gesture of support from Cannes. Will surely become a permanent fixture at Cannes, and win the Palme D'or within his next few features to reaffirm Cannes as 'developing' talent.

Timbuktu: Sadly, one I was spot-on with. Won nothing despite incredibly strong reviews in general, with some saying it was their choice to win the main competition. Again, apparently just being in competition is enough for African cinema.

The Search: Was torn apart by the majority of critics in the inevitable post-The Artist backlash. Never stood a chance!

Not a perfect set, but still more hit than miss. Who know's if this says anything about anything, except that I am OK at predicting stuff!

• Palme d'Or – Winter Sleep by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
• Grand Prix – The Wonders by Alice Rohrwacher
• Best Director – Bennett Miller for Foxcatcher
• Best Screenplay – Andrey Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin for Leviathan
• Best Actress – Julianne Moore for Maps to the Stars
• Best Actor – Timothy Spall for Mr. Turner
• Jury Prize – Mommy by Xavier Dolan and Goodbye to Language by Jean-Luc Godard

Gregg Golding - What's The Point of Cinema?

GREGG GOLDING - 

"Cinema is from the French word cinématographe which comes in part from the greek kinema, meaning movement. So cinema is really just another word meaning moving picture. I will refer to cinema as a feature film. Not necessarily the theatrical experience, moreso the time based format and single unit nature of a feature film. Ironically, our cultural fugue state of information overload seems to favor "long form content" these past couple years...Even though that further limits ones choices in the infinite sea of knowledge. Kind of an opiate of the people if you ask me. Yes, this long form has improved, allowing more singular auteur & subversive voices in, but cinema started that, and if you look below the top 20 grossing films, cinema does it more than any visual time based format. What I'm really writing about is film vs TV, video games and other media that the popular culture feels is "winning" in cinema's place. I think that's inherently alarmist and short sighted.

In this age of multimedia excess an serialized addiction, binge watching, video game worship and youtube shorts, cinemas power lies largely in how static, brick like, and finite it is. It remains a clear formal statement, that if undiluted is amazingly transformative. You could say the form, although arbitrary an created by 1900s theatre programmers for practical reasons, is imbued with a mystical grace.

A feature film frantically emerges from a cocoon an flails wildly. Maybe laying an egg for a sequel before it's death (an hopefully preservation in the cultural amber). It is the corporately born mold that Studios and independents alike pour their lives into. Much like the novel, cinema has a great an storied history as an aspirational form for a creative. Cinema is a history of bold statements. Though of course, in the shadows, we're all writing TV show bibles for $$£ + guaranteed audience conversation. To me, the form of the feature has a resonance all it's own. cinema is rich, global, eternal, all knowing an already contains all the secrets to the universe in aggregate. A claim that I would only also make to fine art, poetry, literature, music and theatre/ live performance (+the net/mystical practice) Cinema isn't dead. No long form cable show has schooled Godard for me. Cinema is a chance for endless freakshow devices and singular style. Instead of binge watching 2 seasons of "walking dead" because you "can't decide" try watching 15 films from different times and movements that will change the way you think. Study up future artists, there is much work to do."



Filmography -
Struggled Reagans (2014)
Illuminati Puppet (2014)

Struggled Reagans recently premiered in at the SciFi London Film Festival. Struggled Reagans is Golding's Trash Humpers, in tune with the 'frantic overload of the human mind in the information age'. Simultaneously full of references, and unreferenceable, full of colours, sounds, and off-kilter moments that constantly challenge its audience in both high and low brow terms. Golding uses his characters to discuss ideas of globalization and brainwashing, while constantly remaining playful. Any child of the 90s will recognize role-playing fight-scenes that looked exactly like those in Struggled Reagans while in their school playground.

Illuminati Puppet is approaching completion. The completed Kickstarter page can be viewed HERE