Carol goes to Brooklyn

How nice to have another look at BROOKLYN last night - four months or so since I saw it in the cinema - and CAROL is lined up for a second view tonight. Now that Award Season is behind us for another year, one can appreciate them more fully. Both movies will endure and become more popular, now that they are not swamped by the big hitters anymore. Both have quite a bit in common: both from respected novels, and set in the early Fifties - and both featuring those department store girls: Eilis from Enniscorthy in Ireland, and Therese working in the toy department over Christmas, when Carol Aird walks in and they look at each other .... perfect moments and perfect endings too. And Emory Cohen is my discovery of last year, as Eilis's Italian-American boyfriend. Saoirse, Cate and Rooney are all spell-binding of course. 

Cate's CAROL wows Cannes, Maggie is in the van

... but we have to wait until winter to see them.

Todd Haynes's CAROL finally gets unveiled at Cannes. This is one we are eagerly awaiting, another FAR FROM HEAVEN maybe as Haynes gives his version of Patricia Highsmith's 1952 novel "The Price of Salt" featuring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara and those early '50s fashions. 
First comments are sensational - maybe this has been held back (it was filmed last year) to get over the success of Cate's BLUE JASMINE ?  Cate of course does marvellous red carpet, what a dress she is wearing here ! and she can certainly work that '50s fashion plate look (as she did in THE TALENTED MR RIPLEY).

It looks like (here in UK) we will have to wait till November - 6 months time! - to see CAROL when it goes on release here, presumably held back for next awards season. Just like how AMOUR was held up few years ago ...

Here is the rave review by Tim Robey from our "Daily Telegraph":

 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/carol/review/

French director Agnes Varda, now 86,  gets a well-deserved special award on Sunday. 
Catherine Denueve always looks sensational at red carpet events - this year at Cannes was no different:

And we also wait until December for the film of Alan Bennett's play THE LADY IN THE VAN with Maggie Smith reprising her stage role. James Corden gets into this too .... (but of course he was one of Alan's HISTORY BOYS). Some winter goodies to look forward to then. 

Mildred Pierce

The new MILDRED PIERCE is finally unspooling here in the UK. I missed the first episode but simply loved the second one. Of course being 5 hours, Todd Haynes has time to tell the story, from the James M Cain novel, and pile on the period detail with that California in the 30s look: the houses, decor, cars, costumes etc.

Veda is already shaping up nicely, and Kate Winslet again shows she is THE actress of her generation - no comedies about dogs for her! Guy Pearce is also an inspired bit of casting as Monty Beragon. Much as I like the Curtiz film with Joan Crawford and Anne Blyth, Eve Arden, Jack Carson, Zachery Scott and Butteryfly McQueen, it is a souped up version with the murder invented to fit in with the film noir background. This version really catches the desperation of that depression-era with all those women looking for work...

Here's to enjoying the rest of it - perhaps the best period drama since DOWNTON ABBEY?