Matt writes: The 2023 Cannes Film Festival kicks off today, May 16th, and runs through Saturday, May 27th. As always, you can count on RogerEbert.com to provide in-depth coverage of all the highlights. You can begin with this year’s first video dispatch from our site’s publisher, Chaz Ebert, embedded below, in which she previews several of the festival’s enticing selections with RogerEbert.com contributor Isaac Feldberg. Various notable films screening both in and out of competition this year include Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” Steve McQueen’s “Occupied City,” a preview of HBO’s “The Idol” and a 4K restoration of a film Roger loathed, “Caligula.” Also be sure to check out the concise written preview of Cannes 2023 penned by our trusted longtime festivalgoer Ben Kenigsberg.
Trailers
Lost in the Night (2023). Written and directed by Amat Escalante. Starring Juan Daniel García Treviño, Ester Expósito, Bárbara Mori. Synopsis: Emiliano lives in a small mining town in Mexico. Motivated by a deep sense of justice, he searches for those responsible for the disappearance of his activist mother who was standing up for local jobs against an international mining company. US release date is TBA.
Poor Things (2023). Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. Written by Tony McNamara (based on the novel by Alasdair Gray). Starring Emma Stone, Margaret Qualley, Willem Dafoe. Synopsis: The incredible tale and fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. Debuts in the US on September 8th, 2023.
Being Mary Tyler Moore (2023). Directed by James Adolphus. Synopsis: Mary’s vanguard career, who, as an actor, performer, and advocate, revolutionized the portrayal of women in media, redefined their roles in show business, and inspired generations to dream big and make it on their own. Debuts on HBO Max on May 26th, 2023.
Reality (2023). Directed by Tina Satter. Written by Tina Satter and James Paul Dallas. Starring Sydney Sweeney, Josh Hamilton, Marchánt Davis. Synopsis: A former American intelligence specialist was given the longest sentence for the unauthorized release of government information to the media about Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections via an email operation. Debuts on HBO Max on May 29th, 2023.
Padre Pio (2023). Directed by Abel Ferrara. Written by Abel Ferrara and Maurizio Braucci. Starring Shia LaBeouf, Cristina Chiriac, Marco Leonardi. Synopsis: It follows Roman Catholic Saint Padre Pio in his early years. US release date is TBA.
The Delinquents (2023). Written and directed by Rodrigo Moreno. Starring Esteban Bigliardi, Margarita Molfino, Mariana Chaud. Synopsis: Morán and Román, are looking for freedom and adventure. One commits a robbery, discovering an alternative to his boring life, while the other hides money that doesn’t belong to him. Their destiny as new criminals will bring them together. US release date is TBA.
Only the River Flows (2023). Directed by Shujun Wei. Written by Shujun Wei and Chunlei Kang (based on the novel by Hua Yu). Starring Yilong Zhu, Chloe Maayan, Tianlai Hou. Synopsis: Chief police investigates a series of murders in a riverside town in rural China in the 1990s. An arrest is made quickly, clues push the policeman to dive deeper into the hidden behaviour of the locals. US release date is TBA.
The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future (2023). Directed by Francisca Alegria. Written by Francisca Alegria, Manuela Infante and Fernanda Urrejola. Starring Mía Maestro, Enzo Ferrada Rosati, Benjamin Soto. Synopsis: Cecilia travels to her father’s farm after he has a heart attack. Back in her childhood home, Cecilia is met by her long-deceased mother whose presence brings to life a painful past chorused by the natural world around them. Debuts in the US on July 19th, 2023.
Prisoner’s Daughter (2023). Directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Written by Mark Bacci. Starring Brian Cox, Kate Beckinsale, Ernie Hudson. Synopsis: A father fights for the love of his daughter and grandson, after serving twelve years in prison. Debuts in the US on July 6th, 2023.
Run Rabbit Run (2023). Directed by Daina Reid. Written by Hannah Kent. Starring Sarah Snook, Greta Scacchi, Damon Herriman. Synopsis: A fertility doctor believes firmly in life and death, but after noticing the strange behavior of her young daughter, she must challenge her own values and confront a ghost from her past. Debuts on Netflix on June 28th, 2023.
Scarlet (2023). Directed by Pietro Marcello. Written by Pietro Marcello, Maurizio Braucci, Maud Ameline and Geneviève Brisac (based on the novel by Alexander Grin). Starring Raphaël Thiéry, Noémie Lvovsky, Louis Garrel. Synopsis: The emancipation of a woman over twenty years, between 1919 and 1939, a time of great inventions and great dreams. US release date is TBA.
Arnold (2023). Directed by Lesley Chilcott. Synopsis: Follows the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger, from his days of lifting weights to his successes in Hollywood, his time serving as governor of California, and both the joys and volatility of his family life. Debuts on Netflix on June 7th, 2023.
Flamin’ Hot (2023). Directed by Eva Longoria. Written by Lewis Colick and Linda Yvette Chávez. Starring Jesse Garcia, Tony Shalhoub, Dennis Haysbert. Synopsis: This is the inspiring true story of Richard Montañez who as a Frito Lay janitor disrupted the food industry by channeling his Mexican heritage to turn Flamin’ Hot Cheetos from a snack into an iconic global pop culture phenomenon. Debuts on Hulu and Disney+ on June 9th, 2023.
God is a Bullet (2023). Written and directed by Nick Cassavetes (based on the book by Boston Teran). Starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Jamie Foxx, Maika Monroe. Synopsis: When vice detective Bob Hightower finds his ex-wife murdered and daughter kidnapped by a satanic cult – Bob is frustrated by bumbling botched official investigations. Debuts in the US on June 23rd, 2023.
The Mother of All Lies (2023). Directed by Asmae ElMoudir. Synopsis: A Moroccan woman’s search for truth tangles with a web of lies in her family history. As a daughter and filmmaker, she fuses personal and national history as she reflects on the 1981 Bread Riots, drawing out connections to modern Morocco. US release date is TBA.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (2023). Written and directed by Nia Vardalos. Starring Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan. Synopsis: Join the Portokalos family as they travel to a family reunion in Greece for a heartwarming and hilarious trip full of love, twists and turns. Debuts in the US on September 8th, 2023.
Oldboy (2003), 20th anniversary restoration. Directed by Park Chan-wook. Written by Park Chan-wook, Joon-hyung Lim and Jo-yun Hwang (based on the manga by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi). Starring Choi Min-sik, Yoo Ji-tae, Kang Hye-jeong. Synopsis: After being kidnapped and imprisoned for fifteen years, Oh Dae-Su is released, only to find that he must find his captor in five days. US release date is TBA.
Passages (2023). Directed by Ira Sachs. Written by Ira Sachs and Mauricio Zacharias. Starring Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adèle Exarchopoulos. Synopsis: About two men who’ve been together for fifteen years and what happens when one of them has an affair with a woman. Debuts in the US on June 28th, 2023.
“Air” Celebrates Michael Jordan’s Mom
Matt writes: RogerEbert.com publisher Chaz Ebert was a great admirer of Ben Affleck’s latest directorial effort, “Air,” which serves as a celebration of NBA legend Michael Jordan’s mother, Deloris, played in yet another Oscar-caliber performance by Viola Davis. Click here to read Chaz’s essay on the film, which is now streaming on Prime Video.
“Small Axe” on Criterion
Matt writes: Steve McQueen’s masterful series of five films, “Small Axe,” has just received a well-deserved release via The Criterion Collection. The box set includes my favorite film of 2020, which was also voted as the best picture of that year on this site, “Lovers Rock,” and is reviewed here in its entirety by our Managing Editor Brian Tallerico.
Free Movies
The Lucky Texan (1934). Written and directed by Robert N. Bradbury. Starring John Wayne, Barbara Sheldon, Lloyd Whitlock. Synopsis: Jerry Mason, a young Texan, and Jake Benson, an old rancher, become partners and strike it rich with a gold mine. They then find their lives complicated by bad guys and a woman.
Watch “The Lucky Texan”
The Girl in the Bikini (1952). Written and directed by Willy Rozier. Starring Brigitte Bardot, Jean-François Calvé, Howard Vernon. Synopsis: Gérard, a young student, discovers a fragment from a Phoenician amphora in Corsica. Several years later he sets off on a smuggling boat, looking for the treasure he thinks he has found. When he get back to island, he falls in love.
Watch “The Girl in the Bikini”
Devil Girl from Mars (1954). Directed by David MacDonald. Written by James Eastwood (based on the play by Eastwood and John C. Mather). Starring Hugh McDermott, Hazel Court, Peter Reynolds. Synopsis: An uptight, leather-clad female alien, armed with a ray gun and accompanied by a menacing robot, comes to Earth to collect Earth’s men as breeding stock.
