The Playlist

Watch: Trailer & Poster For Gritty '70s Crime Epic 'Blood Ties' With Clive Owen, Mila Kunis & Marion Cotillard

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
May 20, 2013 8:30 AM
|
3 Comments

News

We'd been a little worried that something was up with "Blood Ties." The promise of a team-up of Guillaume Canet and James Gray was terrific, especially on an epic crime 70s-set crime saga, and Canet had assembled a hugely impressive cast for his English-language debut, including Clive Owen, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Zoe Saldana, Matthias Schoenaerts, Mila Kunis, James Caan and Noah Emmerich. But despite Gray's status as a Cannes favorite, the film was being shown out of competition at the festival, and disappointingly, it seems that there was a reason for that; reaction to the film, including our own review, have been rather lukewarm.

More:

Cannes Review: Sprawling, Uneven Crime Saga 'Blood Ties' Falls Short Of Epic Scope

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
May 19, 2013 2:27 PM
|
8 Comments

Reviews

If there is any movie this year at Cannes that is absolutely brimming with promise on paper, it's Guillaume Canet's "Blood Ties." With an extended cast featuring Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, Matthias Schoenaerts, Zoe Saldana, James Caan, Marion Cotillard, Noah Emmerich and Lili Taylor among others along with a script co-written by James Gray, one wonders how it could go wrong. And while "Blood Ties" isn't a disaster, it's certainly a mess, a sprawling crime saga that endeavours to evoke the great character-driven movies of the 1970s, but never quite lives up to its epic scope.

More:

The Playlist's 10 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2013 Cannes Film Festival

By The Playlist Staff
|
May 9, 2013 12:00 PM
|
11 Comments

Features

With the actual schedule released today (cue charts and diagrams as attendees try to work out how to be in eight places at one time), the final pieces are falling into place for this year's Cannes Film Festival, and it's shaping up to be a terrific couple of weeks. The initial lineup was already impressive, but the addition of a couple of titles we were surprised not to see in the original announcement has made the selection even more an embarrassment of riches. As such, we were hard pressed to pick a top ten, but finally settled on the following choices, that, along with the honorable mentions, we feel represent the strongest of what is a very solid lineup. It should be noted that there's a great showing by the U.S. in this selection, as there is for French-language movies, which is reflective of the festival overall. With Steven Spielberg the head of the Cannes Competition jury too, it feels like Franco-American relations are at an all-time high, cinematically speaking at least.

More:

New Images Of Marion Cotillard, Clive Owen, Matthias Schoenaerts & More In Guillaume Canet's 'Blood Ties'

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
May 3, 2013 9:04 AM
|
4 Comments

News

Cannes you feel it? (Ha ha, groan). We're less than two weeks from red carpets being rolled out on the Croisette and with the lineup now firmed, all we can do is wait for the movies to arrive. And until that moment when the lights dim and the reels or digital bits unspool, these new images from Guillaume Canet's "Blood Ties" will hold it down.

More:

'Only God Forgives,' 'Nebraska,' 'Inside Llewyn Davis,' 'The Past' & More Lead Official Selection For 2013 Cannes Film Festival

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
April 18, 2013 5:56 AM
|
26 Comments

News

As usual, sifting the actual fact from the speculation when it comes to the line-up of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival has been a little tricky. We know the opener -- Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby," the closer -- "Zulu," with Forest Whitaker and Orlando Bloom, and as of yesterday, the Un Certain Regard headliner, in the shape of Sofia Coppola's "Bling Ring."

More:

First Images Of Clive Owen, Mila Kunis, Matthias Schoenaerts & More In Guillaume Canet's 'Blood Ties'

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
April 14, 2013 10:11 AM
|
6 Comments

News

Earlier this year, we had heard that Guillaume Canet's "Blood Ties" was nearing the finish line, and thus we included it on our list of films that may show up at the Cannes Film Festival. And perhaps this is a further indication that when the lineup is unveiled later this week, the French filmmaker's English language effort will be among the titles getting the red carpet treatment.

More:

Marrakech '12: James Gray Still Hoping To Visit 'Lost City of Z,' Talks 'Blood Ties' & Jeremy Renner's Steve McQueen Biopic

By Jessica Kiang
|
December 10, 2012 11:18 AM
|
6 Comments

News

Thoughtful and erudite, there are few filmmakers as fascinating to listen to as they talk about film than James Gray. So whenever we get the chance to catch up with him, it's a treat, and we managed to spend some time with the helmer at the Marrakech International Film Festival where he was serving on the jury. We spoke at some length about his upcoming, immigrant period drama "Lowlife," (formerly "The Nightingale" -- read all about it here), but we also wondered about some of the movies he's got brewing and what may or may not be next.

More:

Exclusive: Matthias Schoenaerts Spills On Guillaume Canet's 'Blood Ties,' Says 'Robocop' Talk Was Blown "Out Of Proportion"

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
October 17, 2012 3:00 PM
|
2 Comments

News

One of the big breakout performers of 2012 is looking likely to be the first major Belgian movie star since Audrey Hepburn (yep, she was born in Belgium) -- Matthias Schoenaerts. The 34-year-old has been acting for nearly two decades, but finally exploded in 2012 thanks to acclaimed back-to-back performances in the Oscar-nominated "Bullhead" and opposite Marion Cotillard in Jacques Audiard's celebrated Cannes drama "Rust & Bone."

More:

Clive Owen & Mila Kunis Go Retro In Set Photos For Guillaume Canet's 'Blood Ties'

By Simon Dang
|
May 14, 2012 11:02 AM
|
0 Comments

News

Some sort of '70s themed fashion photoshoot featuring Clive Owen and Mila Kunis? Not quite. The duo are actually spotted here complete with sideburns and bell-bottoms shooting Guillaume Canet's highly anticipated period crime pic/family drama "Blood Ties."

More:

Lili Taylor & 'The Wire' Star Domenick Lombardozzi Join 'Blood Ties'; 'Bullhead' & 'Rust & Bone' Star Matthias Schoenaerts Confirmed

By Simon Dang
|
April 16, 2012 10:41 AM
|
2 Comments

News

Despite a fairly illustrious acting and directorial career back home, Gallic actor-writer-director Guillaume Canet is probably better known stateside simply as the partner of Marion Cotillard, even after the international success of his taut-thriller "Tell No One." That is all likely to change very soon, however, with Canet set to tackle his English-language debut, "Blood Ties."

More: