One of the highlights of the movie year for me happens in a town of 73.000 people on the French Riviera. Sadly I’ve never been to the Cannes Film Festival but I’ve always enjoyed the announcement of films showing there along with some of the first reactions to them. It serves as a nice barometer for movies from all around the globe.

The bulk of the 2019 lineup has been announced with a few more movies certain to be added before the festival begins on May 14th. Some big names will be showing their work including Terrence Malick, Pedro Almodovar, and Nicolas Winding Refn among other. While I’m excited for a new (and hopefully return to form) Malick, the names that thrill me most are the Dardenne brothers and Jarmusch. Being able to see their new movies alone would be enough for me.

Again, the Cannes Film Festival begins May 14th and below you can check out this year’s lineup (so far). What do you think? Which films and/or directors excite you the most? Let me know in the comments below.

Opening Night Film

“The Dead Don’t Die” Jim Jarmusch (also in Competition)

In Competition

• “A Hidden Life” (Terrence Malick)
• “Pain and Glory” (Pedro Almodovar)
• “The Traitor” (Marco Bellocchio)
• “The Wild Goose Lake” (Diao Yinan)
• “Parasite” (Bong Joon-ho)
• “Young Ahmed” (Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne)
• “The Dead Don’t Die” (Jim Jarmusch)
• “Oh Mercy!” (Arnaud Desplechin)
• “Atlantique” (Mati Diop)
• “Matthias and Maxime” (Xavier Dolan)
• “Little Joe” (Jessica Hausner)
• “Sorry We Missed You” (Ken Loach)
• “Les Miserables” (Ladj Ly)
• “Bacurau” (Kleber Mendonça Filho & Juliano Dornelle)
• “The Whistlers” (Corneliu Porumboiu)
• “Frankie” (Ira Sachs)
• “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (Céline Sciamma)
• “It Must Be Heaven” (Elia Suleiman)
• “Sibyl” (Justine Triet)

Un Certain Regard

• “Invisible Life” (Karim Aïnouz)
• “Beanpole” (Kantemir Balagov)
• “The Swallows of Kabul” (Zabou Breitman & Eléa Gobé Mévellec)
• “A Brother’s Life” (Monia Chokri)
• “The Climb” (Michael Covino)
• “Joan of Arc” (Bruno Dumont)
• “A Sun That Never Sets” (Olivier Laxe)
• “Room 212” (Christophe Honoré)
• “Port Authority” (Danielle Lessovitz)
• “Papicha” (Mounia Meddour)
• “Adam” (Maryam Touzani)
• “Zhuo Ren Mi Mi,” Midi Z
• “Liberte” (Albert Serra)
• “Bull” (Annie Silverstein)
• “Summer of Changsha” (Zu Feng)
• “Evge” (Nariman Aliev)

Out of Competition

• “The Best Years of Life” (Claude Lelouch)
• “Rocketman” (Dexter Fletcher)
• “Too Old to Die Young” (Nicolas Winding Refn)
• “Diego Maradona” (Asif Kapadi“Belle Epoque,” Nicolas Bedos)

Special Screenings

• “Share” (Pippa Bianco)
• “For Sama” (Waad Al Kateab & Edward Watts)
• “Family Romance, LLC” (Werner Herzog)
• “Tommaso” (Abel Ferrar)
• “To Be Alive and Know It” (Alain Cavalier)
• “Que Sea Ley” (Juan Solanas)

Midnight Screening

“The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil” (Lee Won-Tae)

Hype is not something I put a ton of stock in nor is it something I generally get caught up in. But I would be dishonest if I didn’t admit to having my excitement level shoot through the roof following the drop of the “Star Wars: Episode IX” trailer.

The annual Star Wars Celebration in Chicago has given franchise fans a ton to be excited about, nothing bigger than our first look at this year’s huge Star Wars installment. The teaser alone has several cheer-worthy moments – Rey’s tearful embrace with Princess Leia, the return of Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian, and of course the all too familiar laugh we hear right before the title is revealed.

Those tired of Star Wars or with no invested interest in the franchise will understandably shrug it off. Me, I’m pumped. What about you? Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or giving it a pass.

Could this be the start of a new genre – the rideshare action comedy? Who knows, but I wouldn’t be surprised. “Stuber” comes from Canadian filmmaker Michael Dowse and sees Dave Bautista as a hard-boiled LAPD detective teaming up Kumail Nanjiani who play a soft-spoken Uber driver. Not a buddy movie pairing you see every day.

The trailer packs several good laughs. First the concept – a detective who will do anything to get his man, an Uber driver who will do anything for a 5 star rating. There’s potential there. The comic chemistry between Bautista and Nanjiani also looks promising. It looks relentlessly loud and violent, but the comic bits we see are pretty effective.

“Stuber” hits theaters July 12th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or giving it a pass.

Back in 2016 I set out to rank all of the Marvel movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and beyond. Needless to say there have been several big additions since. So with “Avengers: Endgame” right around the corner what better time to rethink my list with the fresh batch of newcomers included. The only difference is that this time I’m restricting it to the 21 movies of the MCU.

Following the blueprint of my year-end Top 10 list, here is my #11-20:

• #21 – “Iron Man 3” (2013)
• #20 – “Thor: The Dark World” (2013)
• #19 – “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017)
• #18 – “Ant-Man” (2015)
• #17 – “The Incredible Hulk” (2008)
• #16 – “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017)
• #15 – “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)
• #14 – “Doctor Strange” (2016)
• #13 – “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (2017)
• #12 – “Iron Man 2” (2010)
• # 11 – “Ant-Man and the Wasp” (2018)

#10 – “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014)

Since doing my Marvel movie ranking in 2016 no movie has risen higher in my estimation than James Gunn’s first “Guardians” film. After another viewing more things clicked into place both storywise and with the humor. The motley cast of characters is the biggest draw and watching this band of misfits come together is a lot of fun.

#9 – “Captain Marvel” (2019)

It may still be making money at the box office but for good reason. “Captain Marvel” is another example of the Marvel Studios taking a mid-tier character and making them a significant part of the MCU. It’s a movie with its own special flavor, it features Nick Fury’s meatiest role, and it has one killer cat. Oh, and it also sports a well-cast Oscar-winner as its star.

#8 – “Thor” (2011)

This is a movie that could have so easily failed. Bringing Thor to the big screen and even attempting to tackle his lore could have been insufferably cheesy. Instead they took just the right approach, introducing the God of Thunder through an often funny ‘fish out of water’ story. And Chris Hemsworth shows himself to be some of the best MCU casting to date.

#7 – “Black Panther” (2018)

The sheer scope of “Black Panther” is enough to get it top 10 consideration, but this is a movie with so much more to offer. Tops on the list is its fabulous world building. It also gives us a truly great villain, something often missing in many MCU movies. Culturally significant and truly epic in scope and scale.

#6 – “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011)

There is so much about this movie that resonated with me. I loved its wonderfully realized period setting. I equally love how it handles the young Steve Rogers character and I’ve always had a soft spot for Red Skull as one Marvel’s top villains. It’s an earnest film with a ton of heart and its one of the MCU origin stories that is full of its own personality.

#5 – “Iron Man” (2008)

The movie that started it all is also one of the very best the MCU has to offer. “Iron Man” was such a great mix of action and humor plus it features the unexpectedly perfect casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. It’s such a great lead performance and wonderful material to launch the key player who would lead Marvel’s bold new venture.

#4 – “The Avengers” (2012)

Marvel’s insanely ambitious shared universe first came together in “The Avengers”. It was the initial big ‘event film’ the young MCU had been working towards. And what an absolute blast. With so many character threads and moving parts, it was an incredible accomplishment. It also proved that the MCU was no pipe dream and that there were big things to come.

#3 – “Captain America: Civil War” (2016)

In many ways this was the Avengers movie I wish “Age of Ultron” had been. Not only did the movie pick up Cap’s individual story (which I think is the MCU’s best) but it shook up the entire universe, setting the stage for some big events to come. Great action, great tension, and some truly great storytelling puts this near the top for me.

#2 – “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)

Nearly every single MCU movie for the last several years had been teasing us with what culminated in “Infinity War”. It was a massive undertaking but the results were pretty amazing. And then you have the ending – a wonderfully gutsy and grim way for Marvel to leave their audience hanging and anxiously waiting for “Endgame”.

#1 – “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014)

When naming my favorite MCU movie there really is no comparison. “Winter Soldier” is based on one of my very favorite comic book storylines and the film does it justice. The Cap films have always put a priority on the human element and this one is no different. I also love the 70’s spy thriller vibe and its heavy use of practical effects and stunt work. The movie clicks from the opening scene to the end credits stinger. It’s easily tops on my list.

Some say the DC Extended Universe has struggled to find its identity. DC Films has been working hard to redefine its MCU-like movie landscape, but at the same time they’re doing something else really interesting. They are putting together a series of movies completely separate from their broader connected DCEU. The very first of these stand-alone films is simply titled “Joker” and the first trailer looks really promising.

Right off the bat the trailer showcases a truly dark and twisted tone. As a big fan of Joker’s grittier comic book storylines I’m loving how the film looks to have a menacing, psychological focus. Shades of Martin Scorsese’s “The King of Comedy” and even “Taxi Driver” can be seen everywhere. That’s a good thing. And who better to dig deep into the twisted psychology of a madman than Joaquin Phoenix? My one concern is Todd Phillips. His brand of comedy has never resonated with me. But so far so good!

“Joker” hits theaters October 4th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be checking it out or giving it a pass.

https://youtu.be/t433PEQGErc

I happily profess to being a bonafide Jim Jarmusch fan. He was a late discovery for me, but once I began digging into his filmography I was instantly drawn to his enigmatic yet captivating style of filmmaking. From “Stranger Than Paradise” to “Paterson”, Jarmusch films just resonate with me. So naturally when he has a brand new film coming I’m pretty excited.

And what is that new film you ask? It’s a wacky zombie horror/comedy starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Tilda Swinton, and several other well known faces. Obviously I’m sold on that alone. But now we get a look at the film’s first trailer and it looks like it could be a hoot. I can’t wait until “The Dead Don’t Die” hits theaters on June 14th.

As you can tell I’m pretty excited, but what about you? Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be checking it out or giving it a pass.