Cannes Review: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Aurora

Robert here, scouring the internet to give you the latest on the films premiering in Cannes.

In Competition

• The Housemaid Im Sangsoo's remake of the 1960's film about the chaos caused by a housmaid's affair with her master seems to be continuing the trend of mixed reviews at the festival this year.  Barbara Scharres, courtesy Roger Ebert's Blog says "So much of the pleasure in watching "The Housemaid" comes from being surprised by the unexpected plot developments."  But The AV Club finds it worth of only a "C" grade, calling it "perverse" in many ways.  Similarly, Brad Brevet of Rope of Silicon says "Putting The Housemaid together in my head was an absolute chore."

Special Screening

• Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Oliver Stone revisits his 1980's classic to a packed crowd and reasonably good reception.  Anne Thompson at IndieWIRE seems to sum up the films highs and lows.  "The movie follows so many threads and characters that none of them is fully-fledged" she says, but follows it up with, "yet it moves along entertainingly, even if the resolution seems Hollywood pat."  The Guardian is a little less kind with it's two star review.

Un Certain Regard

• Aurora Cristi Puiu was a sensation several years back with The Death of Mr. Lazarescu.  His latest seems to be drawing similar praise.  IndieWIRE begins their review by calling it "A slow burn thriller taken to the extreme."

Elsewhere around the internet MUBI has a nice collection of favorite moments (including some about the Romanian film Tuesday, After Christmas, which most publications aren't highly prioritizing.)  And AwardsDaily alerts us to the current odds on the Palme.