Emma Watson, center, leads a posse of girls who rob celebrities in Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring,” premiering at Cannes.
Credit: A24
Hollywood is making its annual pilgrimage to the French Riviera for the Cannes International Film Festival, the most prestigious date on the film festival calendar. Here are our picks for the films to watch out for debuting at Cannes this month. And for the last time: It’s pronounced (roughly) “can,” not “Khan.”
‘The Bling Ring’
This may turn out to be the guiltiest pleasure of the year, but we can’t contain our excitement over it. Sofia Coppola takes on the true-life tale of the fame-hungry young socialites who used Twitter and Facebook to time break-ins at the homes of celebrities and make off with their loot, becoming famous themselves in the process. The film’s gang is led by “Harry Potter” star Emma Watson — completely unrecognizable from her Hogwarts days.
‘Inside Llewyn Davis’
Festival favorites the Coen Brothers return with their hotly anticipated latest, set in the 1960s Greenwich Village folk scene. The film features John Goodman, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake and Oscar Isaac as the titular, troubled troubadour. The soundtrack alone should be enough to impress.
‘Nebraska’
Alexander Payne offers up a father-and-son road trip story shot in black and white, as Bruce Dern and Will Forte strike out in search of lottery winnings. While Payne has charmed before with “Sideways,” “Election” and “The Descendants,” the casting of “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock” alum Forte in a more dramatic role is what’s really piquing curiosity here.
‘Only God Forgives’
If this one isn’t awesome, we’re giving up hope in humanity. Nicholas Winding Refn re-teams with his “Drive” star and kindred spirit, Ryan Gosling, for a pulpy, violent revenge drama. As a bonus, Kristin Scott Thomas goes bad as Gosling’s crime-lord mother. Bring it on.
‘Only Lovers Left Alive’
This one may be a bit of a long shot, but it sounds simply too bizarre not to check out: Longtime indie film darling Jim Jarmusch takes on the vampire film genre with an impressive art-house cast led by Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton as vampires in a centuries-long romance named Adam and Eve. Oh, and Adam is a moody, club-dwelling musician. Even if this one is bad, it will still be worth checking out.
