While Canadians are getting plenty of buzz at the Cannes Film Fest, not all of it has been positive – Ryan Gosling, who’s making his directorial debut with “Lost River,” was given negative reviews, as was the Ryan Reynolds-led flick “The Captive,” directed by Canadian Atom Egoyan.
According to The Associated Press, “Variety’s” Scott Foundas called it a “first-rate folie de grandeur,” while “The Telegraph’s” Robbie Collin dubbed it “dumb-foundingly poor.” Peter Bradshaw of “The Guardian” writes: “The movie’s problem is that it tries to have its bizarre cake and eat it. Having placed us in a horrible and patently unreal nightmare world, Gosling also appears to want points for being concerned about real issues, such as communities being abandoned by the recession…Its faults are huge: its virtues less so – but they are there. Gosling has energy and appetite. There is a delirious buzz to the drama. It is often ridiculous and fatuous but often ingenious. It could yet be that Gosling will mature as a director.”
Meanwhile, although Reynolds showed up to the premiere of his project “The Captive,” he was noticeably missing from the after-party, having been seen instead dining with his wife Blake Lively (The Globe and Mail). This time around, Bradshaw called the movie a “tangled and conceited mess,” going on to say, “Then there is the appalling acting – although to be fair to the performers, they were left floundering by the fatuous script.”
Photo: Dave Bedrosian/Future Image/WENN.com
