Clouds of Sils Maria/ Maps to the Stars
Two films contemplating an actress taking on a role that will return her brutally to the past. They satirically portray the movie and theatre business as full of ruthless and pretentious sharks. Assayas more subtly, Cronenberg heightened to comedic absurdity. The acting from the women provides an emotional intensity, a focal point of alarm amongst the knowing self-reference.
Goodbye to Language
Godard's latest film is typically free-associative, blending philosophical critique, puzzling deadpan humour and a vibrant, celebratory visual imagination, chopped up and displayed, highlighted by 3D. Unconstrained by narrative cinema, disconnected from the often dry, academic concepts used in video art, his film is pure experience, utterly distinctive, you can take from it what you want, he will never answer, never resolve.
How to be both
Even if JLG bids adieu to words, Ali Smith is still lost in love with language. Breathless, nostalgic, charming, a little dotty with tantalising tangents, her novel spans two separate eras, existing together in bright introspection.
