Buckle up. “Black Box” is the kind of smart, taut conspiracy thriller Hollywood used to consistently make, only this one hails from France, which has been beating the American studios at their own game lately in the good-movies-for-grown-ups department. Centered on the eponymous device, recovered from a freak airplane accident, this engaging if slightly overlong film stars Pierre Niney as an obsessive forensic analyst who hears the words “Allahu Akbar!” on a recovered cockpit voice recorder and can’t quite believe his ears.
If the setup sounds a bit like Brian De Palma’s “Blow Out,” that’s hardly a bad thing, except “Black Box” centers on high-altitude hijinks, rather than a Chappaquiddick-like car crash. Opening the movie in mid-air, director Yann Gozlan leaves the crisis mostly up to the imagination, firing our neurons rather than our adrenaline receptors as he dollies backward from the cockpit, through the cabin, all...
If the setup sounds a bit like Brian De Palma’s “Blow Out,” that’s hardly a bad thing, except “Black Box” centers on high-altitude hijinks, rather than a Chappaquiddick-like car crash. Opening the movie in mid-air, director Yann Gozlan leaves the crisis mostly up to the imagination, firing our neurons rather than our adrenaline receptors as he dollies backward from the cockpit, through the cabin, all...
- 5/5/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Even for the twisty paranoid thriller sub-genre, there is a whole lot going on in Yann Gozlan’s Black Box. Not boring yet not quite enveloping, the film never reaches its boiling point despite plenty of bluster. The story concerns Mathieu (Pierre Niney), a young black box analyst tasked with examining the recorded remains of a tragic plane crash. All 300 passengers died in what appears to be a terrorist attack aboard a brand-new aircraft. The deeper Mathieu digs, the more complicated things, of course, become. This plus a senior colleague (Olivier Rabourdin) who mysteriously disappeared breeds an obsession to discover the truth. A request to quickly clean up the mess from his stalwart supervisor (André Dussollier), alongside some willful ignorance from a friendly airline executive (Sébastien Pouderoux), and additional pressure from Mathieu’s own partner Noemie (Lou de Laâge)––herself responsible for certifying the planes that fly, including the one...
- 4/28/2022
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
This year’s ceremony was uncharacteristically devoid of controversy after politically-charged editions in 2020 and 2021.
Xavier Giannoli’s costume drama Lost Illusions was the big winner at the 47th Cesar awards of France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences on Friday evening (25), winning best film, adapted screenplay, costume and supporting actor among others.
The adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s19th-century novel premiered in competition at Venice last year. It was the frontrunner at the nomination stage, making it into 15 of the 24 César categories.
The other big winner of the evening was Leos Carax’s English-language musical Annette. Carax won best director,...
Xavier Giannoli’s costume drama Lost Illusions was the big winner at the 47th Cesar awards of France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences on Friday evening (25), winning best film, adapted screenplay, costume and supporting actor among others.
The adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s19th-century novel premiered in competition at Venice last year. It was the frontrunner at the nomination stage, making it into 15 of the 24 César categories.
The other big winner of the evening was Leos Carax’s English-language musical Annette. Carax won best director,...
- 2/25/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Ceremony for awards voted on by 4,363 members of the César academy will take place on February 25.
Xavier Giannoli’s literary adaptation Lost Illusions is the frontrunner in the nomination stage of the 47th edition of France’s César awards, followed by Leos Carax’s Annette and Valérie Lemercier’s Aline.
France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences unveiled the nomination list online on Wednesday morning (January 26), ahead of the ceremony scheduled to take place on February 25.
Giannoli’s adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s eponymous 19th-century novel, which premiered in competition at Venice last year, was nominated in...
Xavier Giannoli’s literary adaptation Lost Illusions is the frontrunner in the nomination stage of the 47th edition of France’s César awards, followed by Leos Carax’s Annette and Valérie Lemercier’s Aline.
France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences unveiled the nomination list online on Wednesday morning (January 26), ahead of the ceremony scheduled to take place on February 25.
Giannoli’s adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s eponymous 19th-century novel, which premiered in competition at Venice last year, was nominated in...
- 1/26/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Update: Xavier Giannoli’s Illusions Perdues (Lost Illusions) leads nominations for the 2022 César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscar. The Venice premiere scored 15 mentions, followed by Leos Carax’s Annette, which opened the Cannes Film Festival last year and has 11 nominations. They are followed by Valérie Lemercier’s Aline, the musical dramedy inspired by the life of Céline Dion which also debuted in Cannes and has 10 nods. (Scroll down for the full list of nominations.)
Interestingly, the three films that France shortlisted for the International Feature Academy Award race came in on the lower end. Cédric Jiminez’s Bac Nord (The Stronghold) took seven nominations, while Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening settles for four, tying Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane.
The latter was France’s eventual entry to the Oscars, but did not make the shortlist. It was also shut out of the Best Film category at the Césars today.
Interestingly, the three films that France shortlisted for the International Feature Academy Award race came in on the lower end. Cédric Jiminez’s Bac Nord (The Stronghold) took seven nominations, while Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening settles for four, tying Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane.
The latter was France’s eventual entry to the Oscars, but did not make the shortlist. It was also shut out of the Best Film category at the Césars today.
- 1/26/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
“Black Box,” Studiocanal’s flight-themed French thriller with Pierre Niney (“Yves Saint Laurent”) has been acquired by Distrib Films for U.S. distribution.
Directed by Yann Gozlan, the movie had its North American premiere on Nov. 5 at Colcoa, the French film and series festival in Los Angeles. The movie, which also stars Marine Vacth (“Young And Beautiful”) reteams Niney with Gozlan following “A Perfect Man.”
Niney stars as a skilled black box analyst investigating the deadly crash of a brand new aircraft. As he uncovers disturbing details, he has to deal with the fact that his wife (Vacth) happens to work for the authorities. The film was produced by Paris-based outfit 2425 and Wy Productions. Studiocanal co-produced, distributed in France and is handling international sales. The deal with Distrib Films doesn’t include SVOD rights in the U.S.
Gozlan penned the script with Nicolas Bouvet-Levrard and Simon Moutairou, in collaboration with Jérémie Guez.
Directed by Yann Gozlan, the movie had its North American premiere on Nov. 5 at Colcoa, the French film and series festival in Los Angeles. The movie, which also stars Marine Vacth (“Young And Beautiful”) reteams Niney with Gozlan following “A Perfect Man.”
Niney stars as a skilled black box analyst investigating the deadly crash of a brand new aircraft. As he uncovers disturbing details, he has to deal with the fact that his wife (Vacth) happens to work for the authorities. The film was produced by Paris-based outfit 2425 and Wy Productions. Studiocanal co-produced, distributed in France and is handling international sales. The deal with Distrib Films doesn’t include SVOD rights in the U.S.
Gozlan penned the script with Nicolas Bouvet-Levrard and Simon Moutairou, in collaboration with Jérémie Guez.
- 11/6/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
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