Sent this morning: “Scott — I read your Cannes ‘25 projection piece yesterday, and have two questions
“(1) You wrote that Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme is “said to be Anderson’s strongest work since The Grand Budapest Hotel”. Good to hear! And yet it’s commonly understood that Anderson films are always primarily about the visual style and signature that I call “WesWorld.” Which basically means dry, ironic scenarios about aloof characters with a minimum of emotionalism.
“The Grand Budapest Hotel connected because it conveyed an emotional lament about declining old-world Europe and the falling away of tradition. What, pray tell, is The Pheonician Scheme actually about thematically? A rich guy’s (Benicio del Toro) regret about not being a better dad to his daughter?
“(2) You described Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) as ‘egregiously’ snubbed or overlooked in terms of award-season accolades. Well, in my view it was righteously snubbed. That movie was beautifully shot but FUCKING RANCID inside. I called Ezra Miller’s titular performance and in fact the entire film ‘emotional rat poison.’
”It’s good to hear that J–Law has scored with a strong performance in Ramsay’s Die, My Love, but how can I trust your aesthetic if we’re so far apart on Kevin?”
Feinberg:
