'Andersen Project': Once upon a time May 31, 2008
Jacques, a familiar presence from French and Canadian films ("The Barbarian Invasions"), plays the roles Lepage created for himself in Copenhagen, just as he took over from Lepage in "Far Side" sometime after its Berkeley run. Albino songwriter in Paris. (San Francisco Chronicle)
'Days of Darkness': One of Arcand's best Mar 22, 2008
The final chapter in a trilogy of modern sex and values that began in 1986 with The Decline of the American Empire and continued with The Barbarian Invasions in 2003, it's perhaps the bleakest vision of the three films ... (Watch, though, for a cameo from Arcand regular Pierre Curzi, who fills us in on what happened to his character's marriage to the trophy wife played by pop star Mitsou in The Barbarian Invasions. (Toronto Star)
Days of Darkness Mar 21, 2008
Globe and Mail Update. March 20, 2008 at 7:48 PM EDT. (Globe and Mail)
Daydream Deceiver Mar 20, 2008
Arcand has called Days of Darkness the completion of a trilogy that began with The Decline of the American Empire (1986) and continued with his last film, The Barbarian Invasions (2003). This connection is more apparent if the French title, L'Age des tenebres, is translated more literally as The Dark Age. (National Post)
Arcand's 'mistake' Mar 19, 2008
Logically, The Dark Ages would be the sensible follow-up to his last film, the Oscar-winning The Barbarian Invasions (2003) ... Initially, said Arcand, the movie came directly out of his experiences with the extraordinary success with The Barbarian Invasions ... He described The Decline of the American Empire as the collapse of relations between the sexes, and The Barbarian Invasions as one man who, facing his death, realizes he has nothing but his friendships. (Globe and Mail)
The rights of the sugar shack musician Feb 27, 2008
As a result, the case has led showbiz powerhouses - such as the associations representing the Montreal Jazz and Just for Laughs festivals and the Oscar-winning producers of the movie The Barbarian Invasions - to get intervenor status in court alongside the owners of the sugar shack. Under Quebec law, independent artists, while freelancing for several producers, are nonetheless represented by professional associations that negotiate working conditions on their behalf, ensuring that they get... (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Academy insists Oscars will proceed Jan 16, 2008
Arcand's The Barbarian Invasions won in 2003. Staff. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Newcomers break into best 2007 Canadian films list Dec 12, 2007
Along with Cronenberg's critically lauded Eastern Promises and L'ge des Tnbres, the final film in Quebec superstar Arcand's trilogythat started withThe Decline of the American Empire and The Barbarian Invasions, the list also includes. Fugitive Pieces, directed by Jeremy Podeswa. (CBC Montreal)
Wicket sleepers Dec 5, 2007
Maybe, in a sense, the barbarian invasions from footy and soccer are precisely what cricket needs to become more pro-active in re-marking perhaps even reinventing its summer territory. The AFL's imperialist design was born of competition. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Eastern Promises a 'breakthrough,' Lantos says Sep 24, 2007
Serendipity Point Films, the Toronto company behind Eastern Promises, notes that compared to films which would draw a similarly serious adult crowd, specifically films such as The Barbarian Invasions, The Sweet Hereafter, Away From Her and Water, Cronenberg's film has surpassed the total U.S. box-office gross of those Canadian films in just one weekend. Eastern Promises' total gross in Canada in two weeks is $1. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Countries ready their Oscar entries Sep 21, 2007
Arcand's "The Barbarian Invasions" won the Oscar in the same category in 2004. "Kings," directed by Tom Collins and starring Colm Meaney, is Ireland's entry. (Variety)
Arcand film chosen as Canada's entry for foreign-language Oscar Sep 21, 2007
L'ge des tnbres is the conclusion of Arcand's trilogy that began with The Decline of the American Empire and included Oscar-winner The Barbarian Invasions. Set in Montreal, it tells the story ofan unhappy civil servant who deals with his mundane life and deteriorating relationship with his spouse by escaping into vivid, glamorous dream worlds. (CBC Nova Scotia)
* The fractured reality of fairy tales Sep 14, 2007
He began to make his mark internationally in the early 1990s, and has appeared in The Barbarian Invasions, Aurore and The Aviator. While technically astounding, both in terms of the audio-visuals and the acting, The Anderson Project retains a sense of romance and wonder that is at the heart of Anderson's fairy-tale world. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- Business)
The Alphabetiff Sep 3, 2007
TIFF accolades Best Canadian feature, 2003, for The Barbarian Invasions, and 1986 for The Decline and Fall of the American Empire, which also won the people's choice award. Toronto Film Critics Association prize Best screenplay, 2003, for The Barbarian Invasions ... In competition at Cannes Jesus of Montreal, The Barbarian Invasions. (National Post)
Canadian films make the onscreen disconnection Sep 1, 2007
Denys Arcand's L'ge des tnbres (Days of Darkness) is the final chapter in a trilogy of sex and mores that began in 1986 with The Decline of the American Empire and continued with The Barbarian Invasions in 2003. It's a black comedy about a Quebec civil servant who retreats into wild and sexy daydreams to escape the drudgery of his job and the disinterest of his wife. (Toronto Star)
Montreal buries film fest hatchet Aug 30, 2007
All of Arcand's recent films have played Toronto, including "The Barbarian Invasions.". But Arcand producer Denise Robert says that Montreal remains an important fest. (Variety)
Canadian films back on the radar Aug 28, 2007
Pic is Arcand's first since his Oscar-winning "The Barbarian Invasions.". Toronto will also both open and close with Canuck pics. (Variety)
The Canadians of the 2007 Toronto film fest Jul 21, 2007
"The city itself is transformed."Organizers also announced that Denys Arcand's Days of Darkness will enjoy gala treatment, wrapping up Arcand's trilogy that includes The Decline of the American Empire, and 2004's Oscar-winning The Barbarian Invasions. TIFF programmer Agata Smoluch Del Sorbo said the Canadian lineup -- especially the 43 short films she helped program -- offer a vibrant picture of Canada. (National Post)
Arcand, Cronenberg added to roster for Toronto film festival Jul 19, 2007
Arcand, who won an Oscar in 2004 for "The Barbarian Invasions,'' will show "Days of Darkness'' ("L'Age des Tenebres'') about a man who struggles to find his place in life. The comedy, starring Marc Labreche, was the closing film at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Cronenberg will screen his thriller "Eastern Promises,'' starring Viggo Mortensen (who was also in Cronenberg's "A History of Violence'') as a Russian mobster whose life is shaken by a midwife, played by Naomi Watts. Other prominent... (CTV.ca)
Canada in spotlight Jul 18, 2007
Arcand (Oscar-winner for The Barbarian Invasions) brings Days of Darkness, a droll but convoluted satire of Montreal society starring Marc Labreche. It stirred up controversy as the closing-night film at the Cannes filmfest in May and will screen as a Gala in Toronto. (Toronto Sun)
Droll, dirty, desperate May 30, 2007
Denys Arcand's previous film The Barbarian Invasions shows a wealthy son so fed up with the inefficiencies of Canada's socialized medicine, he pays for his father to receive quality private care in the U.S. ... He used the abandoned stadium as the set for the drone-like Quebec government offices he depicts in Days of Darkness, the final chapter in a trilogy of sex and mores that began in 1986 with The Decline of the American Empire and continued with The Barbarian Invasions in 2003. (Toronto Star)
Quebec filmmaker Arcand closes Cannnes on comedic note May 28, 2007
Age ofDarkness is the final instalment in a trilogy from Arcand that explores sex and mores, which began in 1986 with The Decline of the American Empire and continued with The Barbarian Invasions, for which Arcand wonanAcademy Award for best foreign film in 2004. Arcand said this film is the lightest ofthe three, despite the heavy-sounding title. (CBC.ca)
Denys Arcand stays two steps ahead of retirement May 27, 2007
The movie, which is partly a slapstick farce and partly Arcands view of middle-age, is the third part of a trilogy that began with The Decline of the American Empire in 1986 and continued with The Barbarian Invasions, the 2003 movie that won the best screenplay award at Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar in the same category ... In The Barbarian Invasions, Parisian audiences laughed along with the Quebec audience when someone talked about going out to a Chinese restaurant in Brossard. (Canada.com)
A Cannes slot doesn't sound like disaster Apr 23, 2007
Quebec director Denys Arcand and producer Denise Robert, who won an Oscar in 2004 for their last cinematic collaboration, Les Invasions barbares (The Barbarian Invasions), have had their latest film touched by negative speculation by some of the Quebec media. The chatter began when it looked like L' ge des t. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Festival turns 60 Apr 23, 2007
Arcand, who has previously been in competition at Cannes with Jesus of Montreal, Decline of the American Empire and the Oscar-winning The Barbarian Invasions, declined to do interviews or issue a statement. The high-profile American contingent includes three former Palme d'Or winners: Joel and Ethan Coen with their new crime feature, No Country for Old Men; Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (an adaptation of his section of the double-bill Grindhouse, with Robert Rodriguez), and Gus van Sant's... (Globe and Mail)
Arcand to close Cannes Apr 21, 2007
Arcand's post-production work on the film had been hobbled by a shoulder injury and by complicated special effects for his film, which is the third part of a trilogy that has also included The Decline of the American Empire and The Barbarian Invasions. His new film stars Marc Labr;che as a bored Quebec civil servant who, in the style of Walter Mitty, dreams up wild fantasies to make up for his dull life. (Toronto Star)
Film festival showcases French flicks Apr 5, 2007
"Le Papillon" ("The Butterfly), 79 minutes, not rated. "L'Enfant" ("The Child"), 95 minutes, restricted. "La Femme de Gilles" ("Gilles' Wife"), 103 minutes, not rated. "Les Invasions Barbares" ("The Barbarian Invasions"), 99 minutes, restricted. "Stupeur et Tremblements" ("Fear and Trembling"), 102 minutes, not rated. A report released this week by the National Academies' National Research Council revealed that Americans need to expand their proficiency in foreign languages and international... (Shoals TimesDaily)
Will it be Water or Pan's Labyrinth? » Feb 23, 2007
"It's interesting that India, which allowed its rightwing extremists to hound Mehta out of the country by torching her sets and burning her effigies, forcing her to film it in Sri Lanka, is now brimming with pride that an Indian film is up for Oscar consideration.But Water is a Canadian entry and its first foreign film nomination since winning the Oscar for The Barbarian Invasions in 2003. If the film wins, Canada will be celebrating. India, on the other hand, will have to settle for a vicarious... (Hindustan Times, India)
Whoa Canada, Oscar gives nod to the north Jan 24, 2007
Later highlights included Nia Vardalos's 2002 best original screenplay nomination for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, director Denys Arcand's 2003 best foreign-language win for The Barbarian Invasions, and Mr. Haggis's best picture and best original screenplay awards last year for Crash. In the lead-up to this year's Oscars, Ms. Mehta's richly shot, Hindu-language feature Water, about the ostracism of widows in traditional India,had been touted for months as a contender for best foreign-language film. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
