Rebecca Romijn

As Cannes passes its halfway mark, already a number of deals and release dates have been set, with Asghar Farhadi’s “The Past” being just the latest. But away from the Croisette, a number of smaller pictures are nearing release, and a diverse slate at that: a UK cop thriller with a stellar ensemble, a coming of age drama starring Claire Danes, and a space horror with Sharlto Copley in the lead. Director Nick Murphy first landed on the scene with modest horror film, “The Awakening,” starring Rebecca Hall, and now he’s followed that film up with a new ensemble piece, “Blood.” Starring Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham as cop brothers who investigate a girl’s murder, only to try and cover up their actions afterwards, the film also throws supporting turns from Brian Cox and Mark Strong into the mix. The talent is definitely there, and we had a good time with it at the London Film Festival last year – keep an eye on this one as it hits UK cinemas May 31st, and hopefully nails down a U.S....

Director Rebecca Zlotowski scored big in 2010 when her debut feature “Belle Epine” (aka “Dear Prudence”) won the Prix Louis Delluc for best first film, and snagged star Léa Seydoux a nomination for Most Promising Actress at the Césars. Three years on and Seydoux has certainly made good on that promise with her profile rising ever higher -- in this year’s Cannes she’s one of that select list of actors to have two films in the Official Selection, one of them being her reteaming with Zlotowski on “Grand Central” with Kechiche’s ”Blue is the Warmest Color” in competition being the other. Neatly enough, her “Grand Central” co-star Tahar Rahim is also on that list, due to his turn in Asghar Farhadi’s competition entry “The Past” (reviewed here). They seem like a strangely perfect pairing, purely in terms of profile and career stage, then, and there is a simple chemistry to their interaction in Zlotowski’s sophomore film that makes a quiet kind of sense. For her part, Zlotowski has turned in...