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When conceptualizing his latest music video collaboration, director Martin Snyder was inspired by one of the loftier moments in cinema history. "Godard’s Band of Outsiders derives its French title bande à part from the phrase 'faire bande à part,' which means, 'to do something apart from the group,'" Snyder explains. "To me, this ideology defines Madison’s aesthetic." And with his video for the pop starlet's new single, "Speakeasy," we're transported through time with their homage to one of cinema's most classic scenes from Godard's iconic 1964 film.

With Memorial Day sneaking upon us this weekend, summer is right on our heels. And as is traditional for the cinematic season, our theaters are about to be inundated with a slew of big-budget blockbusters, dominating the box office and luring in crazed audiences around the world. But if that's doesn't seem to tickle your film affinity, between the cracks of massive Hollywood studio pictures, are some of the year's most-anticipated and brilliant features from Xavier Dolan and David Lowery, to Joss Whedon and Pedro Almodovar, to Sofia Coppola and David Gordon Green—to name a few. So as we get closer to June, July, and August's wonderful releases, let's get excited about what will be premiering this summer. Enjoy.

Ben Wheatley's romantically murderous road movie Sightseers premiered but two weeks ago in the states, and yet, today we're already graced with a trailer for the director's next feature A Field in England. When we spoke with Wheatley back in April, he told us that the film was:

With the political upheaval of the time and the world in a state of disarray. the late 1960's spawned some of the most iconic and memorable works of cinema from people trying to make sense of the vastly changing world around them. With a need to not only tell what the hell was going on, but how it felt, director's were making films that provided a "cinematic snapshot of the era," and one of those filmmakers was acclaimed cinematographer Haskell Wexler.

When it comes to matters of love, it's often platonic devotion that proves the most intimate and carries the most weight in one's life. It's the love stories of friendship, the decades-spanning, unbreakable connection to someone that stays around as lovers come and go. Yes, romantic love is an all-encompassing illness of the heart, but without a best friend to guide you, life becomes less tolerable. Cinema has long been awash in tales of romantic love, of course, but it's rare to see a tale of love between two female best friends, especially one that genuinely shows what it is like to have that kind of soul mate, without whom everything else would be askew. But with Noah Baumbach's latest film, Frances Ha, we see one woman's journey of self-discovery, ignited by a fractured friendship.

It's certainly been a year full of coming-of-age, teen-centric films. From Spring Breakers' sex and drug-fueled debauchery odyssey to the upcoming shiny young fashion heist film The Bling Ring, we've seen myriad portrayals of youth loosening their morals and rebelling against their mundane lives in the most nonsensical of ways. But when it comes to the most enjoyable films of the year, one of the best depictions of youth has yet to hit theaters—Jordan Vogt-Roberts' The Kings of Summer.

For quite some time, I have been waiting with eager anticipation for Jim Jarmusch's new feature. As one of the most idiosyncratic and brilliant directors working today, his films have the most unique and wonderful feeling to them, always unlike anything else and populated with characters as rich as the brilliant aesthetic quality of all his picutres. And with his latest—currently at Cannes—Only Lovers Left Alive, he looks to be bringing his signature style to an dark and undead tale. 

Of course, awards don't mean everything. A beautiful masterpiece can be overlooked just as simply as a vapid disaster can be praised for the wrong reasons. However, if there's one award that tends to hold its weight, it's the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or. Introduced in 1955, if nothing else, the award has been indicative of a film's lasting power and the sustained and wonderful career if its director. From David Lynch and Wim Wenders to Bunuel and Antonioni to Coppola and Scorsese to Tarantino and Kiarostami, to Haneke and Malick, the Palme d'Or winning films of the last 66 years have been some of the most influential and beloved pieces of modern filmmaking around the world. So with Cannes in full swing, here's a look at some of the best films to win the coveted award over the years. Enjoy.

Back in April, we reported that director Alejandro Jodorowsky would be debuting his first proper feature in over 20 years at Cannes this week. Best known for his surreal and violent masterpieces, The Holy Mountain, El Topo, and Santa Sangre all established the 84-year-old director as an iconic avant-garde filmmaker. 

"That feeling of home but not home, somewhat but not quite—all that plays a part in what I would hope to be the emotional content of my music," says the strange and wonderful Nico Muhly. "There's always a sense of displacement and longing." Wildly intelligent and feverish in nature, the 31-year-old composer is as prolific as he is talented, with work spanning from contemporary operas and classical chamber pieces to electronic drones and film scores, and just about everything in between.