Cannes 2010

[Ezee E]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/photos/stylus/132624-CANNES-poster300x450.jpg

The awful poster.


LINEUP:

OPENER
“Robin Hood,” U.S.-U.K., Ridley Scott

COMPETITION
“Another Year,” U.K., Mike Leigh
“Biutiful,” Spain-Mexico, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
“Burnt by the Sun 2,” Germany-France-Russia, Nikita Mikhalkov
“Certified Copy,” France-Italy-Iran, Abbas Kiarostami
“Fair Game,” U.S., Doug Liman
“Hors-la-loi,” France-Belgium-Algeria, Rachid Bouchareb
“The Housemaid,” South Korea, Im Sang-soo
“La nostra vita,” Italy-France, Daniele Luchetti
“La Princesse de Montpensier,” France, Bertrand Tavernier
“Of Gods and Men,” France, Xavier Beauvois
“Outrage,” Japan, Takeshi Kitano
“Poetry,” South Korea, Lee Chang-dong
“A Screaming Man,” France-Belgium-Chad, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
“Tournee,” France, Mathieu Amalric
“Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” Spain-Thailand-Germany-U.K.-France, Apichatpong Weerasethakul
“You, My Joy,” Ukraine-Germany, Sergey Loznitsa

UN CERTAIN REGARD
“Adrienn Pal,” Hungary-Netherlands-France-Austria, Agnes Kocsis
“Aurora,” Romania, Cristi Puiu
“Blue Valentine,” U.S., Derek Cianfrance
“Chatroom,” U.K., Hideo Nakata
“Chongqing Blues,” China, Wang Xiaoshuai
“The City Below,” Germany-France, Christoph Hochhausler
“Film Socialisme,” Switzerland-France, Jean-Luc Godard
“Ha Ha Ha,” South Korea, Hong Sang-soo
“Les Amours imaginaires,” Canada, Xavier Dolan
“Life Above All,” France, Oliver Schmitz
“Los labios,” Argentina, Ivan Fund, Santiago Loza
“Octubre,” Peru, Daniel Vega
“Qu’est-il arrive a Simon Werner?,” France, Fabrice Gobert
“Rebecca H.,” France, Lodge Kerrigan
“R U There,” Taiwan, David Verbeek
“The Strange Case of Angelica,” Portugal, Manoel de Oliveira
“Tuesday, After Christmas,” Romania, Radu Muntean
“Udaan,” India, Vikramaditya Motwane

OUT OF COMPETITION
“Tamara Drewe,” U.K., Stephen Frears
“Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps,” U.S., Oliver Stone
“You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” U.K.-Spain, Woody Allen

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
“Kaboom,” U.S.-France, Gregg Araki
“L’autre monde,” France, Gilles Marchand

[Grouchy]

Tron reference?

[Sven]

I think it's a pretty cool poster, actually. Deflates the stuffy Cannes aura. Plus, Binoche can do anything she damn well wants.

Robin Hood? Well, I guess if we're talking about deflating stuffiness... I guess I'd rather see that one than The DaVinci Code.

[Morris Schæffer]

Love the purple-ish lines. Yep, it's a very neat poster.

[kopello]

I'm assuming she's the President this year then.

Edit: Never mind, apparently Burton is.

[ledfloyd]

nowhere near as good as last year's poster.

[balmakboor]

That poster and Burton as President doesn't give me good feelings about this year.

[Boner M]

Can't be bothered copying & pasting the entire lineup here. (http://www.theauteurs.com/notebook/posts/1718)

Seriously underwhelming list of names in the official comp lineup, despite Leigh, Lee & the surprise Joe entry. Innaritu and Doug Liman in comp, Godard in UCR? Fucked!

[Boner M]

The brief description of the new Hong Sang-Soo sounds like an Onion article.


"The movie depicts two friends who chat about their recent trips to Tongyeong over drinks"

It's even called Ha Ha Ha, fer christssake!

[Pop Trash]

Wow, what a snore. Also, shouldn't the Romanians be in competition at this point? Let's hope Tree of Life gets added to shake things up a bit.

[Boner M]

I think Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives will deliver everything Tree of Life purports to.

Also, there's a rumor that Vincent Gallo's new film might have a screening... fingers crossed.

[Pop Trash]

Also, there's a rumor that Vincent Gallo's new film might have a screening... fingers crossed.

Zzzzzzz....

[Boner M]

Zzzzzzz....
Oh c'mon. Y'know he'll shake things up.

[Raiders]

Edited the first post with the full lineup.

[dreamdead]

If Malick doesn't get Tree of Life finished in time, I would think that Joe gets the win here, as the 00's critics have just showered him with (deserved) praise even though Cannes hasn't. I'd like to see Leigh, Lee, and Im deliver the goods, though.

Can't believe that Godard's Film Socialisme. has been relegated to UN CERTAIN REGARD.

[Ezee E]

Please, no way that Malick gets it finished in time.

Disappointing competition as far as a lack of big stars. I am interested in Mathieu Amalric's first (?) film though. Inarritu was also at his best when sticking in his native language.

[balmakboor]

I kinda like the shortage of big names. It opens up more possibilities for discovering new big names.

[Spinal]

Inarritu's is the only competition film that excites me much at this point. Though I really shouldn't discount Leigh.

[Raiders]

Inarritu's is the only competition film that excites me much at this point.

And I'm the opposite. Of the names and films I recognize, his is the one I have the least interest in.

[Spinal]

And I'm the opposite. Of the names and films I recognize, his is the one I have the least interest in.

Javier Bardem embroiled in shady dealings! Shady dealings!

[MacGuffin]

I heard Godard asked for UCR—supposedly he likes the theater better? Anyway, it seems like a Godard thing to do. As for Gallo's latest, probably has something to do with the fact that there are rumored to be four in-competition slots that as of right now have yet to be filled.

[dreamdead]

I'd like to see Leigh, Lee, and Im deliver the goods, though.


Attached are the Lee (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3adZ4JX_5nE&feature=player_embedded)and Im (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ytMONGO0yM&feature=related)trailers. Lee's trailer is a little too overbearing and sweeping in its music selection, but his films usually circumvent that melodrama. Im's really plays up the eroticism even more than Kim did, and his 1960 version of Housemaid is itself heavily eroticized. I doubt it'll achieve the same rhapsody that I feel toward Kim's original, but I'm interested in it all the same.

[baby doll]

I kinda like the shortage of big names. It opens up more possibilities for discovering new big names.Word. By stars, I'm assuming he means star directors, since the red carpet seems to exist on a different planet from the films themselves. I mean, the whole idea of a red carpet premiere for Antichrist or The White Ribbon is kind of ridiculous, because these aren't films for the people who care about red carpets (those sad, pathetic simpletons who are dazzled by shiny dresses on beautiful people, and could care less about any film that isn't opening on three thousand screens--yeah, I know, how elitist, but seriously, fuck those people. They're the fucking scum of the earth as far as I'm concerned. Fuck them and their stupid red carpet bullshit. Enjoy the new Robin Hood, motherfuckers).

With regards to the Godard, Notre musique also premiered in Un certain regard. On a related note, I'm a little surprised to see the Kiarostami in the main competition, (a) because his last few films were virtually a "fuck you" to most of the underlying precepts of commercial cinema, and (b) after The Wind Will Carry Us, he announced that he felt he had enough prizes to go on making the films he wants (and accordingly, Ten and Ten on 10 were both shown in Un certain regard).

The obvious must-sees are the Apichatpong, the Godard, the Kiarostami, the Lee, and the Leigh. Kitano might be an early front-runner for the Palme, since he's never won it. Burton being jury president counts for little, since there are still eleven people with taste to keep him from giving the Palme to Inarritu or Liman.

Anybody else think Hong Sang-soo is really Andrew Bujalski in disguise?

[eternity]

Surprising how some of those "shoo-ins" like You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger ended up out of competition.

Meh.

[baby doll]

Surprising how some of those "shoo-ins" like You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger ended up out of competition.

Meh.Allen hasn't had a film in competition in many a year. I can't remember the last film of his that didn't premiere at Cannes out of competition.

[Ezee E]

Woody Allen and Jean-Luc Godard believe that films shouldn't be in competition with each other and request their films to be "Un Certain Regard."

[Raiders]

Burton being jury president counts for little, since there are still eleven people with taste to keep him from giving the Palme to Inarritu or Liman.

So because Tim Burton makes film for "the man" and "the system" he obviously has terrible taste in other people's films and will only gravitate to the more higher profile directors and their unworthy films?

[Ezee E]

Kitano's second film to make Cannes. I'd like to say he's my favorite at this point. Although many of those directors I haven't heard of, so I'll have to read up on everyone.

[baby doll]

So because Tim Burton makes film for "the man" and "the system" he obviously has terrible taste in other people's films and will only gravitate to the more higher profile directors and their unworthy films?Pretty much.

[dreamdead]

Anybody else think Hong Sang-soo is really Andrew Bujalski in disguise?

Superficially, I see it, but I think Hong is usually formally if not thematically adventurous. Naturally, his last few films have seen him churning his wheels, and my excitement at seeing him work with Moon So-ri is tempered by the fact that this new one sounds like a film I've already seen of his (and it's title invokes the connection you're making). Yet Virgin, Turning Gate, and Tale of Cinema all have fairly rich complexities of character and theme, to say nothing of the continual folding-in-upon-themselves narrative structure.

The bifurcation does feel like a crutch now, to be sure, but I see plenty of formal power and intrigue in his first few films.

[Boner M]

So I had a really weird dream last night, possibly inspired by the discussion in this thread. I was a member of Burton's jury, and he saw and hated the Kiarostami film and wouldn't stop bitching about it. Then I told him that it was his most conventional and narrative-based film to date and that he's previously made an acclaimed film consisting solely of five static 10 minute shots of landscapes, and then Burton started flipping out and going all Frank Grimes, saying "I CAN DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AND GET AWAY WITH IT, COS I'M ABBAS KIAROSTAMI". Then he ran out onto the Croisette flailing his arms in the air and got hit by a car.

I wish I had more dreams like this.

[Spinal]

I'm on Burton's side.

[Ezee E]

The Kitano trailer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzmXnelUTpo&feature=player_embedded#!)

[Stay Puft]

This starts Wednesday. I enjoyed following coverage of the festival on the Cannes website last year, looking forward to doing so again this year.

Awesome news: Jia Zhangke has a new film recently added to Un Certain Regard. It's titled I Wish I Knew and it's a documentary about Shanghai.

Wang Xiaoshuai's film, Chongqing Blues, is also in competition, not Un Certain Regard. I don't know if it was moved or if the info in the op was just a mistake.

[Adam]

here's the whole jury...

Tim Burton (H)
Alberto Barbera
Kate Beckinsale
Emmanuel Carrère
Benicio del Toro
Alexandre Desplat
Victor Erice
Shekhar Kapur
Giovanna Mezzogiorno

And what's the deal - is there still one more film in competition to be announced?

[kopello]

Kate Beckinsale seems like a really odd choice.

[Spinal]

After image googling Giovanna Mezzogiorno, I have decided that I really need to see Vincere. I was looking forward to it anyway.

[baby doll]

here's the whole jury...

Tim Burton (H)
Kate Beckinsale
Benicio del Toro
Shekhar Kapur
Giovanna MezzogiornoOkay, the awards are gonna suck this year. Last year they had Asia Argento, James Gray, and Isabelle Huppert. This year, it's just Erice. Did all the good people turn them down?

[baby doll]

After image googling Giovanna Mezzogiorno, I have decided that I really need to see Vincere. I was looking forward to it anyway.The only film of hers I've seen is Facing Windows, which was terrible. And I've heard nothing but bad things about Love in the Time of Cholera.

[Boner M]

Okay, the awards are gonna suck this year. Last year they had Asia Argento, James Gray, and Isabelle Huppert. This year, it's just Erice. Did all the good people turn them down?
Unless my dreams are accurate, how can you gauge the critical faculties and/or taste of these people?

[baby doll]

Unless my dreams are accurate, how can you gauge the critical faculties and/or taste of these people?A filmmaker's work is above all an indication of their tastes. Watching James Cameron's film, I don't imagine he's even heard of Hou Hsiao-hsien and Béla Tarr, while Gus Van Sant (another commercial US director) seems to have a much higher degree of culture. Even the work of a filmmaker who isn't a cinephile, like Angès Varda, obviously benefits from her background as a still photographer.

[Sycophant]

Man, them's some giant-ass assumptions you're making.

[transmogrifier]

A filmmaker's work is above all an indication of their tastes. Watching James Cameron's film, I don't imagine he's even heard of Hou Hsiao-hsien and Béla Tarr, while Gus Van Sant (another commercial US director) seems to have a much higher degree of culture. Even the work of a filmmaker who isn't a cinephile, like Angès Varda, obviously benefits from her background as a still photographer.

I know what you mean. I haven't even MADE a film, so I'm only a shade above a masturbating monkey when it comes to the things that entertain me.

[baby doll]

Man, them's some giant-ass assumptions you're making.Look at it this way: Most people take boring pictures because they don't know any better. On the other hand, if some one's familiar with the history of photography (Eugene Atget, Henri-Cartier Bresson, Robert Frank, Cindy Sherman, Martin Parr, etc.), they're less likely to take boring, ill-composed, and poorly lit snapshots of their cat, which they then post on Facebook. Cameron's the idiot-savant of cinema: He knows everything about technology, and almost nothing about the art of cinema.

[eternity]

I'm pretty sure there's never been a Cindy Sherman photograph that isn't a poorly lit monstrosity. That's kind of her whole appeal; all ideas, technically incompetent, at least early in her career.

[Boner M]

Look at it this way: Most people take boring pictures because they don't know any better. On the other hand, if some one's familiar with the history of photography (Eugene Atget, Henri-Cartier Bresson, Robert Frank, Cindy Sherman, Martin Parr, etc.), they're less likely to take boring, ill-composed, and poorly lit snapshots of their cat, which they then post on Facebook. Cameron's the idiot-savant of cinema: He knows everything about technology, and almost nothing about the art of cinema.
Still doesn't explain why Del Toro and Beckinsale's presence on the jury is part of teh reason the awards are gonna suck this year.

[Raiders]

Look at it this way: Most people take boring pictures because they don't know any better. On the other hand, if some one's familiar with the history of photography (Eugene Atget, Henri-Cartier Bresson, Robert Frank, Cindy Sherman, Martin Parr, etc.), they're less likely to take boring, ill-composed, and poorly lit snapshots of their cat, which they then post on Facebook. Cameron's the idiot-savant of cinema: He knows everything about technology, and almost nothing about the art of cinema.

I've tried very hard to look at it this way, but luckily my bullshit meter is working well today.

[Adam]

D'Angelo so far...


Robin Hood ('10 Scott): 45. If you people who didn't like GLADIATOR can't see the vast difference between that film & this film, me at loss.

On Tour (Amalric): 58. Numerous sharply observed and/or weirdly funny moments in search of a solid center. Non-pro cast problematic.

Winter's Bone ('10 Granik): 87. Absolutely stunning, start to finish. Somehow it's at once thrillingly stylized and utterly realistic.

The Threeway Wedding ('10 Doillon): 51. Very much in Doillon's recent style, & cast is aces, but I couldn't make emotional sense of this 1.

The Housemaid ('10 Im): 41. Almost a complete inversion of the original, turning psychosexual insanity into a blunt class-warfare tract.

[Qrazy]

A filmmaker's work is above all an indication of their tastes. Watching James Cameron's film, I don't imagine he's even heard of Hou Hsiao-hsien and Béla Tarr, while Gus Van Sant (another commercial US director) seems to have a much higher degree of culture. Even the work of a filmmaker who isn't a cinephile, like Angès Varda, obviously benefits from her background as a still photographer.

Yeah, wrong. There's a website somewhere out there that has the top 10's of various filmmakers. Some good filmmakers have middling taste, some terrible filmmakers have pretty good taste.

[Spinal]

Robin Hood ('10 Scott): 45. If you people who didn't like GLADIATOR can't see the vast difference between that film & this film, me at loss.

So is he saying that I have to like Gladiator because Robin Hood is worse? :confused:

[Stay Puft]

D'Angelo so far...

Don't forget, he's writing reports for AV Club, too:

http://www.avclub.com/features/cannes-film-festival/

[soitgoes...]

Yeah, wrong. There's a website somewhere out there that has the top 10's of various filmmakers. Some good filmmakers have middling taste, some terrible filmmakers have pretty good taste.

Joel Schumacher's Top 10 (http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/voter.php?forename=Joel&surname=Schumacher)

[Boner M]

There are people who can be relaxed in front of a movie camera and people who can pull an endless feather boa out of their ass, but apparently there are precious few people who can do both.
Top notch.

[Grouchy]

So is he saying that I have to like Gladiator because Robin Hood is worse? :confused:
I had the same problem with the comment. I don't understand what he's saying at all.

[Pop Trash]

After Sundance and Cannes, people are really loving Winter's Bone. Gunna have to look out for that.

[Raiders]

I remember a lot of positive buzz for Granik's Down to the Bone back in the day.

[balmakboor]

Yeah, wrong. There's a website somewhere out there that has the top 10's of various filmmakers. Some good filmmakers have middling taste, some terrible filmmakers have pretty good taste.

This page has some lists and I'd say they all have pretty damn good taste.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/directors-reveal-their-top-10-films-752452.html

[Boner M]

Joel Schumacher's Top 10 (http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/voter.php?forename=Joel&surname=Schumacher)
Clearly, Tarkovsky is responsible for Batman & Robin.

[Boner M]

Also, I'm guessing D'Angelo is saying that Robin Hood is exactly the self-serious joyless slog that some folks (myself included) wrongfully accused Gladiator of being.

[Boner M]

Leigh's one is getting great buzz, Woody's isn't. Dammit, I want surprises.

[Boner M]

Latest D'Angelo tweets:


Heartbeats (Dolan): 68. This kid is insanely talented, even if he's still working through his influences. Ignore the lame English title.

A Screaming Man (Haroun): 40. I keep trying to will myself to like African films but they're just all so goddamn worthy and dull.

Kaboom (Araki): 73. Araki returns to the mode of his early shock comedies, this time with decades of experience. It shows. Great fun.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (W. Allen): 46. One of his slapdash efforts that needed several more drafts. Shockingly dull ensemble.

Another Year (Leigh): 55. I'm having trouble with how theme-heavy Leigh's become of late. Thesis seems to be imposing itself on character.

Chatroom ('10 Nakata): 32. As in an actual chatroom, I quickly just wanted everybody to shut the fuck up.

Aurora ('10 Puiu): 24. Loved the final scene but it's an endless slog getting there. Not the banality but the sheer fucking tedium of evil.

Wall Street: Let Me Be Clear This Time, Greed Is In Fact Bad ('10 Stone): 43. Not a train wreck, sadly, just didactic-bombastic. SHEEN!

Sucks to hear about the Puiu... D'Angelo's one of Lazarescu's biggest detractors, but his seems to be the general opinion from what I've read (he also mentions that even J. Hoberman found it boring, yikes).

Glad I'll be seeing Dolan's two films next month, they look great.

[Stay Puft]

And his tweets from today:


The Princess of Montpensier (Tavernier): 37. Opens with the kind of historical-context scroll HOLY GRAIL ridicules. Downhill from there.

I Wish I Knew (Jia): 52. V. similar to 24 CITY, except the fake interviews are replaced by lovely shots of Zhao Tao walking around Shanghai.

I warmed up to 24 City a lot more on a second viewing, really fell in love with Jia's aesthetic approach to the non-interview scenes. Looking forward to the new one a lot.

[baby doll]

Glad I'll be seeing Dolan's two films next month, they look great.J'ai tué ma mère is pretty good, but not great. I think people were just surprised that a 17 year old (and a Canadian) could direct a movie that wasn't rubbish.

D'Angelo on Woody: "It’s always a bit sad to see Woody Allen in slapdash, shoot-the-first-draft mode." Isn't that pretty much every Woody Allen movie? I love the guy, but seriously.

[Adam]

Two things about Tim Burton after watching the opening ceremony and initial jury press conference on the Cannes site...

1 When shown in a well put together 3 minute long clip package, his career looks pretty awesome and there's an easy visual progression to it. When I first heard he was gonna be president, I was a little disappointed, but now I feel like it's an interesting, offbeat choice for them. Overall, a kinda lame jury for a kinda lame field of films

2 Embarrassingly, when asked to name past Palme d'Or winners that have had an impact on him, Burton confessed he couldn't even think of a single movie that had won the award. When opened up to the entire jury, the only names they could come with were Taxi Driver & Apocalypse Now after some prodding from that moderator guy

Also - Shekhar Kapur seems like a big time asshole

[B-side]

The Funeral (Abel Ferrara, 1996) / ***1/2

Thoughts on this?

[Ezee E]

1 When shown in a well put together 3 minute long clip package, his career looks pretty awesome and there's an easy visual progression to it. When I first heard he was gonna be president, I was a little disappointed, but now I feel like it's an interesting, offbeat choice for them. Overall, a kinda lame jury for a kinda lame field of films


I'd find it pretty difficult to find something negative about the technical achievements that Tim Burton's films have. It's just everything else that kinda sucks.

[DavidSeven]

D'Angelo on Woody: "It’s always a bit sad to see Woody Allen in slapdash, shoot-the-first-draft mode." Isn't that pretty much every Woody Allen movie? I love the guy, but seriously.

The difference being that he had a ton of freedom to revise, edit, and re-shoot in post during the prime of his career. Nowadays, the first draft is actually the final product.

[baby doll]

Thoughts on this?Structurally, it's all over the place (no surprise from Ferrara), but it's all good stuff. I was thinking about writing something about it for my blog, but I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested. Then again, if I worried too much about people being interested in what I write for my blog, I wouldn't have one.

[baby doll]

The difference being that he had a ton of freedom to revise, edit, and re-shoot in post during the prime of his career. Nowadays, the first draft is actually the final product.I haven't read anything to suggest that Allen doesn't have the same emperor-like freedom he had back in the glory days of September (which I haven't seen, so I can't confirm whether or not it is, as Rosenbaum claims, the worst of all Allen's films, which is saying something). What's your source on this?

[baby doll]

I read this over at Indiewire:

"Godard Skips Cannes—Jean-Luc Godard unexpectedly stayed home today, canceling an expected trip to the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of his new movie, Filme Socialism.

The two words, "No Comment," in medium-sized white type on a black screen, conclude the new film. Unexpectedly, that appears to be his only statement on the film. In a disappointment that tops the negative reactions to some films here so far this week, Jean-Luc Godard has abruptly canceled his trip to Cannes, cutting off a chance to speak with the legendary auteur on the 50th anniversary of his first film, Breathless.

In an obscure statement today, the French auteur seemed to compare his situation to that of Greece, which is currently in the midst of a tumultuous crisis. [Eugene Hernandez]"

A link to a slightly longer piece, which suggests that he's either too broke or too sick to go: http://http://www.indiewire.com/article/jean_luc_godard_no_comment/

[baby doll]

Also, Ebert, Todd McCarthy and Mike D'Angelo have all panned the Kitano. And the Tavernier looks super hot:

http://i.blogs.indiewire.com/images/blogs/toddmccarthy/archives/melanie-thierry-florence-thomassin-la-princesse-de-montpensier.jpg

Yowsa!

[NickGlass]

I haven't read anything to suggest that Allen doesn't have the same emperor-like freedom he had back in the glory days of September (which I haven't seen, so I can't confirm whether or not it is, as Rosenbaum claims, the worst of all Allen's films, which is saying something). What's your source on this?

I think it's less his amount of creative freedom--which I have no idea if it's changed since September--and more it just seems as if he's stop creating multifaceted characters. I mean, the man is afraid not to make a film once a year; it's as if he's perpetually commissioned by his own fear of ennui and death.

Oh, and I wasn't aware of J. Ro's low opinion of September, but he's totally right; I also believe it's Woody Allen's worst film. The dialogue, the performances, the uninspired editing/cinematography/art direction: it's all so stilted. A chamber piece that just suffocates. It's a brutal slog, really.

[kuehnepips]

Know what: Woody Allen is just an old asshole. There.

I'm fucking serious.

[Pop Trash]

Know what: Woody Allen is just an old asshole. There.

I'm fucking serious.

I feel this more about Godard these days.

[Grouchy]

I feel like Godard has always been an asshole, old or not. Woody Allen, not so much.

[Pop Trash]

I feel like Godard has always been an asshole, old or not. Woody Allen, not so much.
True. I don't think Woody is so much of an asshole now, just a fuddy duddy.

[B-side]

Structurally, it's all over the place (no surprise from Ferrara), but it's all good stuff. I was thinking about writing something about it for my blog, but I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested. Then again, if I worried too much about people being interested in what I write for my blog, I wouldn't have one.

Well, I'd certainly be interested if you wrote something on it. I was unsure where I wanted to go with Ferrara next, but I may just go with The Funeral now.

[Boner M]

Kiarostami's CERTIFIED COPY is the first film I've seen get booed this year. Perhaps not coincidentally, it's the best film so far (83).
This means a lot coming from D'Angelo, who's usually one of AK's detractors.

[right_for_the_moment]

Manohla Dargis on Film Socialisme (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/17/godard-practices-film-socialism/?hp)

[baby doll]

Well, I'd certainly be interested if you wrote something on it. I was unsure where I wanted to go with Ferrara next, but I may just go with The Funeral now.It's one of his better films, along with New Rose Hotel (more experimental and languorous, but also his most unpleasantly misogynistic) and Mary (probably his most confused movie).

[B-side]

It's one of his better films, along with New Rose Hotel (more experimental and languorous, but also his most unpleasantly misogynistic) and Mary (probably his most confused movie).

I rather liked New Rose Hotel, and the coda was effectively moody and contemplative. I didn't see it as misogynistic, but fair enough.

[Raiders]

Ms. 45 is my favorite Ferrara, but The Addiction isn't far behind. 'R Xmas is a very underrated film as well. I really, really need to check out The Funeral.

[baby doll]

I rather liked New Rose Hotel, and the coda was effectively moody and contemplative. I didn't see it as misogynistic, but fair enough.Was there a single woman in that movie who wasn't a backstabbing whore or a ball-busting wife?

[B-side]

Was there a single woman in that movie who wasn't a backstabbing whore or a ball-busting wife?

I... don't really remember.

[Qrazy]

Yeah The Funeral is quality because of the excellent drama. The narrative is average. The visual storytelling is also average but with a few worthwhile and engaging flourishes.

[Dillard]

Weird little critics' spat (http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2010/05/indiewire_tryin.php) over Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Biutiful. I imagine this sort of thing happens quite a bit, though not so publicly.

[Raiders]

Weird little critics' spat (http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2010/05/indiewire_tryin.php) over Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Biutiful. I imagine this sort of thing happens quite a bit, though not so publicly.

Jeffrey Wells is quite possibly my least favorite non-psychopathic(debatable) human alive.

[baby doll]

Weird little critics' spat (http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2010/05/indiewire_tryin.php) over Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Biutiful. I imagine this sort of thing happens quite a bit, though not so publicly.As they like to say in Massachusetts, that's retaaded. Not only is he beyond paranoid (stating that two other films were more popular is, in his mind, akin to Stalinist repression of those who did like it), but his attack on "bullying" is full of personal attacks. Anyone who dislikes the film is an effete dweeb, and an elite know-it-all who lives in a cloistered realm. What a douchebag.

Speaking of which, the Godard certainly seems to have stirred the pot. According to Ebert's blog post, Godard might as well have stopped making films after the 60s when mainstream journalists (like Ebert) stopped supporting his work; movies need to convey a clear meaning; Godard didn't show up at the press conference as a prank (there's no possibility that a guy in his eighties might be sick or something). And in the comments section, he adds, "If the ticket-buying person in the audience is left out of the experience, is it still a movie, or has it become something else?" "Ticket-buying person" is code for casual moviegoers who simply want to watch a conventional narrative feature, the underlying implication being that reviewers who like the movie are, either (a) more sophisticated than any non-professional journalist ever could be, or (b) pretentious snobs who don't want to look stupid. Furthermore, since the experience of any movie is in your head (as Ebert himself puts it, all films "are about what you think about when you watch it"), how could a moviegoer be left out of the experience, unless they're blind and deaf? And if it's not a movie, then what is it? Theatre? It seems every year Ebert goes to Cannes and finds at least one "real" movie (in past years, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and Indigènes), which is to say, a superior example of classical Hollywood-style filmmaking.

[Boner M]

Jeff Wells reminds me of the kind of character Fred Willard would play in a hypothetical Christopher Guest film about film festival shenanigans.

[Grouchy]

Speaking of which, the Godard certainly seems to have stirred the pot. According to Ebert's blog post, Godard might as well have stopped making films after the 60s when mainstream journalists (like Ebert) stopped supporting his work; movies need to convey a clear meaning; Godard didn't show up at the press conference as a prank (there's no possibility that a guy in his eighties might be sick or something). And in the comments section, he adds, "If the ticket-buying person in the audience is left out of the experience, is it still a movie, or has it become something else?" "Ticket-buying person" is code for casual moviegoers who simply want to watch a conventional narrative feature, the underlying implication being that reviewers who like the movie are, either (a) more sophisticated than any non-professional journalist ever could be, or (b) pretentious snobs who don't want to look stupid. Furthermore, since the experience of any movie is in your head (as Ebert himself puts it, all films "are about what you think about when you watch it"), how could a moviegoer be left out of the experience, unless they're blind and deaf? And if it's not a movie, then what is it? Theatre? It seems every year Ebert goes to Cannes and finds at least one "real" movie (in past years, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and Indigènes), which is to say, a superior example of classical Hollywood-style filmmaking.
You know, I usually bash you for your elite style of posting, but I think you're absolutely right on this one. "If the ticket-buying person in the audience is left out of the experience, is it still a movie, or has it become something else?". That's one of the most stupid and meaningless things I've ever read for exactly the reasons you stated. If a movie critic is an idiot like Ebert, is he still a movie critic or has he become something less?

Praise for Ferrara's New Rose Hotel puzzles me a bit. I thought it was very poorly put together. Seemed like a bunch of filmed rehearsals loosely following a very thin plot. I guess it does have mood, I'll give you that.

[Boner M]

Yeah that Ebert post is embarrassing. 'I don't mind challenging films, I liked Synecdoche New York!'. :rolleyes:

Speaking of which, there's a great new interview with JLG here (http://cinemasparagus.blogspot.com/2010/05/jean-luc-godard-interviewed-by-jean.html).


There are still things I'm interested in about television: programs about animals, history channels. I really like House, too. Somebody's injured, everybody gathers around him, the characters express themselves in hypertechnical jargon — I really like it.
Beautiful.

[Winston*]

I don't mind challenging films, I do mind the phrase "challenging films".

[B-side]

Yeah that Ebert post is embarrassing. 'I don't mind challenging films, I liked Synecdoche New York!'. :rolleyes:

Speaking of which, there's a great new interview with JLG here (http://cinemasparagus.blogspot.com/2010/05/jean-luc-godard-interviewed-by-jean.html).


Beautiful.

Ha. Nice. We've got some stuff in common, him and I.

[Winston*]

Ha. Nice. We've got some stuff in common, him and I.

Dude.

[B-side]

Dude.

What?

Also, lol @ him calling Truffaut's films worthless.:D

[Winston*]

What?

Nothing.

[B-side]

Nothing.

Riiight...

I don't see what's so strange about pointing out that he and I have a fondness for animal shows and House, but whatever floats your boat.

[Boner M]

Hey, cool, someone finally made a film about a vengeful sentient tire (http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/1871).

[soitgoes...]

Riiight...

I don't see what's so strange about pointing out that he and I have a fondness for animal shows and House, but whatever floats your boat.

Yeah, he seems like a guy I wouldn't mind having a beer with.

[Qrazy]

Riiight...

I don't see what's so strange about pointing out that he and I have a fondness for animal shows and House, but whatever floats your boat.

Winston is right.

[Grouchy]

Les Inrockuptibles is originally a French magazine? You learn something new ever day.

[Bosco B Thug]

Hey, cool, someone finally made a film about a vengeful sentient tire (http://mubi.com/notebook/posts/1871). Oh yes! I heard about this film a long time ago, and since then have perused the Cannes listings two or three times, but never would I have thought!

Though the art film pretensions better compensate for what sounds like a very dull killing MO given the tire.

[baby doll]

Yesterday on Ebert's blog, I wrote, "It seems that every year you go to Cannes and find at least one 'real movie.' In past years, it's been The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada and Indigènes, so I must conclude that what you mean by a real film is a superior example of Hollywood craftsmanship, preferably in a male-oriented genre that's presently out of fashion (i.e., the western, or the World War II film)." His most recent entry is title, "A Campaign for Real Movies." Coincidence?

[B-side]

Winston is right.

He didn't say anything. How can he be right?

[Grouchy]

He didn't say anything. How can he be right?
He's right.

[Derek]

He's right.

He's saying he has things in common with Godard not Ebert. Or do you hate Godard as well?

[Grouchy]

He's saying he has things in common with Godard not Ebert. Or do you hate Godard as well?
Yeah, yeah, I know. I don't hate Godard.

[B-side]

I'm incredibly confused.

[Spun Lepton]

I'm incredibly confused.

I'm wearing new socks.

[B-side]

I'm wearing new socks.

Congratulations:)

[Adam]

Guys, I'm gonna need some time (and a 2nd viewing) to decide whether UNCLE BOONMEE is just sort of awesome or totally mindblowingly awesome.

Palme D'Or pretty much a formality at this point? Of Gods & Men has a shot, but I say give it to Joe because his is the only film in competition I have any interest in seeing. I hope they're not feeling "important" enough this year to give it Kiarostami in some kind of half-cooked show of solidarity with Panahi

[Derek]

but I say give it to Joe because his is the only film in competition I have any interest in seeing.

Solid enough reasoning.

[ledfloyd]

but so far the consensus seems to be that the kiarostami is the best film in competition. i don't think they would be giving it to him just because of panahi. of course if boner's dreams are any portent it's going to mike leigh.

[Adam]

but so far the consensus seems to be that the kiarostami is the best film in competition

Hmmm, yeah, looks like you're right. I think I saw Matt Noller or Mike D'Angelo tweet that it got booed pretty hard, but oh well

[baby doll]

I was going to say that the Kiarostami was unlikely to win because he already won back in '97, but then I remembered, "Oh wait, when asked, no one on the jury could name a single film that had won the Palme d'Or."

Anyway, this is a total shot in the dark, but I'm betting on Lee Chang-dong. Just a hunch.

[baby doll]

but so far the consensus seems to be that the kiarostami is the best film in competition. i don't think they would be giving it to him just because of panahi. of course if boner's dreams are any portent it's going to mike leigh.Dude, two stars for demonlover?

[Boner M]

Uncle Boonmee is, unsurprisingly, getting raves and an instant frontrunner. Trust Joe to save the fest!

Here's the grades from Letra de cine:

Paolo Bertolin (Cineforum, Italia): 10
Jaime Pena (El Amante, Cahiers du Cinéma España, España): 10 ("Apicha is God")
Fernando Ganzo (Lumiére, España): 10 ("Un 120. Immortal history of cinema. I could stop watching movies after this.)(SMS: Jaime Pena: "It's the best film in the History of Cinema, we're all embracing each other")
Diego Batlle (La Nación, Otros Cines, Argentina): 9
Diego Lerer (ClarÃ*n, Micropsia, Argentina): 10
Alejandro G. Calvo (Sensacine.com, España): 10
Leonardo D'Espósito (CrÃ*tica de la Argentina, Argentina): 10 (10 x 10 x 10 x 10)
Eulalia Iglesias (Cahiers du Cinéma España, España): 10
Gonzalo de Pedro (Cahiers du Cinéma España, Público, España): 10

And some tweets:

D'Angelo: Guys, I'm gonna need some time (and a 2nd viewing) to decide whether UNCLE BOONMEE is just sort of awesome or totally mindblowingly awesome.
Robert Koehler (Variety): "This solidifies [Joe] as the greatest director in the world right now"
Diego Lerer (ClarÃ*n, Argentina): The best movie of the Festival by far: "Uncle Boonmee", de Apichatpong Weerasethakul. It's like a Thai version of Lost. No kidding.

[Ezee E]

And here's the trailer for it:
TRAILER (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk-EoUb0nvg)

[ledfloyd]

Dude, two stars for demonlover?
too high or too low?

[B-side]

And some tweets:

D'Angelo: Guys, I'm gonna need some time (and a 2nd viewing) to decide whether UNCLE BOONMEE is just sort of awesome or totally mindblowingly awesome.
Robert Koehler (Variety): "This solidifies [Joe] as the greatest director in the world right now"
Diego Lerer (ClarÃ*n, Argentina): The best movie of the Festival by far: "Uncle Boonmee", de Apichatpong Weerasethakul. It's like a Thai version of Lost. No kidding.

Damn.

[Watashi]

Ah hyperbole.

[B-side]

cobblehillis
UNCLE BOONMEE (Weerasethakul): Best of #Cannes? A breathtaking puzzler; Joe's scariest/funniest, has monkey ghosts & sex w/ talking catfish.

Due to this mini-review, it's now my most anticipated.

[Ezee E]

No way does a title named Uncle Boonmee get the Palme D'or. I say it'll get that runner-up award.

[Derek]

No way does a title named Uncle Boonmee get the Palme D'or. I say it'll get that runner-up award.

:|

[Ezee E]

:|
Frown all you want. It's not my opinion on what should win, just a prediction that a jury would more likely vote for something like The Housemaid or the Mike Leigh film. I'm really hoping that Boonmee gets a Telluride release in September so I can see it then.

[B-side]

I, uh, don't really get the logic here.

[Ezee E]

With that:

Palme D'Or - Certified Copy
Grand Prix - Uncle Boonmee
Jury Prize - The Housemaid
Best Actress - Yun Junghee "Poetry"
Best Actor - Javier Bardem "Biutiful"
Best Director - Mahamet-Saleh Haroun "A Screaming Man"
Best Screenplay - Mike Leigh "Another Year"

[Derek]

Frown all you want. It's not my opinion on what should win, just a prediction that a jury would more likely vote for something like The Housemaid or the Mike Leigh film.

But your prediction seemed based solely on the fact that Boonmee is a funny word.

[Ezee E]

But your prediction seemed based solely on the fact that Boonmee is a funny word.
Right.

[Derek]

Right.

Then my original response stands, which is not a frown by the way. :sad: is a frown. It's 2010, EB. Learn your emoticons for christ's sake.

[Spinal]

Boonmee is not nearly as funny as Apichatpong.

[Ezee E]

:eek:

[Watashi]

From talking foxes to talking catfish.

You gotta love Cannes.

[Boner M]

Screendaily (http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/latest-reviews/uncle-boonmee-who-can-recall-his-past-lives/5014254.article) called Uncle Boonmee "elegantly entertaining" and full of "laugh out loud moments" that "help the pacing of the film". SELL-OUT.

[Philosophe_rouge]

From talking foxes to talking catfish.

You gotta love Cannes.

They missed the opportunity to get in on the talking catfish craze in 2000 with Maelstrom. They're only catching up for lost time.

[baby doll]

too high or too low?Too low. (I put it on my list of the best movies of the decade.)

[ledfloyd]

Too low. (I put it on my list of the best movies of the decade.)
it's really the only assayas i've seen i haven't been blown away by. and i've seen everything he's done since cold water. seems kind of half baked.

[baby doll]

Ebert on the Apichatpong: "It isn't the kind of film I respond strongly to, but to the extent I understand what Weerasethakul intends, I can respect it." Well, at least it's a step up from his pan of Tropical Malady, which he said lingered on a pretentious nothingness (or something to that effect).

[eternity]

Un Certain Regard - Hahaha
Jury Prize - Octubre
Art Cinema Award - Lily Sometimes

[Boner M]

Un Certain Regard - Hahaha
Well, that's unexpected.

[dreamdead]

Well, that's unexpected.

Not too much, actually. Claire Denis wrote an introduction to the Hong Sang-soo book that one of the Korean Film Council groups put out a few years ago, so she's clearly a follower of his work. Once you know that connection, it comes off as less surprising. Though this latest film apparently doesn't introduce any new formal conceits for Hong, I'm hopeful that it won't come off as too repetitive (and if nothing else, Moon So-ri ftw).

[Boner M]

I didn't know Denis was the UCR jury president. So there ya go.

[lovejuice]

I'm feeling it, guys. (A lot of my friends on facebook are holding our breath.)

[Henry Gale]

Uncle Boonmee got the Palme D'or. (http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/cannes-uncle-wins-palme-dor/)

And I want to see it bad.

[Ezee E]

Uncle Boonmee got the Palme D'or. (http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/cannes-uncle-wins-palme-dor/)

And I want to see it bad.
Cool. Glad my thoughts were wrong.

Grand Prix: Of Gods and Men
Jury Prize: The Screaming Man
Actor: Javier Bardem "Biutiful" and Elio Gemano "Italy and Italians"
Actress: Juliette Binoche "Certified Copy"
Director: Mathieu Amaric "On Tour" (biggest surprise?)
Screenplay: Lee Chang-Dong "Poetry"
Camera D'or (First Feature): "Leap Year" - Mexico

[Watashi]

Does Cannes purposely not repeat a film for multiple awards?

I don't think I've ever seen a film win best director and the Palm D'or.

[Spinal]

Does Cannes purposely not repeat a film for multiple awards?

I don't think I've ever seen a film win best director and the Palm D'or.

Yes, that has mostly been the tradition. Which is why is was a big surprise when Dancer in the Dark won more than one.

[Bosco B Thug]

Boonmee is not nearly as funny as Apichatpong. Haha. This is true...

I didn't love Tropical Malady back when I watched it (I am going to re-watch it soon and am very optimistic), but I just found out (http://hellonfriscobay.blogspot.com/2007/04/for-those-who-have-seen-tropical-malady.html) Weerasethakul did this live commentary for TROPICAL MALADY at Berkeley's Pacific Film Archive in 2007. I could've been there if I'd have known better! Two things: this sort of thing should happen more often (live, director-driven commentaries), and Weerasethakul sounds like a very erudite guy.

Where I'm going with this is, UNCLE BOONMEE sounds like something of a crowd-pleaser, and with the Palm d'Ore, I'm wheedling for a big Stateside hoopla. L.A. or bust Joe!

[Ezee E]

http://telluridefilmfestival.org/images/bg/sidebar_poster.jpg

Well, now all I can do is wait...

[Derek]

Cool. Glad my thoughts were wrong.

Joe has set the precedence. Now films with silly names are free to win major awards! :pritch:

I can't wait to see Uncle Boonmee even though Syndromes of a Century left me scratching my head.

[Boner M]

Good NY Times interview with AW here (http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/23/a-conversation-with-the-top-prize-winner-of-cannes/?src=twt&twt=nytimesarts).

[Spinal]

The Fireman's Ball (Forman, 1967) **


Your ratings are risible.

[Ezee E]

Your ratings are risible.
I gave the same rating. I don't remember a thing about it though.

[Derek]

Your ratings are risible.

I will eat your children, Spinal.

But really, it was pretty good, but the metaphorical implications weren't all that interesting, or damning for that matter, and the repetitious comedy bits grew a little tiresome. That said, the culmination of the beauty contest was hilarious and wonderfully anarchic - the highlight of the film for me. A very mild 'yay' if that helps you sleep tonight. ;)

[B-side]

Phew. For a minute there, I was worried I'd have to lull Spinal to sleep in my arms to the gentle sounds of popular grindcore band Pig Destroyer. It's always among the tapes sitting next to our cassette player because he's always asking for it. I wish he'd request good music. It's hard making love to the sound of middle aged men making guttural grunts.

[balmakboor]

Fahrenheit 451 (Truffaut, 1966) **½


Something crazy is this (and to a slightly lesser extent 400 Blows) is the only Truffaut I truly enjoyed. I think it a blast of a scifi movie.

[Boner M]

http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/post_images/308/boonmeeposter718.jpg?127463761 7

Dear god yes.

[Spaceman Spiff]

American Pop (Bakshi, 1981) *

:sad:

[Grouchy]

and the repetitious comedy bits grew a little tiresome
You must really hate laughing.