Day 5 Cannes News

Today @ Cannes

Official Competition: I’m a little curious about Bernard Tavernier’s La Princesse de Montpensier, but seems its style is too classical for my taste. Also today Un Homme Qui Crie by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun.

Midnight Screenings: L’Autre Monde (Black Heaven) by Gilles Marchand, definitively NOT my kind of entertainment.

Special Screenings: Inside Job by Charles Ferguson and one of the few films directed by a woman, Sophie Fiennes’s Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow that from clips I’m curious to check visuals.

Un Certain Regard: Today a film by one of my favorite directors Jia Zhang-ke’s Hai Shang Chuan Qi (I Wish I Knew) absolutely must be seen for me. By-the-way, the film name has so many different names that’s impossible to know which is the correct one, but has only one English name. Also today Agnes Kocsis Pal Adrien (Adrien Pal) with what seems a difficult story to watch and David Verbeek’s puzzling R U There.

Cannes Classics: Four films, 1970 El Fallah Al Fasih by Shadi Abdel Salam; Toscan by Isabelle Partiot-Pieri; 1989 Mest by Ermek Shinarbaev, and Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff by Craig McCall.

Cinema de la Plage: Hollywood Don’t Surf a documentary by Greg Macgillivray and Sam George.

Quinzaine: From today’s program the film that calls my attention is Gustavo Hernandez’s La Casa Muda. Also screening Michelangelo Frammartino’s Le Quattro Volte and Cleveland Contre Wall Street by Jean-Stephane Bron.

Semaine de la Critique: Today a film that is must-be-seen for me not only Isabelle Huppert leads but also from clips, the music! I’m talking about Marc Fitoussi’s Copacabana. Also Janus Metz’s Armadillo that I gather will be not easy to watch.

The Not so serious news

Not sure who said the following quote, but I’ll be not surprised if was Woody Allen as there are all over quotes from whatever he spoke yesterday. “Getting old is really not an advantage. You don’t get any more intelligent or more generous. My advice is to avoid it!” (yep, was him!) Another that I know comes from Allen: “My brain? That’s my second favorite organ.” All right, I suggest you watch the press conference, is the most amusing up-to-date, but be prepared to hear Woody talking the peculiar way he is (!) which is Excellent for me. Check the video here, is only in English (sans the awful French simultaneous translation voice over). By-the-way feel free to fast forward in the not amusing parts – when Woody is not talking- … Oops! You can’t.

Gosh, the official site just upped the Photocall for Countdown to Zero and guess who was there? Meg Ryan!!! You know what name all photographers were screaming? Yep, Meg! Meg! No idea she had something to do with this documentary but I’m glad she’s in it (if she is, as is not credited anywhere… strange); still I’m sure will not be a pleasant to watch film.

Ahh! Cannes politics... One French newspaperman bitterly claims that Tavernier's movie is not for a festival, belongs to TV... then continues to tell that the film is in the Selection because Tavernier works with Thierry Fremaux at Lumiere Institute. Well, from trailers and clips I got almost the same impression, but definitively I'm a lot more 'polite' just check my comment above. (called the film: classical). On other news about same film, one British newspaper woman 'enjoyed the costume film' but was a little bit boring... (that's exactly what I mean by classic-al-).

Seems that African cinema is well represented with Un Homme Qui Crie. I didn't particularly like the film clips, but today photos from the film look spectacular plus newspaper buzz claiming that is TOO slow (lol!) just got me really interested as awesome visuals plus slow pace belong to my kind of movies!!

It's said that Xavier Dolan's second film got an standing ovation. I'm glad but need no Cannes approval, I have to watch this film that I expect will be visually stunning.

Love to watch videos at Canal+ just for one very special 'thing'... an ad!!! You have to watch the J'Adore parfum ad with Charlize Theron... WOW!

Been reading about what I think are two Beatles film projects, one where Martin Scorsese is involved about George Harrison's life -seems will be a documentary, as is claiming to include 'never before seen' real footage-, and another that will be produced by a crazy British singer I'm not familiar with called Liam Gallagher (sorry but pop/rock music is not my forte). The Gallagher still untitle project will be based on a 1972 book which details the Liverpool band's final years.

To close this section and finally re-publish the post let me share with you about a French film that has the director/actor/producer/writer puzzled because was not selected in any festival selection. Ça Commence par la Fin starring Emmanuelle Béart and her husband Michaël Cohen (both well-know in France, so known that are called the King and Queen of French cinema) is not in Cannes and Cohen is bitter, but Beart will walk the red carpet at the closing ceremony sans Cohen. The film tells the story in reverse and opens with the end of the relationship between leads; film is based on Cohen's novel of the same name. News in English say it's very erotic, ie sexually explicit, which to me means that is a 'normal' French cinema film even when they compare it to Gaspar Noe's Irréversible.

The Great News

Just a few hours ago Michael Haneke was honored with a "green and gold medallion" making him a Commander in France's National Order of Arts and Letters. The honor was bestowed upon him by Frederic Mitterand, France's Culture Minister.

Well, definitively today the fest starts to pickup steam and becoming more interesting to follow. I'm so glad as I was starting to get bored... (lol!). Tomorrow one of the favorites for many -I have no idea how the film became their favorite as there is no trailer and the only clip hardly shows more than a hand- Biutiful by Inarritu...

Cheers!!!

Today's photo: Michael Haneke and Juliette Binoche smiling and showing Haneke's latest honor.