Overview

    So finally...after a long plane flight and travel time filled with lost tickets, oversized luggage, late plane arrivals, jet lag, the ever-present eye infection and just losing half of an already-typed blog post complete with pictures...here is the final wrap-up and recap of the Festival de Cannes 2008 closing ceremonies.
    What was reportedly the rainiest and least exciting Cannes Film Festival in the last couple of years, ended on a rainy and windy day with a nearly desolate French Riviera. Even on the day of the closing ceremonies, critics tried to predict winners but few agreed on many categories or seemed certain that one nominee topped the rest.
    After miraculously getting a ticket to the red carpet gala, I got to watch the final awards ceremony coupled with the premiere of Robert de Niro's new movie about the film industry, What Just Happened.
    The ceremony began with a charming French host who was saying some amusing things in his native tongue because everyone was laughing, but I couldn't understand a word. Kerry Washington (The Last King of Scotland) came out to introduce something, but I never really understood what she was presenting...no award was given out...maybe a pre-awards show talk?




    The Camera d'Or (for first time filmmaker) was then presented to Steve McQueen for his amazing and stunning biopic, Hunger, starring Michael Fassbender as Bobby Sands, the Irish republican who went on a hunger strike while in prison. The remarkable story sent critics and audiences abuzz from the very beginning of the Festival. Dennis Hopper (who is surprisingly shorter then you'd imagine) presented McQueen with the award who commented on Hopper's influence on his own work.



    Then the jury was announced, beginning with the president, Sean Penn. Penn also starred with De Niro in the movie to be shown afterwards. The jury members each took their seats on the stage, while Penn discussed the hard task of picking these winners. He also said he would try and translate the winners in English after the French announcement if needbe, because at one Cannes ceremony, Penn didn't know who was winning what due to the language barrier. The jury also consisted of: Alfonso Cuaron (Children of Men director),  Sergio Castellitto (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian villain), Marjane Satrapi (writer Persepolis), Jeanne Balibar (French actress), Rachid Bouchareb (French director), Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thai director), Alexandra Maria Lara (German actress) and Natalie Portman.



    Each presenter had to look to Penn for the winner of the awards - it seemed like this was a mistake on someone's part for not having cue cards or "winner is.." envelopes for the presenters. Jokes were made in French repeatedly about this error. Le Silence of Lorna (The Silence of Lorna) won Best Screenplay, even though most had predicted a Best Actress win for this film. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne both vigorously accepted the award for their screenplay about a woman's struggle with her heart, a faux marriage and the mob. Best Director went to Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Three Monkeys, a slow-moving drama about a family's downward spiral after the patriarch does jail time to help his boss. Faye Dunaway presented the Best Director award after speaking some lines in French.



    Benicio del Toro was unanimously decided to be the Best Actor winner for his starring role in Steven Soderbergh's Che. Sandra Corveloni (surprisingly) won the Best Actress award for Linha de Passe, her first feature film role. The film's two directors, Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas accepted the award on Corveloni's behalf. The actress had already traveled back to Brazil and dealing with some unfortunate medical situations. Jean Reno (Reno) presented this award.



    A special 61st Cannes Film Festival award was given to Catherine Deneuve (Un Conte de Noel) and Clint Eastwood (The Exchange) for a combination of lifetime achievement and their films at the Festival this year. Deneuve received the award from Penn, who received his Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997 from her, so the two have a little Film Festival history. Eastwood was a no-show to the ceremony.



    Il Divo won the Jury Prize, which is kind of like a third place to the Palm d'Or, while Gomorra won the Grand Prize,  which is, you guessed it, kind of like second place to the Palm. Both films focused on mob situations. Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil) gave Il Divo's director, Paulo Sorrentino his award, and legendary director Roman Polanski (Chinatown) surprised everyone by appearing in public and giving Gomorra's director, Matteo Garrone, his prize.



    Finally, the Palm d'Or was ready to be given by Robert De Niro himself. France's The Class (Entre les Murs) unanimously won the coveted epitome of Cannes, and the entire row of people behind me screamed and yelled, as they must have been related to the many children featured in the film who filed on stage to accept the award with the director Laurent Cantet. The movie is based on reality but still a fictionalized version, and it premiered on day 11 of the Festival, giving critics barely enough time to rave and audiences barely any chance to see it. It's based on a book (turned screenplay) by its star (in film and in life), François Bégaudeau.



    After the excitement died down, What Just Happened  was screened. De Niro stars as a big-time Hollywood producer trying to balance Sean Penn's new movie to show at Cannes (!), Bruce Willis's ego and his estranged wife (played by Penn's not-anymore-estranged wife Robin Wright). The movie is very average, but the parts about Cannes are fun to see...if you're in Cannes while seeing them.


   

 

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    So after a long and complicated two days of travel and jetlagged-dom...(is that anywhere close to a word?), I made it back to Atlanta, Ga. I schemed my way into the closing ceremonies, so  I have many stories, tidbits and pictures from the event that included some huge surprises and touching moments. I can't wait to share them, but first, I have to find my camera, charge it and get situated back in U.S. time. Ah to travel...will update ASAP with a wrap up of all things Cannes 2008!

 

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    The Festival is officially on the downward spiral to a close. The movies are fewer and farther between, and the marketplace itself is quiet and packing up to go home.
    Maybe it's good timing then that now is when I have developed a horrible eye infection that's not pink eye but some other horrible irritation. I am on my third different kind of eye drops and taking any advice, including the latest: put milk on your eyes to soothe the pain. If anyone else has any ideas, I would greatly appreciate it since doctors are hard to find on weekends, which it now is. So here is a wrap-up of the last three days of the Festival de Cannes 2008...

'Che' Epic: Day 8
    It was one of the most talked about and latest entries into this year's running for the Palm Award. Steven Soderbergh's latest film barely made it into the competition, and this hurried feeling is felt with the film's lack of titles and credits. Che is Soderbergh's full-lenght epic tale about Ernesto 'Che' Guevara, played by Benicio del Toro. Here, the movie played 4+ hours, complete with an intermission where Kit-Kats and waters were given out to the patient crowd. In a recent press conference, Soderbergh discussed his vision for the theatrical release, which has already been slated to be two separate films: The Argentine and Guerilla, but the director also talked about a new idea, where the first week of the film's release, there would be an optional full-length screening, as opposed to the split. None of this is set in stone, however, as a studio still hasn't snatched the picture up.


    The red carpet for Che's official premiere was a sight to see as long-legged dancers performed in the street and those in hotels across the street cheered Che's real life persona with chants and posters. Mike Tyson walked the carpet as well...we were informed through his documentary that he has a tattoo of Che on his stomach, so now he believes he was "before the times," since so much attention is now on the leader. Also, on perhaps a personal note, I enjoyed seeing Soderbergh's wife, Jules Asner, with him. Before Ryan Seacrest and Guiliana DePandi hosted E! News, there was Asner and Steve Kmetko...hasn't been the same since.


    The reviews of Soderbergh's huge undertaking are mixed (like most everything has been at this year's Festival). Some are touting the movie to win the director his next Palm, while others can't get over how much editing needs to happen or the apparent lack of two independently succinct films to be released theatrically, but del Toro is getting mostly rave reviews around the trade papers. Perhaps at least a Best Actor Award this year at Cannes?

Tarantino teaches: Day 9
      The most anticipated event of Day 10 of the Cannes Film Festival was director Quentin Tarantino's Masterclass. I was trying to boycott the event because, though I like some of Tarantino's movies, he disgusted me last year at Martin Scorsese's Masterclass with his incessant talking and just all-around rude behavior. However, when push came to shove, and I landed on a special VIP ticket, I caved and decided to see what Mr. Pulp Fiction himself had to say.
     The event was packed and many people were turned away from the rather large theater it was held in. The Masterclass is kind of like Inside the Actor's Studio with James Lipton on the Bravo television channel. This interview just has a different host and isn't as long as those TV specials.
     Working their way through Tarantino's major works, the discussion started with the director's love of film, directors and writing to start off. Tarantino worked in a video store and watched as many films as possible, getting ideas, honing his knowledge. His major influence, he says, is Brian DePalma. Tarantino recommends anyone who wants to direct to act and write first and just go out and make a movie.
     "I think making a feature yourself, with nothing, is the best film school you could ever have," said Tarantino, who never finished middle school.
     The talk then moved on to the filmmaker's films, including Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill and Death Proof. Various clips from the films were shown, and Tarantino talked (usually pretty wildly and actively) about the scene and sets of his films.
     While making Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino went to the Sundance Film Festival to show some of the work...not all were receptive to some of his experimental long takes, but Terry Gilliam loved it.
     "(I thought) that's going to be my career, and people are going to either really like me or really not, but get used to it, because that's the f***ing deal," said Tarantino to a large number of cheers and applause.
    Video added soon....


'Synechdoche' puzzles: Day 10
    One of the last movies to compete for the grand prize from America is Charlie Kaufman's unusual (to say the least), Synechdoche, New York. I know Charlie Kaufman is weird, and his films are very odd, but so far I've liked most of his work, which until now, only including producing and writing.
    I really enjoyed Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, so I went into Synechodoche not knowing what to think and expecting something absolutely crazy - that is most definitely what I got.
    Kaufman's first directing experience is led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Caden, a man going through a midlife crisis/nervous breakdown, to put it simply, but things get much more complicated from there. Caden is a playwright, so he incorporates his real life problems into his plays...kind of...I think this is one of Kaufman's craziest films, and I have respect for it but won't be adding to to my DVD collection. It's also a film that needs to be seen again, studied and discussed, which I haven't had a chance to do.
    The acting is first-rate though (even if the story ebbs and flows). Led by Hoffman, the rest of the cast has a great hold on the material, including Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Most of the cast showed up to the premiere, including Michelle Williams, who's been laying low as of late.

 

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    Now that the Indy premiere is over, things in Cannes just aren't the same...a certain buzz has left the Festival, but hopefully this can be turned around with the remaining films.
    P.S. It's still raining almost every day here...

    Reports have surfaced that Joaquin Phoenix missed the opening of his film Two Lovers due to a nasty stomach flu. The actor is a consistent part of James Gray's three Palm-nominated films, and Phoenix always makes it to the premieres - his absence surprised many this Monday, but apparently he was physically unable to get on the flight. Hopefully he feels betters soon to enjoy the praise his performance in the film is receiving.

    Earlier this week, Clint Eastwood changed the name of his in-competition film, Changeling to The Exchange. I tend to like that better, as it's easier to say. I kept hearing mispronunciations of the first title, making me think of "chain link fence," and it was distracting. It's reported that Eastwood enjoyed the French translation (L'exchange) so much that he officially changed the title the day before it premiered in the Palais.
    Raining and cold, everyone anxiously awaited Eastwood and Angelina Jolie's arrival and the verdict from the critics: is this a film (finally) worthy of the Palm?
    Rounding out the pre-cast celebrities at the red carpet was an array of various personalities including Nick Nolte, Sharon Stone, Tim Robbins and Dita Von Teese. A documentary about Nolte and his life (Nick Nolte: No Exit) is premiering here Thursday evening to a small crowd.

   
    As the rain slacked a little bit (but the umbrellas annoyingly stayed up), Angelina Jolie and Clint Eastwood made their way up the carpet with Brad Pitt following behind. Last year, each of the Brangelina duo had a film and a chance to take a backseat to the other, but this year, Pitt has been willingly taking the background spot to his starring lady. Of course, a background spot for Brad Pitt is nearly impossible and the screaming crowd of girls continued to yell his name until he obliged and waved to the onlookers....creating shrilled hysteria.



    The critics are giving mostly positive reviews of the Eastwood-Jolie flick, though they're concerned with it's succinct place in the Palm category and it's hard-to-market storyline. Jolie plays Christine Collins, a woman working hard in the 1920s to support her one and only won, Walter. After being called into work one Saturday, Christine leaves Walter at their house, asking a neighbor to check in, but he disappears. The nine-year-old is part of a police investigation for five months, until a call comes in telling Christine her son has been found by the Los Angeles police department. Upon arrival, Christine knows this boy is not her son, however, the LAPD does not want to admit mistake and forces her to reconsider, eventually leading to a malicious battle between the corrupt police force and a desperate mother. Jolie is fantastic here, and I'm making an early prediction for her to win Best Actress here in Cannes. Eastwood spins the film just right and moves the audience while also never putting them to sleep. My favorite competition film by far.

 

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    Writer/director James Gray is absolutely loved and adored here at the Cannes Film Festival.
    His (only) second movie venture, the 2000 film The Yards, was nominated for the coveted Palm and starred Joaquin Phoenix and Mark Wahlberg.
    Last year, his third film (quite a long break) premiered here as well to poor reviews. We Own the Night stars Phoenix (again) and Wahlberg (again!) as brothers on opposite sides of the law. Despite the good actors present, the film didn't rise above the negative aspects holding it down.
    Now, Gray is back with the new drama, Two Lovers, (still) starring Phoenix opposite Gwyneth Paltrow. This time Phoenix plays a man suffering from heartache and life confusion who falls for the crazed next-door neighbor (Paltrow).
    The acting is definitely above average with Phoenix and Paltrow doing well with their characters and each other, but the story is predictable and formulaic...not something to be seen at the Festival de Cannes.

    Two Lovers was the late-night premiere in Cannes on Day 6. The crowd was mild compared to the previous Indiana Jones near-fiasco, and the only unrelated celebrity who showed up was P.Diddy...Sean Combs...Puff Daddy. The announcer stumbled over his various names as he arrived too - not sure everything he was saying, but he called Mr. Combs by a couple of names.



    Then the low-key red carpet ended with Paltrow and Gray, leaving Phoenix the newest no show of the year, followed by the absence of Scarlett Johansson (reportedly she acted too spoiled and diva-esque) and Javier Bardem (citing personal issues), who both missed Vicky Cristina Barcelona.


    So far the fight for the Palm seems to be wide open. Nothing is exciting critics across the board (or me for that matter) like last year's No Country for Old Men, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days or Persepolis. As of right now, the highest rated film (according to the group in Screen Magazine) is Three Monkeys, one of my least favorites here. The only reason it's in the lead is due to lack of acclaim for the others in the race. We still have some major films to think of in the next few days: Che, The Exchange (previously called Changeling, but Eastwood changed the name this week) and Synecdoche New York. Hopefully much more to come other than rain here...

 

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    It's the day all of Cannes and many movie lovers around the world were waiting for - the world premiere of the fourth installment of the much beloved Indiana Jones series. What better place to have a world premiere than in the French Riviera during the largest film festival in the world? After many press junkets and photo opps, everyone was set for the cast to arrive and the verdict to come in...does Harrison Ford still have what it takes to be a convincing action/adventure star? Is the franchise still alive and running?

    Earlier in the day, I took in a screening of Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which turned out to be my favorite movie thus far, I think. Critics are responding well to the movie too, calling Penelope Cruz Allen's newest muse. Cruz, by the way, turns in a great performance as the bitter and pretty insane ex-wife of Javier Bardem's suave and easy-on-the-eyes Juan Antonio. It was received with a standing ovation at its premiere.

    While waiting outside in the line area for the film, documentary director Michael Moore casually walked by with his small entourage. Everyone cheered, but I was shocked at just how large he is in real life. I mean, he's obviously a big guy, but walking right by me, he was bigger than I imagined.

    Invited to the big Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, was a who's who of Hollywood and a who's huh? too. Vincent Cassel (Ocean's 13, Eastern Promises) is a huge force in the French film world and has been regularly attending premieres this year. Natalie Portman (in this year's jury), Goldie Hawn and Salma Hayek also made their way through the packed crowds waiting for Ford and company.




    Then came a few blasts from the past: Dean Cain (remember The New Adventures of Superman), Billy Zane (Titanic) and Christian Slater (Heathers).

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    Soon the carpet was hit with the Indy cast, including Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. The theme music begins, and Harrison Ford is joined by Calista Flockhart, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone and John Hurt. It was one of those monumental occasions - having all of the legends together at one time on a flashy red carpet, and the sheer excitement of Spielberg, Lucas and Ford together again sent the crowd into uproars. Slowly, the cast/crew walked up the carpet together, posing for pictures, minus LaBeouf, who arrived without much introduction and disappeared during the last of the cast photos. Not sure who's move this was, but when he was on the carpet, he looked incredibly overwhelmed on the most crowded and monstrous day of Cannes 2008.


    The next morning, reviews were in and (mostly) critics enjoyed the lighthearted adventures of dear 'ole Indy. I personally found the film to be a great throwback to the originals, as it maintained the same mood of the series with some new faces to boost the morale. Definitely a fun escape, and Lucas is already hinting at a possible Indy 5 with LaBeouf starring.

 

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    So did I mention it's not pretty weather here? It's actually raining?
    Just making sure...

    And remember that Panda that walked a little of the red carpet for the Kung Fu Panda premiere? Apparently, this act broke tons of Cannes tradition, mostly involving the stricter than strict red carpet dress code (tux, cocktail dress). Fortunately, the panda didn't walk up the whole carpet and was taken off before anyone caused a fuss.

    More movie news everyone's buzzing about:

• Spielberg is set to make Jurassic Park 4 with Laura Dern reprising her role from the original.
• Tommy Lee Jones is adapting the Ernest Hemingway novel, "Islands in the Stream" and hosting an event here to promote it. Rumored to star: John Goodman and Morgan Freeman.
• Dennis Hopper celebrated his 72nd birthday today in Cannes.
• Ford, Lucas, Spielberg and Blanchett have all been spotted promoting Indy (not like it needs promotion) around town meaning for a packed Cannes come tomorrow.

    So far the in competition film with the most critical praise is an animated documentary...you heard right...think A Scanner Darkly kind of animation. Waltz with Bashir by Ari Folman (director/writer/producer), is based on a true story: Folman is trying to piece together of his time in the Lebanon War until the '80s and mixes reality and fantasy throughout.

    Then I checked out Tyson, the Mike Tyson documentary that he's been here promoting and chatting about. I'll tell anyone, I'm not a Mike Tyson fan, but I was intrigued by the idea of learning more about him...well, now I know a little more and might just like him less. The documentary is mostly an interview with Tyson while sitting on a couch or awkwardly walking on a balcony. One good thing: he's honest...perhaps brutally honest. There are some things I'd rather not know about Mr. Tyson (i.e. sexual tendencies), but now I do. Mixing news footage with the oddly edited interviews, Tyson does have some interesting and funny Mike Tyson revelations, including how he used to collect pigeons...not kidding.

   
    Then I turned right around and watched Three Monkeys (in competition), which I still don't understand and don't think its synopsis was accurate on the dailies. It's a really slow family drama...that's all I can really tell you.

    So after three super serious movies (well, Tyson was half-serious), I went to a fun, American comedy The Deal, starring William H. Macy and Meg Ryan. It's not mind-blowing or a cinematic breakthrough of any kind, but I laughed and didn't almost fall asleep for the first time all day! I hope it makes it's way to at least a small run in the states.

    So the big red carpet extravaganza for the the night of day 4 was Woody Allen's new romance, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Patricia Clarkson and Rebecca Hall. Early in the day it was reported that the possibly (never can tell in Hollywood) future Mrs. Ryan Reynolds was going to be a no-show. Maybe she knew it was going to be raining in the Riviera on her big day, cause it was, and as soon as the red carpet started, the rain came and the umbrellas went up. Bardem was also a no-show, leaving Hall, Cruz and Allen to walk the carpet solo. I was hoping to see Bardem and Cruz together (I'm all for the couples), but just had to settle for Allen and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn. Allen's first time at the Cannes Film Festival was in 2002 when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award.



    Tomorrow is what everyone's been waiting for...Indiana Jones...should be crazy....

 

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    So isn't the French Riviera supposed to be pretty, warm and lovely weather? Unlike last year's cloudless week and a half in Cannes, this year has been covered with clouds and overcast skies - I've just been waiting for the rain to come...and third day of the Festival...it did.
    I got up in time to go to an 8:30 a.m. premiere. I got the ticket through another girl in the group of students I'm staying with, and she was supposed to go with me, but after I knocked on her door three times and called the room twice, I decided she wasn't going to make it and went ahead...feeling kind of guilty since she got the ticket for me but not too guilty because when she heard that A) the movie was at 8:30 a.m., B) it was 2hr 30min and C) it was in French with subtitles, she didn't seem too excited to join anyway...but I digress.
   
    This morning's premiere (in competition) was of the new French film, Un Conte de Noel or A Christmas Tale. Starring French film royalty, Catherine Deneuve and one of the Festival's most talked about actors of last year, Mathieu Amalric (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), Un Conte de Noel is a complex family drama set around Christmas time.
    In some ways I had to agree with the girl who slept late: the early morning premiere, serious tone and long running length, was a little hard to handle, but all in all the film's enjoyable. The performances (not just Deneuve and Amalric), drive the film above what it might normally be with such a story. Definitely a talky movie but also well acted and enjoyable.


    Then it was off to battle the rain and get to a re-screening of Kung Fu Panda. Nice to have a fun, animated film in the middle of all of the super sad, depressing and dramatic ones, definitely. By now, it's full blown raining, and I'm dressed/prepared for a pretty day in Cannes...no umbrella and no warm clothes. Out of no where, tons of people are on the street selling cheap umbrellas for ten euro a pop...I of course buy one, being desperate. Then, I'm off to find a sweatshirt or something warm to wear, especially since the theaters are blasting the air conditioning extra on this day. Every store I run into though, does not sell anything with sleeves and scoffs at the idea. "It's summer time - no long sleeves," they say, while looking outside at the winter-clothed Festival-goers....so I buy a big beach towel with "Cannes" written all over it and trek to the next theater.
   
    Lion's Den (Leonera) premiered (in competition) at Cannes the previous night, and I caught the cast's reaction to the film and coming back out to the onlookers. The main actress, Martina Gusman, was crying at the positive reaction from the theater, and I was intrigued to see it. Another in a string of prison films (Blindness, Hunger), Lion's Den (from Argentina) follows Julia (Gusman), as she wakes up with a dead man in her apartment and no recollection of the previous events. She's thrown into jail, but because she's also pregnant, she's kept in a separate "family" sect of the ward and raises her son there. Very captivating film, with Gusman exceeding expectations.



   

 

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