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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