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The 2007 Cannes Palme D'Or Award Goes to...

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 12:20:20 PDT

The 2007 Cannes Film Festival has concluded with the dispensing of the festival's top award, the Palme D'Or, to Cristian Mungiu's (pictured) 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, a drama that Variety describes as "a stark, trenchant drama about a woman's experiences receiving an abortion in the waning days of Romania's communist era."

Taking second place (the Grand Prix) was The Mourning Forest, "an ultra-arty, arid and slow French-Japanese co-production that had viewers and critics streaming for the exits early." Gus Van Sant, whose Elephant took the Palme D'Or in 2003, was awarded the third place prize for his Paranoid Park, a drama about a teenager trying to cope with having accidentally caused someone's death.

The biggest surprise according to many critics is that the Coen Brothers latest, No Country for Old Men, failed to bring home any of the top honors though it was predicted to be a festival favorite. Based on the Cormac McCarthy novel, the film's description sounds like classic Coen Brothers fare: "Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande." You can currently check out five clips of the wry, dusty movie and decide for yourself if it was robbed of Cannes awards.

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Cannes Reviews: Sicko

BuzzSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 05:50:59 PDT

For the most part critics are heralding Michael Moore's latest documentary Sicko for providing an eye-opening look at the health insurance crisis in the U.S. Many are also uttering sighs of relief that Moore's political viewpoints are relatively subdued in the film, unlike his previous documentaries in which many found Moore's opinions shoved down their throats, ultimately undermining the messages of the films.

Curiously, even the Fox News website is giving Sicko a favorable review, though the critic is quick to note this is because Moore isn't "confronting" anyone. The most common complaint for Sicko is that in comparing American system to that of Cuba, Canada and England (among other countries), Moore paints an absurdly rosy picture of other systems in order to highlight just how horrifying things are here, but the rosiness isn't exactly accurate, either.

Check out some excerpts from various reviews of Sicko:

Variety:
“...An entertaining and affecting dissection of the American health care industry that documents how it benefits the few at the expense of the many. Pic's tone alternates between comedy and outrage, as it compares the U.S system of care to other countries.

Chief criticism of the film is that it paints too rosy a picture of the national health care of the countries he compares America to, including Canada, England, France - and Cuba.”

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Entertainment Weekly:
"There's a certain robust clarity of political activism in this latest salvo from media provocateur Michael Moore that marks a new maturity."

Cinematical:
"I know it's nit-picking, but I don't think I'm the only person who watches Moore's films and wishes they had more clarity and less hilarity - at the same time, I think that a large mass of the American public is so desperate for someone to speak truth to power that they'll settle for someone willing to say anything to it, no matter how specious or muddled.

It's that tone -- of selfless self-celebration, of public altruism, of snide sensitivity - that undercuts a lot of Moore's work, and it undermines Sicko. I don't expect a film to solve the American health care crisis, but even as a call to arms, Sicko's more muddled and muted and scattered than it should be. Moore may be challenging the system, but he still feels like the guy who brought a clown's squirting flower and a joy buzzer to a knife fight and then wonders out loud why he lost."

Fox News:
"Filmmaker Michael Moore's brilliant and uplifting new documentary, Sicko, deals with the failings of the U.S. healthcare system, both real and perceived. But this time around, the controversial documentarian seems to be letting the subject matter do the talking, and in the process shows a new maturity.

Unlike many of his previous films... Sicko works because in this one there are no confrontations. Moore smartly lets very articulate average Americans tell their personal horror stories at the hands of insurance companies. The film never talks down or baits the audience."

Huffington Post:
“Here's what Moore found. Care ‘doesn't depend on your premiums, it depends on your needs,’ the film reports. You don't have to check your health security at the door, or mortgage your future when at your most sick and vulnerable.
Moore's not even afraid of the inevitable complaints about ‘socialized’ medicine. ‘Back home in America we're socializing lots of things,’ Sicko finds, among them our fire and police service, Social Security checks, and even the library.”

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Cannes Reviews: A Mighty Heart

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 May 2007 04:07:55 PDT

Admittedly, I was nervous to read the reviews for A Mighty Heart, a movie based on the horrific story of journalist Daniel Pearl who was kidnapped in Pakistan in 2002 and ultimately beheaded. The real-life story is heartbreaking, and I worried that a movie might trivialize rather than honor Daniel Pearl's story.

So far, the reviews have been positive with critics giving kudos for the respectful way in which the Pearls' story is told, though also mentioning that the movie presents moments of discomfort having to do with such ripped-from-the-headlines tales of torture and terrorism. Jolie is being lauded for her sensitive and accurate portrayal of Mariane Pearl, tasked as she was with the precarious challenge of playing a person who is still alive. So far, the only reviewers to write about A Mighty Heart have been from Variety and Hollywood Reporter - though over on Popwatch, the reviewer was too moved to write a review yet. UPDATE: New excerpt from the Guardian's review after the jump.

Variety:
“But this is ultimately - and very intimately - Mariane Pearl's story, and much of it rests on Jolie, who fits comfortably into the naturalistic mold that shapes the entire ensemble... this isn't the sort of commanding star turn in which the performer vanishes behind a well-known celebrity mask, but rather a subdued, carefully considered portrait of a woman caught between premature grief and persistent hope.

Jolie plays Mariane as sharp and prickly, but also highly principled and completely devoted to her husband. Wisely, Winterbottom opts to shoot her more high-pitched outbursts from a distance or in near-darkness, as if refusing to milk more histrionics than necessary."

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Hollywood Reporter:
"The film alarmingly implies that torture works when one suspect reveals names under duress and watching the no-holds-barred approach of the Pakistani authorities on a raid, the [U.S. diplomatic security specialist Randall] Bennett declares, "I love this town!"

For the most part, however, the film reflects the dispassionate view espoused by Mariane Pearl, who sees that it is misery that breeds terrorism. Jolie plays her with respect and a firm grasp on a difficult accent influenced by France and Cuba."

Guardian Unlimited:
"I can't help thinking a bolder type of movie might have made Daniel the centre of the action, and stayed with him, in real time as it were, until his horrifying execution - in the manner of Paul Greengrass's United 93. Michael Winterbottom evidently wanted something different: a human-interest study of Mariane, left alone to deal with the unthinkable horror of widowhood. Jolie gives an intelligent and restrained performance, but with her frizzy hairdo, dark-brown contact lenses and French accent, she is encumbered with surface detail and we never get inside her head or her heart.

Compared to In This World or The Road to Guantánamo, this story of Mariane Pearl is strangely underpowered, telling us at great length things that we know already. I wondered if the director's heart was entirely in it."

Cannes Reviews: My Blueberry Nights

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 May 2007 16:25:10 PDT

Since I'm not able to attend the Cannes Film Festival this year, I'm scouring the Web for reviews of movies that look the most interesting. First on my list: My Blueberry Nights, the first English-language film by director Wong Kar Wai which stars Norah Jones, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Rachel Weisz.

Overwhelmingly, the critics' message is this: Wong Kar Wai is masterful at creating a visually evocative film, though the dialogue is lacking, thus making the performances feel empty and pointless. Some say the script's shortcomings are a result of language issues, but that in the end none of it matters because the film is so beautiful. Check out these excerpts from various reviews:

Hollywood Reporter:
"Nothing truly profound gets discovered... The director is chasing a mood here - a mood, an atmosphere and feelings... The glue here is Jones, who holds a wispy, wistful film together with a deeply felt, unself-conscious performance that strikes the right notes without ever falling into repetition or banality. She brings her singer's talent of knowing when to go for emotions and when to hold back to her acting. It's a remarkably assured work; one hopes she will further explore acting in other movies."

Variety:
"Jones proves agreeable but bland company in the role; she's attractive, but lacks mystery, emotional vitality and that something special behind the eyes... Visual beauty is a given in Wong's films, as is the use of pop songs and old standards, and nothing has changed on those counts here."

More viewpoints if you

IGN:
"Fans of his work will leave My Blueberry Nights happy that his first English language film is no outright disappointment, but they'll never class it amongst his best work."

Hollywood Elsewhere:
"...A horribly written, woefully banal self- discovery mood piece (the word "drama" really can't be applied)… I don't know which is worse - the whole waitressing-in-Memphis section of the film, or the endless soul-searching section with Law in the pastry shop. But put 'em together and wham, you're looking at your watch and going, 'Holy bejeezus, this is dreadful.'"

Cinematical:
"My Blueberry Nights is so beautifully shot, though, that you'd be excused for thinking that the quality of the performances is almost irrelevant; each scene is a symphony of color and light, each frame exquisitely shaped by the play of pigment and shade. New York is caught in blue, wintry tones; Memphis in deep, relaxed browns; Nevada's casinos come alive in jittery crimson... This is the sort of thing that you would rather see than hear, and My Blueberry Nights is full of these moments – lengthy stretches of film where we're having emotional and thematic meanings spelled out for us like we were slow children....Still, only the hard-hearted will pause to object to those moments; most of us will be swept away by Wong's visions and his depiction of love, loss and life."

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Cannes Kicks Off With My Blueberry Nights

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 04:32:38 PDT

Today the Cannes Film Festival kicks off in France, and starting things off is Hong Kong director Wong Kar Wai's first English-language film, My Blueberry Nights. The movie is about a lovelorn road trip and stars Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman and... Norah Jones?

Yup, Norah Jones. Apparently, Kar Wai specifically sought out the musician for the starring role. More details if you

Variety has the scoop:

She admits she knew little about the director's work when she first met Wong over lunch in New York.

"I thought maybe he wanted music," she says. "And he asked if I wanted to act! I knew his reputation as a director was very unconventional and very different, and I knew what his movies looked like, and it just seemed like a really good time to say yes and try something different with somebody I trusted."

In "My Blueberry Nights," Jones is the central character, a young woman working her way across the country in the wake of a romantic breakup.

Jones goes on to gush that her costars were extra-supportive, knowing she was nervous, and treated her like their "little sister." I found these richly colorful stills from the film on RopeofSilicon and I must say this movie intrigues me, so I'll be scouring the Web for reviews as soon as Nights is screened. Oh, to be at Cannes!

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Cannes You Dig It?

BuzzSugar — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 16:10:46 PDT

We can dig it! The lineup has been released for the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, which begins May 16 and where Brad and Angelina will grace everyone with their presence. That's not totally random, since they both have movies in the festival, though neither of their films are competing for the top prize, the Palme d'Or.

Twenty other films are in competition for the Palme d'Or, however, including:

Wong Kar Wai's first English-language film My Blueberry Nights (pictured), which kicks off the festival and weirdly stars Norah Jones alongside Jude Law and Natalie Portman. According to IMDB, the story follows a young woman (Jones) during a "soul-searching journey across America to resolve her questions about love."
We Own the Night, a Russian mafia drama starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, and Eva Mendes.
Quentin Tarantino's half of Grindhouse, Death Proof.
David Fincher's well-done thriller Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Mark Ruffalo.

The Coen brothers' latest crime drama No Country for Old Men, starring Woody Harrelson and Tommy Lee Jones and based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy.

To see the great films that aren't competing for the top prize,

Not in the competition:

The film chronicling Mariane Pearl's tragic saga, A Mighty Heart, which stars Angelina Jolie and was produced by Brad Pitt's Plan B.
Ocean's Thirteen, which will play at the festival before releasing stateside on June 8. The film already looks amazing.
Cannes winner Michael Moore's new documentary about the U.S. health-care system, Sicko.
Ken Burns' 14-hour long World War II documentary The War, which has come under fire recently for failing to pay homage to the contributions of Hispanic Americans.

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Kristen, Kirsten, Garrett, and Their On the Road Gang Hit the Grand Palais at Cannes

Allie Merriam — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:16:53 PDT

Kristen Stewart hit the red carpet for her Cannes premiere of On the Road this evening. She had the company of costars Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Tom Sturridge, and Kirsten Dunst. Kirsten wore pink Dior, and Kristen was in Balenciaga. The gang spent the whole day together, having attended a press conference and photocall earlier. The movie debuted at the film festival this morning - check out our movie review of On the Road. The picture is based on the classic 1957 Jack Kerouac novel, and in it Kristen plays Marylou, the object of affection for the two main characters, played by Sam Riley and Garrett Hedlund. It was a big risk for Kristen, who has actually been attached to the project since producers saw her in 2007's Into the Wild, because it involves more nudity than her Twilight movies.

At today's press conference, Kristen spoke about her character. She said, "I love Marylou. The character is so vivid, she jumps right off the page and slaps you in the face . . . If I had to choose one character who really, truly embodied the spirit of this book, it was her. She really is this amazing link between the two boys. It's a grand statement to make, but it might not have happened without her."

Tom Sturridge didn't bring along his pregnant partner Sienna Miller, but there were plenty of other celeb couples in attendance. Robert Pattinson turned up to support Kristen ahead of his own Cosmopolis debuting at Cannes this weekend. Sam Riley had wife Alexandra Maria Lara on his arm, and costars Garrett Hedlund and Kirsten Dunst were able to mix romance and work on the carpet.

Cannes Minireview: On the Road

Allie Merriam — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:50:15 PDT

Required reading for teenagers in America, Jack Kerouac's On the Road is now a big-screen film, and the finished product just debuted at Cannes. It's one of the most anticipated movies to be screened at the Grand Palais - read on to see what we thought.

Who's behind it? Walter Salles, of The Motorcycle Diaries, was tasked with directing the picture, which is of course based on the Kerouac classic. Salles has a long list of stars - at one point, I wondered who isn't in this movie. Sam Riley, who had a star-making role in 2007's Control, plays the lead role of Sal Paradise, and Garrett Hedlund is his pal Dean Moriarty. Kristen Stewart and Kirsten Dunst have smaller parts as Dean's love interests, and Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Tom Sturridge, Steve Buscemi, Elisabeth Moss, and many more have other cameos. The production has been in the works for decades. Francis Ford Coppola secured the movie rights back in 1980.
What's it about? It's the beat generation in the USA during the 1940s, but Sal Paradise can't seem to get past his writer's block. Sal takes up with a group of friends who love drinking, talking, dancing, and moving. Dean Moriarty enters the picture and offers adventure. He likes to move around the country, not caring where the money comes from or which hearts he breaks. Sal's a devoted friend to Dean, and they travel the country meeting up with friends, family, strangers, and going wherever the road takes them.

To read what I thought, just read more