Cannes Film Festival

Which Stars Came Out Ahead at Cannes? Who Should Have Stayed Home? From Pitt, Kidman & Mikkelsen to Hardy, Cotillard, Pattinson & Stewart

Anne Thompson — Wed, 30 May 2012 17:08:45 GMT

Cannes can have a huge impact on careers--as the world media watches. That walk up the red carpet can be dazzling for talent, but boos and reviews can be deadly, too. Ask Lee Daniels, who had to pull out the race card to explain the devastating pans for "The Paperboy," which Avi Lerner's Millennium may wind up releasing itself.

Cannes 2012 also highlighted the brutal truth faced by Hollywood talent these days. Actors are on their own if they want to carve out a real career. They can't rely on the studios to supply them with decent roles to showcase their skills. No, they have to pick and choose indie projects--often assembled by agencies such as CAA-- for little pay. "These are what you call art films," Murray memorably quipped at the "Moonrise Kingdom" press conference. "All we get is a trip to Cannes." Yet Murray and the rest of Wes Anderson's goofy ensemble came out ahead by taking that deal.

But do these actors have any choice? Their names can get better mid-budget dramas financed, the kind that can win Oscars. But often without strong producers steering the ship, indie projects get lost in the weeds. "The Paperboy" is a classic case of a follow-up to a major Oscar-winning hit ("Precious") that pushed everyone to take a risk. That didn't pay off.

So who came out ahead? And who wishes they hadn't showed up?

Brad Pitt: He may be seeking an Oscar, but Weinstein Co's hardboiled gangster flick "Killing Them Softly" is no "The Tree of Life" or "Moneyball." The star is true-blue loyal to Down Under director Andrew Dominik ("The Assassination of Jesse James"), but watching Pitt maneuver the tricky politics of the "Killing Them Softly" Cannes press conference was painful. On the one hand he didn't want to espouse the cynical "America isn't a country, it's a business" politics of the film, and admitted that he was proud of his country while still a Left-leaning Liberal. On the other, he said he admired Thomas Jefferson as a thinker and architect, who the film dumps on for owning slaves. Roger Ebert's wife Chaz then challenged Pitt as to whether he admired the architecture of Jefferson's slave quarters? Pitt dodged the question by saying that he followed the script, and later went out of his way to say that while he had no trouble playing a gangster assassin in this film, he might have trouble playing a racist. Not one of Pitt's better days--but more people will remember images of Pitt waving from the Palais steps and his quote about no set date for his and Angelina Jolie's marriage than anything else.

At the top of the Hollywood food chain, Pitt has many other fish to fry: he stars in Marc Forster's zombie epic "World War Z" (June 2013), and the currently-filming third feature from Steve McQueen ("Twelve Years a Slave," opposite Michael Fassbender), is more likely to provide him an Oscar vehicle.

Mads Mikkelsen: The Danish star of "After the Wedding," "Casino Royale" and "Valhalla Rising" won the Best Actor prize for Thomas Vinterberg's "The Hunt." He plays a sad-sack divorced kindergarten teacher who is accused of pedophilia and suffers the tortures of losing his friends and being shunned by his community. Mikkelsen is sensitive and brilliant as a passive decent reactive man who is forced to fight back--and become a man. Remember that awful "Clash of the Titans"? Mikkelsen was one of the few actors who emerged unscathed. He's high-cheek-boned and gorgeous, has an action star's physique, can be dangerous, sexy or vulnerable. More roles will come to him now: he can do anything, villain, lover or hero--even if this movie, which appears on the surface to be a movie-of-the-week but delves into much more unsettling issues about witch hunts, friendship and loyalty-- disappears stateside. Not if Magnolia can help it; the distributor grabbed the movie after his win.

Nicole Kidman: While Lee Daniels' low-budget "The Paperboy" did not play as well as the actress might have hoped, she delivers a memorable turn as a boldy sexual woman infatuated with incarcerated killer John Cusack (also chillingly excellent). Daniels draws great performances out of his actors, that's not the issue--but the movie itself is as chaotic and messy as its swampy setting. Daniels added homosexuality to McConnaughey's character, turns the housekeeper (Macy Gray) into the narrator, and cast David Oyelowo as a fish-out-of-water journalist who was written in the original novel as white. At the press conference Kidman admitted that when she commits to a role she goes all the way, and in this case stayed in character on set. She created her own hair and makeup and assembled her provocative wardrobe out of her own closet. She's a trooper.

But while Kidman looked classy and glam on the red carpet, the film did not serve to counteract such recent duds as "Just Go With It" and "Trespass." She fared better in her second Cannes film, Philip Kaufman's HBO biopic "Hemingway & Gellhorn," opposite Clive Owen. And still to come is the role of Grace Kelly in Olivier Dahan's "Grace of Monaco."

Matthew McConaughey: On the comeback trail after William Friedkin's "Killer Joe" (SXSW), Richard Linklater's "Bernie" and "The Lincoln Lawyer," McConnaughey's two films playing Cannes--Daniels' "The Paperboy" and Jeff Nichols' "Mud"--proved to be let-downs for most critics, although he emerged unscathed. Next up is Steven Soderbergh's "Magic Mike" (June 29) and a cable series with chum Woody Harrelson. At least McConnaughey has drunk the indie Kool-Aid and turned skeptical about studio fare.

Zac Efron: "The Paperboy" did not do much to help Efron, 24, shed his light pretty boy image, as openly gay Daniels lavished long lingering shots on his often naked physique. Still to come is Josh Radnor's Sundance pick-up "Liberal Arts," in which he stars with Elizabeth Olsen, Richard Jenkins and Allison Janney.

Tom Hardy: While "Warrior" proved that Hardy ("Bronson," "Inception," "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy") is not yet a marquee draw, the resourceful Brit's time will come. He dominates John Hillcoat and Nick Cave's southern gothic "Lawless" as a ruthless and powerful Prohibition era rural Virginia bootlegger who looks out for his family and their moonshine business and yet is utterly incapable of dealing with a powerful city woman (Jessica Chastain) who applies for a job at his tavern. While he was inarticulate at the press conference, doing press at Cannes boosted both his and the film's international profile. (When I turned up at the press suite at the Martinez, he ran over and gave me a bear hug. Could have knocked me over. I wasn't even interviewing him! I had to settle for Hillcoat and Cave.)

Coming up is Hardy's return to working with Christopher Nolan (as villain Bane) in summer tentpole "The Dark Knight Rises." And down the road is the still-in-the-works "Mad Max" reboot. Hardy is also linked to a biker project and may play Al Capone in "Cicero."

Shia LaBeouf: Trying to transition to more mature roles, LaBeouf had come to Cannes before with "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." This time he held his own opposite Hardy, Gary Oldman and Mia Wasikowska in "Lawless," but the film--while a huge step up from "Transformers" territory-- didn't give him a real boost on the acting side. He's still a young charmer mooning over a girl and afraid to grow up. Next up: Robert Redford's "The Company You Keep" (alongside Redford, Julie Christie, Sam Elliot, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick and Terrence Howard).

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, with Cannes competition entries from Walter Salles ("On the Road") and David Cronenberg ("Cosmopolis") respectively, both proved their acting skills outside of the "Twilight" franchise. Yes they were top-draws on the red carpet, but both earned respectful if not rave reviews. Stewart was earthily sexy in "On the Road," in a way we have not seen her before, while Pattinson nabbed praise for playing a cold and unlikeable Wall Street master of the universe. Both came out ahead and earned needed gravitas by coming to Cannes starring in films by notable directors.

Garrett Hedlund waited for years for "On the Road" to get made in the hopes that this would be his star-making role. In the meantime he shot "Tron: Legacy" and "Country strong," but playing the juicy role of Dean Moriarty was supposed to be his breakout. As strong as Hedlund is in the film--he feels right in the role--the reviews weren't unanimous raves. And Sam Riley ("Control") as writer Sal Paradise has the thankless passive observer writer role. Both young actors raised their profiles in an admirably serious Cannes entry. But they still have miles to go before hitting their stride as movie stars.

Jean Louis Trintgnant and Emmanuelle Riva: While they did not win best actor or actress for their moving roles in Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or-winning "Amour," playing a loving couple at the end of their lives, the competition jury did cite their huge contribution to the film. Sony Pictures Classics knows well that senior Academy members will recall these iconic French stars with affection. Will the film be too close to the bone for Oscar voters? An Austrian submission and likely foreign nomination are achievable, but whether SPC can push for bigger major nominations with an intimate two-hander -- picture, director, actor and actress-- is the question. It depends on the competition, of course, and how well it does at the box office (they're opening December 19 at the height of Oscar season). Foreign films rarely make it to major categories. "The Artist" was French, but its silence was golden.

Marion Cotillard: This world-class Oscar-winner delivers yet another award-worthy performance as a depressed whale trainer who loses her legs in a terrible accident in Jacques Audiard's follow-up to "A Prophet,""Rust and Bone." "Bullhead" star Matthias Schoenaerts is heartbreaking as an incommunicative, powerful muscle man who knows how to fight but has no handle on his emotions. The man and the woman help each other to survive and grow up emotionally.

This strong, powerful, disturbing film didn't play well across the board--failing to earn any Cannes prizes-- and will prove a commercial challenge for Sony Pictures Classics. Cotillard lost Best Actress to the young unknowns in Cristian Mungiu's "Beyond the Hills." Schoenaerts stars in the upcoming "Blood Ties" remake from Guillaume Canet. And Cotillard joins Hardy in "The Dark Knight Rises" (she also has James Gray's "Lowlife" upcoming).

Gael Garcia Bernal: This fine Mexican actor has shined in movies by Michel Gondry ("The Science of Sleep"), Walter Salles ("The Motorcycle Diaries"), Pedro Almodovar ("A Bad Education") and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Amores Perros"). In Pablo Larrain's "No" he dons a Chilean accent playing a brilliant ad executive who pushes through the 1988 "No" campaign to oust Chilean dictator Pinochet from power. London-educated Garcia Bernal is handsome and gifted and speaks fluent English; he could have an even better career than Antonio Banderas--but as he says in this interview, "it's not like I have to choose between amazing projects." He and his "Y Tu Mama Tambien" costar Diego Luna's Canana Films has already produced 19 films, including the terrifying "Miss Bala."

Quvenzane Wallis: One of the hits of Cannes was Benh Zeitlin's Sundance jury prize-winner "Beasts of the Southern Wild," which won the Camera d'Or. At Fox Searchlight's beach party for the film, young Quvenzane Wallis easily charmed the guests, and could be a longshot to score a Best Actress Oscar slot.

Chris O'Dowd: Yes this lanky Irishman is funny, as we already found out in "Bridesmaids" and "Friends with Kids." But in the Aussie musical comedy "The Sapphires," based on the stage play, we discover that he's leading man material. While Harvey Weinstein overhyped this last-minute pick-up in Cannes, comparing it to "The Artist," this rollicking musical biopic is quite satisfying. Not high art by any means, Wayne Blair's film brings depth and authenticity. As a hard-drinking manager who teams up with Aboriginal girl group The Sapphires, teaching them how to sing soul instead of country, and shepherding them on a tour of Vietnam, falling for prickly lead singer (Deb Mailman) in the process, O'Dowd is especially strong.

Watch Good-Looking Trailer For Afro-Colombian Cannes 2012 Coming Of Age Entry "La Playa D.C."

Tambay — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:05:27 GMT

A film we totally missed in our Cannes 2012 coverage, and certainly deserved our attention...

Directed by Juan Andrés Arango, and titled La Playa D.C., the film centers on Tomas, an Afro-Colombian teenager struggling with the difficulties of growing up in a city (Bogota) of exclusion and racism against those who look like him; When his younger brother disappears, Tomas is forced to leave his home to look for him. With the help from his older brother Chaco, Tomas roams the city's streets, as his search becomes more of a journey in which he's forced to face his past, and to leave aside the influence of his brothers in order to find his own identity, all with the vibrancy and instability of a city in flux as the film's backdrop.

The coming-of-age drama competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, and was well-received by critics, calling it a bold directorial effort from Arango, the 35-year-old native-born Colombian, who trained and worked in Canada and the Netherlands before returning home to shoot his debut feature.

No word on where the film will screen next, but I can say that it left the festival without distribution; it'll likely travel the film festival circuit over the next several months, and we'll be watching its progress from here on, because I like the look and sound of this, based on the trailer below, with its wonderful use of Bogota's geography, evocatively shot in a mesh of blues, greens and grays.

Luis Carlos Guevara stars as Tomas, Andrés Murillo plays younger brother Jairo, and Jairo James Solis plays older brother Chaco.

Watch:

Watch 3 Clips From Moroccan Director Nabil Ayouch's Cannes 2012 Entry "God's Horses"

Tambay — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:54:39 GMT

Cannes 2012 is done, and as is usually the case every year, there was very little representation from the African Diaspora, and we've pretty much highlighted the small handful of feature films of note that fall under that category - from Senegalese filmmaker, Moussa Touré’s La Pirogue (The Pirogue), to the the award-winning Beasts Of The Southern Wild.

Add to that Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch's Les Chevaux De Dieu (God's Horses).

A first-time Official Selection at Cannes, the film is loosely based on the terrorist attacks that took place in Casablanca on May 13, 2003. Ayouch was shocked by these attacks that were committed by a gang of kids from a neighbourhood that he knew very well, and with this film, he wanted to essentially humanize the suicide bombers, and show that they themselves are/were also victims.

The film left the festival empty handed (no awards, no distribution), despite really strong reviews - those I read anyway. Maybe its POV (showing that the suicide bombers were victims themselves) is what's keeping distributors away. Maybe not.

The Hollywood Reporter called it an...

... Engrossing, realistic study of a Moroccan slum and how it becomes a breeding ground for young terrorists.

And further...

... this is less a film about terrorists than an intimate portrait of boys growing up in a toxic environment. All the non-pro actors turn in natural performances... Tech work is high quality throughout...

And Variety had this to say about the film:

... the pic delves into a shantytown atmosphere of machismo, wounded pride and powerlessness, which collectively act as a petri dish for fanaticism. By spending considerable time on milieu and the friends as kids, Ayouch sets his film apart, delineating personalities that avoid the cookie-cutter repetition seen elsewhere. "Horses" will trot confidently into Euro arthouses.

But maybe not American arthouses I presume... :)

I'm obviously interested and curious to see this, and hope it makes its way Stateside eventually, maybe via one of the local African festivals - especially those here in NYC like the ADIFF and the NYAFF.

I uncovered 3 clips from the film, which you can watch below:

Magnolia Snaps Rights To Vinterberg's 'The Hunt'

Peter Knegt — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:49:52 GMT

Thomas Vinterberg’s Cannes Competition title "The Hunt" has been picked up for US distribution through TrustNordisk by Magnolia Pictures.

"We're very happy to continue business with TrustNordisk, and especially with such an exceptional film as 'The Hunt'," Eamonn Bowles, President of Magnolia Pictures said. "Thomas Vinterberg demonstrates his directorial mastery in his finest work since 'The Celebration' and Mads Mikkelsen's performance more than validates his Best Actor Award at Cannes."

Written by Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm, the film tells the story of a man (Mads Mikkelsen) who fights against a lie that threatens to destroy his life. Mikkelsen won best actor this past weekend at the festival for his performance, while the film also won the Ecumenical Jury Award.

“We are so thrilled to have Magnolia on board with 'The Hunt,'" Head of Sales from TrustNordisk, Susan Wendt, said. "They are a great and dedicated team and will do a fantastic job for the film, just as they have for some of our previous films.”

Sony Pictures Classics Sets December 19 Date for Cannes Winner "Amour," Signals Oscar Chase

Anne Thompson — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:40:47 GMT

The big question coming out of Cannes is whether Sony Pictures Classics can push Michael's Haneke's somber end-of-life Palme d'Or winner "Amour" all the way to major category Oscar nominations beyond best foreign film. While the film was shot in France with veteran stars Jean Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert, SPC says that Haneke's home country Austria will submit the film for Oscar consideration.

SPC has set an Oscar-friendly date of December 19 for the film's release, signaling that it is going for the whole enchilada--foreign films don't have to be released stateside in the calendar year to be eligible, just in their country of origin, and SPC often waits to release their foreign films in the more visible post-nominations corridor.

We can expect the film to turn up at fall film festivals, and for well-known Trintignant and Riva, while they are somewhat fragile, to do some promo touring in support of acting nominations. Trintignant and Riva play a loving, cultivated retired couple who are in their eighties; when the woman has a stroke, her husband must care for his partner. Haneke could also be a candidate for best director.

"Amour" is the third go-round for Haneke and SPC, who released "Cache" and 2009 Palme d"Or winner "The White Ribbon," which earned two Oscar nominations, for foreign film and cinematography. This is only the second time a director has won back-to-back Cannes prizes; the other was Bille August, for "Best Intentions" after "Pelle the Conqueror."

SPC also acquired before the festival Jacques Audiard's "Rust and Bone," which came away empty-handed; Marion Cotillard was expected to have a shot at the Best Actress prize, which did not go to Riva either but to the two young non-pro stars of Cristian Mungiu's "Beyond the Hills." And during the Fest SPC scooped up likely Chile submission, "No," a Director's Fortnight entry about the ad campaign that cost Chilean dictator Pinochet the 1988 election, directed by Pablo Larrain and starring Gael Garcia Bernal.

5 Breakout Performers & Directors From The 2012 Cannes Film Festival

Oliver Lyttelton — Tue, 29 May 2012 19:31:54 GMT

One of the greatest things about film festivals, something that can even get you through the worst films, the lack of sleep, and the terrible B.O. of your fellow moviegoers, is the chance to discover new talent. You'll see absolute newcomers blast off into the stratosphere, or relatively well-known faces suddenly show off what they've always been capable of, and it's never less than a thrill.

And this year's Cannes Film Festival was no exception. With the festival now in the rear-view mirror, we've picked out five major talents who broke out at this year's festival, and whom we're certain we'll be hearing more from in the years to come. Check them out below, and if you were in Cannes, feel free to weigh in with your own suggestions too.

Brandon Cronenberg ("Antiviral")
Given that Lena Dunham has been hit with a wave of accusations of nepotism, despite having parents who aren't even in the business, one can only imagine that Brandon Cronenberg must have been a little worried, given that his father is Canadian master filmmaker David Cronenberg, whose new film "Cosmopolis" debuted at the same Cannes festival as his son's first directorial effort, "Antiviral." It must have been doubly concerning that Cronenberg Jr's film is in the same body-horror wheelhouse that his father made his name in. And although "Antiviral" didn't win over every critic, it was warmly received by many, including The Playlist, and seems to suggest that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. But Brandon wasn't always destined to follow in his father's footsteps: according to an interview the director did with the L.A. Times, he'd always resisted the idea of going into the family business, spending his early years focusing on video art and poetry (although he did work in the special effects department on his dad's "eXistenZ"). But in his late 20s, he finally came around to the idea, and made his debut short "Broken Tulips" in 2008, followed by "The Camera And Christopher Merk," which premiered at TIFF in 2010. And then came the feature, in "Antiviral," which he says come out of watching a TV talk show in which audience members clamored to catch the flu from Sarah Michelle Gellar. Starring Caleb Landry Jones from "X-Men: First Class" and Sarah Gadon, from "Cosmopolis" and "A Dangerous Method," it revolves around a worker at a bizarro clinic who smuggles celebrity diseases to sell on the black market; a very Cronenbergian subject, we'd all agree. Even the less enthusiastic reviews suggested that Brandon is one to watch: our own review said that the film "is bursting with visual flourishes and ideas" and that it "shows tremendous promise." Where he goes from here isn't yet clear, but we're looking forward to wherever it is.

Chris O'Dowd ("The Sapphires")
For every comedian from across the pond who makes it big in Hollywood -- Simon Pegg being the latest, thanks to "Star Trek" and "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" -- there are the likes of Ricky Gervais and Steve Coogan, who've never quite found the same big-screen success. 32-year-old Irish actor Chris O'Dowd definitely seems to be in the former category -- put it this way, when you've been funnier and more likeable than Jon Hamm in not one, but two different movies, you're probably onto something. And O'Dowd's starring role in Cannes crowd-pleaser "The Sapphires," which Harvey Weinstein unveiled at the festival, looks to cement his stardom. O'Dowd got his start (after a tiny role in Mike Leigh's "Vera Drake") in the cult sitcom "The I.T. Crowd," alongside Richard Ayoade, and we soon saw him pick up leading roles in things like "The Boat That Rocked" and the little-seen "Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel," opposite Anna Faris, while the U.S. came calling with parts in "Gulliver's Travels" and "Dinner With Schmucks." None really landed, but things changed quickly last year: first he showed serious dramatic range in BBC miniseries "The Crimson Petal And White," a surprising casting choice that paid off in spades, and then he played the romantic lead in smash-hit "Bridesmaids," leaving much of the audience swooning. Since then, he's become very much part of the Apatow gang, developing a script with the super-producer, and set to appear in "Girls" and "This Is 40," along with reuniting with Hamm, Kristin Wiig and Maya Rudolph this spring in "Friends With Kids." But "The Sapphires" should push him even further -- he plays the manager of an Aborigine girl group touring Vietnam in the 1960s, and by most accounts walks away with the picture. Harvey hopes that it'll be a crossover hit in the vein of "Strictly Ballroom" and "Muriel's Wedding," and judging by the reaction on the Croisette, it might well happen, boosting O'Dowd's profile even further. And he's certainly not lacking things to do at the moment. O'Dowd is writing TV shows for Sky in the U.K. and NBC in the U.S., he's booked roles in John Michael McDonagh's "Calvary" and the dance comedy "Cuban Fury," and will topline a TV series created by Christopher Guest. Pretty good going, all in all.

Steve Oram & Alice Lowe ("Sightseers")
Director Ben Wheatley might have gotten the majority of the headlines when his third film "Sightseers" debuted last week, but the "Kill List" helmer was actually a relatively late addition to a project that'd been in the works for quite a while. Instead, it was writers and stars Steve Oram and Alice Lowe, both familiar faces on the U.K. comedy circuit, who originated the project. 35-year-old Lowe is the best known of the pair. She started in comedy as a member of the prestigious Footlights at Cambridge University, and after graduating, collaborated with director Paul King ("The Mighty Boosh," "Paddington Bear") and David Mitchell and Robert Webb ("Peep Show") on various experimental comedy shows, before hooking up with Matthew Holness and future "Submarine" director Richard Ayoade for the horror spoof "Garth Marenghi's Fright Knight," which in 2001 won the top comedy award at the Edinburgh Fringe. "Garth Marenghi" soon made it to TV, becoming a cult hit, and she's been omnipresent ever since, appearing in "The Mighty Boosh," "Little Britain" and "Horrible Histories," among others, while in 2009, she was one of the supporting cast in Steve Coogan's live Alan Partridge tour, alongside her future co-star Steve Oram. His deeply weird mix of stand-up, sketch and... well, pretty much anything, has made him the best-kept secret of British comedy for years now, although he's mostly shunned TV work in favor of his own short films (watch them here). The two started developing their "Sightseers" characters, and the film was set up at Big Talk and Flim4, who were behind "Hot Fuzz" and "Attack The Block," with Edgar Wright (a fan of the original short, who helped bring the project to those production houses) as executive producer, and Wheatley was brought on board to helm (giving Oram and Lowe tiny cameos in "Kill List" in the meantime). When it played out of competition in the Director's Fortnight last week, it earned immediate rave reviews, particularly for the finely-honed comic turns at its center, so we should be seeing a lot more from the duo, both in front of and behind the camera, before too long.

Matthias Schoenhaerts ("Rust & Bone")
The list of famous Belgians, especially those involved in the film industry, is a short one: Jean-Claude Van Damme, and... Audrey Hepburn (who was born Edda van Heemstra Hepburn-Ruston in Brussels). But we may be about to have another major star from the nation, in the shape of Matthias Schoenhaerts, who stars opposite Marion Cotillard in "Rust & Bone," the latest film from "A Prophet" director Jacques Audiard. The 35-year-old Belgian first appeared on screen in 1992's "Daens," a film about a Catholic priest, which won an Oscar nomination back in 1994. Once he left drama schools, he worked steadily in supporting roles -- most notably as a resistance member in Paul Verhoeven's "Black Book" in 2006, but got a major boost two years later by starring in Erik Van Looy's "Loft," a thriller about five friends who share a flat to take their mistresses, but who are torn apart when they find the body of a murdered woman there. The film proved to be the most successful Flemish-language film of all time, and launched Schoenhaerts into local stardom. That acclaim spread even wider when he toplined the superb thriller "Bullhead," giving a stunning, bulked-up performance as a cattle farmer drawn into the organized crime world. The film was an instant hit when it premiered at Berlin last year, and went on to win an unlikely, but deserved, Oscar nomination. And any doubt that he was the real deal was dismissed when "Rust & Bone" unspooled on the Croisette: Schoenaerts drew just as much praise as co-star Cotillard, with comparisons to Tom Hardy frequently drawn -- both actors share an undoubtedly masculine look, combined with a certain sensitivity. And Schoenaerts also seems to be actively looking to break into English-language films too: he's reprising his role in Van Looy's U.S.-set remake of "Loft," alongside Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller and Eric Stonestreet, and is now shooting Guillaume Canet's "Blood Ties," which is co-written by James Gray, and stars Cotillard, Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis and Zoe Saldana.

Tom Sturridge ("On The Road")
Being replaced as the star of a blockbuster can be something an actor's career can struggle to ever truly recover from -- just look at Eric Stoltz ("Back to the Future"), Dougray Scott ("X-Men") or Stuart Townsend ("Lord of the Rings"). But in some cases, it can also be a blessing, and that's what it seems to have been for Tom Sturridge, who dodged a bullet, and went away to do more interesting work instead. The 26-year-old actor was cast as the lead in Doug Liman's "Jumper" back in 2006, but two months into filming, the director decided that both he and co-star Teresa Palmer looked too young, and they were replaced by Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson. The film turned out to be something of a misfire, but Sturridge resurfaced this year among the cast of "On The Road," as Ginsberg surrogate Carlo Marx, and picked up some of the best reviews for the film in the process. Sturridge, the son of actress Phoebe Nicholls ("The Elephant Man") and director Charles Sturridge ("Brideshead Revisited"), started out as a child actor in some of his father's pictures, like the Ted Danson miniseries "Gulliver's Travels" and "Fairytale: A True Story," but resurfaced in his late teens in period pictures like "Vanity Fair" and "Being Julia." He then co-starred with Eddie Redmayne and Toni Collette in the well-acted, but silly thriller "Like Minds," and, after a couple of post-"Jumper" fallow years, bagged the lead in Richard Curtis' "The Boat That Rocked," opposite Chris O'Dowd, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Nick Frost. Soon after, he zig-zagged with the lead role in the much-acclaimed Simon Stephens play "Punk Rock," and it's that move that seems to have revitalized him, which he followed with polar-opposite roles in indies "Waiting for Forever" and "Junkhearts." He was one of the lesser-known names in "On the Road," but picked up excellent notices for the part. Next up is the Emma Thompson-penned "Effie," opposite Dakota Fanning, but he's got something far more important first -- he and girlfriend Sienna Miller are having a baby.

Cannes: Leos Carax's "Holy Motors" Is Bonkers

Matt Mueller — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:30:10 GMT

The word "bonkers" was used with abandon along the Croisette when it came to describing Leos Carax’s fifth film (his first full-length feature since 1999’s "Pola X") and "Holy Motors"’ reception at the critics’ screening and official Competition unveiling was so enthusiastic many were convinced it might pull off the Palme d’Or upset over Michael Haneke’s "Amour." In the end, the jury couldn’t resist "Amour," perhaps finding "Holy Motors" too baffling and possibly even too inconsequential.

But "bonkers" is an apt description for the film, which is equal parts delirious and pretentious. Carax wasn’t in the mood to shed light on its meanings at the official Cannes press conference (his only spoken-word appearance at the festival), wanting viewers to decipher it for themselves. He makes an appearance at the start of "Holy Motors," discovering a secret panel in his bedroom and entering a theatre where the audience all have their eyes closed. From there, he gets down to the job of depicting a day in the life of Monsieur Oscar (Carax’s favorite actor, Denis Lavant), who is picked up and chauffeured around town by lean, elderly blonde Celine (Edith Scob) for a series of “appointments” which involve him changing in his stretch limo/dressing room into different guises – a captain of industry, a gypsy beggar, a hired hitman, a fretful father and a savage leprechaun, among others – for an unseen audience’s viewing pleasure. It often plays like a futuristic incarnation of "The Truman Show," only with Lavant aware of his participation.

Perhaps, as many have suggested, "Holy Motors" is Carax’s own dippy love letter to cinema, each of the guises representing a silver-screen genre. That would slot Aussie dance-pop queen Kylie Minogue’s presence under melodrama and musicals. Her character is both Monsieur Oscar’s counterpart and former lover; they encounter each other in an empty department store and speak about a past tragedy before she croons a tender ballad. Eva Mendes also turns up as a mute, robotic model snatched by Lavant’s imp and spirited away to an underground lair, where he dresses her in a chador. There are also encounters with Lavant’s "daughter." "niece" (as he lays on his death bed), a contortionist he links up with to create motion-capture pornography, and a marching band he leads on an exhilarating march while playing the accordion. It’s fevered, episodic, contemplative, bizarre, emotional. But it’s never dull. Where it ends up is best left for audiences to discover for themselves. Chimps are involved.

Perhaps Carax is examining the relationship between art and life, or the need for people to factor performance into their own daily lives. The deliberate ambiguities leave "Holy Motors" open to interpretation and plenty of festival detractors found its exaggerated oddness silly, not compelling. But Lavant’s magnificence and the fact that it’s so much fun to watch means "Holy Motors" should develop an avid cult following at the very least when it’s released later this year.

Cannes Good-Buys? Should Indie filmmakers be worried about distribution landscape

Anthony Kaufman — Tue, 29 May 2012 18:05:17 GMT

File this post under the politics of filmmaking (not film and politics). Looking at the acquisition landscape after Cannes got me thinking: Should filmmakers be worried? Cannes is never the business hotbed that is Sundance, but this year's number of purchases seemed to be muted. Even IFC Films, perennially the most active buyer in Cannes, only purchased four films (Wheatley's "Sightseers," Loach's "The Angel's Share," Im Sang Soo's "The Taste of Money," Kiaostami's "Like Someone in Love") as of today, when past years saw the theatrical-and-VOD distrib pick up more than half a dozen movies. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't seen Magnolia pick up anything, which means either 1) there were slim pickings at the festival, or 2) the market is downscaling once again.

The Weinstein Co, which last year bought "The Artist," and ran all the way to the Oscars with it, only purchased a documentary about the Libyan revolution and a comic drama about an Australian Aborginal all-girl music group. And prestige player Sony Pictures Classics got Michael Haneke's Palme winner "Amour" and the Gael Garcia Bernal vehicle "No," which is about on par with the company's fest activity, but they certainly weren't going out on a limb. Samuel Goldwyn got one ("Renoir"). So did Oscilloscope ("Reality"). And the distributor that no one has heard of, Indomina, nabbed the festival's film maudit "Holy Motors."

A number of the higher profile pics were pre-bought, of course, with AMC Networks acquiring Walter Salles' "On the Road," and the Weinsteins already hailing their criminal double feature of "Killing Them Softly" and "Lawless."

But the fact that Lee Daniel's controversial hot topic "The Paperboy" hasn't sold yet suggests to me a cooling of the marketplace. When a film that shows Nicole Kidman peeing on Zac Efron can't stir up a bidding war, what can?

Cannes: "Kill List" Director Ben Wheatley Talks Fortnight Breakout "Sightseers"

Anne Thompson — Tue, 29 May 2012 17:58:05 GMT

Brit filmmaker Ben Wheatley had brought his prior two low-budget features, "Down Terrace" and "Kill List," to the Cannes market. Now he can tell his Mum that he's in the Cannes Film Festival proper, as he made his debut with "Sightseers" in the Director's Fortnight, an unexpected breakout during an unexceptional year.

Much like darkly humorous SXSW hit "Kill List," which reveals the angry impulses of seemingly ordinary people, "Sightseers" takes a mild-mannered newly-married couple (co-writers Alice Lowe and Steve Oram) on a road trip through the English countryside with an Abbey Oxford Caravan to escape their banal lives (and her clutchy mother). When the klutzy husband backs the enormous trailer right over a man he had argued with earlier, we wonder: was it really an accident? During their gorgeous scenic tour, the seemingly innocuous couple discover unexpected depths of anger and violence in each other.

Wheatley thanks several folks for his slow and steady rise. At the suggestion of his producer, Andy Starke of DVD label Mondo Macabre Movies, Wheatley submitted "Down Terrace" to Alamo Drafthouse's Tim League, who booked it for Fantastic Fest, where it won best feature. He also booked "Kill List," about an unlikely team of best chum assassins, as one of his midnight showings at SXSW, where it was championed by critics and picked up by IFC Films, which also picked up "Sightseers" after an early Cannes buyer's screening.

Wheatley, a commercial director, and his producer Claire Jones are slowly building up to bigger casts and crews. Wheatley likes to shoot multiple takes; the actors stay true to the script, then do improvised scenes, and also add their own two-minute bits before and after each scene. Then the filmmaker hunkers down in the editing room for four months to whittle away at the final cut.

Edgar Wright ("Shaun of the Dead") brought Wheatley and his team to Big Talk Pictures, where they developed the "Sightseers" script by writer-actors Lowe and Oram, who had refined the characters of the Midlands caravan lovers during standup gigs. They sent a link to Wright; he and producer Nina Park optioned the script.

When Wheatley came on board, "we reworked and restructured it a bit," he says in our flipcam interview below. "I liked the idea that they had a background in standup comedy." He shot 120 hours of footage for "Sightseers," which unfolds at a good clip.

The Wright connection makes sense; Wheatley is playing in the same naturalistic human comedy ballpark as the Duplass brothers or Lynn Shelton, but brings a mordant British "Ladykillers" wit to the proceedings. We get a kick out of watching this latter-day Bonnie and Clyde act out impulses that we cannot. That's what movies are for.

And enjoyably, Wheatley likes to keep the audience guessing. "Mystery is more interesting to me, I want you thinking, not dozing," he says. "I don't want you to already know so far ahead that you're already thinking about the next film you're going to see. I like dragging the audience hither and thither so they're behind you, not in front of you."

No kidding. You never know what's going to happen. And the film's final shot is a humdinger.

Criticwire at Cannes: The Top Films and Performances Poll

Steve Greene — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:58:23 GMT

As the votes came in for the best film at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Michael Haneke’s "Amour (Love)" and Leos Carax’s "Holy Motors" flipped back and forth between the top two slots. It’s only fitting that the pair of films ended up in a virtual deadlock for first place, with Haneke's Palme d'Or winner edging out the competition by the slimmest of margins.

We also asked our Criticwire members at Cannes to rank their top lead and supporting performances. In both categories, actors and actresses from the top two films were prominently featured. The runaway winner for Best Lead Performance was "Holy Motors" star Denis Lavant, who garnered a first-place mention on over half the respondents' ballots and three-quarters of the ones in which he was listed. As the elderly couple whose relationship forms the emotional core and a majority of the runtime of "Amour (Love)," Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva also received top acting honors. Riva even received enough mentions in both categories to top the Best Supporting list while finishing right behind Lavant and Trintignant as the third-highest Lead Performance.

In addition to listing their favorites, Criticwire members were also given the opportunity to name their most disappointing films of the festival. As a result, Cannes’ most polarizing offerings quickly bubbled to the top, with David Cronenberg’s "Cosmopolis" leading the way.

But even some of the derided films found their champions. Out of the top ten "Most Disappointing" films, four of them also made the top ten Best Films list, with three receiving first-place votes in both categories.

Only two of the top ten Best Film finishers were from outside competition. "Beasts of the Southern Wild" continued its magical 2012 run, finishing fifth overall despite already receiving wide exposure at Sundance, where six of the critics who responded for Cannes also submitted ballots. Pablo Larraín’s "No" was the other non-competition film to place high, even though star Gael Garcia Bernal couldn’t quite crack the list of performers.

A few films that may not have fared well as overall products did get attention for their impressive ensembles. Five different actors received votes for their performances in "Killing Them Softly," with James Gandolfini and Ben Mendelsohn only being edged out by Riva. "On the Road" also had received mentions for five of its castmembers, with Kristen Stewart earning a first-place vote for her turn as Marylou.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the Best Supporting performance category featured not one but two performances from actresses probably best known for their singing careers: Kylie Minogue in "Holy Motors" eked out a top ten finish, while Macy Gray's performance in "The Paperboy" received multiple votes, but finished just outside the list.

[Note: Scores for individual categories were tabulated on a simple weighted scale, with a first-place vote earning five points, second place earning 4 points, and so on. Critics could list fewer than five for a particular category or abstain from one altogether.]

(LEGEND: Film or Performance: Number of Mentions - (First-Place Votes) - Aggregate Score - Average Criticwire Grade)

BEST FILM

1. Amour (Love) – 20 – (10) – 82 - A-

2. Holy Motors – 21 – (8) – 81 - A-

3. Moonrise Kingdom – 12 – (0) - 30 - B+

4. Rust and Bone – 8 – (1) – 24 - B

5. Beasts of the Southern Wild – 6 – (2) – 22 - B+

6. No – 6 – (1) – 20 - A-

7. Mud – 4 – (1) – 14 - B-

8. Cosmopolis – 4 – (1) – 13 - B-

9. Beyond the Hills – 5 – (1) – 12 - B-

T10. Killing Them Softly – 4 – (0) – 10 - B

T10. Like Someone in Love – 3 – (0) – 10 - B-

Also Receiving First Place Votes: "Post Tenebras Lux," "Sightseers"

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Cosmopolis – 10 – (4) – 35 - B-

2. On the Road – 11 – (3) – 34 - C+

3. Like Someone in Love – 7 – (3) – 30 - B-

4. The Paperboy – 9 – (4) – 29 - C-

5. Killing Them Softly – 7 – (1) – 20 - B

6. Beyond the Hills – 7 – (2) – 19 - B-

7. Mekong Hotel – 4 – (1) – 17 - B-

8. Reality – 4 – (1) – 17 - B-

9. Lawless – 6 – (1) – 16 - C+

10. After the Battle – 4 – (1) – 13 - C-

Also Receiving First Place Votes: "Post Tenebras Lux," "11.25: The Day He Chose His Own Fate," "Dracula 3D," "Paradise: Love," "The Legend of Love & Sincerity"

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, "Holy Motors" – 20 – (15) – 92

2. Jean-Louis Trintignant, “Amour (Love)” – 18 – (4) – 68

3. Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour (Love)” – 12 – (3) – 46

4. Marion Cotillard, “Rust and Bone” – 10 – (2) – 32

5. Mads Mikkelsen, “The Hunt (Jagten)” – 9 – (0) – 22

T6. Matthias Schoenaerts, “Rust and Bone” – 8 – (0) – 16

T6. Aniello Arena, “Reality” – 6 – (0) – 16

8. Émilie Dequenne, “Loving Without Reason” – 4 – (2) – 15

9. Tye Sheridan, “Mud” – 5 – (1) – 14

10. Quvenzhané Wallis, “Beasts of the Southern Wild” – 6 – (0) – 12

Also Receiving First Place Votes: Alice Lowe/Steve Oram, "Sightseers"

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Emmanuelle Riva, “Amour (Love)” – 6 – (5) – 29

2. James Gandolfini, "Killing Them Softly" – 9 – (1) – 23

3. Ben Mendelsohn, “Killing Them Softly” – 6 – (1) – 18

4. Bruce Willis, “Moonrise Kingdom” – 5 – (1) – 15

T5. Nicole Kidman, “The Paperboy” – 4 – (1) – 14

T5. Guy Pearce, “Lawless” – 4 – (0) – 14

T7. Kristen Stewart, “On the Road” – 4 – (1) – 11

T7. Scoot McNairy, "Killing Them Softly" – 4 – (0) – 11

T7. Kylie Minogue, “Holy Motors” – 4 – (0) – 11

10. Jun-Sang Yu, “In Another Country” – 2 – (2) – 10

Also Receiving First Place Votes: Edward Norton, "Moonrise Kingdom"; Marion Cotillard, "Rust and Bone"; Niels Arestrup, "Loving Without Reason"; Alfredo Castro, "No"; Sarah Gadon, "Cosmopolis"; Adila Bendimerad, "El Taaib"; Bill Murray, "Moonrise Kingdom"; Edith Scob, "Holy Motors"; Cristina Flutur, "Beyond the Hills"

Individual ballots from this year's participants can be found on the following pages.

Kaleem Aftab, The Independent

BEST FEATURE

1. No

2. Amour (Love)

3. Holy Motors

4. Despues de Lucia

5. Killing Them Softly

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Lawless

2. Like Someone in Love

3. Confessions of a Child of a Century

4. On the Road

5. Rust and Bone

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

3. Gael Garcia Bernal, No

4. Tessa Ia, Despues de Lucia

5. Melvil Poupard / Suzanne Clement, Laurence Anyways

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Adila Bendimerad, El Taaib

2. Eva Mendes, Holy Motors

3. Scoot McNairy, Killing Them Softly

4. Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy

5. Kylie Minogue, Holy Motors

Ryland Aldrich, Twitch

BEST FEATURE

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild

2. Killing Them Softly

3. Moonrise Kingdom

4. Reality

5. Paradise: Love

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. For Love's Sake (The Legend of Love & Sincerity)

2. God's Horses

3. Like Someone in Love

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

2. Aniello Arena, Reality

3. Margarete Tiesel, Paradise: Love

4. Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

5. Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. James Gandolfini, Killing Them Softly

2. Ben Mendelsohn, Killing Them Softly

3. Bruce Willis, Moonrise Kingdom

Raffi Asdourian, The Film Stage

COMMENTS: From Haneke's heart-wrenching 'Amour' to Kiarostami's subdued 'Someone in Love,' this year's Cannes lineup was full of surprises and seemed to have bit of everything for everyone. The strong presence of American films reverberated through the palais, despite being more uneven than others in competition. In addition, some films in the director fortnight like Pablo Lorrain's 'No' and Ben Wheatley's 'Sightseers' were definite high points in the fest. Another big highlight were the interludes of intense surrealism from Carax with 'Holy Motors' and Reygadas with 'Post Tenebras Lux'. This year's festival had a few more lulls than last year, but when films were great they were really great.

BEST FEATURE

1. Amour (Love)

2. Like Someone in Love

3. Holy Motors

4. Killing Them Softly

5. Reality

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. The Paperboy

2. Mekong Hotel

3. On the Road

4. Cosmopolis

5. Beyond the Hills

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Jean-Louis Trintignant/Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

2. Aniello Arena, Reality

3. Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone

4. Tye Sheridan, Mud

5. Rin Takashi, Like Someone in Love

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

2. Guy Pearce, Lawless

3. Bruce Willis, Moonrise Kingdom

4. Tadashi Okuno, Like Someone in Love

5. James Gandolfini, Killing Them Softly

Anna Bielak, Smells Like Screen Spirit

BEST FEATURE

1. Holy Motors

2. Amour (Love)

3. The Angels' Share

4. Mud

5. Paradise: Love

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Cosmopolis

2. Lawless

3. Rust and Bone

4. Killing Them Softly

5. Post Tenebras Lux

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Matthew McConaughey, Mud

3. Cosmina Stratan/Cristina Flutur, Beyond the Hill

4. Jared Gilman/Kara Hayward, Moonrise Kingdom

5. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

2. Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy

3. Macy Gray, The Paperboy

4. Bruce Willis, Moonrise Kingdom

5. Kristen Stewart, On the Road

Alex Billington, First Showing

COMMENTS: While I still feel the selection from 2011 was better overall, it was another excellent year in Cannes with many great discoveries and fantastic films. The ones that ended up surprising me and that I loved the most came from filmmakers I didn't expect to love, and were very unique works of cinema. I can't wait to return next year, but I'm also very anxious to see where many films from this year go.

BEST FEATURE

1. Mud

2. Rust and Bone

3. Holy Motors

4. Like Someone in Love

5. Laurence Anyways

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Cosmopolis

2. On the Road

3. The We and the I

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Tye Sheridan, Mud

3. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

4. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt

5. Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone

Mike D’Angelo, The AV Club

BEST FEATURE

1. Holy Motors

2. Amour

3. Moonrise Kingdom

4. You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet!

5. No

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Like Someone in Love

2. Mekong Hotel

3. Post Tenebras Lux

4. In Another Country

5. Laurence Anyways

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Suzanne Clement, Laurence Anyways

3. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

4. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

5. Paul Brannigan, The Angel's Share

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Sarah Gadon, Cosmopolis

2. Garrett Hedlund, On the Road

3. Scoot McNairy, Killing Them Softly

4. Ben Mendelsohn, Killing Them Softly

5. Macy Gray, The Paperboy

David Fear, Time Out NY

BEST FEATURE

1. Amour (Love)

2. No

3. Cosmopolis

4. Post Tenebras Lux

5. Holy Motors

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. The Paperboy

2. Me and You (Moi et Toi)

3. The Hunt

4. Mud

5. On the Road

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

3. Gael Garcia Bernal, No

4. Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

5. Benoit Poelvoorde, Le Grand Soir

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Alfredo Castro, No

2. James Gandolfini, Killing Them Softly

3. Tom Hardy, Lawless

4. Edith Scob, Holy Motors

5. Albert Dupontel, Le Grande Soir

Jon Frosch, The Atlantic

BEST FEATURE

1. Amour (Love)

2. Holy Motors

3. Moonrise Kingdom

4. The Paperboy

5. Rust and Bone

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Cosmopolis

2. Reality

3. After the Battle

4. Mud

5. Beyond the Hills

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

2. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

3. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

4. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

5. Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Cristina Flutur, Beyond the Hills

2. Tom Sturridge, On the Road

3. Kristen Stewart, On the Road

4. Bruce Willis, Moonrise Kingdom

5. Macy Gray, The Paperboy

Clémentine Gallot, Cahiers du Cinema

BEST FEATURE

1. Holy Motors

2. Mud

3. Cosmopolis

4. Moonrise Kingdom

5. Beyond the Hills

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Paradise: Love

2. Reality

3. The Paperboy

4. The Taste of Money

5. Rust and Bone

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Jean-Louis Trintignant/Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

3. Robert Pattinson, Cosmopolis

4. Kara Hayward, Moonrise Kingdom

5. Sam Riley, On the Road

Michael Ghennam, Les Fiches du Cinéma

BEST FEATURE

1. Amour (Love)

2. Holy Motors

3. Mud

4. Beasts of the Southern Wild

5. Beyond the Hills

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Dracula 3D

2. 11.25 The Day He Chose His Fate

3. On the Road

4. Final Cut

5. Maniac

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

3. Émilie Dequenne, Loving Without Reason

4. Caleb Landry Jones, Antiviral

5. Cosmina Stratan, Beyond the Hills

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

2. Cristina Flutur, Beyond the Hills

3. Kang-woo Kim, The Taste of Money

4. Niels Arestrup, Loving Without Reason

5. Jérémie Renier, Elefante blanco (White Elephant)

Patrick Heidmann, Cineman

BEST FEATURE

1. Amour (Love)

2. Beasts of the Southern Wild

3. The Hunt

4. Rust and Bone

5. The Paperboy

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Reality

2. Polluting Paradise (Müll im Garten Eden)

3. Cosmopolis

4. On the Road

5. Lawless

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

2. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

3. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt

4. Emilie Dequenne, Loving Without Reason

5. Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy

2. Thomas Bo Larsen, The Hunt

3. Nathalie Baye, Laurence Anyways

4. Kristen Stewart, On the Road

5. John Henshaw, The Angels' Share

Eugene Hernandez, Film Society of Lincoln Center

BEST FEATURE

1. Amour (Love)

2. Holy Motors

3. Laurence Anyways

4. Reality

5. The Paperboy

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. After The Battle

2. Killing Them Softly

3. The Hunt (Jagten)

4. Rust and Bone

5. Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Tye Sheridan, Mud

2. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

3. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

4. Aniello Arena, Reality

5. Suzanne Clément, Laurence Anyways

Aaron Hillis, GreenCine Daily

BEST FEATURE

1. Holy Motors

2. Moonrise Kingdom

3. Rust and Bone

4. Cosmopolis

5. Amour (Love)

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. On the Road

2. Mekong Hotel

3. Lawless

4. Killing Them Softly

5. The Paperboy

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Levant, Holy Motors

2. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

3. Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

4. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt

5. Margarethe Tiesel, Paradise: Love

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Jun-sang Yu, In Another Country

2. Guy Pearce, Lawless

3. Kylie Minogue, Holy Motors

4. David Oyelowo, The Paperboy

5. Viggo Mortensen, On the Road

HONORABLE MENTION (THE NEXT FIVE): Sightseers, Room 237, Ernest & Celestine, In Another Country, Gimme the Loot

Peter Howell, The Toronto Star

COMMENTS: A good, but not great year. It will be remembered as the year Holy Motors revved its engines on the Croisette.

BEST FEATURE

1. Holy Motors

2. Amour (Love)

3. Beyond the Hills

4. Moonrise Kingdom

5. The Hunt

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Like Someone In Love

2. You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet!

3. In Another Country

4. The Paperboy

5. The Taste of Money

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

3. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt

4. Jared Gilman, Moonrise Kingdom

5. Cristina Flutur, Beyond the Hills

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

2. Kara Hayward, Moonrise Kingdom

3. Cosmina Stratan, Beyond the Hills

4. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

5. Viggo Mortensen, On the Road

Ben Kenigsberg, Time Out Chicago

BEST FEATURE

1. Beyond the Hills

2. Like Someone in Love

3. Moonrise Kingdom

4. Amour (Love)

5. Holy Motors

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Killing Them Softly

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Jean-Louis Trintingnant, Amour (Love)

2. Suzanne Clément, Laurence Anyways

3. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

4. Cosmina Stratan, Beyond the Hills

5. Aniello Arena, Reality

Robert Koehler, Film Critic/Programmer

BEST FEATURE

1. Post Tenebras Lux

2. Holy Motors

3. Manhã de Santo António (short)

4. Hold Back (Rengaine)

5. Mekong Hotel

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Beyond the Hills

2. Cosmopolis

3. Mystery

4. White Elephant

5. 11.25 The Day He Chose His Own Fate

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt

3. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

4. Tye Sheridan, Mud

Eric Kohn, Indiewire

COMMENTS: Expectations were impossibly high this year and so a number of world class auteurs failed to deliver the masterpieces expected of them. But my own top five list reflects an ample mixture of quality from veterans (Haneke, Carax, Garrone) and rising stars (Larraín, Wheatley). That's enough to keep Cannes relevant.

BEST FEATURE

1. Amour (Love)

2. Holy Motors

3. No

4. Sightseers

5. Reality

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. The Paperboy

2. Polluting Paradise

3. The Sapphires

4. Me and You

5. Beyond the Hills

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

3. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

4. Gael Garcia Bernal, No

5. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Edith Scob, Holy Motors

2. Paul Giamatti, Cosmopolis

3. Scoot McNairy, Killing Them Softly

4. Kristen Stewart, On the Road

5. Alfredo Castro, No

Manolis Kranakis, Flix

In general, a festival made out of great contradictions, combining films that were let downs (On the Road, Cosmopolis, The Paperboy) and films that turned out to be almost masterpieces (Amour, The Hunt, Rust and Bone, In the Fog). Above all, we'll all remember this as the the festival where Leos Carax was back with a vengeance with the best film of the whole festival and probably one of the best of the year and the years to come!

BEST FEATURE

1. Holy Motors

2. Amour (Love)

3. In the Fog

4. Rust and Bone

5. The Hunt

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Cosmopolis

2. Reality

3. On the Road

4. The Paperboy

5. Post Tenebras Lux

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

2. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

3. Jean Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

4. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Emmanuel Riva, Amour (Love)

2. Kylie Minogue, Holy Motors

3. Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone

4. William Ruane, The Angel's Share

5. Matthew McConaughey, The Paperboy

Guy Lodge, Hitfix

BEST FEATURE

1. Holy Motors

2. No

3. Rust and Bone

4. Ernest and Celestine

5. Amour (Love)

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Post Tenebras Lux

2. Like Someone in Love

3. Mud

4. In the Fog

5. Cosmopolis

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Chris O'Dowd, The Sapphires

3. Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy

4. Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone

5. Margarethe Tiesel, Paradise: Love

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Ben Mendelsohn, Killing Them Softly

2. Macy Gray, The Paperboy

3. Kylie Minogue, Holy Motors

4. Alfredo Castro, No

5. James Gandolfini, Killing Them Softly

Poly Lykourgou, Flix

BEST FEATURE

1. Amour (Love)

2. Holy Motors

3. Moonrise Kingdom

4. Beyond the Hills

5. Post Tenebras Lux

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. On the Road

2. Like Someone in Love

3. Cosmopolis

4. Paradise: Love

5. Killing Them Softly

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Jean-Louis Trintignant/Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

3. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt

4. Marion Cotillard / Matthias Schoenaets, Rust and Bone

5. Tadashi Okuno, Like Someone in Love

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Bruce Willis/Edward Norton, Moonrise Kingdom

2. Tye Sheridan/Jacob Lofland, Mud

3. Tom Sturridge, On the Road

4. Shia Labeouf, Lawless

5. James Gandolfini, Killing Them Softly

Michał Oleszczyk, Hammer to Nail

COMMENTS: My comments on the final verdict can be found here.

BEST FEATURE

1. Amour (Love)

2. Holy Motors

3. In Another Country

4. Moonrise Kingdom

5. Reality

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. On the Road

2. The Taste of Money

3. After the Battle

4. Rust and Bone

5. Post Tenebras Lux

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

3. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

4. Isabelle Huppert, In Another Country

5. Aniello Arena, Reality

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Bill Murray, Moonrise Kingdom

2. Isabelle Huppert, Amour (Love)

3. Paul Giamatti, Cosmopolis

4. James Gandolfini, Killing Them Softly

5. Ryo Kase, Like Someone in Love

David Poland, Movie City News

BEST FEATURE

1. Amour (Love)

2. Rust and Bone

3. Killing Them Softly

4. Despues de Lucia

5. Moonrise Kingdom

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Beyond The Hills

2. Student

3. Dracula 3D

4. After The Battle

5. Laurence Always

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

2. Tessa Ia, Despues de Lucia

3. Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone

4. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

5. Brad Pitt, Killing Them Softly

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

2. Guy Pearce, Lawless

3. James Gandolfini, Killing Them Softly

4. Jason Clarke, Lawless

5. Ben Mendelsohn, Killing Them Softly

Anna Tatarska, Fandor/KINO

BEST FEATURE

1. Holy Motors

2. Broken

3. Beasts of the Southern Wild

4. Paradise: Love

5. Post Tenebras Lux

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. 11.25 The Day He Chose His Own Fate

2. God's Neighbours

3. Beyond the Hills

4. Cosmopolis

5. The Paperboy

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

2. Melvil Poupaud, Laurence Anyways

3. Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

4. Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt

5. Garrett Hedlund, On the Road

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

2. Dwight Henry, Beasts of the Southern Wild

3. Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy

4. Scoot McNairy, Killing Them Softly

5. Tom Sturridge, On the Road

Amy Taubin, Film Comment

COMMENTS: "Cosmopolis" is a masterpiece, the most fully formed and realized film Cronenberg has made, and like "Videodrome" a film about transformation of what think of as human beings. The negative criticism sounds the same as what was leveled at '2001"when it was first released. There were a half dozen or so other very interesting movies, but in general a treading water year.

BEST FEATURE

1. Cosmopolis

2. Amour (Love)

3. Beasts of the Southern Wild

4. Holy Motors

5. Loving Without Reason

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Émilie Dequenne, Loving Without Reason

2. Jean-Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

3. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

4. Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

5. Mathieu Almaric, You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet

Anne Thompson, Thompson on Hollywood

COMMENTS: It was a weaker than usual festival favoring, as usual, established auteurs, only some of whom delivered competitive films; the most exciting material came from younger filmmakers.

BEST FEATURE

1. Beasts of the Southern Wild

2. Amour (Love)

3. No

4. Moonrise Kingdom

5. Sightseers

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. The Paperboy

2. Killing Them Softly

3. Polluting Paradise

4. The Central Park Five

5. Lawless

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Emmanuelle Riva, Amour (Love)

2. Jean Louis Trintignant, Amour (Love)

3. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

4. Gael Garcia Bernal, No

5. Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Kristen Stewart, On the Road

2. Chris O'Dowd, The Sapphires

3. Ben Mendelsohn, Killing Them Softly

4. James Gandolfini, Killing Them Softly

5. John Cusack, The Paperboy

Sarah Watt, Sunday Star Times - New Zealand

BEST FEATURE

1. Rust and Bone

2. Loving Without Reason

3. Woody Allen: A Documentary

4. Reality

5. Lawless

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Like Someone in Love

2. The Central Park Five

3. In The Fog

4. Killing Them Softly

5. On The Road

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

1. Émilie Dequenne, Loving Without Reason

2. Aniello Arena, Reality

3. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

4. Tahar Rahim, Loving Without Reason

5. Tye Sheridan, Mud

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Niels Arestrup, Loving Without Reason

2. Tom Hardy, Lawless

3. Ben Mendelsohn, Killing Them Softly

4. Guy Pearce, Lawless

5. Richard Jenkins, Killing Them Softly

Neil Young, Film Lounge

BEST FEATURE

1. Sightseers

2. Augustine

3. Hold Back (Rengaine)

4. Moonrise Kingdom

5. La Playa DC

MOST DISAPPOINTING FILM

1. Mekong Hotel

2. Antiviral

3. Beyond the Hills

4. Lawless

5. Post Tenebras Lux

BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE

T1. Alice Lowe, Sightseers

T1. Steve Oram, Sightseers

T3. Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone

T3. Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

5. Quvenzhainé Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

1. Jun-sang Yu, In Another Country

2. James Gandolfini, Killing Them Softly

3. Edward Norton, Moonrise Kingdom

4. Dana Tapalaga, Beyond the Hills

5. Eileen Davies, Sightseers

The Playlist's Complete Coverage Of The 2012 Cannes Film Festival

Oliver Lyttelton — Tue, 29 May 2012 16:00:00 GMT

Cannes is done for another year. Exhausted filmmakers, writers and sales types have pretty much emptied out of the South of France, Michael Haneke has his second Palme D'Or in four years, and some of the most anticipated films of the year have been unveiled. The lineup had been incredibly eagerly anticipated, but the festival didn't quite live up to expectations: some nay-sayers early on started to complain about it being the worst competition roster ever -- perhaps swung by the unusual level of rain -- but generally, opinion was that it wasn't a hall-of-famer, but the acclaimed likes of Haneke's "Amour" and Leos Carax's "Holy Motors" -- the two critical faves of the festival -- meant that there was plenty of food for the eyes, ears, mind and heart.

The Playlist team have now returned to their various corners of the globe, leaving what we feel is a pretty comprehensive trail of coverage in their wake (and huge thanks to Kevin Jagernauth, James Rocchi, Simon Abrams and Aaron Hillis, our correspondents on the Croisette). Below, you can find every review and interview that came out of Cannes in the last couple of weeks. See you for the fall festival season...

Reviews:
"Killing Them Softly" [A]
"Room 237" [A]
"Moonrise Kingdom" [A]
"Sightseers" [A]
"Cosmopolis" [A]
"No" [A-]
"Rust & Bone" [A-]
"Amour" [B+]
"Beyond The Hills" [B+]
"Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir" [B]
"Lawless" [B]
"Hemingway & Gellhorn" [B]
"On The Road" [B]
"Laurence Anyways" [B]
"In Another Country" [B-]
"Antiviral" [B-]
"Post Tenebras Lux" [C+]
"The Sapphires" [C+]
"Holy Motors" [C]
"Mud" [C]
"Therese Desqueyroux" [C]
"The Angel's Share" [C-]
"Like Someone In Love" [C-]
"Me And You" (C-)
"Reality" [C-]
"After The Battle" [C-]
"Broken" [D]
"The We & The I" [D]
"The Paperboy" [F]

Previews:
"The Master"
"Django Unchained"
"The Silver Linings Playbook"

Interviews:

Wes Anderson ("Moonrise Kingdom")
"Moonrise Kingdom" press conference

Walter Salles ("On The Road")

Andrew Dominik ("Killing Them Softly")
Andrew Dominik on "Blonde"

John Hillcoat ("Lawless")
Nick Cave ("Lawless")
Guy Pearce ("Lawless")
Guy Pearce on Drake Doremus' new film
"Lawless" press conference

"Cosmopolis" press conference

Michel Gondry ("The We & The I")
Michel Gondry On "The Green Hornet"

Everything You'd Ever Want to Know About the 2012 Cannes Film Festival

Nigel M Smith — Tue, 29 May 2012 15:39:17 GMT

The 2012 Cannes Film Festival ended Sunday with Michael Haneke winning his second Palme d'Or for his acclaimed drama "Amour." Indiewire was on the scene for the 65th edition to report on the latest acquisitions, review the anticipated titles, and interview many of the artists. Below find all of Indiewire's coverage.

AWARDS

Michael Haneke's 'Amour' Wins Palme D'Or at 2012 Cannes Film Festival
Michael Haneke has won his second Palme d'Or in just four years as his new film "Amour" led the winners of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

'Despues de Lucia' Leads Cannes' Un Certain Regard Winners
Michel Franco's "Despues de Lucia" led the winners of the Un Certain Regard section of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, taking its top prize.

Gael Garcia Bernal's 'No' and 'El taaib' Are Among Directors' Fortnight Films Honorees
Though the Cannes Film Festival does not give awards to its Directors' Fortnight films, several organizations annually honor films of note. This year, Pablo Larrain's Gael Carcia Bernal film "No" and "Merzak Allouache's "El taaib" led the honorees.

Dardenne-led Cinéfondation Jury Awards Three Short Films
The Cannes Cinéfondation and Short Film Jury announced its winners. Jean-Pierre Dardenne led the jury of Arsinée Khanjian, Karim Aïnouz, Emmanuel Carrère and Yu Lik-Wai.

'Aqui y Alla' Leads Critics' Week Winners
"Aqui y Alla" -- the debut film from Spanish director Antonio Mendez Esparza -- has received the Nespresso Grand Prize from the 51st Critics' Week.

NEWS

Leos Carax's 'Holy Motors' Finds a U.S. Home With Indomina
The Indomina Group has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Leos Carax's acclaimed Cannes title "Holy Motors" on the final day of the festival, the company has announced.

Sundance Selects Takes U.S. Rights To Abbas Kiarostami's 'Like Someone In Love'
On the final day of the Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Selects has picked up all U.S. rights to Abbas Kiarostami's competition title "Like Someone In Love."

Oscilloscope Takes Cannes' 'Reality'
Oscilloscope has acquired US rights to Matteo Garrone's "Reality," which screened in competition at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

IFC Midnight Buys Im Sang-Soo's Sexy Cannes Competition Title 'The Taste of Money'
IFC Midnight is buying North American rights to Im Sang-Soo's provocative Cannes Film Festival competition title "The Taste of Money."

Sundance Selects Nabs US Rights to Ken Loach's 'The Angel's Share'
Sundance Selects has acquired U.S. rights to Ken Loach's "The Angels' Share," which screened at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this week.

Kino Lorber Goes 'In Another Country' With Isabelle Huppert
Kino Lorber has acquired U.S. rights to the Cannes competition entry "In Another Country," the latest film by South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo ("Night and Day"), that stars Isabelle Huppert.

Ben Wheatley's Hot Directors' Fortnight Title 'Sightseers' Goes to IFC Films
IFC Films has bought North American rights to the dark comedy "Sightseers," directed by Ben Wheatley ("Kill List").

Buyers React to Sneak Screening of Lee Daniels' Pulpy 'The Paperboy'
One of the Cannes competition’s most high-profile titles, Lee Daniels’ “The Paperboy,” got some early exposure Tuesday morning when the film’s sales agents let a tight group of potential buyers and select critics into the Cinema Olympia on Rue Antibes.

Entertainment One Buys North American Rights to Norwegian Actioner 'Escape'
Entertainment One has acquired North American rights to “Escape,” the Norwegian action-adventure directed by Roar Uthaug.

Sony Classics Buys 'No'
Sony Pictures Classics has finally gotten into the game at Cannes with its acquisition of North American rights to Pablo Larrain’s “No.” The Directors’ Fortnight drama starring Gael García Bernal has drawn much praise since its premiere late last week.

Strand Releasing Nabs US Rights to 'Garbage in the Garden' and 'Mekong Hotel'
Strand Releasing has picked up U.S. distribution on two official selections of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, Fatih Akin’s documentary “Garbage in the Garden of Eden” and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Mekong Hotel.”

Samuel Goldwyn Films Acquires U.S. Rights to Gilles Bourdos' Un Certain Regard Drama 'Renoir'
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired U.S. rights to Gilles Bourdos’ biopic “Renoir,” which will receive a spring 2013 theatrical release. The fact-based drama will have its world premiere May 25, as the closing-night film of the Un Certain Regard program at the Cannes Film Festival.

BBC Films to Produce Simon Curtis Drama 'The Golden Lady,' New Saoirse Ronan Film 'Testament of Youth'
BBC Films is adding new projects with “My Week With Marilyn” director Simon Curtis and “Hanna” star Saoirse Ronan to its slate, the company announced in Cannes Sunday.

Millennium Films and West Coast Film Partners Launch $100 Million Collaboration With 'White House Taken'
Millennium Films decided to dress up its Saturday-night Croisette party on Baoli Beach with $100 million worth of decoration.

Cohen Media Group Acquires Francois Ozon's 'In the House,' With Kristin Scott Thomas and Emmanuelle Seigner
Cohen Media Group has acquired U.S. distribution rights to the Francois Ozon thriller “In the House.” Discussions with the French filmmaker’s Wild Bunch sales reps begun weeks ago were finalized this week in Cannes, though the film is not yet finished.

Atom Egoyan's West Memphis Three Drama 'Devil's Knot' Gets Financed, via Worldview Entertainment
Atom Egoyan's West Memphis Three project “Devil’s Knot” will be financed and produced by Worldview Entertainment. Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth star in the film, which begins shooting next month in Georgia.

Go to Page 2 for REVIEWS, Page 3 for INTERVIEWS and Page 4 for FEATURES...

REVIEWS

'Antiviral'
The younger Cronenberg has made a derivative exercise in body horror that plays as little more than low rent Cronenberg pastiche.

'Amour'
"Amour" is an incredibly focused and emotionally charged look at an elderly woman's gradual demise and her husband's attempts to cope with it. Although not exactly heartwarming, "Amour" has a more contained vision of human relationships than Michael Haneke's previous films without sacrificing its bleak foundation.

'After the Battle'
Now that a number of documentaries have dealt with the 2011 Egyptian uprising at Cairo's Tahrir Square, it comes as no surprise that the events have been applied to a fictional scenario, and by no less than a prominent Egyptian filmmaker, Yousry Nasrallah ("Gate of Sun"). Ably using the turmoil at Tahrir as his backdrop, Nasrallah's "After the Battle" follows a burgeoning, ill-fated romance between two characters uniquely impacted by social upheaval.

'Aqui y Alla'
The plot of "Aqui y Alla" is so slight it barely exists. But the first feature from director Antonio Mendez Esparza balances out that limitation with a richly layered mood that steadily accumulates emotion from one scene to the next.

'Beyond the Hills'
Romanian director Cristian Mungiu seemingly came out of nowhere in 2007 to snatch the Palme d'Or for his last feature, the tightly constructed abortion drama "4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days," a distinctly powerful work. While technically impressive and occasionally quite provocative, Mungiu's latest feature-length effort, "Beyond the Hills," is at once more ambitious and flawed -- in other words, only 50 percent post-Palme slump.

'Cosmopolis'
"My prostate is asymmetrical," says Robert Pattinson in one scene of David Cronenberg's "Cosmopolis." As the affluent executive Eric Packer riding a limo around New York City in nearly every scene, Pattinson boldly submerges his stardom in the director's twisted anti-establishment tendencies.

'Holy Motors'
"Holy Motors" is balls-to-the-wall crazy, beautiful and unbelievably strange. This is a movie about movies, life, death, the human condition, monkeys, music, chaos, suicide, whatever.

'Killing Them Softly'
There are no good guys in Andrew Dominik's "Killing Them Softly," only people caught on two sides of a rough deal. The director's gritty, violent and heavily stylized adaptation of George V. Higgins' 1974 crime novel updates the story to recession-era 2008 and overstates it to the extreme, but Dominik brings a sleek pulp sensibility to the material and melds its topicality to a strange form of scathingly anti-capitalist entertainment.

'Lawless'
John Hillcoat's "Lawless" lacks the same darkly energizing spirit that made "The Proposition" such a revelation: It has plenty of gunplay, scowling showdowns and dust-caked setpieces, but little in the way of dynamic filmmaking to imbue those elements with life.

'Like Someone in Love'
There's a lot of driving and talking in "Like Someone in Love," Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's latest production made outside of his native country, but beyond that is anyone's guess.

'Mekong Hotel'
Apichatpong Weerasethakul's new hourlong experimental feature "Mekong Hotel," cobbled together from ideas for another unrealized project, reaffirms the filmmaker's appeal by simply arranging the same core elements into a distinctly odd collage.

'Moonrise Kingdom'
There are diehard Wes Anderson fans and then there's everyone else. "Moonrise Kingdom," the idiosyncratic auteur's seventh feature, eagerly pitches itself toward that first group of audiences and ignores the rest. But if those open to Anderson quirks will find a rewarding experience littered with warmth and playful humor.

'No'
For his third and most accomplished work, "No," Pablo Larraín has traded the allegorical track for the real thing, delivering a lively, mesmerizing drama about a national call to action during the 1988 referendum on Pinochet's presidency. With a full-bodied turn by Gael Garcia Bernal as its anchor, "No" broadens Larraín's range by replicating historical events in engrossing detail.

'On the Road'
Red flags go up when a filmmaker embarks on adapting a beloved classic. Walter Salles' long-gestating big screen treatment of "On the Road" spent years in development and the nearly-two-and-a-half hour treatment of Jack Kerouac's seminal novel of the Beat Generation invited immediate skepticism.

'Reality'
"Reality" makes the case that society renders everyone impossibly small. The first and last shots of Matteo Garrone's drama take place from extreme heights that make their focal point blend with their surroundings. Everything in frame takes on the dimensions of a dollhouse, as if the Italian filmmaker has assumed a godlike awareness. The compositions suggest that people are inherently trapped by their surroundings and never fully capable of realizing it.

'Rust and Bone'
Satisfying for what it is, the movie merely confirms Jacques Audiard's skill with engaging actors in the potent theme of retribution.

'The Paperboy'
Lee Daniels' "The Paperboy" is a rare case of serious commitment to outright silliness. The director's follow-up to "Precious" fries its dramatic content with a blazingly absurd grindhouse style as extreme as the humidity bearing down on his characters.

'Post Tenebras Lux'
A key distinction between Mexican director Carlos Reygadas' completely baffling "Post Tenebras Lux" and his previous feature "Silent Light" comes from comparing their opening sequences.

'The Sapphires'
Marred by excessive sentiment, "The Sapphires" has a buoyancy and a hook that makes it stand out -- but they're elements that would help it kill on Broadway (as it already has on the Australian stage) a lot better than it does onscreen.

'You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet'
The most prominent member of the French New Wave's Left Bank filmmakers, the 90-year-old Alain Resnais has never really slowed down, but "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet!" is hardly the poetic crowdpleaser of his last outing, 2009's "Wild Grass."

Go to Page 3 for INTERVIEWS and Page 4 for FEATURES...

INTERVIEWS

Jeff Nichols, 'Mud'
At 33, "Mud" writer/director Jeff Nichols is the youngest filmmaker in competition for the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Lee Daniels, 'The Paperboy'
After seeing his sophomore feature "Precious" premiere in Sundance's US Dramatic Competition and go on to become a Academy Award-winning phenomenon, Lee Daniels is set to unveil his third directorial effort "The Paperboy" in Competition at Cannes on Thursday.

Andrew Dominik, 'Killing Them Softly'
Twelve years ago, New Zealand-born music-video director Andrew Dominik exploded onto the international scene with his feature debut “Chopper,” a stylish, bloody portrait of a brutish outlaw.

Philip Kaufman, 'Hemingway & Gellhorn'
It's been almost five decades since Philip Kaufman first came to Cannes with his 1964 debut "Goldstein," an indie comedy co-directed by Benjamin Manaster.

Jennifer Lynch, 'A Fall From Grace'
Jennifer Lynch’s laugh sounds just like you’d expect it to: full of mischievous fun, raspy and more than a little dirty.

John Hillcoat, 'Lawless'
Australian director John Hillcoat may not seem the most obvious choice to direct "Lawless," a Prohibition-era thriller set in the American South based on Matt Bondurant's 2008 novel "The Wettest County in the World."

Xavier Dolan, 'Laurence, Anyways'
It's been four years since Xavier Dolan first came to the Cannes Film Festival. Only 19 at the time, he quickly gained international admiration after his film, "I Killed My Mother," swept the awards of the festival's Director's Fortnight section.

Michel Gondry, 'The We & the I'
Michel Gondry isn't known for taking on obvious, familiar material. But even by those standards, his latest movie, "The We & the I," sounds like something entirely different: a freely improvised story about a group of public school students shot over the course of one day on a school bus.

Edouard Waintrop, Directors Fortnight Artistic Director
Many things at Cannes don't change, but leadership at Directors Fortnight is a different story. This year, there's a new team in town, led by artistic director Edouard Waintrop.

Go to Page 4 for FEATURES...

FEATURES

The Top 5 Contenders for the Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is unquestionably one of the most prestigious awards a filmmaker can win, but unlike the Oscars, it's nearly impossible to predict. The decision comes down to a jury comprised of eight artists from around the world.

A First Look at Paul Thomas Anderson's 'The Master'
"The Master" isn't based on L. Rob Hubbard, or Scientology? That's patent nonsense after seeing the Cannes promo footage from Paul Thomas Anderson's new film, which promises to annoy the hell out of those nice people in the big blue building between Sunset and Fountain.

10 Actors to Watch at Cannes
One of the single greatest opportunities for an actor to break out on the world cinema stage, the Cannes Film Festival, has helped launch countless careers.

Does the Palme d'Or Ever Equal Box Office Receipts?
Whatever wins the Palme d’Or this weekend at the Cannes Film Festival, statistics say that the prize offers no assurance of box office success.

The Five Most Interesting New Companies With Money at the Cannes Market, and How They Want to Spend It
For Cannes, it's as predictable as topless sunbathers: Every year, new financing and production companies pop up in the months and weeks before the festival, ready to dive into the 12-day global market.

Mid-Festival Dispatch
Last week at Cannes I encountered a familiar problem: standing in line for a crowded screening and getting turned away at the door. Within hours, I heard that a consensus had been reached: The new Michel Gondry film was terrible.

With 'The Oath of Tobruk' Pick-Up Is Harvey Weinstein Creating His Own Ad Campaign for Obama's Re-Election?
Always one to wrestle his films into the popular conversation, Weinstein Co. co-chairman Harvey Weinstein has been indulging his activist streak at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

Cannes: Kristen Stewart & Garrett Hedlund Talk Making Walter Salles' 'On The Road'

Oliver Lyttelton — Tue, 29 May 2012 14:58:00 GMT

If any film at Cannes this year faced the most fevered anticipation, it was Walter Salles' "On The Road." Not just because the project had been over thirty years in the making, and was based on a beloved, groundbreaking novel, but also because it features an exciting young cast lead by "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart, "Tron: Legacy" lead Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley from "Control," with a strong supporting roster including Kirsten Dunst, Amy Adams, Viggo Mortensen, Terrence Howard, and more.

And for the most part, the reviews, including our own, suggest the cast acquit themselves nicely in what must have been tricky roles to come to terms with. It must be especially satisfying for the patient actors who, as it turns out, were cast in the long-gestating project as much as three years before filming began in 2010. Not long after our discussion with director Walter Salles, Playlist contributor Aaron Hillis sat down with Stewart and Hedlund for roundtable interviews to talk about "On The Road." Below are five highlights from the conversation, and you can see the movie later this year courtesy of IFC Films.

Kristen Stewart is a long-time fan of the book, and it inspired her to write herself.
Although she's nearly 40 years younger than Jack Kerouac's book (which was written in 1951, but not published for another six years), Kristen Stewart is a longtime fan. The novel also helped introduce her to a wider range of authors. "I read it when I was 14," the actress said. "I had read some Burroughs, I had tried to read 'Naked Lunch,' it didn't get inside me as much as 'On the Road' did. I read Ginsberg's stuff. It opened a lot of doors to different writers. Like, Henry Miller is not a part of the [beat generation], but he's one of my favorite writers and I only know about him through these people." Indeed, her reading of Kerouac & co inspired her to do some writing of her own, something she hopes to return to one day. "I wrote when I was younger. But I have such an outlet now, it's not a compulsion and I don’t want to force it. I'm not a storyteller, it was really about words and what they could do. I'll get back to it, I'm sure."

Stewart became particularly attached to the '49 Hudson in which so much of the film is set.
Every road movie needs a great car, and luckily there was one already specified in the book -- the '49 Hudson owned by Neal Cassady (the inspiration for Hedlund's character Dean Moriarty). And given that so many of her scenes took place in or around the car, it's unsurprising that the actress felt it to be part of the cast by the time the movie wrapped. "It's so comfortable in there. Road trips now are not the same because our cars are not the same. It's like a room. By the end of the movie, my last scene was in the Hudson, and I can't even describe to you what it was like to get out of it and know that I wasn't going to get back in. It was horrible," she said. "My last scene was one quick shot in a rearview mirror, right before we got dumped in San Francisco. It's perfect that it was my last scene as well, because you know it's coming. And there's this awesome picture that I will cherish for the rest of my life of me and Walter and Sam standing in the middle of the road, right after they called wrap and I definitely just wiped a full face of tears off. It so captures that moment because now I'm on my own road."

Garrett Hedlund was cast in the role five year ago, as he was on the verge of quitting the business.
Having been in the works for decades, five years might not sound like a long time, but if you're an actor who's been cast in one of the most iconic roles in 20th century literature, it must feel endless. That's what happened to Garrett Hedlund, who plays Dean Moriarty. The actor explains that when the script first arrived, he wasn't sure if acting still had a future for him: "I'd gotten the script in November 2006. I went to the farm in Minnesota to help my Dad out, and bought a one-way ticket, because times were slow in L.A. As soon as I landed in Fargo, they said, 'That film you're really interested in? They want to see you on Wednesday.'" In the end, he got his foot in the door with an unusual approach to his audition. "It was kind of nerve-racking with this material, and there was so much of it, that I went 'If i can't prepare all this, I'll capture this moment of me of going to see my father.' So I did this 25 page bit of writing, and at the end of the audition, asked if I could read the writing to them."

It worked, eventually, as Hedlund explains he was cast in the role as long as five years ago. "I met with Walter for the first time in March 2007, and met him again in July of 2007, and he called me in September 2007 to say I had the role. And we didn't start shooting until August 2010, and all that time, me and Walter were in constant communication."

The film in part appealed to Hedlund because he has a similarly restless spirit.
The original novel has inspired many to head off on their own voyages of self-discovery, and Hedlund certainly found a kinship in the part. "I would never be able to do, no offense to anyone, a nine-to-five job. Acting... the more you learn and grow, the possibilities can be endless, and hopefully you can do it until the day you die," he said. "If something were to restrict me from being able to have acting as a possibility, I don't think I'd be able to see a movie for the rest of my life; I'd be so jealous and angry."

Hedlund went on several road trips to research the role, including one with Salles.
As it turns out, the choice of Hedlund was perfect casting, as he's no stranger to impulsive road trips himself. "I was pent up in Los Angeles, after doing a film that I worried was going to be negatively received. I jumped in the car, showed up in SLC at 2 in the morning, got a hotel, took off at 7 in the morning, got some Dennys, got pulled over for speeding in Idaho, drove through Yellowstone behind logging trucks, up through Montana, 19 hours straight," he shared. "Slept in a Motel 6, who turned 100, in North Dakota, showed up on the farm to surprise my dad. I've done quite a few, through Arizona and stuff. I drive a SUV. I've got to be higher up, I can't stand not being able to see the road in front of me."

As part of his research, Hedlund and Salles hit the road together in the same car that Cassady had driven. "Walter and I did a cross country in a '49 Hudson, that took us 14 days. We broke down nine times. If you try and get brake pads in Nashville on a Sunday, good fucking luck. We broke down in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico. I've been to some great places, and some great trips, but it's weird that I found this the greatest 14 days of my life. We took the back roads, we didn't take the freeways. When it takes 5 hours to get from Phoenix to LA, it took us 16. Within the impatient traveler, there's part of you that says 'Ah, come on, let's just get there.' But it takes as long as it takes."

Interview by Aaron Hillis

The Shadow & Act 2012 Cannes Film Fest Wrap-up; What Got Acquired, Or Are Still Without Homes?

Tambay — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:25:38 GMT

The 2012 installment of the Cannes Film Festival is officially over, with top awards announced and handed out over the weekend.

We kept you abreast of all the sales/potential sales that occurred during the festival/market, and with the event now ended, I thought I'd take a look at what films got picked up and what films are still on the table, that are of interest to this blog.

First, the highest profile of the bunch, Lee Daniels' The Paperboy, based on an award-winning novel of the same name, made its world premiere at the festival last week; and, true to form, the film drew controversy and sharply divided critics in attendance. We could say Daniels has us right where he wants us. This is his sandbox, and I'm sure he's reveling in it all.

Unfortunately, and maybe somewhat surprisingly, the film left the Croisette without any distribution, despite its *name* cast. Might he have another Shadowboxer on his hands? A film that also came with a *name* cast, drew controversy, divided critics, and didn't immediately attract distribution after its festival premiere (Toronto 2005), and was released via a service deal with Freestyle Releasing in a limited theatrical run, and by CodeBlack Entertainment on DVD.

Of course S&A favorite, Ben Zeitlin’s feature film debut, Beasts Of The Southern Wild, which continued its streak of accolades, picking up the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes, was acquired by Fox Searchlight after its Sundance 2012 premiere, and will open in the USA on June 27th.

Also going into the festival already with distribution was Gimme The Loot, written and directed by New York-based Adam Leon. The film was acquired for distribution by Sundance Selects, picking up North American and Latin American rights.

Screening out of competition was an Australian musical drama titled The Sapphires, which is inspired by the real-life story of a soul singing quartet comprised of 4 Aborigine women (all sisters) who were the heroines of a play in which writer/director Wayne Blair was an actor in 2005.

Branded as Australia’s answer to The Supremes, The Weinstein Company was apparently instantly sold on it, because the company acquired global distribution rights to the Australian film, calling it a "feel-good" movie, aiming for a fall 2012 release.

Maybe Harvey and company see it as their very own Dreamgirls... or is it Sparkle... but originated in Australia. And oddly enough, like Dreamgirls, The Sapphires is based on a stage work as well.

Ken Burns The Central Park Five intriuging doc, which Burns co-directed with his daughter Sarah Burns, and his son-in-law David McMahon, is scheduled to be broadcast on PBS in 2013 or 2014; A long time to wait for it, so let's hope sometime before then, it'll get a theatrical release, which it didn't after its special screening at Cannes.

The documentary examines the case of the Central Park rape, in the late 1980s, that triggered strong emotions in New Yorkers, and the sensational media storm across the US that followed. It turned out to be a tale of racial injustice.

Five black and Latino teenagers were arrested and convicted for the brutal rape and assault of Tricia Meili, only to be released after the real attacker confessed in 2002.

GFM Films' feature-length blues documentary BB King: The Life Of Riley, was been sold to UK distributor G2, for a fall theatrical release.

Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the doc's interviewees include Bono, Bruce Willis, and Eric Clapton, as well as footage of King jamming with President Obama just 2 months ago.

No US distributor yet for a project that's being called "very cinematic."

One film from this lot that I'm really looking forward to seeing, is Senegalese filmmaker Moussa Touré’s La Pirogue (The Pirogue), which screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the festival - a project we've been following since I first wrote about in December.

Described briefly as a story about undocumented immigrants, the film is without any distribution,, which I'm not terribly shocked by. the filmmaker isn't exactly a household name on the international film scene, even though he's been making films for over 20 years; and the subject matter and POV the film takes are likely of little interest to audiences outside of continental Africa. But I certainly hope that the strength of the film (it's been reviewed very well across the board) will sell it, and that it's getting some interest.

Another titled of keen interest is Désordres (Chaos), which stars Isaach de Bankole and French-Rwandan actress Sonia Rolland, as history professor Vincent, and his wife Marie who have just moved from Paris (with their son) into a farm near a small town in the south of France, looking forward to a quieter life, some kind of return to nature. Marie, a renowned international pianist, who retired in spite of her young age, has decided to follow her husband, but almost unwillingly. From the very beginning, Thibaut, one of Vincent’s students (played by Niels Schneider), disrupts this family getaway, and slowly, the couple starts to come apart. But Thibaut’s intentions are not at all motivated by love. And he'll do anything to achieve his goal.

The film is directed by Étienne Faure, and screened for buyers at the Cannes film market last week. But no word on the results of those screenings.

Michel Gondry's The We and The I, will be released by Mars Distribution in France. No other territories yet.

Leading independent film sales company, Wide Management, repped Senegalese director Alain Gomis' 3rd feature film titled Aujourd'hui (or Today in English, also known as Tey), and Patrik-Ian Polk's The Skinny - Polk being the director of LGBT-themed indie films Noah's Arc: Jumping the Broom and Punks, as well as the creator of the Noah's Arc series for the Logo network.

Polk's Skinny has already screened in theaters around the USA, over the last month, and was likely being shopped at Cannes to international buyers; Gomis' on the otherhand, is without any distribution. Another film by an African filmmaker with an uncertain future.

And speaking of African filmmakers... Moroccan film-maker Nabil Ayouch's Les Chevaux De Dieu (God's Horses), a first-time Official Selection at Cannes, also left the festival empty handed, despite really strong reviews. The film is loosely based on the terrorist attacks that took place in Casablanca on May 13, 2003. Ayouch was shocked by these attacks committed by a gang of kids from a neighbourhood that he knew well. He wanted to show that the suicide bombers were also victims. Maybe that POV is what's keeping distributors away. Maybe not.

Austrian filmmaker Ulrich Seidl’s drama Paradise: Love, was another one of those controversial films that divided critics; the film, which screened in competition at Cannes, is set in Kenya and centers on a 50 year old white woman, sister of a missionary and a mother, who gets involved with a Kenyan "beach boy" as the director describes the character, until she realizes that, in short, this relationship of theirs is really just business - aka *sex tourism*.

The film will be released in Ulrich's native Austria, but hasn't been picked up by distributors in any other territories.

Nelson Mandela’s grandson Kweku Mandela was at Cannes to show footage, and hopefully sell international distribution rights (via Kaleidoscope Film Distribution) on a feature documentary he co-directed and produced (along with Kemal Akhtar) titled Mandela’s Children (a working title).

The film tells Nelson Mandela's story from the POV of his family and the people who knew him best.

It's not yet public what the results of its buyer screenings were.

7 Days in Havana which screened in competition in the Un Certain Regard sidebar, and which chronicles life in Cuba via seven different stories for each of the 7 days, told through the lenses of visitors to the Caribbean city. The film was helmed by seven different directors: Benicio Del Toro, Pablo Trapero, Julio Medem, Elia Suleiman, Gaspar Noe, Juan Carlos Abio, and Laurent Cantet.

The film will be released in France and the Netherlands; no other territories announced yet.

And finally, Essence Atkins and Marlon Wayans star in the indie comedy/spoof titled Smart Ass, which is decribed as a spoof of all those found-footage flicks that have been released in recent years.

Marlon Wayans directed what should be his feature film directorial debut.

Sales and distribution company IM Global shopped the film at the Cannes film market this year, along with a wider slate of films. And while the company managed to secure USA and international deals for some of them, Smart Ass wasn't one of the lucky ones.

Although the R-rated spoof is expected to find a US home sooner than later.

That's it! Your S&A 2012 Cannes Film Festival acquisition highlight reel.

I should certainly mention the Marché du Film (the Cannes Film Market) where a number of unmade projects we've covered in recent weeks were there hoping to raise production or completion funds - likeSeith Mann's adaptation of the graphic novel MISS: Better Living Through Crime, which Spike Lee is executive producing; as well as the Cannes L’Atelier - an initiative which runs during the festival aimed at finding financing for projects by upcoming directors that are in an advanced state of development; Dyana Gaye's Des Etoiles (or, in English, Stars) was one of those projects.

I expect new deals to be announced in coming days/weeks, so stay tuned...

Cannes Review: Cronenberg's Dystopian "Cosmopolis" Stars Pattinson as Dissolute Master of the Universe

Ryan Lattanzio — Mon, 28 May 2012 18:05:14 GMT

"Life is too contemporary," Didi Fancher (Juliette Binoche) tells Eric Packer (Robert Pattinson) after they've just had sex in the back of his limousine.

That seems to be the global concern in "Cosmopolis," a headlong plunge into a dystopian urban milieu of greed, corruption, technology, nihilism, you name it. The film's network of characters--small but pivotal roles played by such seasoned actors as Binoche, Paul Giamatti, Mathieu Amalric, Samantha Morton and Jay Baruchel--can't escape their moment, when even the word "computer" is archaic and the world is poised to bottom out.

Attractive, dissolute and too rich for his own good, Eric needs a haircut. That's what he tells his driver in the first scene of the film. Holding an indiscriminate position of power managing international currencies, Eric lives his life in a decked-out stretch limo replete with alcohol and women who he tosses like crumpled receipts.

It's a problem that Eric wants his haircut on the same day the United States president has arrived in Manhattan, and the same day a celebrity funeral is being held. While seated in the back of his limo as the world roars around him, Eric makes his way across town to a barbershop, all the while encountering an eccentric cast of characters, all of whom seem to blow a fuse in his presence. From his cork-lined, soundproofed vehicle, Eric watches as wild anarchists tout the words of Karl Marx ("a specter is haunting the world") and fling sewer rats at citizens.

Lately Canadian director David Cronenberg is tending toward talkier films, heavy on dialogue and discourse. "Cosmopolis," like "A Dangerous Method" (2011), imagines pseudo-intellectual characters prattling on about The Human Condition. But unlike "Method," which reduced its characters to pint-sized archetypes of psychoanalysis, "Cosmopolis" digs deep. The film is arranged episodically, as characters appear briefly and are unlikely to show again—although Giamatti's character, Eric's madcap employee, circulates with menace along the film's fringes.

Cronenberg, long pegged for his artful dwellings on the human body and its (per)mutations, has written his first screenplay since "eXistenZ" (1999). While the material is based on literary titan Don DeLillo's 2003 novel of the same name, Cronenberg's penmanship is clear, as lines bounce off one another like electrically-charged molecules, with pregnant pauses that situate the banter in a realm outside reality. The film bristles and crackles with ideas and insight, however half-baked or preposterous, about the world at large.

This talkfest's fizzy prose matches the cold anatomy of the mise-en-scene. Heady verbal jousting and dramaturgy aside, "Cosmopolis," like any Cronenberg film, is a visual experience. Outside the confines of Eric's uber-glam limousine is a world of unfeeling chaos, where danger looms in close proximity. Though we never quite understand what it is exactly that Eric does, the insistent reminder that everyone is out to get him assures us that he is Important, with little to do.

While Cronenberg has elicited nuanced, naturalistic performances from the likes of Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello and Naomi Watts ("A History of Violence," "Eastern Promises"), he often teases out intentionally stilted performances from his leads ("Crash," 1996). As Eric, the brooding Pattinson eroticizes every move, glance and revolver-spin. Travis Bickle is gliding beneath his dead stare. Although the profligate Eric professes ideas and obsessions, he is ultimately a wannabe nihilist. He asks one of his many girlfriends (Patricia McKenzie) to tase him, because he's ready for something new, because he wants to feel something besides empty sex and asymptotic human connection. A person who has everything, in effect, has nothing. That doesn't make Eric a deep person but, in the film's final stretches as he confronts his fate, something is roiling beneath that dark, handsome shell.

However much "Cosmopolis" taps into the economic zeitgeist, the film is removed from reality; Cronenberg has dreamed up another world where logic and ideology are nil. With his latest effort, the auteur surveys all of his fetishes and packs them into one slick, streamlined movie. But like good sci-fi, every element rings prescient, drawing upon our fears and anxieties as a species and a civilization. Zizek said that the cinema doesn't show us what to desire, but tells us how we desire. Cronenberg knows that a specter haunts "Cosmopolis": our own imagination.

Canada's Entertainment One acquired the film before Cannes; stateside release plans are not set.

Cannes Virgin Diary 5: Post-Festival Reflections, "Holy Motors"

Ryan Lattanzio — Mon, 28 May 2012 17:40:09 GMT

Cannes is over, and I'm writing this on a train to Paris.

Today, all the films in the main competition were screened once more so had I elected to stay another night in Cannes, I could have seen everything I wanted.

But instead, I chose to end my time at Cannes with one film: Leos Carax's "Holy Motors," which I had already been bullied into loving before I even saw it. And I did love it. Carax thinks big. He has come out of hiding after 12 years of artistic silence with his best film.

Holy flipping motors.

From scene to scene, the film surprised me. Animated dragon porn, a pervy leprechaun, a musical sequence featuring Kylie Minogue, a family of monkeys. What the hell is this movie? I am astonished, baffled, afraid. I loved it. From this description, "Holy Motors" sounds like a Baz Luhrmann movie. I might be onto something there. I'm not prepared to review this film right now. It's still wrapping its way around my head.

I thought about going to "Paradies: Liebe" afterward, but did I really want a scathing indictment of sex tourism to be the last movie I saw at Cannes?

As I schlepped in the torrid heat from the Salle Debussy back to my apartment to clear out all remnants of my existence, I noticed things. I could see torn-down scaffolds outside the theaters, dismantled stages piled on street corners, the red carpet in a trash can, a man vacuuming the stairs at Le Palais. It was as if the whole infrastructure of the festival were suddenly laid bare, the spectacle torn from its star-studded galaxy and brought back down to Earth. I think I am ready to go back to Earth, too.

Before I left the city tonight, which was waterlogged by a downpour, filled with empty shops and streets, I thought about taking a last look around. I thought maybe, since I hate taking pictures, I should store some images in the old nostalgia bank. But no. I didn't. I got the hell out of there.

Cannes 2012: A Guide to All The Films

Indiewire Staff — Mon, 28 May 2012 16:29:00 GMT

The 2012 Cannes Film Festival has offered a cinephile's dream of a program, with the likes of David Cronenberg, Jacques Audiard, Wes Anderson, Michael Haneke, Alain Resnais, Abbas Kiarostami, Im Sang-soo, Thomas Vinterberg, Walter Salles, Xavier Dolan, Ken Loach, Carlos Reygadas, Leos Carax, Cristian Mungiu,, Bernardo Bertolucci and Matteo Garrone all screening their latest work.

To make things easy for readers, Indiewire is offering up this handy guide to all the films in the various sections of the festival. Below is a day by day guide to the official selection, as well as links to individual film pages for each festival selection, including photos, trailers, clips, and film critic grades as part of our Criticwire survey of fest films.

Be sure to check back as the festival continues through next weekend.

CANNES OFFICIAL SELECTION

COMPETITION; OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT FILMS:

Day One: Wednesday, May 16

"Moonrise Kingdom," Wes Anderson (opening night film)

Criticwire average: B+ (full list of grades)

Day Two: Thursday, May 17

"Rust and Bone," Jacques Audiard

Criticwire average: B (full list of grades)

"Baad el mawkeaa," Yousry Nasrallah

Criticwire average: C- (full list of grades)

Day Three: Friday, May 18

"Reality," Matteo Garrone

Criticwire average: B (full list of grades)

"Paradies: Liebe," Ulrich Seidl

Criticwire average: B (full list of grades)

Day Four: Saturday, May 19

"Lawless," John Hillcoat

Criticwire average: C+ (full list of grades)

"Beyond the Hills," Cristian Mungiu

Criticwire average: B- (full list of grades)

Day Five: Sunday, May 20

"Amour," Michael Haneke

Criticwire average: A- (full list of grades)

"Jagten" ("The Hunt"), Thomas Vinterberg

Criticwire average: B- (full list of grades)

Day Six: Monday, May 21

"You Haven't Seen Anything Yet," Alain Resnais

Criticwire average: B- (full list of grades)

"Like Someone in Love," Abbas Kiarostami

Criticwire average: B- (full list of grades)

"In Another Country," Hong Sang-soo

Criticwire average: B (full list of grades)

Day Seven: Tuesday, May 22

"Killing Them Softly," Andrew Dominik

Criticwire average: B (full list of grades)

"The Angels' Share," Ken Loach

Criticwire average: B (full list of grades)

Day Eight: Wednesday, May 23

"On the Road," Walter Salles

Criticwire average: C+ (full list of grades)

"Holy Motors," Leos Carax

Criticwire average: A- (full list of grades)

Day Nine: Thursday, May 24

"The Paperboy," Lee Daniels

Criticwire average: C- (full list of grades)

"Post tenebras lux," Carlos Reygadas

Criticwire average: C+ (full list of grades)

Day Ten: Friday, May 25

"Cosmopolis," David Cronenberg

Criticwire average: B- (full list of grades)

"In the Fog," Sergei Loznitsa

Criticwire average: B- (full list of grades)

Day Eleven: Saturday, May 26

"Mud," Jeff Nichols

Criticwire average: B- (full list of grades)

"The Taste of Money," Im Sang-soo

Criticwire average: C (full list of grades)

Day Twelve: Sunday, May 27

"Therese Desqueyroux," Claude Miller (closing night film)

Criticwire average: C+ (full list of grades)

Out of Competition, Un Certain Regard, Midnight and Special Screenings below:

OUT OF COMPETITION:

"Hemingway & Gellhorn," Philip Kaufman

Criticwire average: TBD

"Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted," Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon

Criticwire average: TBD

"Me and You," Bernardo Bertolucci

Criticwire average: TBD

UN CERTAIN REGARD:

"7 Days in Havana," Benicio del Toro, Pablo Trapero, Julio Medem, Elia Suleiman, Juan Carlos Tabio, Gaspar Noe, Laurent Cantet

Criticwire average: TBD

"11.25 The Day He Chose His Own Fate," Koji Wakamatsu

Criticwire average: TBD

"Antiviral," Brandon Cronenberg

Criticwire average: TBD

"Beasts of the Southern Wild," Benh Zeitlin

Criticwire average: TBD

"Confession of a Child of the Century," Sylvie Verheyde

Criticwire average: TBD

"Despues de Lucia," Michel Franco

Criticwire average: TBD

"La Pirogue," Moussa Toure

Criticwire average: TBD

"La Playa," Juan Andres Arango

Criticwire average: TBD

"Laurence Anyways," Xavier Dolan

Criticwire average: TBD

"Le grand soir," Benoit Delepine, Gustave Kervern

Criticwire average: TBD

"Les Chevaux de Dieu," Nabil Ayouch

Criticwire average: TBD

"Loving Without Reason," Joachim Lafosse

Criticwire average: TBD

"Miss Lovely," Ashim Ahluwalia

Criticwire average: TBD

"Mystery," Lou Ye

Criticwire average: TBD

"Student," Darezhan Omirbayev

Criticwire average: TBD

"Trois mondes," Catherine Corsini

Criticwire average: TBD

"White Elephant," Pablo Trapero

Criticwire average: TBD

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS:

"Dracula 3D," Dario Argento

Criticwire average: TBD

"The Legend of Love & Sincerity," Takashi Miike

Criticwire average: TBD

SPECIAL SCREENINGS:

"The Music According to Antonio Carlos Jobim," Nelson Pereira Dos Santos

Criticwire average: TBD

"The Central Park Five," Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon

Criticwire average: TBD

"Garbage in the Garden of Eden," Fatih Akin

Criticwire average: TBD

"Journal de France," Claudine Nougaret, Raymond Depardon

Criticwire average: TBD

"Les Invisibles," Sebastien Lifshitz

Criticwire average: TBD

"Mekong Hotel," Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Criticwire average: TBD

"Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir," Laurent Bouzereau

Criticwire average: TBD

"Villegas," Gonzalo Tobal

Criticwire average: TBD

Cannes 2012: Best Actor Winner Mads Mikkelsen Talks Vinterberg's "The Hunt," T-Mobile Film "Move On," Playing a Psycho Husband

Matt Mueller — Sun, 27 May 2012 20:29:15 GMT

Mads Mikkelsen was in Cannes to promote two projects. The first, Competition entry, "The Hunt," marks a strong return to form for ex-Dogme practitioner Thomas Vinterberg and features a potent performance from the Danish actor as a mild-mannered kindergarten teacher whose life is turned upside down by an arbitrary accusation that he’s sexually abusing children. As you can see from the Q & A below, the last thing Mikkelson expected was to take home the Best Actor prize for "The Hunt."

The second is "Move On," a road movie with a difference that will be shot across eight European countries in 30 days this summer. The difference is that the production is being funded by mobile phone company T-Mobile and that user interaction will be encouraged to steer and shape the narrative during the production, with participants in each country able to offer up suggestions about locations, casting and music and the best incorporated into the shoot.

Directed by another Dane, Asger Leth ("Man On A Ledge"), "Move On" will go out in eight six-to-10 minute webisodes before being cut together into a feature. Mikkelsen has been cast as the lead, an “international man of mystery” attempting to deliver the mysterious contents of a silver suitcase to a shadowy Mr. Big and encountering thrills, danger and women along the way. Leth has mentioned the vibe of Drive as an inspiration.

After we finish chatting, Mikkelsen was supposed to head straight to Bucharest to start shooting "The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman" opposite Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood, taking on another villainous role of the sort that keep coming his way in the wake of "Casino Royale." And it’s just been announced that he’s in discussions too for the key baddie role in "Thor 2." But obviously, Mikkelson turned up Sunday night for the closing night award ceremony.

"The Hunt" is getting a great reception but were you worried before you came how it would be received?
I think Thomas made a fantastic film and he deserves every good response that he’s getting. We’ve been over the moon but not super surprised because we knew it was good. But we’re happy that people saw it the way we did. So far it’s been a journey of joy.

Your performance, too, is deservedly being singled out.
Thank you, that means a lot. There have been a lot of compliments. It’s a tough theme. The theme is an unbearable one so the fact that there’s a lot of talk about it means hopefully we can sell it and people can eventually see it.

Thomas had to leave Cannes early because his wife’s about to deliver and you’re leaving too. Will anyone be here on Sunday if there’s an award in the offing?
The buzz is good but there are 21 films in Competition and they’re all good so if we come in 2nd, 3rd or 21st, we don’t care because we’re in the group of tremendous directors and tremendous films. We know we’re up against some big boys. If we get something, we will be really happy; if not, we’re still really happy.

So why did you get involved in "Move On"?
I like Asger, we’ve known each other for many years. And there’s a rock ‘n’ roll feeling to this. People out there will be part of it which is going to be new to all of us. They’re not going to take us in a direction that is totally fucked up but they might come with some inputs I like: ‘That’s not bad, let’s try that.’ It’s hard to have that kind of openness in a film but we will try it and I’m sure something will come out of that will be surprising for us.

Do you think it can be something more than a corporate branding extension?
Well, that’s our mission. I don’t think any of us have the ambition of just standing there and become spokespeople. We will find something that we enjoy; whether it’s going to be a solid film narrative or just something that’s cool to watch, I don’t know yet.

Who are you playing in "The Necessary Death Of Charlie Countryman"? (Spoiler alert)
Shia and Evan play a young couple who find each other, and I turn up fairly late in the story and am the husband of the young girl. She has not seen me for two years and to put it mildly, my character is a bit on the jealous side.

Is he the kind of guy who would give your character in "The Hunt" a hard time?
Oh, my character in Jagten ("The Hunt") would not be alive if this guy showed up. He’s a real psycho.

I’ve spotted your photo in a few Cannes party shots… having a good time here?
I’ve been working! I’ve been selling myself – in certain ways – and the film. I went to one party yesterday, but the other times I’ve been here with no film in the Competition have been much more unhealthy for my liver than this time.

Cannes Film Festival Closes with Winners --and Losers

Anne Thompson — Sun, 27 May 2012 19:25:44 GMT

The Cannes Film Festival came to a rainy close with an idiosyncratic set of award winners --which as usual had more to do with the composition of the jury than what critics and media had to say during the ten-day festival on the Cote d'Azur. Several of these winners will be released stateside and submitted for foreign Oscar contention.

The sole American winner was, unusually, a Sundance import placed in Un Certain Regard, which won the Camera D'Or for first-time director, Benh Zeitlin's "Beasts of the Southern Wild." Fox Searchlight, who bought Zeitlin his first tuxedo, will push the magical New Orleans delta water-adventure for year-end awards. Many thought the film deserved a spot in the main competition, but Searchlight was happy going for the smaller but more likely win.

As expected, Michael Haneke's deceptively simple, direct and hugely moving France/Austria co-production "Amour" won the Palme d'Or, ushering him into the ranks of two-time winners including Francis Ford Coppola, the Dardennes and Bille August. He also won for his last film in 2009, "White Ribbon," which was nominated for two Oscars, for cinematography and foreign film. Austria will likely submit "Amour" for the foreign Oscar.

Jury president Nanni Moretti made a point of praising the performances of veteran leads Emmanuelle Riva ("Hiroshima On Amour") and Jean Louis Trintignant ("A Man and a Woman"). Sony Pictures Classics is handling the film stateside and will push for more than just foreign consideration.

The jury's acting prizes went to surprise winners Mads Mikkelsen, who gives a lovely, sensitive performance as a mild, passive teacher wrongly accused of pedophila in Thomas Vinterberg's "The Hunt" (which lacks a U.S. distributor) and the non-pro Romanian actresses of Cristian Mingiu's "Beyond the Hills," Comina Stratan and Cristina Flutur, who endured long, cold takes while making the picture in sub-zero conditions. Two French actresses, Riva and "Rust & Bone" star Marion Cotillard, were the front-runners. Best Actress was presented by Alec Baldwin, who has been filming a Cannes movie on the Croisette with director James Toback.

Mungiu also won the screenplay prize. IFC, which also released his Palme d'Or-winning 2007 drama "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days," is handling the likely Romanian Oscar submission stateside.

The Italian jury president may have had a hand in another surprise award, for fellow countryman Matteo Gorrone, who won the Grand Prix for "Reality," a film that received a mixed reaction from critics. He had won the same prize for "Gomorrah," in 2008.

The Cannes mise-en-scene award went to Mexican director Carlos Reygadas' "Post Tenebras Lux," which drew divisive critical reaction. Some also wondered why the Cannes Festival included in the Competition Brit Ken Loach's Prix de Jury-winner "Angel's Share," which was picked up during the Fest by IFC/Sundance Selects. Obviously this jury considered them worthy. "Wow," Loach said as he accepted his prize, thanking Cannes for being so generous over the years--he has been nominated for the Palme d'Or eleven times.

The Cinefondation's short film prize went to "Sessiz-Be Deng" by Turkish director L Rezan Yesilbas.

Among the films that came up empty-handed were literary adaptations from Walter Salles ("On the Road," starring Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart and last year's best actress winner, Kirsten Dunst) and David Cronenberg ("Cosmopolis," a brainy dystopian meditation starring Stewart pal Rob Pattinson); Jacques Audiard's stark survivor story "Rust & Bone," starring Marion Cotillard; Leos Carax's wild and crazy "Holy Motors"; and Wes Anderson's popular romantic opener "Moonrise Kingdom," which opened well stateside this weekend, following the "Midnight in Paris" playbook. (Our video interview with Anderson is here.)

Not expected to be in the running were two gangster pics from The Weinstein Co, rural Prohibition gangster movie "Lawless," starring Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy, and politicized urban thriller "Killing Them Softly," starring Brad Pitt as a ruthless hitman. That may be why Harvey Weinstein made a well-received press presentation of three other potential awards-contenders, Quentin Tarantino's "Dango Unchained," Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master," and David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook."

Also not mentioned on closing night was Lee Daniel's "The Paperboy," starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConnaughey and John Cusack, which was heavily panned and has yet to announce a North American buyer. If Millennium's Avi Lerner's doesn't get the offers he wants, the company may release the film itself. My favorite Cannes tweet is from @MattDentler: "Even if the film didn't win the Cannes Golden Palm, Nicole Kidman's performance in THE PAPERBOY wins the Cannes Golden Shower."

Here's a round-up of other awards:

Directors Fortnight:

ART CINEMA AWARD 2012
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile-U.S.-Mexico)

EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL 2012 for best European film in Directors' Fortnight
The Repentant (Merzak Allouache, Algeria-France)

SACD PRIZE 2012 for best French-language film in Directors' Fortnight
Camille Rewinds (Noemi Lvovsky, France)

Un Certain Regard:

PRIZE OF UN CERTAIN REGARD
DESPUÉS DE LUCIA by Michel FRANCO

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
LE GRAND SOIR by Benoît DELÉPINE and Gustave KERVERN

UN CERTAIN REGARD AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
Suzanne CLÉMENT for her performance in LAURENCE ANYWAYS directed by Xavier DOLAN

UN CERTAIN REGARD AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS
Emilie DEQUENNE for her performance in À PERDRE LA RAISON directed by Joachim LAFOSSE

SPECIAL DISTINCTION OF THE JURY
DJECA (Children of Sarajevo) by Aida BEGIC

CANNES 2012: And the Winners Should Be...

Glenn Heath Jr. & Simon Abrams — Sun, 27 May 2012 17:31:01 GMT

Read our critics' personal predictions of who SHOULD win the awards, and who WILL win the awards, at Cannes 2012:

Glenn's Predictions:

With the last Cannes competition screening in the books, let the award prognostications begin. Since Cannes 2012 has been the year of non-consensus, trying to pick the award winners is like playing a game of musical chairs. But here goes:

Best Actor:

If there’s any justice in this world, Denis Lavant will carry the day for his breathtaking, transformative performance in Holy Motors. There’s no male performance in competition that compares. Aniello Arena of Reality has an outside chance of pulling an upset here, as does Jean-Louis Trintignant of Amour, but I see the latter and his co-star Emmanuelle Riva getting a special mention award instead.

Will and Should Win: Denis Lavant, Holy Motors

Best Actress:

This category is more of a crapshoot, with Margarete Tiesel (Paradise: Love), Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone) and Emmanuelle Riva (Amour) all serious competitors. Cotillard should take it as the local favorite, especially since Paradise: Love is an incredibly divisive film and the performances in Amour should get their own award.

Should Win: Margarete Tiesel, Paradise: Love

Will Win: Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone

Jury Prize:

Sergei Loznita’s In the Fog has an outside chance at the Palme, but I see him getting either the Jury Prize (his great War film would be my choice) or Best Director for his brilliantly dire work. But my prediction for third place is Cristian Mungui’s stark indictment of religious ideology, Beyond the Hills, a resounding technical achievement hindered by taxing hysterics and a blunt “fish-in-a-barrel” ending.

Should Win: In the Fog

Will Win: Beyond the Hills

Best Screenplay:

Andrew Dominik’s talky gangster film Killing Them Softly deserves this one for its amazingly dense dialogue sequences and interesting subplots. But I see David Cronenberg’s talky satire Cosmopolis pulling this one out. If Resnais doesn’t get the Palme, he might get a Screenplay win in return.

Should Win: Killing Them Softly

Will Win: Cosmopolis

Best Director:

It would be wonderful if Wes Anderson were honored with Best Director for Moonrise Kingdom, the one American film in Competition that grows more complex and enjoyable by the day. But he seems like a long shot despite the overall warm reception. If Holy Motors doesn’t win any other award, Carax has a shot at director as well. But the aforementioned Loznitsa will walk away with the prize.

Should Win: Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom

Will Win: Sergei Loznitsa, In the Fog

Grand Prix:

Michael Haneke’s stunning Amour has been the one film most festivalgoers agree on, gaining both critical acclaim and audience praise. But since the Danish director won for his last film (The White Ribbon), look for it to receive the runner-up prize.

Will and Should Win: Amour

Palme d’Or:

Four films have a viable shot at winning the Palme d’Or (Amour, You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet, Like Someone in Love, and Holy Motors), but directors of two (Haneke and Kiarostami) have already won the top prize. Kiarostami’s brilliant Like Someone in Love deserves the award for its audacity, complexity, and sheer thematic force, but it’s hard to imagine the jury giving this divisive a film the big prize. I’m going with Resnais, mostly because he’s never won the award and this is reportedly his last film. The master of the French New Wave will undoubtedly be jury president Nanni Moretti’s sentimental choice. But don’t count out Leos Carax’s loony Holy Motors, the one film in competition with the most impassioned momentum.

Should Win: Like Someone in Love

Will Win: You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

SIMON'S PREDICTIONS:

I’m usually pretty bad at prognosticating anything, so please do take that in mind when reading these predictions. I’ve tried to keep in mind the warm reception some of these films have gotten from colleagues, audience members and myself as well as what a jury (any jury, really) might be inclined to reward. But really, this is a tough year to predict. There have been a number of exceptional films in competition and also a bunch of awful ones, too. Choose wisely, Nanni and co.

Best Actor:

Who Will Win: Denis Lavant, Holy Motors. Lavant plays an actor that transforms from one scene to the next in Leos Carax’s astounding ode to film (the rise of digital cinema weights heavily on him). I tend to think this will win because Lavant’s not only typically versatile but he also has a very physical and demanding role. It’s an impossible-to-miss performance.

Who Should Win: Denis Lavant, Holy Motors. He really is that good, you guys.

Best Actress:

Who Will Win: Emanuelle Riva, Amour. Admittedly, there’s a look-at-me quality to the role that Riva plays in Michael Haneke’s suffocating and disturbing (but in a rewarding way!). How could an award’s body ignore the actress that plays an elderly woman losing her memory? At the same time, Riva really is excellent so this seems like an easy pick.

Who Should Win: Anne Consigny, You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet! Alain Resnais’s newest (and possibly last) film is characteristically rich. He gathers a bunch of actors and has them perform the same roles as each other for the sake of a meta-textual and meta-physical commentary on, well, life, death and performance. Of the three actresses that play Eurydice in the film, Consigny stands out the most, however. This is saying something, considering that she’s playing the same part as the equally impressive Sabine Azema.

Jury Prize:

Who Will Win: Like Someone in Love. I’m not even sure what this award is for. What’s this award for? In any case, Nanni Moretti, the competition jury’s president, apparently made a push for Like Somone in Love director Abbas Kiarostami’s The Taste of Cherry to win a prize. And Kiarostami’s “due,” as they say. Oh, and the movie’s good, too.

Who Should Win: Holy Motors. I seriously don’t know what this prize is. And Carax’s new film is kind of amazing but I don’t think it will win the Palme. Still, I think it will win…something, certainly. This prize could just as easily go to Moonrise Kingdom though.

Best Screenplay:

Who Will Win: After the Battle. Again, being the jaded ass that I am, I don’t think jury members can resist this film’s blunt, dialectical discussion of the recent and highly publicized Egyptian coup. I mean, they should try to resist it, but I think it’ll be a difficult resistance.

Who Should Win: Cosmopolis. David Cronenberg’s adaptation of Don Delillo’s novel is seriously impressive. The changes he’s made to Delillo’s narrative are small but significant, as they only serve to bolster Delillo’s complex and fascinating story. Cronenberg’s script is the backbone for a very well-paced and canny bit of speculative fiction (ie: scifi). So it won’t win but it should.

Best Director:

Will Win: Reality. I rather like Matteo Garrone and am okay with the assured but subtle creative decisions he made for this film. But honestly, the real reason I chose this one is because Garrone's apparently stuck around. So, hey: the prize goes to the guy that directed First Love. Noiiiiice.

Should Win: Killing Them Softly. You can say what you want about the film's obnoxious politics but Dominik is one assured filmmaker. The way he juggles the acidic irony of certain lines of dialogue with relatively playful song cues and then, you know, a serious heist plot--really impressive, even if the rest of the film isn't as good as his previous efforts.

Grand Prix:

Who Will Win: Holy Motors. Leos Carax’s deeply felt passion project has understandably impressed almost everyone I’ve talked to at Cannes. It’s a great film and a complex one, so I tend to think it has something for everyone. Plus, it’s about cinema. So the guys that thought The Artist would tickle the 2011 Cannes jury’s fannies, I mean fancies might have just been off by a year.

Who Should Win: Cosmopolis. I dunno, guys, it takes a lot of skill to pull off an adaptation of Delillo’s knotty source novel that’s as great as Cronenberg’s is. And this sure as hell won’t win the Palme. Plus, the subject’s contemporary, it’s hip, it’s happening. I dunno, I think this movie should win a major award and as long as I’m being both hopeful and realistic, this is probably the prize it should win.

Palme D’Or:

Who Will Win: You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet! Alain Resnais is considered to be the favorite for the Palme by everyone and their mother because, well, he’s old, probably dying and a great fucking filmmaker. So he’s “overdue,” as they say. Oh, and his new movie is really good, too.

Who Should Win: The Paperboy. Make no mistake: Lee Daniels’ new movie is not good by any stretch of the imagination. He confuses sleazy mugging with meeting tawdry material at its own level and trite notions of sex and race as if they were deep sentiments to live by. But holy guacamole, if this movie won, Cannes would be burned to the ground overnight. The prize would be stolen, along with viewers' hearts (?!), by the guy that directed such faux-works of holier-than-thou kitsch as Shadowboxer and Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. How awesome would that be, right?!

Glenn Heath Jr. is a film critic for Slant Magazine, Not Coming to a Theater Near You, The L Magazine,andThe House Next Door. Glenn is also a full-time Lecturer of Film Studies at Platt College and National University in San Diego, CA.

Simon Abrams is a New York-based freelance arts critic. His film reviews and features have been featured in The Village Voice, Time Out New York, Slant Magazine, The L Magazine, The New York Press and Time Out Chicago.He currently writes TV criticism for The Onion AV Cluband is a contributing writer at the Comics Journal.His writings on film are collected at the blog, Extended Cut.

Cannes: Walter Salles Talks The Long Journey To Make 'On The Road'

Oliver Lyttelton — Sun, 27 May 2012 17:17:45 GMT

Given that the source material was once described by Truman Capote with the immortal epithet "That's not writing, that's typing," and has generally been considered as "unfilmable," it's not surprising that it's taken the best part of half-a-century to make a film of Jack Kerouac's beat classic "On the Road." Plans were in the works as early as the publication date in 1957 (Kerouac wanted to co-star in the film with Marlon Brando), and documentarian D.A. Pennebaker came close, but it's Francis Ford Coppola who's been the driving force, developing the project since the release of "Apocalypse Now" in 1979.

And finally, the film has been finished, premiering at the Cannes Film Festival last week, thanks to Coppola, who ended up producing the film, and Walter Salles, the director of "The Motorcycle Diaries." The helmer has assembled an impressive cast, including Sam Riley as Sal Paradise, Garret Hedlund as Dean Moriarty, and Kristen Stewart as Marylou, and while reviews have been middling (including our own), most agree that it's as strong an attempt on the novel as could have been made. Playlist correspondent Aaron Hillis sat down with Salles over the weekend as part of a roundtable interviews at Cannes. Below, you'll find highlights from the conversations (and for more from Salles on his upcoming projects, have a look here).

Salles has been planning the film for eight years, and prepared by making a documentary about the book.
Salles has been a familiar face in world cinema for a couple of decades now, but it was his 2004 film "The Motorcycle Diaries" that saw him become the obvious choice to helm "On the Road." As the director says, "we started to talk about this in 2004 after 'Motorcycle Diaries' premiered at Sundance, what became clear to me is that being passionate for the book for so many years, I discovered it at 18 and I fell in love with it immediately." But Salles wanted to truly immerse himself in the material, and had "the idea to do a documentary following the paths of the book, interviewing the characters of the book who were still alive...and the poets of this generation that then became the beat generation. We interviewed Gary Snyder and Michael McClure, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Diane de Prima. We also interviewed artists who were influenced by Kerouac or by the beat generation in general, [people like] David Byrne. This took four to five years. The initial years were ones where we were in and out because I was also doing other things. But we were diving into this social political historical context to better grasp it. At one point it became so fascinating that I would have been completely satisfied if the quest had ended there."

Earlier versions of the script had been done by Francis Ford Coppola and Russell Banks, among others.
After "The Motorcycle Diaries," Salles was invited, through "Moonrise Kingdom" co-writer Roman Coppola, to go and see his father, Francis Ford Coppola, who'd held the rights for many years. A number of scripts had been in the works, even before Coppola was involved (including an early version which "ended up with the punishment of the Dean Moriarty character, [who] would die in a car," inspired by the recent death of James Dean). Coppola got involved in '79, and according to Salles "got back to the source, and the adaptations became much more truthful to the original text." Coppola also brought in other writers: "Barry Gifford ('Wild At Heart,' 'Lost Highway') wrote a beautiful adaptation, and Russell Banks ('The Sweet Hereafter') wrote an adaptation that actually started quite differently from the book because it was Kerouac at the end of his days who reminisces about his youth." But Salles went back to the newly released, unedited version of the book for his own take, and the script was written by 'Motorcycle Diaries' partner Jose Rivera.

Viggo Mortensen typically went above and beyond the call of duty, losing weight for his role and bringing his own authentic costume.
Many reviews have pointed to Viggo Mortensen's cameo as Old Bull Lee (the surrogate for William Burroughs) as one of the film's highlights. As ever, the "Lord of the Rings" star arrived on set having deeply immersed himself in research. "Viggo arrived in New Orleans," Salles said, "and he had not only lost 30 pounds to play the role but he also had made such extensive research in what Old Lee would wear. He brought the whole costume with him. The hat, the typing machines, there was even a second choice if we didn't like the first hat." The actor had even worked out the books that Burroughs would have been reading at the time, as it happens, about the Mayan Codes, and the work of French author Louis-Ferdinand Celine; an improvisation on the latter made its way into the final movie.

Salles cast Kristen Stewart as Marylou after seeing her in an early cut of "Into the Wild."
The casting of "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart in the film might have raised eyebrows, but Salles had made his decision long before the vampire franchise came into being, after being given her name by a couple of friends and collaborators. "Kristen Stewart was kind of a roll of the dice. Two friends, Alejandro González Iñárritu ('Amores Perros,' 'Babel') and Gustavo Santaolalla, the composer of 'The Motorcycle Diaries,' were invited by Sean Penn to see the first cut of 'Into the Wild,' and when they came back from Northern California, they said 'Listen, for Marylou, stop looking, because there's this great young actress that we've never seen before, and she's really unique, and very talented. We both think she's right for the role.' I remember writing down the name so I wouldn't forget, I had never heard the name. Then I met her and she was so passionate about the book and she knew it so well, she was so intelligent and sensitive that it became clear that she was right for the part and she was ready to really explore every single territory that that character does plunge in."

If Salles could learn anything about more about Kerouac, it would have been about his time in the jazz scene in New York in the 1940s.
Salles has obviously become something of a Kerouac expert in recent years, but there are still elements of his life that remain a little mysterious. When asked what he would ask the writer if he got the chance, Salles responded that he'd like to know more about a relatively unknown period. "I would have loved to know from him what brought him in 1941 to accompany his roommate at Columbia, a guy called Jerry Newman, to go to places like Minton’s in Harlem and hear the first African-American jazz men playing the solos for the first time. Because when all of those great players, great musicians got to the Village, the word got spread and everybody had access to that. But to begin with, they were one of the very few to be there, and Kerouac was helping Jerry Newman who was a precursor of bootlegging, he was recording all of those artists as they were improvising for the first time. How was it to see the burgeoning of that extraordinary movement that would transform American culture? You know, we're in 1941. This comes way before the arrival of Jackson Pollock and the action painting, it's before the Actors Studio, it's before the new journalism of the Village Voice, and precedes the drawings of Jules Feiffer, this is a moment where accidental art was bifurcating somewhere else, and he witnessed that. How incredible was that? I would have probably asked him about that. There's even a Dizzie Gillespie song named Kerouac. But if you got to Gillespie’s biography which is 557 pages long there's not one word about Kerouac."

Interview by Aaron Hillis

CANNES: Leos Carax's 'Holy Motors' Finds a U.S. Home With Indomina

Peter Knegt — Sun, 27 May 2012 14:04:48 GMT

The Indomina Group has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Leos Carax's acclaimed Cannes title "Holy Motors" on the final day of the festival, the company has announced.

Starring Michel Piccoli, Denis Lavant, Eva Mendes and Kylie Minogue, the competition film gained some of the best reviews out of the festival. Indiewire's Eric Kohn called it "balls-to-the-wall crazy, beautiful and unbelievably strange" in his review.

Rob Williams, Indomina’s Vice President of Acquisitions, negotiated the deal with Carole Baraton of Wild Bunch, which is handling international sales for the film.

Full press release below.

Cannes, France (May 27, 2012) --- It was announced today that The Indomina Group, the fast-growing producer and distributor of film, TV and trans-media content, has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Leos Carax’s critically acclaimed French drama “Holy Motors,” an official Cannes competition film starring Michel Piccoli, Denis Lavant, Eva Mendes and Kylie Minogue. The announcement was made in Cannes by Indomina Group Vice Chairman and CEO Jasbinder Singh Mann.

Written and directed by Leos Carax, “Holy Motors” takes viewers on a journey from dawn to dusk, chronicling a few hours in the life of Monsieur Oscar, a shadowy character who journeys from one life to the next. He is, in turn, captain of industry, assassin, beggar, monster, family man...

He seems to be playing roles, plunging headlong into each part - but where are the cameras? Monsieur Oscar is alone, accompanied only by Céline, the slender blonde woman behind the wheel of the vast engine that transports him through and around Paris. He¹s like a conscientious assassin moving from hit to hit.

In pursuit of the beautiful gesture, the mysterious driving force, the women and the ghosts of past lives.

But where is his true home, his family, his rest?

The film premiered in Cannes on Thursday, May 24th with its stars in attendance and has been receiving rave reviews from critics and fans around the world.

Indomina Vice Chairman and CEO Jasbinder Singh Mann said, “Leos Carax is a masterful filmmaker. His unique, singular vision is something that cannot be overlooked in today’s marketplace. The film really stays with you after you’ve left the cinema – a testament to not only a brilliant story but amazing direction and performances. We’re thrilled to have this film on our release slate.”

Rob Williams, Indomina’s Vice President of Acquisitions, negotiated the deal with Carole Baraton of Wild Bunch, which is handling international sales for the film.

“Holy Motors” was produced by Martine Marignac through Pierre Grise Productions with funds from the CNC, Île-de-France region, Arte France, Canal+ and Ciné+. The film is a German co-production through the company Pandora, and also received funds from the Franco-German co-production support committee.

Recent acquisitions for The Indomina Group's releasing division include the Chinese blockbuster “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate,” which will have an IMAX theatrical run in the U.S. this fall; Ice-T’s performance movie “Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap;” Sheldon Candis’ “LUV,” starring Common; the acclaimed documentary “The Imposter,” and the music themed coming of age film “Filly Brown.”

Upcoming productions from Indomina include a new live action “Afro Samurai” with Samuel L. Jackson, “Cabin Fever: Patient Zero” and “Cabin Fever: Outbreak.”

CANNES: Sundance Selects Takes U.S. Rights To Abbas Kiarostami's 'Like Someone In Love'

Peter Knegt — Sun, 27 May 2012 13:58:55 GMT

On the final day of the Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Selects has picked up all U.S. rights to Abbas Kiarostami's competition title "Like Someone In Love."

The film -- starring Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno and Ryo Kase -- marks one of many Cannes titles Sundance Selects and sister company IFC Films have acquired. Others include "On the Road," "Beyond the Hills" and "The Angels' Share," all also in competition.

The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films, with Victoire Thevenin of MK2 on behalf of the filmmakers.

Full press release below.

CANNES, FRANCE (May 27, 2012) – Sundance Selects announced today from the 2012 Cannes Film Festival that the company is acquiring all US rights to LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE directed and written by former Palme d'Or winner Abbas Kiarostami (CERTIFIED COPY, THE TASTE OF CHERRY). The film is an MK2 and Eurospace Production. It stars Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno and Ryo Kase. It was produced by Marin Karmitz (MK2) and Kenzo Horikoshi (Eurospace), and associate produced by Nathanael Karmitz and Charles Gillibert. LIKE SOMEONE IN LOVE made its world premiere in competition earlier in the week at the Cannes Film Festival.

In his follow-up to the stateside hit CERTIFIED COPY (which starred Juliette Binoche), Abbas Kiarostami's returns with yet another dazzling cinematic puzzle. An old man and a young woman meet in Tokyo. She knows nothing about him. He thinks he knows her. He welcomes her into his home. She offers him her body. Soon it becomes apparent that the web that is woven between them in the space of 24 hours bears no relation to the circumstance of their encounter.

Jonathan Sehring, President of Sundance Selects/IFC Films, said: "It's a great honor to continue our relationship with Abbas Kiarostami after our successful collaboration with him on CERTIFIED COPY. His latest film is a beautiful, mysterious masterpiece that we hope to continue to build his following with in the US. We are also clearly very happy to be working with our good friends at MK2 and also with Eurospace."

IFC Films/Sundance Selects recently announced that it had acquired Walter Salles' ON THE ROAD which is an MK2 production. The film screened to acclaim earlier in the week at Cannes in Competition. The two companies have previously collaborated on Gus Van Sant's PARANOID PARK, Olivier Assayas' SUMMER HOURS, Abbas Kiarostami's CERTIFIED COPY and the upcoming Assayas' film SOMETHING IN THE AIR.

Sundance Selects/IFC Films is already a major American presence at Cannes this year with several films already screening at the festival: Walter Salles’ competition film ON THE ROAD which the company acquired right before the festival began and will release jointly under IFC Films and Sundance Selects; Cristian Mungiu's competition film BEYOND THE HILLS which is being releasedunder the Sundance Selects label; Adam Leon's SXSW-winner GIMME THE LOOT which is also being released under Sundance Selects and is screening in Un Certain Regard; Rodney Ascher's Sundance sensation ROOM 237 which was acquired for IFC Midnight and is screening at Director's Fortnight; Ken Loach's competition film THE ANGELS' SHARE which Sundance Selects acquired during the festival; Ben Wheatley's dark comedy SIGHTSEERS which is screening in Director’s Fortnight, and was acquired by IFC Films during the festival; and IM Sang Soo's competition film THE TASTE OF MONEY which the company acquired yesterday for its IFC Midnight label.

The deal for the film was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Productions for Sundance Selects/IFC Films with Victoire Thevenin of MK2 on behalf of the filmmakers.

Sundance Selects is a sister label to IFC Films and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.

Michael Haneke's 'Amour' Wins Palme D'Or at 2012 Cannes Film Festival

Peter Knegt — Sun, 27 May 2012 13:36:00 GMT

Michael Haneke has won his second Palme d'Or in just four years, as his new film "Amour" led the winners of the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

The film, which stars Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva, focuses on an elderly couple, Anne and Georges, who are retired music teachers. When Anne suffers a stroke that paralyzes her on one side of the body, they are forced to struggle through her painful decline.

Other major winners included Cristian Mungiu's "Beyond The Hills," which took prizes for best screenplay and best actress (for both Cosmina Stratan and Christina Flutor), and Matteo Garrone's "Reality," which won the Grand Prix (or runner-up for the Palme).

Shut out was Leos Carax's "Holy Motors," which was one of the most polarizing films of the festival.

The Full List of the 2012 Festival de Cannes Winners:

Palme d’Or:
"Amour"

Grand Prix:
"Reality"

Prix de la Mise en Scene (best director):
Carlos Reygadas, "Post Tenebras Lux"

Prix du Scenario (best screenplay):
"Beyond The Hills"

Camera d’Or (best first feature):
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Prix du Jury (jury prize):
"The Angel's Share"

Prix d’interpretation feminine (best actress):
Cosmina Stratan and Christina Flutor, "Beyond The Hills"

Prix d’interpretation masculine (best actor):
Mads Mikkelsen, "The Hunt"

Cannes 2012: Sang-soo Im’s THE TASTE OF MONEY

Simon Abrams — Sat, 26 May 2012 23:53:15 GMT

You have to really want to say “F*** you” to anyone watching your work to make a black comedy as rancid as The Taste of Money. Money is a needlessly self-parodizing, feature-length supplement to South Korean Sang-soo Im’s (The President’s Last Bang) recent remake of Ki-Young Kim’s The Housemaid. In fact, Im rubs that connection in viewers’ faces by alluding to The Housemaid three times in Money, even going so far as to have his hatefully stupid protagonists watch both versions of The Housemaid.

For comparison’s sake: both versions of The Housemaid focus on a working-class domestic who suffers a hilarious psychotic breakdown on refusing to be bought off by her corrupt bosses, who naturally come from old money. The Taste of Money's two hirelings reluctantly climb the corporate ladder and look on in mute disdain while their screwy bosses literally screw each other over, acting like rejected antagonists from Passions. Im actively encourages laughter at hysterical, one-dimensional protagonists. This aggressively broad satire is designed to needle everybody and satisfy no one.

Young-jak (Kang-woo Kim) is a factotum-cum-personal assistant for Chairman Yoon (Yoon-sik Baek), a wealthy owner of a multi-billion dollar international conglomerate. Yoon has Young-jak do almost everything for him. And, as is explicitly spelled out in the film’s first scene, in which Young-jak is told to “taste” (ie: pocket) some money for himself, he’s being groomed for a higher position.

But Young-jak doesn’t know if he wants to climb the corporate ladder in the weird, unexpected ways required in this film. He’s awkwardly caught between Geum-ok Baek (Yeo-jong Yoon), Yoon’s wife, and Yoon, who is having an affair with his Filipina maid Eva (Maui Taylor). And to keep everything copacetic between everyone in the Yoon clan, he also has to schtup Na-mi (Hyo-jin Kim), Yoon’s attractive daughter, too. Despite his reluctance to admit it, there is a line that even a would-be sell-out like Young-Jak isn’t prepared to cross. And he’s made to cross it several times over.

The Taste of Money’s smugly shrill sense of humor delights in ridiculing its soft target protagonists. The film is punishing-ly surreal in that way, being insanely melodramatic, but it also never reaches a Mel Brooks-level of farce. If anything, Im is just so in love with his jokes that he reaches a new strata of semi-self-aware camp. Topless women, too many gimmicky POV shots, and the random presence of a white CEO named Robert Altman (played by the respected real-life Korean film critic Darcy Paquet) are not even the most bewildering things about the film. It’s an utterly baffling film: not because it’s hard to understand what Im’s doing (money corrupts, apparently!) so much as why he won’t stop doing it.

Unfortunately, The Taste of Money isn’t even batshit on an inspired level, like the ending of his The Housemaid remake (One word: SELF-IMMOLATION). It’s just a noxiously tedious bit of fuckwittery and a big waste of time. If the ending of Im’s The Housemaid was his way of exhaling sharply and letting his gut out, then The Taste of Money is his way of keeping his beer belly out and playing The Green Hornet theme song with his navel, over and over and over again.

Simon Abrams is a New York-based freelance arts critic. His film reviews and features have been featured in The Village Voice, Time Out New York, Slant Magazine, The L Magazine, The New York Press and Time Out Chicago. He currently writes TV criticism for The Onion AV Club and is a contributing writer at the Comics Journal. His writings on film are collected at the blog, Extended Cut.