Cannes Film Festival History

The Cannes Film Festival , founded in 1946, is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious film festivals in the entertainment industry.

Quite possible the biggest attraction to the festival is it’s surroundings, in the south of France. The festival is held annually at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, in the resort town of Cannes.

Oddly enough, the winning films do not mean financial success, as many of the winning films cater to a more sophisticated crowd.

Celebrities flock to Cannes, it is the one of the most sought after events to attend. Tickets are not paid for, it is an exclusive festival that you have to be invited to.

The Awards Given Out

Cannes has many, many awards that you can read about below. I’ll only list the most prestigious awards, you can visit the official site to find out all of them.

Competition
Palme d’Or – Golden Palm
Grand Prix – Grand Prize of the Festival
Prix du Jury – Jury Prize
Palme d’Or du court métrage – Best Short Film
Prix d’interprétation féminine – Best Actress
Prix d’interprétation masculine – Best Actor
Prix de la mise en scène – Best Director
Prix du scénario – Best Screenplay

Kick-Ass – 2010

KICK-ASS tells the story of average teenager Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who decides to take his obsession with comic books as inspiration to become a real-life superhero. As any good superhero would, he chooses a new name — Kick-Ass — assembles a suit and mask to wear, and gets to work fighting crime. There’s only one problem: Kick-Ass has absolutely no superpowers.

His life is forever changed as he inspires a subculture of copy cats, meets up with a pair of crazed vigilantes — an 11-year-old sword-wielding dynamo, Hit Girl (Chloë Moretz) and her father, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) — and forges a friendship with another fledgling superhero, Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). But thanks to the scheming of a local mob boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), that new alliance will be put to the test.

Why you care

Could this film be the end of Cage’s movie career? Can it get any worse than Kick-Ass? Oh shit, never-mind, he’s also in Ghost Rider 2, so it does get worse.

Trailer

Kick-Ass Pictures

[View with PicLens]

Kick-Ass Release Date

April 16th 2009

Starring

Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Chloë Moretz, and Nicolas Cage, Clark Duke, Evan Peters, Lyndsy Fonseca, Michael Rispoli, Garrett M. Brown, Xander Berkley, Omari Hardwick

Reminds me of

Oddly enough, Kick-Ass reminds me of Watchmen.

The Good

Nicolas Cage needs the money, can Kick-Ass deliver the paycheck?

The Bad

Looks a tad corny for my taste.

Our Clever Prediction

Mega flop resulting in Nicolas Cage having to sell another house. 20 Million at the box office.

The Truth

A Perfect Getaway started out strong, but dragged on too long before getting into the guts of the film.

From early on in the beginning, you are sort of certain the killers are, who you think they are. The movie does a decent attempt, or two, of throwing you off but in the end the surprise isn’t really too big.

Still, Director David Twohy keeps your interest pretty high as you wait for the plot to reveal itself slowly. Perhaps its the setting in the Hawaiian Islands that kept my interest, or was it watching Milla Jovovich run around in a tight top and shorts?

Regardless, A Perfect Getaway throws a few loops at you. Nick and Gina are suspects all along, so are the mysterious hitch-hikers who appear to stalk the couple in the mountains.

The film keeps us guessing at who the real killers are till the end, although I wasn’t all that fooled to be honest, even though the story had a ton of holes in it.

The Action

A Perfect Getaway doesn’t have much action, the little it does have is saved till the very end for a brief period.

What’s good about it?

The skinny dipping scene with Milla Jovovich and Kiele Sanchez was pretty hot. The backdrop to the film was wonderful, as the Hawaiian Islands provide gorgeous visuals on your TV. Kiele Sanchez is about to make it big, she’s pleasant to look at and a great actress.

What’s bad about it?

A Perfect Getaway waited too long to get to the point, and I found myself uninterested from time to time. Steve Zahn just doesn’t play the role of a bad guy very well, he’s too well known for his comedic character roles.

Perfect For

A Perfect Getaway is a perfect film for a rainy/snowy evening when your eyes need colorful visuals of the Hawaiian Islands.

What I learned

Cellphone service sucks in Hawaii.

The Verdict

A Perfect Getaway struggles on a lot of levels, but its decent enough to recommend for those in the mood for an average thriller with a twist or two.

Claim To Fame

The Lord Of The Rings launched his name into mainstream media. An incredibly talented director with a passion for Science Fiction.

Jackson will also be directing The Hobbit, Halo, The Hobbit 2.

As a director, his accomplishments are legendary, as a producer, second to none.

Steven Spielberg was born in 1946, he is perhaps the most powerful man in hollywood and commands upwards of 17 Million per movie, plus a percentage of the ticket sales.

Birth Date: December 18, 1947 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Birth Name: Steven Allan Spielberg

Claim To Fame

As a Director, a few of his credits include : “Jaws,” “E.T.,” “Jurassic Park,” & “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Saving Private Ryan , Schindler’s List , Artificial Intelligence: AI … Hollywood’s first Billionaire Director.

The Squeakquel

In the Squeakquel, pop sensations Alvin, Simon and Theodore end up in the care of Dave Seville’s 20-something nephew Toby (Zach Levi). The boys must put aside music super-stardom to return to school, and are tasked with saving the school’s music program by winning the $25,000 prize in a battle of the bands.

But the Chipmunks unexpectedly meet their match in three singing chipmunks known as the Chipettes: Brittany, Eleanor and Jeanette. Romantic and musical sparks are ignited when the Chipmunks and Chipettes square off.

Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Release Date

December 25th, 2009 (wide)

Starring

Jason Lee, Zachary Levi, Anjelah Johnson, Wendie Malick, Justin Long, David Cross, Cameron Richardson, Matthew Gray Gubler, Jesse McCartney, Anna Faris, Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler

Reminds me of

Alvin and the Chipmunks

Interesting Fact

The film is being released early for the Christmas season 2009.

The Good

A family movie for the holiday season 2009.

The Bad

Nothing!

Our Clever Prediction

80 Million at the box office.

Faster Movie Details

A stint in prison usually has one of two effects on a man – it either breaks him down or makes him stronger. For Driver (Dwayne Johnson), a 10-year sentence proved the latter.

His strength was not just fueled by time, but also
by a hunger to avenge the murder of his brother during the botched bank robbery that led to his own imprisonment.

Untouchable on the ‘inside,’ he made plenty of enemies in prison – men who were counting the days until his release so they could exact their own revenge on the outside. Now, on the
day of his release, he is hell-bent on reaping vengeance upon the four men responsible for his brother’s murder.

With a list of names and addresses in hand, he sprints out of the prison gates and is immediately on his mission. No regard for witnesses. No finesse to the acts. One down. Check. Within
hours of Driver eliminating the first name on the list, two men are on his trail – Cop (Billy Bob Thornton), a veteran police officer just days from retirement, and Killer, a young egocentric hitman with a flair for the art of killing.

The hunter is now also the hunted. Without hesitation, Driver methodically continues down his list while the mystery deepens surrounding his brother’s murder and who might have tipped off those responsible to their robbery plans. With each killing, Driver
finds himself face to face with Cop or Killer and he evades them every time.

Killer wants Driver now more than ever – he’s finally met a worthy opponent. Thus begins a do or die race to the list’s finish with new details in the 10-year old murder emerging along the way…hinting that Driver’s list may be incomplete and his life in further danger.

Why you care

‘Faster’ relaunches Dwayne Johnson’s role as a bad-ass renegade.

Release Date

October 15th 2010

Cast and Crew of ‘Faster’

Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton

Reminds me of

Falling Down, Get Carter

The Good

The return of the ‘bad boy’ character for ‘The Rock’.

Our Clever Prediction

50 Million at the box office.

‘Beastly’ – The Scoop

Kyle Kingson (Alex Pettyfer) has it all – looks, intelligence, wealth and opportunity – and a wicked cruel streak. Prone to mocking and humiliating “aggressively unattractive” classmates, he zeroes in on Goth classmate Kendra (Mary Kate Olsen), inviting her to the school’s extravagant environmental bash.

Kendra accepts, and, true to form, Kyle blows her off in
a particularly savage fashion. She retaliates by casting a spell that physically transforms him into everything he despises. Enraged by his horrible and unrecognizable appearance he confronts Kendra and learns that the only solution to the curse is to find someone that will love him as he is – a task he
considers impossible.

Repulsed by his appearance, Kyle’s callous father (Peter Krause) banishes him to Brooklyn with a sympathetic housekeeper (Lisa Gay Hamilton) and blind tutor (Neil Patrick Harris). As Kyle ponders how to overcome the curse and get his old life back, he chances upon a drug addict in the act of killing a threatening dealer. Seizing the opportunity, Kyle promises the addict freedom and safety for his daughter Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) if she will consent to live in Kyle’s Brooklyn home.

Thus begins Kyle’s journey to discover true love in this hyper-modern retelling of the classic “Beauty and the Beast” story.

Why you care

You can’t get enough of the classic tale of Beauty And The Beast.

Beastly Release Date

July 30 2010

Starring

Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Hudgens, Neil Patrick Harris, Peter
Krause, Mary-Kate Olsen, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Dakota Johnson

Reminds me of

Beauty And The Beast

The Good

Mary-Kate Olsen’s return to the big screen.

Our Clever Prediction

20 Million at the box office.

The Back-Up Plan

“The Back-up Plan” is a comedy that explores courtship, love, marriage and family “in reverse.” After years of dating, Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) has decided waiting for the right one is taking too long.

Determined to become a mother, she commits to a plan, makes an appointment and decides to go it alone. On the day of her
artificial insemination, Zoe meets Stan (Alex O’Loughlin) – a man with real possibilities.

Trying to nurture a budding relationship and hide the early signs of pregnancy becomes a comedy of errors for Zoe and creates confusing signals for Stan. When Zoe nervously reveals the reason for her unpredictable behavior, Stan commits fully and says he’s in.

Never before has love seen a courtship where a wild night of sex involves three in a bed – Stan, Zoe and the ever-
present massive pregnancy pillow. Or, where “date night” consists of being the “focal point” at a near-stranger’s water birth which does for kiddie pools what “Jaws” did for swimming in the ocean.

The real pregnancy test comes when both of them realize they really do not know each other outside of hormonal chaos and birth preparations. With the nine month clock ticking, both begin to experience cold feet. Anyone can fall in love, get married and have a baby but doing it backwards in hyper-drive could be proof positive that they were made for each other.

Why you care

You are considering artificial insemination

The Back-Up Plan Release Date

April 2010

Starring

Jennifer Lopez, Alex O’Loughlin, Eric Christian Olsen, Michaela Watkins, Melissa McCarthy, Danneel Harris, Anthony Anderson, Noureen DeWulf, Linda Lavin, Tom Bosley

Reminds me of

Pretty In Pink

The Good

Artificial Insemination and Mr. Cunningham in the same movie.

The Bad

Relationships

Our Clever Prediction

J-Lo always seems to score huge at the box office so The Back-up Plan will be a success.

Extraordinary Measures

From his working class roots, John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) has finally
begun to taste success in corporate America. Supported by his beautiful wife Aileen (Keri Russell) and their three children, John is on the fast track.

But just as his career is taking off, Crowley walks away from it all when his two youngest children, Megan and Patrick, are diagnosed with a fatal disease. With Aileen by his side, harnessing all of his skill and determination, Crowley teams up with a brilliant, but unappreciated and unconventional scientist, Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford).

Together they form a bio-tech company focused on developing a life-saving drug. One driven to prove himself and his theories, the other by a chance to save his children, this unlikely alliance eventually develops into mutual respect as they battle the medical and
business establishments in a fight against the system – and time.

But, at the last minute, when it appears that a solution has been found, the relationship between the two men faces a final test – the outcome of which will affect the fate of John’s children.

Why you care

The power of a motivated man can make all the difference in the world.

Extraordinary Measures Release Date

January 22, 2010

Starring

Extraordinary Measures stars : Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, Keri Russell, Courtney B Vance, Jared Harris

Reminds me of

My Sister’s Keeper

The Good

Harrison Ford, true stories.

The Bad

Movies about sick children always bothered me, since the day I had kids of my own.

Our Clever Prediction

50 Million at the box office.