Grozilla reports in from Cannes... Sayles' Sunshine State; Moore's Bowling for Columbine; Breillat 's Sex is Comedy

Father Geek here in blistering Central Texas posting our first on the scene report from our man in Paris, Grozilla, who is now cavorting on the sunny French Riviera with all those stunning Euro-starlets at all those wonderful Troma-parties...

Citizen Toxie French and Japanese Pre-Premiere Yacht Party - Saturday, May 18 at 7:30pm

Superstarlet AD Cannes Premiere Yacht Party- Tuesday, May 21 at 7:00pm

TromaDance Beach Party- Wednesday, May 22- 9:00pm- Zenith Plage

Oh how I wish I was there instead of fighting the AOTC fan induced site slowdown battles back here in Austin. Oh well, here's Grozilla...

Hello fellow film fans...

Hope you'll enjoy what follows. And forgive my "approximate" English, please... All commentaries are of course encouraged...

Grozilla

Cannes Day 1

Once again, a very small place on the French Riviera, is mutating into an extraterrestrial land. For eleven days, humans don't exists anymore in Cannes. All people around over ten square kilometers change into the freakin'stuff moviegoer. See film, hear film, talk film, eat film, drink film, shit film. Cannes is living under the reign of film till may 26th. Absolutely nothing else matters here. For the 55th time, the show is on. For better or worse.

Sunshine state

John Sayles. One of my favorite storytellers in American cinema. Dealing again with some depiction of the true American heart with this chronicle set in Florida. Meet the Delrona beach population before this small city might be changed by some estate project ruled by investors who try to buy the Lincoln Beach. This district was once the black neighborhood. Not a ghetto, but a quiet place where you can hear ocean from the houses. As in his latest films since Lone Star, Sayles tells a story of territories.

Not only geographical ones, but human ones. Each character is a part of a human map, dealing with their own frontiers, expecting to go beyond without daring to. Twenty + stories mixed around this ocean shore. More than twenty lives told sometimes in two minutes, sometimes all along this 2h20 minutes film. Leading the pack, the white Marly (Edie Falco), tired owner of a motel and the black Desirée (Angela Bassett) coming back to her place, after leaving it many years ago, as a pregnant teenager. Both are tied by a strong relation to their common hometown, and overall the weight of their families and communities. But they're both on the edge of big change. I always wondered how some filmmakers can deal with these choral films, how not to lose themselves in all these characters, how to give the right length to the right part. Sayles still know how this works. Sunshine State is no Altman-esque stuff, because he never felt a powerful god manipulating his creatures. Once again, Sayles gives heart and soul to every part, even those who may appear useless (This golf pro, that chamber of commerce stalwart, this caterpillar driver.). All find a meaning because they're all link of the same chain. However, for once Sayles has, to my opinion, a bit failed here by making two movies in once. Those two women tales are beautiful but can't appear to be the two sides of a coin. Something's missing in each one to be complete. Maybe because the only character who tie those two women isn't strong enough. Sunshine State has the stuff to make two masterful films, but strangely, express some lacks by being only one too much filled with too many rich topics. A bit sad for all this brilliant cast, overwhelmed by a very very impressive Edie Falco as a disillusioned woman.

Bowling for columbine

First time I went to NYC, I was under the influence of some guide which warned about the potential danger I might encounter in the big apple. Harlem, Brooklyn and Alphabet city were quoted as a real danger zone. So I went chilly once I landed in those areas. But nothing happened. I even met nice fellas there with whom I had a very jolly good time. This is a small personal experience but that's what Michael Moore's Bowling for columbine is about : fear. New questioning for the guy after the Columbine massacre : why does US people kill each other by gun way more than any other country ? Moore follows the same M.O than in his previous works : wandering all over the place and ask the questions to anyone that could be in charge of an answer. And put'em in front of contradictions. When that's possible. Obviously not when he chats with a guy probably involved in this Timothy McVeigh's case : a farmer obsessed with its rights until he showed his real face : a truly madman sleepin' with a loaded 44. magnum under his pillow. This encounter give a right example of this film's mood : at first funny, then reeeeeaally frightening. And a bit of perplexity too. This time, Moore won't get all the answers he wanted. And the ones he gets are bitter. Because they're showing the huge absurdity of the American system, how it get trapped in its own trap. Maybe also because it show the limits of Moore's works : he's again playing candid, asking simple questions who gets unexpected answer. Why is America a so violent country? No one asked here can really answer that question. At most, they just nod in a "c'est la vie" mood. Is it ? Moore gaves his own explanation with some archives clips or some South-Park style animated sequences. Maybe to avoid to look at the reality of what that says. And it seems to be the only way to do, because if not it would be unbearable. As are some reactions as Charlton Heston's and Dick Clark's to Moore's questions. Whatever those two guys were popular for, they're two assholes. Period.

So Moore didn't get answers, then he has a thesis : all that came from fear. And that fear came from the medias. At this time, any French people in the audience, went from hard laughing to chill. Because right now here, we're very close to what Moore shows on screen. Two weeks ago, some fuckin' extreme-right wing leader get very very close to be elected as our president. And that was due to a campaign about insecurity. Our Tv is nowadays very fond a trash-real-tv, shows like Cops. The news open on any crime or aggression. Why ? because it makes larger audiences that could satisfy business and partners. Result is France was very short about giving absolute power to some well-known racist, fascist man. At last he didn't get it, but our since government has decided to elaborate a huge policy on security, that became the only word they could say. But instead of looking and asking why so many things go presumabely wrong, the first act is purely repressive : more cops with more power on the streets ! From time to time, Bowling for columbine isn't fair, uses some wrong technics to get Moore's point at any cost. That doesn't matter. This is the point of view of a desperate guy who got enormous balls (see the encounter with Heston, and you'll know what I mean) to express some good sense Even if it's sometimes manipulative, This is a very important film, right now. It's a good thing that it was selectionned here, just because journalists from all over the world could see it. It would be a very good and brave thing if Bowling for columbine could be awarded by the jury, as a civic effort. Every man of sense (even our latests Prime minister, and Interior minister) must see this film.

Sex is comedy

Catherine Breillat is known here as a very controversial filmmaker. Because she's one of the few female director to ask about sex in a male crude way in her films. Three or four years ago her Romance caused some big scandal by using Rocco Siffredi, the hugest euro-porn star in a non-porn movie but using some nonsimulated sex scenes. Her previous works (Sale comme un ange, Parfait amour.) already was about the weight of sex in love relationship. Always with very strong female characters. Breillat became one of the most praised filmmakers by the intellectual press. And they were right : this woman has done some of the strongests films on that topic without any compromise. I didn't like all of his films, some being to jerkin'off to me, but I have to admit her purpose has a real interest, at least because it dares say thing about sexuality that quite none other French filmmaker, male or female, express.

Sex is comedy was at first titled Scènes intimes (Intimate scenes). It's now the title of a film within a film. We're invited to have a look behind the scenes, to follow some female director in full process of creation. Having difficulties to lead her actors to the big climax of her film : a sex scene. You got it, Breillat is holding a mirror on her way of working. And it seems that a life of director is nothing but angst, doubt and theoricizing on men-female relationship. Wow, that was very promising. But alas, if others Breillat's movies got flesh all here seems caricatural. Director doin' mental torture on herself, Actors (without name, they're just called : the actor or She) being vain and capricious, psycho babbling, blab la bla. Send a tape of this to any SNL crew, they'll won't have to change a line to get a perfect satire of French auteur filmmaker. Breillat said this film was make because she was fed up of that latest proliferation of making of shown on TV or DVD's. Once the question everybody asked about her movies was "wow, are that sex scenes real or not ? Did they really do IT ?". This time it's more "Wow, is a film set really like that". Maybe some are, but I'm not sure people doesn't give a shit to know about. If Sex is comedy, Breillat sure didn't forget that it's also a bit about psycho-wanking...