Hey folks, Up from the depths of Cannes emerges GROZILLA!!! Grozilla the mighty, whom stomps and wreaks havoc upon the bikini wearing film goers of Cannes (Note, I myself never saw a Bikini wearing film goer... not even Roger... at this year's Cannes)!!! But as is the story with all correspondents at Cannes... the toil is rising... Exhaustion is setting in, tempers flaring... anger coming... Is there a film this year that can re-energize the festival. A film that shines above all the others? (Personally I believe this miracle film to be playing all over France and is called AMELIE, but the ahem... gentlemen at Cannes decided to not allow it entry!) Here's Grozilla!!!!
Ok, ok , I really need to make seppuku to myself.
Yes, The piano teacher is adapted from an Austrian book, not polish one.
The title of Stephen Norrington movie is The Last Minute not The Last Letter.
Worst : I came too late to enter the other night's screening of YOU REALLY GOT ME, second film from Pal Sletaune.
Even worst : I can't say anything of Mullholland drive.
On the press screening last night, I was so tired by seven days of festival screenings and reports that I fell asleep twenty minutes after the beginning to wake up at the end of the film. All I can say is the sound of it must be quite disturbing : I get the feeling to hear it in my deep nap...
I did managed to see some films yesterday anyway , as Sean Penn's one. The Pledge has, to my opinion, huge possibilities to reach the palmares. Jack Nicholson is great for the first time in years, the directing is marvelous, the photography was wonderful. But there's still a problem. Many of the press people -me included- didn't get caught by The pledge, because, as each year in this festival, when this kind of slowpace film with many long shots of a fishing man, or shots on clocks ticking is screened on half the festival at 8:30 am (meaning with more than half of the audience having slept very little hours since a week), it becomes impossible to concentrate on it. Anyway, except the very lousy performance by Benicio del Toro, laughable as a retarded Indian who speaks like John Merrick, I get the feeling this film was a very deep one. I just need to see it again in better conditions. It happens almost each year here.
Remember how the press disliked Dead Man or Khrustaliov, my car, when they were screened early in the morning here, and then they praised those films as masterpieces a few months later when they got released?
Sometimes, Cannes is the worst place to see and enjoy films.
Few hours later with some double coffee and becoming much more awake. I sat in a theater on the market to see REPLICANT. I'm not a huge fan of Van Damme, but much more of Ringo Lam's work. As you may already know, The muscle from Brussels deals again with some twin story here.
This time, he's a cruel killer, cops get some of his blood. From it they create a clone which the cops hope has the same memory so they could reach the bad guy. Quite usual story. With some Lam's twists which make this film a little bit more than some usual B movie. As in his HK films, the director always keep in mind the areas of real life (there's some wonderful ambulance poursuit scene, where the entrance of a parking is too short to let this vehicle enters, or this good idea of showing the clone's character discovering sex with a hooker in a lousy way) or the will of never going on Buddy movie's ground (Michael Rooker's character never trying to be sympathetic or really nice to the clone's one). Lam keeps exploring the border between good and evil, showing that this line is always blurred. In this way of thinking, Lam uses the public image of Van Damme and plays with it in the scenes where the clone learns life. He looks like a moron but is in some moments a bit moving. On the other hand, the actor is very convincing in his killer part. This dude must from now on play bad guys ! Of course Replicant isn't as good as Lam's Full alert or The suspect but it's for sure the best work of Van Damme and gets above the average of B movies.
On the afternoon, I went to Jennifer Jason Leigh and Alan Cumming's film The Anniversary Party. Leigh always been one my favorites actresses, always able to deal with some very twisted parts. Her first directing effort is quite disappointing. Some actors couple (Leigh and Cumming) are waiting for guests to celebrate their sixth year of marriage. The guests are Hollywood peoples ( directors, actors, producers...). We know from the beginning it all will last in a kind of "truth or dare" game with unpleasant truths to be told. Very good Cassavetesques or Altmanesque idea but in Leigh's and Cumming's hands it just become some of light gossips : Stars lying on pool getting high on drugs, Hollywood people being mean on each other, stars being narcissistic... All stuff we already knew don't we ?
Leigh was in last year's Dogme film, the king is alive. I guess it's what gave her the idea of making what was supposed to be some "Festen/ The celebration in Hollywood", well it's very far from it, but very well acted and shot( which is kind of challenge when you use digital video !). This films lacks of harshing, of cruelty . It's not a bad film, just a bit annoying one.
End of report for now, I gonna start queuing for a GHOST WORLD screening in market.
Until then...
Grozilla
Then over at the FRENCH PREMIERE SITE, they've unveiled clips to the Spike Jonze produced, Charlie Kaufman written, Michael Gondry directed HUMAN NATURE & Todd Solondz's film following his sublime HAPPINESS... STORYTELLING!!!
