Walt Disney Animation is taking direct aim at little girls with a business initiative called Disney Fairies whose long-awaited star is finally ready for her small screen debut.
John Lasseter, chief creative officer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, announced the much delayed "Tinker Bell" DVD on Friday, the first original title in a series of company-wide animation initiatives meant to capitalize on the fairy and princess craze among little girls.
"Tinker Bell," the first character to take wing from the Disney Fairy canon, is scheduled for direct-to-DVD release in late October, after being pushed back a year due to reported production complications. In this particular 2008 incarnation, Tink actually has a voice (actress Mae Whitman, although at one point Disney announced that Brittany Murphy would play Tink), and a lovely pair of iridescent wings:
Word has it that Tinker Bell's wings cost a pretty penny, too. At least $50 million, in addition to a key executive's job, two dozen versions of the script and a dozen different directors, according to Variety.
The female character's success should be an interesting test for Lasseter, whose Pixar animated films over the past decade have largely catered to boys. Consider the upcoming robot tale "Wall-E" (June 27), and earlier blockbusters "Cars," "Bugs," and "Monsters, Inc." Somehow Pixar and parent company Disney have managed to largely overlook a marketplace filled with little girls fixated on princesses and fairies.
Disney Animation hasn't introduced any new animated girl-centric titles and characters -- such as "The Little Mermaid" (1989), Princess Jasmine in "Aladdin" (1992), "Pocahontas" (1995) and "Mulan" (1998) -- in close to a decade. (Even "Enchanted," which was live action, was released just last year.)
But Disney's animated princess hiatus is about to change, both with the so-called Disney Fairies initiative and when Disney Feature Animation releases theatrically "The Princess and the Frog" (Christmas 2009) and "Rapunzel" (Christmas 2010).
Until then, it will be hard for parents to avoid the Disney Fairies juggernaut, which the Walt Disney Company promises to incorporate across its many divisions, including Disney Consumer Products, Disney Publishing, Disney Interactive Studios, Disney on Ice, Disney Parks and Resorts, and Disney Online.
And with that, Disney's finally going full-bore with faith, trust and pixie dust.
The young cast from Festival de Cannes' unanimous Palme D'Or winner "The Class," directed by Laurent Cantet, were greeted to a heroes' welcome when they returned to the Francoise Dolto school in Paris, where the film was shot:
We have spilled more than a fewbits on Matteo Garrone's "Gomorrah," the Grand Jury prize winner at this year's Festival de Cannes. So we are not displeased to find that U.S.-based film fans will have a chance to see this Italian mobster hit in U.S. theaters (and video-on-demand) through IFC Films.
An IFC rep told us it is too soon to tell exactly when "Gomorrah" will play in theaters, but it will simultaneously air on IFC In Theaters pay cable TV. (See this one in theaters if you can.) IFC also has a deal through Blockbuster Video which will carry "Gomorrah" later on.
"Just when we thought we had seen it all, Matteo Garrone has reinvented the Italian Mafia picture with such originality and invention that it seems entirely new," Jonathan Sehring, president of IFC Entertainment, said in a statement. "We think that this completely fresh take on a well-known genre that includes 'The Godfather Trilogy,' 'The Sopranos' and 'Goodfellas' will take American audiences by storm as it did in Cannes. We look forward to getting it out to the widest possible audience."
IFC also locked up Cannes darlings including Arnaud Desplechin’s "A Christmas Tale"; Steve McQueen’s "Hunger," which won the Camera d’Or; "The Chaser," a seriously bloody Korean serial killer thriller by Na Hong-jin which played in the midnight official selection and is being adapted for Leonardo DiCaprio by Warner Bros.; and Josh Safdie’s "The Pleasure of Being Robbed," which closed the Director’s Fortnight.
-- Sheigh Crabtree
Photo: In one of five interweaving tales in "Gomorrah," two teenagers, with excess hormonal bravado, steal a cache of guns and pull off dangerous heists. Credit: Courtesy Cannes Film Festival.
With news of the passing of Sydney Pollack, it seems only right to pause for a moment to take in Pollack's Robert Redford and Barbra Streisand classic "The Way We Were." If you don't have the DVD at home (For shame, hard-hearted reader!) here's a clip:
One of the best "Sex and the City" episodes pays tribute to Pollack's film by replacing Katie and Hubble with Carrie and Big:
The good news: Now that Sony Pictures Classics' Michael Barker and Tom Bernard confirmed today that they bought Folman's film, North American audiences, and select Latin American movie fans, will have the opportunity to see "Waltz With Bashir" in theaters, perhaps even on Academy screeners, sometime soon.
Folman's striking film is an animated autobiographical documentary about a former Israeli Army soldier who tries to recount his long-forgotten mission in the first Lebanon War in the early eighties. In an attempt to conjure lost memories, the solider travels around the world interviewing old friends and comrades about what they remember. Using only rudimentary Flash animation, Folman unleashes a pastiche of incredible cinematic scenes that are as innovative as they are devastating.
We grabbed a quick comment from Barker, who was en route from Cannes, to confirm the purchase and also elaborate on a potential awards campaign for "Bashir" in the 2009 best animated film Oscar race.
Barker's reply:
"The experience of watching 'Waltz with Bashir' reminds me of what it was like when we saw 'The Battle of Algiers' for the very first time. It is one of the great anti-war movies told in a new way, this time with ingenious animation. It is overwhelming. Our past success with 'Triplets of Bellville' and 'Persepolis' has shown that there is a substantial audience out there with an insatiable appetite for high quality animated features for adults. Ari Folman's 'Waltz With Bashir' will shake people up as it reaches for the stars with its bold ambition."
It still remains to be seen whether Israel will submit "Bashir" as its official Oscar selection or if Folman's film will meet the Academy's particular animated film submission requirements. But given SPC's familiarity with Oscar rules, and its established Academy pedigree, it seems safe to say that "Bashir" will be at least submitted for consideration in one category or another.
But that's not all, folks. SPC also acquired North American rights to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson; Bent Hamer's "O' Horten," which I like to refer to as '"Amelie" for geezers,' but is actually a lovely look at a newly retired Norwegian train engineer; and the Dardenne brothers' "Lorna's Silence," about the exploitation of illegal immigrants in Belgium, which won the Cannes jury's screenwriting award.
Italian filmmakers won the first and second runner-up prizes at the Festival de Cannes to nobody's surprise Sunday.
If anything, pundits suspected that directors Matteo Garrone ("Gomorra") and Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") could chalk up additional wins, particularly a best actor prize for their shared leading man, Toni Servillo. At the awards news conference, after the prizes were granted, Garroneeven took a moment to share the spotlight with his fellow Italian:
"I'm also very happy to be here alongside Paolo Sorrentino, because he's someone I have a great deal of respect for, even if our styles differ. Our taste and passion for filmmaking unite us. Lastly, the fact that two Italian films are award winners is important on an international level. I am proud to be one of those two directors."
Awww. Now that's ama il prossimo tuo come te stesso. Not to say that everyone in Italy is all that pleased with the country's new cinematic ambassadors. After all, the two directors, each in his own way, hold corruption in their homeland up to unflinching scrutiny. One commentator even accused Garrone and Sorrentino of washing Italy's dirty laundry on the Croisette.
Others back in the boot, however, are celebrating Italy's double victory in Cannes. One reporter for the daily newspaper La Repubblica in Rome wrote:
"In an industry that seemed to be fading ... suddenly two directors who have yet to turn 40 have shown that a new generation of filmmakers is born looking at our country's reality, its shadows and shames, without fear."
And to that we say, congratulazioni.
-- Sheigh Crabtree
Photo: Paolo Sorrentino ("Il Divo") with Matteo Garrone ("Gommora"). Credit: WireImage
Times film critic Kenneth Turan on this year's award winners, some overlooked gems, and cherished revivals:
CANNES, France --
What a difference 21 years makes.
In 1987, the last time a French film won the Palme d'Or, the audience
at the Palais du Festival was so angry at the choice of "Under the Sun
of Satan" that it hooted furiously and the director, Maurice Pialat,
yelled right back.
But when Laurent Cantet's masterful "Entre les Murs" won the top prize at the Festival de Cannes on Sunday night -- one of only two unanimous votes, jury president Sean Penn
revealed -- the audience erupted in ecstatic rhythmic applause, which
only increased as most of the 24 middle-school students who made up the
cast joined the director onstage.
Festival de Cannes jury news conference question: How come Ari Folman's "Waltz With Bashir," the amazing film from Israel, didn't get nothing? There was a huge buzz around it, and it's such a surprise, bad surprise.
Sean Penn, jury president: "The only thing I would say, I was happy to find out that buzzes mean nothing; this jury was entirely un-influenced, and I can tell you that I would agree with you, but we had so many prizes to give. There were several people that agreed, most certainly--myself included--it's a film worthy. As I said during the ceremony, there were things that called out, and there were times where we felt that we had almost certainly a certain category fulfilled and then something else would come and provoke us in a different way. There’s not a good answer for this question from me, because while I don't believe that I particularly argued for it, ultimately, I think it's a wonderful movie. I also believe that it is a film that is going to find its audience with or without us."
Alfonso Cuaron, juror: "It was a film that was well cherished by the jury."
Natalie Portman, juror: "I think it speaks to the quality of films in competition this year, that a film as good as "Waltz With Bashir" didn't make it, that we had such a good selection. I very much admired the film."
-- Sheigh Crabtree
Photo: Israeli writer and director Ari Folman poses at a photo call for the film "Waltz With Bashir," courtesy Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press.
Choosing from 22 competing films in the Festival de Cannes' official selection, Jury President Sean Penn, with the help of nine jurists, including actress Natalie Portman and director Alfonso Cuaron, unanimously gave the Palme D'or to Laurent Cantet's "The Class," about a teacher who is challenged by his students in a tough junior high school in Paris.
In his acceptance speech Cantet noted he was disappointed that the film business has not been especially open to making films that are slightly offbeat. But with "The Class," he said, he was able to accomplish something ideal to him.
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Photo: Jury President Sean Penn with director Laurent Cantet and students from Palme D'Or winner "The Class" at the 61st International Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008, in Cannes, France. WireImage.
Although the Un Certain Regard jury normally gives just three prizes annually, it gave an extra two prizes this year to films in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection because of the "quality of offerings."
“Our mission was to attribute three prizes for Un Certain Regard, but considering the quality and richness of the offerings, and as a testimony of our great enthusiasm, the jury requested of the festival permission to recognize two more films with honors,” explained Faith Akin, Un Certain Regard Jury president.
"Tulpan," a film about a young Naval officer who returns to life on the Kazakh steppe to a nomadic sheep herding life, won the top prize in the Festival de Cannes' Un Certain Regard selection.
Other standouts in the Un Certain Regard selection include director Kurosawa Kiyoshi's "Tokyo Sonata," which claimed the Jury Prize. Andreas Dresen's "Cloud 9," which one wag described as "The Bucket List" meets "Short Bus," won the Heart Throb prize, no doubt for its ample sex scenes starring a 60-something cast.
A specially named "Knockout" prize was awarded to "Tyson," James Toback's intimate portrait of Mike Tyson told in the boxer's own words.
Lastly, a Prize of Hope was given to Jean-Stephane Sauvaire's "Johnny Mad Dog," about a child-soldier armed to the teeth in Africa and a young refugee trying to protect her disabled father and little brother from the same teenage soldiers.
If there is a breakout actor in the films selected for the 61st edition of Festival de Cannes his name is Toni Servillo. The veteran Italian actor stars in not one but two of the most critically praised films in competition: "Il Divo" and "Gomorra."
In "Il Divo," which thanks to director Paolo Sorrentino must have the most stylistic gestalt of any film in competition, Servillo plays Giulio Andreotti, a fixture in Italian government since 1947 who was embroiled in corruption investigations in the 1990s. Servillo plays Andreotti as a physically small but politically unstoppable Machiavelli in a large pair of glasses, exaggerated ears (pinned or prosthetic) and constricted shoulders. It's a physicality that perfectly suits the many nicknames Andreotti goes by -- the Hunchback, the Black Pope, the Man of Darkness and the Fox.
As counterpoint to his depiction of Andreotti is Servillo's portrayal of Comorra crime boss Franco in "Gomorra," one of five main characters depicted in Matteo Garrone's violent but fabulous expose on the Neapolitan crime clique. As Franco, Servillo plays a brazen and cocksure crime leader in white linen who is physically robust and prone to muscular and threatening gestures.
While the strength of the two Italian films in competition may be more "luck of the draw" than any sign of an Italian film renaissance, there is no question that Toni Servillo's commanding performances are not a fluke. Here are other reviews of Servillo's recent work:
"Il Divo" :
Jay Weissberg, Variety Not merely chronicling the career of seven-time Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti but also zooming in on the enigmatic politico's character, pic features an astonishing degree of craftsmanship and a towering performance by Toni Servillo.
Mary Corliss, Time.com As incarnated by Tony Servillo ... Andreotti has the stiff posture of Richard Nixon, but a more imperial menace.
Charles Ealy, Austin 360 Movie Blog In playing Andreotti, Servillo is reminiscent of Peter Sellers. He’s pitch-perfect in imitation, but also brings an aura of heft.
Wire report, AFP Shot in Italy's luxury palaces of power, fast-paced "Il Divo" portrays Andreotti as a sometimes comic, sometimes sinister modern-day Machiavelli.
"Gomorrah" :
Wendy Ide, Times Online The excellent Tony Servillo stars, and, since he also takes the lead in Paolo Sorrentino’s film Il Divo in the festival, looks like a contender for a prize.
Jason Solomons, guardian.co.uk ...the linen-clad fixer (Toni Servillo) organising disposal of toxic waste in a huge quarry, a metaphor for the poisons seeping deep into the earth, the culture. Lee Marshall, Screen Daily ... Franco (Servillo) is a smooth-talking suited businessman but his business is the illegal 'processing' of toxic waste, an activity that becomes increasingly repellent to his principled young assistant Roberto (Paternoster).
-- Sheigh Crabtree
Photo: Toni Servillo at the Cannes photocall for "Il Divo." WireImage
The Envelope's Notes On a Season columnist Pete Hammond on the Cannes Film Festival's star power, which this year successfully combined art and mart and managed to cater to both tabuzine readers and subscribers of Cahiers du Cinema.
In Clint Eastwood's well-received Cannes competition entry, "Changeling," the four-time Oscar winner is out to prove the Academy Awards were just as big a deal in 1935 as they are now.
In the final minutes of the film we see a graphic on screen that says Feb. 27, 1935. A few years have passed since the kidnapping of Christine Collins' (Angelina Jolie) son. Trying to help her get her life back together, a group of female co-workers invites Christine to come to the "movie awards" listening party, but she begs off.
Then yet another male co-worker pops in to ask her if she'd like to come to his place and listen to "that academy show." First she says no, he leaves, but then she chases after him down the hall saying she has her money on "It Happened One Night" while some are betting on "Cleopatra." Either way, she's sticking with her choice.
The whole scene, while offering a bright note, is kind of superfluous to the dark tone of the rest of the film, but could super savvy Clint's homage to Oscars long ago strike a chord with today's academy members?
We'll have to wait until November when the film opens to find the answer.
-- Pete Hammond
Photo: Could Angelina Jolie win The Envelope's Buzzmeter? Courtesy WB.
As the Festival de Cannes enters its final days, only two thoughts
occupy the minds of exhausted moviegoers: Can I survive until my
plane/train/automobile gets me out of here, and which film will win the Palme d'Or?
Unlike the Oscar voters, who have a lengthy track record of actions, film festival juries are by definition one-off groups whose choices are thus
almost impossible to predict. Not that that stops people from trying to read
the tea leaves and guessing at results.
Complicating things, as often happens at Cannes, is the late arrival
of a contender, "The Class," by France's Laurent Contet, best known for
2001's "Time Out." But would this powerfully and unexpectedly emotional
examination of a middle school class in a tough Parisian neighborhood pass
muster with a jury chaired by Sean Penn, who announced at the festival's
start that he was looking for works in which "the filmmaker is very aware of
the times in which he lives."
That political sentiment leads some people to think that Steven
Soderbergh's hefty "Che" has a chance. A two-part examination of the life of
the guerrilla leader that clocks in at an ungainly 4 hours and 28 minutes,
"Che" is as problematic a film as the festival has produced. It's hard to
argue with Benecio del Toro in the leading role or even with Soderbergh's
direction from moment to moment. But the film's length and its determination
to be as anti-dramatic as possible are perplexing, to say the least. It's
rare to say a film would be improved if it was cut in half, but this may be
just such a case.
Gaining more traction as a dark-horse candidate is the Israeli
animated documentary, "Waltzing With Bashir," which deals with Israel's 1982
invasion of Lebanon in an often surreal way. It's aesthetically adventurous
and politically committed, which may be the combination this jury is looking
for. Or maybe not.
If Charlie Kaufman was hoping reaction the Cannes premiere of his new comedy/drama and directorial debut, "Synecdoche, New York" would cinch a distribution deal, the applause meter let him down at Friday night's Grand Lumiere screening.
Sorry, Charlie.
Clocked at about three minutes, it was one of the shortest ovations of the week, although a big reason could be Kaufman himself. He was noticeably nervous and fidgety walking the red carpet with his cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Michelle Williams and Tom Noonan.
After the movie the lights went up, instead of standing and milking the applause as most directors do at Cannes, he just sat in his seat staring straight ahead like he was waiting for the next feature to begin.
Finally, still seated, Kaufman gestured to his cast but didn't stand until they all did in unison and then didn't really try to encourage the crowd. The applause died fairly quickly by Cannes standards. Charlie is Charlie. Ya gotta love him. He's clearly not here to stroke his own ego, at least not in front of the crowd.
In fact, the biggest ovation came when the camera paused on Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is remarkable as a struggling 40-year-old local theater director whose life turns into a Kafka-like dream when he stages a life-play in an abandoned warehouse.
Should "Synecdoche" find decent distribution, and then the kind of audience Kaufman's previous scripts have, including his Oscar-winning "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and nominated "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation," Hoffman could garner serious awards attention. It's a full-tilt, powerful turn by an actor in his prime.
Though some will be quick to dismiss the movie because they just don't "get it," the film is everything, and more, you might expect from a Kaufman-directed film of a Kaufman script -- a weird fascinating fever dream of a meditation on death and love and knowing your lines.
Kaufman is an acquired taste for many Americans, so imagine how difficult it must be to translate his cinematic language around the world. A friend who speaks French (and loved the film) says the French subtitles on tonight's print didn't really do a good job of translating what was happening on screen.
An insider connected to the film said today they are hoping word is good enough coming out of the screening to convince gun-shy distributors to give it a chance. With a cast and writer/director of this pedigree it would seem a no-brainer, unless producer Sidney Kimmel Entertainment is asking too hefty a fee.
With multiple Oscar nominations and wins for almost all his previous films as a writer, Kaufman has become a brand name for offbeat meditations on life. His work seems inspired less by other movies than by his own weird dreams. "Synecdoche, New York" fits right in with his previous efforts and with TLC should certainly find the kind of audience who will appreciate it and talk about it.
It will be interesting to see how Charlie Kaufman's Cannes moment, one that looked like it was clearly surreal to him, plays out in his future. At the very least it could give him inspiration for his next script.
How about a movie about an out-of-body experience taking place entirely on a foreign red carpet?
As a jury member for this year's Cannes Film Festival, not only does Portman have to attend all of the often long and difficult films in selection, she also has to look fabulous on the red carpet for evening premieres. Then still her work isn't done. Late into the evening Portman has been making appearances at premiere after-parties and gala benefits.
Last night, for example, Portman and fellow juror Alexandra Maria Lara attended AmfAR's Cinema Against AIDS gala (full coverage by The Envelope's Pete Hammond here) where the two were implored by host Harvey Weinstein to vote for Steven Soderbergh's "Che." Jury president Sean Penn later turned up for the AmfAR after-party where he was probably subject to similar campaigning.
So how will Natalie Portman, Sean Penn, Alexandra Maria Lara and the rest of the Cannes jury vote?
There is an unending amount of speculation about which film will win the Palme d'Or this year. One camp argues that, given jury president Sean Penn's great interest in Latin America, marked particularly by his public support of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, "Che" is a shoo-in to win. Yet another camp insists that Ari Folman's animated Israeli quasi-doc "Waltz With Bashir" is in it to win it based on the film's innovative story-telling style, powerful antiwar message, and unique personal point of view. Still others will tell you that this is finally the year that Clint Eastwood will win Cannes, after a handful of tries, with "Changeling" his adroit period thriller about a single mother's battle (Angelina Jolie) against corrupt Los Angeles civic leaders in the late-1920s.
The list of contenders and the arguments go on. We won't know until Sunday when the Cannes jury reveals their picks. Until then, here are photos from Cannes, including coverage from last night's big AmfAR's Cinema Against AIDS gala, in addition to a few red carpet fashion photos from the Palais.
Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan: “At this point in time at Cannes, anything that puts a smile on your face is really something to be cherished.” Watch the video below for more of Turan’s thoughts on Bent Hamer’s “O’Horten’.”
As the 2008 Festival de Cannes grinds toward its conclusion, there is a consensus on one point: There haven't been a lot of happy stories on the screen, with one conspicuous exception: Bent Hamer's small wonder, the luminous and deliciously funny "O'Horten." As the director says, "You have to give the audience a good time now and then."
Those who remember an earlier Hamer creation, the knockout "Kitchen Stories," know exactly the kind of good time "O'Horten" delivers. His combination of humor and melancholy, the Norwegian director notes, is a mixture that can be recognized in many Nordic films.
The Horten of the story is a stolid, pipe-smoking Norwegian train engineer (played by the veteran Bard Owe, whose career goes all the way back to Carl Theodor Dryer's classic "Gertrude"). His first name is Odd, which, the director says, is "a very common name in Norway. I know the meaning of the word in English, and that doesn't hurt."
Forced to retire at 67, Odd enters into a series of inimitable, serendipitous adventures that show him the necessity as well as the absurdity of embracing life in all its quirky grandeur. "If you think the thought, it is possible to do anything," Hamer says. "It's never too late."
Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein used Thursday night's 14th annual amfAR fund raiser, held each year during the Cannes Film Festival to raise money for HIV/AIDS research, to try and openly influence the festival's jurors in attendance -- including Natalie Portman and Alexandra Maria Lara -- to vote for Steven Soderbergh's "Che," the 4.5-hour film that premiered the night before.
"I just saw a movie last night, actually two movies, 'Che,' and I think it is the most ambitious project I have ever seen in coming to Cannes for 25 years," he said. "I think it's a masterpiece."
Whether this means that, as rumored, the Weinstein Company may be trying to acquire the film(s) (which has domestic distribution rights up for sale) is anyone's guess.
What isn't is Harvey's personal dedication to the cause of this annual event, which he started at the suggestion of Dr. Mathilde Krim, whom he consulted after a friend, director Michael Bennett, died of the disease.
Weinstein shared hosting duties with celebrity auctioneers Sharon Stone (who has been doing this as long as he has) and Madonna.
Mary J. Blige stepped in for previously scheduled Seal and contributed a rousing three-song set that had the tony crowd on its feet. The red chiffon dress she had worn earlier in the evening, before changing for the performance, was created by Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman, Weinstein's new wife.
In the wake of last year's record-setting total take of $7.5 million, the event pre-sold $3 million worth of tickets -- which, added to the expected ancillary revenues, including auction proceeds, should get them near that mark again.
According to Weinstein, this is great when, as he put it, "we're in a recession."
One of the most enthusiastic standing ovations of this year's Festival de Cannes went not to a director with a film in competition but to Quentin Tarantino, here to give this year's La Lecon de Cinema, or Cinema Master Class.
Ordinarily this annual conversation, hosted by French film critic Michel Ciment, is held with directors who have a, shall we say, less boisterous fan base and takes place in the Salle Buñuel, one of the festival's smaller rooms.
With QT as the focus, the master class was held in the Salle Debussy, the festival's second-biggest space, which was filled with fans 45 minutes before the event began. If they were disappointed, they did not show it.
Showing clips and talking with his usual passion about his life and the movies, both his own and those of others, Tarantino was anything but dull.
For instance: he has an unexpected passion for the delicate films of Eric Rohmer, with the exception of Rohmer's big hit, "My Night at Maud's." Though he learned a lot during his celebrated stint as a Huntington Beach video clerk, "that didn't make me a film expert. They hired me because I already was a film expert."
His advice to aspiring writer-directors is that "acting classes should be your first step. Everything I learned about writing I learned from acting. Writing classes? I don't even know what the hell that is."
It seems every exhibitionist in the world is in Cannes this week trying to make a Euro out of 50 cents.
The daily scene on the Croisette is madcap. We see large men dressed as babies for no apparent reason, one peddler who poses his cat and dog on a pillow as if they're in deep embrace, the Cannes in a Van screenings, and European street dancers we taped yesterday. The clash of hi-lo culture can get even more extreme at night.
My favorite part of the video below is when the miniature street sweeper moseys past, although the man carrying cardboard boxes on his shoulder maintains whatever there may be of this Youtubular clip's transitory appeal. -- Sheigh Crabtree
While Rotten Tomatoes and Metacriticaggregate film critics reviews for moviegoers trying to figure out if a newly released film is worth seeing or renting, it can be harder to research films out on the festival circuit, especially if they don't yet have distribution.
Hoping to take a live pulse on films premiering here at Cannes, it occurred to me check out the Twitter Movie Reviews filter from Twitterverse. It tracks Twitter users' reactions to films, grouping them by Good, Bad and Indifferent. Unfortunately, for my purposes here, the films tracked are mainstream and in theatrical release.
Then I remembered there's a newish Twitter filter called Tweet Scan that facilitates real-time Twitter searches. I plugged in the titles of Cannes Official Selections and here is what I found. (User names are blue and movie titles are green.)
In addition to getting a feel for what films other Cannes Film Festival attendees are "tweeting" about here, it can also be amusing to read movie reviews condensed down to Twitter's 140 character limit.
baires : I really need to see "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Scarlett Johansson + Penélope Cruz + PopCorn = Make my Week 2008-05-15 14:44:55
frances: Waiting in the rain in the queue for soi cowboy. 2008-05-16 04:16:36
Film4 : Feel much more positive about three monkeys second time around. Still don't think it's great, but my mind is now at rest! 2008-05-16 09:00:07
justjennifer : I wish kung fu pandawas in theaters already, I need something to do with these kids for a few hours and it looks like rain. 2008-05-17 20:29:34
acserrano : just saw the italian movie in competition called
Gomorra: beautiful, fragmented, transporting, and literary is how i
might describe it... 2008-05-18 20:49:53
davidsim : Beautiful Cannes morning. Saw Harrison Ford on red carpet. Indy is back! Some good reviews. Thx Rene. 2008-05-19 03:20:58
sperling : Saw "Two Lovers", the James Gray film starring
Joaquin Phoenix and Gwyneth Paltrow. It was rather trivial and
completely predictable. 2008-05-19 19:50:11
It is not unusual for Cannes audiences to have the privilege of viewing directors' unfinished films and rough assemblies in the festival's official selections.
Wong Kar Wai's "Blueberry Nights" and Richard Kelly's "Southland Tales" both bounced from the South of France back into the edit bay. And for a director bored or overwhelmed by a mass of footage that doesn't seem to contain a natural dramatic or character arc, perhaps airing a test screening on a global stage can provide a motivational boost or a justification for an indefinite shelving.
Whatever the case, we can only hope the sprawling heap of Red ONE footage that "Che" director Steven Soderbergh allowed to be shown at Cannes last night is destined to be shaped into something magical someday. It's not like Soderbergh doesn't have the phone numbers of editors Stephen Mirrione ("Traffic") or Anne V. Coates ("Out of Sight," "Erin Brockovich"). It's more a matter of whether he chooses to use them.
In the meantime, a few critics have generously donated their "Che" observations for Soderbergh to consider:
Updated:
William Booth, Washington Post: Comrades, it is our duty to report: There were deserters. Traitors! Too weak to sustain the continued emotional investment
necessary to survive the long, tragic, long, doomed Bolivian campaign
of Benicio Del Toro in Part 2 of "Che." The most highly anticipated movie of the Cannes Film Festival took a heavy toll. The premiere got underway at 6:46 p.m. and ended at
11:25 p.m. Upon seeing on the screen the words "Day 328," a faint moan
could be heard in our section. But the struggle will continue. It must.
Soderbergh does not yet have an American buyer for his film.
Distribution
As the 
