On a warm, sunny afternoon at the legendary Hotel du Cap, about 30 minutes outside Cannes, Willem Dafoe sat down to discuss Antchrist, the press, Lars von Trier, and why he didn't notice much acting in his latest film.
If you happened to stay loyal to Movieline's handicapping apparatus, then feel free to collect your winnings today: IFC Films has announced its acquisition of Antichrist, the graphic, controversy-courting Lars von Trier film that made waves this week at Cannes and will arrive uncut in American theaters. Well, maybe not uncut, ahem, but at least unedited.
Brad Pitt's solo arrival yesterday at the Cannes Film Festival provoked one of the event's most oft-asked questions to date: "Why does he look like... that?" But running a close second were the whispers wondering where Angelina Jolie was hiding while Pitt prepped for the Wednesday premiere of Inglorious Basterds. Not far away, it turns out, but just exploring the Netherlands -- The Hague in particular, where the actress spent Tuesday checking out the trial of one of Congo's most notorious warlords and child-soldier commanders.
more »
· Jump ahead at any time to find out what the hell Rob Pattinson is doing in Cannes, but the most revelatory news of the day is almost certain to be found down at the Marché du Film. There, at the international market comprising hundreds of titles, VF.com has pared down the two main frontrunners for grindhouse glory: Run! Bitch Run! and Hanger, the latter of whose tagline ("Payback is a bitch of a whore") may provide just the von Trier-sanctioned nudge to put it over the top.
more »
The Cannes Film Festival has reached its midway point, and thanks in part to Lars von Trier the second half has commenced with all cylinders firing. Common traits of the films screened to date -- both in official competition and in the festival sidebars -- include sweeping but bleak period drama (Bright Star, Agora, Vincere) and slice-and-dice bloodshed, some with titles to match (Vengeance, Thirst, Tsar, Mother, Antichrist). And though purely unintentional, the stakes heighten in the days ahead with premieres from Cannes veterans Pedro Almodóvar, Michael Haneke and Quentin Tarantino. But what's getting the most buzz?
more »
The rich and satisfying tropes often found in Pedro Almodóvar's films — passion, betrayal, lust, and... Penélope Cruz, lots of Penélope Cruz — are on display in his latest, Broken Embraces. Told in flashbacks, the film is about a Spanish director who loses his sight, and his lover, in a car accident. The festival favorite, whose 2006 entry Volver won Best Screenplay and Best Actress, joined Cruz this morning to talk it over -- and confess his more adventurous approaches to directing women -- with the press.
Though Movieline is due to screen Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus in Cannes, the film won't be playing until the very end of the festival. In the meantime, an enterprising soul was kind enough to snip out the Parnassus clip from the Cannes opening night montage, and we present it as an apéritif before the main event.
more »
Our mannes in Cannes loved it. Variety labeled it a "big fat art-film fart." Roger Ebert called it "the most despairing film I've ever seen." Anne Thompson praised it as "powerful filmmaking." And yet with every subsequent cheer, jeer, hiss and shouting match heard all the way from Cannes, the only thing anyone in America really wants to know about Lars von Trier's new one is: "When can I peer between my fingers to watch Antichrist?"
more »
· You may have thought Cannes ground to a halt after the airborne toxic event that was Antichrist, but in actuality, the festival can really only get underway now that Brad Pitt is in town. The actor arrived in advance of Inglourious Basterds' world premiere tomorrow night; no Angelina Jolie and the brood yet, but don't worry, People is stalking so we don't have to.
more »
To Lars von Trier's detriment, his press conference for Antichrist was the morning after the film's raucous press screening — giving journalists just enough time to ratchet up their rage-o-meters and blindside the fedora-wearing Danish auteur.
more »
Finally, after four solid days of lackluster films ("Hey, did you see _____?" "Yeah, it was okay.") Lars von Trier — with his beautiful, violent, and cringe-inducing film Antichrist — has managed to wake up the festival in ways many people found, well, rather revolting. The press screening was by far the fest's most popular; high-level badges were relegated to the balcony and many members of the press were shut out. (Zut alors!)
more »
Screening out of official competition, Alejandro Amenábar's Agora is an intelligent, sweeping epic surrounding the last days of a little-known Greek scholar, perhaps the first feminist, the astronomer Hypatia (Rachel Weisz).
· Jacques Audiard's epic, violent prison film A Prophet is earning some of the most consistent adulation of the fest's early going, drawing comparisons to GoodFellas and praise for the "raw intensity of its hyper-realistic encounters." Above all, notes Screen Daily, it's "compelling genre entertainment." In other words, meet your new Palme d'Or front-runner.
more »
Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock officially premieres tonight in competition. This afternoon, the film's freewheeling principals -- including (L-R) Emile Hirsch, Demetri Martin, Ang Lee, Imelda Staunton, and James Schamus -- hit the Palais for their press-conference coming-out party.
A pouring rain greeted journalists as they raced to the Palais on Friday to catch Jane Campion's Bright Star. The gloomy weather was the perfect setting for the somber portrait of the last days of poet John Keats.
more »
FILM NEWS 