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Cannes: Ken Loach Serves Whiskey and the Working Class in Angels' Share

Cannes 2012 Ken LoachPhoto: Brian Brooks

Cannes has a soft spot for Scottish director Ken Loach. His latest film, The Angels' Share, is his eleventh film in competition and he even won the Palme d'Or for The Wind That Shakes the Barley back in 2006. His latest, a comedy — or perhaps more precisely a dramatic-comedy — is a rarity of sorts for the director who is accustomed to critical acclaim though his well-crafted films can leave audiences depressed. But The Angels' Share involves a pack of offenders hoping to turn good, a last ditch crime, and a whole lot of high brow whiskey. The story serves as one more canvas for the plight of the working class. And for this screening, Cannes used subtitles to guide audiences through the characters' thick Scottish brogue.
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Cannes: Brad Pitt Talks Killing Them Softly, Politics, Violence and Marriage

Cannes: Brad Pitt Talks Killing Them Softly, Politics, Violence and Marriage

Politics lurched to the forefront Tuesday in Cannes as director Andrew Dominik's Killing Them Softly took its turn as the spotlighted world premiere here. But this isn't just any world premiere: This one featured Brad Pitt, who manages to still excite even some otherwise jaded festival attendees.
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Sony Classics Says Oui to No, Django Unchained Peek: Biz Break

Sony Classics Says Oui to No, Django Unchained Peek: Biz Break

Also in Tuesday morning's news round up: Icon will produce Lee Daniels' next project, James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain team for a double-feature, Zac Efron and Seth Rogen will pair for a new project, and more...
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Sacha Baron Cohen Gives Dictator Interview... as Sacha Baron Cohen

Sacha Baron Cohen

After a whirlwind press tour spent stymieing journalists in character as his General Aladeen of the Republic of Wadiya, Dictator comedian Sacha Baron Cohen sat with the BBC for a rare straight interview — no costume, no shenanigans, no spilling the ashes of late despots on unsuspecting talking heads. The result: An actually coherent, fascinating filmed chat with Cohen about toeing the line of sensitivity with his despotism comedy, why he almost never gives interviews as himself, and how he took inspiration from the "ludicrous" power-hungry dictators of the world.
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Cannes: Mid-Way, Haneke's Amour Charges Ahead With Palme d'Or Momentum

Cannes 2012

As Cannes hits the half-way mark Monday night with the world premiere of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's Like Someone in Love, momentum for the coveted top prize, the Palme d'Or, appears — for now — to be with German-born director Michael Haneke's Amour (Love). Not to say there are not some strong fellow contenders, and the whims of any jury member may run counter, near or parallel to general opinion. But here are some of Palme d'Or's other big suitors at the mid-way point.
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Chaz Ebert Writes to Absent Roger from Cannes

Beasts of the Southern Wild (Sundance 2012)

It seems Roger Ebert was unable to make the trek to Cannes, but his wife (and Ebert Co. VP) Chaz sends a report from the South of France with a fantastic breakdown of the fest's offerings — and sweet words for Rog back home: "Today there may not be starlets jumping nude in the ocean, but we are still being given stories of young love and old love and passion and feelings and ideas that make life worth living. Thank you for introducing me to this world. Now I just want you to hurry back to it." [Chicago Sun-Times]

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Sean Penn Scores Big at Stormy Cannes, Susan Sarandon's Big Shoe: Biz Break

Cannes Sean Penn

Also in Monday morning's mostly Cannes news briefs: Samuel Goldwyn picks up Un Certain Regard debut for U.S., James Franco's collaborator heads to premiere documentary festival, Thomas Vinterberg resurfaces in Cannes with his latest, and for those lamenting a "No-Cannes-Do" this year, the weather has been pretty abysmal.
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Lawless Director John Hillcoat at Cannes: Story-Driven Filmmaking In U.S. 'Tough'

Lawless Director John Hillcoat at Cannes: Story-Driven Filmmaking In U.S. 'Tough'

Born in Australia and raised in Canada, John Hillcoat spent a lot of time in America growing up taking family vacations through the American south, which provides the backdrop for his Cannes competition feature Lawless, which will have its world premiere here Saturday night. Starring Shia Labeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska, the film is inspired by the true-life stories of Matt Bondurant's own family in his novel, The Wettest County in the World and adapted for the screen by rocker Nick Cave. Lawless centers on the Bondurant brothers, gangsters who sought success bootlegging in Prohibition-era Virginia.
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A Surprising Cannes Title? Madagascar 3 Animates the Croisette

A Surprising Cannes Title? Madagascar 3 Animates the Croisette

Undoubtedly there will be tons of photographers and screaming fans outside as Ben Stiller, Jessica Chastain, Chris Rock, Martin Short, Jada Pinkett-Smith and David Schwimmer ascend the steps at the Palais des Festivals for the world premiere of their latest film. And it will be the best look at them that the crowd will have all night, particularly since they won't be onscreen — the movie is Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.
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Bill Murray and the Moonrise Kingdom Cannes Tween Dance Party

Cannes - Bill Murray

Ain't no party like a Bill Murray dance party? Vulture had a front row seat at Cannes: "At the request of [Moonrise Kingdom co-star Jared] Gilman, who just had his bar mitzvah and has a taste for dub-step, Bill Murray led the troop onto the dance floor, where the four kids and their accompanying man-child wiggled and jumped around with abandon. It was a scene of such next-level adorability that nearly everyone in the immediate vicinity pulled out a camera phone. 'We're just chilling! We're just chilling!' Murray shouted out as he put the kibosh on each video in turn. Then he'd go back to more happy wriggling to songs like 'I'm So Excited.'" [Vulture]

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Celebrities at Cannes 2012: Who Hit the French Riviera in Style?

Celebrities at Cannes 2012: Who Hit the French Riviera in Style?

The 2012 Cannes Film Festival is underway (catch up with Movieline's coverage from the French Riviera here), and plenty of stars have already traipsed the Croisette. See Marion Cotillard, Sean Penn, Bill Murray, Jada Pinkett Smith, Naomi Watts, Eva Longoria, Freida Pinto, Jane Fonda, Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, and more in Movieline's gallery of red carpet looks and candid shots from Cannes.
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Cannes: Marion Cotillard Leads Hard-Hitting, Well-Received Rust and Bone

Cannes: Marion Cotillard Leads Hard-Hitting, Well-Received Rust and Bone

It's perhaps much too early to prognosticate on Palme d'Or contenders, but Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone has at least a decent shot at the festival's top prize if initial audience reaction following Thursday's press screening is any indicator.
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Eli Roth Gets Green Inferno, Saudi Arabia's 1st Film, and News from Cannes: Biz Break

Eli Roth Gets Green Inferno, Saudi Arabia's 1st Film, and News from Cannes: Biz Break

Also in Thursday morning's round of Biz Break: Philip Seymour Hoffman is in the running for a spy thriller, The Dictator comes under fire as a modern-day minstrel show, and more...
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Cannes Market on the Upswing While Sundance Scores UT Major Cash, Weinsteins Near Bin Laden Pic Deal: Biz Break

Cannes Market on the Upswing While Sundance Scores UT Major Cash, Weinsteins Near Bin Laden Pic Deal: Biz Break

Also Wednesday afternoon, Jane Fonda picks up a role, Anthony Hopkins and Andy Garcia team for a story about Hemingway in Cuba and Sacha Baron Cohen's midnight screenings outshine Dark Shadow.
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Cannes Jury Talks 'Taboo,' Women Filmmakers and Flirting With Oscar

Cannes Jury Talks 'Taboo,' Women Filmmakers and Flirting With Oscar

One of the funniest moments during a "meet the jury session" Wednesday afternoon in Cannes came toward the end of a press conference. The annual first-day Q&A has long been a peculiar dance, with jurors giving vague answers about being happy to be on the jury and how they'll pursue the next 11 days viewing all of the competition entries with an open mind. And this year was pretty much no exception: Joined by fellow jurors Ewan McGregor, Diane Kruger, Jean Paul Gaultier, Raoul Peck, Andrea Arnold, Hiam Abbass and Emmanuelle Devos, jury president Nanni Moretti — whose own film Habemus Papam (We Have a Pope) screened in competition here last year — recalled a wall of silence surrounding the jury when he last served many years back.
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