Festival de Cannes 2012 - Part 3

This post is dedicated to the interesting films, which were premiered at the few last days of the 65th Cannes Film Festival.

Read about Days 1-7 of Festival de Cannes 2012!

Director Lee Daniels, who is famous thanks to his "Precious", gathered a nice crew to create "The Paperboy", which was presented on 24th May. Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, John Cusack came to support it, telling how unusual, daring, nasty etc. etc. this film is. Efron wears only his underpants almost the whole film, Kidman was ready to experiment, Cusack plays a disgusting character. Critics say that the main heroine is incredible there. So don't be tricked by the innocent description of this film.



We know that Michael Haneke's "Amour" was the film that forced people to tear a little (and a lot), but British dark comedy "Sightseers" became the one that made them laugh. It's not the first film directed by Ben Wheatley, but the few previous ones didn't made him famous. Now he along with Edgar Wright tells a story about a couple, which takes around the world trip. However some events turn this adventure into a remarkable one. The main parts are played by the screenwriters, Alice Lowe and Steve Oram.

While her mother presents her freakish debut work, Kristen Stewart along with a great team, which includes Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortensen, Sam Riley and director Walter Salles came to Cannes with an adventurous film, "On the Road". This story is dedicated to the Beat Generation, so at least its soundtrack has to be good.

Criminal drama "Mud" by Jeff Nichols has already been named 'the biggest surprise' and 'one of the best In Competition'. It is named after the main character, but its title also describes what he has to overpass on his way to freedom and the girl he loves. This drama is about two teenagers, who are helping a fugitive. It sounds a bit creepy, but it seems like Matthew McConaughey was the right choice for this part. And Reese Witherspoon is also in there, probably she is that girl.



Also "Cosmopolis" was shown In Competition. It is second year in a row, when David Cronenberg presents his new work at the Cannes Film Festival. As we know Cronenberg, his films have to be a bit crazy. Robert Pattinson played the main part. He decisively, like his long-term co-star Stewart, needs to shake off his gloving character, and this film might help him. All his billionaire Eric Packer wants is to get a new haircut, but there are some serious traffic problems on the way, because the President came to the city. So he is stuck in his limo, where he meets different people.



And there is sad news about one of the actors, who is rumoured to be a serious candidate for best actor prize this year. Aniello Arena,  who played the main character in Matteo Garrone's "Reality", is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a Tuscan jail for murder.

I'm going to watch the closing ceremony live now, and I definitely post the winners list in real-time streaming.

Festival de Cannes 2012 - Part 2

I continue following the most interesting premieres and other events of this year's Cannes Film Festival. This post will tell you what happened on 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th days in a beautiful French city, where the weather played some evil tricks, causing downpours and even roof collapses.

Read about Days 1, 2, 3 of the 65th Cannes Film Festival!

One of the surprises of those days was a film about a section of the Los Angeles County Jail reserved for homosexuals, AIDS patients and transsexuals. This drama is called "K-11", and is directed by Jules Mann-Stewart, Kristen Stewart's mother. It sounds like a hard story, which definitely shouldn't be mistaken with a 1990s comedy "K-911", starring James Belushi.

Brad Pitt arrived to present his latest thriller "Killing Them Softly". I was hoping to see him and Angelina Jolie on the red carpet, but it wasn't meant to be. He was there along director Andrew Dominik, who has almost the same hairstyle and beard as Pitt, and it makes them look like brothers. By the way, this film has been already named "this year's Drive", which makes me even more excited to see it!

Another film I'm anxious to see is "Lawless". It was presented by the whole crew, including Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf and Jason Clarke, who play three brothers with a dangerous bootlegging business. They say Hardy was in a great mood, joking and telling about funny behind-the-scenes moments. Director John Hillcoat told the journalists that this films was inspired partly by Sergio Leone's westerns.



23-years-old director Xavier Dolan traditionally presented his third film at the Cannes Film Festival. His "Laurence Anyways" is 3-hours long love story between a man and a woman, which becomes even more complicated after the first one decides to change his sex. His previous works, "J'ai tué ma mère" and "Les amours imaginaires", were highly appreciated at this Festival. This time there was a standing ovation for 5 minutes after its premiere.



Michael Haneke has already got 7 prizes from Cannes, ans his new drama "Amour" may bring him another one. It turns out to be very touching, many journalists were in tears after they watched it. This film is about love of two old people. The wife is dying and husband tries to comfort her, while their daughter insists to put her mother into the nursing home. It has to be also heartbreaking, so all critics loved it so far!



There will be another post about a few last days of the 65th Cannes Film Festival, and a few entries while I will watch the closing ceremony!

POLL: Which Avenger would you like to be?

I finally saw "The Avengers" today and told you everything about its pros and cons on my Twitter profile (@ElenaStrBlogger). I know that this story is partly science-fiction, but let's be honest, it is very unlikely that someone will make a real Iron Man suit, survive a gamma bomb explosion, become a super soldier or come from Asgard with a power of a god.

But imagine that everything is possible and you could become one of the Avengers assemble. So who would you like to be, at least for a day?

Make your choice based not only on their physical appearance (yes, Hulk isn't the most attractive, but he has a very brave heart), but also count their character features.





Poster - Kinopoisk

Top-5 films of Cannes Film Festival 2012

The line-up for the 65th annual Cannes Film Festival was announced a few weeks ago, but I hadn't much time to check it and pick just 5 films, which I'd definitely like to watch, until now.

The whole list you can read here.

"Moonrise Kingdom" by Wes Anderson

"I will meet you in the meadow."

It is the opening film of the festival, and if you remember the one, which started it the previous year, Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris", you know it has to be something special. The cast is very strong, it includes Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton. "Moonrise Kingdom" set in the 1960s and tells a love story of two young people, who decide to run away. So their parents with help of a local sheriff start searching for them. Its trailer is surreal and weird, that is why I like it.

"Lawless" by John Hillcoat

"I'm the one who's going to make your life real difficult from now on if you don't toe the line country boy."

A gangster drama, based on a true story. Aren't you already interested in it? Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke play three brothers, who are running a very risky business, bootlegging. But new political era makes it even harder and definitely more dangerous. Also there are Gary Oldman, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Guy Pearce, who won't let this film to be boring. The trailer atmosphere is very tense, especially I like the music, which gives me goose bumps. And don't confuse it with Terrence Malick's "Lawless" with Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara and Christian Bale, which will be out in 2013.

"Hemingway and Gellhorn" by Philip Kaufman

"Someone has to go, someone has to write about this."

If you are a bit familiar with Ernest Hemingway's works and life, you know that it could be a great biopic. Martha Gellhorn was his wife and a talented journalist, who became famous thanks to her war reports. The main parts are played by Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman, who look very persuasive in the only trailer, which was released so far. War, passion, love, talent - this film must be very impressive.

"The Paperboy" by Lee Daniels

Another film with Nicole Kidman. But this time she is playing a seductive woman, due to the first stills. Zac Efron and Matthew McConaughey are portraying the brothers; the younger of them helps the elder and his companion to discover who murdered the local sheriff a few years ago. While the brothers have other problems to manage, the third one fabricates some evidence to write the story without them. And now the justice must triumph or the wrong man will be executed.

Trailer isn't available yet.

"Killing Them Softly" by Andrew Dominik

Brad Pitt portrays Jackie Cogan, an enforcer, who has to investigate the heist of a poker game with the high stakes. This film is based on a novel by George V. Higgins, and is directed by a man, whose favourite and very successful film genre is crime. We'll see if this story could be this year's "Drive".

Trailer isn't available yet.

Pictures - COLLIDER, IMPAwards, Vicious!

"Django Unchained" (2012) - Teaser poster and some thoughts

This film is on my top waiting list since the first time I've heard about 'new Tarantino's project'. Quentin Tarantino got style, and this teaser poster for his spaghetti western "Django Unchained" proves it again. But there is a huge 'but' about it. This 'totally new' promo material from The Weinstein Company looks like an old poster, made by a fan and released many months ago. I just hope that his work was appreciated, not copied or stolen. Or maybe it is still a fan-art, but promoted by The Weinstein Company. I'm confused and now I'm waiting to see something really different, when another poster will be released.

"Django Unchained" is about the times of slavery, which is very good at broking human lives. If you have seen "Inglourious Basterds", you know that the story won't be about historical truth.

The plot says: 'With the help of his mentor, a slave-turned-bounty hunter sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner.'

You must have heard that Joseph Gordon-Levitt supposed to play a part there, but we won't see him in this film. However, we still have a great crew: Christoph Waltz, Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio, Don Johnson. Oh, they will make it a masterpiece. By the way, Christoph Waltz is now playing a good character, so don't expect to see Hans Landa.

If you want to know more about this upcoming film, visit this great fan-based blog, dedicate to "Django Unchained".

Next Christmas is going to be very bloody.

Poster - Yahoo! movies

"Dark Shadows" (2012) - 9 character posters

New character posters for Gothic dramatic comedy "Dark Shadows" have arrived! They don't show us something new about characters, but I love those bright eclectic colours, especially used in posters with Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp. And everyone's eyes look very beautiful though unreal. I'm so exited to see this new dark story by Tim Burton...

Read my 10 Reasons to Be Exited about "DARK SHADOWS".
More about upcoming "Dark Shadows" (2012)!

Posters via KinoPoisk.RU

Cannes Film Festival 2012 - Anniversary poster with Marilyn Monroe

The official website presented the anniversary poster for the 65th Annual Cannes Film Festival. You've seen young Faye Dunaway on the previous one, and this year pays a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. The photographer of this picture was Otto L. Bettmann.

Classy and beautiful, I like that they did it black-and-white again.

The Festival will take place on 16-27 May.

Check out my entries about the 64th CANNES FILM FESTIVAL.

"Frankenweenie" (2012) - First poster

Yes! "Frankenweenie" team reveals its first poster. It is the second time, when a poster turns out to be something more than just a 2D picture. There is no music, unlike "The Hunger Games" teaser poster has, but I really like that lightning strike. Spooky.

To watch it in motion, you have to like the official Facebook page of this animated film.

More about "Frankenweenie" (2012)!

Top-5 movies of the week - 17.02 - 23.02

1."Rampart"
Woody Harrelson plays a cop, who hates everyone. He likes his power and beating people. And nobody can stop him, because there will be a huge corruption scandal. Also starring Cynthia Nixon, Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Ben Foster and Steve Buscemi.
Trailer.

2."Thin Ice"
Two men want to earn some money by selling a very valuable violin, which is no use for its present owner. But everything goes wrong, when they end up killing an innocent man. One of these accidental criminals starts blackmailing his associate, who is played by Greg Kinnear. Yes, since that night he is walking on the very thin ice, which can melt very fast under him. Crazy criminal comedy, which has to have an unexpected ending. But I doubt it will be a happy ending.
Trailer.

3."The Secret World of Arrietty"
Tiny people live in one huge house with normal family. They don't want to be discovered, so secretly borrow different things and food. It is dangerous for young girl Arrietty to join her father in such night campaigns, but she is brave. So everything is good, until a boy sees her... and they become good friends. Its creators are the people, who made "Spirited Away" and "Ponyo", it promises many adventures, plus critics love this story.
Trailer.

4."The Vow"
I like Rachel McAdams very much, but I dislike Channing Tatum even more. It was hard to figure out will she save the film, or will he make it bad, and turns out that she wasn't enough. The story is about a newlywed couple, who survives a serious car accident. He is fine, but she lost her memory. She doesn't remember not the whole past, but just him. Low critics rating can frighten the big film-addicts, but the audience says it is ok romantic comedy.
Trailer.

5."Dorothy and the Witches of Oz"
An old fairytale is back thanks to the director Leigh Scott ("Frankenstein Reborn", "King of the Lost World", "Exorcism: The Possession of Gail Bowers"). It is the first not-so-creepy film for him, which kids can actually watch. This time Dorothy is a young writer, who moves to New York. But once she discovers that all her stories aren't a fiction, but memories, she has to go figure out how to fight the evil witch to save the both worlds. It reminds a bit Burton's "Alice In Wonderland". The special effects look good, and the cast includes Christopher Lloyd, Billy Boyd and Sean Astin, who are great actors. So it has to be a nice family film.
Trailer.

Posters - iTunes movie trailers

Why I'm interested in "Lovelace" (2012)

One very risky film hit the theatres in 1972. It was directed by Gerard Damiano, and called "Deep Throat". This film started a revolution in the cinematography. It gained many fans and haters, who did what they could to destroy lives of actors, director and producers. Many puritan politics were pissed off by this "masterpiece". Yes, it was a pornographic flick, but it also was something more, something new and crazy. It was a different kind of art.

Linda Lovelace portrayed the main character. She was just a woman with her big dream, she wanted to love and be loved. There is nothing criminal in it. Linda showed her body to the whole world, but we will never know the truth behind her risky fame and short-termed success. Later she became an activist of the anti-pornography movement, but no one can tell why she wanted to forget her past.

"Lovelace" is a biopic about her. Amanda Seyfried plays Linda and, due to the set pictures and stills, she really resembles this porn star. I hope this film will make clear all dark spots in her biography, showing not only consequences, but also the reasons why she changed so much before that fatal accident. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman are in charge of this story, which is very promising, because they've made before a few unusual and provocative films together.

If you are going to watch "Lovelace", please watch at least a documentary "Inside Deep Throat". You will be shocked of the stories, which the creators of that porn film tell. It is unbelievable how many secrets they kept, how hard it was to screen this film and how little money they made, despite "Deep Throat" profit was very high.

Poster - COLLIDER

"Machete Kills" - First poster

Crazy and bloody story about the hard life of Mexican people in USA is not finished. Danny Trejo has to take a weapon in his hands again and kill hard, which is obvious from the title. I knew there will be another film, but it looks like it will become a trilogy. The third film is rumoured to be called "Machete Kills Again... In Space!". Yes, Rodriguez will make it insane.

"Machete" is one of my favourite Robert Rodriguez's films, so I'm definitely waiting for its sequel. I hope the cast includes the actors, with whom he's already worked (Mickey Rourke, Rosario Dawson, Benicio Del Toro, Jessica Alba).

Poster - Den of Geek!

Top-5 movies of the week - 03.02 - 09.02

It's been a while since I picked top-5 films of the week, but it's time to continue.

1."The Woman in Black"
I'm not a big fan of horrors, but for this one I waited really long. It's the first film for Daniel Radcliffe since Harry Potter series ended, which is very important, because he has to prove that he won't leave cinema for theatre, and is going to star in different kind of stories. James Watkins' "The Woman in Black" is a very dark and creepy story, so I hope to be scared a few times.
Trailer.

2."Albert Nobbs"
When I heard that Glenn Close is going to play a man I was astonished, but when I saw its first promotional pictures I understood how extraordinary this actress is. A woman dresses up like a man to succeed something in life, but when she falls in love, it threatens to destroy her whole life.
Trailer.

3."Chronicle"
We saw a few films about ordinary people, who want to become superheroes, but "Chronicle" is about people with real power, who doesn't want to save the world. It is the debut of the director, Josh Trank, but it looks like a good action/fantasy story.
Trailer.

4."The Grey"
Liam Neeson plays one of the unfortunate people, whose plain crushed somewhere in Alaska. They want to survive, come back and forget it all happened. But snow and wolves are their worst enemies, which aren't easy to conquer. Directed by Joe Carnahan, it promises to show us a horrifying life and death fight.
Trailer.

5."Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
This film must be the one, which surprised many critics, when it got a Oscar nomination for Best Film. But there are Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock, who won a few Oscars in their lives. Besides, its director, Stephen Daldry, was nominated for his every film! Impressive team, isn't it?
This story is about the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, and the consequences. A little boy thinks that his father left some kind of message for him, which he desperately wants to find. So his New York City tour starts and can lead to an unexpected discovery.
P.S. Its trailer almost made me cry.
Trailer.

Posters - COLLIDER

Oscar 2012 - Trailer and Poster

The first 84th Academy Awards trailer arrived. Many talented actors are very busy now, but they found some to film a very remarkable promo video. Megan Fox and Josh Freeman, who worked together on the first two "Transformers" films, are traveling around the world in the search for perfect Oscars host. I think they wanted to make Megan and Josh a bit like Scully and Mulder from "The X-Files". But it was not a good idea. We know the Host is Billy Crystal, but he looks funny with that hair. But now he lives in Mongolia and is very lonely without his Oscar job. Poor guy, isn't he?

Mr. Crystal was the Host for many times by now, but I've never watched this event with him. I think thanks to him Oscar 2012 will be fun.

The ceremony will take place on February 26, 2012.

More about OSCAR 2012!



Films featured on this poster: "Forrest Gump" (1994), "The Godfather" (1972), "The Sound of Music" (1965), "Gone with the Wind" (1939), "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989), "Giant" (1956), "Gladiator" (2000) and "Casablanca" (1943). I watched almost every film and I think everyone should see those all of them.

"The Woman in Black" (2012) - Another creepy poster

Upcoming British horror "The Woman in Black" gets a new poster, which features some scary moments from the trailer along with a half of Daniel Radcliffe's face. If you are wondering why this film has changed its tagline to "What did they see?", the answer is: it got another official website of the same name.

Directed by James Watkins ("Eden Lake", 2008).
Based on a thriller fiction novel by Susan Hill.
Starring Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer.

More about "The Woman in Black" (2012)!
Check out the latest trailer.

Poster - IMP awards

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" - First trailer, poster and many stills

"Bilbo Baggins, I'm looking for someone to share an adventure."

I can't tell you how exited I am that the first trailer has arrived! New and old characters of the Middle-earth promise us something huge, dangerous and breathtaking. Shire looks peaceful, but we know that all adventures begin there. I can go on, but you better watch it with your own eyes.

Directed by Peter Jackson.

See the list of all characters and actors below the trailer.

Release date - December 14, 2012.

Poster (click to enlarge) - iTunes movie trailers








Trailer #1



Let me introduce all main characters (click on the picture to enlarge it):

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman)

Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen)

Fili (Dean O'Gorman)

Kili (Aidan Turner)

Oin (John Callen)

Gloin (Peter Hambleton)

Dwalin (Graham McTavish)

Balin (Ken Stott)

Bifur (William Kircher)

Bofur (James Nesbitt)

Bombur (Stephen Hunter)

Dori (Mark Hadlow)

Nori (Jed Brophy)

Ori (Adam Brown)

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage)

Galadriel (Cate Blanchett)

Gollum (Andy Serkis) (try to find him)