Festival de Cannes 2011 - Day 9

After such intense 8th day of the Festival, today was nicer, more reliable and shocking-free. I was waiting for a presentation of the new movie directed by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar - "The Skin I Live In" (Spanish: "La piel que habito"). He likes to work with actress Penelope Cruz, but this project was made without her and with actor Antonio Banderas. Its story is based on a book "Tarantula" by Thierry Jonquet and tells about the doctor, who tries to save his wife by creating the new skin for her. Pedro Almodovar said about the plot: “It’s a story about surviving under extreme conditions, which is the story of humanity, too.” and “I thought about the myth of Frankenstein afterwards and especially about the myth of the Titans and Prometheus.” So it is promised to be a very dramatic horror. "The Skin I Live In" is 'In Competition' and also is a strong competitor for the main prize. At the press conference Antonio Banderas added about working again with the director and about his character: “I’m meeting up with Pedro again after 20 years. In this film, as he requested, I worked on the character’s interiority and sparingness. I want to publicly thank Pedro for bringing me to territory that was new and unknown to me.” By the way, due to fresh photos Antonio and Pedro are really good friends in life.

The first 3D movie 'In Competition' was officially presented today (journalists had a chance to watch it yesterday). Its name is "Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai" and director Takashi Miike was telling about why he selected samurai theme for his new project: "I didn't make Ichimei (Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai) because I wanted to film violence. No, it became a violent film because I am passionate about the subject matter. My films are not defined by genre: it is the characters in the story who decide what form it will take. I am controlled by cinema and by characters. My films are the result of fortuitous encounters with people and stories." And he talked about using 3D during filming (I'm not a big fan of it, but none can stop the progress of the technology): "The subject matter, setting and film set for "Ichmei" ("Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai") were right for 3D filming. That said, filming in 3D imposes lots of limitations. The film has no battle scenes because they take so long to film in 3D. But filming in 3D opens up other exciting possibilities."


"The Skin I Live In" photocall - Pedro Almodovar, Antonio Banderas, Marisa Paredes, Elena Anaya, Jan Cornet, Blanca Suare

"The Skin I Live In" photocall - Pedro Almodovar, Antonio Banderas, Marisa Paredes, Elena Anaya, Jan Cornet, Blanca Suare

 
"Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai" Photocall - Takashi Miike, Eita

More photos from Cannes - http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/.


The Festival becomes more interesting with every day. Photocalls are becoming more informal (hope nobody will be nude there), press conferences - more honest and premieres - more fashionable. But organizers are keeping this all in order.

Festival de Cannes 2011 - Lars Von Trier's joke

I've already written about this year's hottest press conference at Cannes, dedicated to the movie "Melancholia". Yesterday's statements by Lars von Trier shocked everybody, but he apologized in the evening. Still the one impression is when I've read all his quotes, and the other is when I saw this video. I knew he messed up, you know how creative people like to intrigue and shock their audience. Lars von Trier made the press conference crazy in one minute. I think he's got a big talent to make little scandals. The most important thing is how he said it and how poor Kirsten Dunst tried to calm him. I can imagine what she felt that moment when Lars von Trier mentioned the words "Nazi" and "Hitler".

In general, now we know that this director can easily be lost in his minds and has a very uncommon sense of humor.

And now Lars von Trier isn't more welcome at the Cannes Film Festival, but his movie is still 'In Competition'.

Festival de Cannes 2011 - Day 8

Today Cannes was shocked by very spicy press conference of the movie "Melancholia". The latest project directed by Lars Von Trier was expected to be unusual and a bit shocking, but the director gave this "something shocking" at the morning, while he was talking to journalists. Lars was not only speaking about the movie, an apocalyptic story about relationship between two sisters, but also said a couple of words about himself as a Jew and a Nazi: “I thought I was a Jew for a long time and was happy being a Jew, Then later I found out that I wasn’t a Jew. I really wanted to be, but found out I was really a Nazi because my family was German. I understand Hitler, but I definitely see some wrong things. I just think I understand the man. He’s not what I call a good guy. I’m not for the Second World War. I’m for Jews, well maybe except for the Israelis - sometimes they’re a problem…” And when a journalist asked him if he likes to make a Hollywood blockbuster, he replied: “We Nazis tend to do things on a great scale.” A couple hours after Lars apologized: "If I have hurt someone this morning by the words I said at the press conference, I sincerely apologize. I am not antisemitic or racially prejudiced in any way, nor am I a Nazi." But his movie is presented 'In Competition', so every his word would be evaluated by the jury.

Yesterday's premiere of "Pater" directed by Alain Cavalier got a 15-minute standing ovation. Movie tells about an attitude to the political power and power in general. Actor Vincent Lindon said about the birth of the movie: "We all have dreams. My dream was to be filmed by Cavalier. Alain began by filming everything and wondering what would emerge, and then the sheer drama and suspense of the film ended up telling us what we had to do, the scenes which remained to be shot."

Also the first 'In Competition' movie made in 3D was presented on the 8th day of the Cannes Film Festival. It is called "Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai". It looks like this year there is a chance for every genre - a silent black and white "The Artist" and a 3D action movie, expected to be bloody.

"Melancholia" photocall - Kirsten Dunst, Lars Von Trier, John Hurt, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Louise Vesth, Meta Foldager, Jesper Christensen, Brady Corbet, Stellan Skarsgard, Udo Kier 

"Melancholia" photocall - Kirsten Dunst, Lars Von Trier, Charlotte Gainsbourg

"Pater" photocall - Vincent Lindon, Alain Cavalier  

" Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai" promo 

More photos and fresh news from the Festival here - http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/festival/2011-05-18/theDailyNews.html , http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/

With such great premieres, I sincerely hope tomorrow all be fine without shocking and offensive director's statements.

"The Devil's Double" (2011) - Trailer

Based on a gripping, unbelievable true story of money, power and opulent decadence, Lionsgate’s "THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE" takes a white-knuckle ride deep into the lawless playground of excess and violence known as Bagdad, 1987. Summoned from the frontline to Saddam Hussein's palace, Iraqi army lieutenant Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) is thrust into the highest echelons of the "royal family" when he’s ordered to become the ‘fiday’ – or body double – to Saddam's son, the notorious "Black Prince" Uday Hussein (also Dominic Cooper), a reckless, sadistic party-boy with a rabid hunger for sex and brutality. With his and his family’s lives at stake, Latif must surrender his former self forever as he learns to walk, talk and act like Uday. But nothing could have prepared him for the horror of the Black Prince’s psychotic, drug-addled life of fast cars, easy women and impulsive violence. With one wrong move costing him his life, Latif forges an intimate bond with Sarrab (Ludivine Sangier), Uday's seductive mistress who’s haunted by her own secrets. But as war looms with Kuwait and Uday’s depraved gangster regime threatens to destroy them all, Latif realizes that escape from the devil’s den will only come at the highest possible cost.

Featuring a riveting double performance by Dominic Cooper ("AN EDUCATION", "MAMA MIA") in the roles of Latif Yahia and Uday Hussein, "THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE" is a dynamic, chilling adaptation of Latif Yahia’s autobiographical novel, charting one man’s defiant struggle to survive a viper's pit of corruption and brutality. The film is directed by Lee Tamahori ("DIE ANOTHER DAY", "XXX: STATE OF THE UNION") and written by Michael Thomas ("BACKBEAT", "SCANDAL").

Official site - http://www.thedevilsdoublefilm.com/

More information about real Uday Hussein - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uday_Hussein  (Don't read it, if you're too impressive and emotional person.)

Release Date - USA - 22 January 2011 (Sundance Film Festival), wide - 29 July 2011.

Official Trailer

Festival de Cannes 2011 - Day 7

The most expectable movie of the seventh day was "The Beaver". Presented at the Cannes Film Festival, it is out of Competition, but still is very interesting for me. First of all, this movie is directed by talented actress Jodie Foster, who also plays important character. And second of all, my favorite Mel Gibson (adore his director's and actor's talent) plays the main part. Some critics didn't like this unusual story about how a beaver-puppet healed the broken man's heart and life. I think it's a beautiful optimistic movie and I would love to watch it. Also Jodie told the journalists at the press conference the subject matter of the movie: "Walter has a choice between a death sentence, through suicide, and a life sentence. His illness is a real psychological breakdown stemming from chemical depression. If there is one final thought in the film, it’s the idea that you don’t have to be alone. Being alone is a choice that we make." and about how hard is directing and playing at the same time: "It’s a very bad idea to direct and act at the same time. The advantage is you know the characters extremely well and know where the movie is supposed to be going. But the bad side is you don’t get surprises." Thanks to the premiere I saw how a legend of the cinematography Jean-Paul Belmondo is.

Another interesting movie is "Le Havre" by director Aki Kaurismäki. It tells the story of a shoeshiner who tries to save an immigrant child in the French port city Le Havre. At the press conference Aki Kaurismaki said about the film's humor, which is less ironic than his previous feature films: "When I look at the people in this world, I hold out no hope for our planet. So to avoid adding to the mess, this film is primarily designed to be an entertaining escape. I had already been disenchanted by some things at the age of 10, but back then I pretended in order to create hope in others." And the cast made the photocall the most informal - director Aki Kaurismaki is smoking and you know what actor Little Bob is doing (photo 2 of the "Le Havre" photocall).

"The Beaver" photocall - Jodie Foster, Kyle Killen, Keith Redmon

"The Beaver" press conference -  Jodie Foster

"The Beaver" premiere -  Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, Laura Allen, Kyle Killen, Keith Redmon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Bar Refaeli, Naomi Campbell, Doutzen Kroes 

 

 

 

"Le Havre" photocall - Kati Outinen, Jean Pierre Darroussin, Aki Kaurismaki, Blondin Miguel, Little Bob, Evelyne Didi, Quoc Dung-Nguyen

More about 7th day of the Cannes Film Festival - http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/festival/2011-05-17/theDailyNews.html , http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/

The other busy day at Cannes is over and I hope there are more great movies, waiting to be presented.

Festival de Cannes 2011 - Day 6

The beginning of the new Festival's week was very exiting, because today was presented a movie "The Tree of Life" directed by Terrence Malick, starring Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain. There was a photocall with Brad and Jessica, press conference with Brad, Jessica and producers. Sean Penn showed up just for premiere and the biggest disappointment for me was no Terrence Malick at all. Journalists were interested to in this mystery and the producer Bill Pohlad answered: "He doesn't want to discuss his film. He wants the public to see it as a poem, for everyone to interpret as they see fit." . Brad Pitt said about the film: "It would take many days to explain the film's creative process. The screenplay was wonderfully written, very intense, but Terrence Malik didn't want to follow it slavishly. He likes to capture the truth between the lines. That's why this film feels so fresh. On top of that, it was almost entirely shot in natural daylight." and "This film is universal, Terrence Malick wants to speak to all cultures." During all presentations Brad looked very nice together with actress Jessica, but the minute his love Angelina arrived to the premiere - he was running to her. I think they are a gorgeous couple.

Another today's presented movie was "L'Apollonide : souvenirs de la maison close" ("House of Tolerance"). Director Bertrand Bonello with director of photography Josée Deshaies and actresses Hafsia Herzi, Jasmine Trinca, Alice Barnolé and Noémie Lvovsky talked about choosing the 12 actresses, the lighting in the film and the actresses’ nudity.

Movie "The Look" directed by Angelina Maccarone is presented at Cannes Classics. She dedicated this movie to charming actress Charlotte Rampling, who is playing the main part in it. At the press conference Maccarone said: "Chosen as an "object of desire" in many of her films, Charlotte has, on each occasion, turned her character into the subject".

"The Tree of Life" photocall - Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Bill Pohland, Dede Gardner, Grant Hill

"The Tree Of Life" press conference -  Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain

"The Tree Of Life" premiere - Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Angelina Jolie

"House of Tolerance" photocall - Iliana Zabeth, Bertrand Bonello, Noemie Lvovsky and Celine Sallette

"The Look" photocall - Charlotte Rampling, Peter Lindbergh and director Angelina Maccarone

More interesting photos you can get here - http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/ and http://www.panarmenian.net/photo/

It's over a half of the Cannes Film Festival and the end is coming. I hope the jury will choose the best movies to award.

Festival de Cannes 2011 - Day 5

The most interesting movie of the fifth day of the Cannes Festival for me is "The Artist" by French director Michel Hazanavicius. Why is it so? Because this is a silent back and white story about a movie star, whose career drops with coming of the sound era. The characters are speaking here with title cards, which turn us to the 20s. So the cast came to Canes to support their movie with photocall, press conference and premiere. Producer Thomas Langmann said about the purpose of "The Artist": "We live in a time when people are crazy about 3-D films, people are crazy about technical innovation. Everything seems to be focused on images, and suddenly someone wanted to tell a very odd tale using this format that is a silent movie in black and white." I would be incredible happy if I will have chance to see silent movie in the cinema, because I'm a big fan of old good cinematography - I've watched every Charlie Chaplin's work. But really in our technology era we have just tiny chance to watch it worldwide. But it is promised to be a very romantic story. I hope this movie has a least a piece of magic and charm inside which "City Lights" and "Modern Times" have.

The Dardenne brothers also came to the Festival to take part in competition for the fifth time with "Le Gamin au vélo" ("The Kid with the Bike"). They did the usual presentation program together with actors Cécile De France, the young Thomas Doret and producer Denis Freyd. This movie is about a boy who wants find the father who left him temporarily in a children's home.

After such inspirational movies I was shocked to discover that today's another competitor is a hard drama "Michael" by the filmmaker Markus Schleinzer. The crew of the movie answered a lot of questions about their screen story, which is showing the relationship between a pedophile and his young victim.

And actress Faye Dunaway received the French “Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters” medal. The French Culture Minister Frédéric Mitterrand said: "It makes me particularly happy to pay tribute to an actress such as Faye Dunaway who has known how to combine glamour with vulnerability, and chicness with the ability to shock... an actress who has appeared in films alongside some of the greatest actors: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford and even Johnny Depp, who you view as a prince".

"The Artist" photocall - Michel Hazanavicius, Berenice Bejo, Jean Dujardin

"The Kid With A Bike" photocall - Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Thomas Doret,  Cecile De France 

"Michael" photocall - Michael Fuith, Markus Schleinzer, David Rauchenberger, Christine Kain

 Faye Dunaway receives the French “Officer in the Order of Arts and Letters” medal

 Another day of the Festival is coming to an end, but still it's left many movies to be presented and many stars to answer interesting questions from tired happy-to-be-there journalists. I'm very exited to see Terrence Malick, Brad Pitt and Sean Penn with their "The Tree of Life".

And visit http://www.zimbio.com/ and http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/festival/2011-05-15/theDailyNews.html for more information.

Ennio Morricone - "The Verdict" (Dopo La Condanna)

The soundtrack from "Inglourious Basterds" directed by Quentin Tarantino. Music written by Ennio Morricone. When I hear the piano in this composition I shiver. Incredibly powerful and beautiful music.

Festival de Cannes 2011 - Day 4

The first weekend in sunny Cannes began with a presentation of the future box office hit - "Pirates of Caribbean: On Stranger Tides". After a few premieres the cast landed in France and made a good promotional campaign, which included screening, photocall and press conference. Johnny Depp even told the journalists who truly Jack Sparrow is: "He is a weird combination of a 18th century rock n'roll star, who looks like Keith Richards, and Pepe le Pew, a very romantic skunk!" Penelope Cruz said that she was very pleased to work with such talented actor as Johnny and she is his fan. And the director Rob Marshall  looked very happy during photocall and press conference - the work is done and he hasn't many reasons to be bothered yet.

Another big event happened with film-maker Emir Kusturica, who received the Palme D’or twice he was invested with the insignia of Chevalier of the Order of the Légion d’honneur. Frédéric Mitterrand, the French Minister of Culture and Communication said: "The work of Emir Kusturica can be consumed without moderation. It crisscrosses, in an express train of course, the heart of a Europe marked by wounds, laughter and pride."

And also director Peter Chan came to present his new work "Wu Xia": "The Wu Xia is a Chinese martial arts film genre that we have known for a long time, for 30 or 40 years; I grew up with it and it is a genre that is constantly renewing itself. With this film, we wanted to keep this tradition going."

"Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" photocall -  Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush, Rob Marshall

"Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" press conference -  Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane

 

"Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" premiere -  Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Jerry Bruckheimer, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush, Rob Marshall, Uma Thurman, Jude Law

Emir Kusturica named Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur 

"Wu Xia"photocall - Wei Tang, Peter Chan, Sandra Ng Kwan Yu, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Li Xiao Ran, Kara Hui

Best sources to discover more about Cannes events - http://www.zimbio.com/
http://www.purepeople.com/
http://justjared.buzznet.com/
http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en.html

Hope you are enjoying this Festival as I do. Our favorite stars are shining brighter with every day.