Day 2 Cannes News

After browsing all over I found that articles in English are scarce while in other languages abound. So let’s try to do a summary.

The Serious News

As we all know today is when the festival really starts with the screening of the first film in competition, Tournée (On Tour) by Mathieu Amalric, a film with positive reviews that from trailer and clips I get the impression that’s going to be ‘gloriously decadent’ and until I watch it I’ll doubt that’s a comedy. Also today Rizhao Chongquing (Chongqing Blues) by Wang Xiaoshuai. Both photocalls are up at the Cannes official site and if you wish to watch them go here.

Manoel de Oliveira opens Un Certain Regard with his latest oeuvre O Estranho Caso de Angelica (Angelica) and the famous Portuguese director was all over the news as the only man in the world that yesterday had an audience with the Pope and later -a few miles away from Vatican city- was greeting Gilles Jacob. But the second film in this section is none other than Marţi, după Crăciun (Tuesday, After Christmas) by Radu Muntean, another must be seen film for me thanks to my true passion for Romanian cinema.

Parallel section Director’s Fortnight opens today with the world premiere of Benda Bilili! the documentary by Renaud Barret and Florent de la Tullaye about “the world’s most famous disabled music band” with his quirky joke: “this is the festival of canes!”. Also 2010 Carrosse d’Or winner Agnes Varda’s Lions Love… (And Lies) will be screened as part of the opening day.

Semaine de la Critique officially opens with the Special Screenings film Le Nom de Gens (The Names of Love) by Michel Leclerc , but the film Sandcastle by Boo Junfeng is opening the competition and also today the short film Love Patate by Gilles Cuvelier. Photos and information will be at their official site from Friday, May 14.

If I was in Cannes definitively I would not go to a party tonight, instead I’ll go to enjoy watching the restored Fred Zinnemann’s 1953 film From Here To Eternity shown as part of the Cinema de la Plage program.

The Not so serious news

Wasn’t until today that I found out what Aish is doing in Cannes and I’m so glad to find that she has a new film that’s being promoted at Cannes, Raavan also staring Aish husband. From the plot summary I know I will like the movie that definitively is must be seen for me.

American TV Today show is in Cannes and Matt has a nice-to-watch interview with Cate Blanchett and Russell Crowe that you can check at the show site. Speaking of Robin Hood, reviews headlines tend to not be positive, but who cares as this is film that many of us will watch no matter what critics say.

Oops, was forgetting the news about the gigantic poster unveiled at Cannes for Jack Black's version of Gulliver!!! I noticed the film news because the poster is really HUGE!!! (lol!) If you want to check this film and the other A or B-movies that marketing brings to Cannes streets check some pics here.

This is it for this morning; let’s see what happens when dusk arrives.

Cheers!!!

Aish at Tournee premiere red carpet.

63rd Festival de Cannes Opening Ceremony

No Canal+ didn’t streamed live the ceremony, but surprisingly the video is up first at the official site where you can watch it sans the very beginning (!) as starts with Kristin Scott-Thomas already at the podium. Watch the video here. The complete ceremony with better quality is up at Canal+, please go here.

Somehow I find today’s ceremony different to previous ones, more serious and formal plus the collage of Tim Burton’s films was too long for me or maybe is just that I’m so familiar with all the films shown. The musical segment as an homage to music from Burton films was more entertainning and maybe too sophisticated for general audiences as most music was jazzy, with one exception from a film that I found its music so happy that still resonates in my head, Beetlejuice. On the opposite extreme, the clips from some of the in competition and out of competition films was too short for me, but was glad to watch too brief clips from movies that still have no video at the official site or the net.

Only three women in the stage but you’ll agree that your eyes and the camera were mostly on them, very elegant and statuesque Kristin Scott Thomas with a fortyish look, always beautiful Giovanna Mezzogiorno, and very elegant Kate Beckinsale wearing a gorgeous dress make the ceremony worth watching. At the end always elegant Cate Blanchett opens the festival together with a smooth Russell Crowe.

If you feel like watching the red carpet check the video here.

So, it’s official the most famous festival in the world is open for business and parties…

Cheers!!

Here are some photos from the red carpet

Yes Aish was there!!!

Helen Mirren.

Kate Beckinsale beautiful dress (Eva Longoria was wearing one too similar, but Kate's has the cameras on her and her dress was nicer, lol!)

If you feel like watching more photos click the gallery at any of the above photos and will take you to the slide show.

Sharing with YOU Loyal Movie On Readers

For the first time I’m going to share with you all how I follow Cannes fest. I’m doing it so perhaps some of you will join me for a few days and could ‘party’ together.

Everything starts at the Official Site where info will be pouring slowly, so you have to be patient for them to upload everything. As patience is not my virtue I always watch on TV the opening but this year I wont be able as now I live in a country where the satellite provider unannouncedly stopped TV5 Monde transmission. So I’m hoping that Canal+ uploads the opening ceremony faster than the official site and maybe (wish me success) I’ll find a site that broadcasts TV5 Monde online and viola, will watch it live. Yes, have several sites ready, but I wont know if they work until the show is broadcasted, so if you wish to watch it live check this site as surely I’ll post the link.

What follows comes from different sources. Some Press calls and conferences are really fun-to-watch, last year had a blast watching Almodovar, let’s hope that this year we find some amusing ones. This kind of videos come only from the official site, they’re the best and if you have bandwith strongly recommend to watch them in high definitition. Also Canal+, as an official partner, loads tons of videos but most are not really interesting, so what I don’t miss is Zapping Cannois that gives me a glimpse of everything that happens and if I’m interested in something in particular just browse the site to find the video with all the information.

The best place to find excellent information and videos is arte.tv that’s definitively more selective in what they upload to their site plus their interviews are less gossipy and more cinema interesting.

Then comes the reading from people that actually are in Cannes. Unfortunately this year my favorite net writer won’t be in Cannes and I surely will miss his peculiar writing, still he’ll be covering the fest from the same side of the world I am. Luckily I have another writer that I like to follow exclusively for Cannes coverage as his ‘darkish’ humor absolutely is my kind of humor; love Peter Bradshaw from British newspaper the Guardian. He’s already in Cannes and today’s article is just great reading for Cannes movies that never crossed the English channel and (some) much less the big ocean. Fortunately many are or will be available in DVD which up-to-today is the most greatest (and cheapest) cinema invention ever (for me).

I avoid reading Cannes films reviews, but if I’m really curious about an especific film surely I’ll read (some) of what Todd McCarthy writes if he saw that movie. Yes I check gossipy news too. The most serious writer is Anne Thompson that since she went to indiewire she’s a lot more free to write lighter articles, but the drawback about these two ex-Variety writers is that many times what they write has a very American pov against a more international one. Speaking of Variety, they’re promoting new writers and if their site allows me to read more articles than 3 a month, surely I’ll check them.

For true gossip I read Paris Match (lol!), Premiere (France), and use google latest news search in French (avoid English or you’ll get mostly annoying American news). Here is where I learn stuff like what in the world is Aish doing in Cannes this year? (LOL!) plus stuff about thousands of films that didn’t got into any Selection but are being promoted in Cannes marche, the biggest in the world.

Surely I’m forgetting something, but this gives you an idea of how I’ll spend the following days until May 23 when the festival closes. Afterwards I close the book until next year and the greatest party of the year is over for me. Sadly the wait starts until I’m able to watch whatever films ‘I have to’ watch, a wait that sometimes takes up to 2 years (if not more).

Always say that I have to go to Cannes and always hope for ‘next year’. Hope never dies and well let’s hope that next year I’ll be writing live from Cannes.

Cheers!!!