Jen Yamato on 5/23/07 at 6:01 AM

Well folks, it's our last day here at the festival -- we're leaving the fest a few days early, which is both good and bad. Good, because simply put, we're pooped, but bad because it means we'll miss the world premiere of "Ocean's Thirteen"! Not exactly the forerunner of international cinema, granted, but still arguably the biggest spectacle of this year's Cannes.

In preparation for "Ocean" the city has been abuzz anticipating the sheer star wattage that it heralds: George! Matt! Brad (and Angelina)!



We sat on the stoop of the Du Cap's entryway and waited for another van. And waited. And waited some more. A concierge asked us to please move so the beautiful people arriving in sports cars could have enough room to sway into the foyer; I overheard the doorman tell one suave dude with four model-types on his arm that without a reservation, he could not enter the Du Cap. As in, you can't even step foot in the hotel.

45 minutes later, a van showed up. I shuffled wearily back onto the Croisette, feeling enormously disappointed in missing the press conference. Luckily, I met Tim and Cinematical's James Rocchi by the carousel and since this is Cannes, we went for a glass of wine in an outdoor cafe, and I felt better shortly.

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Binh Ngo on 5/22/07 at 7:41 AM

Here are a couple of movies playing at Cannes I've heard really good things about by talking to various people or just by overhearing conversations.

- 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
- No Country for Old Men
- Paranoid Park
- The Orphanage
- Control

Update: The Palm d'Or went to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days.

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Jen Yamato on 5/21/07 at 1:47 PM

Today was a bit jam-packed, between screenings (Gus Van Sant's "Paranoid Park," the Angelina Jolie starrer "A Mighty Heart," and Tarantino's full-length "Death Proof"), interviews (Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem for "No Country For Old Men"), press conferences (Michael Moore's "Sicko," New Line's "The Golden Compass"), and the like...but tomorrow may be just as hectic!

Tim took on 8 a.m. duty to watch "Paranoid Park," Van Sant's latest character piece about a teen whose life changes after a violent event. (Thumbs up from Tim, by the way.)



We'll have more pics soon, and more details on Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and the debut of "Death Proof" -- but for now the wifi lounge is closing and we must retire to the streets of Cannes...

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Jen Yamato on 5/20/07 at 7:13 AM

It's Day Five, at least one of our crew has fallen ill with the sniffles, and the rest of us are hitting the mid-fest wall...mon dieu!

As I type this, I'm sitting across from the Timster in the Palais wifi lounge after sleeping in for the first time in days. We'd been averaging about 4 hours of sleep per night, and charging by through the days and nights on pure adrenaline and lots of cafe au laits.

Last night I think I fell asleep at 4am, right about the time Binh and Tim headed downstairs for dinner in our hotel lobby. Crazy, yes, but this is fairly typical during a fest, especially one as humongous and overloaded as this.


Scene after the beach screening of "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" Friday night

Today's docket favors world cinema more than Western film, with highlights including the multi-part omnibus "Chacun Son Cinema," featuring directors like Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, the Coen Brothers, David Cronenberg, Roman Polanski, Wong Kar Wai, and Wim Wenders, and "My Brother Is An Orphan," an Italian saga of sibling rivalry which Cinematical's James Rocchi describes as a good, shorter version of "The Best Of Youth."

But I'm off soon to see preview footage of New Line's upcoming "The Golden Compass," the December release adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy novel. The film stars Nicole Kidman, and reunites "Casino Royale" stars Daniel Craig and Eva Green, and with a rumored budget of $150 million, has a whole lot riding on it.

After "The Golden Compass" I'll have to make a mad dash down the Croisette to the Miramar for "The Orphanage," a Spanish horror film by newbie director Juan Antonio Bayona (and produced by Guillermo del Toro). "The Orphanage," or "El Orfanato," is playing in the Critics' Week Sidebar and has generated a LOT of buzz leading up to tonight's debut; at least one high profile blogger told me he thinks it's fantastic, and one of the best films he's seen in the fest.

Ironically, following "The Golden Compass" at the Olympia, I have no idea how to get to "The Orphanage."

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Binh Ngo on 5/18/07 at 5:07 PM

In spite of the mixed reactions for Wong Kar Wai's latest mood piece, the interest level for "My Blueberry Nights" remains quite high. Those with press passes have it so easy. They usually get to see the movie well before anyone else at Cannes, as well as be one of the first to be let in the screenings so they're pretty much guaranteed good seats.

Those of us with regular Market passes, like me, have to take our chances with a horde of people with similar credentials. The catch is, buyers are allowed in first. If seats run out, tough luck and thanks for playing. It doesn't matter if you arrived before anyone else. You won't get your chance until all the buyers are seated.

Despite being the first to line up and waiting for more than an hour, there wasn't room for anyone who's not a buyer. There's a final Market screening I will attempt to catch Sunday. If I can't get into that one, c'est la vie.

So, what's this about the scenario turning nightmarish? A movie called "Timber Falls" is playing right next door. Since I couldn't get into "Blueberry," why not? If I had known what the movie is about, I would have continued walking. Talk about counter programming.

"Timber Falls" is actually a horror/slasher in which a couple goes on a weekend hiking trip up in the mountains only to run into unfriendly mountain folks. Make that unfriendly and religious mountain folks. It's actually well done as far as these kinds of movies go, but not exactly my cup of tea.

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