Yes, we Cannes!

So I'm talking about Cannes five days after it ended. Sue me. I was busy.

In an excuse to visit Côte d'Azur and mark it as a business expense, hundreds of filmmakers, distributors, and buyers flock to the coastal town every year to see acts of intellectual pretentiousness on celluloid. But seriously, how can one hate a film festival that exists because everyone was sick of Nazi films?

This year, Tim Burton led the prestigious film jury. Also, legendary filmmakers Woody Allen, Lars von Trier, and Jean-Luc Godard (yeah, that one!) showcased comeback films.

So, how was Cannes this year? Well....

"....was far from a stellar year." -FilmBlog at The Guardian

Ummm. Ok. Well, they are Brits. Brits only have a taste for tea. How 'bout an American?

"...I said that this doesn’t seem to be a very good Cannes. Her answer was, 'No masterpieces so far.'”-Howard Feinstein, Filmmaker Magazine

Well, I subscribe to Filmmaker Magazine and it's possible the editors have impossibly high standards. Another news source?

"...a lack of star power and too few movies generating genuine buzz sapped the festival of excitement." -Reuters

Ok, do these guys count? Reuters is still kinda British. Hollywood, Your take?

"...it looked as though Cannes 2010 would be remembered as the year of the volcano and not much more, so uninspiring were most of the films in competition" -Justin Chang, Variety

F*** you, Variety. Moving on.

There was one surprise. A film called Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (say that 10 times fast!), won the Palm d'Or. The film beat out British indie golden-boy Mike Leigh and Mexician-American indie powerhouse Alejandro González Iñárritu who both went home with nothing.

We salute you, Mr. Weerasethakul. Happy Filmmaking!

HELP! I'm under spam attack!!!!

I come here to write about an online posted letter to Variety about their subscriptions, and all of a sudden I see spam as postings! Let's get one thing straight, I am not trying to sell you Viagra or give you a virus. Dang, I'm so mad, I can't even write anything catchy about this article.

Here is what I was planning to write about! Damn, spammers. I hate those guys.

Happy Filmmaking!

5 to 10???

Today, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a surprise revert back to old Hollywood. They are expanding the nomination list for "Best Picture" from five to ten. Is it a good move? Well, maybe a mixed blessing.

The advocates voice that the larger nomination list gives indies and non-narrative films a chance against the big boys. However, even with only five nominations, it is clear that the most hyped film will win. And who knows if the move would boost the ratings of the bombing ceremony. Let's just say if the Oscars were a series, it would be cancelled mid-season along with Cavemen.

The rest of the article is here.

Happy Filmmaking.

One more reason to love indies!

On the eve of what may be another industry strike, Hollywood execs seem to be focusing on other entertaining entities: toys. After the success of Transformers, execs try their hand at other classic toys. This proves three things:

1.) Actors are disposable.
2.) "Male" toys are way more interesting than "female" toys.
3.) Studios and marketing wizards will stop at nothing to sell you something, even in a bust economy.

I'm pretty sure I am the not the only cinephile fed up with the two-hour commercials dressed up as movies. At least with indies, the focus lies on the story, not with product placement. Otherwise all indies would look like this:



How about this, Hollywood: instead of pandering to the 15-year-old boy who just grew out of his G.I. Joe stage, make some deals that will overall boost the quality of pictures that will put some butts back into the seats? That's the difference between today and the 1930s. I'm not saying the 30s were perfect--with the overmarketing of sound and all--but it did churn out some great classics. Learn from the past, Hollywood.

Happy Filmmaking!

Joaquin Phoenix Quits Acting for Music!

The younger brother of the late River Phoenix told Associated Press last week that Two Lovers was his last film. The actor wants to focus more on his budding music career. He earlier displayed his musical talents as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line.

Phoenix started his acting career as a child, acting along side of his siblings. He gained critical acclaim for his roles in To Die For, U-Turn, and Gladiator.

Two Lovers, produced by 2929 Productions, is scheduled for USA release 13 February 2009. The film already previewed at Cannes, Hampton International, and London Film Festivals.


The Variety article is here.

Happy Filmmaking!