Lorna's Silence [Dardennes, '09] / Timecrimes [Vigalondo, '08]

Lorna's Silence

directed by Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne

[The kind of filmmaking you'd expect from the Dardennes, except perhaps the removal of a hand-held camera from the mix, though the camera's still always moving. As in their other movies, the plot trickles to the surface and becomes apparent about halfway-in, though some of the best scenes come early between Dobroshi and Renier. Mislabeled as a thriller because of, say, ten minutes of suspense, the film ends on a surprisingly quiet note and is ultimately a little bit disappointing in its lack of poignancy that came at the end of both Rosetta and L'enfant.] 7.5

Timecrimes

directed by Nacho Vigalondo

[Fun, rather stupid low-budget time-traveling story almost overstays its welcome at 88 minutes but luckily the last act picks up the slack from the second, which is largely just about thirty minutes spent showing us how the first part was done, most of which we've already figured out by then. Cheesy score and plot devices (the "pink" bandage) appear unintentionally funny, but even so this isn't exactly Primer, so what the hell. Can't wait to see the shot-for-shot remake starring Jordana Brewster!] 5

The Cannes Report

I've been keeping up with the goings-on at Cannes for the last week and a half pretty fervently, so I figured I'd list the 20 Competition films in the order in which I'm anticipating them off of their initial reviews and word-of-mouth, as well as the films I'm most looking forward to in the sidebars and out of competition screenings.

Competition

1. Antichrist (Lars von Trier)--hated by many, but without a doubt the talk of the festival, with enough shock and shlock that it's an absolute must-see.

2. Wild Grass (Alain Resnais)--probably the most praised among the critics I read most, and apparently fucking bizarre. I can't wait.

3. The White Ribbon (Michael Haneke)--pre-WWII study of a small town with Twilight Zone events happening to it. I love Haneke, and as it won the FIPRESCI prize, so did a lot of critics.

4. Enter the Void (Gaspar Noe)--probably the second most divisive film sans Antichrist, not surprisingly as Noe's Irreversible is one of the most infamous premieres in recent Cannes memory. Apparently unfinished, it's been called visually audacious and overlong.

5. Inglourious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)--also divisive, also reportedly overlong, also hotly anticipated by me.

This is where things kind of tank. These five are all absolute must-sees in my mind, from here on out it's a bit more limited anticipation.

6-11 (Interest Based on Director Moreso Than Reception): Thirst, Broken Embraces, Bright Star, Face, Looking For Eric, Taking Woodstock

12-18 (Range from Very Well Received to "Meh," All From Directors I've Yet to Familiarize Myself With): A Prophet, Fish Tank, Vengeance, The Time That Remains, A L'Origine, Vincere, Kinatay

19-20 (Count Me Out):

Spring Fever, Map of the Sounds of Tokyo--both pretty much collectively rejected and not from directors I'm familiar with or all that interested in. 

This year, though, seems to have been somewhat dominated by non-competition films. Among them:

Up--the new Pixar, receiving a wide release on Friday, is getting Wall-E type buzz. Very excited.

Police, Adjective--sophomore effort from the director of 12:08 East of Bucharest is a critical favorite and apparently a must-see.

Dogtooth --Un Certain Regard winner and the highest rating from Mike D'Angelo means this is probably quite good.

I Killed My Mother--Director's Fortnight winner and critical favorite. Written, directed by and starring a 20-year old...impressive.

Tetro--the new F.F. Coppola which apparently doesn't suck too hard and has a breakthrough performance.

Mother--new Bong, nuff said.

The Imaginarium of...--new Terry Gilliam, Ledger's last performance. Mixed reviews but something I have to see just based off the names involved.

Air Doll--pretty divisive Koreeda, but very interesting nonetheless.

Agora--historical epic from Amenabar that could have been very boring and apparently is possibly pretty good. 

A few other films I've heard decent things about but not enough to mention at this point. Overall it seems a rather disappointing festival at least from the big name auteurs but it seems the fresh talent and older players managed to deliver, which is just swell. Please release Antichrist asap!

Monsoon Wedding [Nair, '01] / Star Trek [Abrams, '09]

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The Celebration [Vinterberg, '98] / Bowling For Columbine [Moore, '02]

The Celebration

directed by Thomas Vinterberg

[Dogme 1 perhaps confirmed that this new school of filmmaking could produce great films (though Trier's earlier Breaking the Waves was an early indicator of such), but the jarring editing is matched by the dread-inducing screenplay that makes you want to cover your eyes while watching more than most horror films. Which is what it is, essentially, although it's never quite clear whose the victim and whose the monster. The Danes obviously have a knack for keeping the tone precisely in between farce and seriousness, not tipping the scale until the final act.] 9

Bowling For Columbine

directed by Michael Moore

[An unsurprisingly biased argument (although less so than Sicko, perhaps) that puts Moore's mastering of the popcorn-doc on full display. It's doubtful any other director could pace the film so perfectly for two hours, including an animated 'History of America' that is at the same time ridiculous and forthright. Moore docs always result in guessing games of what's vanity and what's sincerity, but either way, it's a rather convincing investigation underneath all the garishness.] 7.5