Cannes 2007 Part 6

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May 17, 2007Three Good Movies In A RowThat's rare at any time of the year. But at a film festival like Cannesyou usually spend the first two or three days wading through thejunk, wondering if you'll ever see a good movie again. Theprogrammers save the good movies for the heart of the fest, with oneor two surprises for the end. But at the beginning, when manyjournalists still haven't arrived? You're usually seeing the filler. Notthis year.We've already seen a strong Romanian film about life undercommunism and a memorable French film about the complicationsof sexuality and friendship among three 15 year old girls. And nowI've just come back from The Banishment, a sober two and a halfhour film from the director of the acclaimed movie The Return.Bleak? Quiet? Slow? Check, check, and check. Throw in some musicby Arvo Part and a short story by ready-to-be-reappraised authorWilliam Saroyan and you've got yourself an art house hit.My roommates had mixed reactions, so we'll have to wait for thereviews tomorrow to see if more people agree with me or them. Butclearly the director is a major talent to watch. -- Michael GiltzPosted at 08:53 PM in Books, Cannes Film Festival, Film, FilmFestivals | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)Too Busy Covering The Fest To ATTEND The FestCANNES -- May 17 eveningIn previous years, I've come to Cannes with my lowly yellow badge,filed one or two stories (often after it was over) and soaked up themovies. I've seen as many as 40 movies here at one festival, prettyamazing when there are really about eight days filled with screenings.This year, I'm blogging daily for The Advocate and writing featuresfor several other publications. The result? I have to go to so manypress conferences and round tables (a chance to interview a celebalongside five or so other journalists instead of one on one) andspecial events (like Seinfeld's Bee Movie stunt this morning) that Idon't have any time to actually ATTEND the fest. File this under:Visit our other sitesAdvocate.comOut.comOutTraveler.comPopnographyAdvocate GenQMr SardonicAdvocate InsiderOut.com StyleListHereTV.comGayWired.comAdvertisement CategoriesBingham Cup 2008BooksCannes 2008Cannes Film FestivalCelebsCoachellaComic-Con 2007Current AffairsFashionFilmFilm FestivalsFood and DrinkAdvocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/cannes_ﬁlm_festival/page/6/ 1 of 97/22/09 4:44 PMirony.Late this afternoon, I had to do a last minute story for the New YorkDaily News. That meant missing a screening of Leonardo DiCaprio'senvironmental documentary The 11th Hour and that means having toskip the round table interview with DiCaprio tomorrow and thatmeans I wasted my time reading Edmund Morris's The Rise OfTheodore Roosevelt in preparation. (Huh? DiCaprio is linked to abiopic about the young Teddy Roosevelt and I wanted to read thebook for background and in case I could tie in a question to the moviethat involved TR -- Teddy was a big player in the early days of theconservation movement. Of course it wasn't a total loss. The bookwas very good.)Now I'm grabbing a bite to eat and heading off to The Banishment, atwo and a half hour film from the director of The Return (one of myfavorites when it came out about three years ago). It starts at 10 p.m.which means home and in bed by 1:30 or 2 a.m. (thank God there'sno more Idol till next week) and then up again at 7:30. -- MichaelGiltzPosted at 02:57 PM in Books, Cannes Film Festival, Celebs, Film,Film Festivals, Politics | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)Getting In Synch With "Water Lillies" CANNES -- May 17 early afternoonI can't remember the last Cannes festival that could boast of two goodfilms right at the beginning. But that's the delightful surprise ofWater Lillies, a serious film about first love. (No one takes childhoodor first love more seriously than the French.)First time director Celine Sciamma peers intimately into the lives ofthree 15 year old girls exploring their sexuality against a backdrop ofcompetitive synchronized swimming. Anne is heavy and determinedto lose her virginity as soon as possible, preferably to the dashingFrancois. Floriane is naturally sexy and flirtatious but hasn't actuallyslept with anyone, even her nominal boyfriend, the ever-presentIowa Caucus 2008LesbianMusicOutfest 2008PartiesPoliticsProvincetown Film Festival 2008Queen Mary 2 Historic CrossingReligionScienceSexSportsSydney Mardi Gras 2008Taylor Hanson for The AdvocateTelevisionThe DinahThe HRC Logo ForumThe L WordTheaterTravelRecent PostsMTV Video Music Awards... Cheap, Or What?Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles: 30 Years YoungEric McCormack Auctions Off Porsche for ProjectAngel FoodWhat is the Advocate Insider? On 90210!OUTFEST REVIEW: Another Gay SequelAwards Night: Miniskirts, Musicals, and Mama"Sordid Lives" Screens to a Sold-Out CrowdOUTFEST REVIEW: The World UnseenOUTFEST REVIEW: The Lost CoastOUTFEST REVIEW: Eleven MinutesRecent Commentscelebrity picture on OUTFEST REVIEW: The LostCoastvimax on Awards Night: Miniskirts, Musicals, andMamapenis enlargement pills on Michael Guest is all smilespenis enlargement on Michael Guest is all smilespenis enlargement on Amman SegregatesLou on Cruise programming we missed...michaelj72 on "XXY" -- Another Terrific Queer FilmAt Cannesvigrx on Awards Night: Miniskirts, Musicals, andMamavimax on Awards Night: Miniskirts, Musicals, andMamaomar on Amman SegregatesArchivesAdvocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/cannes_ﬁlm_festival/page/6/ 2 of 97/22/09 4:44 PMFrancois. And then there's our heroine Marie (a gawky PaulineAcquart with lovely full lips who will clearly be a beauty when shegrows up). Marie is friends with Anne but shadows the black sheepFloriane around, becoming so besotted with her that she stealsFloriane's trash and even eats scraps of food that were thrown awayby her.Beautiful and sharp-edged without being sad, it has some quietpassages that are grippingly frank. Water Lillies is one to mark down.It's pure art house fare, but anyone who can't see it in a theater willdefinitely want to check out the DVD. I've already arranged to chatwith the director tomorrow morning and will let you know what the27 year old Sciamma is like.-- Michael GiltzPosted at 12:27 PM in Cannes Film Festival, Celebs, Film, FilmFestivals, Lesbian, Sex | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's...Jerry Seinfeld? Photo: GettyCANNES -- May 17 noonishSeptember 2008July 2008June 2008May 2008April 2008March 2008February 2008January 2008December 2007November 2007September 2008SunMonTueWedThuFriSat 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930 Subscribe to this blog's feedAdvocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/cannes_ﬁlm_festival/page/6/ 3 of 97/22/09 4:44 PMJerry Seinfeld donned a giant bee suit, perched on top of the CarltonHotel and then plunged down across the street to the beach below. Ofcourse, there were guide wires and about a million safety precautions.It was a silly stunt to promote his Nov 2 animated film Bee Movie.Costar Chris Rock narrated the stunt for the assembled mob ofphotographers and international press, insisting that Seinfeld lookedlike "an insane Pittsburgh Pirates fan!" Seinfeld (heard on a mike andseen on a big screen projection while performing the stunt) said,"One thing I hate is any sort of movie promotion that smacks ofdesperation." Then he jumped off the building and waved his armsand legs in a silly fashion while gliding some eight stories to theground. His mike was on during the entire event, but there was noworry that jitters might cause him to curse.During interviews, Rock reminded us that Seinfeld skydives andbungee jumps for fun. I'm sure Jerry would have been delighted tohear the press corps while he was getting ready. Virtually every groupyou passed included someone saying, "Gee, wouldn't it be a story ifsomething went wrong?" Just as scary was watching the reportersswarm over the free food after the thrill ride was over. And no, it can'tbe avoided: that's one nutty way to build buzzzzz for a movie. --Michael GiltzPosted at 11:51 AM in Cannes Film Festival | Permalink | Comments(0) | TrackBack (0)The Problem With A Gay RoommateCANNES -- May 17 early morningHey, after years of Canne-ing it with friendly straight guys, I waslooking forward to a gay roomie. Who else could I chat with about theforbiddingly handsome security guards found at every entrance to thePalais? But now I know there's a downside. The two straight guystake about 5 minutes in the bathroom each morning, tops. (And thatincludes the shower. I'm not sure they even know where the soap is.)But the new roomie? Half an hour, complete with blowdryer and theclock was ticking before the first event of the day. Of course, when hedid come out, he looked great, which made it all the more annoying.-- Michael GiltzPosted at 11:35 AM in Cannes Film Festival, Celebs, Film, FilmFestivals | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)May 16, 2007Late Night RevelationCANNES -- May 16 late at nightSo four of us go out to La Pizza, the surprisingly good pizza joint thatis a cheap refuge for people at the fest without an expense account. Itcould flourish in New York City - the pizza is that good.Advocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/cannes_ﬁlm_festival/page/6/ 4 of 97/22/09 4:44 PMOne of my roommates is attempting a crazy stunt: he has avoided thetrade papers for months and wants to sit down for the 22Competition screenings without the slightest idea of what's in store.He doesn't want to know the director or the stars or even the title.He'll be testing the auteur theory but mostly just having fun. It'salmost impossible, really: every building in town is adorned withmovie posters, everyone is talking about the movies they've seen andthe movies to come to the exclusion of all else; he can't even pick uphis own mail. But with an iPod to block out distractions and keepinghis eyes on the ground, he's determined to avoid every scrap of info.He has no idea that Gus Van Sant and Julian Schnabel and KimKi-Duk (one of his personal favorites) are all screening movies here.It does make dinner conversation difficult. We resort to discussingold movies and catching ourselves every so often from spilling thebeans.When we get home, the new roomie returns from...Le Pink Bar. Hesays both Le Pink and Zanzibar were pretty quiet and he didn't carefor Le Pink: it's just like the gay bars he avoids at home. Well, thatanswers that.Up Thursday: Jerry Seinfeld is screening footage to promote hisanimated film, a remake of The Red Balloon comes courtesy of HouHsian Hsien and actress Juliette Binoche, Russian director AndreiZviaguintsev follows up his marvelous drama The Return, I'm seeingLeonardo DiCaprio's environmental documentary The 11th Hour,sitting with Seinfeld and Chris Rock at a roundtable, and hopefullyseeing Water Lillies, whose suggestive poster implies some Sapphiccontent. -- Michael GiltzPosted at 10:14 PM in Cannes Film Festival, Celebs, Film, FilmFestivals, Sex | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)Dark, Dour and Depressing -- It's The First GoodFilm!The other Competition film screening today is Four Months, ThreeWeeks and Two Days, a Romanian film about life under communismin the Eighties as seen through the eyes of two college women.They're arranging a secret abortion just two years before it wouldbecome legal. The film has such a dark and depressing air(corruption and indifference is rampant, hallways and street cornersare invariably poorly lit, etc.) that you can't but thank your luck starsyou didn't have to live there. (I'm sure Romania is far brighter now.)The film is quietly gripping as it follows the one young woman all daylong. She buys cigarettes on the black market, slips onto a public buswithout a ticket, meets the abortionist, reserves the hotel room, hasan uncomfortable dinner celebrating the birthday of her boyfriend'smother and finally disposes of the fetus. Unblinking, powerful, withsome quietly remarkable scenes, it's pure fest fare that will pleasecritics and do well in art houses. It's very, very early, but the audienceAdvocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/cannes_ﬁlm_festival/page/6/ 5 of 97/22/09 4:44 PMapplauds strongly and the lead actress could well be rememberedcome award time on May 27.This is why we come to festivals -- to see unheralded movies by newtalents who could flourish into important filmmakers in the years tocome. Sometimes you'll go three or four days at the fest before seeinganything decent and here's something good on the first day? It bodeswell.Back at my apartment, the new roomie speaks smartly aboutAmerican Idol but doesn't bother to join me when I mention I'll bewatching it on my Slingbox. So is he gay? I think so, but with kidsthese days, who can tell?-- Michael GiltzPosted at 09:45 PM in Cannes Film Festival, Celebs, Film, FilmFestivals | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)The Battle Of The BarsCANNES -- May 16, late afternoonFor many festgoers, the hot spot that people congregate at for latenight beers and networking changes from year to year. But for thequeer crowd, a mainstay has been Zanzibar: Bar Musical. When JohnCameron Mitchell's sweet-natured Shortbus premiered at Cannes lastyear, many of the beautiful young men in the cast could be founddrinking and hobnobbing at Zanzibar. But just three doors downfrom Zanzibar is Le Pink Bar. It has a very pink awning, retro-modwhite stools and a bigger sidewalk patio. To top it off, there's a gaypride sticker on the front door I've never noticed before and youwon't have that old Billy Joel running through your mind when youwalk inside. Could there be a fight between the two for the gaycrowd? Having them so close together almost seems cruel. If one ofthem triumphs, the other will look all the more forlorn. I'll have tocheck them out later tonight after I return home from my lastscreening. -- Michael GiltzPosted at 09:01 PM in Cannes Film Festival, Film, Film Festivals,Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)My Blackberry Days and Blueberry NightsAdvocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/cannes_ﬁlm_festival/page/6/ 6 of 97/22/09 4:44 PMCANNES -- May 16, late afternoonI don't hold out much hope of getting into the second and finalscreening of My Blueberry Nights, the film debut of Norah Jones, butI arrive early. There's nothing else left to do (almost no movies areshowing on the first day). Unfortunately, that's also why a lot ofpeople will show up for it. I enjoy my first showdown with a Frenchjournalist who tries to cut the line (they think lines only apply toforeigners). And then, as if by magic, a clueless new guard (most ofthem return year after year and I know them by sight) bizarrelydecides to let in the yellow badges before the blue or the pink or thewhite badges. A ripple of panic spreads through the blue-badgedreporters as we scurry up the red carpet hoping to get in beforesomeone realizes their mistake. This isn't like getting a Golden Ticketto Willy Wonka's factory. It's better: it's like getting into the factorywhile all the people with Golden Tickets are kept outside andwondering what went wrong.My delight is dimmed when I realize the word of mouth from the firstscreening must have been poisonous. The theater is easily 4/5thsempty, which is really shocking considering there are absolutely noother movies to see and the esteem Wong Kar Wai is held in here. Myfriends had been politely nonplussed by the film but I was sorelydisappointed. I loved In The Mood For Love and admired or lovedmuch of his earlier work. I even found 2046 -- widely consideredmerely "more of the same" -- enjoyable, perhaps because I wasliterally the last person to get into its one and only screening atCannes when a crush of frantic filmgoers practically rioted (noexaggeration) when they realized no more seats were available.Norah Jones stars as a wandering waitress trying to get over a brokenheart. It almost plays like a parody of Wong Kar Wai, what with thegleaming surfaces, stunningly gorgeous women and repetitive use ofmusic. Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman do look amazing -- anywoman who ever gets a chance to work with him knows she'll neverlook better. And singer Norah Jones has nothing to be ashamedabout. If Wong Kar Wai asked me to be in his movie, I would too,even if I couldn't act. She's a mild presence, mosty listening while thepeople arond her tell their stories and often narrating cliche aftercliche. Jones certainly isn't the problem with this misfire, thoughshe's not a plus either; I doubt somehow she'll be making many othermovies. It might have worked better with the distance of a periodpiece and in a foreign language. (Never underestimate the power of aforeign language to help you accept sentimentality and cliche at themovies.) But really, does anyone need to go cross country just torealize that Jude Law is worth kissing? Chan Marhsall aka Cat Powerhas a fun cameo and her song "The Greatest" is featured prominently.Advocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/cannes_ﬁlm_festival/page/6/ 7 of 97/22/09 4:44 PMMaybe Wong chose the wrong muse? Cannes' favorite son isdefinitely due for a comeback now, an odd thing to say about one ofthe most accomplished directors of the last 15 years. But it's true. --Michael GiltzPosted at 08:54 PM in Cannes Film Festival, Celebs, Film, FilmFestivals, Sex | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)Ooo-la-la and a Lot Of GrovelingCANNES -- May 16 afternoonThe first official day at Cannes is atypical, with most journalists stillarriving and people just starting to establish a routine. The biggesttheater at Cannes is the Lumiere, a massive single-screen complexthat houses 1000+ journalists in a room with a massive balcony,loads of security and an exposed ceiling of pipes and gridwork thatseems to say: we take movies very seriously. For most of the fest, thefirst screening of the day is a major film in competition and is shownat the Lumiere, where every critic is guaranteed a seat. For the rest ofthe day, it's catch as catch can in a series of other theaters where yourbadge color determines when you can enter. Pink, delightfully, isbetter than blue and blue is better than the lowly yellow. I have ayellow badge, which means I will stand forlornly in line as peoplewith pink and even white badges stride in (I don't even know anyonewith a white badge, it's so rare and powerful), and then five minutesbefore the film begins and then and only then if all the blues are inand there are still seats left the yellow badges might get to trickle in.Half of navigating Cannes is figuring out what screenings to shoot forand when you should get in line. But today is not typical.The opening film is Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights and it'sshowing at the Debussy. The second nicest theater, it only seats about800; a hot ticket can be very hard to get into with a yellow badge. Thedirector is a favorite of Cannes so of course the screening is mobbedand not even all the blues get in. More than a hundred people areturned away, including all of the yelow badges (like myself) whofruitlessly got in line. So I spend the rest of the morning going aroundto publicity offices and begging and pleading and groveling for invitesto parties and events like the Golden Compass screening and party.It's a holiday fantasy film and Compass is following the same path asDreamgirls and The Lord of the Rings by screening some footage andholding a lavish party to build buzz. Stars Daniel Craig and Eva Green(both of James Bond, of course) will be here and it's one event I'mloathe to miss.As a final task, I head back to the Palais and go through the securitygauntlet to pick up my mail at the press boxes. There's a line to get in,with guards pointing you to women who search rather dismissivelythrough your bags before passing you on to another person who"wands" you before letting you in. I'm right at the front of the line,waiting while the woman ahead of me has her bag searched. SheAdvocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/cannes_ﬁlm_festival/page/6/ 8 of 97/22/09 4:44 PMleans over the table and the elderly guard holding me back casuallypoints at her pert bottom (quite fetching, I must admit) and smilesand laughs and says in heavily accented English, "Very nice, no?" Iburst into laughter and say "Oui, tres bien" and we both look at heradmiringly until she moves on and I'm waved in. Welcome to France.-- Michael GiltzPosted at 08:39 PM in Cannes Film Festival, Celebs, Film, FilmFestivals, Sex | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Community Guidelines | LegalNoticeAdvocate.com © 2008 Regent Entertainment Media Inc. All RightsReserved. Advocate Insiderhttp://www.advocateinsider.com/cannes_ﬁlm_festival/page/6/ 9 of 97/22/09 4:44 PM

📄 Cannes 2007 Part 6

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