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JANUARY 8, 2011
FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD GREEN FOOD TRAVEL TECH
LIVING HEALTH DIVORCE ARTS BOOKS RELIGION IMPACT EDUCATION COLLEGE NY LA CHICAGO DENVER BLOGS
Michael Giltz
Freelance writer and raconteur
Posted: May 23, 2010 03:33 PM
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0Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyCannes 2010 Prizes: Thailand (and
Monkey Ghosts) Win Palme d'Or!
What's Your Reaction:
Read More: A Screaming Man , Apichatpong Weerasethakul , Biutiful , Cannes Film Festival , Cannes Film
Festival 2010 , Copie Conforme , Javier Bardem , Juliette Binoche , Of Gods And Men , Palm d'Or , Takeshi
Kitano , Thailand , Entertainment News
Thailand won its first Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film
Festival with critical favorite Uncle Boonmee Who Can
Recall His Past Lives. It was a tie for Best Actor as
Javier Bardem (in Biutiful ) and my personal favorite
Elio Germano of La Nostra Vita (whose film was
dismissed by many critics ) were warmly received.
Bardem's win may help the $45 million Biutiful get a
distributor in the US since they could definitely counton end of the year accolades and Oscar talk for
Bardem and the film. His final thank you was to his
"amour," Penelope Cruz, who teared up at themention.
Juliette Binoche was another popular win as she scored Best Actress for her performance in CopieConforme. She began in English so that Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami could understand her when
she said, "What a joy...what a joy...what a joy to work with you Abbas," and then paused, overcome withemotion. When she walked onstage, Binoche had detoured to a spot behind the jury and grabbedsomething. Had she forgotten her purse? No, at the end of her speech she held up a sign with the nameof Iranian director Jafar Panahi in big bold letters and spoke out on his behalf. Panahi is under arrest in
Iran and in the midst of a hunger strike begun May 16 that might very well take his life.
To learn more about Panahi's plight and to take action, go to this Amnesty International site.
The Runner-Up prize went to Des Hommes Et Des Dieux/Of Gods And Men , a French film about the
massacre of Cistercian monks in Algeria. Third prize went to the Chad film A Screaming Man. And
Screenwriting went to the Korean film Poetry . Camera d'Or went to Ano Bisiesto, a sexually provocative
Mexican film that boasted what was easily the most explicit press kit of the fest, featuring as it did a
naked woman pleasuring herself. Shut out completely was Mike Leigh's critically acclaimed Another Year,
MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOSTBIG NEWS: Celebrity Skin | Jersey Shore | Ellen Degeneres | Celebrity Body | Energy Debates | More...
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Recommend 66K
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Camille Grammer's
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Back To...
Olivia Wilde Dons
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(PHOTOS)
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Was 'Barely Eating'
During...arguably the best reviewed film in Competition along with Uncle Boonmee and a front-runner for days
though many imagined it was too classic and familiar to woo the eccentric Burton.
But the big news was the triumph of a truly avant garde, experimental director like Apichatpong
Weerasethakul.
A wave of joy swept through the press as auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul -- aka Joe as he engagingly
encourages people to call him -- received the highest cinematic award, alongside the Oscars. His filmsSyndrome and A Century and Tropical Malady both ranked high on many Best of the Decade lists from
numerous critics groups, despite mystifyingly obscure plots that would baffle most mainstream
audiences. (He was the only director to have two films in the Top 10 of Film Comment's survey. Uncle
Boonmee is positively accessible in comparison, even though it features monkey ghosts and a scene where
a catfish performs fellatio on a princess. The pleasure over his win from the press is both an affirmation
of their high regard for his talent and an acknowledgment that only at a place like Cannes would a truly
original and daring artistry like his get recognition.
Joe was charming in his acceptance speech, evincing that "this is surreal for me," while noting how
important this win was for Thailand. "I would like to kiss all of you," he said, speaking to the nine
member jury headed by a typically bedraggled Tim Burton. "Especially Mr. Burton. I love your hairstyle."
He thanked his parents for taking him to the movies some 30 years ago when he didn't even reallyunderstand what a movie was. And in a tip of the hat to the film's theme of reincarnation, he said, "Iwould like to thank all the spirits and all the ghosts in Thailand. They made it possible for me to be here."
DAY TWELVEUN HOMME QUI CRIE/A SCREAMING MAN ** out of **** -- It's curious. Africa regularly
produces brilliant authors, playwrights, artists and of course musicians. But its film industry has been
hobbled and never flourished artistically. Perhaps the micro-budget movement will enable an artist to
appear. But up til now, African cinema has focused on noble and important issues delivered with stilted
acting and rudimentary technical accomplishment. A Screaming Man is a step forward, with a solid plot
about a man in Chad whose life revolves around his job as a pool attendant. He's called Champ by
everyone because he won a major swimming title in his youth, he was the first pool attendant in all of
Chad and he's been working at a major hotel for decades. Now his son works alongside him, but newmanagement demotes him to gate attendant and he's devastated. Meanwhile, the country is collapsing as
rebels encroach on the government in power. The acting is better than average for the most part and the
story holds your interest. It's something to build on but not on a world class level. Yet. But Africa's time
will come.
OUTRAGE * out of **** -- Takeshi Kitano hasn't made a true yakuza film in about a decade. I'd love to
report that the time away from the genre has refreshed him. Nope. Kitano's new work is as rote as
possible. The story is oh so typical: gangsters plotting to take over each other's territory with reprisal
following reprisal and broken oaths piling up as fast as the chopped-off fingers delivered as "apologies"
for various slights. Not one character becomes of interest as either hero or villain. We simply watch asthey betray each other again and again and again. In a way, Kitano is also betraying the genre he once
enlivened so well.
Thanks for reading. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog. Download his podcast of
celebrity interviews and his weekly music radio show at Popsurfing and enjoy the weekly pop culture
podcast he co-hosts at Showbiz Sandbox . Both available for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and
gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz
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FOLLOW HUFFINGTON POST
FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD GREEN FOOD TRAVEL TECH
LIVING HEALTH DIVORCE ARTS BOOKS RELIGION IMPACT EDUCATION COLLEGE NY LA CHICAGO DENVER BLOGS
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Copyright © 2011 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD GREEN FOOD TRAVEL TECH
LIVING HEALTH DIVORCE ARTS BOOKS RELIGION IMPACT EDUCATION COLLEGE NY LA CHICAGO DENVER BLOGS
Michael Giltz
Freelance writer and raconteur
Posted: May 23, 2010 03:33 PM
BIO
Become a Fan
Get Email Alerts
Bloggers' Index
4
12
views
0
0Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyCannes 2010 Prizes: Thailand (and
Monkey Ghosts) Win Palme d'Or!
What's Your Reaction:
Read More: A Screaming Man , Apichatpong Weerasethakul , Biutiful , Cannes Film Festival , Cannes Film
Festival 2010 , Copie Conforme , Javier Bardem , Juliette Binoche , Of Gods And Men , Palm d'Or , Takeshi
Kitano , Thailand , Entertainment News
Thailand won its first Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film
Festival with critical favorite Uncle Boonmee Who Can
Recall His Past Lives. It was a tie for Best Actor as
Javier Bardem (in Biutiful ) and my personal favorite
Elio Germano of La Nostra Vita (whose film was
dismissed by many critics ) were warmly received.
Bardem's win may help the $45 million Biutiful get a
distributor in the US since they could definitely counton end of the year accolades and Oscar talk for
Bardem and the film. His final thank you was to his
"amour," Penelope Cruz, who teared up at themention.
Juliette Binoche was another popular win as she scored Best Actress for her performance in CopieConforme. She began in English so that Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami could understand her when
she said, "What a joy...what a joy...what a joy to work with you Abbas," and then paused, overcome withemotion. When she walked onstage, Binoche had detoured to a spot behind the jury and grabbedsomething. Had she forgotten her purse? No, at the end of her speech she held up a sign with the nameof Iranian director Jafar Panahi in big bold letters and spoke out on his behalf. Panahi is under arrest in
Iran and in the midst of a hunger strike begun May 16 that might very well take his life.
To learn more about Panahi's plight and to take action, go to this Amnesty International site.
The Runner-Up prize went to Des Hommes Et Des Dieux/Of Gods And Men , a French film about the
massacre of Cistercian monks in Algeria. Third prize went to the Chad film A Screaming Man. And
Screenwriting went to the Korean film Poetry . Camera d'Or went to Ano Bisiesto, a sexually provocative
Mexican film that boasted what was easily the most explicit press kit of the fest, featuring as it did a
naked woman pleasuring herself. Shut out completely was Mike Leigh's critically acclaimed Another Year,
MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOSTBIG NEWS: Celebrity Skin | Jersey Shore | Ellen Degeneres | Celebrity Body | Energy Debates | More...
LOG IN | SIGN UP
SHARE THIS STORY
Get Entertainment Alerts
Email Comments
More Dead Birds, Fish
Found Across The World
Camille Grammer's Porn
Past Comes Back To Haunt
Her
Elizabeth Edwards' Will
Revealed
Intestinal Parasites May Be
Causing Your Energy
Slump
Rudeness Is A Neurotoxin
Should The Leader Of The
Free World Dress Like
THIS?
BECK IN TROUBLE?
Dropped From New York
Radio Station, TV Ratings
Fall
John Edwards Spokesman
Denies Rumored Proposal
To Rielle Hunter
Recommend 66K
Like 706
Recommend 541
Like 575
Like 7K
Like 517
Like 6K
Like 4K
Camille Grammer's
Porn Past Comes
Back To...
Olivia Wilde Dons
See-Through Bikini
(PHOTOS)
Raven-Symone
Shows Off Dramatic
Weight Loss,
Talks...
Natalie Portman: I
Was 'Barely Eating'
During...arguably the best reviewed film in Competition along with Uncle Boonmee and a front-runner for days
though many imagined it was too classic and familiar to woo the eccentric Burton.
But the big news was the triumph of a truly avant garde, experimental director like Apichatpong
Weerasethakul.
A wave of joy swept through the press as auteur Apichatpong Weerasethakul -- aka Joe as he engagingly
encourages people to call him -- received the highest cinematic award, alongside the Oscars. His filmsSyndrome and A Century and Tropical Malady both ranked high on many Best of the Decade lists from
numerous critics groups, despite mystifyingly obscure plots that would baffle most mainstream
audiences. (He was the only director to have two films in the Top 10 of Film Comment's survey. Uncle
Boonmee is positively accessible in comparison, even though it features monkey ghosts and a scene where
a catfish performs fellatio on a princess. The pleasure over his win from the press is both an affirmation
of their high regard for his talent and an acknowledgment that only at a place like Cannes would a truly
original and daring artistry like his get recognition.
Joe was charming in his acceptance speech, evincing that "this is surreal for me," while noting how
important this win was for Thailand. "I would like to kiss all of you," he said, speaking to the nine
member jury headed by a typically bedraggled Tim Burton. "Especially Mr. Burton. I love your hairstyle."
He thanked his parents for taking him to the movies some 30 years ago when he didn't even reallyunderstand what a movie was. And in a tip of the hat to the film's theme of reincarnation, he said, "Iwould like to thank all the spirits and all the ghosts in Thailand. They made it possible for me to be here."
DAY TWELVEUN HOMME QUI CRIE/A SCREAMING MAN ** out of **** -- It's curious. Africa regularly
produces brilliant authors, playwrights, artists and of course musicians. But its film industry has been
hobbled and never flourished artistically. Perhaps the micro-budget movement will enable an artist to
appear. But up til now, African cinema has focused on noble and important issues delivered with stilted
acting and rudimentary technical accomplishment. A Screaming Man is a step forward, with a solid plot
about a man in Chad whose life revolves around his job as a pool attendant. He's called Champ by
everyone because he won a major swimming title in his youth, he was the first pool attendant in all of
Chad and he's been working at a major hotel for decades. Now his son works alongside him, but newmanagement demotes him to gate attendant and he's devastated. Meanwhile, the country is collapsing as
rebels encroach on the government in power. The acting is better than average for the most part and the
story holds your interest. It's something to build on but not on a world class level. Yet. But Africa's time
will come.
OUTRAGE * out of **** -- Takeshi Kitano hasn't made a true yakuza film in about a decade. I'd love to
report that the time away from the genre has refreshed him. Nope. Kitano's new work is as rote as
possible. The story is oh so typical: gangsters plotting to take over each other's territory with reprisal
following reprisal and broken oaths piling up as fast as the chopped-off fingers delivered as "apologies"
for various slights. Not one character becomes of interest as either hero or villain. We simply watch asthey betray each other again and again and again. In a way, Kitano is also betraying the genre he once
enlivened so well.
Thanks for reading. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog. Download his podcast of
celebrity interviews and his weekly music radio show at Popsurfing and enjoy the weekly pop culture
podcast he co-hosts at Showbiz Sandbox . Both available for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and
gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz
More in Entertainment...
1 of 5
Dylan Ratigan
Free Market Fraud
Sen. Jon Tester
Tester Pushes to Reform Senate
Rules With Greater Transparency,
EfficiencyDON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS
HOT TRENDS
TOP VIDEO PICKS
Kourtney K.'s Stunning
Bikini Bod
1 of 8
camille grammer lady
gaga natalie portman
pregnant raven-
symone rebecca budig
More Celebrity News at People.com
More Celebrity News at Popeater.com
Thousands Of Birds Found
Dead In Italy
Recommend 32K
History Channel Won't
Show Katie Holmes
Miniseries The Kennedys
READ MORE
Nick Lachey and Vanessa
Minnillo to Guest Star on
Hawaii Five-0
READ MORE
Lindsay Lohan's Post-
Rehab Gift: a $25,000
Necklace
READ MORE
Lea Michele's Diva
Behavior Strikes Again
Petra Nemcova Engaged to
British Actor
Stephanie Seymour Caught
Kissing Her Son?
Comments 0 Pending Comments 0View FAQ
Jane Krakowski Reveals
Baby Bump
Bristol Palin's New RadioGig?
MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW
HOT ON FACEBOOK
HOT ON TWITTER
Death & Dying
CPAC
Katie Holmes
Harry Reid
Wikileaks
Pollster
CES 2011
LA RestaurantsHUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES
MORE BIG NEWS PAGES »Recency | Popularity
PHOTOS: Ellen DeGeneres
& Portia de Rossi's Exotic
Vacation
169 Comments
Natalie Portman: I Was
'Barely Eating' During
'Black Swan'
345 Comments
Camille Grammer's Porn
Past Comes Back To
Haunt Her
919 Comments
PHOTOS: Raven-
Symone's Dramatic
Weight Loss
477 Comments
Bill Murray Crashes
Stranger's Karaoke Party
62 Comments
Ashton Kutcher: Training,
Paranoid About Real Life
'End Of Days'
903 CommentsComments are closed for this entry
View All
FOLLOW HUFFINGTON POST
FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT COMEDY SPORTS STYLE WORLD GREEN FOOD TRAVEL TECH
LIVING HEALTH DIVORCE ARTS BOOKS RELIGION IMPACT EDUCATION COLLEGE NY LA CHICAGO DENVER BLOGS
Advertise | Log In | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ | Contact Us
User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type
Copyright © 2011 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved.