05.15.08
Cannes? Sort of: Mercredi, 14 Mai
“swimming in milk” by Justin Chang
So yesterday, one of the biggest film festivals in the world began. Oh, you heard did you? Awesome, because my intro was not that great anyway.
So the initial word on Fernando Meirelles’ “Blindness,” has not been great. Reading the initial reviews, which you can tell are full of tiredness and crankiness, or something. It is hard to take the reviews too seriously, it always seems like, for the most part, who ever can crank out the snakiest review of a film the quickest wins some kind of coveted prize. I just read the reviews, not taking anything in, and move on. Maybe I am just jealous. As long as I don’t get spoilers – I can handle jet-lagged induced bitchiness. Justin Chang’s review made me especially sad, for a minute. Because I know what an odd sense of the term “great” the man has. He pretty much calls it diluted, which I fear it to be, and maybe that is why I hate his review – it is exactly what I did not want to happen.
So like I have mentioned elsewhere a million times, I loved “Blindness” – the book by Jose Saramago, and really want the film to be good, but of course I only really ever take my own opinion into account after seeing a film, and not the Cannes critics – and I have reason to. Moulin Rouge? Trashed. Marie Antoinette? Trashed. My Blueberry Nights? Trashed. All of which I loved.
I am not saying that I do not value their respective opinions, because I do, but perhaps I do not take them as seriously during film fests.
So is “Blindness” still in the running for Oscar attention? Hell if I know. I know that Julianne Moore’s performance has not been mentioned much, which does not means much at this point.
In Competition:
“Blindness” by Fernando Meirelles
Milos Stehlik, “Pretentious trans-national, empty dud,”
Andrew O’Hehir, “It’s not a bad film in any risible or outrageous way; Meirelles is a careful craftsman who can create memorable images, and Julianne Moore gives a performance of great tenderness, strength and vulnerability in the leading role. But Saramago’s allegorical novel about a mysterious epidemic of blindness that paralyzes a major city – and perhaps all of human society – just wasn’t meant for the movies.”
Matt Noller, “It’s perhaps not a shock that Moore can pull off the role of a suffering housewife, but there’s more to it than that; as she attempts to lead her followers through the tragedy, her face and body gradually register increasing measures of horror, exhaustion, and strength,…It’s deep, layered acting, powerful but never showy; Meirelles could learn a thing or two from her.”
Fionnuala Halligan, “The laudably-ambitious Brazilian director hurls every visual trick in his considerable book at the challenges inherent in making a visual experience out of blindness,…Meirelles seems to struggle to find a tone, and Blindness fatally lacks tension before it tips over into bizarre final-act sentimentality.”
So Cannes fever has come over me like a bad rash – and my happy feeling about the fest is not as strong as it was a couple of days ago – before it started. I am thinking that perhaps the “Cannes” magic is somewhat diluted – I just think that it sucks that less films that actually need festival buzz are going to be somewhat sidelined for the bigger films that people are going to irregardless of festival opinion. Indiana Jones, Kung Fu Panda (which has already screened for press members today, and is one of the main attractions of Cannes Day 2 – besides “Hunger”) are going to steal some limelight, even though they are out of competition, but perhaps I am wrong.
If the smaller films are really strong and get really good buzz, perhaps they too can get some of the limelight. One can only hope.
Some “Kung Fu Panda” reviews have been trickling in, but honestly, I don’t care. Like I said, it is not like it will take a review to get me to see a “summer” film – I am already interested. Each to his or her own, I suppose.
Day 2 drama coming soon, i.e a day after the news explodes on the interweb, if there is any that I here about – from my “contact” over in the Rivera – because with all that journo trouble about getting my press card, I could not attend the festival this year. I will do my best to cover it spoiler free, just because it is Cannes baby, and I hope it gets back its sparkle this year. I really do.
So how do you feel about Cannes this year?
J.D. said,
May 15, 2008 at 6:03 pm
*sighs*
And Moulin Rouge! and Marie Antoinette are perfect movies. And My Blueberry Nights opens in my area tomorrow.
Just wanted to mention that. :)
Nick Plowman said,
May 15, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Well, finally!!!!
I hope you love it. I think you might. But I do not know.
Enjoy it!
J.D. said,
May 15, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Dude.
Wong Kar Wai.
Natalie Portman.
Rachel Weisz.
Jude Law, to an extent.
Norah Jones (I love her as a singer).
Pretty.
Pretty.
Pretty.
I wouldn’t bet on disappointment. :P
Nick Plowman said,
May 15, 2008 at 6:49 pm
I am so glad you are seeing it.
I loved Paranoid Park – number 1 of 2008 so far, and so did you.
I loved MBN – number 2 of 2008 so far, and I hope you like to too.
Which you say is easy. I agree.
J.D. said,
May 15, 2008 at 6:51 pm
OMFG, Paranoid Park. It’s still buzzing around like an angry moth in my brain, dude. SO FUCKING EXCELLENT. ;)
Nick Plowman said,
May 15, 2008 at 6:55 pm
It is gonna buzz forever. ForEVER. No joke. Van Sant is *that* good.
J.D. said,
May 15, 2008 at 6:58 pm
He is, dude. I can’t listen to “Für Elise” for 2 seconds without getting Vietnam-like flashbacks of Elephant.
Ugh, that man is a GOD of cinema.
Nick Plowman said,
May 15, 2008 at 7:33 pm
He totally is.
Isn’t it funny that we are talking about two films that premiered LAST YEAR at Cannes???
Just goes to show how long it takes for most Cannes films to opening eventually. If only we could go. Seriously. All I want in life is to GO TO CANNES. Is that too much to ask for?
J.D. said,
May 15, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Nope, it isn’t. And don’t worry Nick, one day, probably not as far from now as we think, we’ll be there, watching in awe as the stars walk pass us and refuse to sign our autographs, and seeing the films which we’d probably love if we saw a year later in entirely different circumstances bomb and being swept up in the hoopla, and getting into a Mortal Kombat-type fistfight with Sean Penn (you’d side with me, right?), only to be distracted by a drunken Monica Bellucci offering to sex us up.
And a merry time’ll be had by all. :D
Nick Plowman said,
May 15, 2008 at 7:53 pm
You are right, more sad than funny.
We will I know – we are lucky we are young and can still plan ahead. Or so I hope.
I would totally side with you – I am a fan of Penn’s work, not Penn himself, much anyway.
Oh, I cannot wait!!!
J.D. said,
May 15, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Quick, to the helicopter of hopes and dreams!
*Cannes, Cannes, Cannes…*
Nick Plowman said,
May 15, 2008 at 8:02 pm
So is Blindness still your most anticipated film showing at Cannes?
Xavi Rodriguez said,
May 15, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Hey, guys, what about Atonement’s last year in Venice? The film opens the Festival and received mediocre to negatives reviews espñecialy because the adaptation of the film is nothing with the book and everyone hated Knightley’s performance and the USA release are better, unleast the opposite to In the Valley of Elah, love to Venice and mixed reviews in USA
Matthew Lucas said,
May 16, 2008 at 12:53 am
Blindness, Moulin Rouge, Marie Antoinette, My Blueberry Nights, Kung Fu Panda…which movie does not belong? :-P
Craig Kennedy said,
May 16, 2008 at 3:22 am
Buck up, Nick. Some good buzz came along today. Waltz with Bashir looks like it might be incredible, and Tokyo! might be pretty good too. Three Monkeys got a flat-out rave from Jeff Wells, though he admited some critics were less than enthusiastic.
Nick Plowman said,
May 16, 2008 at 5:59 am
Hahahahahaha Matt.
Craig, I know, and those three films you mention, I really wana see.
J.D. said,
May 16, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Yup, Nick, it still is. And OMG, I just realized that Julianne Moore’s hair, um, excites me. :P
Nick Plowman said,
May 16, 2008 at 3:39 pm
I am still ALL for “Synecdoche, New York.”
I really hope that film opens to amazing reviews.
Her hair is a standout. Especially with her pale, pale skin.
She is such an amazing actress. My god. It just hit me right now.
Nick Plowman said,
May 16, 2008 at 10:22 pm
@ Xavi – your comment got stuck in the spam filter, so sorry.
You make a good argument, I must say, and it seems as though my opinion of a film often vastly differs from the festival reviews as well.
I loved Atonement. I thought Elah was okay.
Thanks for stopping by :)