Live from Cannes: Day 7

Day 7: There are all kinds of media at Cannes – the worst ones are those pesky photographers. You can spot them everywhere – don’t get in their way or they will mow you down as was the fact yesterday when Brad (here for Ocean’s 13) and Angelina came to promote her latest film and some clown nearly broke my foot. I figure that I’d pass on seeing on A Mighty Heart even though I find Winterbottom one of the more interesting directors out there. It’ll be out in less than a month from now. 

Surprisingly, yesterday's 8:30 screening for Gus Van Sant’s Paranoid Park proved to be a good bet. There is a shape to the film and it’s a nice mix of cinematic style and use of narrative. I believe this is his second film with Christopher Doyle – the two together make for a good team. Next question who will pick this up for the domestic market. 

I was later smitten by Chop Shop, and apparently so was Atom Egoyan and Abbas Kiarostami whom both gave the director a warm hug after the public screening. It was one of those “welcome to the club” type embraces. I’m going to definitely try for a post Cannes interview. I was reminded of David Gordon Green’s George Washington and low and behold the producer for both titles is Lisa Muskat.  

Ploy is another contraption from Pen-ek Ratanaruang, who like Gus Van Sant mentioned above developed his critical success with DOP Doyle. I’ve never been completely sold on his films – I like his vision as a director and his style but his narratives never jive with me – Ploy was a repeat experience of that. Looking forward to posting my full reviews. Stay tuned.    

 
Today we are going for the director of Before Nights Falls in what apparently seems to be a tear jerker type of film. Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly might actually be the dark horse in the second week of the main competition.

Later I’ll be checking out – or chancing it (sorta speak) on Mister Lonely. I’m hoping that what looks to be an odd contraption actually comes out an ingenious and not irritable. This is about a young American lost in Paris, eking out a living as a Michael Jackson (Luna) lookalike. By co-incidence, he meets Marilyn Monroe (Morton).