Thompson on Hollywood

Cannes Yacht Party: Great Directors

The best party I went to in Cannes was thrown one afternoon by rookie director Angela Ismailos after a screening of her doc Great Directors, in which she sits down and talks politics, history and Neo-Realism with Bernardo Bertolucci, the influence of Federico Fellini with David Lynch, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder with Todd Haynes, among others. Cinetic Media is selling the film.

By Anne Thompson
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May 28, 2009 7:58 AM
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Tarantino Update

In my interview with Quentin Tarantino, he admits that he plans to go back to the editing room with Inglourious Basterds this June. He rushed the movie, getting it done in less than a year to make Cannes, and delivered a cinephile's fantasy:

By Anne Thompson
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May 25, 2009 8:25 AM
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Cannes Prizes: White Ribbon Wins Palme d'Or

It turns out the only US channel carrying the Cannes Ceremonie de Cloture is TV5Monde--and in LA you have to subscribe (in advance) on Time Warner Cable to all the French channels to get it. Oh well. And I wasn't able to get it live on Canal Plus online--they'll edit it together for tomorrow, it seems. Which leaves IndieWire, reporting live.

By Anne Thompson
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May 24, 2009 9:04 AM
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Cannes: Critics' Week and Director's Fortnight

It turns out Francis Ford Coppola has agreed to show his Argentinian drama Tetro in Cannes after all, as the opener of Director's Fortnight (or Quinzaine). That's a good compromise; Coppola had turned down Thierry Fremaux's offer to place it out-of-competition in the official selection.

By Anne Thompson
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May 23, 2009 8:06 AM
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Inglourious Basterds: Tarantino Talks

As Cannes wound down, writer-director Quentin Tarantino sat down for an interview about his long-awaited World War II opus, Inglourious Basterds. We talked about issues of structure, length and purpose:

By Anne Thompson
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May 23, 2009 7:37 AM
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Campion on Bright Star

I sat down with New Zealand director Jane Campion at Cannes to talk about Bright Star a full sixteen years after I first met with her, for The Piano, for which she was the only woman to ever win the Palme d'Or in the 62 year history of the fest. Tragically, she lost the child she was carrying that year. Her daughter Ella was born three years later; spending time with her is the main reason Campion has made only four features since The Piano, and took four years off after In the Cut.

By Anne Thompson
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May 21, 2009 9:13 AM
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Cannes: Brangelina, Carrey and Pattinson Hit Croisette

Wednesday night some badly needed star power arrived on the Croisette for the opening night of Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. Brad Pitt did the press rounds during the day, and showed up at the black tie premiere with Angelina Jolie on his arm. Later they had a great time at the Basterds late night beach party, hanging in the jammed VIP corner with Robin Wright Penn, Til Schweiger, Eli Roth, Emile Hirsch, Michael Fassbender (who was grooving to Guns 'n Roses), Daniel Bruhl, Harvey and Bob Weinstein, Thierry Fremaux, Bryan Lourd, and Hylda Queally.

By Anne Thompson
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May 21, 2009 9:07 AM
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Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds Plays Cannes

Nowhere but Cannes would 2500 media urgently assemble in one place to see a movie at 8:30 AM. As Quentin Tarantino himself said at the jam-packed Inglourious Basterds press conference, "There's no place like Cannes for filmmakers on the face of the earth. It's Cinema Nirvana during this time here on the Riviera. Cinema matters. It's important. Even when people boo --out of passion--it's not just images glazing over you. All the world film press on the planet earth, America, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, even Canada--that's a country--something about them all being here, you drop the movie--bam!--at once everyone weighs in at the same time...I'm not an American filmmaker, I make movies for the planet earth and Cannes represents that."

By Anne Thompson
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May 20, 2009 9:29 AM
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Cannes Watch: IFC Buys Antichrist, Looking for Eric

Continuing their buying jag, IFC acquired Lars von Trier's Antichrist, which made quite a splash at Cannes, sparking controversy and debate. UPDATE: IFC had told me the director was willing to make trims on the film. IFC confirms that they are going to review the film again, but that the plan leaving Cannes was to show the uncut version in theaters (there are very few that can/will play it) and Trier's "Catholic" version on VOD. (See this story and this one. IFC, which is owned by publicly held Rainbow Media, has the option of going unrated.) IFC released Trier's last two films.

By Anne Thompson
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May 20, 2009 9:24 AM
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Cannes: Von Trier's Antichrist is Arthouse Horror

Antichrist is a shocker, no question. It's powerful filmmaking. Danish bad boy Lars von Trier set out to make moviegoers gasp. It's unreleasable as is in many countries--insertion shot, bloody hand job, female genital self-mutilation and all.