Cannes: The Official Slate

It's afternoon in Paris but bright and early here in NYC and the official Cannes lineup has been announced. In 28 days Baz Luhrmann and his undoubtedly enormous Bazmark posse will be hitting the Croisette for the opening night film The Great Gatsby.  Immediately following that debut reactions will explode chaotically all over the web with unvariably less art-directed beauty than the fireworks in the film. 

But here's what'll actually be competing for the Palme D'Or and assorted main jury prizes. 

IN COMPETITION

• Behind The Candelabra (Steven Soderbergh)
• Borgman (Alex Van Warmerdam)
• Un Chateau En Italie (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi)
• La Grande Bellezza (Paolo Sorrentino)
• Grisgris (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun)
• Heli (Amat Escalante)
• The Immigrant (James Gray)
• Inside Llewyn Davis (Joel & Ethan Coen)
• Jeune Et Jolie (Francois Ozon)
• Jimmy P (Arnaud Desplechin)
• Michael Kohlhaas (Arnaud Despallieres)
• Nebraska (Alexander Payne) 
• Only God Forgives (Nicolas Winding Refn)
• The Past (Asghar Farhadi)
• Soshite Chichi Ni Naru (Hirokazu Kore-eda)
• Tian Zhu Ding (Zhangke Jia)
• Venus In Fur (Roman Polanski)
• La Vie D'Adele (Abdellatif Kechiche)
• Wara No Tate (Takashi Miike) 

Which of those films are you bullish on for prizes and/or your own impending fandom? Out of competition and more after the jump...

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April Showers: The Loneliest Planet

April Showers Returns! (Most nights @ 11)

When I reviewed The Loneliest Planet last year, I puposely avoided the one true spoiler that the whole movie pivots on -- "the incident" as the director calls it. But my aversion to spoilers was so pronounced that I got a little carried away. I didn't even reveal what the first scene of the film entailed. But by now, since this returning series is all about film showers, you've surely guessed it.

I began my review this way:

The first of the senses that writer/director Julia Loktev hits us with over the opening black screen is hearing. The sound is a rhythmic pounding / creaking / breathing that's hard to place (sex scene? construction work?). When the fade-up happens, you'd never guess what image is waiting for you! It's something both utterly mundane and alien and strange. This is only the first of the surprises that await you as you journey across the Georgian wilderness with Nica (Hani Furstenberg) and Alex (Gael García Bernal) in The Loneliest Planet. 

That utterly mundane yet alien [NSFW] image is after the jump...

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Watching You Watching...

Holy Motors (2012)

It's confession time. Name the last three movies you watched. No editing. GO...
 

Oscar Flashback: The Leg

Random Oscar Flashback: 
Q: How often do you think of "The Leg"?

My answer is: Embarrassingly Often.

(Your answer is... ?)

Reader: Christian in Barcelona

We're getting to know The Film Experience readership. Today we're talking to "Peggy Sue" who you know from the comments. Though he is more likely to answer to "Christian" in person ;)

Hi, Christian. Let's start at the very beginning. Your first movie memory?

CHRISTIAN: Mary Poppins' cough syrup. I'll explain. As a kid I was always sick, so I vividly remember being amazed by her changing colors medicine. Mine was brownish and disgusting so I thought the whole flying thing was OK, but the syrup was utterly amazing!

What is your relationship to Pedro Almodóvar and his muses?

CHRISTIAN: Total devotion. My favorites are Carmen Maura, Verónica Forqué and Chus Lampreave.

Your three favorite actresses in general?

Three? Man, you're tough! I'll stick to the living ones: Kathleen Turner, Michelle Pfeiffer, Glenn Close, Susan Sarandon, and Meryl. Plus almost every single British actress out there and half of the Argentinians. I'll also say that I'll watch anything with Bates, Bening, Channing, Hunter, Lange, McDormand and Moore in it.

That is way more than three. When did you start reading TFE?

When you posted what I call "The Turner" and can be described as Kathleen's reaction shot at the Oscars spiced up with your witty comments!

The tragedy of March 30th, 1987 illustrated

I felt vindicated after years of reading all over the Internet that Sigourney Weaver was robbed (Shut up readers! I love Susan, I'm not a hater).

How often do you go to the movies?

Usually one or two on Fridays and Sundays. During the week I'm more devoted to my two hundred favorite TV-Shows.

How do you pick what you'll see?

I usually pay attention to critics/awards buzz. That includes you and Nick Davis. I saw A Separation months before the Oscar madness just because I read your review. Big draws? If someone sings something I'll probably go see it and if they're all British and wear corsets and laces I'll be there too.

I AM APPALLED BY THE LACK OF OSCAR QUESTIONS.

Oops sorry. Take one Oscar away / Give it to someone else.

Oh! You just opened Pandora's box, here I go: Matlin/Turner, Foster/Close, Tandy/Pfeiffer, Hunt/Dench, Paltrow/Montenegro, Swank/Staunton, Witherspoon/Huffman, Bullock/Mulligan, Streep/Davis...

I said one!

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