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  • SHORT TAKE: “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” (**1/2)

    Cannes Film Festival

    “Is greed good?” Gordon Gekko asks near the beginning of Oliver Stone’s glib, gleaming and endearingly trashy sequel to his 1987 corporate morality tale. Delivering the line, a looser-haired but stiffer-skinned Michael Douglas can barely resist licking his lips and winking; this is his earlier, Oscar-winning performance turned inside-out, emerging as lascivious pantomime, and he wants us to be certain he’s in on the joke.

    Provided you are, too, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” is one of the more pleasantly surprising studio pictures of the year thus far, and a significant improvement on its po-faced (and, 23 years on, now fearsomely dated) predecessor. If the sequel could never have been deemed “necessary,” it’s certainly as handily timed as can be. As the original served as dumb but not ineffective allegory for the coke-fuelled iniquities of 1980s capitalism, the new film not only does the same for credit-crunch sobriety in the post-2000s, but allows Stone his “Toldja!” moment to boot.

    Not that the film is nearly as concerned with socio-economic commentary as it is with smirking self-parody: it arguably blew its best gag in the trailer, as Gekko’s bread-loaf-sized cellphone is returned to him on his exit from prison, but there’s plenty more idle fun where that came from, culminating in a slithery cameo from the original film’s star, a bronzed glamazon on either arm, that may as well have been credited: “and starring Charlie Sheen as himself.”

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  • CANNES: ‘Chongqing Blues,’ ‘The Strange Case of Angelica,’ ‘Tuesday, After Christmas’

    Regret to inform that my second day at Cannes was not an especially satisfactory one: three films that all fell short in one way or another and my first shutout (owing to my dingy yellow-card status) from a Competition screening – despite queuing 45 minutes in advance. (That’d be Korean genre piece “The Housemaid,” by the way, which doesn’t appear to have set the Croisette alight, to go from colleagues’ reactions.)

    Two upsides exist to this turn of events. First, I’m managing to catch up on plenty of reading while in the screening queue, so can confidently inform you that the latest Kazuo Ishiguro volume is a thorough disappointment, even if I can tell you nothing of “The Housemaid.” Second, it freed up time for a commiserating drinks session with Sasha Stone and Jeffrey Wells, winding up on the beach at an open-air screening of “From Here to Eternity.” At festivals, there’s always a plan B.

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  • ‘Love Ranch’ poster

    This is the OTHER Helen Mirren film that seems to be taking its time making it to screens:

    [Courtesy: The Hit List]

  • LIFE WITHOUT OSCAR: 1945 and 1946

    Catch up with the idea behind this series here.

    World War II was winding down and the nation was ready to be happy again. So, naturally the Best Picture award went to “The Lost Weekend.” Perhaps it was a show of unity with war partners France, as it would be the first film to win both the top Oscar and the Palm d’Or at Cannes (a feat only duplicated once more, by “Marty.”). The solidarity continued the following year, with Jacques Prevert and Federico Fellini both landing screenplay nominations for foreign films.

    “The Best Years of Our Lives” swept the 1946 ceremony, positioning itself as the definitive end of war story and earning sentimental points for casting a real-life wounded veteran. Said veteran, Harold Russell, is the only person to take home two Oscars for the same role when he won Best Supporting Actor and nabbed an honorary gong for inspiring the nation. But what did blind patriotism prevent from getting recognized?

    1945 – “I Know Where I’m Going!” (Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)

    Powell and Pressburger may not have reached their artistic peak at this point, but they were already internationally acclaimed, accomplished, Oscar nominated filmmakers. Fresh off the quaint, small town romance, “A Canterbury Tale,” it could be considered treading creative water that they decided to follow it up with another quaint, small town romance, but if ain’t broke… They had also spent the previous few years working exclusively in war films and were determined to focus their attentions to more personal, human stories.

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  • CANNES: ‘Robin Hood,’ ‘On Tour’

    I spent a good long time trying to think of some glib, pithy way to link the pair of titles served up on the first day of the Cannes Film Festival, but must admit defeat — they have no common points whatsoever, apart from the fact that they both, like, feature French people. In lieu of such an intro, then: two films screened today. This is what they were.

    “ROBIN HOOD” (**1/2)

    It’s a fairly rote critical bitchslap to say that the closing credits are the best part of a movie, but that’s quite literally the case in Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood.” I say this not in snark, but in praise: it’s a genuinely remarkable credit sequence, animated in rich-hued, painterly style, presumably by the same artists behind the Scott Free company logo (a personal favorite). It’s rather a shame it couldn’t be stuck at the front of the film instead. Perhaps Scott thought its color palette would show up the actual film’s symphony of camouflage tones.

    Okay, that’s 100 words spent on the credits. If you think I’m stalling before delivering a damning verdict on the film, you’d be wrong, but I can’t find much of substance to say about it either. For the second summer blockbuster in a row, I must part ways with my esteemed editor in finding “Robin Hood” a sturdy if resolutely unfashionable entertainment, one crafted and performed by A-grade talent with more commitment than passion – but enough of the former to keep things on the rails.

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  • When the stars go blue

    It’s a quiet first day at Cannes, with only two films screening and little besides a pair of unremarkable press conferences (which, dingy yellow-carder that I am, I couldn’t directly attend anyway) to report on — the highlight of which was Cate Blanchett’s curt answer to a dim-bulb journalist asking her how heavy the film’s chainmail costumes were to wear. “It’s all plastic,” she said drily, before waving on the next question.

    “Robin Hood” served as this morning’s entertainment — Kris has spared me having to review it at any length, but I’ll gather a few thoughts later this evening. (Hint: I like it more than Kris and less than Empire.) Tonight offers Mathieu Amalric’s burlesque-troupe comedy “Tournée (On Tour)” which I’m rather looking forward to. However the film turns out, at least, it plainly boasts the best poster of any film in the festival this year. Or out of it, for that matter.

  • ‘Twas the night before Cannes

    … and while plenty of creatures are stirring along the Croisette — not least some grim-faced papparazzi camping out overnight for their red carpet spot — there’s a palpable sense of a town collectively holding its breath, waiting for the crazy to hit.

    As such, I have little to report from my first day in Cannes; I could regale you with tales of queuing for my press pass, haggling with PR folk for interview time and, more pleasantly, taking a time-out to eat cherries on the beach, but I don’t want to use up all my “A” material already. I can’t even fall back on epic stories of harrowing ash clouds and flight delays, unlike many of my American colleagues — indeed, I’m one of the few who can claim his plane landed in Cannes ahead of schedule.

    Still, my journey did not pass entirely without hardship: it was raining heavily when I touched down in Nice this morning, and I got a little bit wet on exiting the plane. Such are the trials I endure for your sake, readers.

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  • ‘Tempest’ finally ready for its close-up

    Hey, remember “The Tempest?” Julie Taymor’s adaptation of the William Shakespeare play — with Helen Mirren stepping into the gender-switching lead of Prospera – seems to have been on deck forever.  But while I believe the film truly wasn’t completed until recently, being trapped in the sinking ship that was Miramax surely couldn’t have helped matters.

    The film looks to be a below-the-line awards monster waiting to happen, with such esteemed veterans as Stuart Dryburgh, Sandy Powell and the incredibly under-appreciated Mark Friedberg on board.  Now it will serve as a fixture in what could be a banner year for Mirren, as the actress has no less than four (and maybe more) films scheduled to hit screens in 2010.

    A recent USA Today story is doing its part to stir early populist interest in advance of the December release date.  Anthony Breznican sat down with Taymor to get the goods (and the new production still featured here).

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  • CANNES PREVIEW: The best of the rest

    Okay, so you’ve combed through the 19 films in the Competition lineup for Cannes 2010, and you still haven’t found much to get excited about? Fret not. You wouldn’t know it to read most media coverage of the festival, but the Competition is only one course at the Cannes buffet – and not necessarily the most filling.

    Surrounding it are a host of alternative sidebars, both competitive and simply exhibitory, ranging from glossy out-of-competition Hollywood premieres to independent strands yielding more familiar names than the casual festival-watcher might expect. In today’s preview, I’ll pick out some potential highlights from the non-Competition hinterlands.

    The ones you’ll hear the most about, of course, fall into the Out of Competition category, a refuge both for arthouse attractions that fell between the cracks in the selection process (chief among them, Olivier Assayas’s five-hour Carlos the Jackal study “Carlos”) and big-budget studio pictures seeking the prestige of a Cannes stamp without the risk of actually competing.

    Here you’ll find the star-laden pair of Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” and Woody Allen’s “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” – both projects that have me worried for different reasons, but neither of which you really need me to remind you about.

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  • Loach’s ‘Route Irish’ joins Cannes Competition lineup

    I told you on Friday that a 19th title was going to be added to the selection of films vying for the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and lo and behold, here it is. Variety reports that “Route Irish,” an Iraq War drama from festival habitué Ken Loach, has joined the lineup — just one year after Loach brought football-themed comedy “Looking for Eric” to the Croisette.

    It’s probably not the film that most people were hoping to see as a last-minute addition, but it does bump up the number of English-language titles in Competition to three, while also boosting the “venerable auteur” count.

    This marks the tenth Competition entry of the British director’s career — he won the Palme on his eighth attempt, with “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” in 2006 — and if that’s not a record, it confirms him as one of the festival’s true pets.

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  • SUNDAY CENTS: The ‘Iron’ is still hot

    *All historical figures cited are adjusted to today’s dollars.

    “Iron Man 2” landed with a softer than expected $133.6 million to easily win the weekend. Now, is it even possible for $133.6 million to ever be disappointing? That’s the ninth biggest opening weekend of all time for crying out loud. Plus the film has already racked up more than $300 million worldwide so there is no danger of it not being extremely profitable for Paramount. Still, I think this just about the bare minimum it could have possibly made without raising some eyebrows. The original film opened on the same week two years ago to $109.2 million, which at the time made it the third biggest debut ever for a non-sequel.

    Being as popular as it was, a bigger debut for the sequel was an absolute requirement. Films in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Shrek” franchises took enormous leaps from the debuts of their first film to second, but to be fair, those original films both opened with much more modest numbers than the first “Iron Man.” With “Spider-Man 3” proving that you can open in the beginning of May and earn more than $150 million without breaking a sweat, there’s really no reason why “Iron Man 2” shouldn’t have done the same.

    There’s certainly no competition. They brought back all the ingredients that made the first film likable (except no one will mind if we replace the black guy, right?). Some might be quick to say the lack of 3D hurt it, but that’s nonsense. Whatever the case, I’d now say that surpassing the $352.6 million of the original is not a foregone conclusion and ending the summer as the number one film is also unlikely. Your move, “Twilight!”

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  • Long live Betty

    Facebook users got their wish last night as Betty White took the stage on Saturday Night Live…and absolutely KILLED it.

    Seriously, has there been a better episode in the last five years (or more)?  I tend to find myself enjoying SNL more often than not lately because I really dig most of the cast, but we still get stinkers.  Gabourey Sidibe’s try a week or so back is the most recent example of one that just fell on its face.  But the creative invigoration of last night’s telecast was something to behold.  Everyone was firing on all cylinders.

    I think we have to look to White for that, not only for the material she herself was responsible for performing (she never missed a beat, mind you), but for the obvious inspiration she brought to the writers and the cast.  Bringing a few of the former female faves back was a shrewd move, and falling the day before Mother’s Day was perfect.  “MacGruber,” meanwhile, got a hell of a boost leading up to the May 21 release of the film.

    It really just doesn’t get any better.  I proud of and happy for all involved.  It goes down, for me, as an all time classic.  And perhaps I’m not alone.  The New York Times’ Melena Ryzik (better known as The Carpetbagger around these parts) Tweeted after the show that White “left the SNL afterparty to standing ovations and castmembers calling it a historic show.”

    What left to say, but: Bravo.  (Full episode, courtesy of NBC, after the jump.)

    [EDITED TO ADD: I also can’t remember the last time a host was literally in every single sketch, including the Weekend Update.  Maybe it’s more common than I know, but it was something that struck me.]

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  • Call it ‘Robin Hood Begins’

    Anne tips us off to the first wave of “Robin Hood” reviews, which were meant to be held until Wednesday, given the Cannes screening and all.  Alas, no one seems to follow embargoes anymore, so the trades, as usual, spilled right after Empire did the same across the pond.

    For my part, I’ve been trying to write a review of the film ever since I saw it last week.  But I never seem to get past a graph or so when I come back to it, because — truth be told — the film just never seems to get out of the gate and is quite forgettable.

    It’s a prequel to the legend we all know, which is novel and interesting in and of itself, and certainly an attractive enough premise.  After all, the legend is just that, a legend, fit with all the convolution and, in some interpretations, anachronisms that come with the territory.  What better way to strip down and streamline the iconic figure than via a prequel as epic as this, one that plants the seeds for the classic strokes to come?

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  • Oops…

    I have Tim Robey to thank for drawing my attention to this classic subbing fail in David Carr’s recent New York Times profile of Ridley Scott:

    Scott Free, with headquarters in both London and Los Angeles, has a lot of Scotts … Sons Jake (“Welcome to the Rileys” with James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart) and Jordan (“Cracks” with Eva Green) are in the mix as working directors.

    Spot the problem? A picture of Sir Ridley with his son Jordan after the cut.

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  • First images, teaser poster for ‘Biutiful’

    As I mentioned in my Cannes preview, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Biutiful” is the director’s first Spanish-language effort since his 2000 debut “Amores Perros.” That, combined with the star power of Javier Bardem, means more eyes on this one than most of its Competition rivals. Thanks to D*Hollywood for the film’s Cannes poster. Two stills after the cut.

    (By the way, the third and final part of my Cannes preview will go up tomorrow. Apologies for the delay.)

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  • ‘Waiting for Superman’ trailer

    Note the added quotes.  Something had to give with the trademark.  I’ve heard nothing but stellar things about this since Sundance.  From Davis Guggenheim:

  • Tell us what you thought of ‘Iron Man 2’

    The summer movie season launches today with the high octane, multiplex-flexing “Iron Man 2.” I’ve already offered up a few comments in today’s Oscar Talk special, and Guy gave it some ink last week, but cut loose with your own views here once you see it today, over the weekend, whenever.  Thumbs up?  Thumbs down?  In fact, while you’re at it, vote in our new sidebar poll.

  • OSCAR TALK: Ep. 26 — Special Edition! — Catching up, Cannes on the way, ‘Iron Man’ kicks off the summer season

    Oscar TalkWelcome to Oscar Talk, your one-stop kudocast between yours truly and Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood.

    It’s been a while, so there was plenty to cover in this, the first of three off-season podcasts we’ll offer up through the summer. On the docket today…

    • With Cannes around the corner, we briefly size things up. Guy will be covering for us this year and indieWIRE will be heavy on coverage as well, so we talk about what to expect, the rigors of festival coverage, etc.

    • Speaking of indieWIRE, Todd McCarthy joined the site a few weeks back and Anne welcomes him aboard on the podcast, excited to be working with her former colleague again.

    • Since it’s been a few months since we last did one of these, we look back at the year to date and what stands out so far. We both agree on the year’s best American film.

    • Today is the start of the summer movie season with the release of “Iron Man 2.” We talk about our disappointments with the film.

    • Finally, we kind of wander around a forecast of the summer to come, looking at a few of the key titles on the way.

    Have a listen to the latest podcast below. We go on a bit long, but it’s been a while, so forgive us. The next installment of the summer edition will drop, we think, June 11. Until then, remember to subscribe to Oscar Talk via iTunes here.

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