Festival de Cannes 2008 by Mandy_Rodgers

    So did I mention it's not pretty weather here? It's actually raining?
    Just making sure...

    And remember that Panda that walked a little of the red carpet for the Kung Fu Panda premiere? Apparently, this act broke tons of Cannes tradition, mostly involving the stricter than strict red carpet dress code (tux, cocktail dress). Fortunately, the panda didn't walk up the whole carpet and was taken off before anyone caused a fuss.

    More movie news everyone's buzzing about:

• Spielberg is set to make Jurassic Park 4 with Laura Dern reprising her role from the original.
• Tommy Lee Jones is adapting the Ernest Hemingway novel, "Islands in the Stream" and hosting an event here to promote it. Rumored to star: John Goodman and Morgan Freeman.
• Dennis Hopper celebrated his 72nd birthday today in Cannes.
• Ford, Lucas, Spielberg and Blanchett have all been spotted promoting Indy (not like it needs promotion) around town meaning for a packed Cannes come tomorrow.

    So far the in competition film with the most critical praise is an animated documentary...you heard right...think A Scanner Darkly kind of animation. Waltz with Bashir by Ari Folman (director/writer/producer), is based on a true story: Folman is trying to piece together of his time in the Lebanon War until the '80s and mixes reality and fantasy throughout.

    Then I checked out Tyson, the Mike Tyson documentary that he's been here promoting and chatting about. I'll tell anyone, I'm not a Mike Tyson fan, but I was intrigued by the idea of learning more about him...well, now I know a little more and might just like him less. The documentary is mostly an interview with Tyson while sitting on a couch or awkwardly walking on a balcony. One good thing: he's honest...perhaps brutally honest. There are some things I'd rather not know about Mr. Tyson (i.e. sexual tendencies), but now I do. Mixing news footage with the oddly edited interviews, Tyson does have some interesting and funny Mike Tyson revelations, including how he used to collect pigeons...not kidding.

   
    Then I turned right around and watched Three Monkeys (in competition), which I still don't understand and don't think its synopsis was accurate on the dailies. It's a really slow family drama...that's all I can really tell you.

    So after three super serious movies (well, Tyson was half-serious), I went to a fun, American comedy The Deal, starring William H. Macy and Meg Ryan. It's not mind-blowing or a cinematic breakthrough of any kind, but I laughed and didn't almost fall asleep for the first time all day! I hope it makes it's way to at least a small run in the states.

    So the big red carpet extravaganza for the the night of day 4 was Woody Allen's new romance, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, starring Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Patricia Clarkson and Rebecca Hall. Early in the day it was reported that the possibly (never can tell in Hollywood) future Mrs. Ryan Reynolds was going to be a no-show. Maybe she knew it was going to be raining in the Riviera on her big day, cause it was, and as soon as the red carpet started, the rain came and the umbrellas went up. Bardem was also a no-show, leaving Hall, Cruz and Allen to walk the carpet solo. I was hoping to see Bardem and Cruz together (I'm all for the couples), but just had to settle for Allen and his wife, Soon-Yi Previn. Allen's first time at the Cannes Film Festival was in 2002 when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award.



    Tomorrow is what everyone's been waiting for...Indiana Jones...should be crazy....