Cannes Report

The Australians have started their mini-assault on Cannes. Nick Cave used the festival to announce his next movie as screenwriter. I wasn't too fond of his last collaboration with director John Hillcoat (the recent US release The Proposition) so I can't say Death of a Ladies Man is something I will get extremely excited about but I always try to have an open mind about Aussie films.

This one will be filmed in England and star The Proposition's Ray Winstone. Although it doesn't really tickle my fancy thinking of Winstone as a sex addict who beds women as he goes around selling life insurance (or whatever if it is).

In other Oz-Cannes news, Australian legend Rolf de Heer premiered his latest film Ten Canoes. The film is the first film ever to be spoken in traditional Aboriginal dialect. Megan Lehmann in the Hollywood Reporter was tres enthusiastic about de Heer's latest, as was GreenCine in their daily Cannes blog.

In other non-Oz-Cannes news, apparently Southland Tales is not good. Apart from this guy I've heard other mixed receptions of the film but there's also news of raves. This guy however also didn't too much lile Donnie Darko from the sounds of it, likes Hudson Hawk and didn't think Kings & Queen was any good (which seems to be the opposite to most people). I still can't wait for it though! This guy is also not sold on Linklater's Fast Food Nation.

One thing I've been reading everywhere though is that Pedro Almodovar's hotly anticipated (by me and everyone else with a brain) Volver is right now the favourite. "[T]he film seems like a lock for the Screenplay award, assuming it doesn't score something more prestigious." That's good press y'all. I hope this movie gets him back into Oscar's good graces after the sublime brilliance of Bad Education (with it's horny priests, transvestites and ) was brushed aside.

This dude is also not a fan of Bug I don't think. God, this guy doesn't seem to like much.