After debuting at Cannes , Wes Anderson ‘s latest offering Moonrise Kingdom hits limited release in New York and Los Angeles this week. You’ve seen the twee snippets previewing the tale of young puppy love in flight, circa 1965. You’ve pored over the visual charm assault that is its poster . Now let co-star Bill Murray be your guide — wearing patchwork madras pants, with a little bit o’ rum in his belly — through the New England set of Moonrise Kingdom . Among Murray’s observational insights: Anderson’s characters wear their pants flooded because that’s how the director dresses himself! It’s all clicking into place. “He likes everyone in the film to wear their pants really short to look just a little bit like the kind of person you’d like to mug.” Wes Anderson Chic, whittled down to its base elements. Moonrise Kingdom is really quite lovely and charming and sweet, but then I’m a sucker for Wes Anderson and angsty adolescents and little girls who listen to Francoise Hardy. The synopsis: Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in more ways than anyone can handle. Bruce Willis plays the local sheriff. Edward Norton is a Khaki Scout troop leader. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand portray the young girl’s parents. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, and Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward as the boy and girl.
Wes Anderson fans get a lot this week: his new film Moonrise Kingdom premiered recently at Cannes, and the film starts to hit theaters on Friday. (Some markets have to wait a week or two, however.) Along with the debut of the new movie we’ve had loads of interviews with the director, and some very Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : /Film Discovery Date : 22/05/2012 03:11 Number of articles : 2
Ken Loach and The Angels’ Share star Paul Brannigan in Cannes Tuesday. Cannes has a soft spot for Scottish director Ken Loach. His latest film, The Angels’ Share , is his eleventh film in competition and he even won the Palme d’Or for The Wind That Shakes the Barley back in 2006. His latest, a comedy — or perhaps more precisely a dramatic-comedy — is a rarity of sorts for the director who is accustomed to critical acclaim though his well-crafted films can leave audiences depressed. But The Angels’ Share involves a pack of offenders hoping to turn good, a last ditch crime, and a whole lot of high brow whiskey. The story serves as one more canvas for the plight of the working class. And for this screening, Cannes used subtitles to guide audiences through the characters’ thick Scottish brogue. “I’d rather have subtitles so people can understand what’s going on,” said writer Paul Laverty. “It’s much [preferable] to diluting the local language and Americanizing it so you miss some of the local [nuance] of the film.” In the film, newcomer Paul Brannigan plays Robbie who is part of a posse of hooligans who are ordered to enter a community payback program. Harry (John Henshaw) oversees Robbie and his fellow Scottish brood. One day, Harry offers Robbie a taste of rare whiskey to celebrate the birth of his son, which gives him an idea. If he can get his hands on a single barrel of the malt, the cash would be enough to erase their financial problems allowing them to start over. “I’m familiar with what Robbie came from,” Brannigan said Tuesday in his thick Scottish lingo. “I came from a rough neighborhood in Glasgow where there are thousands of unemployed.” Brannigan said he had a chance meeting with Laverty who had found him walking out of a community center in a scene that would not have been unfamiliar in the film and the two started talking. The result was simply life-altering for Brannigan who didn’t hold back words. “He saved me — he saved me! It was tough. I had no money. Hands up, I think he saved my life because who knows what I would have done to get money — who knows.” Though Brannigan said that after this film comes out he’ll again be unemployed, he did manage a part in the upcoming Scarlett Johansson starrer Under the Skin and hopes to continue acting. Though he kept pretty quiet about details, he apparently gets naked in front of Johansson’s character in the movie, which he did with some anxiety. “She’s an absolutely fantastic girl and once I got to talking with her, I felt much more at ease,” he said. Never inclined to sugar-coat language, Loach and Laverty embraced the inner-city vernacular that surrounds Robbie. The festival offered up subtitles during Monday night’s premiere and similarly to the recent Weinstein Company documentary Bully in the U.S., Angels’ Share ran into conflict with the U.K.’s MPAA counterpart for excessive language, receiving the equivalent of an R-rating in Britain, though unlike Bully ‘s F-bombs, it was the C-word that ran afoul of censors. “We were allowed seven ‘cunts’ but only two of them could be aggressive ‘cunts,'” said Loach, laughing. “You get into the realm of surrealism here in terms of language. The British middle class is obsessed with what they call ‘bad language.’ But the manipulative and deceitful language of politics is accepted. I’d call those bad words. Embracing the ancient swear words that have gone back for centuries and words we all enjoy should be embraced.” Get more of Movieline’s coverage of Cannes here . Follow Brian Brooks on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
As Cannes hits the half-way mark Monday night with the world premiere of Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love , momentum for the coveted top prize, the Palme d’Or, appears — for now — to be with German-born director Michael Haneke’s Amour ( Love ). Not to say there are not some strong fellow contenders, and the whims of any jury member may run counter, near or parallel to general opinion. But here are some of Palme d’Or’s other big suitors at the mid-way point. Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom received mostly positive accolades by attendees, with one journalist commenting at the press conference on the opening day that “it was a surprisingly good opening film.” Opening titles at Cannes (or other festivals for that matter) are often not the strongest of any lineup, or even in the top tier, though they usually offer up some kind of flash in the form of stars. Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone came out of the gate strong. Its early morning press screening concluded at the Lumière with rounds of applause and chatter among some attendees was that it’s the director’s best film — and his most accessible. But the film has its detractors, though any eventual Palme d’Or winner isn’t without its critics. Also among the big Official Selection competitors this year, Reality by Italian director Matteo Garrone passed muster. Garrone was hailed back in 2008 for the Naples mob feature Gomorrah , receiving the Cannes Grand Prix. His latest has not generated the same emotional responses of that film, but it has achieved sustained reaction. John Hillcoat’s Prohibition-set Lawless has picked up boosters and detractors since its debut Saturday. Some fest-goers have praised the director’s use of violence — it’s raw and quick. One of the many trade print editions here in Cannes declared that Danish director Thomas Vinterberg “is back” with his latest film, Jagten ( The Hunt ). He was a toast of Cannes back in 1998 for The Celebration , part of the Danish Dogme 95 movement he spearheaded along with fellow Dane filmmaker, Lars von Trier. Von Trier has gone on to attend many a Cannes, occasionally putting his foot in his mouth publicly (he awkwardly joked that he ” understood Hitler ” last year) but he consistently makes headlines worldwide. Finally, this may be a bit of a long-shot, but hey, Cannes can be unpredictable. In 2010 Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul smashed through the establishment and grabbed the Palme d’Or for his film about, well… Uncle Boonmee recalling his past lives. So perhaps a bit of a wild card might be Ulrich Seidl’s Paradies: Liebe ( Paradise: Love ). The premise goes something like this: Middle-agish European women travel to Africa seeking the affections of African boys. The movie is essentially about Euro-cougars who head down to Africa to get it on with young African men who earn a living satisfying their yearnings. The promo-material journalists received in their mailboxes at the Palais des Festivals is pretty straightforward: Plumpish naked women; lean, naked African 20-somethings… you get the picture. Check out the clip below of Paradies and some of the other competition films that have screened so far, with accompanying official Cannes Film Festival descriptions: Moonrise Kingdom : Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two 12-year-olds who fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together into the wilderness. As various authorities try to hunt them down, a violent storm is brewing off-shore — and the peaceful island community is turned upside down in every which way. Amour Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple’s bond of love is severely tested. Rust and Bone ( De Rouilles et D’Os ) Ali suddenly finds himself in charge of Sam, his 5-year-old son that he barely knows. Penniless and without friends, he leaves the north of France to seek shelter at his sister’s in Antibes. Even though she and her husband do not have much money, they make a room for them in their garage and take care of Sam. Ali finds work as a bouncer at a local nightclub. After diffusing a fight one evening, he meets Stephanie, a beautiful, self-confident woman. He takes her home and leaves her his number. But she is a princess and he is a poor fellow. Stephanie is a killer whale trainer at the local Marineland. After a terrible accident one day, Ali gets an unexpected phone call from Stephanie. When he sees her again she is crammed into a wheelchair. She has lost both her legs and her dreams. Ali will share genuine moments with her, without pity, and help her to live again… Lawless Lawless is the true story of the infamous Bondurant brothers, bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic gangster tale, inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant’s family in his novel The Wettest County In The World , the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation’s most notorious crime wave. Jagten ( The Hunt ) Following a tough divorce, 40-year-old Lucas has a new girlfriend, a new job and is in the process of reestablishing his relationship with his teenage son, Marcus. But things go awry. Not a lot. Just a passing remark. A random lie. And as the snow falls and the Christmas lights are lit, the lie spreads like an invisible virus. The shock and mistrust gets out of hand, and the small community suddenly finds itself in a collective state of hysteria, while Lucas fights a lonely fight for his life and dignity. (In Danish) Reality Luciano is a Neapolitan fishmonger who supplements his modest income by pulling off little scams with his wife Maria. A likeable, entertaining guy, Luciano never misses an opportunity to perform for his customers and countless relatives. One day his family urge him to try out for Big Brother . In chasing this dream his perception of reality begins to change. (In Italian) Read more of Movieline’s coverage from Cannes.
Are you obsessed with designer ladies’ shoes, or do you know a woman who is? (Aren’t we all? Let’s go shopping, OMGZ!) Then here’s the documentary for you: God Save My Shoes , from director Julie Benasra, which purports to be “the first documentary to explore the intimate relationship that ties women to their shoes.” Watch Fergie, Dita von Teese, and a bunch of other real life Carrie Bradshaws gush over their Louboutins in the film’s trailer (which, incidentally — of course — includes Louboutin himself). Look, I like shoes as much as the next girl. And there are certain angles to this exploration of the ladies’ shoe that could be fascinating enough. (Why is a stiletto so sexy? Because it elongates your silhouette and can double as a murder weapon, perhaps? Discuss.) But this chick caressing the curve of her pump, these ladies drooling over their shoe caverns, Fergie Ferg insisting that shoes tell the world who you are… I can’t even. And then there’s Kelly Rowland, credited as “Singer/Former Destiny’s Child/ Shoe Mommy .” SHOE MOMMY. Is that a thing?? (Seriously, what is that?) Maybe Shoe Mommy is what she calls herself because, apparently, she names her shoes like they’re her children. God Save My Shoes is available On Demand.
Skyfall, the next James Bond film, can’t come soon enough. Nevertheless, until it does hit theater this November, we’ll have to settle, at least for now, with this new teaser of the film. If you didn’t know, it’s directed by […] Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Gadget Review Discovery Date : 21/05/2012 09:45 Number of articles : 2
Hilary Duff Wants Her Retired Husband To Be A “Stay-At-Home Dad” Wow so dude feels like he’s Hilary’s “slave”…SMH. Hilary Duff wants her husband to be a stay-at-home dad. The actress and singer gave birth to son Luca on March 20, and since her husband Mike Comrie has retired, she has decided he should look after their new addition when she resumes her film career. A source said: ”Hilary told Mike that since he’s retired she’s now the family breadwinner, he should be the stay-at-home parent. ”She had Mike trained to do diapers and bottle feedings, and she has put him in charge of other household duties, including making breakfast, doing laundry and light cleaning.” Hilary, 24, has wasted no time getting back to work following the birth of Luca, and was spotted leaving the gym less than two weeks after her son was born. The source added to the National Enquirer magazine: ”Mike loves his son and is enjoying the bonding time, but he jokes he feels more like Hilary’s slave than her husband. ”Meanwhile, Hilary goes to Pilates classes five times a week, and she’s out shopping and doing lunches with girlfriends most afternoons. She buzzes around town to meetings and auditions.” Currently Hilary has no movies scheduled, but she recently finished shooting ‘She Wants Me’.
The late Robin and his brothers helped define a genre and topped the charts in the process. By Gil Kaufman The Bee Gees in the 1970s Photo: Bee Gees Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty Im Just days after the world lost Queen of Disco Donna Summer , another one of the genre’s royal family, Bee Gees member Robin Gibb, died after a long battle with cancer. Robin, 62, and his brothers Barry and Maurice began their musical career in 1963 and scored a number of hits with sentimental ballads such as “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” and “I Started a Joke” and their first top 20 single, “New York Mining Disaster 1941.” But it was their work in the late 1970s that would forever cement their memory in music history. After a string of successful albums and singles in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the brotherly trio hit the hard time early in the decade, including a brief period where Robin left the band to go solo because he felt Barry was being pushed to the forefront at his expense. It wasn’t until they revamped their sound on 1975’s Main Course that they hit upon a formula that would make them international superstars and help sell more than 200 million albums over the course of their career. That record turned away from earnest folk and pop to a sound laced with a more soulful, dance-oriented groove, epitomized by the #1 hit “Jive Talkin’.” They followed up with the soundtrack to the hit movie “Saturday Night Fever,” which held the record for the best-selling album of all time until the release of Michael Jackson’s Thriller. With such smashes as “Night Fever,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” “You Should Be Dancing,” “Stayin’ Alive” and “More Than a Woman,” the soundtrack won the Grammy for Album of the Year and sold more than 15 million copies in the United States alone. Though they weren’t even tapped to work on the soundtrack until after the movie had already wrapped, producer Robert Stigwood asked them to try and whip up a few tunes for the film that would soon define the disco era. They dashed most of the additional songs off in just over one weekend, and the rest, as they say, is history. In the years since, the album, whose cover prominently features the trio in their signature white disco suits just above a dancing John Travolta, has sold more than 40 million copies and stands as one of the top five best-selling albums of all time. Robin often sung the lead on the early songs, even though it was Barry who was the ostensible leader of the group later in their career. The siblings’ allegedly testy dynamic was turned into a bizarre recurring skit on “Saturday Night Live” from 2003 to 2011 by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake called “The Barry Gibb Talk Show.” Though Fallon once told Howard Stern that he really didn’t know how the idea came to him to play Barry as an out-of-control rage-aholic hosting a public affairs show about the day’s news, the comedic combination of the monosyllabic Timberlake as Robin and the pair singing the trio’s falsetto harmonies made for some of the show’s funniest moments. Born in 1949 on the Isle of Man off the British Coast, Robin and his brothers grew up in Manchester, England, but moved to Australia as children. They got their start there performing on television shows as the B.G.’s. It was after the family returned to England in the 1960s that the trio began to score international attention with their melodic three-part harmonies and emotional songwriting. Robin released a trio of solo albums in the 1980s, but neither he nor the group would ever reach the “Fever” heights again. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Earlier this year, Robin released a classical piece called The Titanic Requiem, recorded with his son, Robin-John, but was too ill to attend an April 10 performance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Robin’s death is the latest heartache for the family, which has suffered a string of misfortunes, including the 1988 death of youngest brother Andy, 30, and the 2003 passing of Robin’s twin, Maurice, 53. More than 30 years after their global breakthrough, the music created by Robin and his brothers remains a cultural touchstone for each successive generation. Everyone from Eric Clapton to Destiny’s Child, the Cure’s Robert Smith, the Flaming Lips, Elton John, Al Green, Cher, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Celine Dion have recorded their songs over the years. Please share your condolences for Gibb’s family, friends and fans in the comments. Related Photos The Bee Gees’ Robin Gibb: A Career In Photos
Storms and a windy chill in Cannes Sunday morning somehow fit well for the premiere of German-born director Michael Haneke’s Amour (Love). Haneke’s minimal but powerful story of an elderly Parisian couple who are suddenly faced with illness and life’s sunset spurred rapturous applause following a mostly hushed pre-screening this morning ahead of the festival premiere tonight. Again, talk of Palme d’Or or other festival prizes swirled among attendees. Haneke is certainly no stranger to awards in Cannes. He won the top prize just in 2009 for The White Ribbon as well as Best Director in 2005 for Caché (Hidden) and the Grand Prize of the Jury for The Piano Teacher back in 2001. Actors Jean-Louis Trintignant ( The Conformist ) and Emmanuelle Riva ( Priest ) sublimely portray the couple whose lives suddenly change after Riva’s character, Anne, suffers an attack. She is left in a slowly deteriorating state of dementia and her husband takes on the burden of caring for her while their daughter, played by Isabella Huppert, feels shut out. Mostly a theater actor in recent years, Haneke convinced Trintignant to once again take to the screen for the role – his first film since 1998’s Those Who Love me Can Take the Train by Patrice Chéreau. “I didn’t want to act in films I prefer the theater. But Haneke offered me this great opportunity,” he said then adding, “But I won’t do it again,” Trintignant, who was an early target of the paparazzi back in the late ’50s because of rumors he was having an affair with Brigitte Bardot, his co-star in …And God Created Woman added that, “It’s a great joy to work with Michael Haneke,” he said in Cannes. “I’ve never met such a demanding director. He knows the cinema through and through.” Haneke will probably never be accused of being overly forthcoming when discussing his films. The heavy subject matter in Amour quite frankly will not appeal to everyone, but it’s already being called a masterpiece. He did acknowledge, however, that the material is challenging. “I never write a film to show something. Once you reach a given age, you have to contend with the suffering of someone you love,” said Haneke. “It’s inevitable – in my family as well.” In telling this story of slow loss, Haneke made great effort to avoid heavy emotion, which might have been an easy method of audience seduction. With that backdrop, Riva said she became familiar with Anne as she played her on set for over two months. She also noted that she almost doesn’t think of the person she sees on screen as herself. “Michael said to me, ‘don’t be overly sentimental when playing Anne,’ and then it really clicked into place for me. When I watch the film I get the feeling I’m seeing someone else,” she said. “Obviously it’s not a universe steeped in beauty. I raced to the set every morning. I was in a hurry to get back to the set to act.” Added Haneke: “Within a dialog you have to find the right emotions. It’s like an opera in that sense.”
Also in Saturday’s (mostly) Cannes related news round up, actress Isabella Rossellini gets a new festival jury gig, Lincoln Center teams with Dubai to spotlight Arab cinema, and two groups join for a $150 million equity fund for indie filmmakers. Also check out this weekend’s specialty film releases. Disney/Pixar’s Brave to Open Dolby Theatre The world premiere of Brave will mark the opening of the newly re-dubbed Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, the home of the Academy Awards. The Los Angeles Film Festival will co-host the event as a red carpet special presentation. The animated feature is an epic tale set in the mystical Scottish Highlands where the film’s headstrong protagonist, Merida, is “forced to discover the meaning of true bravery.” Disney opens the film wide in theaters June 22nd. Dubai and Film Society of Lincoln Center Team for Arab Cinema Arab cinema will take center stage in a new program partnered by the Dubai International Film Festival and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the groups said in Cannes Saturday. Dubbed DIFF Focus taking place August 24 – 30 in New York, the program will feature Venice Film Festival love story Habibi Rasak Kharban and Gulf Film Festival opener City of Life. $150M Independent Film Equity Fund Launched Financier and production outfit AngelWorld Entertainment and independent merchant bank First Wall Street have set up a $150 million fund dedicated to independent productions, the groups said in Cannes. AWE funds 100%, providing a single source of funding allowing the equity investor to sit in the first position, minimizing its risk by securing against all of the film’s assets including foreign sales, tax credits, minimum guarantees and intellectual property rights until the investor has fully recouped its money. Walk Away Renee to Bow in North American Online Premiere The Cannes 2011 documentary by Jonathan Caouette will have its North American debut via Sundance Selects’ digital sister SundanceNOW. Walk Away Renee is a follow up to Caouette’s lauded 2004 doc Tarnation . Renee will be debut along with its North American premiere June 27th at BAMcinemaFest. Around the ‘net… Preview This Weekend’s Specialty Releases The Cannes Film Festival is in full swing and at least two distributors are bowing their Cannes cache this weekend. Zeitgeist Films is debuting Elena in the U.S. The film won awards in Cannes and elsewhere before its long (and somewhat bizarre) road to the screen. Sundance Selects, meanwhile will roll out French César and Cannes winner Polisse in theaters and day-and-date VOD using some of its past offerings as a distribution template. Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black’s directorial debut Virginia opens in limited release and documentary Never Stand Still starts its rollout in New York before heading to other cities, Deadline reports . Fox Searchlight Fetes Beasts of the Southern Wild in Cannes The 2012 Sundance winner hit the Croisette Friday, basking in two standing ovations. The mystical story set in the deep Louisiana Delta’s swamp country deals with a young girl’s search for her mother after her father’s deteriorating health and environmental disaster put her life in peril. Searchlight will release the feature in the U.S. June 27th, Deadline reports . Colin Firth Boards Mad Dogs Oscar winner Colin Firth has joined Noel Coward’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen, the story of flamboyant English playwright, director and actor singer’s engagement at Las Vegas’ Desert Inn in 1955. THR reports from Cannes. Isabella Rossellini to Lead Abu Dhabi Film Festival Jury Rossellini has been named president of the narrative jury for the festival’s 2012 edition taking place October 11 – 20. The actress last chaired a jury at the Berlinale in February, which gave the best film, best actor and best actress prizes to Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation , which went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film earlier this year, Cannes Market News reports.
