To Cannes or Not to Cannes?
Perhaps you’ve heard - there’s a little thing called the Cannes Film Festival happening on the Côte d’Azur right now and, now that the complaining about flights, accommodations, prices, and the color of the press passes has been dispensed with, reports from this morning’s press screening of Fernando Meirelles’ Blindness are streaming in.
Being the most buzzed about festival of the year, it’s reasonable to assume a movie blog would spend some time talking about it. The problem is, many of the movies that are playing I’m already going to see sooner or later and I’d prefer not to know too much about them. I narrowly managed to avoid significant No Country For Old Men spoilers last year and, while there’s not as much at stake this time around, it’s still like walking through a minefield.
It’s different with some of the other film festivals where you’re actively trying to discover things, whether you’re in attendance or not. Cannes for me is more about avoidance. I can’t ignore it however, so I’ll cautiously take it day by day.
To that end, I only skimmed some of the Blindness reviews to get a sense of where they were going. Jeff Wells starts his off “The problem with Fernando Meirelles’ Blindness…” which isn’t a good sign. The rest of the review is full of half-compliments and qualifiers and a general sense of disappointment. In other words: a fairly typical Jeff Wells review. He notes that only two or three people clapped at the end and he describes the press conference/reception afterwards as “muted.”
In Variety, Justin Chang calls it “an intermittently harrowing but diluted take on Jose Saramago’s shattering novel.”
Cinematical’s James Rocchi is more positive, though he’s also qualified in his praise. He concludes “while Blindness can be faulted for many things, it also has to be respected for its ambition, craft, and effort.”
Blindness stars Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore. It’s scheduled to open in the US on September 19.
Filed under: Film Festivals, Movies
This is the part of the whole film blogging thing where I feel deep sympathy for you but also feel no envy whatsoever. This is the sucky part, where you have to try and parse the general sentiment from afar, avoid the spoilers, and try not to let an extremely subjective critical perspective ruin a potentially great movie for you a few months down the road.
I think Cannes and Sundance are the least trustworthy film events of the year as far as critical reception goes, partly because both of them are infused with such hype, expectations, and general glitterati insanity that neither can be considered a reasonable way to enjoy and judge a film.
Sundance has less glitterati to it, but more general insanity. Cannes is just completely nuts, with stars and sun and France bursting out at the seams. One can’t expect it to be a perfect barometer yet films live and die by Cannes.
And I’m not saying the critics are usually wrong here, just that the intensity and nuttiness of Cannes can’t be helping things. God knows they weren’t wrong about Southland Tales last year.
Yeah, in the past, I’d just ignore it, but now I feel like I sort of have to pay attention.
I’m not complaining, I’m just saying.
Hopefully I can compartmentalize it. Focus on general impressions, stay away from specifics (at least for the biggies) and then completely forget about it by the time the movies come along.
Anyway, it’s gotten to the point where divided critical opinion is more of a positive than a negative for me.
Plus, there are plenty of things playing that I don’t know anything about and maybe I can focus on that.
I’ll skip coverage of Kung Fu Panda and Indiana Jones. Nothing against either of them, but they really don’t require more attention.
I second both yours and Joel’s concerns about digging too deep into festival coverage. Obviously I’m on the extreme end in terms of avoiding buzz/plot details/reviews/trailers, but I’ll still glance across sites and, at the end of the festival, take note of what the big winners were. For example, there are a few Sundance favorites (Ballast, Sugar, Made in America) that I want to see based on a little positive buzz and maybe one line of synopsis, if that.
Despite the glitterati, however, can anybody deny that attending Cannes would be a bad time?
It’s funny Daniel because much of the press seems to do its best to tell you how awful it all is, yet I have trouble summoning up any sympathy. At all.
I used to be with you on the extreme blackout, but this blog thing has sort of made it impossible…particularly now that I’m paying more attention to pending projects. I find myself wondering where I draw the line?
Anyway, I know no one is using LiC as Film Festival Central, but I feel obligated to stay in the loop…at least the outer rungs of it.
I’m disappointed Craig that you didn’t save your pennies and work leave to attend the festival. You would have been our reporter/reviewer in attendance and by seeing the Cannes films you were most anticipating there would be nothing to avoid.
I’m personally ok about receiving advanced word about interesting films, and can almost always filter it in ways that avoids spoliers. It just builds excitement for me, much like No Country did last year.
I can definitely live without the spoilers and whatever on most films I’m going to see and I’ve gotten to the point where I’m like Daniel, even wanting to avoid trailers and general plot synopsis if I can.
I’m more sensitive to that than most people are, so I tend to avoid reading these film fest reviews whenever possible.
As for whether or not it would be fun, I’m sure it has its perks but from the way its described, it sounds like being stuck at the airport over Thanksgiving holiday crossed with Christmas shopping on Christmas eve in the Mall of America, except you’re in the French Riviera. Which is outside the mall.
I don’t know…it doesn’t sound like a lot of fun to me.
My god I loved the book….if it is ruined…..dammit.
Jokes, I will make up my own mind, but the fact that it sounds like it is not great creates only a tiny speck of doubt in my mind.
They were SO wrong about MBN….who knows.
I would do anything to be there right now……*mega-sigh*
And, gasp, I won’t be blogging about Cannes today, sadly. I have math. MATH.
Right, Craig, it’s such a tough assignment out there on the Riviera.
Yes, blogging about these happenings certainly puts you in a different position. I think you draw the line at discussing the production of a film (as you’ve been doing regularly) and discussing the reviews or previews of a film. Something like Blindness, for example. We’ve been following it for some time, we know who’s involved, we know what’s it about - we’re excited. So now Wells comes out against it. What are we supposed to do, forget about it? Same thing with the early Indy reviews coming out or even, god forbid, Burn After Reading reviews after Venice. Let us get excited about something that’s coming and then decide for ourselves. You’ve done so with Rambow and Foot Fist Way, just to name a recent few. I appreciate it.
Like sartre, I’ll hold my real interest in the daily Cannes buzz until you’re actually there to share your own experience -who knows, next year? Of course, there’s still time to dispatch a monkey for field reporting…
Hehe, Joel. The M of A is possibly even worse in the days right after Christmas, but yeah, you’re on the money.
All of this is why I don’t think there’s much point in paying attention to this stuff until the movie is actually out, available for me to see. Otherwise it’s just so much second and third-hand conjecture and gossip and pointless chatter.
“They were SO wrong about MBN….who knows.” Exactly my thoughts, Nick.
I see what you’re saying Jeff, but like Sartre says, some people like to keep an eye on the general buzz and don’t worry too much about spoilers. It’s a part of the excitement leading up to the film.
We all still have the freedom to make up our own minds regardless of what’s said in advance.
As a blog that at least pays lip service to what’s going on in the news, not talking about it feels wrong.
We’ll see. It’ll be kind of an experiment. Last year I mostly ignored Cannes.
I can’t resist, though…I mean, I know I should stay away from reviews, but some of these films I have to wait such a long time for I just have to get some crumbs for sustenance.
Don’t worry, Craig, I’m not saying you’re wasting your time. I appreciate your approach much more than those of Jeff “everything sucks” Wells or David “nothing matters” Poland.
It is still my dream to attend the festival. More than any other festival (with the exception, perhaps, of the Berlin Film Fest), I’m generally in agreement with 90% of their choices in any given year. That’s pretty damn agreeable, methinks.
We should all make a “school-trip” next year and partake in the festivities. Who knows how to make great/fake press passes? :P
Great idea Dorothy, wait ’til they get a load of us.
Dorothy, I’d follow you ANYWHERE. This is what I was telling Nicky over at FATACULTURE. I’m certainly not one to complain about being the centre of attention within a group of men (oh no…) but boys will largely want to hang out and do guy type things.
I have NEVER been - and never will be - one of the guys. THANK GOD.
So we need some chicks to balance out all the testosterone. You and I can go shopping and do all the cool girl stuff in our spare time.
I just hope k would come too.
Did I mention I grew up in a bilingual household? Could come in handy…
Haha, I am rather one of the guys a lot of the time…though I do enjoy hanging with the girls and watching stuff like Gilmore Girls, too.
But I’d come too! And since I grew up partly in France, between me and Miranda, there will be no language barrier whatsoever :-D
Seriously, going to Cannes? In the top five of “things I need to do before I die”. I actually went there once…in July. When really, it’s quite a dull town.
Hedwig, you sound like a thoroughly awesome girl to hang out with. Anywhere you end up has got to be fun.
I would be ecstatic to have you along. As long as we didn’t get into too much trouble.
You know what they say about wild girls…
Yip, yip, that plan is well in motion Dorothy….or at least, it should be.
Ok, now we just have to take over the Internet so we can get press passes…
The wheels are turning…nice! Next year it is, NIck!
Someone get to work on those press credentials stat. Or would it be easier to just become a bona fide journo in the meantime and bring along an “entourage “?
Mlle. Wilding, you woman of the world! We’ve barely scratched the surface of your many talents.
By the way, I grew up speaking Spanish, so we could also swing over to Madrid after the closing ceremonies, pay our tributes to St. Almodovar and take in some flamenco dancing ;-)
Oh, I’d LOVE that. I hear Spain is magical, D.
Will Javier be there? Maybe he could show us around…
I’d recommend Barcelona and nearby Montserrat while we’re at it.