Hollywood’s Presence at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival Competition
By Michael S. Rutkowski
The 2012 Cannes Official Selection has been announced and with 22 films in the competition section, things are about to get very interesting in France. Cannes is no stranger to big box office filmmakers, but what seems to be the driving emphasis for the Cannes Film Festival is the overwhelming sensation that the festival wishes to recognize the best films all across the world, not money or star power just simply terrific films and film making.
The festival has never shied away from the execution of art and the artist vision, and this year’s line up is no different. The 2012 line up includes such films as Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom, Brad Pitt in Killing Them Softly and Mud with Boardwalk Empire star Michael Shannon. The competition will be tough this year but exciting for the festival. It will be very interesting to see who will take home the Palme d’Or, especially with Terrance Malick’s The Tree of Life winning last year. Only ten American made films have won the Palme d’Or since 1975 (the first year the award was given out after it’s 12 year hiatus) with Taxi Driver (1976), Apocalypse Now (1979), All That Jazz (1980), Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989), Wild at Heart (1990), Barton Fink (1991), Pulp Fiction (1994), Elephant (2003), Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) and The Tree of Life (2011).
In the 2012 Competition for Cannes, seven out of the twenty-two films are from the US. So who will take the prestigious Palme d’Or this year? Well nothing is a given. With the US having seven films in the competition this year, there is a very good chance that one of these American films will steal the show and take home the prize.
Moonrise Kingdom looks to be nothing short of a Wes Anderson classic. Using some new A-List celebrity faces, Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom seems to be a fan favorite for the festival with stunning production design and potentially fantastic performances.
Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis looks as if it could be the big surprise of the festival; it appears to have a unique existential outlook on the high-class lifestyle in America. This will be Pattinson’s time to shine and be taken seriously as a leading man in Hollywood. With Croenberg behind the wheel, the film will have undeniable substance and the element of cinematic surprise.
Lee Daniel’s The Paperboy could have the emotional power that 2009’s Precious had. But with Zac Efron as the lead, the film could be a big emotional disappointment. However, with a flawless supporting cast, the film will be a force at the festival.
Five years after making The Assassination of Jesse James, Andrew Dominik reunites with Brad Pitt in the highly anticipated mob period piece Killing Them Softly. Dominik’s direction will bring a new since of life and beauty into this period, and with Pitt leading the screen there’s no doubt the Cannes audience will be cheering for more.
John Hillcoat’s Lawless, not to be confused with Terrence Malick’s new film he’s still shooting with Christian Bale (the film right now is under the same name). Lawless brings an A-List cast into a very dramatic setting; Hillcoat has a very unique style of story telling and portraying action. Get ready because these performances will be stellar; Tom Hardy always has the potential to steal the show.
Jeff Nicolas’ film Mud has the potential to be a powerful one. Nichols reunites with Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) in hopes to bring powerful performances to a heartfelt dramatic tale—definitely a centerpiece for the festival.
Walter Salles’ On the Road is an adaptation of the Jack Kerouac novel. Salles attempts to justify the philosophy that Kerouac portrays with a full A- list cast; the only thing that could hold this film back is its interpretation of the classic novel.
Regardless of the winner this year, the festival can already be seen as having an amazing line up. There doesn’t seem to be too many films that will disappoint in the competition, and the Cannes audience should be pleased with the caliber of cinema they’re about to receive.
Moonrise Kingdom – USA
A pair of lovers flee their New England town, which causes a local search party to fan out and find them.
Directed by Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, Fantastic Mr. Fox)
Starring, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Jason Schwartzman.
Rust & Bone – France
Directed by Jacques Audiard (Read my Lips, A Prophet)
Starring, Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts and Celine Sallette.
Holy Motors – France
Directed by Leos Carax (The Lovers on the Bridge, Tokyo!)
Starring, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue and Michael Piccoli.
Cosmopolis – USA
Riding across Manhattan in a stretch limo in order to get a haircut, a 28-year-old billionaire asset manager’s day devolves into an odyssey with a cast of characters that start to tear his world apart.
Directed by David Cronenberg(The Fly, The History of Violence, Eastern Promises)
Starring, Robert Pattinson, Jay Baruchel, Juliette Binoche and Paul Giamatti.
The Paperboy – USA
A reporter returns to his Florida hometown to investigate a case involving a death row inmate.
Directed by Lee Daniels (Monster’s Ball, Precious)
Starring, Zac Efron, John Cusack, Matthew McConaughey and Nicole Kidman.
Killing Them Softly – USA
Jackie Cogan is a professional enforcer who investigates a heist that went down during a mob-protected poker game.
Directed by Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford)
Starring, Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta, Richard Jenkins and James Gandolfini.
Reality – Italy
Directed by Matteo Garrone (The Embalmer, First Love, Gomorrah)
Starring, Claudia Gerini, Paola Minaccioni and Nando Paone.
Lawless – USA
Set in the Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities who want a cut of their profits.
Directed by John Hillcoat(The Proposition, The Road)
Starring, Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce and Gary Oldman.
In Another Country – South Korea
Directed by Sang-soo Hong (Virgin Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors)
Starring, Isabelle Huppert and Jun-Sang Yu
The Taste of Money – South Korea
Directed by Sang-soo Im (The President’s last Bang, The Housemaid)
Starring, Maui Taylor, Kang-woo Kim and Yun-shik Baek.
Like Someone in Love – Japan
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami(Taste of Cherry, Certified Copy)
Starring, Ryo Kase, Denden and Rin Takanashi
The Angels’ Share – United Kingdom
Narrowly avoiding jail, new dad Robbie vows to turn over a new leaf. A visit to a whisky distillery inspires him and his mates to seek a way out of their hopeless lives.
Directed by Ken Loach (Sweet Sixteen, The Wind that Shakes the Barley)
Starring, Roger Allam, John Henshaw and Daniel Portman
In the Fog – Russia
Western frontiers of the USSR, 1942. The region is under German occupation. A man is wrongly accused of collaboration. Desperate to save his dignity, he faces impossible moral choice.
Directed by Sergei Loznitsa
Starring, Vladimir Svirskiy, Vladislav Abashin and Sergei Kolesov
Beyond the Hills – Romania
A drama centered on the friendship between two young women who grew up in the same orphanage; one has found refuge at a convent in Romania and refuses to leave with her friend, who now lives in Germany.
Directed by Cristian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Outbound)
Starring, Cosmina Stratan, Cristina Flutur and Valeriu Andriuta
After the Battle – Egypt
Directed by Yousry Nasrallah
Starring, Nahed El Sebai, Bassem Samra and Menna Shalabi
Mud – USA
A drama centered on two teenage boys who encounter a fugitive and pact to help him escape from an island in the Mississippi.
Directed by Jeff Nichols (Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter)
Starring, Resse Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey and Michael Shannon.
You Haven’t Seen Nothin Yet!– France
Directed by Alain Resnais (Night and Fog, Same Old Song)
Starring, Mathiey Amalric, Lambert Wilson and Michel Piccoli.
Post Tenebras Lux – Mexico
Directed by Carlos Reygadas
On the Road
Dean and Sal are the portrait of the Beat Generation. Their search for “It” results in a fast paced, energetic roller coaster ride with highs and lows throughout the U.S.
Directed by Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries, Dark Water, Paris, je t’aime)
Starring, Viggo Mortensen, Kristen Stewart, Kristen Dunst, Amy Adams and Steve Buscemi.
Paradise: Love – Germany
Directed by Ulrich Seidl (Dog Days, Jesus, You Know)
Starring, Maria Hofstatter, Margarete Tiesel and Inge Maux
The Hunt – Denmark
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
Starring, Mads Mikkelsen, Alexandra Rapaport and Thomas Bo Larsen.