If I had been to Cannes

Every year I like to watch the Cannes Film Festival awards ceremonies on Bravo. I either missed the awards this year, or Bravo didn’t air them, so I tripped on over to Roger Ebert’s website to read his in-depth reports. Here are some of the movies he mentions that sound intriguing this year.

Match Point
Woody Allen’s latest probably would have won some awards if it was in competition. Stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Emily Mortimer, and Brian Cox.

Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang
I wonder if there will be any references to James Bond in this action/comedy? (As is known among 007 fans, Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was Bond’s nickname in Japan.) Starring Val Kilmer and Robert Downey Jr, the plot sounds like an old noir tale. It’s probably told with a bit of irony and humor, as it is written by Shane Black (Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Good-Night).

Last Days
Gus Van Sant does his third consecutive “death” film with a fictionized story based on the final days of Kurt Cobain.

Where the Truth Lies
Another great performance from Kevin Bacon, who has been taking some challenging roles lately. Directed by Canadian Atom Egoyan (Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter, Ararat).

A History of Violence
The latest from David Cronenberg. Is it horror? Maybe. A man with a mysterious past is driven to violence when held up at gunpoint one day. He may or may not be a hero. Things get weird when a scary looking Ed Harris shows up and asks questions.

Hidden (French title: Caché)
This sounds downright Lynchian, with people receiving survelance videotapes that may or may not have been shot by actual people.

Manderlay
In Lars Von Trier’s sequel to Dogville, Bryce Dallas Howard (The Village) steps into the role played by Nicole Kidman.

Me and You and Everyone We Know
Ebert’s favorite film at Sundance. He also gave it a glowing review on his TV show

Factotum
Stars Matt Dillon as Charles Bukowski’s alter ego Henry Chinaski, the poet of Skid Row.

Broken Flowers
A drama/comedy by Jim Jarmusch, starring Bill Murray as a womanizer who tracks down his former lovers.

Grizzly Man
Werner Herzog’s documentary about Tim Treadwell, a man who spent his summers wandering unarmed among the grizzly bears of Alaska, thinking of them as his friends. All except for the one who ate him.

The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
An old school morality tale directed by Tommy Lee Jones. “The Head of Alfredo Garcia Meets the Treasure of the Sierra Madre.” Jones won best actor and the film won best screenplay at Cannes.

Don’t Come Knocking
Wim Wenders’ film about a broken-down cowboy has also played in Chicago and other venues. It stars Sam Shepard (who wrote it), Gabriel Mann, Jessica Lange, Fairuza Balk, and Sarah Polley.

Three Times
A trio of stories directed by Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao Hsien. Each one starring the actress Shu Qi and the actor Chang Chen. Each story displays a radically different style, including one shot as a silent film.

Other notes from Cannes

–> Werner Herzog has left for Thailand to scout locations for a fiction film based on his documentary “Little Dieter Needs to Fly,” about a German who joined the American army, was taken captive by the Viet Cong, escaped, and walked to freedom through hundreds of miles of jungles filled with tigers, snakes, fevers and chills.

–> DreamWorks Animation Unleashes Gromit at the Cannes Film Festival

–> Australian Film Wolf Creek picked up by Miramax