Cannes Film Festival 2010 Winners

The winners have been announced. Here it is, time-permitting, a summary of each film.

Palme d'Or (Golden Palm): "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Thailand)
IMDB: 8/10, 15 votes - On his deathbed, Uncle Boonmee, recalls his many past lives.

Grand Prize: "Of Gods and Men" by Xavier Beauvois (France)
IMDB: 8.3/10, 11 votes - A drama about Cistercian monks who stand up for their beliefs when confronted by fundamentalists.

Jury Prize: "A Screaming Man" by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (Chad)
IMDB: ???

Best Director: Mathieu Amalric for "On Tour" (France)
IMDB: 7/10, 11 votes - The picture, a sort of gonzo styled docu-fiction means that the actor can officially be recognized as a filmmaker. Despite not having cared about the quasy road trip, traveling Burlesque show, kudos all the same to the highly likable Amalric - who was perhaps the nights happiest winner! - I guess the merging styles and a willingness to test the boundaries of a conventional narrative was something the jury appreciated (ioncinema)

Best Actor: Javier Bardem, "Biutiful" (Mexico) and Elio Germano, "La Nostra Vita" (Italy)
IMDB: 8.6/10, 60 votes - A man involved in illegal dealing is confronted by his childhood friend, who is now a policeman.

Best Actress: Juliette Binoche, "Certified Copy" (Iran)
IMDB: 7.1/10, 83 votes - In Italy to promote his latest book, a middle-aged English writer meets a young French woman and jets off to San Gimignano with her.

Best Screenplay: Lee Chang-Dong, "Poetry" (Korea)
IMDB

Camera d'Or (first-time director): "Ano Bisiesto" by Michael Rowe (Mexico)
IMDB: ? - Laura lives deep in the melancholy of her troubled past in Oaxaca. Her solitary days pass until she decides to end it all. Laura meets Arturo who that will help her finish off the pain of her existence.

Critics’ Week Grand Prix: Armadillo, Janus Metz, Denmark
IMDB: 9/10, 27 votes - War get's under your skin

Best short film: "Chienne d'Histoire," by Serge Avedikian (France)
IMDB:

Un Certain Regard Jury Awards

• Main prize: Hahaha (Hong Sang-soo, South Korea)
• Jury prize: October (Daniel Vega, Diego Vega)
• Special prize: Adela Sanchez, Eva Bianco, Victoria Raposo; The Lips (Ivan Fund, Santiago Losa, Argentina)

Sources / More info: yt-cannes-2010

VerbaVolant, review, film, films, movie, movies, moviez, cinema, cinematography, cine

the Time-Traveler's Grandma

Yet another myth has been busted by Discovery. It turns out that the old lady talking on the cell phone in the Charlie Chaplin movie from the '20s was actually deaf..

Ricky Gervais hosted Golden Globes in 2010

His brand of "uncensored" humour did not warm too many hearts. He hopes it will at least result in sales of his new DVD.

Though reportedly the producers wanted him to pass on about 5 of his jokes, he kept it real.

Irreverent Gervais sipped on a glass of beer during the show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, quipping at one point: 'I like a drink as much as the next man... unless the next man is Mel Gibson.'

As Gibson - who was convicted of drink driving in 2006 - walked on to present the Best Director gong, he pretended to slur his words.

Few were spared a lashing by Gervais, who at one point said: 'Just looking at all the faces here reminds me of the great work that's been done this year... by cosmetic surgeons. You all look great.

At that punchline, the camera quickly cut away from Meryl Streep, instead opting for a long shot of the crowd.

'It is an honour to be here in a room full of what I consider to be the most important people on the planet: actors.

'They're just better than ordinary people, aren't they?

Lampooned: Gervais took a swipe at Sir Paul McCartney over his costly divorce from Heather Mills

He said: 'Actors aren't just loved here in Hollywood, they're loved the world over because they're recognisable. You can be in the Third World and you get a glimpse of a Hollywood star and it makes you feel better.

'You can be a little child, a little Asian child, with no possessions, no money - but you see a picture of Angelina Jolie and you think, 'Mummy!'

Jolie and husband Brad Pitt skipped the event, but the star-studded audience, including Robert De Niro, Cameron Diaz and Matt Damon seemed to be enjoying his brand of humour.

I happen to think his performance may have been better received had he not peddled his own wares.

The Winners:

Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) - Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia

Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) - Robert Downey Jnr for Sherlock Holmes

Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama) - Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side

Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) - Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart

Best Supporting Actress - Mo'nique for Precious

Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds

Best Director - James Cameron for Avatar

Cecile B DeMille award for lifetime achievement - Martin Scorsese

Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) - The Hangover

Best Motion Picture (Drama) - Avatar

Best Animated Film - Up

Best Screenplay - Jason Reitman for Up In The Air

Best Actress in a Mini-Series made for Television - Drew Barrymore for Grey Gardens

Best Actor in a Mini-Series made for Television - Kevin Bacon for Taking a Chance

Best Actress in a TV Show (Musical or Comedy) - Toni Collette for United States of Tara

Best Actor in a TV Show (Musical or Comedy) - Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock

Best Actor in a TV Show (Drama) - Michael C Hall for Dexter

Best Actress in a TV Show (Drama) - Julianna Marguiles for The Good Wife

Best Supporting Actor in a TV Mini Series- John Lithgow for Dexter

Best Supporting Actress in a TV Mini Series -Chloe Sevigny for Big Love

Best TV series (Drama) - Mad Men

Best TV series (Comedy or Musical)  - Glee

Best TV Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made For Television: Grey Gardens

Best Song -The Weary Kind from Crazy Heart

Best Original Score - Up

Best Foreign Film - The White Ribbon

Sources / More info: dailymail-ricky

VerbaVolant, ricky gervais, humour, humor, awards, golden globe, host, hosted, tinseltown, hollywood, holywood

Johnny Depp will never die

Recently voted the world's most stylish man and with numerous other awards under his belt, the rumour has it that Johnny Depp was recently involved in a car crash. As our "designated rebel", the connection to James Dean and his tragic end seemed too attractive for the rumour mill.

So if the rumour is not true, who would start it and why?

As it turns out, the February issue of GQ hits the stands on January 26, and sales may have been lacklustre in the recession. The press needs money to stay afloat, and just like Presidents’ approval ratings soar when they declare war or bomb some hapless country, so do sales of magazines explode when the cover-person was just involved in a controversy.

Killing your main man is a bit extreme, but is still better than dying of hunger..

Here’s what Times Live had to say:

Search engines have registered over 13million searches on this issue with  CNN.com reporting that Depp’s car was found wrecked “along side a road outside Bordeaux, France, with the guard rail embedded deep inside the car and police have pulled out the body of the former actor, Depp.”

In the story titled Johnny Depp dies after fatal car crash, CNN claim that the Depp was discovered by a tourist who was driving on the same road when he spotted the wrecked car that was allegedly lying amongst liquor bottles. He then contacted the police who rushed to the scene of the accident to find Depp in the car.

“The police suspect that alcohol was the cause of the accident,” CNN wrote.

But according to Associated Press writer Ryan Christopher DeVault these rumours could be false because Depp’s camp haven’t confirmed the allegations.

“As far as we know, Johnny Depp is doing just fine, and has not been in any type of car crash. At this time we feel it is pretty safe to say that Johnny Depp is doing fine right now, and probably getting ready to get back into character for Pirates of the Caribbean 4,” he wrote.

The “story” appeared on a fake CNN site hosted on free hosting – Angelfire:

SFGate writes:

This is a terrible hoax on Johnny Depp and CNN. Johnny Depp was very much alive and about to film Pirates of The Caribbean Dead Man's Chest, which was released in 2006. Angelfire is a web hosting service. It's hard to tell just who made the fake CNN page, which is so detailed that if you click on the CNN logo, it takes you to the CNN home page, just as a regular CNN webpage would do. (..)

Regardless, Crispin Glover reportedly ended the talk by calling Johnny Depp via cell. Depp responded: Nope. In France, according to NBC Chicago's Courtney Hazlett, who issued the news last Monday.

Buying the magazine, when it comes out, will not confirm or infirm rumours. But your curiosity, awakened the day before, will be satisfied.

Sources / More info: twitter-depp, wiki-depp, gq-most-stylish, people-depp, sf-no, time-not-dead, angelfire-fake-CNN, Glover-interview, nbc-courtney, yt-depp

VerbaVolant, Johnny Depp, rebel, stylish, sexy, sex symbol, pirate, pir8

Yo DUB, B gd 2 me!

Every now and then, when my 80s cravings strike, I remember one of the best one hit wonders to have ever hit my ears, infecting me with the dance bug, modifying my DNA and significantly improving my music taste buds.

Good Hair Results

We recently heard about Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair". Curious, we tried to find out what were its effects in the black community.

Hair is an important subject in African America and we knew that long before Chris Rock made his documentary. No, not Regina Kimbell’s lawsuit (huff-block). Not Hair the musical (that’s with pinky toes, anyway). And we didn’t know it from Imus’ racist comments or 50 Cents’ response, though you can find them all in the playlist down below. We just did. And here are the results we mentioned.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

(Inspired by an Indelible Bonobo Tweet.)

Sources / More info: cr-wiki, gd-hr-wiki, gd-hr-imdb, huff-block, yt-gd-hair

VerbaVolant, chris rock, documentary, nappy, black, african, afro, hair, hairstyle, photo, video, film, movie

Arabic and Anal Sex

Today I was going to tell some bloggers important things about life, but then I thought I put it here.

Ben Stiller si-un blog enervant

Exista bloguri care ma enerveaza. Totusi, din cand in cand reusesc sa scoata perle. Cum ar fi ce urmeaza.

Tennis Girl poster creator dies

Let's be honest! The only reason why this is news is that it gives us a new opportunity to display the poster.

Though it certainly is sad news to learn that someone died, let’s face it: most people care only about the poster!

Captured on a tennis court at Birmingham University in the summer of 1976 – using a Nikon F camera and Kodak film – the image attained iconic status when it was made into an Athena poster. The girl in the picture was the photographer's then girlfriend, Fiona Butler. Apparently, she couldn't even play tennis at the time.

Elliott said about the photo that “It is not a picture I would buy”, but on his own website, he called it "the most published photograph in the world".

This "schoolboy's fantasy" was a money-maker for him and his widow Noelle; they are still receiving royalties. Fiona Butler was not paid for her work and maintained she will never be embarrassed by the photograph.

But(t) if Tennis Girl dominated the 80s, the 50s and 60s flowed under the sign of Jimmi and Audrey:

"because it's everything your parents didn't want you to have anything to do with. The long hair, spaced-out expression, the fag. Youth culture was about identifying with something your parents thought ridiculous."

The 80’s belonged to the (NEW) Man and Baby:

If the Tennis Girl was made for the boys, the Man & Baby poster was definitely made for the ladies. Gone are the days of the mythological Greek Gods, who always tried to kill their offspring. The New Man for a New Era was strong and dependable, caring and washed the dishes too. And just like the Tennis Girl, he was to remain a fantasy. He does not exist, or if he did, he was surely gay, for no woman would find such a man attractive.

Until today, I had not seen the Tennis Girl before. I like it for the “morning feeling” it conveys so well.

Sources / More info: amateur-tennis-girl, bbc-elliott-dies, bbc-posters

 

VerbaVolant, tennis, tenis, poster, photo, photography, photographer, commercial, image

the OK song

I'm gonna plant a 90s song in your head. It's made mostly by Kevin Krakower aka Kevi, and his "band", 1000 Clowns, which I keep remembering (when I do) as 10000 Clowns. Big difference between 1K and 10K, though the song can still be found, together with the history of it all.

The human-faced lamb and bestiality

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