Flash bulbs were popping in the faces of Clint Eastwood and Angelina Jolie this morning as they unveiled the first screening of all-star mystery-drama Changeling. Angie was pleased to see us. Then again, she probably hasn’t read our review yet. See below…
LWLies then sat down with the producers of Terminator 4. And 5. And 6. Yes, The Halycon Company are three weeks into shooting the first in a new trilogy of sequels to James Cameron’s sci-fi saga.
Reason to be excited? Christian Bale stars as John Connor for a post-apocalyptic war against the machines. Reason to worry? McG directs.
But let’s not be churlish… Effects maestros from Pirates Of The Caribbean and James Cameron’s 3-D mega-movie Avatar are on board, with the producers guaranteeing CG carnage that will raise the bar in exactly the same way T2 did in 1991. Amen to that.
Smiles and tight-lips on rumours of a return for Ah-nuld or that Josh Brolin will need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle…
It was otherwise a quiet day on the Croisette – possibly because everyone is still wondering how they’re going to survive tomorrow’s 4-and-a-half-hour screening of Soderbergh’s Che.
And why the bloody French decided to clash it with the Champions League Final.
CHANGELING (dir. Clint Eastwood)
“I do have one thing,” says Angelina Jolie at the end of Clint Eastwood’s true-life drama about murder, mystery and a mother’s search for her missing son. “What’s that?” asks the generic cop. “Hope,” smiles Jolie, before walking away across the street as the camera pans high above her. So there you have it. Clint Eastwood makes movies. Not films. And despite an excellent performance from Angelina Jolie, this perfectly watchable mystery-drama is sandbagged by glossy clichés, devoid of surprise or subtlety and populated by characters instead of people. There’s a riveting story here – but one that’s been pulped into pure Hollywood product. The presence of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard as producers comes as no surprise.
VERSAILLES (dir. Pierre Schoeller)
A directorial debut that really caught the attention. The packed Cannes crowd gave a lengthy standing ovation… tears, kisses, more tears, children being held aloft. It was an emotional end to a film that LWLies wanted to love, but somehow couldn’t quite manage to. The story sees a homeless mother and her child (an impossibly adorable Max Baissette de Malglaive) who meet fellow drifter Damien in a makeshift hut in woodlands near Versailles. The mother and Damien spend a night together, before she disappears, leaving her son in his care. Beautifully shot, Versailles’ exploration of the relationship that unfolds is an affecting and individual offering from a first-time director – a man we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on.
