General Discussion : Cannes 2011

[djross]

2011 Cannes Film Festival Official Selection:

Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris (opening film; out of competition)
Pedro Almodóvar, The Skin I Live
Bertrand Bonello, House of Tolerance
Alain Cavalier, Pater
Joseph Cedar, Footnote
Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Boy With a Bike
Aki Kaurismäki, Le Havre
Naomi Kawase, Hanezu No Tsuki
Julia Leigh, Sleeping Beauty
Maïwenn, Polisse
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
Radu Mihaileanu, The Source
Takashi Miike, Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai
Nanni Moretti, Habemus Papam
Lynne Ramsay, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Markus Schleizner, Michael
Paolo Sorrentino, This Must Be the Place
Lars von Trier, Melancholia
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive

Of this list, the movies of greatest interest to me (and keeping in mind there are several filmmakers here whose work I am completely unfamiliar with) are the Malick, the von Trier, the Bonello and the Sorrentino.

[green man]

looks good

[TheDenizen]

I wonder if that Miike movie is a new story or a remake of the Kobayashi film.

*goes off to do some research*

[edkrak]

Yes, it's a remake and in 3d
http://twitchfilm.com/interviews/2011/0 ... d-more.php
I'm worried about him. Since about 2005 he's on a downslope. I hope he will start making something original soon.

[TheDenizen]

ergh. Thanks for the link edkrak, but that's not good news IMO.

[Rufflesack]

I thought 13 Assassins was a step down for Miike, in that it was still a tier 7 film. The two other films of his I've seen since 2005, The Great Yokai War and Sukiyaki Western Django are both absolutely brilliant in my opinion, so I'm not entirely sure what you mean - I do note that he's made a lot of films in this time I haven't seen though...

Anyway, just because his films are less... extreme? than they used to be, doesn't mean they're "worse". They may not be as original as his previous films, but I don't see where the position that we have the right to demand originality from artists comes from anyway. Quality, maybe, but not originality. A film can be 100/100 in my book without being original in the slightest.

Not that originality is a bad thing.

[edkrak]

Since 2005 he makes a lot of remakes in some way or another. Django, Yokai, Yattaman, now 13 Assassins, Seppuku and Nintama Rantaro. Of course Miike is not one of talentless Hollywood hacks who make shitty remakes, he always brings something fresh to them, but still I prefer his older projects like Gozu, Izo, Audition and many others. For me Miike is one of the most interesting active directors today and while his recent stuff is still very good I know he can do better than that. Some remake once in a while is not a tragedy, but now his 3 remakes in a row make me worry.

[Rufflesack]

Yeah, I agree with that sentiment. I am not familiar with any of the things he's remade in any real way though, so it hasn't bothered me particularly.

[ShogunRua]

Since 2005 he makes a lot of remakes in some way or another. Django, Yokai, Yattaman, now 13 Assassins, Seppuku and Nintama Rantaro. Of course Miike is not one of talentless Hollywood hacks who make shitty remakes, he always brings something fresh to them, but still I prefer his older projects like Gozu, Izo, Audition and many others. For me Miike is one of the most interesting active directors today and while his recent stuff is still very good I know he can do better than that. Some remake once in a while is not a tragedy, but now his 3 remakes in a row make me worry.

Yep, I essentially agree. Miike's newer stuff has still been very good, or at least plenty entertaining, but it's not as incredible and original as his older works. Maybe his prime is already over?

[Rufflesack]

Must be said though, even if his prime has passed it's fairly impressive how prolific he manages to be while making, as you say, stuff that is still very good. The man averages 3-4 films a year. And nearly all my PSIs for the ones I haven't seen are in the greens (where a PSI is shown, that is).