Cannes 2013 began with a downpour and ‘The Great Gatsby’, with the stars arriving under umbrellas. Here’s the news out of Cannes.
The opening ceremony featured ‘Gatsby’ star Leonardo DiCaprio and Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan, declaring the 66th Cannes officially begun.
‘The Great Gatsby’ kicked off the festival to mixed reviews, which is not unexpected considering director Baz Luhrmann’s track record. ‘Gatsby’ stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire were on hand, along with Luhrmann.
Debuting at the festival was Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Bling Ring’. The film chronicles a group of Southern California high schoolers who stole millions of dollars of goods (mostly clothing and accessories) from unsecured celebrity homes. Early reviews have been divided, with some critics appreciating the film’s look at our celebrity-obsessed culture. Others found the film’s intended social commentary light-weight. Emma Watson stars in the film, her first leading role since her days at Hogwarts.
If ‘Gatsby’ and ‘Bling Ring’ have divided the critics, the Mexican film ‘Heli’ has united them. ‘Heli’, by Amat Escalante, is a (very) grim look at the life of a young, poor family in corruption- and crime-plagued Mexico. The film is being universally praised by critics, noting the film is the polar opposite of the splash and flash of ‘Gatsby’ and ‘Bling Ring’.
Variety is reporting that Scarlett Johansson will direct her first film, an adaptation of Truman Capote’s ‘Summer Crossing’. Capote’s novel is about a rich teenage girl who pursues romance with a Jewish valet parking attendant in New York in the 1940s.