edited by Jonathan Doyle

Cloverfield [BLU-RAY] (Paramount Home Entertainment, 6.3.2008) Disguised under deliberately goofy, yet deliciously edible-sounding, aliases such as Cheese and Slusho, Matt Reeves' Cloverfield was produced and rushed into theaters under an equally appetizing shroud of secrecy. From last year's incredibly elusive Super Bowl ad to the film's viral marketing campaign, Cloverfield had everybody scratching their heads and drooling in anticipation. Aside from the as-yet untitled title and the Blair Witch-ian visual style, the film's biggest appeal was the enigmatic creature who was last (un)seen hurling the decapitated head of the Statue of Liberty onto the crowded streets of New York City. All we knew about the mysterious beast was that it was big and angry. Now that the highy-anticipated project has come and gone, one question has fortunately been answered: Cloverfield was a major success. (continued)

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Will Che Take It?

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[Final Nice Airport post before 7:15 pm Easy Jet flight to Paris.] I heard some scuttlebutt this afternoon about which films and filmmakers might win some Cannes Film Festival awards on Sunday evening, the principal buzz being that Steven Soderbergh's Che may -- I say "may" -- be in a favoring position to win the Palme d'Or.

The talk is that jury honcho Sean Penn is presumed to be advocating the Soderbergh, in large part because of his lefty political views. The Che downside, I've been told, is that Spanish-speaking cineastes up and down the Croisette are said to be down on it because of the "accent salad" rap -- i.e., complaints that very few in the cast of Soderbergh's film speak with a convincing Cuban accent. (Referring, I presume, to The Argentine.) No telling how jury member Alfonso Cuaron feels about this.

The other pro-Che factor, according to Envelope columnist Pete Hammond, is that Harvey Weinstein is vocally pushing for it with jury members.

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on May 23, 2008 at 9:32 AM

comment #1

Mike Walsh says ...

I hope it does.....what a coup if it did....I had to do it.

Posted by Mike Walsh at May 23, 2008 10:21 AM

comment #2

kidkosmic says ...

It would be ideal if the Palme could be awarded to the best film in lieu of the most popular political sentiment.

Posted by kidkosmic at May 23, 2008 11:13 AM

comment #3

Josh says ...

It's always good to award best film awards because of a directors political views and not about the movies themselves.

Posted by Josh at May 23, 2008 11:14 AM

comment #4

MovieBob says ...

This'd be kind of hysterical given Penn's statement last week about how the winners will HAVE to be films that "reflect the current world situation" or somesuch... since there's NOTHING more relevant than a paean to a onetime icon who hasn't been relevant since the late-60s.

Posted by MovieBob at May 23, 2008 11:16 AM

comment #5

JHRussell says ...

Cannes sure picked the right film last year (4 MONTHS...) but I am not getting Jeff's CHE vibe from anything I am reading about this year's festival - Cannes sounds like it was a real snoozer this year...

Posted by JHRussell at May 23, 2008 12:16 PM

comment #6

Josh Massey says ...

"It would be ideal if the Palme could be awarded to the best film in lieu of the most popular political sentiment."

Or the Oscar. Did anybody really think An Inconvenient Truth was the best documentary of 2006?

Posted by Josh Massey at May 23, 2008 4:03 PM

comment #7

bfm says ...

Regardless of the merits of Che, I'm not sure I agree with giving the Palme d'Or to an unfinished film.

Posted by bfm at May 23, 2008 5:02 PM

comment #8

MilkMan says ...

Got to agree with Movie Bob. Che is a lava lamp.
And I also agree with Josh Massey. Al Gore got a consolation prize from the Limo Liberals.

Posted by MilkMan at May 23, 2008 5:10 PM

comment #9

filmfan says ...

It sounds like Harvey Weinstein wants to buy Che. But maybe he wants it to win the Palm before he spends the money. I think it should go to HBO and air as a two part mini series. That way we could see the whole thing in a timely fashion.

Posted by filmfan at May 23, 2008 7:01 PM

comment #10

fielding says ...

Mass murderers are always relevant to Lefties.

Posted by fielding at May 23, 2008 7:06 PM

comment #11

K. Bowen says ...

Hey, why doesn't Middle America watch the Oscars anymore?

Posted by K. Bowen at May 23, 2008 7:36 PM

comment #12

Mjs says ...

"Mass murderers are always relevant to Lefties."

As in, we hate the fact that the righties elect them to office.

Posted by Mjs at May 23, 2008 10:37 PM

comment #13

cinemascopian says ...

Yes Jeff, that's what my take is too: the Palme D'or going to either Soderbergh or Eastwood and the Grand Jury Prize to "Waltz With Bashir". More Cannes reporting here:

http://cinemascopian.com/2008/05/23/israeli-movie-wins-in-cannes/

Posted by cinemascopian at May 24, 2008 8:53 AM

comment #14