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Now Playing: Helen Hunt by Helen Hunt for Helen Hunt

I'm too busy festivaling to see anything opening now. But please do share in the comments if you have or will...

L I M I T E D
Then She Found Me -Helen Hunt wrote, directed, starred and also-- just see for yourself --designed the poster. I'm guessing... but Bette Midler forced to kneel before a glowing benelovent Hunt? The religious implications --the pop cultural implications! It's enough to sap my will to live. But if I don't go on then the Helen Hunt has already won.
Deal -Burt Reynolds is back. Not that you asked for him. He's playing a gambler.
Rogue -Was it my imagine or did the trailer (ages ago) used to hide what the killer was in this movie and now the poster has a huge freaking crocodile head on it. From the director of Wolf Creek and that apparently means something to some people. Here's a question for the ages: How does Radha Mitchell get so much work? I have nothing against or for her for that matter... but it's curious, don'cha think?
Standard Operating Procedure -Errol Morris investigates the Abu Ghraib photos
A Plum Summer -This has something to do with a kidnapped puppet and two young brothers and the FBI and it's also a true story and family film. What?

W I D E
Baby Mama -Tina Fey gets Amy Poehler preggers. Will hilarity follow? Well Mean Girls and 30 Rock sure bust me up
Deception -Hugh Jackman is a bad bad man. Ewan McGregor (and everyone who watched the trailer) finds out! Meanwhile, how sexy does Michelle Williams look? Very
Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay -What Would Neil Patrick Harris Do?

Famke, Who Turns Rivers

IIFF Day 1
Operating on just 2+ hours of sleep (early morning flight) I hit Indianapolis, caught up with Nick, braved a food court (blech -- the bane of dining out), caught a few movies and then met Famke Janssen for a lengthy sit down. I didn't want to bury the lead... figured I'd cut to the chase. I knew you were waiting for her.

The Star
Famke Janssen, as striking in person as on screen, was all sharp and dark lines. I'm not talking about just her familiar angular beauty or the black asymmetrical dress and sleek hair she wore to this festival premiere. She was also smart and unsentimental about her career and character creations in our interview. I had a wonderful time meeting her and discussing her characters, old (Jean Grey --I had to ask you know) and new --she's very good in Turn the River (trailer), ably carrying the drama of a pool shark who can't get her life together and desperately wants custody of the child she lost. Loyal Film Experience readers will be delighted to hear that I even got Famke using the phrase "deglam" as we talked. I couldn't help myself!

The lounge where we chatted was too noisy for a podcast, but I'll have more of the interview for you in a week or so. I also met the amiable writer/director Chris Eigeman who you film buffs will know as an actor from those wonderful Whit Stillman movies (Metropolitan, Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco) and Noah Baumbach's Kicking and Screaming. We didn't have much time to talk but more later hopefully.

If you'd like to read more about the movie, I am pleased to let you know that Nick of Nick's Flick Picks wrote an actual review after our screening. Nick with new material. Yay!

The Movies
Psycho Hillbilly Cabin Massacre! (short) Mildly amusing and twisty. Gross but horror fans will really enjoy I'll bet.
World Builder (short) CGI heavy. A man is building a holograph city for purposes we don't learn until near the end of the overly sentimental film. The effects aren't groundbreaking but they're very professional and they work well in context and are hypnotic to watch.
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story (doc, US)
This was worth seeing for some film history that I was heretofore unaware of. Learned a few choice snippets about exhibition and double features in the 50s and a lot about Castle's career of making horror programmers like 13 Ghosts and House on Haunted Hill. My favorite parts where on The Tingler and Straightjacket (with Joan Crawford!). Asides to Rosemary's Baby and Hitchcock's Psycho (two of my favorite films ever) were also welcome --but I can't say that I thought it was well a put together doc. A puff piece surely. And if I never see another documentary that moves photos around and colorizes them (very The Kid Stays in the Picture) I will be quite pleased.

In the City of Sylvia (feature, Spain)
This feature by José Luis Guerín is about an artist who is still hung up on a woman he met six year prior. This played the major triple of Venice, Toronto and New York last year. It's in my jury category so I can't discuss it now.
Turn the River (feature, US)
Famke's vehicle. More on this when when it opens in May.

Cannes is Coming. Sean Penn Proclaimed Chief Opinion-Maker

Having served on a film festival jury and about to again, I'm always interested to know who will be taste-making for the Cannes festival. (Or course my duties and Cannes duties are dissimilar. Perhaps it's like neighborhood junior league to the World Series but I don't know sports so my analogy is surely wanting. Shut up!) To be on the jury at Cannes you generally have to be world reknowned or heavily awarded in the arts ...preferably both. If you're a beautiful famous actress, sometimes they let awardage slide and err on the side of fame. Here's who will be deciding who wins the Palme D'Or and other career-making honors this year...

Pictured from left to right: Actresses: Natalie Portman (USA) who you all know and (presumably) love, Alexandra Maria Lara (Born in Romania / Raised in Germany) who we recently saw in Control. Directors: Alfonso Cuaron (Mexico) Y Tu Mama Tambien and Children of Men mark him as one of my favorite working directors, Rachid Bouchareb (France) who was nominated for Oscar's Best Foreign Language film recently with Algeria's Indigenes (Days of Glory), Actor: Sergio Castellito (Italy) who recently moved into directing with Don't Move (Italy) and Director Apichatpong "Joe" Weerasethakul of Blissfully Yours and Tropical Malady fame (Thailand).

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