Behold! In mere weeks, another Cannes Film Festival begins... and you yawn?
:-)
Will this year's Mediterranean extravaganza be any different than those of past years? ZENers are inclined to think so... because the Président du Jury is no one other than Tim Burton.
Tim's long history of eccentricity between mind and market; his stunning series of films (which began long before Batman and Edward Scissorhands, through the immemorial Ed Wood, to his recently-released Alice in Wonderland) create fantasmagoric trails, through cinema's blossoming era of ever-more-complex digital effects, whilst weaving stories that draw from his actors their best presentations of the characters they portrayed.
Tim's genius is manifested in his low-key (and low decibel) directing talents; how successful will that talent be, as he brings together a Cannes Jury comprised of...
- Kate Beckinsale: actress from the United Kingdom;
- Giovanna Mezagiornio: Italian actress;
- Alberto Barbera: Director of the Italian National Cinema Museum;
- Emmanuel Carrere: French Director, author and screenwriter;
- Victor Erice: Spanish Director;
- Shekhar Kapur: Indian actor, Director and producer
As President of this Jury, Tim Burton will have the only 'American' viewpoint for a heavily-European jury; yet his unconventional methods will most likely be rather well-appreciated by the fellow jurors.
On the palate for films, is Ridley Scott's Robin Hood. The long métrage, which falls in the genre of 'we can do better than Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings!' (In its effects, scenes of running-through-woods bow-and-arrow battles, etc.... even to the casting), displays that aspect of the Cannes festival that its fans cherish so much: bringing in the spectacular... the omnipresent aspects of global marketing budgets...
For the first time in twelve years, ZENmud Central is not wired-in to the coverage of Cannes, offered by the French television channels, especially Canal+ (aka Canal Plus)...
And!
Last weekend was France's "2nd Annual International Thriller Film Festival"... the 'new kid' on the international film Festival 'block'...
While... FLASH; an Icelandic volcano eruption has paralyzed aerial traffic in the northwest regions of Europe!
Airports from Geneva to Ireland are under the effect of thick dust and ash, forcing the cancellation of hundreds, if not thousands of flights... and experts on Icelandic geology are announcing that less-intense, yet nearly-continual emissions from this volcano may occur for up to a year!How will aerial traffic be affected in the months to come, and what effects will this bring to the European tourist industry?
Hopefully, Tim and the rest of the flock of celebrity travellers to Cannes, will be able to arrive in the weeks to come! Stay inside, Euro-ZENers!
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