FilmMattic

Strains, Lanes and Automatons        Not quite the year of Planes, Trains and Automobiles , 2011 distinguished itself as the year, which demonstrated Hollywood's recidivist tendencies (bad habits), driven, unsurprisingly, by a strong capitalistic urge to promote superheroes, comic book characters, and any other potentially robust profit stream; I guess the ancillary benefits associated with excessive merchandising are too potent a force (sadly Luke Skywalker would pose no threat to the gross infiltration of Hollywood executives, after all, his franchise helped establish the model). Indeed, 2011 was the year of the superhero. But these monetarily-inspired incarnations, while neither transcendent nor groundbreaking, were quite commendable ( X-Men: First Class, Thor, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ), revealing an advantageous benefit of superhero hysteria: Successful blending of art-house and commercial fare.       Obj...

You Cannes Do It       My man De Niro's in charge. That's enough to get me in front of my computer, typing on a Saturday night, instead of standard weekend dance fever. If that's not an intimation of my love for movies, I don't know what is.         Held in the South of France every year, the Cannes Film Festival is one of the most respected festivals in the world. It opened this past May 11th and runs until May 22nd. There's a total of 20 films in the 'main competition' category, but many 'out-of-competition' films will also generate substantial buzz.       Cannes is a cineaste's wet dream. It is my dream. An opportunity to witness a great cinematic work of art before the rest of the world is a privilege, one that shall not be treated with casual indifference. To be one of the lucky few in Palais des Festivals et des Congrès is, in my film-centric estimation, equivalent to winning a lottery ticket. And unlike Wil...