Cannes. Half-time.

There's quite a bit of stock-taking going on right about now, just past midpoint for the Cannes Film Festival, but little consensus. "Maybe this is just an off-year for international cinema," suggests Time's Richard Corliss, whereas the Hollywood Reporter team decides this year's edition "is shaping up as the best Competition since the much-celebrated 2002 vintage."

Updated. (Yes, already. But I think you'll agree this is worth the rush.)

"There are entries that have been liked and even loved, but the 2006 Cannes Film Festival reaches its halfway mark looking like a fairly lackluster year," writes Roger Ebert, opening his overview. "Only Pedro Almodóvar's Volver, a high-spirited memory inspired by his childhood in La Mancha, has been embraced by critics and audiences." The Guardian's Xan Brooks notes that bookies are betting on this one, too: "The reasoning is that jury boss Wong Kar Wai is a long-time admirer of Almodóvar and Almodóvar has never actually won before and two and two make four (or in this case d'Or)."

Meanwhile, "the average-age of US filmmakers in Cannes must be its lowest in years," notes Anthony Kaufman at indieWIRE. "Is this a positive sign for American cinema? One thing's for sure; they're taking risks and breaking the rules." He then offers his own takes on Shortbus and Southland Tales.

Andrew O'Hehir comments on the American presence as well: "[Al] Gore and John Cameron Mitchell may not have much in common besides their nationality and (perhaps) their party affiliation, but both were received here as representatives of 'l'autre Amérique,' the republic of freedom, tolerance and progress that so inspired earlier generations of Europeans."

Roger Ebert gathered nine American filmmakers together for a chat on Sunday; Eugene Hernandez and Brian Brooks were there; they've also got notes from Gena Rowlands's talk and a few parties. Also at indieWIRE, the latest L'Atelier du Festival interviews: Shiver director Christina Andreef and Dau director Ilya Khranovsky.

Update: In the Voice, J Hoberman not only comes out in favor of Southland Tales, as Mike D'Angelo suspected he would (two out of three so far; the case for the film has been faintly suggested in a newspaper, argued in a weekly, and now, only Amy Taubin's left to take the stand in a magazine) - but he also writes, "Two years after Michael Moore won the Palme d'Or with Fahrenheit 9/11, social agendas have returned - at least on-screen."

Posted by dwhudson at May 23, 2006 12:09 PM