Todd McCarthy and Anne Thompson of Variety offer their thoughts as the Cannes Film Festival winds down.
"No Country for Old Men," seems to be the odds-on favorite to win the Palme d'Or, although "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days" really impressed. Gus Van Sant's "Paranoid Park" seems to be better than "Elephant" which won the top prize a few years ago. David Fincher's "Zodiac" which has already screened in American theatres continued to impress. Wong Kar Wai's "My Blueberry Nights" didn't wow Cannes audiences, but it is likely to find a strong audience in America as a result of a cast that includes Norah Jones, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman and David Strathairn. Quentin Tarantino's extended "Death Proof" only got better, but we may not see it until it arrives on DVD.
Remaing on the Cannes competition schedule is James Gray's "We Own the Night" starring Mark Wahlberg and Joaquin Phoenix, which came to Cannes without a distributor and was purchased for $11.5 million before it was ever seen.
Out of competition, Michael Moore didn't appear to disappoint with his latest assault "Sicko" and Angelina Jolie seems poised for an Oscar run for her role in "A Mighty Heart." Leonardo DiCaprio's documentary "The 11th Hour" which he produced and narrates will scare the hell out of us. "Ocean's Thirteen" screens on Thursday.
