Capsule Reviews from the 2007 Cannes Film Festival

These reviews are in order from best to worst film seen at Cannes:

1.) No Country for Old Men ***** -- After several flat-footed attempts at slapstick farce, Joel and Ethan Coen have reworked elements from their early feature Blood Simple into the ultimate comeback. This adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel is the brothers' best work in a decade. Channeling Peter Stormare's sociopath from Fargo, Javier Bardem stars as a killer on the loose who can chill blood just by flashing his bottomless saucer-like eyes. Tommy Lee Jones is the sheriff on Bardem's trail, while the ever-engaging Josh Brolin plays a good-hearted countryman who decides to take matters into his own hands. The impeccable cast moves organically within Roger Deakins' foreboding cinematography, while the Coens' marvelously poetic dialog includes endless quotable lines. Before Brolin leaves to investigate a mysterious crime scene, he has the following memorable exchange with his young wife, beautifully played by Kelly Macdonald:
Brolin: If I don't come back, tell my mom I love her.
Macdonald: But your mom's dead.
Brolin: Well then I guess I'll have to tell her myself.
There's one scene between Bardem and a store owner that is so well-written and acted that it generated applause at Cannes. The Coens' mastery of their craft has turned what could have easily been a routine crime drama into a hypnotically haunting masterpiece that manages to be insanely funny, mind-bogglingly suspenseful and searingly heartbreaking--sometimes all at once. This is an exhilarating return to form for the filmmaking duo, and is easily their best film since Fargo. Many festival-goers were shocked when this film lost the Palme d'Or to 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's stark portrait of a botched abortion.

2.) The Diving Bell and the Butterfly ***** -- Painter-turned-filmmaker Julian Schnabel won the Best Director award at Cannes for this astonishing adaptation of Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir. After suffering a stroke, magazine editor Bauby found himself paralyzed, with his undamaged mind trapped within a body over which he had little control. The blinking of his left eye was the only mode of communication Bauby was able to utilize. For much of the film, Oscar-winning cinematographer Janusz Kaminski allows the audience to literally look at the world through Bauby's eye, while his internal thoughts are heard in voice-over. Rarely has a film ever allowed audiences to experience the world so thoroughly and intimately through another's skin. This was the most extraordinarily unique moviegoing experience I had at Cannes. With riveting performances from Mathieu Amalric and Max von Sydow, and a true story as uplifting as it is devastating, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a film absolutely not to be missed.

3.) Sicko ***** -- Michael Moore's health care documentary is his best work since Roger and Me and the most humble film he's ever done. Better yet, Moore himself scheduled a special screening for our group of students, followed by a Q&A with him. He's my hero of the fest.

4.) I Served the King of England ****1/2 -- Closely Watched Trains director Jiri Menzel's sublime study of innocence in the face of sexual awakening and political corruption offers exquisite imagery from Menzel's longtime cinematographer Jaromir Sofr.

5.) Never Apologize: A Personal Visit with Lindsay Anderson **** -- A regular visitor at the American Pavilion during this year's festival, Malcolm McDowell is a supremely intelligent and fiercely funny individual who deserves to be remembered as more than "Alex from A Clockwork Orange" or "that guy from Heroes." The iconic actor emerges as a singular force of nature in director Mike Kaplan's impeccably edited recording of McDowell's riveting one-man stage show. For two hours, the charismatic performer pays tribute to his dear friend, the late filmmaker Lindsay Anderson (who directed McDowell in If... and O Lucky Man!). His stories are alternately hilarious, chilling, and ultimately moving

6.) Death Proof **** -- Stripped from the Grindhouse double-feature format, and stuffed with additional scenes, Tarantino's latest work becomes immensely improved (just in time for overseas distribution). Though his subversion of genre cliches and gender depiction comes off more as a brilliant stunt than a cohesive narrative, this version is vastly more entertaining and rewarding than the US release. Look for it on DVD!

7.) Paranoid Park ***1/2 -- More of a floundering mood piece than a focused work of art, this is Gus Van Sant's latest experiment in observational minimalism. Gabe Nevins leads the cast of unknowns as Alex, a young skateboarder who becomes racked with guilt after accidentally causing the death of a security guard. While not as dramatically satisfying as Van Sant's masterful Palme d'Or winner Elephant, this meditation on drifting adolescence offers several moments of abstract brilliance and on-target insight. While garnering less praise than other American films at Cannes, Paranoid Park nevertheless resulted in awarding Van Sant a special prize commemorating the festival's 60th anniversary.

8.) Death at a Funeral ***1/2 -- A game British cast and a darkly zany script highlight director Frank Oz's triumphant, crowd-pleasing return to screwball comedy.

9.) To Each His Own Cinema *** -- Short subjects by Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu, Walter Salles, Lars Von Trier, and Roman Polanski highlight this hit-or-miss series of films made especially for the festival's 60th anniversary.

10.) Smiley Face *** -- Billed as the first-ever female stoner comedy, this goofy spectacle by Mysterious Skin director Gregg Araki is certainly a step above Dude Where's My Car? It's an ideal vehicle for the airhead shtick of Anna Faris, who proves herself here as a gifted physical comedian. The aimless plot follows Faris through a series of mortifying adventures. She's aided by a terrific ensemble including John Krasinski and Adam Brody, who each give hysterical comic turns. Unfortunately, the final act derails the film entirely, plummeting a potentially first-rate satire into a jumbled drug haze.

11.) The Banishment **1/2 -- Spectacular-looking yet spectacularly dull infidelity drama that wallows in its impending tragedy the way an elephant might wallow in a puddle of tar.

12.) Boarding Gate * -- Watching this uproariously awful thriller in the Lumiere theatre is like watching a William Hung concert at the Albert Hall. Michael Madsen should be ashamed.