"THE TREE OF LIFE" AND KIRSTEN DUNST WIN BIG AT CANNES

Still from The Tree of Life

Congratulations to Terence Malick for his victory at the Cannes Film Festival.  The shy Director's Feature The Tree of Life just received the coveted Palme d'Or Award for Best Feature; he was not on-hand to accept the Award.  Despite some "boos" having been heard at its Premiere in Cannes last week, it turns out that the Drama starring Sean Penn and Brad Pitt is a Critical Darling after all.  The Film gets a Canadian release on June 10, 2011.

In a surprising turn of events, Kirsten Dunst was awarded Best Actress for her work in Lars von Trier's Melancholia.  The Dancer in the Dark Director known best for tortured Heroines in his Films, recently generated a bit of controversy when he made some Anti-Semetic remarks he made, getting him banned from the Festival. Melancholia is a Sci-Fi Piece about two Sisters whose relationship is compromised as another Planet threatens to collide with Earth.

Melancholia is due in theatres November 4, 2011 and also stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland and Alexander Skarsgård.  The Film is garnering some controversy as Dunst appears fully nude for the first time ever in it after having publicly gone on the record to say that Pedro Almodóvar is the only Director for whom she would remove her clothing.  Expect this one to do the Festival rounds including a possible TIFF stopoff this September.

(Photo credit: Fox Searchlight)

"THE TREE OF LIFE" GARNERS BOOS AND PRAISE IN CANNES

Still from Tree of Life

Despite some high expectations for The Thin Red Line Director Terence Malick’s latest work The Tree of Life, reviews unfortunately were mixed after today’s first screening of it at the Cannes Film Festival. Many have been awaiting the Film after multiple delays in its release, almost two years to be exact.

Although many top Critics had positive things to say about the philosophical Drama starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain and Sean Penn, there reportedly was a bit of "booing" post-screening, which some Critics like Eric Kohn of IndieWire, took to Twitter clarifying this as an exaggeration.

Here’s what some of the Critics are saying for The Tree of Life:

“This film is not for everyone, and I will admit I am agnostic about the final sequence, which suggests a closure and a redemption nothing else in the film has prepared us for. But this is visionary cinema on an unashamedly huge scale: cinema that's thinking big.”. - PETER BRADSHAW - THE GUARDIAN

NEW "THE TREE OF LIFE" POSTER REVEALED

The Tree of Life Official Poster

Wow. This new Poster containing various small Stills was just released for Terence Malick’s The Tree of Life and wouldn’t you say it’s rather exquisite? A visual masterpiece if I might be so bold to say.

Starring Sean Penn, Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain, the Story follows three Brothers growing up in the 1950s, with the eldest son Jack being instilled with the values of Love and Mercy by his Mother (Chastain), while his Father (Pitt) teaches him the value of fending for himself in life.

Jack experiences true pain and hurt for the first time through the death of a loved one, thus losing his innocence. The Story cuts ahead to a grown-up version of himself, a lost soul who finds out what it means to love unselfishly. Absolutely beautiful!

The Tree of Life is now working with the tagline: “Two Ways Through Life” and hits theatres May 27, 2011 via Fox Searchlight. Earlier in the month it will get its Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Visit its official site here.

FIRST STILL FROM "THE TREE OF LIFE" WITH BRAD PITT AND SEAN PENN

Still from Tree of Life

Director Terernce Malick has been quiet of late but when he makes a Film, it's usually a good one.  The Thin Red Line Director's  latest effort The Tree of Life originally was slated for a 2010 release as an Oscar contender, but never surfaced in time due to various issues finding a U.S. Distributor and also Malick not feeling it was ready to be seen.  The Tree of Life originally was to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.

Starring a critically bulletproof duo Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, its story centers around an eleven year-old Boy named Jack (Penn as a adult) who reflects back on his Childhood growing up in the 1950s.  The Film touches upon the loss of innocence he experiences in witnessing the decline of his younger Brother.  Despite the role originally being intended for the late Heath Ledger, Pitt (who produces the Film also) plays Jack's Father, Mr. O'Brien in the Fantasy-Drama, which hits theatres May 27, 2011 via Fox Searchlight.

(Photo credit: Fox Searchlight)

VALERIE PLAME'S FAIR GAME REVIEW

Still from Fair Game

Based on the Memoir Fair Game by disgraced CIA Agent Valerie Plame, Doug Liman's latest film of the same title recounts the story which shook the United States seven years ago.  Being one of America's most respected CIA Agents, Plame (Naomi Watts) completed many an important undercover mission prior to things going awry.    

Plame's husband, Journalist Joe Wilson (Sean Penn) had journeyed to Niger, investigating the validity in claims of Saddam Hussein ordering weapons of mass destruction allegedly produced there, to be used against the U.S.  After drawing the conclusion that no such deal had taken place, Wilson had refuted erroneous claims from President George W. Bush that the U.S. was in clear and imminent danger, referencing supposed evidence from the British Intelligence.  

Wilson then took poisonous pen to paper and wrote a piece published in the New York Times in 2003, outlining some of his own direct findings from his time in Niger.  Scooter Libby (David Andrews) who at the time was a part of the Bush Administration, held the title of Assistant to the Vice President for National Security.  He proceeded to go on an all-out attack, discrediting Wilson for having been tipped-off by his wife Plame.  This essentially sabotaged her career by unveiling her secret identity to the world.  As a result of this, we see Wilson and Plame's relationship begin to fall apart as Wilson is determined to uncover the truth, while Plame struggles to cope with the controversy and attention she received so suddenly.

CAST OF "THE SOCIAL NETWORK" HONOURED AT HOLLYWOOD AWARDS GALA

The Social Network's Rashida Jones, Josh Pence, Jesse Eisenberg,
,Justin Timberlake, Max Minghella and Andrew Garfield

Congratulations to the cast of David Fincher's The Social Network who were honoured at the Beverly Hilton last night for the 14th annual Hollywood Awards Gala.  And Awards season still hasn't begun yet! The Actors won the  Ensemble Acting Award and my guess is that they're likely to win the Screen Actor's Guild Award for Best Ensemble Cast on Sunday, January 30, 2011 too.

Other Actors honoured last night include:

VIDEO: FAIR GAME TRAILER

I've been going on about this movie forever, but the trailer has surfaced at long last.  Although it won't be doing the rounds on the festival circuit, namely in Venice and Toronto, Doug Liman's Fair Game looks to deliver every bit of promise it has shown on paper.  The film is based on the true story of CIA Agent Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts) whose identity was revealed after her husband Joseph C. Wilson (Sean Penn) wrote a piece in The New York Times discrediting the Bush Administration in justifying their invasion of Iraq.  The film will be released on November 5, 2010 through Summit Entertainment.

And I just may have a signed 8x10 of Watts, who is a front-runner in the race for Best Actress at the Oscars, to give away to my lovely readers.  But you'll just have to wait til a bit later in the year for that.  Oh yeah.

SEAN PENN IN HAITI

My favourite actor of all time Sean Penn appears on the June issue of Vanity Fair and we learn in the interview with Lenora Jane Estes that he has been in Haiti mostly since January helping rebuild Pétionville after January's disastrous earthquake. He runs a camp which houses 50,000 survivors. And let's not forget the selfless work he did in 2005 traveling to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina had taken place. Penn's humanitarian work is the stuff of Biopics and one day when his time has come I look forward to learning all about the fascinating being that he is.

To read the article in full, visit Vanity Fair's website. (Thanks Lainey!)

(Photo credit: Vanity Fair/Jonas Fredwall Karlsson)