By Mike Collett-White
Star power was sustained, however, with the red carpet
attracting big names like Madonna, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt,
Clint Eastwood, Penelope Cruz, Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg
and Harrison Ford and sports stars Mike Tyson and Diego
Maradona.
With two out of 22 films in the main competition this year
yet to screen, critics and journalists who have been through 10
days of movies, news conferences, interviews and parties
struggled to come up with many highlights.
The competition closes on Sunday evening when the
nine-member jury headed by Sean Penn hands out the awards,
culminating in the coveted Palme d'Or for best picture.
"Even before the halfway mark, the general mood has been
one of disappointment," said Jay Weissberg, a critic with trade
publication Variety.
"Coming off another weak Berlin festival, there is a sense
that 2008 is not going to be the best year for films."
He and several others highlighted "Waltz With Bashir" as a
potential winner of the top prize.
The animated documentary was seen as an innovative way of
exploring an Israeli draftee's memories of the 1982 massacre of
Palestinians living in Beirut's Sabra and Shatila camps.
Other leading contenders included Hollywood veteran Clint
Eastwood and Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, underlining
how Cannes seeks to unite mainstream cinema with
smaller-budget, independent film making.
Eastwood's "The Exchange," originally titled "The
Changeling," features Angelina Jolie as a 1920s mother who
loses her son and faces down a corrupt Los Angeles police force
and a serial child killer as she goes in search of the truth.
Probably more than any other movie in Cannes it has sparked
early Oscar buzz, although several critics were underwhelmed.
FAMILY DRAMAS
Ceylan's "Three Monkeys," a brooding family tragedy, leads
Screen International's informal poll of critics, while another
family drama, "A Christmas Tale" by France's Arnaud Desplechin,
is a firm favorite among domestic experts.
Italian entry "Gomorrah" was lauded for its brave depiction
of the brutal world of the Naples mafia in a drama based on a
bestseller by Italian author Roberto Shavian.
Another Italian film, "Il Divo" directed by Paolo
Sorrentino, has also been well received. It takes a satirical
look at former prime minister Giulio Andreotti, depicting him
as the symbol of a corrupt political system.
Two-time Palme d'Or winners Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
from Belgium are seen as contenders with "Lorna's Silence,"
while two of four South American entries drew praise.
In "Lion's Den" from Argentina, Martina Gusman gives a
compelling performance as a pregnant woman jailed for murder
whose life is transformed by her son, and "Line of Passage"
from Brazil is a touching drama set in the slums of Sao Paulo.
the Crystal Skull
(To read more about our entertainment news, visit our blog
"Fan Fare" online at http://blogs.reuters/fanfare)
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