Rourke Shines Again at Venice Film Festival

Action flick less than the sum of its all-star parts

(NEWSER) - Sylvester Stallone directed and co-stars, alongside a Magnificent Seven-style roster of action-film legends—Bruce Willis, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke, and Jason Statham—but critics have some issues with The Expendables.

• James Verniere (and a friend), Boston Herald : "Hulk like Expendables. It SMASH. Guns go BANG-BANG. Things go BOOM. Fire EVERYWHERE. Cars crash and make even MORE FIRE. HA-HA-HA. Hulk no like Rourke, though. Rourke NUTS."

'Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives' captures Palme d'Or

(NEWSER) - In a major upset, the Thai film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives has won the top honor at Cannes, according to the Hollywood Reporter . "I'd like to send a message home," director Apichatpong Weerasethakul said in accepting the Palme d'Or. "This prize is for you." Mike Leigh's Another Year had been considered a favorite for the top award, but English-language films failed to capture any major prizes, Entertainment Weekly notes . More»

Pioneering Frenchman directed 50+ films

(NEWSER) - Eric Rohmer, a leading light of the French New Wave and a prolific filmmaker for over 4 decades, died today in Paris. He was 89. Overshadowed early in his career by Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, Rohmer made his mark with his "Six Moral Tales," released from 1963 through 1972. They include My Night at Maud's, for which he received an Oscar nomination, and Claire's Knee. More»

The Expendables also stars Rourke, Li

(NEWSER) - Musclemen Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis are uniting for one last action flick, the Guardian reports. The Expendables, slated for release next year, tells the story of a band of mercenaries in Latin America, and will show the three grizzled stars together for the first time since the launch of their unsuccessful Planet Hollywood restaurants. More»

'I can pay for my own movies now,' boasts filmmaker

(NEWSER) - Lefty gadfly Michael Moore couldn't resist deriding the same well-heeled execs who bankrolled his latest movie at the Venice Film Festival yesterday. "One of the beautiful flaws of capitalism is they will use the rope you give them to hang themselves if you can make a buck," Moore scoffed to a roomful of executives from Paramount. But even as he spoke, Moore could see the dollars disappear. "I think this is the last time they will give me that money," he said. More»