Sean Penn to Head Cannes Jury

Roger Corman, Gordon Willis, John Calley share the spotlight

(NEWSER) - A mere 65 years after her unforgettable screen debut, Lauren Bacall has won an Academy Award. The honorary Oscar was a high point of a ceremony last night in Los Angeles that also celebrated the careers of filmmaker Roger Corman, cinematographer Gordon Willis, and producer John Calley. "I can't believe it, a man at last!" the 85-year-old Bacall joked as she hoisted her new hardware. More»

White Ribbon 'will be discussed for decades to come'

(NEWSER) - Even in a vintage year for Cannes, Michael Haneke's new film The White Ribbon stood head and shoulders above the competition, writes Xan Brooks of the Guardian. The Austrian director has time and again missed out on the festival's top prize, but his "icy black-and-white" pastoral set in pre-WWI Germany wasn't just the best movie on the Croisette; it's "the finest film from a director who has served his time and paid his dues," notes Brooks. More»

(NEWSER) - Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon took the top prize at Cannes today, while Lars Von Triers’ controversial Antichrist was vindicated with a Best Actress award for Charlotte Gainsbourg, the AP reports. French film A Prophet won second place, with Fish Tank and Thirst tying for third. Christoph Waltz took Best Actor for his portrayal of a Nazi in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. More»

(NEWSER) - Festival fave Quentin Tarantino opened his comic-fantasy take on World War II, Inglourious Basterds, at Cannes today. The film traces Jewish-American soldiers, led by Brad Pitt, as they annihilate as many Nazis in France as three grisly hours can fit. Some early sentiment:

• "It's western meets war movie, with David Bowie on the soundtrack," writes Emma Jones for the BBC, adding that she regrets only that it's too long and there isn't enough Pitt.

Economic woes put the breaks on Croisette craziness

(NEWSER) - The Cannes Film Festival opens tomorrow with a screening of the new Pixar film Up, but this year the glitzy two-week movie fest on the French Riviera may be a low-key affair, writes the Hollywood Reporter. Yachts have gone unrented, Vanity Fair has canceled its annual party, and movie execs are anxious about the dealmaking that takes place around the festival. More»