Haneke's White Ribbon Wins Palme d'Or

(NEWSER) - The Cannes Film Festival unveiled this year’s roster today, and it’s packed with regulars like Ang Lee, Pedro Almodovar, and Terry Gilliam, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Among the most buzzed-about selections is Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino’s violent World War II pic. Anticipation is also high for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; Heath Ledger’s last film, directed by Gilliam, will screen out of competition. 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.

Controversial film drew gasps, boos

(NEWSER) - Lars von Trier’s Antichrist quickly became the most talked-about film at Cannes, eliciting audience reactions that ran the gamut from laughter to applause to boos at its screening last night, Reuters reports. The film, which one critic called “offensive,” features graphic sexual mutilation and a talking fox, among other questionable elements. Willem Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg star as a couple who go to a remote cabin to wrestle with the grief of losing their only child. More»

(NEWSER) - Inglourious Basterds had a glorious opening weekend, scalping the box office for $37.6 million to give Quentin Tarantino the best opening of his career, USA Today reports. District 9 continued its strong showing in second place with $18.9 million, while GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra ($12.5 million), The Time Traveler's Wife ($10 million), and Julie & Julia ($9 million) rounded out the top five. 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»