Cannes Review: Robin Hood, Tournee, The Strange Case of Angelica and more

Robert here, scouring the internet to give you the latest on the films premiering in Cannes

Opening Film

• Robin Hood Reviews for Ridley Scott & Russell Crowe's Robin Hood origin story have been up for a little while and they're decidedly mixed. Todd McCarthy over at IndieWIRE calls it "a fashionably gritty period drama, conceived by intelligent minds and handsomely decked out, but featuring no beating heart or compelling raison d’etre." But Empire Magazine declares it "the mullet-free Robin Hood movie we’ve been waiting decades for." Over at Little White Lies, the main complaint seems to be that "Robin Hood doesn’t seem too certain what to do with itself."

In Competition

• Chongqing Blues Director Xiaoshuai Wang's film about a Captain returning home from sea to find his son has been the victim of a police shooting is starting off the film with mixed reviews. The Hollywood Reporter calls it "An average father-and-son angst story with a strong lead performance." But over at AwardsDaily, Sasha Stone says its "a moving story well told."
• Tournée (On Tour) Actor Mathieu Amalric best known to Americans as a James Bond villain or for starring in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly acts in and directs this film about a man who leaves his life and ends up with a lovable Burlesque touring troupe. The AV Club says "Amalric is so detail-oriented that the big picture tends to escape him." Time Out London chimes in with another shaky review giving the film two stars. And continuing the trend of so-so notices is Guy Lodge at In Contention.

Un Certain Regard

• The Strange Case of Angelica 102 year old Manoel de Oliveira directs this film about a photographer who falls madly in love with a young deceased bride he's just photographed. Matt Bochenski at Little White Lies seems to think its good but "doesn't rank with the director's best work." The Hollywood Reporter echoes those sentiments, calling it "pretty but uninvolving."

And thus starts the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. Also check out The Guardian where writer Catherine Shoard lists the five things she's looking forward to. And Roger Ebert has a very nice retrospective (the first of what I'm sure will be a whole slew of great pieces by him) on the festival. As for me, I'm very much looking forward to keeping everyone updated here. It's Cannes time. Whoo-hoo!