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Cannes Diary

Entry Four: Thursday, May 16, 2002  --  Page Two

After the movies ended, Danny went off to find another one and I headed over to the web café for my daily email check. My goal now was the Director’s Fortnight opening premiere of Catherine Breillat’s new movie, Sex is Comedy. I walked down the gorgeous beachside, checking out the numerous flashy advertisements all around the hotels (including the car from the new Bond movie). Not having a ticket for the movie, I simply got into the already-growing line and began my wait (I was an hour early). Lisa met up with me and, soon enough, they started letting people in...from the other line. For this movie, they had set up two different lines, one for normal Market passes and one for Market Buyers. These were the people actually responsible for buying movies and, since this is the Film Meat Market, they were the ones let in first. After watching scores of people being let into the theatre, an usher finally came over to our line...just to tell us that none of us were going to be let into the theatre. He turned down the entire line of people (which had grown to be about a block long now) and made us all leave. Very annoying and very disappointing. I start heading back to my room to figure out what to do during the night instead and, completely by chance, run into a large group getting ready to eat at a restaurant right down the street from my house. We talk and tell the stories of the day and make our movie recommendations and, through some ticket swapping, I got a hold of a coveted ticket to the Star Wars premiere to be held that night! The tickets had gone available yesterday afternoon and I hadn’t the slightest idea. They were gone relatively quickly and I had pretty much just made my peace with not being able to go. But now was my chance. I headed back to my room and changed and then it was off to the Palais for the 12:30am digital projection of Star Wars II, with the man, himself, George Lucas in attendance.

Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones
USA, Directed by George Lucas
Lumiere: late 05/16/02: 12:30am
(*** and 1/2) of four
Time slept during: None

Believe it or not, the Star Wars legacy finally has another worthy entry with Episode II. While many of the same mistakes that plagued The Phantom Menace are still here: Lucas still feels the need to excessively over-explain everything in the Star Wars universe, the acting still feels stiff and unemotional, and the dialogue in many scenes is downright laughable, the problems are much, much easier to overlook this time because the movie propels itself at such an enjoyable, fast-paced pace. Some fantastic action setpieces, starting right off with a breathtaking race through a Blade Runner-esqe city, keep the audience always waiting to find out what will happen next and Lucas ups the ante every time until we’re in the middle of a huge war by the end of the film. When all is said and done, it may not be an amazing, artistic piece of film, but it was a hell of a good time to watch and it kept a smile on my face the entire time. Unlike at the end of the first prequel, I walked out of this one cursing at how cruel it was that it would be another three years until the next one rolled around. I didn’t know if Lucas could do it, but Star Wars is back and I couldn’t be happier.


So, at this very late hour (the movie did start at 12:30am, remember), we decide to call it a day and head back to our rooms to prepare for another onslaught of lines, spectacle, and movies.

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Outside the Star Wars Premiere

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