That Cannes-do spirit

The glitz, the glamour, the gratuitous spectacle; it's all happening at this year's Cannes film festival, currently underway in France. Despite the world medias' tendency to focus on Brangelina or the token blockbuster launch (it's the fourth Pirates Of The Caribbean movie this year, by the way), there is also a handful of films from the world's greatest living filmmakers premiering. Woody Allen's latest Midnight in Paris opens the festival tonight, but the real attention is on the 20 films in competition for the festival's grand prize; the Palme d'Or. Here are my picks for the six most likely contenders:

Terrence Malick: The Tree of Life

Everyone loves a recluse, especially when they pop out of the woodwork with masterpieces such as Badlands and The New World every seven-years or so. Terrence Malick's latest, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, sets to be just as beautiful, poetic and complex as his previous films and early buzz has Malick tipped to take home the top prize, 32-years after his first Palme d'Or nomination for Days Of Heaven.

Julia Leigh: Sleeping Beauty

Oscar-winning director Jane Campion presents this erotic retelling of the classic fairytale. Australian beauty Emily Browning swaps the samurai sword and school girl outfit of Sucker Punch to play a college student drawn into a mysterious, hidden world of prostitution. Written and directed by Australian novelist Julia Leigh, this is a triumph of female filmmaking and the poignant, beautifully crafted story should appeal to the A-List jury.

Nicolas Winding Refn: Drive

The black sheep, or black Cadillac rather, of the finalists is Drive; an action movie with art house sensibilities. It stars international film festival favourite Ryan Gosling as a Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman and discovers a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong. It doesn't sound like the usual Palme d'Or fare, which is exactly why it might work. It also stars Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Bryan Cranston and Oscar Isaac.

Lars Von Trier: Melancholia

Von Trier blew everyone away with his sexually graphic and emotionally horrific film Antichrist at last year's Cannes, which divided critics and audiences alike. His latest and eighth Palme d'Or nominated film Melancholia looks to be a safer bet with Kristen Dunst and renowned French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg starring as sisters who find their relationship challenged as a nearby planet threatens to collide into the Earth.

Pedro Almodóvar: La Piel que Habito (The Skin that I Inhabit)

Bizarre. That's the first word that springs to mind when watching excerpts from acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar's latest about a plastic surgeon (Antonio Banderas) on the hunt for the men who raped his daughter. Part horror, part thriller, all parts dramatic, this is one of the more left-field, artistic offerings amongst the 20 finalists.

Takashi Miike: Ichemei (Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai)

The prolific and controversial Japanese filmmaker's newbie will be the first 3D feature to compete in Cannes and is a re-imagining of Masaki Kobayashi's 1962 film Harakiri. With over 70 titles to his name, Miike's films range from violent and bizarre to dramatic and family-friendly, with this being his first to screen at the famous festival. It's an outside chance to take home any of the major prizes since its biggest coup was getting selected for competition in the first place.

Out of competition films to keep an eye on throughout the course of the festival are Australian serial-killer drama Snowtown, the controversial Princess Diana documentary Unlawful Killing and Oscar-winner Gus Van Sant's latest Restless, starring talented Aussie actress Mia Wasikowka. The Cannes film festival wraps on May 22. In the meantime, I suggest you check out the Restless trailer below because, put simply, it looks amazing.

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Top 10 Hollywood Hunks

1. Mark Wahlberg Wahlberg and his Funky Bunch first came to the attention of females everywhere in the crotch-grabbing Calvin Klein ads of the nineties. Although he's gone on to become an acclaimed actor and producer, his shirtless turn as a boxer in The Fighter proves that even as a 39-year-old Marky Mark still brings those Good Vibrations.

2. Ryan Gosling

"If you're a bird, I'm a bird.'' Gosling might have won us over with his turn as a hopeless romantic in The Notebook, but it's his charisma commitment to his craft that has seen audiences fall in love him over and over again in films such as Half Nelson, Lars and The Real Girl and Blue Valentine. Plus, he makes beautiful, beautiful music with his haunting indie outfit Dead Man's Bones.

3. Eli Roth

Best known for his role behind the camera directing horror flicks such as Cabin Fever and the Hostel series, Roth had his time in the spotlight as The Bear Jew in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. He dispelled the notion that film directors are bearded, smelly and at least 50 pounds overweight. Some, as it turns out, are very sexy and very Jewish.

4. Joseph Gordon Levitt

The thinking woman's hunk. Gordon Levitt has made a career in the indie film circuit playing intelligent and quirky characters. But it was his dapper turn in Christopher Nolan's Inception that reminded ladies he looks damn fine in a suit. His mainstream crossover will continue when he stars in Nolan's last Batman film The Dark Knight Rises.

5. Adrien Brody Better known for his acting chops, Brody proved he could compete with the best action heroes in his macho and very shirtless turn in Predators. Seriously, did you see those abs?

6. Marc-Andre Grondin The sexiest French man that ever lived. Except, well, he’s actually Canadian. Marc first came to the attention of international cinema lovers with his powerful turn in under seen French gem C.R.A.Z.Y. From there he’s made a career of starring in art house French flicks, with the exception of Che: Part 2, and he will make his mainstream debut in Goon alongside Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber and Allison Pill.

7. Idris Elba

Salt N Pepa once described their perfect man as having "A body like Arnold with a Denzel face''. Meet Idris Elba, who more than fulfils that criteria with his huge physique, smooth intellect, street cred and roles in everything from The Wire (hello Stringer) to RocknRolla. Oh, and he’ll be swinging his hammer in Thor later this year so keep an eye out.

8. Colin Firth

He may have won over the critics with his Oscar-winning turn in The King's Speech, but for the ladies out there he won over our hearts as Mr Darcy in the BBC's production of Pride and Prejudice.

9. Taylor Kitsch

As the breakout star of football drama Friday Night Lights, Taylor Kitsch is one of the few Hollywood actors who's prettier than his female co-stars. With his model good looks and Prince Charming hair, Kitsch achieved a rare feat in X-Men Origins: Wolverine; he drew attention away from a ripped Hugh Jackman. Plus he's really pretty. Did we mention that?

10. Tom Hardy Every gal loves a bad boy and Tom Hardy encompasses the guy your parents would frown upon. The cheeky Brit's Hollywood popularity stems from his man's man appeal in films such as Bronson and Inception.

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The 8 best actor-turned-musicians

A lot of attention has been paid to the reverse of this phenomenon; musicians turned actors. But for me, the opposite is more interesting because once you get past the legion of hot-pant wearing, gyrating, former Disney stars, there are actually some fantastically talented and unique actor-turned-musicians out there. No doubt some of these choices are going to have you baking frownies, but hear me out. Or hear them out. Either way, get listening.

1. Ryan Gosling

You know, I genuinely hate when people say “words cannot express how much I love blah blah blah” and then they proceed to use words to describe how much they love said thing or person. I nearly made that writing faux pas trying to explain just how much I adore Ryan Gosling as a musician. I’ve ranted about the brilliance of his outfit Dead Man Bones before, but I truly never get sick of it. It’s beautiful. Haunting. Unforgettable. It’s also in part thanks to his time in the Mickey Mouse Club. From there, Gosling developed an obsession with the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland and the music of Dead Man’s Bones comes from his failed attempt, with fellow actor Zach Shields, to write a musical based around the ride. Gosling and Shields have only made one Dead Man’s Bones album, but that’s enough to leave a magical impression. From the macabre melodies about zombies, werewolves, ghosts and murder, to it’s unrelenting indie sensibilities, their self-titled debut will seduce from the first listen. Unashamedly low-fi, the backing vocals provided by the Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir add to the poltergeist perfection which features everything from hand-claps and helter skelter musicianship, to Gosling moaning lyrics and a prolonged period of weeping to end a track. Outside of graveyard anthems, Gosling hinted at his skill as quirky musician in the standout scene from Blue Valentine where he plays a ukulele whilst singing a love ballad to Michelle Williams’ character. He also penned the song Unicorn Tears from the film, which deserves kudos for it’s awesome title and general delightfulness.

2. Jamie Foxx

You couldn’t get further from Gosling than Mr Foxx here, the Oscar-winner turned R’n’B crooner. Although already having released an album after his sitcom and stand-up success, Foxx’s musical career came into it’s own in 2006 with the release of his best-selling album Unpredictable (featuring standout tracks Extravaganza and Unpredictable). His third and fourth efforts, Intuition in 2008 and last year’s Best Night Of My Life, were just as slick and featured guest appearances from some of the best rappers in the bizz. Sure, most of his music is full of sexual innuendo, cocky self-assurance and criminally smooth vocals, but when has that been a bad thing? Plus, unlike fellow actor-turned-musician Drake, who works within the same genre, Foxx has a stellar set of vocal chords and doesn’t overly rely on autotune or producers to do the hard work for him. As well as lending his pipes to musical movies such as Ray and Dreamgirls, Foxx’s musical cameos are almost as notable as his solo career. After all, what would Kanye West’s Gold Digger be without with Foxx’s modern Ray Charles-esque backing vocals and lets not forget Slow Jamz with Twista and Kanye (again). The standout though, has to be the superb dirty grind Hustle Blood with Outkast’s Big Boi on 2010’s Sir Luscious Left Foot The Son Of Chico Dusty. As a side note, I highly recommend you check out Foxx’s video clip to Blame It which features a who’s who of Hollywood A-Listers partying down with Foxx, notably Ron Howard and Jake Gyllenhaal getting their wigga on.

3. Scarlett Johansson

I have a feeling I’m going to cop slack over this choice, but you know what? Bring it. For her debut album Anywhere I Lay My Head Scarlett Johansson could have strapped on a sequined top and spat out a quasi R’n’B/pop album. But no, she opted to do a record of Tom Waits covers that few people would understand and even fewer people would take the time to listen to. Sure, she doesn’t have a bubblegum sweet voice like, say, Zooey Deschanel. Yet there’s something so alluring about Johansson’s husky, almost androgynous voice that instantly draws me to the speaker like a kid listing to Joni Mitchell for the first time. Along with the 10 Waits covers and an original track, Johansson had a host of incredible guests lend their talent to the album including David Bowie, members of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs and Celebration, not to mention TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek as producer. The record is almost like a female companion to Gosling and Shields’ Dead Man’s Bones, featuring that same ghostly magic. Personally, I’m a bigger fan of her album with Pete Yorn, Break Up, based on the duets of Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot. It’s a lot more uppity, retro and fun than Johansson’s solo work and also features the addictive track Relator, which serves as a somewhat prophetic song given her marriage breakup with Ryan Reynolds. Plus, her cover of Jeff Buckley’s Last Goodbye is the only redeeming thing about He’s Just Not That Into You.

4. Tim Robbins

I first listened to Tim Robbins and The Rogues Gallery Band’s debut album while going on a three hour drive through the country. It was pretty much the perfect setting to digest this masterful and sweeping piece of storytelling. Robbins, who’s had an interest in music for decades, waited until he was 50 to release his first record this year and I can only think it’s a good thing. Each song plays like a mini-movie, with Robbins’ Nick Cave-esque storytelling within each track complimented perfectly by his minimalist vocals and the rag-tag group of experienced musicians he’s got backing him up. Robbins and the Rogues Galley Band are playing at the 2011 Byron Bay Bluesfest next month and frankly, I can’t wait to see what they do live.

5. Jared Leto

The man can sing. There’s no denying. In fact, I dare say Leto has the most powerful voice on this list of actor-turned-musicians. As the singer-songwriter and rhythm guitarist for 30 Seconds To Mars, Leto has shed his Hollywood pretty boy image by becoming an enigmatic frontman to this punk/rock outfit. They make epic music, inspiring a legion of hardcore fans with three-tone hair colours and Mohawks who get just as involved in the passionate and aggressive ballads for the misunderstood as Leto himself. If you’ve heard their music, you understand why.

6. Zooey Deschanel

Deschanel truly completed her indie girl, retro sweetheart persona with music project She & Him with fellow muso M. Ward. The bubblegum sweetness of her tunes invoke visions of riding a bicycle through fifties suburbia and despite some beige moments, the two albums from She & Him, Volume One and Volume Two, offer something relatively unique for left-field music lovers.

7. Taylor Momsen

Okay, yes, she does dress like a $2 whore crossed with something escaped from Rob Zombie’s basement, but Gossip Girl Momsen’s band The Pretty Reckless are pretty decent. Shying away from the Disney rock/pop sound of her peers like Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus, Momsen’s band are decidedly more grunge and heavy sounding a la Nirvana and Garbage. Their debut single Make Me Wanna Die, off the Kick-Ass soundtrack, proved Momsen’s ambition to combine the vocal talents of Shirley Manson and Joan Jett, and so far it hasn’t proved too poor a move for her. Sure, The Pretty Reckless are never going to be a mainstream success thanks to their jailbait lead singer and edgy public persona, but that won’t stop many fans, including myself, highly anticipating their follow up to debut album Light Me Up.

8. Juliette Lewis

The ultimate rock chick, Lewis isn’t fazed by throwing on a lyrca leotard, grabbing a microphone and getting dirty in the mosh pit with her fans. I’m sure she’s also comfortable snorting a line of cocaine with carnies in a port-a-loo, but lets focus on her music. Lewis made her music debut with Juliette Lewis and The Licks before forming The New Romantiques in 2009. Lewis and her music are eccentric punk rock all the way, with lyrics that bash everything from corporate giants to former lovers. Throw in the purring vocals, and Lewis is a musician who rocks whatever band she’s in at the time, not to mention guest performances on tracks for legends such as The Prodigy and The Infidels.

Ones to watch: Emily Browning, Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson, Lea Michele, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Kristen Stewart, Amber Riley.

Musician Meh-stakes: Russell Crowe, Lindsay Lohan, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katie Holmes, Vanessa Hudgens, Bec Hewitt, Tammin Sursok and pretty much every other Home and Away actress-turned-singer.

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Be my (Blue) Valentine

After months of taking the international film festival circuit by storm, indie darling Blue Valentine has finally arrived with its raw, romantic and realistic look at marriage. Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling play a married couple bringing up their daughter in a small American town and like many other couples, the spark has gone out of their relationship. Constantly snapping at each other and feuding over seemingly everything, the couple are teetering on the edge of destruction, despite the occasional redeeming moment. As we grow familiar with the passionless and dry reality of their relationship, we are thrown back in time to the beginning of their love affair.

Dean (Gosling) is a fast-talking 20-something and romantic idealist. Cindy (Williams) is an ambitious nursing student set on becoming a doctor. When their paths cross, Dean is convinced it's love at first sight and we're taken through the beginnings of their sweet, lo-fi courtship and eventual wedding. All the while director Derek Cianfrance continues to shift us forwards and backwards into the present and history of their love. Through this perfectly executed device we see that at the start their passion was red, then their valentine’s blue, by the end of the marriage they were screaming “I hate you''.Blue Valentine is an achievement for Gosling and Williams, who not only carry the film on their shoulders with superb performances, but also serve as executive producers. Despite both having found initial mainstream success, these two actors have committed themselves to American independent cinema, Gosling with films like Half Nelson and Lars and The Real Girl and Williams with Wendy and Lucy and Synecdoche, New York. Blue Valentine bears the fruits of their labour, as Williams' vulnerable, defeated and at times dispassionate portrayal of a woman at the end of love and Gosling's charming, hilarious, desperate and infuriating performance as a man trying desperately to hold on to his family should see them both receive their second Oscar nominations.

Writer/director Cianfrance has crafted a relationship drama that leaves nothing to the imagination, equally depicting the high high's and the low low's of this contemporary couple. There's no Hollywood gloss here; as he seeks to portray everything just as it is and with confronting realism at times. A gorgeous scene where Cindy tap dances and Dean sings and plays his ukulele on the street not only utilises the unusual musical talents of Gosling (best seen in his band Dead Man's Bones) but also the subtle charm of Williams. Throw that against a physically and emotionally confronting sex scene in the present or a spat in Cindy's workplace and Cianfrance manages to make a film that is equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking.Blue Valentine opens Thursday, January 13.

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BIFFing around

Tis’ the season for two awesome film festivals within a ridiculously close distance to me. While the Gold Coast Film Festival kicks off tomorrow night, the Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) got a rockin’ when it opened on the weekend. There is seriously a colossal collection of international, Aussie, foreign language and classic flicks playing and I will mention only a few here.

A major highlight for me is the film that took this year's Sundance by storm - Blue Valentine (above). The low-budget indie flick stars Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling as a dysfunctional married couple and features a score by indie rock favourites Grizzly Bear. There’s a meaty line-up of Australia features in store including shark thriller The Reef and Red Hill, starring True Blood hunk Ryan Kwanten, Claire van der Boom and Steve Bisley. Kwanten and writer/director Patrick Hughes will introduce the film and I will be interviewing them on Friday so stay peeled.

Other flicks include the shock hit from Cannes, Leap Year, Venice Film Festival award-winner Life During Wartime, political thriller Fair Game starring Naomi Watts and Sean Penn, gay romantic comedy I Love You Phillip Morris with Jim Carey and Ewan McGregor and the acclaimed Welcome To The Rileys starring Kristen Stewart and The Sopranos James Gandolfini.

Going out with a bang, BIFF wraps up on Sunday, November 14 with animated kids flick Megamind, the legendary John Woo's latest actioner Reign Of Assassins and Sofia Coppola's charming Somewhere.

For the full BIFF line-up, ticket prices and session times visit HERE

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