Culture MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2010 Arrivederci Tinseltown

Who needs Hollywood when you can Sophia Coppola was awarded the Film Festival’s Golden have Chilean politics, kung fu, ballet thrillers Lion for best film on Saturday for and weird sex at the ? Somewhere, an insider’s look at the life of an actor. PHOTOS: Bloomberg AND EPA by Jason Solomons The Observer, Venice

Left: Actress Helen Mirren walks the red carpet at the world premiere of The Tempest on Saturday at the 67th Venice Film Festival. Photo: REUTERS

Spanish director Alex de La Iglesia poses with the Venice Film Festival’s award for best director, which he won for his film A Sad Trumpet Ballad. Photo: AFP

act and fiction and the blurring terrible rap songs? Or David Letterman, mostly it’s flatulent and indulgent and with oddball stiltwalkers, flying midgets between the two emerged as a on whose show Phoenix first went public so, so boring. and comedy human cannonballs, but Winners at 67th Venice Film Festival central theme at the 67th Venice with his meltdown? Gallo refused to attend his press this had a wildness, sexiness and daring Film Festival, which ended on Phoenix certainly looked all right conference or do any interviews. So did insanity that is weirdly compelling. Who FSaturday. The biggest question here on stepping off his boat, all clean shaven and Phoenix. I thought a couple of times wouldn’t want to see two rampaging, the Lido — other than when the sun slimmed down, smiling for the cameras, that maybe they were one and the same disfigured clowns with machetes and ’s Somewhere, the tale of an actor who sees the would shine on us again — hung over a grin that either said “Aha, gotcha,” person, especially as Gallo had a beard machine guns dueling over a large- emptiness of his existence through the eyes of his child, walked and the film I’m Still or “Thank God I don’t have to be that and long hair for his role in Essential breasted trapeze artist on top of a away with the top prize at the Venice Film Festival. Here, directed by his brother-in-law character any more,” or both. Killing, a deeply silly film in which he 60m-high cross? The jury, headed by director , unanimously chose , chronicling Phoenix’s Believe what you want to believe. utters not a word as he goes on the run More considered but also set in a Coppola’s film as the best movie at the 11-day annual festival. attempts to become a rapper. I asked This Venice was open to anything, from US troops in the Ukrainian forests, freak show was Abdellatif Kechiche’s In Somewhere, Stephen Dorff plays a Hollywood star whose Casey, directly — was it a hoax? “There even the films of . In the playing a Taliban terrorist escaping Black Venus, a superb, weighty film somewhat empty life is enriched by the arrival of his daughter, is no hoax,” he replied. absence of — why his rendition. Starving and thirsty, he’s so about colonial exploitation and sex played by . The film takes place nearly entirely in hotels, But, to my eyes, the whole thing film The American, shot in Abruzzo and desperate that at one point he attacks a and morality. Only at the end does it mostly the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. clearly has been and it’s impressive how co-starring the beautiful Italian actress peasant woman as she’s breastfeeding confirm itself as a true story, about they kept us guessing — and caring — Violante Placido wasn’t here, I don’t her baby and sucks her milk. Sarah Baartman aka the Hottentot ★ Golden Lion for best film: Somewhere by Sofia Coppola (US) for so long. But it’s now safe to say that, know — it was left to Gallo to take the There were some really good films Venus, a black woman paraded as a ★ Silver Lion for best director: Alex de la Iglesia for A Sad Trumpet contrary to the brilliantly propagated festival’s poster boy role. He directed and here in a competition that responded savage in early-19th-century London. rumors, Phoenix did not quit acting to starred in Promises Written in Water to a lack of Hollywood product — Ben It’s a long film, grueling at times, but Ballad (-) take up hip-hop. Rather he immersed and played a fugitive Taliban terrorist in Affleck’s sentimental Boston crime utterly spellbinding. This director, who ★ Special Lion for overall work: Monte Hellman (US) himself fully in the role of an intense Essential Killing, as well as presenting a thriller, The Town, was a flashy though showed Couscous here three years ago, ★ Special jury prize: Essential Killing by Hollywood actor who quit acting for a short film, The Agent. not unenjoyable sideshow — by open- is officially confirmed as one of the (-Norway-Hungary-) disastrous rap career and the result is He, too, was going for some kind ing its reach across all genres and world’s finest. ★ Coppa Volpi for best actor: Vincent Gallo in Essential Killing by easily Phoenix’s best performance and a of postmodern joke. Having earned, borders. Chilean director Pablo Larrain, The 67th Venice Film Festival Jerzy Skolimowski (Poland-Norway-Hungary-Ireland) very decent, often very funny, Hollywood with his last feature whose last film, Tony Manero, wowed displayed and questioned the nature ★ Coppa Volpi for best actress: Ariane Labed in Attenberg by Athina meltdown movie, shot in the faux-doc (2003), the dubious honor of the worst at Cannes’ directors’ fortnight, was now and role of modern art cinema in Rachel Tsangari () manner of ’s Borat film ever to appear at Cannes, Gallo promoted to the big stage with Post all its forms. Samurai films, such as ★ Osella for best cinematography: Mikhail Krichman for Silent Souls and Bruno. has now done the double, with the Mortem, a film of remarkable poise Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins and by Aleksei Fedorchenko () The game for audiences is to work worst film ever shown in competition and poison, set in Santiago during the kung fu movies such as Tsui Hark’s (徐 ★ Osella prize for best screenplay: Alex de la Iglesia for A Sad Trumpet out which of the celebs in it know what’s at Venice. Promises Written in Water 1973 coup. 克) Detective Dee and the Mystery of Ballad (Spain-France) going on. Bruce Willis and ? is a studenty lo-fi love story with Gallo Also set in 1973, in Spain, is Alex de Phantom Flame did battle with Darren ★ award for best young actor or actress: Mila Ben Stiller, who remarks at the Oscars as an undertaker preparing the body la Iglesia’s The Last Circus, a bonkers Aronofsky’s ballet thriller Black Swan, that the bearded and disheveled Phoenix of a beautiful woman who knows film about a sad clown who goes berserk Sofia Coppola’s Hollywood bubble essay Kunis, 27, in Black Swan by (US) Source: AFP looks like he works in a “Hasidic meth she’s about to die. To be fair, it has and bites the hand of General Franco. Somewhere and Tom Tykwer’s upscale lab”? P Diddy, who agrees to listen to the its moments of tenderness, but Normally, I would run a mile from a movie Berlin sex comedy, Drei.

TOP FIVE MANDARIN ALBUMS P L A N E T POP Sept. 3 to Sept. 9 emale figures in the public eye appearing to ask for, and accept, the press or politics.” intentional infliction of emotional have been keeping the media busy US$40,000 in cash in exchange for No less than three such men were distress lawsuit to be dismissed. over the past week. access to Prince Andrew, who is also a house guests at Bruni’s Riviera villa last “This lawsuit is another unfortunate Britain’s Duchess of York is British trade envoy. year during Sarkozy’s first holiday there. situation where someone is trying to Fto make a six-part documentary show The couple divorced amicably in Bruni had finally met her match in take advantage of the Spears family for US television about her struggle 1996 after 10 years of marriage, and her marriage to Sarkozy with a “man and make a name for himself,” the to rebuild her life after a scandal over have two grown children. even more unpredictable than her,” statement read. “The Department of selling access to the British royal family. Also in the spotlight is French Lahouri said. Children and Family Services conducted The Oprah Winfrey Network first lady Carla Bruni. A new After their whirlwind romance a proper investigation surrounding Mr — a new cable channel due to launch unauthorized biography of the Italian and 2008 marriage, the Elysee Palace Flores’ accusations and have closed the in January — said on Friday the ex-supermodel paints an unflattering embarked on a carefully managed image case without further action.’’ documentary would be called Finding picture claiming she lives a solitary makeover of the new first lady led by Spears did not say when the Hebe Tian (田馥甄) and Sarah and would debut in the first three life, neglects her charitable works and presidential aide Pierre Charon. investigation was conducted and the To Hebe (信者得愛) months of 2011. forces her husband to socialize with “Carla had warned me ‘they are department doesn’t release details of 1 with 15.3 percent of sales “Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of her former lovers. going to say a lot of things about me, its inquiries. York, will share with our viewers her Carla, a Secret Life by former about my past life. Things, photographs Flores claimed in his lawsuit that Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) and personal struggle to rebuild her life,” journalist Besma Lahouri discloses are going to come out’ ... So we had to Spears repeatedly exposed herself to Myself (2010概念專輯) Lisa Erspamer, chief creative officer of that following her marriage to French help give her a new image. That of a shy him and made other unwanted sexual 2 with 9.07% the network said in a statement. President Nicolas Sarkozy, a presidential young woman,” he told Lahouri. advances. He also claimed she used his “With the help of experts Dr Phil adviser was assigned to help rebrand Behind the scenes, however, the belt to discipline her young sons, Sean 郭書瑤 Kuo Shu-yao ( , aka McGraw, Suze Orman, Martha Beck Bruni, whose former lovers include book says she lives a solitary life and Preston and Jayden James, and acted Yaoyao) and Honey and others, the Duchess will open up Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, as a Carla Bruni: solitary man-eater or demure dame? Lahouri describes her foundation to inappropriately in front of them. 3 with 5.42% about her recent public troubles and demure political wife. Photo: AP fight AIDS as “an empty shell.” The bodyguard’s employment with explore her lifelong battles with weight, It also alleges that Bruni, 43, has In other celebrity news, Britney Spears appeared to be brief — his court 陳威全 Will Tan Vui Chuan ( ) and relationships and finances. She will had extensive plastic surgery despite Juan,” the book, which the author says Spears has denied a bodyguard’s filings state he started working for her Goodbye, Single look to put the past behind her and denials, and had a 20-year relationship the Elysee Palace tried to discourage, accusations that she sexually harassed in February, and by June he was no 4 (再見，單身) with 3.71% move forward to a positive future,” with a Paris surgeon. says she has maintained contact with him and abused her children, saying longer on her security detail. Erspamer said. The disclosures appeared in a former paramours. Thursday in a statement on her Web site Flores is reportedly seeking 王力宏 Wang Lee-hom ( ) and Ferguson, 50, is the ex-wife of report published on Saturday in British “Since he married the woman that authorities looked into his claims unspecified damages. 十八般武藝 The 18 Martial Arts ( ) Britain’s Prince Andrew, the second son newspaper the Times, which has, along that some called a ‘man-eater,’ but found no reason to act. Spears’ ex-husband, Kevin Federline, 5 with 3.39% of Queen Elizabeth II. She was caught with the French weekly Marianne, been [Sarkozy] has to put up every day The statement said the pop singer has also denied through his attorney Album chart compiled from G-Music (www.g-music.com.tw), in an embarrassing British newspaper given the book ahead of publication. with this burdensome tribe. Singers, and her attorney expect Fernando that any abuse occurred and called based on retail sales sting in May in which she was filmed Describing, Bruni as a “female Don philosophers, lawyers, bosses, men of Flores’ sexual harassment and Flores’ accusations “baseless.” — AGENCIES