THE CIRCUIT: CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

In advance of "Synecdoche, New York's" opening this weekend, the Montalban Gallery is presenting "Small Miracles: The Paintings of Adele Lack."  Catherine Keener inhabits Lack in the movie, pictured below.

The gallery will supply magnifying instruments to view the 27 micro paintings.

From the gallery notes:

Adele Lack (1965- ) was born and raised in New York. Her first major show would not be until she reached the age of 41 when she would first bring her work to Berlin. Lack’s paintings were once again on display for her next major show at Kunst Galerie. Adele Lack: Anstriche consisted of one inch paintings where visitors were given magnifying glasses to fully see the details of the paintings. Her innovations in scale and content have proven her to be an important contemporary artist.

The show runs October 21-26 at The Montalbán Gallery, 1615 Vine Street, Hollywood, CA  90028.  T: 323-461-0663

Regent has nabbed North American rights to Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Tokyo Sonata," winner of Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes. 

"Tokyo Sonata" will have its US preem at the New York Film Festival on October 9.  Regent will open the film in the US in early 2009.

The distrib also recently got "Serbis" during Toronto.

The Onion's AV Club has a primer on Woody Allen.  "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" opens today.

Right from the start, Allen established a comedic persona that would more or less stretch through every phase of his career. Yes, he has depths of intellect and melancholy that don't surface [in 1969's "Take the Money and Run"], but other elements are firmly in place: The runaway neuroses, the merciless self-deprecation, the bumbling physical hijinks, the ongoing feelings of romantic and sexual inadequacy.

Check out our Woody Allen lunch from Cannes 2008.  Woody didn't touch a thing on his plate:

Variety Asia is reporting that IFC Films has grabbed North American rights to Kim Jee-woon's Korean spaghetti western "The Good, The Bad, and The Weird."  Pic preemed at Cannes.

IFC says it is looking to release the pic in the first half of 2009, with a likely platform outing in five major cities and a possible expansion to other regional markets later.

Here's the trailer:

Sony Pictures Classics has bought North American rights to Bent Hamer's "O'Horten," which preemed at Cannes' Un Certain Regard.  Pic is about a train engineer's uneasy adjustment to retirement.  Hamer's last film was the Charles Bukowski's adaptation, "Factotum."

The Norwegian film is currently nominated for seven of Norway's Amanda Awards, including best pic and director.  It'll premiere in North America at Toronto in September.  Variety's Alissa Simon reviews it here.

(Anne T actually covered this in Cannes, but I guess the deal was finally concluded recently.)

Here's the trailer, still good without the subtitles: