JENNIFER LYNCH AND THE GLORIOUS 61ST

It's been 15 years since Jennifer Lynch made her directorial debut with the much criticised BOXING HELENA. This film seemed doomed from the word go, with Madonna backing out of the lead role, swiftly followed by Kim Basinger who would be sued for $8 million for breach of contract. My memory tells me (from a week of release theatrical screening) that Lynch's film did reveal a few promising flourishes but, at the time, not enough to prompt me to take a second look. Now Lynch has a new feature which will premiere at the 61st Cannes Film Festival. SURVEILLANCE stars Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond in a tale of an FBI agent who tracks a serial killer with the help of three of his would-be victims - each of whom have different stories to tell. The trailer for this film suggests that Lynch may have a more than decent psychological thriller on her hands.

The Cannes Festival runs from 14th-25th May, opening with Fernando Meireille's BLINDNESS which sees Julianne Moore as the only person to retain her sight in a city cast into darkness. Barry Levinson's WHAT JUST HAPPENED is the closing film and we're promised a Hollywood satire starring Robert De Niro and Sean Penn.

This year's lineup seems as promising as ever with in-competition titles including Atom Egoyan's ADORATION, Wim Wender's THE PALERMO SHOOTING and Clint Eastwood's CHANGELING. Fans of extreme cinema will be looking forward to Abel Ferrara's CHELSEA ON THE ROCKS, and there will also be new offerings from James Toback (TYSON), Kyoshi Kurosawa (TOKYO SONATA), Woody Allen (VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA), Terence Davies (OF TIME AND THE CITY) and Emir Kusturica (MARADONA). Wong Kar-Wai will also be showcasing his ASHES OF TIME REDUX which is a mouth-watering proposition in itself. I'm sure most of us will get the chance to see these films in the next 12 months, but it must be a magical experience to actually be at the Cannes bash and take in the glamour, the glitz and the movies. Let's hope for a successful festival and best of luck to Jennifer Lynch for her return to feature directing.

After getting in from work a little earlier this evening, I did hope to be watching Dario Argento's THE THIRD MOTHER as my DVD rental list told me a copy had been dispatched to me yesterday. It's almost unheard of for a title not to reach me the following day but this is one occasion when it didn't. As I have 2 days in a row off work (another rarity), I planned to indulge in a couple of viewings and post my thoughts on Monday, but the best laid plans....

I've continued to steer clear of reviews and web forums so I can view with a completely open mind. I'm always nervous when a new Argento film comes out as THE STENDHAL SYNDROME was the last of his efforts to scratch my itch for a fullfilling work from the Italian maestro. Ah well, I'll just be patient and try to enjoy Monday's public holiday with Tuesday on my mind.