Hey folks, Harry here with another report from Celia. Ahhhh... to bump into Sam Jackson and Hayden Christensen.... then be blase about meeting Orlando Bloom, my our Celia is taking it in, eh? As for Johnny To's ELECTION.. I'm a To freak, and no that doesn't make me a Gecko brother. Here ya go...

Hi Harry !

It rains every year at least once during the Cannes Film Festival. Today was the first (and I hope the last) day.

Though I saw only one film today, "Election", we had quite an interesting day. Going to the Carlton to check on the Star Wars press office, I saw Samuel L. Jackson at the Reception Desk. Tall and very handsome for a middle-aged man, he was very casual and smiling. Some 20 minutes later, Hayden Christensen arrived, looking quite shy but seeming very nice... and more handsome than I thought he was ! We saw Orlando Bloom on Day 2 and no comparison there (sorry to say so, to any Orlando gal-fan !) ! I also saw Natalie Portman : beautiful smile and she seems like a very nice woman.

They begin their interview-marathon this afternoon, with TV press and written press, before the actual press conference tomorrow.

And the "hunt the Star Wars tickets !" still goes on...

Today's info will be a happy moment to any Gilliam fan ! He announced that he was going to raise from the dead the "Don Quixote" project, with new funds and rewriting.

Everyone remembers the 1982 fantasy classic "The Dark Crystal" ? The Jim Henson Co is planning to make a sequel titled "The Power of the Dark Crystal" with live action animatronic and CG animation.

Gus Van Sant's "Last Days" was definitely not liked by most US journalists. Only some European journalists are finding something attractive in the film... and me !

Film Review : "Election" by Johnnie To

In Hong-Kong, one secret society, member of the Triad, is to elect its new Chairman. Two men are in competition : Big D, who brags a lot and bribes the Uncles who will vote, and Lok, shown from the beginning as an honor-bound man.

Lok is elected, but Big D tries to get the Baton first, a Baton which is the symbol of the Chairman authority and without which Lok could not rule the society. A weird quest begins since Big D and Lok are both locked up. But the film won't stop with the end of this quest since the topic of the film is not as much the election than honor itself.

Johnnie To makes here a real "film noir" and a Maffia film. Violence and big guns are not the purpose and they aren't that much present. The characters are manipulating each other and struggling to power.

Johnnie To is a wonderful film director and the night scenes are absolutely gorgeous, especially the ones that take place in Hong-Kong city. One of the night fight scene is particularly well shot and still with humour.

Because, though it is a "film noir", there is some humour in the film : a scene in particular, when a Big D man is beating up a Lok man to get the Baton and suddenly has to change his allegiance, made the whole theatre laugh.

I liked the film, I very much enjoyed the actors' work and the director shot some beautiful and powerful scenes. But I have to admit that in this genre, I much prefered last year's "Old Boy". Though "Election" might be more easily viewed !