Hollywood Week: Cannes Film Festival, DeNiro, Cruise, Menendez Brothers, Depardieu Guilty, Combs Trial

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Category: Entertainment News

Published on Saturday, 17 May 2025 12:04

Written by Janet Walker

The Cannes Film Festival kicked off this week, beginning with the honorary Palme d'Or ceremony bestowed upon actor Robert De Niro, for his lifetime of contribution and achievement in the advancement of film and cinema.

Cannes Kicks Off

The 78th annual Cannes Film Festival opened May 13 and will run through May 24, 2025. The opening night ceremony began with the heritage of cinema, as French actor and master of ceremonies Laurent Lafitte spoke to the audience in the magnificent Grand Theatre Lumiere.

Urging his fellow thespians of the world to be courageous in their craft so that "through our words, our choices, and our refusals, so that we may live up to Frank Capra's words: 'Only the daring should make films.'" And beneath the embrace that adorns this edition's poster: "We always wonder if cinema can change the world. But if we're asking it for more inclusivity, more representation, more parity, then clearly it can change the world. And sometimes, it only takes telling the story of a man and a woman to reach the sublime and the universal."

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Robert DeNiro Receives Honorary Palme D'Or

Robert De Niro received an honorary Palme d'Or presented by Leonardo DiCaprio, who praised Mr. De Niro in his introduction saying, "Robert De Niro's legacy lies in how he inspired actors to treat their craft not just as solo performance but as transformation. Robert De Niro is not just a great actor—he is The Actor."

In accepting the award, Mr. De Niro said, "My sincere thanks to the Festival de Cannes for creating this community, this universe, this 'home' for those who love telling stories on the big screen. The Festival is a platform for ideas, a celebration of our work. Cannes is fertile ground for new projects. (...)

In my country, we are fighting tooth and nail to defend democracy—something we once took for granted. This concerns everyone. Because the arts are, by nature, democratic. Art is inclusive; it brings people together. Art is a quest for freedom. It embraces diversity. That's why art is a threat today. That's why we are a threat to the autocrats and fascists of this world.

We must act—now. Without violence, but with passion and determination. The time has come. Everyone who believes in freedom must organize, protest, and vote in elections. Tonight, we reaffirm our commitment by honoring the arts—and liberty, equality, and fraternity," reported The Cannes Film Festival.

Following the presentation and remarks, Director Quentin Tarantino declared the 78th Edition of the Cannes Film Festival open.

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

"Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" had its world premiere at the Grand Théâtre Lumière at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was greeted with a 7½-minute standing ovation. Although the film's title implies it is the last of Ethan Hunt and the "Mission Impossible" team, the film's star, Tom Cruise, has not said publicly this is the last installment in the widely successful franchise.

This is only the Hollywood legend's third appearance on the Croisette: the first in 1992, for the premiere of Ron Howard's "Far and Away," a few years went by before Cruise's memorable return in 2022, marked by the premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick," his gripping masterclass and the emotional reception of his honorary Palme d'or.

"Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning" stars Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Pom Klementieff, Mariela Garriga, Esai Morales, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Angela Bassett, Nick Offerman, Greg Tarzan Davis, Charles Parnell, Henry Czerny, Holt McCallany, Hannah Waddingham, Shea Whigham, and opens in theaters everywhere May 23, 2025. See it.

Produced by Tom Cruise and Paramount Pictures, "Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning" is directed, written, and also produced by Christopher McQuarrie and also written by Erik Jendresen.

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Menendez Resentenced

A Los Angeles Court has agreed that Erik and Lyle Menendez, who were sentenced to life without parole for the brutal 1989 slaying of Jose and Kitty Menendez in their Beverly Hills home, should be resentenced to 50 years to life, making them immediately eligible for parole.

The pair were convicted for the gruesome murders of their parents, Jose and Kitty, which included 13 gunshots, in a planned, execution style hit to the back of Jose Menendez's head, and a point blank gunshot to Kitty, who lie on the floor.

While they have cleared the first hurdle, before they are freed from prison they will have several others to clear. If they do reach the point where they are granted parole, the final decision will revert to the governor, who can deny the petition.  

French Actor Gerard Depardieu Guilty

French Actor Gerard Depardieu has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two women on a film set.

The actor was the subject of documentary Gerard Depardieu: La Chute De L'Ogre, (Garard Depardieu: The Fall of The Ogre), which aired December 7, 2023.

"Depardieu was first accused of rape and sexual assault by actress Charlotte Arnould in 2018 before being officially charged in 2020 in a case still making its way through French courts. He is also reeling from an April exposé in Mediapart in which 13 women, including [Helene] Darras, detailed sexually inappropriate behaviour on film sets between 2004 and 2022, followed by two more women who came forward over the summer," reported ScreenDaily.com.

Emmanuelle Debever, who also accused the actor of assaulting her on a film set, in 1982, and told her story in the documentary, died by suicide after the program aired in France.

The verdict was one step forward two steps back, as it finally moves beyond the stalled French #MeToo movement which continued to deny women justice and places the once national treasure on a permanent sex offender registry. However, the shockingly low prison term, 18 moths suspended sentence, and the restitution payment of £1,000 or $1,162.32 (USD) to each of the victim is a slap in the face.

Of course, even a small victory is a victory.

Janet Walker, Screenwriter, Novelist, and Publisher of Haute-Lifestyle.com, Featured in ELLE Magazine

Sean Combs Trial

The first week of the Sean Combs trial began with testimony and cross examination from his ex-Cassie Ventura and was filled with so much smut and raunch that the headlines were enough to understand the horrors of what life with this former immune from prosecution mogul was like. Combs, who had at one time been part of the special privilege community in Manhattan, the group of elite predators who were permitted to commit crime with impunity and given the privilege of immunity, sat quietly watching as a very pregnant Ventura answered questions and exposed sexual predilections of the once music mogul.

Some of the events, including the infamous beating tape that depicts Combs in a towel, physically abusing her at the elevators in a Beverly hills, hotel, later identified as the Intercontinental in Century City. It was also revealed during cross-examination that there she had accepted an eight figure settlement from the hotel, in addition to the $20million paid to her by Combs, just days after she filed the lawsuit, in 2023. These revelations drew gasps from the courtroom.

"First of all, it's casting Ventura as less than forthcoming, and raises questions about what else may have been left out of her testimony – a position that creates the possibility of doubts with jurors. Secondly, the intel also emboldens the perception the defense has been trying to create that the singer was always a willing and consenting participant in the drug-fueled "freak-off" sex sessions and other sordid elements in the "toxic relationship" she had with the Bad Boy Records founder for over a decade," Deadline reported.

The prosecution will continue presenting witnesses and evidence next week.

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Janet Walker is the publisher, founder, and sole owner of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, she has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade.  A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category and was persuaded to withdraw the submission. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, the National Writers Union, and a former member of the International Federation of Journalists.