Cannes in high gear with ‘Mad Max’ film

CANNES: The Cannes Film Festival slipped into high gear on its second day Thursday by screening a new “Mad Max” blockbuster and firing the starter’s gun on its competition for the Palme d’Or.
“Mad Max: Fury Road,” a demented sci-fi road battle movie starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, gave a jolt of adrenaline and glitz to the Riviera event, which leans heavily to arthouse fare. Wednesday’s opening day was by comparison low-key, with a small-scale French social drama starring Catherine Deneuve, “Standing Tall,” the red-carpet event.
Although largely Australian and not in the Palme competition, “Fury Road” was bringing a bit of Hollywood to the festival, confirming the event’s status as the premier international showcase for commercial and arthouse fare.
Advance press screenings brought rave reviews for its superlative stunts and action sequences.
The official, black-tie viewing — coinciding with its worldwide roll-out — was to take place late Thursday with stars attending.
Rolling Stone magazine said the movie was a “brilliant cinematic fireball” and The Hollywood Reporter noted that its director, George Miller, “kicks more ass, as well as all other parts of the anatomy, than any film ever made by a 70-year-old.”
Hardy, who plays second fiddle to Theron’s steely character, told reporters the movie, essentially a lengthy battle-on-vehicles epic, was “relentless and incredibly visceral.”