The 64th Annual Cannes Film Festival wrapped up this week. It was the usual bump, push, and grind through the entrance line to see some of the hottest films directed by some of the hottest directors, starring some of the hottest film stars. But what is it that makes Cannes so hot?

Sometimes when you are doing background research on a person you are going to interview – a word, phrase, or even an entire sentence will stick in your mind. As a writer, you look for symbols – things that represent something else. For me, in researching Hollywood film producer Ashok Amritraj, that hook was the name of his film production company – Hyde Park Entertainment.

Stepping off the airplane, I was admittedly titillated by the sight of a security guard dressed in a “Brown Shirt” variation. As I walked out of the airport, the excitement continued as the smell of cold grey stillness penetrated my nostrils like the pungent but refreshing smell of cow shit does when driving down a country road; this was/is Central Europe – former Communist (dirty word) hot spot.

With all the turmoil going on in the stock market recently, perhaps Darren Aronofsky’s latest ……