It's that time of year again
Now Playing: Cannes Competition Slate announced
Full list can be found over here. Here's the main competition slate:

David CRONENBERG - A History of Violence
Luc and Jean-Pierre DARDENNE - The Child
Atom EGOYAN - Where the Truth Lies
Amos GITAI - Free Zone
Michael HANEKE - Hidden
Hsiao-hsien HOU - The Best of Our Times
Jim JARMUSCH - Broken Flowers
Tommy Lee JONES - The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
Masahiro KOBAYASHI - Bashing
Arnaud and Jean-Marie LARRIEU - Peindre ou Faire l’Amour
Frank MILLER and Robert RODRIGUEZ - Sin City
Dominik MOLL - Lemming (Opening Night Film)
Carlos REYGADAS C. - Battle in Heaven
Hiner SALEEM - Kilometer Zero
Johnnie TO - Election
Marco TULLIO GIORDANA - Once You’re Born You Can No Longer Hide
Gus VAN SANT - The Last Days
Lars VON TRIER - Manderlay
WANG Xiaoshuai - Shanghai Dreams
Wim WENDERS - Don’t Come Knockin’

I tried my hand at predicting this year's competition films, and I ended up doing pretty well (the ones I predicted are italicized above).

My thoughts on the competition slate: some interesting choices, with lots of Cannes veterans in competition, and even a few past winners (Wenders, the Dardennes, Von Trier, Van Sant). The fact that Tommy Lee Jones has made a film is intriguing to say the least, if for no other reason than to see why he's been taking paycheck jobs in stuff like MAN OF THE HOUSE lately (lately? Try for the past ten years or so). Also, SIN CITY and the Johnnie To film prove that last year's genre-friendly Cannes wasn't a fluke.

Who are the frontrunners?: with Jury prez Emir Kusturica, it's hard to tell. His vision is strange, to put it mildly, and I'm not sure how he'll respond to many of the filmmakers here. It's unlikely that Van Sant will win the Palme again, having won just two years ago, unless the film is a world-beater, but really who knows. Wenders may have a shot, since the film could be a comeback for him, and Cannes regulars Jarmusch and Haneke haven't won yet, so it might be his time. But no one knows anything until the films actually screen.