GQ, "Lee Daniels Explains Why Nicole Kidman Pees on Zac Efron in Paperboy"
By a Provencal mile, the most controversial film in Cannes is Paperboy from Lee Daniels, the director of Precious. Nothing else even comes close. Based on a darkly comic novel by Pete Dexter, it all unspools as a wild, unhinged southern gothic potboiler that upends whatever notions you may hold about four major Hollywood actors. Matthew McConaghey plays the investigative journalist with a raw sexual secret—and his character is investigating the story of Nicole Kidman's "sexed-up Barbie," a bodacious, horny gal who gets off on writing sexed-up letters to violent convicts. Zac Efron plays McConaghey's younger, tightie-whitie-wearing brother, a naïve horndog who falls for the babe, despite the fact that she's getting married to a swamp-dwelling racist psychopath. Many critics who were expecting another Precious have been disappointed. Others are embracing the film as an instant trash-cinema cult-classic. Everyone is arguing, but one thing is clear: When Matthew McConaghey does violent on-screen bondage, or Nicole Kidman pees on Zac Efron to heal his character's jellyfish wound, it's news. In Cannes, GQ asked Lee Daniels to explain the festival's wildest film.

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p.s. I'm in the middle of a big project which is slowing my posting down. I've tried to keep up with things on twitter but I'm still catching up on everything to post here. Hopefully by Monday night things will be up to date, lol.

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I'll have more favs later and a review post etc. I don't have a lot of time just right now, but I do want to say that I think the experience of doing the film, whatever reviews it receives, was probably still worthwhile. As Nicole basically said, as an actor you just have to give yourself over to the director. And working with Lee, who is great with his actors (clearly since they seem happy to work with him again), and with Nicole especially, was a definite plus for Zac. To say nothing of the chance to go to Cannes. And most of the comments on him specifically seem to be positive which I am pleased with. More later...

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Note: a post with screening feedback/reviews, the press conference video (if you don't want to wait, you can watch it at the festival site here in the meantime) and favorites will follow later. Just as a heads-up though, while some like the movie but the feedback is mostly quite negative.