Burn After Reading hits Venice
And the fans go wild. Why shouldn't they? It's Oscar winner George Clooney and past Oscar nominee Brad Pitt, two of the world's most genetically perfect human beings, doing a little gladhanding at the Venice Film Festival, where their "Burn After Reading" is kicking off the 10-day event.
It's all tuxes and photo opps, but with a humanitarian sidebar, as Clooney and Pitt are also in town for a fundraising event for their pet charity, Not on Our Watch, which has gathered more than $7 million for the needy in Darfur. Just makes them even more fawn-worthy.
This is the formal coming out party for "Burn After Reading," Joel and Ethan Cohen's follow-up (in its timing, but not its personality) to their Oscar-hoarding "No Country for Old Men." It's a comedy! About the C.I.A.! It'll be making the rounds now to Toronto, the San Sebastian International Film Festival and others as it looks to whip up some Oscar buzz and momentum.
Since there was little real excitement out of Cannes this year, other festivals could take on more heft as potential awards spotters. Ongoing debate about the cost vs. reward of rolling out an Oscar caliber film at a place like Venice hasn't seemed to keep filmmakers or stars away -- cast members/Oscar winners Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand also hit the red carpet with the Cohen brothers.
Ears to the ground on how "Burn" goes over with the Italians and the critics, though it may take some mighty loud booing and hissing to knock it off those early Oscar projection lists. So far, it's all been about the pedigree, and this hilarious trailer.
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