CANNES, France (Reuters) - It is a subject rarely tackled in cinema, but Austria's Michael Haneke forces us to confront the reality that will befall us all - the end of life - in "Love", his beautiful and devastating film at Cannes. The French-language feature "Amour" follows an elderly married couple, former music teachers, who are enjoying a comfortable retirement in Paris before Anne, played by Emmanuelle Riva, suffers a stroke. "It's a very powerful film and it's a very sober film. ...

CANNES, France (Reuters) - Danish director Thomas Vinterberg burst on to the scene in Cannes in 1998 with the acclaimed "Festen", and critics say he is close to his best again this year with "The Hunt", a shocking take on child abuse and its impact on a small community. Unlike some movies on the same theme, The Hunt leaves no doubt as to the main character's innocence. Lucas, played by Danish star Mads Mikkelsen, is a nursery school teacher adored by the children and an integral part of a closely-knit circle of friends. ...

CANNES, France (Reuters) - In a bumper year for U.S. productions in Cannes, director John Hillcoat, presenting prohibition-era drama "Lawless" at the film festival on Saturday, said the state of smaller-budget American movies was "distressing". Lawless is in fact an international production - Hillcoat and two of his leading cast are Australian, as is scriptwriter and musician Nick Cave. But the 1930s tale of three bootlegging brothers in Virginia also features leading U.S. actors Jessica Chastain and Shia LaBeouf and is backed by the Weinstein Company. It is one of five U.S. ...

CANNES, France (Reuters) - The joke is on Europe, and in particular France, with the third animated "Madagascar" adventure, which has its world premiere at the Cannes film festival on Friday bringing big names in comedy to the red carpet. "Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted", from DreamWorks Animation, is the first installment in the franchise to be shot in 3D, and studio bosses will be hoping it can match the box office magic of its predecessors. ...

CANNES, France (Reuters) - Just who exploits and who is exploited in the sex tourism industry is the question asked in director Ulrich Seidl's "Paradise Love", a powerful and unsettling exploration of female loneliness and economic imbalance in Africa. Called "Paradies: Liebe", the German-language movie is in competition at the Cannes film festival and had its world premiere on Friday. The Austrian director chose as his subject white European women in their 50s who go on holiday in Kenya where they meet so-called "Beach Boys," young men who become their lovers. ...

CANNES (Reuters) - Obsession with celebrity is the focus of Italian director Matteo Garrone's new movie "Reality" at the Cannes film festival, one of two pictures in the lineup exploring the corrosive power of instant fame and the desire to be watched. Garrone is best known for his last film, the gritty "Gomorrah" about a Naples crime syndicate. But with "Reality" he switches gears, creating a modern day fairy tale whose protagonist's soul is slowly and inexorably eroded by the lure of fame. ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The big-budget action film "Battleship", produced by Comcast's Universal Pictures, is shaping up to become the next film to fall victim to "The Avengers'" record box office march. Universal's new sci-fi blockbuster, which opens on May 18 in 3,690 U.S. and Canadian theaters, is projected to rake in ticket sales of $35 million to $40 million over its first weekend, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Hollywood.com's box office division. "The Avengers," which had ticket sales of $395. ...