By Mike Collett-White and Alexandria Sage

CANNES, France (Reuters) – Austrian director Michael Haneke was the popular winner of the Cannes film festival’s top honor on Sunday with “Love” (Amour), an elegiac tale of an elderly couple facing the inescapable, yet no less tragic march of death.

Haneke joins an elite group of two-time winners of the coveted Palme d’Or at the world’s biggest film festival after his “The White Ribbon” won in 2009.

The glamorous red carpet awards, held amid thunder, lightning and pouring rain on the French Riviera, brought to an end a 12-day blur of screenings, photo shoots, parties and deal making on Cannes’ giant marketplace.
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By Michael Krumboltz

Thirty-five years ago, Hollywood changed forever. “Star Wars” hit cinemas on May 25, 1977. But, while the film went on to be one of the biggest blockbusters of all time and launched sequels, prequels, TV shows, action figures, LEGO sets, and more, you may be surprised to learn that on its opening day, only a modest number of folks got to see it.

That’s because the film opened in just 32 theaters across the nation. It opened on a Wednesday. By Friday, it had expanded to a whopping 43 theaters. Contrast that to Marvel’s “The Avengers,” which opened in 4,349 theaters, according to Box Office Mojo.
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Machete Kills promo poster

First comes the sequel to Machete, Machete Kills, which the original cast back on-screen including Jessica Alba, Michelle Rodriguez and a new villain played by Mel Gibson, and new cast members Amber Heard and Sofia Vergara. All stars appear on the poster, except for Jessica Alba who played Sartana in the original movie, now mysteriously absent on the poster.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill for is also underway, Rodriguez’s follow-up to the 2005 cult-classic, which reportedly will begian production sometime this summer. Casting is currently underway, but Miller’s graphic novel A Dame to Kill For features Clive Own’s character Dwight so it is presumed that will return. We should hear more about this movie as well in the coming weeks.