Cannes, France — One week into the world's most prestigious film festival, Mojo checks in with the buzz surrounding this year's films.

LIGHTS OUT FOR 'DARKO' DIRECTOR?: Director Richard Kelly's "Southland Tales" was one of the most anticipated screenings of the festival due to the popularity of his first film, "Donnie Darko." But the convoluted (and two-hour-and-40-minute) end-of the-world dramedy, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Seann William Scott, had droves of walkouts. Mojo's prediction: massive re-editing.

FRANCOIS MORI/AP (ENLARGE)
'Southland Tales,' directed by Richard Kelly (second from left) and starring Bai Ling (from left), Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Sarah Michelle Gellar, disappointed the audience at Cannes.
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STONE TACKLES TOWERS: Director Oliver Stone presented an intense sneak peek at the first 20 minutes of his "World Trade Center" before screening a new print of his Oscar winner "Platoon." Actors Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger were on hand for the screening. "World Trade Center" stars Nicolas Cage as a Port Authority police officer caught in the rubble of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the twin towers. Stone apologized for the unfinished sound and visual effects. "The special effects look like they're from Japanese sci-fi," he said.

RIDING THE 'SHORTBUS': One of the most provocative films is John Cameron Mitchell's sexually charged "Shortbus." The follow-up to cult favorite "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" features an ensemble cast of unknowns contemplating their relationships and performing real sex scenes. "This film was not pornographic," Mitchell explained at a media event. Well, if he says so ...

GLOBAL WARNING: Former Vice President Al Gore attended the premier of Davis Guggenheim's well-received documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth." The film follows Gore presenting lectures on the impact of global warming and the dire consequences of ignoring the problem. Gore, who shows a sense of humor in the film, joked at the premiere, "I never thought my little slide show would bring me to the red carpet in Cannes." The film is expected to open in Atlanta on June 9.

THE REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN: Sofia Coppola's "Marie-Antoinette," featuring Kirsten Dunst in the title role, was booed by some at the premiere who felt Coppola was rewriting history. Coppola, who denied any political motivations behind the film, deflected questions referring to the current political climate in France or abroad. "I was doing a portrait of Marie-Antoinette, and my opinions are in the film," she said at the media event.

THIS WEEKEND: Between now and Sunday's closing day, notable Cannes screenings include Guillermo Del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" and the Pang Brothers' "Re-cycle." As the festival winds up, many critics have predicted the top prize will go to either Pedro Almodóvar's "Volver" or Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Babel." Festival information: www.festival

-cannes.fr

— Jonathan D. Roy, for the Journal-Constitution

MEANWHILE, BACK IN ATLANTA ... Turner Classic Movies, one of Mojo's very favorite channels, has announced some new, ahem, "programming."

To wit, in a bald attempt to attract The Kids, they've hired Rob Zombie to serve as host of a showcase of cult films, starting in October. And they've ordered pilots for two possible new shows. One, called "Idols" (hmmmm), would send a young working actor to shadow and interview an older screen legend. The other, "Take Two," will feature young stars re-enacting a scene from a classic film. The "star" in the pilot? Wilmer Valderrama, redoing part of "The Lost Weekend."

Mojo hopes against hope that this is a belated April Fools' joke from our friends at TCM. Either that, or it's the most amazing example of diluting a prestigious brand name since the launch of New Coke.

If you're as underwhelmed as we are at this news, this might cheer you up:

CLIP OF THE WEEK: An entertaining behind-the-scenes look at "Dreamgirls": www.apple.com/trailers/dreamworks/dreamgirls/makingof.

— Steve Murray