After a somnolent week in which it appeared that IFC Films was the only US distributor making deals at Cannes, Sony Pictures Classics sprang into action and snapped up two pictures, with a third possibly on the way. According to Anne Thompson of Variety, Sony Classics has acquired North American rights to the latest film by French filmmaking brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Lorna's Silence, as well as Norwegian director Bent Hamer's comedy/drama O'Horten, and are also in talks to pick up James Toback's documentary Tyson.

Cinematical's James Rocchi felt "in tune" with Lorna's Silence, which he says has provoked polarized reactions in Cannes; he concluded: "It's a strong film from strong filmmakers." The titular character is an Albanian woman living in Belgium who has entered into a marriage of convenience that turns out to be a complicated, life and death affair.

James Toback's known for cult classics (Fingers, Black and White) and puzzling experiments (When Will I Be Loved); this year, he's at Cannes with his new documentary Tyson, focusing on the life and times of a curiously muted and repentant Mike Tyson -- which received a standing ovation when it opened the Un Certain Regard selection. James Toback spoke with Cinematical at Cannes about the genesis of the project, the challenges of dealing with Tyson as a subject instead of as a friend, and about the ongoing negotiations with his 8-year old son over a possible part in his next film.

This interview, like all of Cinematical's podcast offerings, is now available through iTunes; if you'd like, you can subscribe at this link. Also, you can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below:

"They'll make hypocrite judgments
After the fact
But the name of the game
Is be hit and hit back ... "

-- Warren Zevon, "Boom Boom Mancini"

Boxing is a brutal sport. Does that mean you have to be a brute to succeed in it? Mike Tyson was the youngest ever heavyweight champion in the world; when he stepped into the ring, it was as if he was in absolute control over everything that happened. And when he stepped out, it was as if he had no control over anything that happened. He had a marriage implode in public. He served three years in prison for rape. He became a nightmare-parody of himself, pathetic and terrifying, telling challengers he would eat their children. And now, as seen in James Toback's documentary Tyson, he is older, sadder, sober, off drugs and out of the fight game, trying to battle things you cannot simply strike with your fists.

If someone gave you the option of either jumping in a pool of acid or interviewing Mike Tyson for thirty hours, which one would you choose? Well, we know which route director James Toback took because he's currently prepping a new documentary based on the rise and fall of this legendary boxer. With completion set for this fall, Tyson will cover it all -- I mean, tell me you're not dying to find out how one man can go from being married to the ultra hot Robin Givens to biting the ear off Evander Holyfield. Who does sh*t like that? I guess we're about to find out.

At one time, Iron Mike was regarded as the greatest boxer in the world; the man was a machine, with guns the size of skyscrapers. However, the pressure to perform -- coupled with the money, the power and the glory -- transformed this lightening bolt into a monster. A monster, mind you, who sounded like a seven year-old. Toback, who's probably best known for helping the 1987 comedy The Pick-up Artist, has been fascinated with Tyson since meeting back in 1985; so much so that the director gave Tyson roles in two of his more recent films (Black and White, When Will I Be Loved). According to Toback, "[Tyson] was honest about all the things that have highlighted his life, from the bitter divorce, the ear-biting, prison, to his becoming a sex addict. He is self-aware, smart and a totally fractured personality, and he made himself completely vulnerable." Personally, I could care less about the man. In my opinion, once you start beating women (regardless of your state of mind or how many drugs you're on), I have no further interest in anything you might have to say. But that's me. No word yet on a release date; ICM is scheduled to sell all worldwide rights.

I never thought much of Neve Campbell's acting chops (she seems ever-so-pouty in various movie and TV roles), and aside from her solid turn in Robert Altman's The Company, I thought she disappeared from the movie scene. But it looks like she's been busy: she's made a film with James Toback and is now joining the cast of Richard Attenborough's (Chaplin, Shadowlands) romance Closing the Ring, which boasts a cast consisting of Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer, Brenda Fricker and Pete Postlethwaite. (And, as we reported in February, stick figure Mischa Barton is going to be there for some reason as well.) The picture is a World War II story about a dying gunner who crashes his plane in Northern Ireland and asks a local to return his ring to his girlfriend in America. Apparently it takes the local fifty years to complete the quest. The movie is Attenborough's first feature film since 1999's The Grey Owl.