11. The Grandmaster
Director: Kar Wai Wong Starring: Ziyi Zhang, Cung Le & Tony Leung Chiu Wai It was widely tipped for inclusion last year, and it was a shame it wasn't there, but 2013 may yet see the appearance of Kar Wai Wong's tale of Ip Man, the martial arts expert who trained Bruce Lee. Cannes has something of a fondness for martial arts films, and though The Grandmaster is already out in China, it will probably appear in some form at the festival, perhaps simply as a special screening to turn European audiences on to what will be an extremely important film for the genre.
10. Inside Llewyn Davis
Director: The Coen Brothers Starring: Oscar Isaac, Justin Timberlake & John Goodman. Possibly the worst, and least appealing title of all time, but the Coens brother label brings with it certain expectations of grandeur and quality, and as I said in the introduction if the organisers get a sniff of a possible left-field Oscar contender, they tend to bring it in these days. Typically the cast looks great, and I include Justin Timberlake there, and the simple plot of a musician navigating the folk music scenes of 1960s New York sounds a bit more Christopher Guest than the Coens, but since when have they let genre-hopping stand in the way of their success? Also, John Goodman makes everything better.