Days 7 & 8

Forgive my double-posting: yesterday was a bit of a write-off in terms of writing (though I did get to see two of the most enjoyable films I’ve seen during the whole run).

To explain the title: EVERYONE in France smokes, be they toddlers or the acient and decrepid. As someone who used to smoke avidly, thanks to Brad Pitt’s cooler than fuck smoking style in Fight Club (yes I know, not the best justification, but it’s better than saying it was down to peer pressure), it has been remarkably hard not to be swayed by the lure of stinky breath and orange fingers. I’m sure had I been hitting the Cannes party circuit, fighting off the attentions of the celebrity hordes I may well have gone back to the dark side. Just a thouht there.

Wednesday 20th May

Today was billed, as far as I was concerned, as the major day for screenings- with both Inglourious Basterds and Drag Me to Hell playing in quick succession, and both hitting the nail squarely on the head in terms of what I was hoping and expecting of them.

Regardless of what a lot of the criticism directed at Tarantino’s flick would have you believe, the film does exactly what it says on the tin- noone in their right mind should be entering that kind of experience with any pretence that the film would be a historically accurate high-octane thriller. The ticket bearing the name of a Tarantino is an invitation into his artistic agenda, so the expectations that he will use his position to present a filter or mirror through which we view the real world is an altogether redundant idea.

With Raimi’s latest I got the sense that this is the movie he’s been wanting to make for decades- and with the doorway that Spiderman provided him now securely wedged open, long may this output continue and thrive. No-one else in the film-making community at the minute is able to so effortlessly blend spine-numbing terror with surreal and comic effects to such an effective degree. My hat truly goes off to he and brother Ivan for giving this picture to the world.

Thursday 21st May

Not a screenng day- I had no real desire to see anything, so spent some time catching up on some much-needed sleep (without unfortunately putting the Do Not Disturb sign on the door, much to the cleaners’ dismay), and preparing for my meeting with Matt Dentler at Le Grande Hotel in Cannes. Matt’s a cool guy, and one who is as passionate about film and more specifically about bringing film to the people as I am, so it was good to spend an hour and a half just shooting the breeze. What came out of it was the fact that digital distribution is going to be an increasingly important model for distribution in the coming year, with Cinetic Media moving to open the British market in the next four weeks. Look out for my further thoughts on Digital Distribution coming up, but one thing’s for sure: in Matt they have the perfect figure-head- charismatic and knowledgeable, with the enthusiasm for film that every executive in the game should have.

Highlights

• Inglourious Basterds and Drag Me To Hell.
• Meeting Matt Dentler and discussing Digital Distribution among other things.
• My skin colour changing from fierce red to sort of brownish.

Lowlights

• Another taxi driver getting lost. I think I may be in the equivalent of Davey Jones’ Locker of France.
• The end being in sight.
• The cleaners seeing my bare naked junk.

Tomorrow: A double date with the good Doctor Parnassus, and hopefully Gaspar Noe (Into The Void).