When the Cheshire emerges...

A year ago today I was at Cannes, France, for my first day of work at the Cannes Film Festival for Cut Print Review (now Moviedex).

Getting used to the press area in the Palais

So to enter the mind of a crazed professional journalist-to-be at the world's biggest festival if you so dare...

Festival de Cannes: day one
Cannes Classics: Le Sauvage (1975)
Cannes Classics: Le voyage dans la lune
Festival de Cannes: day two
Festival de Cannes: days three-four
Festival de Cannes: five-seven
Here come the Cannes reviews
Almost the end of the road
Last lot of Cannes stuff - promise!

It never stopped being crazy.



Constant pleas for invites to red carpet events



Catherine Deneuve: beautiful in real life



After these I discovered Monoprix sold TimTams. Good times.




Overlooking Boulevard de la Croisette from an Aussie film industry do I managed to (invitedly) sneak into



The red carpet's pretty grand...



Yes, I sat in on Ryan Gosling talking about Drive. Swoon.




Closing night party: just like the movies

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*I have two photos entered in the current Qatar Reflections competition. Please show your support for me by voting for either photo! Short backstory and links here.

I finally saw the film Snowtown this week.

And OMG, creepy coincidence with writing this today...

It pains me to write about it a year off the mark, after missing the world premiere at the Adelaide Film Festival last February (see here for the other reason, which has annoyingly reminded me I missed out on something else big not yet rectified).

In short: it has to stand as the most psychologically confronting film ever produced in my fair country, if not in cinema history.

The only time I had available to watch the film was 10pm on Sunday night, and I knew critics had walked out of screenings in Australia, when I missed the general release for being overseas, as well as those at the Cannes Film Festival.

I felt violated within the first 10 minutes and it didn't leave me.

Justin Kurzel's retelling of greater Adelaide's darkest days in history is literally gut-wrenching but sickeningly intriguing at the same time.

While you expect there to be something sordid going on, it's thrust right in your face. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach as I went to sleep and it still stuck around until mid-Monday.

I don't think there's ever been a film that's left such a profound effect on me like that before.

What's worse is being able to relate to the location - the northern edges of my beautiful city are REALLY LIKE THAT which is incredibly sad, and when one of the victims talks about Glen Osmond Road and Windy Point I know what he's talking about. That part of town's my (original) greater hood, yo.



We all get a kick when we can pick those sort of things out in a film, but in this instance it was NOT fun. While I was relatively young when the Bodies in the Barrels case was exposed, I have images of the actual footage still in my head and the knowledge of how big the case was. For goodness sake, we had the stigma of 'City of Crime' hanging over our heads for such a long time. And Snowtown's outside the city borders!

With the film creeping at such a slow pace the dread continued for almost too long. HOWEVER, as the reviews said ahead of the Adelaide premiere, it's a film you can't recommend but should still be seen. Daniel Henshall and Louise Harris clearly deserved their AACTA awards, and the film is one of the best examples of not needing a 'name actor' ever put to film.

On a final note, the fact the building still stands and is lived in (for them to have filmed in) is a bit scary. Sick and twisted brilliance the film was, although way too close to home.

The Dubbo Showground markets were recently moved to a riverside oval to become the new (and seemingly improved) Riverside Markets. While I never went pre-move, my eventual discovery of what these markets are was a long time coming. Like a lot of other things in life.

Came away with more than expected. And this was after having to walk a good 500 metres extra or so to get into the Centro, then to the ATM to get money, and then walking all the way back hoping the stuff would still be there. Thankfully, this isn't Sydney so I was fine.

I'm clearly still daydreaming about European adventures. I first stumbled across a first edition of an Australian book called Roaming Round Europe by Frank Clune, the telling of his adventures around Western Europe in 1952. Spent what was my last $10.

On returning from the ATM I found a French grammar book, which appears to be the most confusing thing I've ever read. But thinking of my imminent French lesson I thought it would be handy. $1. PS: said lesson never eventuated... le sigh.

Then a book stand had Azur Like It by Wendy Holden, about a journalist who gets sent to cover the Cannes Film Festival. That's so me! But then she discovers a dark side. Not so me. I was intrigued. $3.

Teeny silver thing on the French grammar book is a Pandora-style charm of a paw for my travel charm bracelet, signifying Australia through Dubbo/the central west... via Taronga Western Plains Zoo. $1.

And then there were the shoes. Found at the most amazing little vintage stall that made me want to do a Barcelona and pinch it all.


The shoes were sitting on the left of those pink shoes on the ground before I grabbed them with the intention of scrubbing them into a fantastic work-purpose pair for my wardrobe. $10.

I took the photo with Annie's details clearly in sight because she's great and deserves business. My new shoes were previously her own and she has a great selection of accessories, shoes and even clothes. The first I've seen of affordable great vintage in Dubbo. Tre bien.

I hate to use a phrase coined by a man with intense drug and alcohol issues whose enormous ego and fame got the better of him. But Charlie Sheen had a point when he was focused on winning.

However, unlike his objective to be better than anyone else, the little personal wins in life are just as important. I'm sharing a few of those with you now...

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I went with my mum last month to Harry Potter: the Exhibition, which is still in Sydney. She bought me one of the chocolate frogs as a souvenir (they were freakin' $5 - I've never seen them in Australia before so they must be US imports or something). Didn't eat said frog until two weeks ago (was absolutely divine for mass-produced chocolate) - and look at my luck!

You'd want to get the mother of all cards and I so did. Winning.

***

Speaking of cards, I scored a free gift card valid for food, electronics, varietystuffs (I'm making that a word if not already invented) and booze last week...



All because I knew who Catherine Martin's husband was before 499 other people in a texting quiz during Optus Flix in the Stix. The answer: Baz Lurhmann. Knew my high school drama studies would come in handy at some point. Winning.

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For me, this is the big one. Backtracking to May 2011, I suffered a fair bit of shock when I discovered I had all my media kits and info from my time at Festival de Cannes stolen on leaving France (re: entering Spain). One of the most valuable things was the official program, which I only recently wrote to the media office there to attempt to get another copy. They openly obliged.


I was reduced to tears when I saw this sitting at my door. Couldn't get a replacement press pass, but flicking through this gave me a sense of achievement, a way of sticking it to those soulless people who steal to get through life. NO, I did NOT have a laptop in that bag! Suckers. Winning.

What makes you feel like you're winning in life? Or what's something you're working towards winning at?

After joining as a university student and being lucky enough to represent them for part of Festival de Cannes 2011, my time as a senior contributor for Cut Print Review has come to an end after three years.

A large part of that comes down to my move and a new role that emerged as part of it.

The opportunity that came up some seven or so weeks ago to be the Daily Liberal's film reviewer, and since I've returned to a favourable routine of a film a week.

I've decided to let everyone in on my reviews as they're published in print so you can expect my new release look-in every Saturday, just in time for any pending decision on a weekend movie.

Read on, and please feel free to return the favour with your opinion!

*As published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 28/1/2012

Wow, I've been really slack with blogs hey? If you didn't read my Cannes series shame on you. To recap everything else around Europe and surrounds...

After Turkey, the Royal Wedding was amazing. Stood for 12 hours straight outside W. Abbey with a family I'd latched onto... saw Kate and Wills both go in. It was mental. Second camp-out in a week was okay. Not sleeping for 40 hours... not so much by the time I got on the plane to Cairo. Speaking of which, Egypt was loads of fun. Extremely hot even for early May, got to 52 degrees one day! Nuts. Sights were more and more impressive, two days on a felucca (boat) were incredibly relaxing besides the mozzie (and we think spider) bites I suffered. Only downside was the constant hassling from local men. I was glad to leave after the 9 days.

Salzburg's stunning (Sound of Music tour so fun), as is Munich... glad I saw Dusseldorf for Eurovision (which was INCREDIBLY AWESOME) but wouldn't go back. Just not much to do. Cologne was on a Sunday and raining but still looked impressive. Choc museum was the highlight.

So to the after-Cannes. Spain. Interesting two weeks... rollercoaster. Had my Cannes media stuff stolen on entering Barcelona, baffled as to how they lifted a breaking 10-15kg bag so swiftly when I had it in eyesight. Oh well... if you go to Spain it's for their cathedrals. Amazing with each place I went to. The south (Granada, Sevilla and Cordoba) all have their own Moorish-influenced monuments that are worth the visit. But communication issues meant I struggled and the majority of the time I faced a bit of attitude which I didn't appreciate. As I did in the French Riviera, I made some great friends in Madrid, all three of whom had things stolen while there. Shocking. But on learning they have 21% unemployment it shouldn't have been a surprise. As with Cannes, these girls made my experience all the richer for the capital.

The UK is where I am now - London and Birmingham were ANZAC/Topdeck catchups (in London, a trip to Platform 9 3/4 failed because they're doing renovations in the area and I don't think you can see it. Devs), then in Leeds with Meg and Emma (Unley represeeeent). I really enjoyed my day-trips from there to York and hippie town Hebden Bridge. For me they were what England should look like outside of London. Oh I did Bath too for a day.

So I'm in Edinburgh atm, and I love it. I could actually live here. Felt a real pull to it immediately. Perhaps because I discovered it had such a rich history, or the charm of the Old Town, I don't know. But two days here now and it's still holding up from the first impression. And their film festival's just started, so seeing a movie tonight! How could I not? Oh yeah, I climbed 250.5m up Arthur's Seat, the city's highest point. A bloody effort. But then I had some haggis for dinner... and it was actually good!

Doing the Highlands tomorrow on a day-trip - will I see Nessie in Loch Ness? Haha then Glasgow and over to Ireland. Can't believe I'm at the halfway mark, it's nuts. It's at the point now where things are blurring slightly, and not having kept up with the diary too well means a constant catch-up. But the memories are what count. As do photos. Think I'm up to about 15GB worth of photos/video. Snap happy, that's for sure.

Having a great time at the moment, looking forward to what's to come. Hope that wasn't too much of an overload for you!

Last Cannes blog.

Interview with Sam Holst of short film Meathead.

Last two interviews up soon :D

Written a slate of stuff later on in the festival (philosophy: view first, then write). As follows:

- World Premiere of 18 Days (Tamantashar Yom)

- Cinefondation (student film-maker short selection) winners

- Review of Hanezu no tsuki (in Competition)

- Review of Melancholia (in Competition)

and also a piece on how the Competition and Un Certain Regard categories are no longer distinct.

Read on bitches.

A big two-day stretch for Wednesday and Thursday. Lots of films and interviews seen/done, not much work achieved. That's what today (Friday) is for. But see the review of Where Do We Go Now? from Un Certain Regard as well... peace out!

So it continues... it's late so I'm not elaborating. Link here. Cheers yo ;D

I had the chance to see the latest restoration of Georges Melies' A Trip to the Moon (1902), in the colour print thought lost for 90 years. Check out at Cut Print Review what I thought of it...

I was an invitee to the screening of Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Le Sauvage, which has been recently restored. Catherine Deneuve was there as well as Rappeneau and Costa-Gavras - I've seen a few of her films lately, she's so amazing. And beautifully gracious in real life! Of course, first published on Cut Print Review...

SO. I'm doing a daily blog from the world's biggest film festival. It's amazing but crazy and overwhelming all at the same time. I'm hoping you'll get some sort of insight from it and see how it is from inside the Palais doors. Just follow the link to where it's published on Cut Print Review!