Today’s Cannes schedule has only allowed for one-and-a-quarter films, which at least means I’ll be able to catch up on yesterday’s review backlog later. For now, though, it’s off to one function I didn’t have to work very hard to get invited to — the London Film School (my alma mater) reception, with Mike Leigh as guest of honor.
Then it’s a dip into the Edinburgh Film Festival party — which can be counted on for good chat and free whiskey — before I get myself all tuxed up and hit the red carpet for tonight’s gala screening of “Certified Copy.” (Yes, I’m seeing it twice in two days — it’s that good.) So I’m afraid there won’t be more reviews for a good few hours, though you can catch my Twittered thoughts on Sundance-to-Cannes indie hit “Blue Valentine.”
Two things to plug before I go, however. One disadvantage about being on the ground at Cannes is that I haven’t the time to read and round up fellow critical reactions, so indieWIRE’s criticWIRE Cannes Guide, collecting the scores of a wide range of critics and bloggers, is something of a godsend.
They’ve kindly invited me to participate this year — so if you struggle sometimes to decipher my star ratings (perhaps Sasha Stone was right and I was too reserved on “Another Year”), you find my wider-ranging letter scores here. I’ve always have more of a head for letters than numbers.
Finally, following yesterday’s amusing disagreement between Jeff Wells and myself (among other critics) on the merits of “Certified Copy” and “Biutiful,” USA Today’s Anthony Breznican has turned the matter into a meaty story, amping up the drama a notch:
I asked Wells what he thought [of “Certified Copy”] and got a face full of buckshot. “Guy Lodge said he loved it,” I replied.
“Guy Lodge?” Wells replied, looking toward him across the room. “Guy Lodge lives on a cloud.”
At this point, Lodge let out a primal hiss and lunged across the tables to begin choking Wells to death with a USB cable…
Read how it ends here.
Comments
10 responses to “Letters from Cannes”
I find the interactions between the various bloggers more interesting than the movies themselves (sight unseen of course).
Keep it coming!!!
Hey Guy! Please take Sasha Stone a Picture!! Revenge! As she has posted some pics of u in her site!
Hey guys!
Visual Effects:
Category to expand from three to five slots
Variety
Guy, when are you going to write a book about Cannes?
That criticWire page is extremely helpful, very stream-lined. Glad you loved Williams and Blue Valentine.
Guy, I don’t want to take too much of your time, but how was your experience at the London Film School? In short, did you like it? Worth it? Michael Mann went there, right?
Yes! From what I’ve read on this site I can definitely see you jumping across the table and strangling him! That’s what makes you so damn appealing! Choke away!!
Gittes: I did the screenwriting, rather than the filmmaking, MA at the LFS — in fact, I was in the first group of students to take the course once it was instituted. Incredibly valuable experience: it’s not as if they can teach you to write, but the collaboration and networking opportunities are rich. Plus, lectures from Mike Leigh and Pawel Pawlikowski — what’s not to like?
Billybil: I should stress that Jeff and I actually get on well.
Much appreciated, Guy. I’m considering LFS, though I can’t decide between screenwriting and filmmaking. But I’ve got some time. Thanks. Lectures from Mike Leigh? I’m there.
Very occasional lectures, I should add. But they bring in a consistently interesting roster of guests.