Day 10 – Movie Marathon

The Festival draws to a close this weekend, and suddenly I’m panicking that I haven’t seen enough movies. So last night we went to the 10.30pm screening of ‘Drive’ with Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan (classic boys’ movie with fast cars, lots of very gruesome skop, skiet & donner and then some snot ‘n trane for the girls!)…

And then rolled out of bed this morning and down the hill to the Palais to watch Sean Penn’s “This Must Be the Place” in the Grand Theatre. Quirky. A bit slow. But totally enjoyable. Sean Penn’s a master (as a former goth rock star), Frances McDormand is brilliant (as his detached wife) and young Irish actress Eve Hewson is sensational (oh wow – just discovered she is U2 Bono’s daughter!). I kind of wish it hadn’t become yet another going-on-a-journey-across-America-to-find-oneself movie BUT it was saved from being a cliche by some great scenes and fab music, including – of course – Talking Heads (the movie title comes from the Talking Heads track and its creator David Byrne guest stars brilliantly…as himself.)

And then (yup, not finished), raced over to Salle Soixante to watch Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s ‘The Skin I Live In’. LOVE him. And Antonio Bandeiras as a plastic surgeon is sooooo good. Film was fab. But sometimes I wish that everytime I watched an Almodovar it could be like the first time all over again – because the first time you discover an Almodovar he blows you away (‘All About My Mother’, ‘Volver’)…but after the first you wait for him to surprise you, rather than being surprised…because you know he will, you know he’s unique, you know he’s brilliant.

And all that was before lunch!