Cannes in Review

I've been home for a week trying to get my life back in order and I've been told to post some sort of finale for my blog. So here goes.

Movies seen:

• Robin Hood
  
• Chongqing Blues
  
• The Bang Bang Club
  
• Cameraman
  
• Blue Valentine
  
• Stones in Exile
  
• At Home By Myself...with you
  

Celeb Sightings:

• Russell Crowe
  
• Atom Egoyan
  
• Helen Mirren
  
• Ryan Gosling
  
• Michelle Williams
  
• James Franco
  
• Ellen Barkin
  
• Michelle Rodriguez
  
• Javier Bardem
  
• Penelope Cruz
  
• Mick Jagger
  

Cool Encounters:

• President of Sundance
  
• Founder of Imdb
  
• Director of Mr & Mrs Smith and the Bourne films
  
• Producer of Fair Game
  

Best Memories:

• Shopping with Alece
  
• Walking the red carpet with the roomies
  
• Drinking with the boys on the balcony
  
• Karaoke!
  
• Queer Party
  
• Drinking at the South African Pavilion
  
• Being Canadian with Caitlin
  
• Laying on the beach in Cannes
  

What now? Well, I've put down a deposit on an apartment on TO and I'm hopefully going to be finding a job soon. I don't know what else to write about Cannes now that I'm back here. Moving soon and starting my life. I have to be an adult now.

That's pretty much the scariest thing ever. Wish me luck.

Cheers!

Danny Elfman is in my checked luggage

I just arrived at Heathrow airport. I was worried because I only have about an hour and a half between my two flights and judging by my last experience getting through customs/security at Heathrow, I wasn't sure if I would make it in time.

And yet, here I stand WITH a cool story to boot.

I checked my bag in Nice, worried that it would be over 50lb, and it was but they didn't really say anything so who cares lol? I left my AmPav friends to go through security. Once I went through security I may or may not have purchased a copy of a certain book that is a favourite of Malory's that has a certain vampire OKAY I BOUGHT A COPY OF TWLIGHT TO READ ON THE PLANE BUT THAT'S NOT MY COOL STORY JUST LET ME GET TO IT!

Ahem. I went down to my gate and saw that Katie, Natalia and Virginia were all on the same flight with me! Bonus! So we're standing and chatting when I just casually glance to my left. Look back at the group:

Guys. guys. guys guys! shut up! Tim Burton is right over there.

And it was true. TIM FREAKIN BURTON was standing 10 feet from us. We tried not to freak out. He ended up letting us ahead of him on the shuttle to the plane where we stood like 2 feet from him the entire time! GIRLYSQUEE! But he sat all on his own during the flight and I didn't get another glimpse of him.

It was great. So now I'm heading to my gate for my 7 hour flight home. I can't wait to be relaxed and do the 3 hour drive home. Blurgh. jetlag. Blurgh.

Back to Canadia soon!
<3

Cheers!

Beaches and beers and kings, oh my!

I'm trying to work on my tan but apparently my stomach refuses to tan and will remain blindingly white while my shoulders and nose burn. The queer party was fun. Gotta love dancing to some Bowie Modern Love. Don't like 5€ drinks so much but what can you do?

Things are winding down there's really no one at the Pavilion so we're mostly hanging out and going to the beach. Been chilling a lot with Caitlin and Dave who, by the way, has a southern type accent so I keep getting him to say "Sookie" for me and I laugh every time. He's listed in my phone as "Vampire Dave."

yesterday we spent all day at the beach and I swam in the Mediterranean. Definitely a good day except for lots of old lady boobs and creepers in boxers asking to borrow our towels. Dinner at what was pretty much a dive and then Caitlin's balcony for an eye opening game of kings.

We went to the beach again today after cleaning slash packing but it was too hot to spend another day there. When Cait and I were cleaning we attempted to run the dishwasher which didn't seem to actually clean anything so I ran it again just now. Hopefully that will work.

My flight is as scheduled as far as I know but I'm hesitant to trust British Airways with their fickleness concerning strikes. Leaving on the 10am shuttle tomorrow then home :)

No more photos to post because I don't have a computer to upload from. Maybe I'll blog from heathrow!!

See some of you soon!

Cheers!

Karaoke Hangover

I'm now convinced that 'Karaoke Hangover' could be a Japanese cop thriller. I'd see it.

I didn't post yesterday because it was a busy busy day! Night before last I wandered over to a movie that my friend Rachel gave me a ticket for. It was kind of last minute but I thought I wasn't busy so I'd just go and try to get in. I ended up in line with some other American Pavilion people. It was the Rolling Stones documentary Stones in Exile about their album Exile on Main St. We were lucky enough to get in and even LUCKIER that MICK FREAKIN JAGGER introduced it!! Someone told me that the Stones were playing on Paul Allen's Yacht later and this British Composer I met said he'd try to get me in, but I found out from my roommate that the list was fairly final and no one extra was getting in.

Oh well :) still a good night.

First panel of the next day was for short films in Cannes and it was kind of a big deal because James Franco was coming to talk about his short film that he directed. Needless to say everyone was trying to get in. We had to start a line up and then all the students were mad that there wasn't enough room for all of them to come in even though the members who paid got to come in.

I was waiting at the front for the panelists when this guy comes up to me and Sam (our bouncer extraordinaire) and said something like

I am the most successful/famous short filmmaker in France. I have Academy Award nominations le blah le blah blah lablah.

And we were like..."yeah...do you have a badge?" and he was really pissed and walked away. As soon as he left we were like "I have many leatherbound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany." It was quite ridiculous.

Then there was a flurry of commotion and I see James freaking Franco walking down the stairs signing autographs and being hounded by photographers. He walked in and I asked him to follow me to the green room. He seemed really tired as his plane just got in at 8:30 this morning. I asked him if he'd like some coffee and he said yes so I ran and got it. Then the panel started and it was the most full I'd ever seen the conference room.

That is,until the Blue Valentine panel. Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams were there so again people were pushing to get in. It was great to hear the director speak about the film, he definitely knew what he was talking about and described the shooting style perfectly with his ideas.

After all the panels were done, us ladies sat down in the VIP area we created to have some Champagne. When miss Emily got a bit smiley. Turns out, Vince, the producer on James Franco's film had come over and asked her for her card so they could keep in touch. Then Emily starts getting these texts on her Blackberry. So she types,

"I'm sorry, what James is this?"
"Franco."

He asked her if she wanted to meet up later that night and she was pretty nervous but I told her if she didn't want to have it seem like a date, tell him to bring someone else and I'd go with her. I know this seems like I was trying to steal her thunder, but I was going to go to a party with a guy I met (as friends, and I didn't end up going) and I knew that I'd feel more comfortable if someone came with me. Unfortunately her phone died and she never got to hang out with him, but I'm sure she'll text him later and keep in touch.

After that it was time to go SHOPPING!!! I just bought some underwear! The woman kept telling me that they were for men but they looked comfy as hell so I bought them!! I kind of want to go back to Pimkie to get a fancy vest I was looking at earlier.

End of the night last night we had a Karaoke party at the Pavilion! It was amazing. People were singing Billie Jean and Carter sang We Belong Together by Mariah Carey. Me, Rachel and Sam and Rebecca sang Wannabe by the Spice Girls and I rocked out to Just a Girl by No Doubt. I got back just in time to sing it because Sam and I LITERALLY ran to the bathroom and back. I was going to do I Love Rock and Roll for Malory but Karaoke ended before we got to it.

After that I went back to the Maeva and threw up lol. A bit too much, but at least I wasn't 'the one.
Tonight: QUEER PARTY!

Home soon! I miss my man!

Cheers! <3

Do sharks sneeze?

It's raining here. Pouring. So loud I can barely hear the panel. It's Fred Wiseman. We watched his film in Film 351/Documentary High School. I normally wouldn't say this because it sounds cliche, but he's so wise. I'd love to just have a sit down with him and chat. Also, some lady from the LA Times thought I was his publicist and it made me laugh.

Last night I saw the film Blue Valentine at the Debussy with Caitlin, Dave and a WHOLE bunch of AmPav people. We ended up in the right line in the end and had our pick of seats. The movie was about to start when it was announced that not only was Harvey Weinstein present, but also Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams :|. They came up onstage to help introduce the film and stayed through the whole thing.

The film, as "Kirk" (I'm not sure who Kirk is but everyone keeps quoting him), left me feeling like I'd been beaten up but in the best way possible. It was so devastatingly beautiful. It was the story of a couple who have fallen out of love interspersed with their initial meeting, courtship and their lives when they were still infatuated with every part of each other. The film was the complete antithesis of Once in my opinion and it was absolutely beautiful.

After feeling totally depressed we went to a friend's room and drank beer and pondered cultural differences between Americans and Canadians. Later today Caitlin and I are seeing At Home By Myself...with You. It's another Canadian film and then later tonight I may go see The African Queen in Cannes Classic.

I'm having the most amazing time of my life and meeting so many interesting people. I hope they all have facebook or give me their emails so we can stay in contact because I want to keep in touch with them for the rest of my life. I miss my boyfriend and family so much, but I don't want to come home to my job lol.

Hopefully I can get a job in TO as a PA or something before I move and I don't have to stay in retail for the rest of my life! Also - the British Airways cabin crew strike was stopped by some sort of legal injunction. Looks like my ride home may be smooth unless the volcano acts up again!

AND the moderator didn't want his gift bag and said I could have it! Woo swag!

Cheers!

Omg shoes.

I'm sitting on the floor in the back of a panel today. I'm tired but so is everyone. People are fainting they're working so hard so I don't mind sitting down for a minute in the back.

Last night was an early night. I spent enough time waiting for the bus and waiting for the bus to get through traffic that I could have walked home and back to Cannes. But it was waaay too hot so I just shoved and apologized with the rest of the French.

When I got home I took out the garbage and swept and washed dishes. I just couldn't take it anymore so I put on what I have now deemed the cleaning socks and went to work. I also fixed our toilet which for some reason wasn't flushing which was, understandably, getting annoying. There was no water getting to the tank so I filled it io from the sink with a bowl and now it seems to be working just fine. Go me!

Yesterday I saw the film "The Bang Bang Club" which is a Canadian film about a group of photographers shooting in apartheid South Africa. If you've seen the photo of the sudanese child being stalked by a vulture, one of the guys from this group shot it. It was a really good film and my fave so far. And at the end of the film, "Life is a Gun" by Jay Malinowski started playing. I was so stoked!!

Today I went to a round table talk with Mike Leigh the director of "Another Year." he was very blunt but interesting with his views on organic filmmaking. After that we prepared the first panel about film marketing. Afterwards I was chatting with this lady about her awesome shoes Nd she wrote down the website of her friend who designed them on the back of her card. Turns out she's the Director of PR and Marketing for imdb! Huh. :)

We started preparing for the next panel and I walked one of the panelists into the VIP room and all of a sudden I find myself standing feet from Roger Ebert! Holy molybdenum! I don't know what that means but it's what my iPod corrected "moly."

One more panel today. Well it's a conversation with the director of "jumper" and other films. I'm going to see "Blue Valentine" tonight and hopefully I cam get another good night of sleep.

Cheers!

"Don't give naked people your phone number."

Today has been a good day :). I woke up a little lake and I have blisters the size of Everest from the shoes I bought today. It's pretty brutal to look at but not that sore.  I got to the Pavilion today and started setting up for the Shit Year panel with Cam the director and Ellen Barkin!! She was all glitzed up in some pink shiz and she looked happy to be here.


The weather was lovely today, fairly warm considering the wind we've been having the last couple days.  I ate a grilled cheese on the beach and ran into Erik! My friend who I met in line for Chatroom the other night.

LAST night was a blast, we all went to Le Petit
 Majestic bar and it was so much fun! We were out drinking on the street with 3 euro beers and live music. I also ended up running into the British director from the day before standing at the door. I was ordering a beer and I hear "Is that Dosie? Dosie Wobster?" and it was him! It was so nice to recognize someone I had spoken to earlier and have him remember me. 

Later I was walking through the International Village and I got roped into the South African Pavilion because they had free beer. I walked in and ended up chatting with another British director and telling him about my projects.  It was a great convo and I ended up getting a little tipsy.  After that I wandered back to the American Pavilion then to a screening about Jack Cardiff, a really innovative, legendary cinematographer. 

Now I'm heading home to bed because I'm exhausted.

toodles!!