POSTCARDS FROM CANNES
May 15th - Day two.

Ahoy from Cannes!

Yes the craziness has begun… too many films and too little time.

First yesterday was THE MUTANT CHRONICLES which proved to be unlike any film you’ve ever seen. An astonishing mix of German expressionist cinema, Sky Captain, The Dirty Dozen and Guy Maddin. Slightly too long, a strim of approx 20 minutes would work wonders, but the look of the film and the cast are fantastic. Ron Perlman, Thomas Jane, Devon Aoki and FrightFest favourite Sean Pertwee.

Following that the first half of MY NAME IS BRUCE which does what it says on the tin. A lower than low budget part autobiography and self referential zany comedy and part campy horror film. This succeeds based purely on our audience adoration of Bruce Campbell. A possible Fest film, and what a great guest he would be!

EDEN LAKE… Alan has followed this film since his many set visits and we have had a close relationship with it’s director James Watkins. A brilliant, uncompromising British genre triumph. The central performance by Kelly Reilly is a revelation in this grueling and tightly wound shocker.

MARTYRS… you can count on the crazy French to out-do themselves in the extreme department. Following last years INSIDE (and we all know how fantastic that was!) comes this fresh slice of Gallic extremity. This one really does push at the limits of the audience endurance. This film nearly prompted Alan to walk out at one point (no mean feat) but every time you think you can second guess the outcome of the film the rug is pulled away again.

An upsetting modern masterpiece that will leave you thinking long after the credits have rolled and the final dedication is to Dario Argento. This will be a hot potato for any festival brave enough to screen this. It truly is as distessing as The Girl Next Door, that nonetheless deserves to be seen.

So, until the next time.

Paul.

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