CANNES 2011

Cannes 2011: Alex's First Video Blog & Updates from the Film Fest!

by Alex Billington
May 12, 2011

This is the year, the year I think I've been waiting for, the vintage year at the Cannes Film Festival that I knew was one day coming. We've only just finished Day 2 (it's currently Friday morning here in France) and I've only seen four films so far, but everything has been absolutely parfait so far. For those who don't speak French, that means "perfect". My travel here, the films I've seen, the experience so far, even the apartment we rented to stay in (with Eric from IONCinema) has been better than ever before. And I'm hoping it'll only get even better as the fest continues. How are the films I've seen? All but one of them I thoroughly enjoyed.

I love Cannes. It grows on me every year. Last year was rough, to be frank, the line-up was pretty bad, but this year is making up for it. We've still got many of the highly anticipated films like The Tree of Life, Melancholia, The Skin I Live In and Drive that have yet to screen, but it's been an incredible start to the fest. I had a feeling this would be a great year and it's certainly living up to those expectations so far. I think I'm just getting more and more comfortable with Cannes, I know my way around the city and all the theaters, I know how to get into all the films, and I have the coveted pink badge which is the exactly the kind of access that has allowed this to become everything I've always wanted it to be. Its inching closer and closer to being equal with Sundance as my favorite festival experience every year. I'm so happy to be here in 2011!

As the fest continues on, I'll do my best to bring you more video blog updates beyond all the reviews. I may even get some of my friends and fellow critics to hop on and talk about the films they've enjoyed, so be on the lookout for those over the next few weeks. Cannes lasts until May 22nd and I'll be here most of the way through the fest. We haven't even hit the first weekend yet, so we've got a long way to go! I hope everything else I'm seeing continues to impress me as much as the three films I've already seen and loved. Now it's time to grab a baguette and maybe some coffee and head out to a screening! I'm not even sure what it may be yet.

Watch my first video blog from Cannes below. I wanted to record something quick, so it's fairly short.

Hope you guys enjoyed that! Below is the list of films I've seen at this year's Cannes that I will be updating consistently throughout the fest within each new blog post (links go to reviews). Here are the latest updates:

Cannes Film Festival 2011:
1. Midnight in Paris (dir. Woody Allen) - Loved It
2. Sleeping Beauty (dir. Julia Leigh) - Hated It
3. Restless (dir. Gus Van Sant) - Loved It
4. We Need to Talk About Kevin (dir. Lynne Ramsay) - Loved It

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Filed under Cannes 11, Feat, Video Blog

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