Between Screenings
Between Screenings is a film podcast hosted by Neil Jeram-Croft and Tom Percival — two critics who live for cinema and the conversations it sparks.
Each episode dives into what’s new on screens big and small — from festival discoveries and arthouse standouts to the biggest blockbusters and hidden gems. Expect honest reviews, spirited debates, insider perspectives from the festival circuit, and the kind of film chat that usually happens in the lobby, between screenings.
New episodes every fortnight. Join us, and keep the conversation going between screenings.
Between Screenings
Devil Wears Prada 2 thoughts, Obession and Neil's Cannes Preview
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Join Neil Jeram-Croft as he shares his upcoming adventures at Cannes Film Festival, reviews recent films including 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' and horror hits like 'Obsession,' and discusses the intricacies of film industry events and filmmaking. Perfect for cinephiles and industry insiders alike.
Hi, welcome back to Between Screenings. I'm joined again by Tom Percival, and we're going to talk about the films we've seen recently and also preview my trip to Cannes because I head off tomorrow morning. How are you, Tom?
SPEAKER_02Very well, Neil. Are you excited to escape the really strange weather we've been having here in Balayti and uh get yourself over to France?
SPEAKER_00I'm indeed. The weather's looking very nice in France while I'm over there, although I will be sat in a dark room a lot of the time.
SPEAKER_02But that's perfect because it's nice and air conditioned. You know, you leave the room, you know, you're blinded by all the stars out there. You know, you're gonna have a great time, I'm sure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean it is a slightly less starry affair than it has been in previous years. It's definitely not the Hollywood blockbuster-centric festival that it was sort of last year. I think there was a lot more sort of big name titles there last year, whether it's a bit more auteur-driven this year. But there's still lots to look forward to, so there's a lot of films that I'm really looking forward to seeing. So yeah, yeah, I'm looking forward to it.
SPEAKER_02Excellent. But we'll talk on that a little more because we promised people that we would share our thoughts on the biggest cinematic event of the year. I mean, you've been waiting for it, I've been waiting for it. The Devil Wears Prada 2. Neil, I believe you took your wife and lovely daughters to see this.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I did indeed. So we re-watched after we'd last spoken, we re-watched Devil Wears Prada on the Friday night. And then on the Sunday afternoon, we went uh and watched The Devil Wears Prada 2. I think I need to apologise slightly to Andy's boyfriend from Devil Wears Prada 1, because I think I gave him a bit of a too much of a hard time because he wasn't as awful as I remember. However, her friend was awful. So I don't really like he was a he's you know, he does say things in there like, you know, I'm a flipping chef, I make jus, like I'm not precious, but you said this was everything you didn't use sort of stood against, and you're the one who's changed for it. So I think I kind of I kind of didn't dislike him as much as I remembered disliking him. But her friend, who was unbelievably excited about getting a free bag, uh and runs a frickin' art gallery, uh, selling art that no mortal human sort of normal normal person would want to buy, um, you'd have thought she'd have been much more excited about her friend working at the biggest fashion magazine because she could have invited all of a load of people along to her gar gallery openings and stuff. Whereas instead she looked down her nose at her load. I was like, what? This well, that doesn't make any sense.
SPEAKER_02Not only does she take the bag, which I think is worth a thousand dollars or something ridiculous like that, she then takes her phone off her and they play keep away. And I'm just like the anxiety, and that was in 2006, having your phone taken off you. I in nowadays I think I genuinely have a brain aneurysm if someone took my phone off me for longer than four minutes, especially when I was supposed to technically be on the clock. Um, I do disagree. I do think the boy I've I rewatched it as well. I do I still think the boyfriend sucks. He sucks slightly less than you remember, but he's not. He's not great. He there's a reason why he's not in this new mover.
SPEAKER_00Yes, he's not great, but I didn't think he was I didn't think he was as terrible as I remembered. But yes, I just say he's not in this one. Um overall thoughts on this one. So we all I think really positive when we came out. I think we generally really, really liked it. I think there's uh the sort of understanding that time has passed and that the world is not what it was. There's the nod to kind of the fact that uh the Meryl Streep character cannot behave in the same way. Um she is yeah, Miranda has sort of had her wings clipped slightly, she can no longer dump her coat and bag on a desk uh because of HR complaints, and her assistant now is as well as managing her diary and everything else, also telling her what she is and isn't allowed to say in meetings, which I did find quite. Yeah, I enjoyed that, but I think the the negative side of that is it means Miranda's suddenly lost some of her power, so it's a bit weird which which makes it a slightly more difficult dynamic in the film that Miranda's kind of still the same person, but also has lost her power, which I think I'm not sure they made enough of that difference in her character to make her as interesting as it could have been.
SPEAKER_02I think that's an interesting uh point because I think as neutered as she is, the film goes all out of its way to explain why she's so neutered. The magazine has lost, I mean, they literally call it more of a pamphlet these days. They are a website first, they have to think about social content. She sat in that meeting and she's listening to people far younger than her explain concepts to her that she clearly is completely bored by, you know. And I I quite enjoyed it. I I will say I agree. You do sort of want to see Miranda Priestley be the devil in the, you know, the devil wearing. And in this, she's more sort of like, I don't know, you know, the middle manager in HM. Like she's still sort of sharp and she's still up in a position of authority over Andy, but yes, she's definitely lost us, that sort of untouchable feeling. But I think as well, part of that is deliberate because obviously Andy's older, she's not coming in this into this as an assistant anymore. She's now the features editor on a magazine. Um, I will say, as someone who works full-time in journalism, I had been warned going into this film that it was a horror movie. And I cannot, no word of a lie, I had real existential dread during this because that moment at the beginning, when all of those journalists get a text from, you know, saying you're out of a job, I know people who that's happened to. Quite literally, uh, that happened to a friend. I saw this on the Sunday morning of um of the week of release, and a friend got a text on Monday morning. We were talking about Devil Wars Prada and how scary it is for journalists, and he got a text saying, You've just been made redundant. Wow. So it's a genuine real life situation. But even then, like the direct the conversations which um Miranda's having with Andy, I've been a features editor, and the conversation that Miranda's having, yes, this is a very worthy piece of content, but no one's reading it, so what's the point in doing it? And you know, like that what about the advertisers? Have we considered what the advertisers think? Um, the role of all of that. And it was, I had a great time with it, but I did come out of it thinking, oh dear lord, what what is going to happen to my profession? And I think the film has, I think I've seen people say, oh, it's not a happy ending because, you know, in the end, they rely on another benevolent billionaire to save them. And I was a bit like, yeah, but I think the film's very aware of that. Like in the car ride home, when uh after they've they've landed they've signed the deal with Lucy Lou's character, who sort of comes in at the end to save them from these Jeff Bezos type um, you know, like billionaires who are going to buy runway just for the sake of running it. They don't really care about the brand or its legacy, they just want it because they want everything. Um and then Lucy Lou's character comes in and she genuinely believes in what they're doing. And Miranda Priestley says, All you've done is buy as a stay of execution. And you didn't do this for yourself, you did this for you because the Titanic has sunk and we just grabbed on to the nearest piece of driftwood floating by, and there's room enough on the raft for both of us now. And I was like, Oh my god, it is so true. You know, like this idea.
SPEAKER_00And also the idea that I think they also say at that point as well, she says she's gonna be completely hands-off, and Randall's like, yeah, for now.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and so it's her. I mean, remember, remember when Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post and said exactly the same thing? He was gonna be hands-off. And how long did that last? You know, I think uh a presidential term, basically. Um, other than that, though, like outside of the you know, the ennui and sheer dread I felt leaving the cinema, I will say I felt it was very, very funny. I thought all of the characters it felt like we hadn't missed a beat in these characters' lives. Uh and Stanley Tucci, I know he's never gonna get any sort of awards recognition for this, but the character of Nigel is such a treat. And when he's on, well, you know, like just from the way he dresses to the way, like, you know, how how he how archy is, I love it. I love that he got his moment. I love the relationship that character has with Miranda. Like when uh Andy brings up the did she ever apologise, by the way, for essentially fucking you over at the end of the last movie. And he's like, Oh, she's done that like eight more times since you left. Like, what are you talking about? And then in this, in this one, she finally says, I've I've overlooked you, you know. Like, I'm surrounded by basically she's like, I'm surrounded by people who are incompetent, but there's always been you. And I really like that.
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah, and I think the little moment between um Nigel and Andy at the end as well was very sweet.
SPEAKER_02Yes, when he's like, I never forgot you. Um, yeah. All in all, though, I I'd say it's a really I thought it was a really good film. And already the fifth highest grossing movie of the year. So, you know.
SPEAKER_00I don't know. Not bad, eh? I think the one the one thing I quite liked, and I think so some people have seen it as a negative, I think. Um, but I quite liked it. Like Anne Appo's character obviously is coming in as a real journalist now, and she's coming in as a features editor, and she uh she thinks it's great, but then obviously the uh Miranda sort of knocks her back down to her place as soon as she comes in because she then goes and sacks the actual features editor. But also a lot of people are like, well, why is Mur why is Andy's like she's 40 uh now? She's you know she's a feat she's a seasoned journalist. Why is she still so in awe of Miranda and still seeking her approval so much? And I think if you're a 20-something, you don't get that. If I think when you're older, you do get it. Because there's I I can meet people who were in positions of authority and you really looked up to when you're in your 20s, and you're still kind of terrified of them now. The fact you're older doesn't change the way you feel about those people who are in positions of authority uh above you. Because I was chatting to someone who said they they used to play a lot of football, and he said, like, my youth team football coaches, if I met them now, I'd be absolutely terrified. Like, no, it doesn't matter that I'm now a 40-odd year old man. Like, I it's just you still they still have that power over you.
SPEAKER_02No, entirely. And I think like, again, to go full journalism on it as well. First of all, we have to note that within the world of the movie, Miranda has maintained control over a magazine and website for at this point decades, which in itself is really impressive. And secondly, like I like I was at an event the other day, I won't name names, but I was I was at an event the other day, and a journalist who I have looked up to since wanting to become a journalist saw me at the bar, came over and said hello, and was like, you know, saying, Oh, how's things? How's Emily? Blah, blah, blah. You know, normal conversation. I've known this person for quite some time now. And they walked away. And I thought to myself, oh my God, that was X. And I have a f and I'm friends with them. Do you know what I mean? Like that is something that, you know, you can never shake off. Even like as I approach 40, you know, it's it's wild that you still, these people are still legends to you, you know, when you see them, you're like, oh my god, they're so cool. Because they're the, you know, they're the big beasts of your industry, even now. Like, I I I completely agree. Andy would be like that towards Miranda.
SPEAKER_00I mean, if you're in the fashion industry and you bump and you really want to, that's, you know, and you've maybe worked for Anna Winter in the past and you meet Anna Winter again, she still looks bloody terrifying.
SPEAKER_02Well, I think as well, it's it's a very outside of the industry the sort of idea that, well, a serious journalist would look down on someone who was the editor of a squire or vogue or something like that. Absolutely not. They would be like, oh my god, that's the editor. I mean, you know, Anna Winter is a big deal within, and I use, you know, inverted inverted quotes here, serious journalism. Just because you write features about, you know, social issues does not mean you don't look at the career of someone like, you know, uh Anna Winter or, you know, within my my game, like Mark Commode and people like that, and think they are lesser journalists because they work on more frivolous topics. No, that's not the way it works. People are impressed by decent writing and, you know, and decent journalists.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. No, agreed. Um, but yeah, overall, I think you don't have to leave you don't have to read into it and take it as seriously as we have in this conversation. No, that is true. That is true. It is also just a fun sort of slightly it's got those sort of deeper things in it about the state of journalism and the state of um the world. It didn't go into influencer culture, which was interesting. They kind of had little nods to influencer culture, but they didn't do much on that. Um and the Lady Gargah bit was fun. Yeah, the Lady Garga bit was fun. Very much enjoyed Lady Gargar's little cameo. Um, and yeah, I think just generally it was it was a good, fun couple of hours in the cinema. And everyone I know who came away from it really enjoyed it. And I'm not surprised it's gonna it's about to cross 500 million at the box office this weekend, I think, uh, and it will still keep going. So I think there's a lot of people who'll be re-watching it.
SPEAKER_02Oh, 100%. Not bad for a $100 million movie.
SPEAKER_00No, well, it's already, I think it out and a a movie that it did well at the box office when it first came out, but it certainly didn't do um like amazing m amazing numbers. I think it did 150 million or something at the box office when it first came out. So, you know, it's it's it's a bit of a juggernaut now, and it's showing that this uh what they call them, the legacy sequels are um are a thriving business. And I I don't doubt that Hollywood will plunder that well until it is absolutely bone-dry.
SPEAKER_02Oh, entirely. We will be watching The Devil Wears Prada 3, maybe in the next five years. I have no doubts about that.
SPEAKER_00Well, we've already got another Top Gun coming.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, well God, entirely. Happy 40th birthday, um, Top Gun, by the way.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Oh yeah. And uh we missed May the 4th. We're 10 days late for May the 4th.
SPEAKER_02Well, Star Wars ain't that interesting anymore, as we clear as we spoke about at length last week. Although next time we record, I think I will have seen Mandalorian and Grogo. So we could talk more about that then.
SPEAKER_00Right, cool. Um I think I think my youngest daughter wants to go to the cinema to see it because she likes Star Wars, but she's not watched The Mandalorian. So I I'm quite interested to go with her as someone who's seen all of The Mandalorian and see if someone who has no prior knowledge of The Mandalorian can actually enjoy it. I think that will be interesting.
SPEAKER_02So there were they showed the first 20 minutes last week to um select journals and influencers at an event in London. And the social media scuttlebot is that it's very much like an episode of Mandar that at least in those opening 20 minutes, um, it's very much just like another episode of the Mandalorian and Grogu. So yeah, I guess if that's what you're into, I'd be interested to tell you what your daughter thinks.
SPEAKER_00Yes, I think someone who with no no prior knowledge of Mandalorian and Grogu coming into it, will it stand alone as a as a story for her? Because if it doesn't, I think it's absolutely screwed.
SPEAKER_02Oh, 100%. I still think it's gonna bottom out at 300 mil and they're gonna earn solo, but I think that's sort of where it ends up.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Right. And what else have you seen, Tom? I see I believe you've seen some other highbrow fare at the cinema this week.
SPEAKER_02So I I've seen some really super, you know, in uh super, as you say, intellectual heavyweight movies, such as Mortal Kombat 2, starring Carl Urban as Johnny Cage. Um so yeah, I went to see this uh last week, and dear God, this is probably one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my life. Like genuinely like borderline incoherent, like plot-wise, uh like all spectacle, absolutely no substance. I had a great time with it. I can't lie, it's genuinely terrible, but I was laughing the whole way through. Um, you know, I had a big grin on my face. I thought it was really funny. I found the the fact that they thought this was okay to release is amazing to me. It's genuinely astounding that anyone would put this out and be like, yeah, this is an okay thing to, you know, we'll put this out and people will like it. Um I should say I went with some friends who were less charitable to it. They said it was legitimately shit. Um, you know, like there was no fun to be had with it at all. But I will say I think they were being a bit self-serious. Like if you go to a film called Mortal Kombat, what are you expecting? There's gore, there's catchphrases, and there's some relatively cool action set pieces. Yeah, it doesn't make a lick of sense. Yes, it's really stupid at points. Yes, it's extremely convoluted, but basically you're just going to watch some cutscenes of Mortal Kombat glued together, you know, and that's what it glivers. Like it's it's it's a film to go see with friends and just have a laugh at. Maybe not always with, have a you know, uh have fun talking about afterwards. Um yeah, it's I don't think it's one for you, Neil.
SPEAKER_00I'll say that. No, no, it's strangely not been to to watch that one. And it I I didn't see the first one, don't plan on seeing this one.
SPEAKER_02I would say it's worse than the first one, which is saying something, because that first one is terrible.
SPEAKER_00Right. But apparently it did very well on HBO Yes. Well, when they released it day and date, so it didn't do great at the Box Office, but they were doing this whole post-COVID day and date thing on HBO Max, and apparently it did very, very well on HBO Max, which is why it got the sequel.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, and I think maybe they've overestimated the difference between, you know, we will watch something for free on HBO Max versus we will pay money to go to the cinema because I think this has only made 70 mil worldwide or something like that so far, and it's been out for a week. Um cost, I think, 80 mil or something like that. Right. So yeah, it's it's not made its budget back in the first week, which is never great. And as you say, you've got Mando Mando and Grog Grogalorian, no. The Mando and Grogu staring it down this way, you know, next week. I just I don't think this is gonna do particularly well. Maybe it's designed to go on HBO Max. Who knows? Maybe I'm completely wrong. Um, but I don't think it's gonna have legs.
SPEAKER_00And the other film you've seen was the directorial, was it I don't know if it was a directorial debut, but it's it's directed by a famous YouTuber.
SPEAKER_02So, yeah, this I saw Obsession, which was directed by Curry Berker, who is one part of the internet sketch duo, uh That's a Bad Idea. And this is a film about uh a young man, maybe in his 20s, who is in love with a girl and he makes a wish on a willow stick. This might be an American thing that we don't have over there, that she loves him more than anyone else on earth. And would you believe his wish comes true? She becomes obsessed with him and it turns into one of the most intense and disturbing horror films I've ever seen in my life. So when I heard the premise, I was expecting something like I don't know if you've seen these films, um, Happy Death Day, um, or which is like a relatively light horror comedy about a girl, like Groundhog Day meets a slasher. And then we've got to be.
SPEAKER_00I think I've seen bits of it, but as we know, this is not my favorite genre.
SPEAKER_02This is yeah, this is not your favorite genre. But I was expecting something relatively light-hearted, you know, sort of, oh look, ha ha ha, he's got what you, you know, this this is awkward, and you know, maybe she becomes a serial killer by the end of the movie because she's so obsessed with him. I would put this more in the vein of your hereditary, your bring them back, your sort of like real, sort of elevated like horror. It is there were scenes during this that I found so intense I had to look away from the screen. And it had two moments, which I won't spoil, one of which was the scariest thing I think I've ever I've heard in a cinema this year. And I went to see a movie that, a podcast horror movie earlier this year, if you remember. And it was scarier than it's scarier sounding than that. And second of all, one of the most intensely violent scenes I've ever seen in a horror ever, which went on for probably 60 seconds, but felt like about half an hour. It was so shocking. Everyone in the cinema started looking at each other to be like, did that genuinely just happen? Um, I loved it. Again, like again, and as I was leaving, the class who I saw it with were all like, this is incredible, this is brilliant. Like, this has been getting really good buzz basically since it premiered at Toronto last year, and a lot of people have been very, very excited to see it, including myself, and I'm so happy to say it lived up to the expectations. If you love horror films, this is out on Friday, go see it because it is brilliant, but I warn you now, it is gross, horrible, and it will leave you itching. I saw this with a friend and we went for a beer last night while we were out. We saw this on Tuesday, and he said to me yesterday, I'm still thinking about things in that movie. Like two days later, I cannot get them out of my head. And I was like, Yeah, me too. So a big recommend from me. Um and yeah, a fantastic horror movie, and I'm really excited to see. I think this guy, I think Curry Barker is doing the remake of the Texas Change. Chainsaw Massacre next. Okay, he's taking over that franchise. That's what I've that's what I've heard. Yes. Yeah, he's uh re reimagining the Texas Chainsaw Massacre for A24, and I'm very, very excited to hear what that's gonna be. Sorry, C B.
SPEAKER_00Well, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, I think, still is one of the scariest films I've ever seen.
SPEAKER_02100%.
SPEAKER_00I think the remakes were terrible.
SPEAKER_02Well, the remakes missed the point, but the remakes really lean into sort of like the goriness of it as opposed to the just sheer pant shitting terror of that fan. Like for me, the worst scene in that is when the guy gets hit on the head with a hammer. You know, like when he's horrible. And the noise, ugh yeah. Uh I'm very excited, Doug. Uh, and I'd be interested to see what uh what we get next from old Curry Barker.
SPEAKER_00Right, one to watch. Uh only other thing I've seen since we last saw each other that didn't go to the cinema to see it, but I saw it on um one of your favorite streaming services. Um I saw the new Aziz Anzari movie with Keanu Reeves. So I saw Good Fortune. Have you seen this one? No, no, I've not. So it's Aziz Anzari's sort of uh feature film directorial debut, obviously from Parks on Rec and um the stand-up stuff he's done, and then Master of None. And then he's he's just come up with this with this feature which he wrote and directed, and I really enjoyed it. Um the premise is that Keanu Reeves is a guardian angel, um, but he's the guardian angel that protects you from texting and driving. So if you're ever texting and driving, he puts his hand on your shoulder and you sort of look up from your phone and that stops you crashing and dying. So that's his job. But he doesn't get much satisfaction out of it. So he wants to be a proper angel and really help people's lives. So he sees the Zizanzari character who's really struggling. Like he's been to uni, he's got loads of student loans, um, he's a documentary filmmaker editor, but there's no work around at the moment, and he's working uh for like a DoorDash type company where he's sort of basically just doing odd jobs for people, like an odd job thing. So he gets one job which is like standing in line at a cinnamon bun store because the person obviously doesn't want to stand in line themselves, so they pay him to go and stand in line. Of course, um, and fun jobs like that. So he then ends up meeting the Seth Rogan's character who is a uh billionaire tech bro who sort of thinks he works really hard and goes to like two meetings a week or something. Um and he ends up working for him as his assistant, which is really good. But then he makes a little bit of a mistake and gets fired by Seth Rogan, and he's back to sleeping in his car and everything's doom and gloom again. So Keanu Reeves then intervenes and swaps their lives to show the Azizan Zari character that money doesn't make you happy and that his life was worth living and make him realize his life was worth living so that they swap back. Um but unfortunately Azan Zari's character is like, nah, this is great. No, this is fantastic. Yep. He's like, so have you have you understood that your life is precious and better now? And he's like, no, this is great. I love it.
SPEAKER_01I've got loads of money.
SPEAKER_00Brilliant. Um so there's lots of little funny bits like that. It is quite funny, but ultimately he does realise that his life was worth living and goes back to his old life. Of course. We've all seen we've all seen these films. Of course you have to do it at the end of the film. But it does, I think it really does. But also the Seth Rogan character does kind of change because he has to go through the the sort of working from sort of job to job in the gig economy, trying to make a living doing delivery driving or whatever it might be, and realizing that actually the people who own these things and the way it's structured is not you can't live on it, like it is impossible. So he kind of takes that back with him and becomes a uh uh ethical billionaire in paying his workers properly and all that sort of stuff. But yeah, of course. It's it's lovely, positive, wholesome stuff for everyone at the end. But it was funny, it was good, it was something worth what if you've got a c an hour and a half spare uh on a Friday evening, it's perfectly worth a watch.
SPEAKER_02You know what? I might watch it tonight. I have seen it advertised. Maybe that's my movie tonight.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's a good one. So yes, I enjoyed that. But yes, I won't be seeing anything quite that lighthearted in Cannes, I don't think.
SPEAKER_02No, I don't think you will. Um what is your Cannes itinerary looking like?
SPEAKER_00So I fly in tomorrow morning, I think we our flight gets in about half nine, and we're gonna go get our go straight to get our um go straight to get our accreditation, and then we are off to see Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, which apparently is a raw a a really good you'd like this one. It's a really good queer horror slasher.
SPEAKER_02So I have seen reactions for this coming in today while I've been at work and I'm like, well, sold. Like the title alone had me sold, but the reaction has been so strong. Do you think Carl is gonna like it? Yeah, yeah. Carl loves it.
SPEAKER_00I think Carl is not a Carl is not adverse to a horror.
SPEAKER_02So Peter Bradley's.
SPEAKER_00I mean, obviously, it's got Gillian Anderson in it, and then it's got um Hannah Einbinder, who people probably don't know the name, but if you've seen Hacks, she is um the main character on side Gene Smart's character in Hacks. Uh and I absolutely love Hacks, so I'm I'm excited to see her doing something else. Um and yeah, I mean I think that's gonna be a great intro uh to Can, I think.
SPEAKER_02Well, I'm I'm I'm very jealous. Peter Bradshaw has given this five stars. And nice. Yeah, so I think you're in for a real treat there. And he's written more than two lines, so you know he really enjoyed it.
SPEAKER_00Um and it may well be that um Friday is a bit of a horror day because the next one I'm hoping I haven't got a ticket yet, but I'm hoping to go and see a film called Sanguine, which is a uh French horror film. So yes. So we'll see what happens with the case.
SPEAKER_02How does the how does the ticketing work at Cannes? Do you because presumably you have an industry pass?
SPEAKER_00Yes. Oh, there's no such thing as there is only industry passes.
SPEAKER_02Right, okay. So you can't go as a general punter. You can't just be like, I fancy seeing some films in Cannes.
SPEAKER_00There are certain screenings called the Cannes Cinephile screenings. So if you I don't know if you need to be a member of Cannes Cinephiles, which is just the sort of people who live in Cannes who like going to the cinema. I don't know if it's a club type thing, but there are some screenings which are Cannes Cinephile screenings, which are kind of general public screenings. But there are very few, very few of them. All the other screenings, you need a festival badge or a market badge to be able to go and see. Now it's unbelievably good value because a festival badge, I don't know if I said this last time, but a festival badge is 25 euros if you book it early enough. And that gets you into absolutely everything.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Um the way the tickets work though is they go on sale at 7 a.m. France time every morning. So for four days in advance. So for instance, this morning I was up at because we're an hour behind, I was up at 5 to 6, sat by my behind my computer, ready to go. And then you basically keep refreshing and then you get put in a queue. So I was put in a queue at pretty much bang on one minute to six. I was put in a 60-second queue, counts down, and then you're in, and then you've got to get straight to the day that um you've got to get straight to that day, uh, and then just go for the film you want. So I was booking films for Monday, so I got in and I went straight to the bottom of the the list of films, and I managed to get uh a ticket for Her Private Hell, the new Nicholas Weining Reffin film, which is playing at the Palais, I'll have to wear my tux. Um, so I managed to get that. And then once you've done that, everything else is basically gone. Like if you're lucky, you manage to book one other film in in the time you've got um because everyone is on their booking at the same time. Now, not getting because I've been quite a few years now, not getting the films you want isn't the biggest concern because they do become available because people cancel them and then they they reappear. But if you want those tickets, uh so if there is something you want, so for instance, I want to go and see this film Sanguine on um uh Friday night, I basically have to go onto the page for Sanguine and just keep refreshing it until a ticket pops up and then get it the instant it comes up.
SPEAKER_02Right, okay.
SPEAKER_00Um so I spend a lot of time in Cannes refreshing my phone.
SPEAKER_02So sat on your phone or on laptops just sort of Yeah, so I've done it before where I can't remember what film it was.
SPEAKER_00I think it was maybe the Coriado one monster. Um I was just refreshing my phone and refreshing my phone and refreshing my phone, and then I suddenly got it. And I was like, oh no, it's in like 45 minutes. But I've got to wear a tux. So I had to then leg it all the way back to my Airbnb, put my tux on. This was when I was staying up like the first year I went, so I was staying up up a massive hill and I'd hired an e-bike. So I was like pedaling my e-bike as fast as I could to get back to my uh Airbnb, quickly changed into my tux, and then I'm like bombing it back down the hill on my e-bike in my tux so I could get to the film in time. Um, so yeah, so you see a lot of people in Cannes who don't necessarily have a ticket for the for those films wandering around in tuxes because if you do suddenly get one last minute, you need your tux on so you can get in there. Um I've got that, and then I think what what else have I got? I've got I've actually managed to get a lot of stuff booked already, for which which for me is pretty good. Normally I don't have that. On the I've got four films booked for the Saturday, so I'm going to see Club Kid, which is getting some good uh reviews already. Uh Gentle Monster, I'm going to see, uh, and Full Phil, starring Woody Harrelson and Kirsten Stewart. I love it. Um and that is playing in the midnight section. Uh, and is it I'm going to see it at 12.30am and it finishes at 2 in the morning.
SPEAKER_02Nice.
SPEAKER_00Yes, who doesn't love that?
SPEAKER_02Dare I ask, have you been able to see have you managed to secure tickets yet to the John Travolta uh directorial debut? Propeller one-way night coach.
SPEAKER_00You'll be very happy that my list of so my uh after Gentle as well as those three films I've mentioned on the Saturday night, I'm going to see Propeller One-Way Night Coach.
SPEAKER_02I cannot wait. I expect a text explaining in some detail your thoughts. Is it as weird as we expect?
SPEAKER_00Like everything, please. Well, I assumed Khan had made a mistake on their website when I booked it because it starts at 6.15 pm and they tell you what time it finishes. It finishes at 7.15 p.m. It's only an hour, it's one hour and one minute long.
SPEAKER_02Oh my god, so it's six right. So it's not so I suppose it is a feature, but it's not a feature.
SPEAKER_00It's it's probably it's the shortest feature they've got can this year, I'll tell you that for nothing.
SPEAKER_02Wow. Well, I'm still excited for it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and then I've got paper tiger, I've got tickets for paper tiger on the Sunday morning. One of the other things it can, so I booked the Sunday morning ticket for Paper Tiger at 8.30. That means now that I can't currently book a ticket for the Paper Tiger big celebrity gala screening on the Saturday night, because you can't book the same film twice.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay. I mean, I quite like that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so if I want if I thought, right, maybe I can get maybe I can get a ticket for um for for the big tuxedo wearing premiere, I would have to cancel the ticket I've currently got and then just hope.
SPEAKER_02Okay. I you know what? I kinda rate that though. I because I know film critics, and again, not gonna name names, who like to go to the morning screening and they take a seat, and then they like to go to the evening gala where the celebrities attend uh the other festivals. I've always felt, I mean, you know, it's in the within the rules of the festivals that neighbor there attending, but I've always felt like you're kind of denying another journalist a seat there and something you've seen, and they could potentially get paid for reviewing that, you know, or you know, and I so I'm I like that can sort of have a system for dealing with people who try and see things twice. Although I'm sure if you're a big enough name, they'll let you into both.
SPEAKER_00I'm sure if you're a big enough name, they will let you into both. Um so yeah, so then I've got, you know, there's other films, there's more films I would like to see. Um, like I say, I've got the Nicholas Weining Ref and one. I'm going to see another one called Hope, which is a another horror, which you'd you'd probably be a fan of, Tom. Um it is a Korean South a Korean horror. Um so we'll say that apparently. Carl is saying it's gonna be a good one. Uh I trust Carl. Carl's a man trusting that. I am very interested to see Nicholas Wine Reference's new one because he's not done anything in a long time. Um, so I am very interested to see to see his one. Obviously, visually, it's gonna be amazing because it always is, and I think I've read interviews with him before where he's sort of talked about how visuals are the thing that drives him. So he'll often have an idea of a visual, and that will be he'll just craft a story around wanting to show this amazing visual. Um, so we'll we'll we'll see what's going on there, and then later on in the week, um, I'm hoping to get tickets to Fjord, which has already been picked up by Picture House for the UK, um, Sebastian Stan and Renee Rest of It. Um, and then I'm hoping to go and see uh Diamond, which is directed by Andy Garcia. Uh would like to see the new Armadavo one. Um, yeah, lots to see. So it's gonna be a very packed week. Yeah, gonna be a very packed week.
SPEAKER_02Has Nicholas Winding Ruffin done anything since Neon Demon? No, this is the first one since Neon Demon. Well, ten years then. Is that ten years ago now? Ten years. Have I told you that I actually I interviewed Nicholas Winding Ruffin for uh Neon Demon? No. Yeah, I I uh I when they did the home release of uh Neon Demon, they uh I they set up a phone with me, and it was one of the strangest interviews I've ever done in my life. Because as you can imagine, the man is a slightly odd, and like you ask him a question and he doesn't necessarily give you a straight answer. He talks in metaphor quite a lot, and yeah, needless to say, we did the interview and we thanked the PR, and then we were like, can't really make this work. Sorry. Fascinating guy, but not someone who talks in journalistic sound bites.
SPEAKER_00No, he's I think he's quite intense.
SPEAKER_01Yes, oh 100%.
SPEAKER_00Obviously, most people probably know him from Drive, I would say is his biggest breakout film. Um, but I I what I love is that after Drive, you know, that was definitely a breakout film. It was uh at the time in the early sort of tens, that was the the cool film. That was kind of the not pulp fiction, but the kind of that level of cool film for for the tens. And he kind of then just went, cool, I'm just gonna carry on doing loads of weird shit. Which is good. Yeah. No, I I agree. Ryan Gosling wasn't meant to be in Only God Forgives, which was kind of the follow-up to drive. Uh, but I think the actor who was meant to be in it dropped out or let him down, uh, and Gosling basically did it as a favour.
SPEAKER_02Oh. I mean, yeah. I that does not surprise me. I mean, because you know, after he's I'm sure Gosling feels a degree of I don't think he owes his career to Raffin, but I think he's probably very happy that he ended up being in Drive.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. To be fair, I mean he took nearly 10 years between the two pusher films. Just a slow worker, clearly. I mean, if you've got the money, why why would you need to work quickly?
SPEAKER_02Well, entirely.
SPEAKER_00I bet you he's been directing some I bet you he's been doing some high-end commercials in his brand to get the cash in. And I bet they're not listed on his IMDB or Wikipedia. No. I but I get but I guarantee you he's done some uh some high high fashion commercials.
SPEAKER_02Well, is there anything else we need to know about your trip to Cannes?
SPEAKER_00I don't think so. I mean I've got some meetings, I've got meetings while I'm over there because I always have meetings while I'm over there. But no, generally, going to be watching loads of films this year. Gonna be staying longer than I normally do. Normally don't sort of start normally I'm there by now. I normally either go on the Thursday or the Friday, but I normally am back on the Monday or Tuesday. Um so I've never stayed a full week before. So it'll be interesting to see how the festival shifts as you move through the week because everyone says it gets a lot quieter in the the second half of the festival as the market kind of winds down. So I'll be interested to see sort of that side of the festival as well. Um so yeah, it'll be interesting.
SPEAKER_02Well, I look forward to hearing your reports back as well as your many, many, your countless reviews. Maybe we'll just yes, there will be. Maybe we'll do a lightning round where you're like fine, fine, want to talk about that one more. Good, bad. Maybe that's how we'll handle everything you say.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Uh apparently, according to our website I just looked at, Nicholas Wannie Reffin has not done a commercial since 2015 either, when he did a Hennessy commercial.
SPEAKER_02Well, you know what, Nicholas, we take it back then and we apologize sincerely. Uh we never meant to imply that you enjoyed dollars.
SPEAKER_00No, I mean he just enjoys making let's hope absolute bangers.
SPEAKER_02What did you think of Neon Demon? I really like Neon Demon. Neon Demon's one of those films that on paper I shouldn't enjoy because it's got that whiff of pretentiousness about it, but it's just it's so beautiful and it's just a really engaging film. Yeah, it sort of breaks through that sort of it is a lot of style, and you know, and it does leave you wonder um asking a f a lot of questions at the end, but it still works for me just because of how ambitious and weird it is. That's what I enjoy about that.
SPEAKER_00I mean hell, El Fanning was only 19 when she did it. Yeah. No, 18. She was 18 when she did it.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, she wasn't old. Uh it is Emily, one of Emily's uh proudest accomplishments in life, that she is, you know, on the uh Blu-ray box where it says five stars, that that is Emily's five stars that she gave it. There you go. So which is why it is on our shelf, and because we like the movie as well, obviously.
SPEAKER_00Tom, I've seen your shelf. There is a lot of films on your shelf.
SPEAKER_02That is true. There are a lot of movies on my shelves.
SPEAKER_00Right. I think we will leave it there. Uh and when we next speak, you'll be able to get learn all about Neil's adventures in Cannes.
SPEAKER_02And what will you have seen?
SPEAKER_00What will you have seen after I've seen about 15 films in Cannes? What will you have watched?
SPEAKER_02I probably will have seen The Mandalorian and Grogo. Um and let's have a look else. What else is coming up? Mandalorian, what's coming up? What's out in cinemas? Now. So I will probably have seen by the time we talk again. I'm hoping that I will have uh the Mandalorian and Grogan Grogo. That seems pretty much locked in to as of today. Um I hope I'll have seen Finding Emily, because I'm really interested in that. Uh there's a horror movie coming out called Passenger, which they showed a sneak peek of ahead of Scream 7 to press. And I was like, oh my god, this looks terrifying. Uh and I'm really excited for that, so I'm hoping I'll get to see that. And I think that's pretty much it. Because I imagine we'll talk again in about two weeks. And I think that's pretty much everything over the next two weeks.
SPEAKER_00Cool. Right. Well, look forward to my cannon ventures and Tom's reviews of those films. And we will see you next time between screenings. Bye bye. Cool.