Category: Movies

‘The Unknown Girl’: What happens when the Dardenne brothers make a thriller

Every movie made by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne arouses my interest and admiration, ever since the Belgian brothers first burst onto the international scene with “The Promise” in 1996. Over the years they have become part of the small circle of directors to win the Palme d’Or twice at the Cannes Film Festival (for “Rosetta” in 1999 and “The Child” in 2005). In addition, they have won various other prizes in the same competition, in which every film of theirs is sure to be included. Their oeuvre encompasses such fine works as “The Son,” “The Kid with a Bike” and “Two Days, One Night.”The Dardennes do more than adhere, stubbornly and in their unique style, to the tradition of realist filmmaking that tackles social [ . . . ] More: ‘The Unknown Girl’: What happens when the Dardenne brothers make a thriller – Movies – Haaretz.com

RIP Jeanne Moreau, a mythical actress in twelve masterpieces of cinema

Jeanne Moreau a tourné avec les plus grands réalisateurs, d’Antonioni à Elia Kazan. Extraits de douze films

Jeanne Moreau, a legend of French cinema and one of the French New Wave’s leading actresses with roles in Jules & Jim and Elevator to the Gallows, died this weekend at the age of 89.

 

Source: Jeanne Moreau, a mythical actress in twelve masterpieces of cinema

Les Choristes on the couch

After a short morning hike through the woods and a delicious  lunch with our friends Shirley and Jim,  along with special guest Grezelda from the village, I’ve finally surrendered to the head cold I’ve been fighting the past few days. Now I’m sniffling through what I hope is a restorative  nap on the sofa, while listening to Les Choristes soundtrack CD, which I bought in Paris for only $1.50.

This 2004 movie is about a new teacher winning-over his students at a brutal French boarding school through music. The Petits Chanteurs de Saint Marc choir supply the on-screen boys’ angelic vocals. Think Dead Poets Society, only the kids wear tight shorts and sing with very high voices (perhaps cause and effect). I joke. The film is excellent. Try it some evening.

‘From the Land of the Moon’ Review: Cotillard Deserves Better

After winning a surprising awards circuit sweep in 2007, Marion Cotillard found herself in a special position. Suddenly, she could command big Hollywood paychecks and also get European art house fare bankrolled just by signing on. Since then, she’s regularly leaped across oceans to do both. While there have been some brilliant movies made in Cotillard’s name, far too many have been like ‘From the Land of the Moon’. This stilted, dull, and often nauseatingly navel-gazing exercise in misery porn exists purely to let Cotillard emote hard and stare out in dull pain even harder. She’s good at it, but it would be nice if the movie surrounding all that acting offered as much to audiences as it did to the actress.Cotillard stars as Gabrielle, a woman who [ . . .  ]

More at ‘From the Land of the Moon’ Review: Cotillard Deserves Better – High-Def Digest: The Bonus View

“The Last Girl – the one that has all the gifts”, film of societal zombies

Colm McCarthy, with “The Last Girl” digs the furrow of the zombies that are everywhere and proliferate on screens, big or small. We were not expecting Glenn Close in a horror film that shoots on a worn-out rope. This would not count on our zombies presented in an unexpected, subtle and effective. [ . . .]
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