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Films I have seen in theatres in the past weeks

The Ides of March

Not as good as Clooney's debut movie, Goodnight and Good Luck, but quite watchable. The pace is good, the cast is fine and it is well filmed. That said, nothing very refreshing or surprising.

Tintin

Ok, it was not my idea to see it. The film we wanted to see was sold out so we ended up watching Tintin. Another example of a 3D thing that brings nothing to the experience. It has moments I enjoyed but the whole thing is kinda spiritless, or rather soulless.

Polisse.

Not a bad film at all, but not sure it deserves the prize it got in Cannes either. It is an interesting (and often funny)chronicle of La Brigade de Protection des Mineurs, but Maïwenn's way of mixing ficton and elements of her own personal life is a bit disturbing, and in this case, I don't think that the love story with Joey Starr's character and the family scene(Maïwenn casting her own father in it!) were necessary. Marina Fois is amazing in the film, though. It's worth watching if only for her part.

L'Exercice de l'Etat

Very good French movie! Better than Clooney's IMO (actually it's weird to compare the two films but they are both about politics). Olivier Gourmet was impressive (Michel Blanc also very good); the writing was clever and and the mise-en-scène was excellent with a few daring things here and there. Here's the trailer:


Contagion

Good opening, but unfortunately after the first 15 minutes it gets poorer and poorer. To be fair, I didn't expect a masterpiece and only went to see it because Bryan Cranston and John Hawkes had small parts in it!
Speaking of "tv actors" Veronica Mars' father and Jennifer Elhe from BBC Pride and Prejudice were also in the film.

On my To-see-before-Christmas list for the upcoming weeks:

Sleeping Beauty

Contracorriente

Shame

A Dangerous Method

Yesterday I went to the movies and saw Drive which won at Cannes Festival the prize for best mise en scène and it did deserve it.

I was also very pleased to see my Bryan Cranston on the big screen, now that Breaking Bad's fourth season is finished (and yes I will go and see Contagion to see him again, him and John Hawkes!).

Christina Hendricks of the Mad Men fame was also in the movie but had a very small part.

And there was Sally Sparrow from Doctor Who !!!! I mean Carey Mulligan.

So in her honour, here's the unforgettable "Don't blink!" sequence, explaining the scary Weeping Angels, from Moffat's best episode ever, "Blink":

I didn't really like Lars Van Triers' previous movies but Melancholia is a must see. A movie that will stay and is a much much better film than The Tree of Life.

ETA: I'm lazy tonight so I won't write a  review but there's a good one (in French) on Critikat.

In the evening, after leaving the library, I had a drink with a friend (who is also a colleague although she's newly retired), D.,  in a café nearby. We were chatting when a van passed by. It wasn't just  a van but one of those dark blue vans that is followed by a police car, a van full of prisoners. Seeing those vans always gives me the chill. The prison of La Santé is located in the neighbourhood -- it is the last prison intra-muros meaning in the centre of Paris, the others are in the suburbs --  so they were obviously going there.

I told D. that one of the most unforgettable and moving memories I kept from our previous "fights" -- id est strikes and demonstrations -- together, was that day we were marching Boulevard Arago (in 2003, I think) as if we owned the city (walking on the road in Paris is one of the joys of demonstrating!) and while we were walking alongside the prison, the inmates started screaming and then went on yelling slogans with us. We could even see papers that they waved at the tiny windows. D. remembered it quite well too.

The feelings it stirred in me are very difficult to explain. In that moment, we were connected to the prisoners, in a way, for they wanted to be part of our protestation, and I remember that some people in the demonstration were "happy" and felt as if there was a sort of solidarity going on between the inmates and the protesting teachers that we were. They even replied and waved at the prisoners whom we could not see. And perhaps there was something like that indeed, but at the same time the men behind the wall sounded like something alien, beasts in cage screaming their rage, and the wall between us was more obvious than ever. Most fo the time it's so easy to forget what happens behind those walls, to be oblivious to that other world in there, but that day the prisoners demanded to be seen, they made it impossible for us to forget.

And tonight on ARTE there was that beautiful movie by Pablo Trapero, Leonora, about pregnancy and motherhood in prison, starring the amazing Martina Guzman who was also in Trapero's Carancho last year.


It's a strange coincidence and it put me in a strange mood tonight before bed.

But maybe the universe is just trying to tell me that I must buy the DVD set of the 6 seasons of OZ that is currently half-price on Amazon!

 I have only seen the Belgium movie by the Dardennes, Le gamin au vélo (great kid, great scenario et fabulous mise-en-scène), so I can't really comment on the prizes.

Caméra d'Or (for debut movies):

LAS ACACIASde Pablo Giorgelli

Prix du Jury

POLISSE de Maïwenn

Prix du Scénario :

FOOTNOTE de Joseph Cedar

Prix d'Interprétation Féminine :

Kirsten Dunst pour MELANCHOLIA (did they try to make up for Lars Van Triers' ban?

Prix de la Mise en scène:

Nicolas Winding Refn pour DRIVE

Prix d'Interprétation Masculine:

 Jean Dujardin pour THE ARTIST.  I'm so happy for him. He has grown into a terrific and classy actor, good in either comedy or drama. And this is a (silent and white and black) film I really want to see! I can't resist to embed the trailer.




Grand Prix du Jury : (ex-aequo) :
IL ETAIT UNE FOIS EN ANATOLIE de Nuri Bilge Ceylan
LE GAMIN AU VELO des frères Dardenne

Palme d' Or

The TREE OF LIFE de Terrence Malick (the critics aren't unanimous about that one!)

I've figured out, finally!, where the embbeding codes were hidden on youtube!

Here's the trailer of a film that I'm likely to see when it's released in France (in November!). Can you guess why?

La cérémonie des Césars a largement couronné Un prophète de Jacques Audiard, film beau et fort qui le méritait largement: 9 Césars dont meilleur film, meilleur réalisateur, meilleur scénario...deux Césars pour le jeune acteur Tahar Rahim (meilleure révélation et meilleur acteur!), et un César du second rôle tout à fait légitime pour Niels Arestrup, imposant et effrayant en parrain corse justement prénomé César. Le FLNC n'a pas fait d'attentat...il faut dire que sur scène du Châtelet, il y avait La Casta (robe transparente et ventre en avant! Laetitia serait-elle bientôt à nouveau maman?).

Harrison Ford a subi la soirée, ne comprenant pas toujours tout, avant d'être enfin couronné; un peu gêné, ou feignant assez bien la gêne––mais le rôle de l'acteur est de faire semblant–– il reçut son César d'honneur (on regrettera l'absence d'extraits de Blade Runner dans la rétrospective de sa carrière)avec une certaine simplicité.

Pas sûre que Gran Torino mérite son César du meilleur film étranger...Le Ruban Blanc est quand même d' une autre qualité! Mais la France a toujours eu les yeux de Chimène pour Clint, et Cannes avait déjà donné sa palme d'or au Ruban; et puis Kyle Eastwood parle, ma foi, assez bien Français!

Enfin une Isabelle Adjani qui ne cesse pas de gonfler a reçu, des mains d'un Gérad Depardieu de plus en plus gros, le cinquième César de sa carrière, en qualité de meilleure actrice, pour La Journée de La Jupe, film mineur (dans lequel joue une de mes élèves de l'année dernière quand même! ) mais qui a fait couler beaucoup d'encre et que l'actualité récente dans plusieurs établissements scolaires rend encore plus pertinent; elle a fait preuve d'une émotion réelle, il faut dire que ce film représentait beaucoup pour elle. Elle semble être arrivée à un moment de sa vie où l'engagement citoyen et la question de ses racines algériennes sont essentiels.

Entre Un Prophète et Adjani, c'est la France issue de l' Afrique du nord qui est fêtée au cinéma, et l'identité nationale selon Monsieur Besson qui est raillée.

I'm off to Brittany tomorrow morning for five days, I don't know exactly when we will drive back on Monday, and then school is starting again so this may be my last post for a while.

I've seen the premiere of Dexter (yes it has leaked!) and the latest True Blood (not  a masterpiece for sure but a lot of fun). We're close to the season finale, but fortunately there's the new season of Dexter and Dollhouse to be aired very soon. I mostly rely on streaming sites now for I can no longer play the videos that are saved on my computer (must be the driver because the bug happens with every software I try) so downloading is useless. :-(
Anyway the DVD box of BSG 4th season should be released at the end of September.

Also I'm becoming quite obsessed with Caprica. I guess it's both Bear's music(I'm currently in love with the track   "A Tauron Sacrifice") and  the Eric Stoltz Daniel Graystone effect....




Something struck me during the second viewage but I wasn't sure so I re-watched Blade Runner for the 3333333th time and...bingo!!!!
The heavy glasses that the defence minister wears in Caprica are the same as Tyrell's in Blade Runner. I love little details like that. The pilot of BSG was already filled with references to Blade Runner and they did it again with Caprica. It makes me happy.

Just a few thoughts on episode 3 of Dollhouse before signing off to have a relaxing bath.

( Spoilers if you haven't seen it )

I re-watched The Untouchables again. I just can't help it, every time it's on tv I have to watch it...Once upon a time Kevin Costner was on a good movie, wasn't bad at acting and had those beautiful green eyes. He was so touching when Sean Connery died in his arms. *sniff*

Also the finale of Lost was on tv tonight, dubbed in French of course...