LA PREMIERE
08/03/2013 short reviews by Natasha and Alex M
Kon Tiki NEW
Apart from good looking, stunning, finely built, blue-eyed, tall, blond, Nordic-Viking-like looking men there are lots of other much more interesting things to adore in this movie:
1. very complex psychological relationship of people in closed team: on a hand-made boat in an open ocean with no escape and no hiding facing troubles on a daily basis
2. leader's behavior, his natural ability to smooth down conflicts and to be a real power and soul of the group
3. how a new team member fits into the group of friends and how he gets finely accepted after his life is saved by his enemy
4. about amazing, powerful people who lead to their life purpose neglecting the obstacles. Sometimes there is no other proof to the idea but their own example and the leader's theory practical application.
5. the blend of movie genres: historical, adventure (commercial so to speak, as it keeps you on alert for the entire movie), and documentary - very dynamic and organic mixture.
6. how the unusual ideas move forward and help us to evolve in our knowledge and help us to develop science, history and geography
7. amazing actors' performance: not even mentioning magnificently shaped performance of the major characters, but even small and smilingly insignificant roles are played with no mistakes but pure natural perfection.
8. You would like to travel on Kon-Tiki with the main heroes after this movie... just take lots of medicine with you and shark repellent powder...
Rate 10/10
Apart from good looking, stunning, finely built, blue-eyed, tall, blond, Nordic-Viking-like looking men there are lots of other much more interesting things to adore in this movie:
1. very complex psychological relationship of people in closed team: on a hand-made boat in an open ocean with no escape and no hiding facing troubles on a daily basis
2. leader's behavior, his natural ability to smooth down conflicts and to be a real power and soul of the group
3. how a new team member fits into the group of friends and how he gets finely accepted after his life is saved by his enemy
4. about amazing, powerful people who lead to their life purpose neglecting the obstacles. Sometimes there is no other proof to the idea but their own example and the leader's theory practical application.
5. the blend of movie genres: historical, adventure (commercial so to speak, as it keeps you on alert for the entire movie), and documentary - very dynamic and organic mixture.
6. how the unusual ideas move forward and help us to evolve in our knowledge and help us to develop science, history and geography
7. amazing actors' performance: not even mentioning magnificently shaped performance of the major characters, but even small and smilingly insignificant roles are played with no mistakes but pure natural perfection.
8. You would like to travel on Kon-Tiki with the main heroes after this movie... just take lots of medicine with you and shark repellent powder...
Rate 10/10
Rust and Bones NEW
There are characters that we have troubles to understand: whores, boxers-fighters with easy money, thieves, neglecting and beating their children and acting like animals, instinctively. They go to bed with no feelings, they smash and bash each other: way too much bleeding and broken bones in the movie… Their world is just basic and simple like two times two.
But look at them from the other side: when real drama and when love comes into life how it brings together the missing and forgotten parts and how it shapes them in the way it shapes all of us: removing unneeded shells and purifying the soul with strong and powerful feelings. It is like the true conversation facing god… Extraordinary story that brought tears to my eyes.
Rate: 8/10
There are characters that we have troubles to understand: whores, boxers-fighters with easy money, thieves, neglecting and beating their children and acting like animals, instinctively. They go to bed with no feelings, they smash and bash each other: way too much bleeding and broken bones in the movie… Their world is just basic and simple like two times two.
But look at them from the other side: when real drama and when love comes into life how it brings together the missing and forgotten parts and how it shapes them in the way it shapes all of us: removing unneeded shells and purifying the soul with strong and powerful feelings. It is like the true conversation facing god… Extraordinary story that brought tears to my eyes.
Rate: 8/10
Barbara NEW
Three thoughts/comments:
1. Life is an amazing thing: today they prosecute and humiliate you (for nothing of course) as there is no judgment in this world except the one coming from yourself. The next day you cure the prosecutor’s wife from cancer. How would you do it and what would you feel? I observed such paradoxes many times in my life as I was involved in the “cure” part. You remove your emotional attachments to the person you heal no matter who he/she is and what he/she did to you in the past. This is how it works – it does not work if you continue judging in revenge… The formula is simple – this life is not about the others – it is about your self and about what YOU feel and experience as a soul
2. The sounds in the movie are amazing… That was the first comment we did in one voice with Alex when leaving the theater. The sounds are rough, unpredictable, like invasions into your inner space, they are barking like your distant past and they are light like your future…
3. The movie final is so vague like watercolors and so questionable – it is almost impossible to think about possibilities… Uncertainty,brief hotels encounters, expensive presents, quick la-la-s in the silence of the grass and some bright unknown careless future from one side and there is a warm home, magnetic eyes, loving care and life-giving job that you can not live with out on the other side… Personal choice – is not defined and it does not matter – you decide the destiny of the characters yourself as a wise observer and it will be written in their eyes as you design it…
Rate: 8/10
Three thoughts/comments:
1. Life is an amazing thing: today they prosecute and humiliate you (for nothing of course) as there is no judgment in this world except the one coming from yourself. The next day you cure the prosecutor’s wife from cancer. How would you do it and what would you feel? I observed such paradoxes many times in my life as I was involved in the “cure” part. You remove your emotional attachments to the person you heal no matter who he/she is and what he/she did to you in the past. This is how it works – it does not work if you continue judging in revenge… The formula is simple – this life is not about the others – it is about your self and about what YOU feel and experience as a soul
2. The sounds in the movie are amazing… That was the first comment we did in one voice with Alex when leaving the theater. The sounds are rough, unpredictable, like invasions into your inner space, they are barking like your distant past and they are light like your future…
3. The movie final is so vague like watercolors and so questionable – it is almost impossible to think about possibilities… Uncertainty,brief hotels encounters, expensive presents, quick la-la-s in the silence of the grass and some bright unknown careless future from one side and there is a warm home, magnetic eyes, loving care and life-giving job that you can not live with out on the other side… Personal choice – is not defined and it does not matter – you decide the destiny of the characters yourself as a wise observer and it will be written in their eyes as you design it…
Rate: 8/10
AFFF 2013 - The Fields of Enchantment NEW
If you could film the most beautiful poetry that would be the movie called The Fields of Enchantment. If you have kids let them play outside a lot and observe the Nature as this is the only way they can learn about this world; there is nothing else to learn. The rest is art(ificial) - made by human creativity. There is God inside all of us of course but the ones who created this planet and Nature are so powerful that this might be beyond our comprehension.
The movie reminded me our village vacations at my grandmother's cottage house located close to Ukraine. You could spend the whole day with animals - they never demanded anything from you. It was so much to do at the creek, next to the river, in the garden picking up the most scented apple, and in the fields or in the forest...
Oh, how we waited for these summers to meet with our cousins, to fall in love with them again - for a month or two, to sit next to them around the camp fire, to bake and burn potatoes, to make jokes on each other and say stupid things... And in the day time - to watch the birds and the insects.... We could spend hours, observing bees collecting pollen and sweet dew honey from yellow acacia flowers; ants antenna-ing each other and fighting with neighbors after killing caterpillars and flies. We could watch dragonflies with their rainbow color eyes making love to each other, bright blue butterflies with tiny velvety wings and funny frogs; rushing lady-birds in the enchanted and scented chamomile and wheat fields and wild strawberry forests; white and fluffy elm tree seeds, spread by winds randomly; juicy necklaces made from native beads, out of red berries, whistles made out of grass; happy unforgettable swallows' jet-flights; cat-fish that we could see moving slowly under the water and that mystery of the underwater worlds, bottomless skies at nights... We could watch them all for hours. I probably knew hundreds of flowers and grasses by their folk names - all forgotten perhaps... but the memories would come back as soon as I see them again... Missing Europe so much!
Did we see the same dreams with the movie director? Or we were there at the same time, in my poetic childhood? I am usually bewitched by such movies...
Rate: 100/10
If you could film the most beautiful poetry that would be the movie called The Fields of Enchantment. If you have kids let them play outside a lot and observe the Nature as this is the only way they can learn about this world; there is nothing else to learn. The rest is art(ificial) - made by human creativity. There is God inside all of us of course but the ones who created this planet and Nature are so powerful that this might be beyond our comprehension.
The movie reminded me our village vacations at my grandmother's cottage house located close to Ukraine. You could spend the whole day with animals - they never demanded anything from you. It was so much to do at the creek, next to the river, in the garden picking up the most scented apple, and in the fields or in the forest...
Oh, how we waited for these summers to meet with our cousins, to fall in love with them again - for a month or two, to sit next to them around the camp fire, to bake and burn potatoes, to make jokes on each other and say stupid things... And in the day time - to watch the birds and the insects.... We could spend hours, observing bees collecting pollen and sweet dew honey from yellow acacia flowers; ants antenna-ing each other and fighting with neighbors after killing caterpillars and flies. We could watch dragonflies with their rainbow color eyes making love to each other, bright blue butterflies with tiny velvety wings and funny frogs; rushing lady-birds in the enchanted and scented chamomile and wheat fields and wild strawberry forests; white and fluffy elm tree seeds, spread by winds randomly; juicy necklaces made from native beads, out of red berries, whistles made out of grass; happy unforgettable swallows' jet-flights; cat-fish that we could see moving slowly under the water and that mystery of the underwater worlds, bottomless skies at nights... We could watch them all for hours. I probably knew hundreds of flowers and grasses by their folk names - all forgotten perhaps... but the memories would come back as soon as I see them again... Missing Europe so much!
Did we see the same dreams with the movie director? Or we were there at the same time, in my poetic childhood? I am usually bewitched by such movies...
Rate: 100/10
AFFF 2013 - FLY ME TO THE MOON NEW
We are at the Palace Cinemas counting the numbers of empty seats in the theater and there are none... All sold all taken. The theater is full of French speaking and non-French speaking like ourselves. The movie starts and they all laugh laugh laugh. This was probably one of the finniest movies I have seen in the last year. The comedy is romantic with a French happy ending as you expect it. Main heroes travelling to Moscow and their adventures there brings out the memories but no time to admire the Temples, the snow and the Palaces as the actors take you on amazing journey - Russian hats and dancing are the hit! But the best scene is no-gravity flight IMHO... - keep giggling, laughing and smiling... Charming! Go and watch now!
Rate: 9/10
We are at the Palace Cinemas counting the numbers of empty seats in the theater and there are none... All sold all taken. The theater is full of French speaking and non-French speaking like ourselves. The movie starts and they all laugh laugh laugh. This was probably one of the finniest movies I have seen in the last year. The comedy is romantic with a French happy ending as you expect it. Main heroes travelling to Moscow and their adventures there brings out the memories but no time to admire the Temples, the snow and the Palaces as the actors take you on amazing journey - Russian hats and dancing are the hit! But the best scene is no-gravity flight IMHO... - keep giggling, laughing and smiling... Charming! Go and watch now!
Rate: 9/10
REBELLE (aka War Witch) NEW
This is one of those movies when you sit in the theatre and pray, and pray, and pray. You pray with your eyes closed and with your eyes opened… The guns are invented too early; Kalashnikov should have been the first one to try his invention on himself and burried after together with his first gun… (on this matter the guns should not have been invented at all: time is a pointless matter to discuss)… The humanity, at least some of its members have their level of consciousness still on the “monkey scale”, never progressed, never evolved, the self realisation will probably never touch their forehead at night time, no at the day light…
Raping, killing, killing, bleeding and machete-ing the enemy with no hesitation and no emotional attachments, as there was never God on this planet and as if they, themselves are not humans. Ego, power, money, sex and venge, voodoo magic, magicians and witches, endless wars for nothing and for everything they have (t-shirts, grigri and diamonds (ha!)), anger and low shadowy emotions are leading them to the edge of existence with no tomorrow and the-white-calcium-colour-dust covered vision-less and ghostly past.
We could not find any character to fall in love with, darkness starts from their teen aging and the sun never rises up even with a white rooster song. The rooster is voiceless and probably it is blind as all these people are.
Like a bullet ricocheting from a wet grey stone on the beach of a black African river… we left the theatre with only one thought: “horror to the extreme of its reality”. BTW we could not find any leaflets at the cinema to share with our friends – we thought it was done on purpose…
Rate: 8/10
This is one of those movies when you sit in the theatre and pray, and pray, and pray. You pray with your eyes closed and with your eyes opened… The guns are invented too early; Kalashnikov should have been the first one to try his invention on himself and burried after together with his first gun… (on this matter the guns should not have been invented at all: time is a pointless matter to discuss)… The humanity, at least some of its members have their level of consciousness still on the “monkey scale”, never progressed, never evolved, the self realisation will probably never touch their forehead at night time, no at the day light…
Raping, killing, killing, bleeding and machete-ing the enemy with no hesitation and no emotional attachments, as there was never God on this planet and as if they, themselves are not humans. Ego, power, money, sex and venge, voodoo magic, magicians and witches, endless wars for nothing and for everything they have (t-shirts, grigri and diamonds (ha!)), anger and low shadowy emotions are leading them to the edge of existence with no tomorrow and the-white-calcium-colour-dust covered vision-less and ghostly past.
We could not find any character to fall in love with, darkness starts from their teen aging and the sun never rises up even with a white rooster song. The rooster is voiceless and probably it is blind as all these people are.
Like a bullet ricocheting from a wet grey stone on the beach of a black African river… we left the theatre with only one thought: “horror to the extreme of its reality”. BTW we could not find any leaflets at the cinema to share with our friends – we thought it was done on purpose…
Rate: 8/10
Camille Rewinds (AFFF 2013) NEW
Few thoughts about the movie:
1. excellent actress performance considering her very complicated character she played
2. Eric's sweet words about love when he told Camille about his feelings: "planets attracted to each other. no use fighting it."
3. Camille and Alphonse Da Costa, a scientist, le prof de physique's dialogues are full of light humor
4. the less we love / pay attention to a men (a women) the more he (she) is attracted to us (one very primitive thought of ours)
5. another very banal thought of ours which is pictured very beautifully in the movie: we only appreciate something when we lose it and never when we have it...
6. is Camille miserable twenty-five years later after she met that Love of her life?
7. who ever said that time traveling was fun and easy?
8. sweet and funny French comedy with some provoking and unexpected paradoxes...
9. our thumbs up again for Noémie Lvovsky, an actress and a director
10. there are no relationship perfection - just take what it brings you...
Rate: 9/10
Few thoughts about the movie:
1. excellent actress performance considering her very complicated character she played
2. Eric's sweet words about love when he told Camille about his feelings: "planets attracted to each other. no use fighting it."
3. Camille and Alphonse Da Costa, a scientist, le prof de physique's dialogues are full of light humor
4. the less we love / pay attention to a men (a women) the more he (she) is attracted to us (one very primitive thought of ours)
5. another very banal thought of ours which is pictured very beautifully in the movie: we only appreciate something when we lose it and never when we have it...
6. is Camille miserable twenty-five years later after she met that Love of her life?
7. who ever said that time traveling was fun and easy?
8. sweet and funny French comedy with some provoking and unexpected paradoxes...
9. our thumbs up again for Noémie Lvovsky, an actress and a director
10. there are no relationship perfection - just take what it brings you...
Rate: 9/10
Great Expectations NEW
There is an old beautiful Dickens when your wishes come true, when the evil is beheaded and the good is on the top of the winners' list gaining an unexpected wealth and fortune and a beautiful girl as a bonus... Good old master Dickens... The world will be nothing without you and your noble novels and heart breaking stories where black is black and white is white... I adore Dickens since my childhood and since I started reading and falling in love with his Truth over the Lies, Braveness conquering the Cowards and Love battling the Cold-Heart-ed... What a world of endless and bright characters and what an imagination! I believe that this version of the Great Expectations book of Dickens is a total super-winner that worth your time seeing and being amazed: be it with music, costumes and jewelry, style and actors' brilliant performance and women's beauty...
Pip: "I love you with all my heart..."
Estella: "I am glad..."
Rate: 10/10
There is an old beautiful Dickens when your wishes come true, when the evil is beheaded and the good is on the top of the winners' list gaining an unexpected wealth and fortune and a beautiful girl as a bonus... Good old master Dickens... The world will be nothing without you and your noble novels and heart breaking stories where black is black and white is white... I adore Dickens since my childhood and since I started reading and falling in love with his Truth over the Lies, Braveness conquering the Cowards and Love battling the Cold-Heart-ed... What a world of endless and bright characters and what an imagination! I believe that this version of the Great Expectations book of Dickens is a total super-winner that worth your time seeing and being amazed: be it with music, costumes and jewelry, style and actors' brilliant performance and women's beauty...
Pip: "I love you with all my heart..."
Estella: "I am glad..."
Rate: 10/10
Loneliest Planet
Some thoughts:
1. a pretty weak movie as we probably were expecting way too much from a Russian director. Main thought we both shared after viewing it: it's a movie about Nothing (but not that Sienfeld's Nothing where Nothing means Everything but a nothing-nothing). I felt more like standing in front of an ocean and waiting for a nice weather or a good surfing wave or a tide at least, but the ocean turned into a small Georgian brook (cute but insignificant).
2. we did not understand the intention of the main characters nor their actions were explainable to us or comprehensive enough to connect with them. It was like life that takes a chance of this or that - and it takes it and leads it to nowhere. The actions of the characters were unpredictable and strange not to say stupid as people simply did not take responsibility for their actions. Be it Love I would connect somehow but where there is no Love nor other strong emotion - just walking by - I doubt in the Truth shown... unless of course the people were simply stupid as I mentioned already. The characters were not fully uncovered too so could not fall in love with them...
3. the nature scenes were beautiful but unreasonably long to watch one of them for entire 3-5 minutes.
4. the music did not touch nor disturbed us in any way...
5. the people with shallow views might find it rather entertaining though... but I doubt even that...
6. "life is simple: water, bread, fire..." why are we always missing something else? friends, women, love... no bread water and fire is not enough... they are relationship that make life complicated
7. the trailer is fantastic though!
Sorry it was
Rate: 6/10
Some thoughts:
1. a pretty weak movie as we probably were expecting way too much from a Russian director. Main thought we both shared after viewing it: it's a movie about Nothing (but not that Sienfeld's Nothing where Nothing means Everything but a nothing-nothing). I felt more like standing in front of an ocean and waiting for a nice weather or a good surfing wave or a tide at least, but the ocean turned into a small Georgian brook (cute but insignificant).
2. we did not understand the intention of the main characters nor their actions were explainable to us or comprehensive enough to connect with them. It was like life that takes a chance of this or that - and it takes it and leads it to nowhere. The actions of the characters were unpredictable and strange not to say stupid as people simply did not take responsibility for their actions. Be it Love I would connect somehow but where there is no Love nor other strong emotion - just walking by - I doubt in the Truth shown... unless of course the people were simply stupid as I mentioned already. The characters were not fully uncovered too so could not fall in love with them...
3. the nature scenes were beautiful but unreasonably long to watch one of them for entire 3-5 minutes.
4. the music did not touch nor disturbed us in any way...
5. the people with shallow views might find it rather entertaining though... but I doubt even that...
6. "life is simple: water, bread, fire..." why are we always missing something else? friends, women, love... no bread water and fire is not enough... they are relationship that make life complicated
7. the trailer is fantastic though!
Sorry it was
Rate: 6/10
AMOUR
Please allow me to remain silent and not to rate this movie - it is too hard to do so...
Rate: n/a
Please allow me to remain silent and not to rate this movie - it is too hard to do so...
Rate: n/a
Alliance Francaise French Film Festival 2013 - The Cherry on the Cake
The less we like the woman the more she likes us...
............................................................................Men
It is the movie about complex relationship when a woman demands a lot from a man and the man does not pay much attention. Women naturally are very giving creatures. They do not expect anything in return - they like giving - but just a small sign of attention in return makes them more than happy... When a woman knows that her gift of love is received with gratitude the relationship work in unison. If a man figures that out he can be a winner: in relationship. It does not cost a lot to say a kind word or to remember an important detail but the difference is huge - sometimes negligence leads the relationship to fall apart.
Rate: 6/10
The less we like the woman the more she likes us...
............................................................................Men
It is the movie about complex relationship when a woman demands a lot from a man and the man does not pay much attention. Women naturally are very giving creatures. They do not expect anything in return - they like giving - but just a small sign of attention in return makes them more than happy... When a woman knows that her gift of love is received with gratitude the relationship work in unison. If a man figures that out he can be a winner: in relationship. It does not cost a lot to say a kind word or to remember an important detail but the difference is huge - sometimes negligence leads the relationship to fall apart.
Rate: 6/10
Anna Karenina
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way..."
""Why?"
"You cant ask why, about love..."
Lev Tolstoy must be in heaven after watching this masterpiece. He would be praying for the souls of all actors and actually the whole film crew as an appraisal to their aptitude. Theater blended with film and some breathtaking photography (frozen shoots inspired work of an art director) – it’s a new art genre created by a real artist who knows what he is doing and whose deeds are guided by the hand of the highest power.
The accessories and the style are pictured in the most spectacular manner: women dressed in designer fur and silk are in abundance made with fine attention to detail; their jewelery are tasteful, eye-catching and lush but not overpowering (the movie got three awards for best costume designs). The country side is painted so realistic you deep yourself into the creation of fine art and melt into the surroundings of the movie. The film is watched in one breath – but you do not breath it in – on the contrary – it breathes you inside of itself and leaves you in a moment - you notice that you are sitting in the cinema with the last note of music impulsively dropped...
Classical books to be screened is a very big challenge. To make an exceptional movie out of the classics is the hardest work ever as you have to keep up to the Master, harder it seems to make it so unique and so distinctive. The film will be interesting to watch not only to people who did not read the novel but also to those who are familiar with this Lev Tolstoy’s genius book.
Surrealistic pictures are nothing compared with the Nikita Mikhalkov’s look of Stiva Oblonski, with Anna’s bottomless glance and Vronski’s thefty but wide opened eyes; with exciting scenes of their passion; with revolting sanity of Karenin; with the Russian (note: pure, with no accent) cute songs, speeches and remarks on the background.(which are not falling out of the current moment but only adding that extraordinary flavor of truth to it); with fragrant grasses everywhere, everywhere where the drama is and where the peace is...
Moments switching is done with incredible talent of director’s brilliance… She is in the room opening the curtains – one move sounds like a sword and the next instant – she is already inside the steaming train… The sound of Anna's flopping hand fan turning into a sound of galloping horses... Brilliant!
This movie can be comparable only to “Faust” by Sokurov that’s why we give it
Rate: 100/10
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way..."
""Why?"
"You cant ask why, about love..."
Lev Tolstoy must be in heaven after watching this masterpiece. He would be praying for the souls of all actors and actually the whole film crew as an appraisal to their aptitude. Theater blended with film and some breathtaking photography (frozen shoots inspired work of an art director) – it’s a new art genre created by a real artist who knows what he is doing and whose deeds are guided by the hand of the highest power.
The accessories and the style are pictured in the most spectacular manner: women dressed in designer fur and silk are in abundance made with fine attention to detail; their jewelery are tasteful, eye-catching and lush but not overpowering (the movie got three awards for best costume designs). The country side is painted so realistic you deep yourself into the creation of fine art and melt into the surroundings of the movie. The film is watched in one breath – but you do not breath it in – on the contrary – it breathes you inside of itself and leaves you in a moment - you notice that you are sitting in the cinema with the last note of music impulsively dropped...
Classical books to be screened is a very big challenge. To make an exceptional movie out of the classics is the hardest work ever as you have to keep up to the Master, harder it seems to make it so unique and so distinctive. The film will be interesting to watch not only to people who did not read the novel but also to those who are familiar with this Lev Tolstoy’s genius book.
Surrealistic pictures are nothing compared with the Nikita Mikhalkov’s look of Stiva Oblonski, with Anna’s bottomless glance and Vronski’s thefty but wide opened eyes; with exciting scenes of their passion; with revolting sanity of Karenin; with the Russian (note: pure, with no accent) cute songs, speeches and remarks on the background.(which are not falling out of the current moment but only adding that extraordinary flavor of truth to it); with fragrant grasses everywhere, everywhere where the drama is and where the peace is...
Moments switching is done with incredible talent of director’s brilliance… She is in the room opening the curtains – one move sounds like a sword and the next instant – she is already inside the steaming train… The sound of Anna's flopping hand fan turning into a sound of galloping horses... Brilliant!
This movie can be comparable only to “Faust” by Sokurov that’s why we give it
Rate: 100/10
TOGETHER
The movie with a great exotic Asian flavor that would be very entertaining to watch for everyone. Gorgeous women, nice Hong Kong city shoots (reminded me of my days there), excellent actors (except the fake secondaries), not expected story line and intrigue, no too rough fighting scenes (so usual to Asian movies), two very romantic love stories that do not interrupt with each other but blend together harmonically, add to this the best music and songs selection and you will leave the cinema with a light feeling of happiness...
Rate: 8/10
The movie with a great exotic Asian flavor that would be very entertaining to watch for everyone. Gorgeous women, nice Hong Kong city shoots (reminded me of my days there), excellent actors (except the fake secondaries), not expected story line and intrigue, no too rough fighting scenes (so usual to Asian movies), two very romantic love stories that do not interrupt with each other but blend together harmonically, add to this the best music and songs selection and you will leave the cinema with a light feeling of happiness...
Rate: 8/10
PARIS OPERA AT PALACE CINEMAS - CARMEN
A couple of notes on performance. Fabulous voices that sound like gods from another planet where all the people sing instead of talking, so much passion and expression in voices, you get yourself lost in the richness of the sound...
Amazing interpretation of original story with combined contemporary life elements like lifestyle and outfits. It was really uniquely done as you felt more like in France rather than in Spain. Was amazed to see Carmen who looked like Merlyn Monroe with died hair compared to her dark hair Spanish Seville-ian girlfriends. She was rebellion by her looks not only by her deeds. As to her new boyfriend Toreador he looked like a good copy of Elvis. But their be-witching voices (actually the whole troupe) were unique like nothing else (as I already mentioned but never mind)
The orchestra and the music performed was above any celestial level... The stage decorations were very smartly designed by a real master...
We were a bit upset that the secondary actors (mainly the crowd of the Seville streets) were performing out of the script (meaning not matching what was happening in the main act) and sometimes we could see the surprised glances over to the audience which was unacceptable for a School of Stanislavsky but could be neglected as a small under-worked detail...
The magnificent overall
Rate: 9.5/10
website: The Paris Opera Season 2012/2013
A couple of notes on performance. Fabulous voices that sound like gods from another planet where all the people sing instead of talking, so much passion and expression in voices, you get yourself lost in the richness of the sound...
Amazing interpretation of original story with combined contemporary life elements like lifestyle and outfits. It was really uniquely done as you felt more like in France rather than in Spain. Was amazed to see Carmen who looked like Merlyn Monroe with died hair compared to her dark hair Spanish Seville-ian girlfriends. She was rebellion by her looks not only by her deeds. As to her new boyfriend Toreador he looked like a good copy of Elvis. But their be-witching voices (actually the whole troupe) were unique like nothing else (as I already mentioned but never mind)
The orchestra and the music performed was above any celestial level... The stage decorations were very smartly designed by a real master...
We were a bit upset that the secondary actors (mainly the crowd of the Seville streets) were performing out of the script (meaning not matching what was happening in the main act) and sometimes we could see the surprised glances over to the audience which was unacceptable for a School of Stanislavsky but could be neglected as a small under-worked detail...
The magnificent overall
Rate: 9.5/10
website: The Paris Opera Season 2012/2013
Alliance Francaise French Film Festival 2013 - ERNEST and CELESTINE
Very very entertaining for kids and adults alike this is a story beautifully painted in soft watercolors following the ideas from the book of Belgian author Gabrielle Vincent. In the real world, which consists of two parallel universes where mice and bears can not possibly meet Ernest (a bear who looks more like Gerard Depardieu, big and kind) and Celestine (a tiny mouse who does not look like anyone too famous) become good friends whose hearts become to beat in unison, who support and love each other and help each other in the awkward life situations. Ernest had the past being a judge, Celestine has a bright future to become a dentist. Their story leads them both to jail... Yes, yes, yes... this is the place where all the honest hears and mice end up... but what happens next is left to French artists and Melbourne kids imagination or... you need to take them to watch this beautiful story... Who knows whom your kid is going to be in his/her next life as this story with a light humor and tender characters might teach your kids something they already know - friendship that does not know the boundaries?
Rate: 8/10
Very very entertaining for kids and adults alike this is a story beautifully painted in soft watercolors following the ideas from the book of Belgian author Gabrielle Vincent. In the real world, which consists of two parallel universes where mice and bears can not possibly meet Ernest (a bear who looks more like Gerard Depardieu, big and kind) and Celestine (a tiny mouse who does not look like anyone too famous) become good friends whose hearts become to beat in unison, who support and love each other and help each other in the awkward life situations. Ernest had the past being a judge, Celestine has a bright future to become a dentist. Their story leads them both to jail... Yes, yes, yes... this is the place where all the honest hears and mice end up... but what happens next is left to French artists and Melbourne kids imagination or... you need to take them to watch this beautiful story... Who knows whom your kid is going to be in his/her next life as this story with a light humor and tender characters might teach your kids something they already know - friendship that does not know the boundaries?
Rate: 8/10
Alliance Francaise French Film Festival 2013 - preview screening for TV and Media
The event took place mid February at Palace Cinemas Como. Sponsored by French Embassy Australia, Peugeot, Formaggi Ocello and La Brasserie and elegantly run by Ned & Co Marketing and Publicity and our beautiful host Annette Smith - it was a real season hit! Thank you beautiful Annette! I've taken some fabulous photos:
Palace Cinemas website: http://www.palacecinemas.com.au/festivals/alliancefrancaisefrenchfilmfestivalvic/
Official website with schedule and movie details: http://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/default.aspx
The event took place mid February at Palace Cinemas Como. Sponsored by French Embassy Australia, Peugeot, Formaggi Ocello and La Brasserie and elegantly run by Ned & Co Marketing and Publicity and our beautiful host Annette Smith - it was a real season hit! Thank you beautiful Annette! I've taken some fabulous photos:
Palace Cinemas website: http://www.palacecinemas.com.au/festivals/alliancefrancaisefrenchfilmfestivalvic/
Official website with schedule and movie details: http://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/default.aspx
|
|
|
In 2012, the Alliance Française French Film Festival filled 126,000 cinema seats nationwide. The 2013 edition promises to be just as popular with plenty of great movies, big-name movie stars and chic parties. 43 Films and documentaries and more than 1,300 anshlague screenings across Australia are planned for upcoming 2013 season.
In The House
(by Transmission Films)
The film was awarded the main prize at the 2012 San Sebastián International Film Festival, the Golden Shell, as well as the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay
There is a danger living next to a writer or as a matter of fact to a poet/poetess: sooner of later you will be an object in her/his poetry or novel... Imagine everything you do in your life is observed and recorded... But there is more to that: imagine that the writer living next to you or deliciously teasing you, intruding into your house is changing his/your script and becomes a character of his own book who alters, creates and changes the events and the circumstances, your faith and your destiny... He kills and forgives, he makes you fall in love with him and observes your feelings, his book is classical and it will be there on the same shelf as Flaubert and Kafka, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky ("oh I hate those Russians!" "Literature and Art teaches people nothing" - ...and sorry but there were the words from the movie...) I deep into this film like a sailor-writer lost in the ocean between his lines; the writer who does not know what the fiction and what the reality is anymore: ethically troubling, bold, psychologically intriguing and dangerously sensual the script is and there is no end to it... "To be continues" - are the last words... But he hooks you up, as a reader, on his floating words, he plays and manipulates with your feelings, he tells you semi-truth and one quarter of a lie, as the other quarter is up to your imagination and there is no air in the movie anymore... Every one is a story, every family has secrets, there is no suburban fairy tale, no happiness, no hate, no suffering - just a long endless story line and frustrated wives... "Yesterday I ate pizza and watched TV..." - oh, this is a different and boring composition. "Are you in love with this boy?" - "No, I love women"... "This is strange as since you started reading his stories we do not make love anymore..." - she remarks. Add to this the stories are written by a 16-years old boy who is guided and assisted by a confused teacher. To be continued...
Rate: 10/10
The second movie screened as a part of the media preview selection -
Happiness Never Comes Alone
(by Madman Entertainment)
When there is a true LOVE nothing else is an obstacle. You can trick yourself and the others, you can hide behind the obstacles on your way to be together but the Truth as a girlfriend and the main part of Love will find its way to the surface. Add to this a fantastic physical comedy full of falling bodies, unpredictable noise and broken sinks and other furniture and you may consider yourself half way to the perfect picture. The rest will be painted by the amazing performance of two French stars: Gad Elmaleh (Sacha) and Sophie Marceau (Charlotte). They are both charming, full of life force, breathtaking chemistry and love in their eyes... Oh yes... your bonus is sensational soundtrack!
Rate: 9/10
Happiness Never Comes Alone
(by Madman Entertainment)
When there is a true LOVE nothing else is an obstacle. You can trick yourself and the others, you can hide behind the obstacles on your way to be together but the Truth as a girlfriend and the main part of Love will find its way to the surface. Add to this a fantastic physical comedy full of falling bodies, unpredictable noise and broken sinks and other furniture and you may consider yourself half way to the perfect picture. The rest will be painted by the amazing performance of two French stars: Gad Elmaleh (Sacha) and Sophie Marceau (Charlotte). They are both charming, full of life force, breathtaking chemistry and love in their eyes... Oh yes... your bonus is sensational soundtrack!
Rate: 9/10
Elles
Our opinions on the movie got divided. Although Alex found it dark and very negative overall when it came to picturing men in this movie as none of the male characters bear anything positive, I found the movie brilliantly done be it Binoche's acting masterpiece or director's talented solutions and bravery touching such complicated subjects as middle aged woman's crisis and her life broken into pieces shared between family responsibilities, work uneasy assignments and personal life choices; and lives two young prostitutes in fact not struggling but enjoying their journeys: sex, love, attention and a river of money. When you compare the life of a middle-class bourgeois Anne (Binoche) and the life of one of the girls - is there any difference? When one is struggling to get her sex life in place and balance, does the same happens with the other? When one is arguing with her relatives does not it look familiar for the other? The last scene is a mirage of an urban life: tragic classical music and happy family having breakfast together looks like a joke in the desert of emotions... Actually I did not like the movie myself... unless I like suffering of that poor women...
Rate: 7/10
Our opinions on the movie got divided. Although Alex found it dark and very negative overall when it came to picturing men in this movie as none of the male characters bear anything positive, I found the movie brilliantly done be it Binoche's acting masterpiece or director's talented solutions and bravery touching such complicated subjects as middle aged woman's crisis and her life broken into pieces shared between family responsibilities, work uneasy assignments and personal life choices; and lives two young prostitutes in fact not struggling but enjoying their journeys: sex, love, attention and a river of money. When you compare the life of a middle-class bourgeois Anne (Binoche) and the life of one of the girls - is there any difference? When one is struggling to get her sex life in place and balance, does the same happens with the other? When one is arguing with her relatives does not it look familiar for the other? The last scene is a mirage of an urban life: tragic classical music and happy family having breakfast together looks like a joke in the desert of emotions... Actually I did not like the movie myself... unless I like suffering of that poor women...
Rate: 7/10
Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained
This is Quentin Tarantino and Westerns at their best for you: rivers of blood, piles of guts, handfuls of guns, flying brains, vicious dogs, riding cowboys, aristocrats - those powerful and shown stupid, - peaceful fires in the canyons warming up some coffee and houses in fire, dynamites targeting, raffles, ambiguous sheriffs, mind games, Negros, chained and unchained and incredible cruelty and human humiliation at its peak, cotton fields, trouble making lovers and saviours of all... and lots of humour… It would not be QT if we did not see all of the above plus more... This is an entertainment at its best indeed... Some scenes I would already consider classical. This is the movie people would talk about the next day after watching: "Do you remember how he said this...hahaha"; "I still do not understand how did he manage to trick them like this..." “What’s your name? - Django, the “D” is silent…” Enjoy!
Rate: 10/10
PS. And more quotes:
Calvin Candie: I'm curious, what makes you such a mandingo expert?
Django: I'm curious what makes you so curious.
Calvin Candie: You sir are a sore loser.
Dr. King Schultz: And you are an abysmal winner.
Dr. King Schultz: Alexander Dumas. He wrote 'The Three Musketeers.' I figured you must be an admirer. You named your slave after his novel's lead character. If Alexander Dumas had been there today, I wonder what he would have made of it?
Calvin Candie: You doubt he'd approve?
Dr. King Schultz: Yes. His approval would be a dubious proposition at best.
Calvin Candie: Soft hearted Frenchie?
Dr. King Schultz: Alexander Dumas is black.
Dr. King Schultz: Inn keeper! Remember, get the sheriff, not the Marshall... (later) Now you can get the Marshall...
Big Daddy: Did I say we ain't wearing bags? It's a raid! Who cares if you can see! Can the Horses see!? That's all that matters!
Django: Hey there, trouble-maker.
Broomhilda: *Faints*
Dr. King Schultz: You silver-tongued devil you.
This is Quentin Tarantino and Westerns at their best for you: rivers of blood, piles of guts, handfuls of guns, flying brains, vicious dogs, riding cowboys, aristocrats - those powerful and shown stupid, - peaceful fires in the canyons warming up some coffee and houses in fire, dynamites targeting, raffles, ambiguous sheriffs, mind games, Negros, chained and unchained and incredible cruelty and human humiliation at its peak, cotton fields, trouble making lovers and saviours of all... and lots of humour… It would not be QT if we did not see all of the above plus more... This is an entertainment at its best indeed... Some scenes I would already consider classical. This is the movie people would talk about the next day after watching: "Do you remember how he said this...hahaha"; "I still do not understand how did he manage to trick them like this..." “What’s your name? - Django, the “D” is silent…” Enjoy!
Rate: 10/10
PS. And more quotes:
Calvin Candie: I'm curious, what makes you such a mandingo expert?
Django: I'm curious what makes you so curious.
Calvin Candie: You sir are a sore loser.
Dr. King Schultz: And you are an abysmal winner.
Dr. King Schultz: Alexander Dumas. He wrote 'The Three Musketeers.' I figured you must be an admirer. You named your slave after his novel's lead character. If Alexander Dumas had been there today, I wonder what he would have made of it?
Calvin Candie: You doubt he'd approve?
Dr. King Schultz: Yes. His approval would be a dubious proposition at best.
Calvin Candie: Soft hearted Frenchie?
Dr. King Schultz: Alexander Dumas is black.
Dr. King Schultz: Inn keeper! Remember, get the sheriff, not the Marshall... (later) Now you can get the Marshall...
Big Daddy: Did I say we ain't wearing bags? It's a raid! Who cares if you can see! Can the Horses see!? That's all that matters!
Django: Hey there, trouble-maker.
Broomhilda: *Faints*
Dr. King Schultz: You silver-tongued devil you.
Les Misérables
This production was way below our expectations: the characters were too weakly played and too plain pictured. The best out of all was Gavroche - best actor of the whole film, such a shame. The young voices were also good - should be credited for this. Even Sasha Baron Cohen was too predictable in his character. The movie looked especially weak compared to a famous French screening of 2000 with master piece of Gerard Depardieu. To add to the misery of Les Miserables the decorations were too obvious to appear fake, the singing of Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman were off key, no voices at all and absurd to the maximum that it could be. The question we kept asking during this musical: why? Why did they do it and did the actors really understand what their aim was?.. Very sorry to be so disappointed...
Rate: 6/10
Displaying page: Good Advice Magazine >> Outdoors >> La Premiere >> 18
La Premiere other articles: << 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01
La Premiere other articles: << 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01
|
|
