Archive for the 'French' Category

Persepolis

Published
by
nathanshorb
on July 5, 2008
in Adolescence, Animation, Autobiography, Based on a graphic novel, Coming of age, Foreign, French and War
. 1 Comment

Persepolis is the animated film adaptation of the autobiographical graphic novels of Marjane Satrapi. It’s her coming of age story, living through the turmoil, wars, and revolts of Iran in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s

Simply put, it’s a lovely little film that really catches the viewer’s attention. Its animation is simple but thoroughly heartfelt and extremely effective. While few of us have lived through wars, seeing our relatives fight for their beliefs and die in the process, we can somehow relate to this story, perhaps because it’s told so candidly. The innocence of childhood, the ups and downs of adolescence, and trying to make sense of it all in adulthood are something each of us experience. Satrapi has said that this was one aim of the film, to show how much of growing up is a universal experience.

In the process of the film, though, we are treated to a little bit of a history lesson of the country of Iran. And while you don’t get all the ins and outs of the history, it makes you eager to learn a bit more.

My only complaint is that the storytelling at times seemed too fragmented. It felt rushed, each segment was brief before jumping to the next event at hand. Satrapi, obviously, is a talented and poignant storyteller, and I would have appreciated a more in-depth, detailed look at some parts of the story

So, this film comes highly recommended. It’s an enlightening and personal story that is absolutely beautifully told. I hope more animated works like it start coming our way.

Rating: ★★★★½

The Dinner Game

Published
by
Chalupa
on July 25, 2007
in Based on a play, Comedy, Foreign, France and French
. 0 Comments

The Dinner Game is a French movie that was recommended by a friend. The premise sounded pretty funny and it turned out to be a pretty good film. A group of stuck-up professionals get together once a week for dinner. One stipulation is the regulars have to bring an “idiot” to exploit and make-fun of.

Pierre finds such a man on a train who loves to make models of monuments, etc from matchsticks. Pierre just knows this guy is the king-of-all-idiots and invites him to dinner by making Francois think the other dinner guests are interested in making a book about his hobby. However, before Pierre and Francois can make it to dinner, everything seems to go terribly wrong. Wrong for Pierre that is. Everything from an injured back to his wife leaving him are all caused by the one man he was going to exploit and belittle. You might say Pierre got just what he deserved.

Filled with slapstick comedy and cheesy one-liners, this probably won’t be at the top of everybody’s comedy list. It’s definitely light-hearted and fun. It’s also in French so you’ll get to read some sub-titles. I’m no expert on french film, but I really felt like I was getting a taste of the french-film culture. I’d highly recommend this one to anyone who considers themself a movie-fan.

To Be and To Have

Published
by
nathanshorb
on March 2, 2005
in Documentary, Foreign and French
. 2 Comments

(I wrote all this quite eloquently, and then lost it in cyberspace, and recreations of eloquence are never as eloquent as eloquence itself, so forgive me.)

To Be and To Have is the latest in my documentary viewings. I fell asleep the first time, but that’s nothing new. I really enjoyed it the second time.

It’s about a teacher who teaches a bunch of kids in different grades all in the same room. A modern day one room schoolhouse, if you will. And it takes place in France.

First things first, I’m and El Ed major who loves France, so I’m biased here.

But let’s get one thing straight. There’s nothing cuter than kids, except for French kids.

This one’s a bit slow. In fact, in the opening scenes there is a shot of two turtles crawling across the empty classroom floor. In the bonus features, the director tells this shot was meant to be a hint at the pace of the film. So there you have it, it’s slow. But when you know it’s slow and can watch it for the sake of watching, it is pretty beautiful and enjoyable.

There’s no plot (I know, Neville hates that phrase, but I’ll say it anyway) to make the documentary exciting. It’s just simply taking a look inside a classroom. And it’s pretty brilliant. The innocence and wonder and awe of children and the gloriousness of being a teacher are seen in every shot.

The teacher is great. He is soft-spoken and mild-mannered and patient and caring and compassionate and all of this shines through very clearly. He is beautiful.

There are plenty of memorable moments, especially if they include little JoJo. Discussing (and discovering) infinity, scrubbing hands clean, and trying desperately to hang up a poster that is larger than he is. And when the teacher says goodbye to the kids at the end of the year you want to give him a big hug. Some of the kids recite poetry in the bonus features and this is hilarious and beautiful; I recorded them to include their voices in some of my music.

So, anyway, I liked this one a lot, but I don’t expect you to.

But, Neville, you like kids and French, and now you appreciate teaching, so as long as you aren’t expecting a thrilling plot-driven documentary, I’m pretty sure you’ll love this too.

Before Sunset

Published
by
Neville
on September 29, 2004
in Drama, French, Independent, Romance and Sequel
. 0 Comments

It’s probably too late to catch this one in theaters, but that’s okay. If you missed the first one (”Before Sunrise”) about 9 years ago, do yourself a big happy favor and rent it sometime. Then see this one and tell me that the screenplay doesn’t deserve some kind of award for being so close to reality and everyday conversation…it’s a bit scary!

Amelie

Published
by
Chalupa
on July 28, 2004
in Comedy, Drama, Feel Good, Foreign, French and Romance
. 5 Comments

Brad ‘Hoser’ Moser….whatever you call him came over tonight and we watched Amelie. I really enjoy this movie but don’t always recommend it to everybody because there’s some content in it that some people can’t get past. It’s like staring at the finger while ignoring what it’s pointing at. Some people don’t like this ‘kind’ of movie cause it has subtitles. I kind of like subtitles sometimes myself. Even in movies without subtitles I have to watch it a couple times to really catch the dialog and what’s going on in the background. I really love Audrey Tautou in this film. Her performance is amazing and most of it is just in the expressions she makes. I of course have no idea what she’s like in person, but her character just seems so cool in this movie; somebody I could really get along with - kinda like how we feel about Zach Braff right Liz?

Well the gist of this movie is a young woman does a good deed for somebody, likes how she feels afterwards and continues trying to help people out in the world. At the end of the movie you get to see how her life really affected peoples’ lives. It’s definitely a feel-good movie and a subtle reminder to watch how we live our lives because you never know how you’re affecting somebody.