Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Suite Française (2014)





The movie tells the story of a french girl with a strict mother in law who falls in love with a Nazi officer. Well, the movie is not the cheesy love story between two people who simply cant and mustn't be together. Is way more than this. It's about the cruelty of the war and how everyone copes in the end, even if that means they have to give up on love or love the wrong people. The moral battle between the two main characters, who are stuck between their love and their loyalty to their country and people.

This is a rare thing nowadays and brings to mind the great heyday of romance in the Seventies. 'Suite Française' is set in Nazi occupied France during the start of World War II. You will therefore be crying with powerful and furious emotion. Michelle Williams is at the fore front of this film; gladly she does not fail or let the production team down in any respect. She plays a French Villager  called Lucile Angellier. I say this statement with doubt as last time I checked French people did not speak English as their first language. Her overbearing mother is played with severity by Kristin Scott Thomas. She outright leads her daughter's life for her and plays a prominent role in all of her decisions, whether they be little or large. Their village becomes ruled and dictated by German soldiers, some much more brutal than others. There are different personalities and beliefs to each of them. This is great to see, because it paints a broader and larger painting. It shows us that not everyone can be placed definitively into a category.

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Girlhood (2014)


Girl power comes from French cinema in this classic coming-of-age story; female centric and empowerment driven, Girlhood is centered around 16 year old Marieme and her struggles with peer pressure and self discovery. While the tale may be repetitive, director Céline Sciamma gives fresh visuals and dramatic flare to the film, which is captivating from the very start. Set in the lower class suburbs of France, Girlhood is as much an emotional journey as it is a visual one, and a satisfying film from beginning to end.

First I might disclose that I do have a weak spot for movies dealing with female friendships. The friendship between Vic and Lady is especially touching, from Lady taking Vic on as a young shy protegé, to them bonding after Vic's victory in the fight she fought for Lady or for Lady's acceptance of Vic leaving.  The scene where they are dancing all together or playing mini-golf reminds me of some of the few good scenes of The Bling Ring and perhaps The Spring Breakers, that unquestioning best friend kind of relationships that are never as strong as during your teenage years.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

2015 Cesar Award Nominees

France's Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for this year's Cesar Awards - the country's equivalent to the Oscars - in a morning ceremony at the famed Fouqet's restaurant on the Champs Elysees.
Sean Penn will receive the Academy's honorary Cesar this year, organizers announced Monday.Alain Resnais will get a tribute at the awards ceremony.
The 40th annual awards will be held on Feb. 20 - just two days ahead of the Oscars - at Paris' Chatelet Theatre. 
Here are nominees in some key categories:
Best Film
Love at First Fight
Eastern Boys
The Belier Family
Hippocrates
Saint Laurent
Sils Maria
Timbuktu
Best Director
Celine Sciamma for Girlhood
Thomas Cailley for Love at First Fight
Robin Campillo for Eastern Boys
Thomas Lilti for Hippocrates
Bertrand Bonello for Saint Laurent
Olivier Assays for Sils Maria
Abderrahmane Sissako for Timbuktu

Monday, December 15, 2014

Sils Maria (2014)



this movie was a big hit in Cannes maybe because they have Juliette Binoche (as much as I know she is France sweetheart) Kristen Stewart and Chloe Moretz who have their own fandom, and big big fandom. So I got this special opportunity to watch this movie on film festival last week. I was so happy since I can't wait to see it with my own eyes. As a fan of Stewart, hearing good reviews about her in this movie made me want to see it even more.

This was a good movie, to a large extent because of its lead actors. I expected Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart to make a great team, and they did; there was never a moment when I thought one of them was out-acting the other, or drawing attention from the other. They worked in perfect tandem as far as I could see. But the movie is too long. I like the cinematography, Sils Maria is such a beautiful place.

I love Juliette when plays as a desperate woman. Well she does everything great. In this movie she played as a veteran actress with her own personal problem, and then new director asked her to do a remake based on a movie that made her famous. but as the opposite character. The base is great, I mean Maria had their own problems and it would make a strong story but they add more conflict in to it that included Chloe Moretz's character, Joanne Ellis.