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| A weekly series hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves |
I've been internet-less since September 2 — not one but two lightings struck my phone wire, the phone company guy showed up only yesterday to fix it and turns out it fried the modem too — which translated in no Netflix. Which forced me to watch stuff I own. Which ended up with me rewatching Linklater's brilliant Before trilogy. And since yesterday I saw Before Sunset not long before working on this, and it's set in Paris, for this week's Thursday Movie Picks I went double theme within a theme with three films in French set in Paris.
Amélie (Audrey Tautou) is a shy waitress in a Montmartre café. After returning a long-lost childhood treasure to a former occupant of her apartment, and seeing the effect it has on him, she decides to set out on a mission to make others happy and in the meantime pursues a quirky guy (Mathieu Kassovitz) who collects discarded photo booth pictures. | It's a charming, colourful and funny film, well-written and wonderfully performed.
Cléo (Corinne Marchand) is a hypochondriac French signer who is afraid of getting the result of a test from her doctor. She thinks she has cancer and that she will die. While waiting for the result, she visits a fortuneteller (Loye Payen) who too says she is dying. This completely affects the way she approaches the day, from her encounters with friends to what she observes in strangers. | It's a terrific character study with superb acting and direction. Please watch it if you haven't already.
A playwright, Thomas Novachek (Mathieu Amalric), is about to leave the theatre after a long day of auditioning for the female lead of his new play which he adapted from the 1870 novel, Venus in Fur by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, when an actress, Wanda Jourdain (Emmanuelle Seigner), arrives soaking wet from the rainstorm outside. She doesn't look like an actress and her name isn't even on the audition list, but eventually, with much persuasion, Novachek agrees to read the part of the play with her, and he's immediately stunned by her. | It's a wonderful film about art, with a story that is both strange and fascinating because of the characters' interactions.
Venus in Fur is the only one of yours I haven't seen but I adore the first two!
ReplyDeleteVenus in Fur is not for everybody I'd say but it is so interesting and well executed. Please watch it if you get the chance.
DeleteI think I heard too much praise for Amelie before I watched it. From all the chatter I expected to be transported by it. I wasn't, it was fine with equal doses of charm and whimsy (perhaps a bit too much of that) but once was plenty.
ReplyDeleteCleo from 5 to 7 I liked much better. It was scattershot at times but consistently intriguing.
I've heard of Venus in Furs but haven't gotten to it yet.
I've had a good year foreign language film wise discovering several of them that I really enjoyed and my second two were among them. My first is a long time favorite.
The Wages of Fear (1953)-As a fire rages in an oil field in the South American jungle the parent company hires four men desperate enough to accept the challenge of delivering two trucks of nitroglycerine over rugged terrain where the slightest jolt can result in death to extinguish the blaze. As they cautiously proceed a rivalry develops between the two sets of drivers. A masterwork of tension from director Henri-Georges Clouzot.
High and Low (1963)-A wealthy industrialist (Toshiro Mifune) who is facing a business disaster becomes the target of a kidnapper, but it turns out that the child snatched is his chauffer’s not his. With money temporarily very tight he is faced with a crisis of conscious as to how to proceed. Akira Kurosawa's take on film noir, based on Ed McBain's novel "King's Ransom", is something different from him. Crafted with his usual care it’s a taut and constantly involving film.
Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)-Set in Hiroshima after the end of World War II a Japanese architect (Eiji Okada) and a French actress (Emmanuelle Riva), lovers turned friends, recall through many hours of conversation previous romances and the life experiences that have brought them to this point. Intertwined with those memories they ponder the devastation wrought by the atomic bomb dropped on the city. Simple and gripping with exquisite work by Riva and Okada.
I'm so sorry to hear the hype ruined Amélie for you!
DeleteGreat picks though the only film among your picks that I haven't seen is Venus in Fur as it's a film that I really want to see as I'm a big fan of Polanski.
ReplyDeletePlease do because it's a masterpiece. And I'm not even a Polanski fan. I don't hate him like many, I'm just indifferent.
DeleteOh no! Have you got internet again now or are you still without? I remember moving house and having to be internet-less for 2 weeks and it killed me. Love your theme within a theme this week!
ReplyDeleteNope :( I still have to use my phone's hotspot. I should get the new modem any day now though
DeleteI have to see Amelie which has been on my radar for years. I don't know the other 2 but am intrigued. That pic you show for the 2nd film makes me laugh and groan since the men are just leches.
ReplyDeleteThey all are interesting. I highly suggest the second as it's one of the greatest films directed by a woman.
DeleteI've only seen Amelie and I didn't like it as much as everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry it didn't work for you.
DeleteHave only seen Amelie. Unlike your other readers I did like it. Such a funny and charming film. I think my three (non-animation) would be Battle Royale, Rififi and Le Diner De Cons.
ReplyDeleteOh my god, Le Diner De Cons is absolutely brilliant! Too bad most people don't know about it but have see the pathetic American remake.
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