06-06-2007, 10:18 PM
Dm loves to mock French film. Going into this one, Dm warned Mrs. DM that he planned to laugh out loud with maximum obnoxiousness at any stereotypic French film moments: discussing art/film and a cafe over cigarettes, the abrupt artsy-fartsy ending, the non-attractive nekkid woman, the mime, etc. AS it turned out, the mime sequence was very entertaining, as were the others. From the maker of Amelie, this is 18 shorts by directors like Wes Craven, the Coens, Van Sant, Assayas, and a pad of frogs, each centered on a different Paris neighborhood. DM loves shorts - they force the writer/director to get a message out very quickly, and they can have great hairpin turns.
Some quick non-spoiler comments: Buscemi was hilarious. Binoche and Dafoe were totally intense. Elijah could have been cut out - a waste of celluloid. Nolte, good god, was that all one shot? Tre bon! Hoskins and Ardant - Hoskins was unflappable as always; Ardant stole my heart. Portman was hot as always. Gazzera and Rowlands were great old veterans duking out a scene. Li Xin - wtf was that about?
All in all, good stuff. Dm had to recant his mockery. A lot of lingering moments. Not a big screen film, but a solid renter. Watch it over wine, cheese and a baguette.
Some quick non-spoiler comments: Buscemi was hilarious. Binoche and Dafoe were totally intense. Elijah could have been cut out - a waste of celluloid. Nolte, good god, was that all one shot? Tre bon! Hoskins and Ardant - Hoskins was unflappable as always; Ardant stole my heart. Portman was hot as always. Gazzera and Rowlands were great old veterans duking out a scene. Li Xin - wtf was that about?
All in all, good stuff. Dm had to recant his mockery. A lot of lingering moments. Not a big screen film, but a solid renter. Watch it over wine, cheese and a baguette.
Shadow boxing the apocalypse
