Saturday, February 28, 2009

The constant gardener (soundtrack)



Kothbiro - Ayub Ogada from the Soundtrack of The Constant Gardener.

Trailers and bandes annonces French films to come films francais a venir



PARIS (Cedric Klapisch)



35 RHUMS (Claire Denis)
AND HERE IS MESSY BON DYE (NOT MESSY GOOD LORD BUT THANK YOU GOD !)

Mèci Bon Dié,
gadé Tout Ça La Natu Poté Pou Nous.
mèci Bon Dié,
gadé Couman La Mizè Fini Pou Nous.
la Pli Tombé,
mai Poussé,
toute Ti Moune Qui Grand Gout Pralé Mangé.
an Nous Dansé Congo,
an Nous Dansé Pétro,
papa Bon Dié Di Nan Ciel La Mizè Fini Pou Nous.

english Translation:
thank You, God,
look At All That Nature Has Brought Us.
thank You, God,
look How Misery Has Ended For Us.
the Rain Has Fallen,
the Corn Has Grown,
all The Children That Were Hungry Are Going To Eat.
let's Dance The Congo,
let's Dance The Petro,
god Said In Heaven
that Misery Has Ended For Us



SERAPHINE (Martin Provost)
cleaning woman with a bee in the bonnet becomes famous floral painter before WW1



MESRINE (André Génovès)
public enemy number 1 til gunned down by flics (french cops)



VILAINE (Jean Patrick Benes)
the hottie and the nottie without the hottie



LA BELLE PERSONNE (Christophe Honoré)
Princesse de Cleves revisited




LES FEMMES DE L'OMBRE (Jean-Salomé)
Allonz enfants de la patriiiiiiiiieeeee

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Oscar text conversation by N and Double Trouble

N= Goldie Hawn, my god !!! J’ai déjà gagné...
DT = La pauvre.... moi, j’ai perdu
N= YEAH ! Encore un !
N = Jen looks at Brad, Angie looks at Jen looking at Brad...
DT= And they all look pissed. Hugh Jackman is almost as beautiful as my horse
N= He has nice teeth?
DT= Petasse Sarah Jessica
N= B Button de merde...
DT= Benjarrest Buttump !
N= Is your horse as funny as Hugh ?
DT= Vampires... weeeee are girls fainting yet?
DT= See Jessica Biehl struggling with big words? Thank god she doesn’t have to say Synecdoche !
DT= RIngard.... enough of Hugh Jackshowman!
Little N= I’ll take ringard anytime (DTnote: she was AT the Oscars last year... we understand and forgive)
N= Where are the songs and Jon Stewart ?
DT= It’s ringaaaaaaaaaard
N= I’m gonna puke!
N=Phil Seymour Hoff. Make me sick. Peut pas se coiffer ?
DT= Happiness, happiness ! Yuk !
DT= Heath Ledger... and Sean a de la Penn
DT= Ohhhhhh Werner ! My love....
N= Warner ! Ja !
DT= What Warner ? Shut up
N= Werner... typo. Duh !
DT=Duh yourself
DT= Beware.. scientology on stage with Will Smith !
DT= and when I think that Mickey’s chihuahua died six days ago...
DT= Will Smith wearing scientology cross !!!!
N= ;-(
N= Where are John and Tom ?
DT=Pinky and the brain? Taking over the world of course...
N= And thank you France perhaps ?
DT= Where does this come from?
N= Jerry Lewis
DT= Ah oui, I forgot !
DT=Here comes the muzak
N= Chakde India !
DT= yeahhhh Bollywood
N= Globalism
DT= Jai hoooooo
DT= and foreign aligato surprise !
N= I saw it in the plane. C’est génial !
DT= Which airline?
N= Japan !
DT= duhhh
DT= and more Oscargnagna schmoltsy sticky muzak !
N= Paul or Heath?
DT= They didn’t show Angela Morley in the departed... not fair. She was big and even won oscars for scores (as Wally Stott)
N= India wins again
DT= Cotillard cotilles
N= Snif
N= Sofia au secours !
DT= Frozen river
N= I should say Mama mia!
DT= Gather girl ! Too bad Kate talked about the wrong film !
N= AH AH AH
N= I GOT MILK ?
DT= I thought Mickey would get it. You win !
N= I thought so too but Im such a big fan of Sean !
DT = Love him too
DT= Jai hooooooooo
N= Phew, not BB ! Hollywood loves Bollywood !

Why is it a bad idea to call a movie Synecdoche and other GOOPey disasters.


It’s a bad idea to call a movie SYNECDOCHE because
1- it’s hard to pronounce for most people
2- it’s a bit pompous therefore ri-di-cule
3- “heart for love” means the same and is more mysterious
4- why not “prosopopoeia” ?
5- it’s mostly used by crosswords addicts
6- it sounds like a contraption for an octopussy
7- even the director admits it’s a bad title
Remember when the movie stars were surfing the fitness wave and producing fitness videos ? Jane Fonda was then on top of the wave. She is now surfing the blogosphere wave and she does it well. Her blog ( http://janefonda.com/category/my-blog) is actually a very good read. Gwyneth Platrow joined the blogosphere too but I have to say that it is rather weak and shallow so far, not talking about the fact that it is called GOOP (http://goop.com/) ! I am sure it is a private joke in the Martin/Paltrow household but doesn’t mean it is a good idea.

Ce n’est pas une bonne idée d’appeler un film SYNECDOCHE parce que
1- c’est difficile à prononcer
2- un peu précieux donc ri-di-cule
3- “coeur-amour” veut dire à peu près la même chose en plus simple
4- et pourquoi pas “prosopopoeia” ?
5- les cruciverbistes aiment bien
6- ca sonne comme un bidule pour poulpe
7- même le réalisateur dit que c’est moche

Vous vous souvenez la vague des vidéos d’aérobic and co ? Jane Fonda en tête (et en muscles). Aujourd’hui Jane Fonda a rejoint la blogosphere et il faut avouer qu’elle a des choses à dire et elle les dit bien ( http://janefonda.com/category/my-blog). Ce qui n’est malheureusement pas le cas de Gwyneth Platrow avec son GOOP (http://goop.com/) ! Un peu tarte le Goop... peut mieux faire la Gwynette !

Saturday, February 21, 2009

ENTRE LES MURS / THE CLASS


A class of 9th graders, the spleen of a young french letters professor and you have The Class, contender for an Oscar for foreign film tomorrow and a crowd pleaser for sure. The film is not a documentary even though it is structured more or less like one. The actors are actual students but they are acting nevertheless which makes for an interesting cinematographic experience. France is now (and has been for some time) a melting-pot so The Class is made of French students but very few can claim to be 100 % “ham and butter” as they refer to people with several generations of Frenchship behind them whatever it means ! Actually and it is probably the most important message of the film if there is one, they couldn’t care less about where they come from (unless it involves soccer teams of course!). The first time I had to fill an official form in the US (I think it was for the driving licence) I had to check a box and my choice was -as I recall- Caucasian Hispanic African-American Asian/Pacific Other and I was stuck! I asked for my neighbor’s help who looked at me as if I were an alien (which I was) and told me with a little bit of contempt that I was for sure a Caucasian ! I might be really bad in geography but I know for sure that I don’t come from the Caucase. The kids of The Class are this new brand of citizens of the world whom origins are only relevant to those who want to find justification for our current and global madness. In the end, they are just kids, pretty good ones too, and it sucks to be 14 !

Une classe de 4ième, le blues d’un petit prof de lettres et ça donne Entre les murs, un film nommé aux Oscars du meilleur film étranger demain et qui a tout pour plaire au public Américain. Le film n’est pas un documentaire mais il est structuré comme un documentaire. Les acteurs sont des élèves mais ils jouent. La France d’aujourd’hui est (depuis longtemps déjà) un melting-pot. Entre les murs présente des élèves venant de tous les horizons et peu d’entre eux sont 100 % “jambon-beurre” comme ils aiment définir les français dits de souche. En fait, et c’est là peut-être le message le plus important du film s’il y en a un, peu importe d’où ils viennent, ils en ont sincèrement pas grand chose à cirer (sauf quand il s'agit des équipes de foot!). La première fois que j’ai du remplir un formulaire aux USA (je crois me souvenir que c’était pour le permis de conduire) je devais cocher une case pour dire de quelle origine j’étais. Les choix étaient - Caucasian Hispanic African-American Asian/Pacific Other- et moi je me suis retrouvée comme une OVNI à me demander à quelle case j’appartenais. J’ai du demander l’aide de mon voisin qui m’a regardée avec mépris puis a conclus que j’étais une patate du Caucase. La géographie n’a jamais été mon fort mais je sais pertinemment que je ne suis pas plus Causasienne que fraise des bois. Bref, pour en revenir à Entre les murs, les ados sont ados et c’est pas un cadeau. A part ça, ils sont plutôt des bons kids, quelque soit la case à cocher.

Monday, February 9, 2009

HE'S NOT THAT INTO YOU

What’s special about the new movie “He’s just not that into you” is that it is adapted from a SELF-HELP book entitled He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo.
So far we had :
Movies adapted from novels: Pride and prejudice followed by all the Jane Austen adaptations when the rights became public come to mind (hence the deluge of adaptations of Jane Austen novels).
Movies adapted from articles : The Insider (adapted from the Vanity Fair magazine article "The Man Who Knew Too Much" by Marie Brenner).
Movies adapted from the synopsis of a novel before the novel was even published: The horse whisperer (adapted from Nicholas Evans' novel).
Movies adapted from comic books: Batman, Superman, Spiderman... etc..
Movies based on a true story (grrrrrrrr) : The aviator, Frost/Nixon and zillions of films
Movies based on a memoir : Running with scissors (adapted from Augusten Burroughs’ memoir)
Movies based on a music album : The Wall, Tommy
Movies based on a toy : Transformers, Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles
Movies based on a poem: Beowulf
Movies based on a video game : Lara Croft, Wanted

BUT SO FAR AND AS FAR AS I KNOW

No movies based on a platypus
No movies based on a blender
No movies based on a pack of M&Ms
No movies based on a jingle
No movies based on foreign ear

BUT there has been movies about pretty much everything and everyone.... Think about it. Take 10 random words, for example:
flower, car, cat, photo, book, war, love, shoes, cell phone, food... you’ll see that for every word, there is a movie, not necessarily “based on” but a movie related to any of these words.
PS: By the way correct me if I’m wrong in the “No movies based on” department but remember that Tom Cruise is NOT a platypus, Meryl Streep and blender have nothing in common. a jingle is not a jungle and the rights to foreign ear are available !

Le nouveau film “He’s just not that into you” (titre français inconnu à ce jour mais "Casse-toi la meuf" ou "Je préfère Maman" viennent a l'esprit) est adapté d'un livre intitulé He's Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys by Greg Behrendt et Liz Tuccillo qui n' a rien d'un roman et appartient plutôt au genre Guide touristique.
Jusqu'à présent, on avait :
Film adapté d'un roman : Pride and prejudice suivi de toutes les adaptations récentes des romans de Jane Austen par exemple (plus de droits d'adaptation...)
Films adaptés d'articles : The Insider (adapté d'un article du magazine Vanity Fair "The Man Who Knew Too Much" par Marie Brenner).
Films adaptés du synopsis d'un roman avant même que le roman ne soit écrit: The horse whisperer (adapté du livre de Nicholas Evans).
Films adaptés de bandes dessinées : Batman, Superman, Spiderman... etc..
Films basés sur une histoire vraie (grrrrrrrr) : The aviator, Frost/Nixon et des zillions d'autres
Films basés sur des mémoires : Running with scissors (adapté du livre de Augusten Burroughs)
Films basés sur des albums musicaux : The Wall, Tommy
Films basés sur des jouets : Transformers, Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles
Films basés sur des poêmes : Beowulf
Films basés sur des jeux vidéos : Lara Croft, Wanted

MAIS (A MA CONNAISSANCE)

Pas de film basé sur un ornythorinque
Pas de film basé sur une tourniquette pour faire la vinaigrette
Pas de film sur un paquet de Smarties
Pas de film sur un slogan de pub
Pas de film adapté de foreign ear (snif)

MAIS on trouve des films sur tout et à peu près n'importe quoi. Prenez dix mots au hasard :
fleur, chat, photo, livre, guerre, amour, chaussures, mobile, nourriture...vous verrez qu'à chaque mot, il y a un film, pas forcément un film basé sur mais un film quand même.
PS: Corrigez moi si j'ai tort mais souvenez-vous que Tom Cruise n'est pas un ornythorinque, Meryl Streep et le mixeur n'ont rien en commun, un slogan de pub n'est pas un cardigan de plumes et que les droits de foreign ear sont disponibles !

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

MILK ****


Milk is the story of Harvey Milk, California's first openly gay elected official who was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White in the 70ies. Directed by Gus van Sant and brilliantly interpreted by Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and many talented actors, this story is all together heart breaking and fascinating. To make a long true story short, Harvey Milk fought for the homosexuals in terms of human rights in San Francisco, was the first elected openly gay man and was murdered by Dan White, a troubled ex-cop who could be the subject of a movie since he is at the origin of the infamous “Twinkie defense”. A “Twinkie” is the utlimate junk food : its ingredients are mainly SUGAR and a scary army of chemicals and weapon of mass destruction of teeth.
The fact that you can find the Twinkie in the cookie aisle of the supermarket is a mystery to me. It tastes like nothing and clearly belongs to the pest control and pesticides section of the hardware store but it has been around for a very long time and will be if you consider the fact that it lasts pretty much forever ! Because Dan White’s lawyers argued that his violent behavior probably came from the fact that he had many personal problems and among them had developed a junk food addiction, his defense became jokingly known as the Twinkie defense. Dan White committed suicide some two years after his release from prison. No label “Twinkying kills” has ever been applied to the packages of Twinkies by the FDA !

Milk raconte la vie de Harvey Milk, le premier élu de Californie ouvertement homesexuel qui a été assassiné par Dan White, un autre élu de San Francisco, dans les années 70. Réalisé par Gus van Sant et brillamment interprêté par Sean Penn, le chouchou des dames intelligentes, Josh Brolin et plein d’autres acteurs formidables, cette histoire est à la fois touchante et importante. Harvey Milk était un pionnier dans la mesure où il a lutté pour les droits des homosexuels au nom des droits civils, une démarche qui, dans les années 70 et pas si loin du mouvement pour les droits civils des noirs américains était lourde de sens. Il a été assassiné par Dan White, un autre élu de San Francisco, ex-policier pour le moins agité du bocal. Le nom de Dan White est aujourd’hui associé à la défense du Twinkie qui est un cas de jurisprudence dans le système légal américain. Le Twinkie est le roi de la junk fund. Il est composé de SUCRE et d’une armée de produits chimiques et d’armes de destruction massive des dents.
On trouve les Twinkies au rayon gateaux des supermarchés ce qui est vraiment fascinant car vu les ingrédients, il pourrait facilement qualifier pour le rayon droguerie. Les avocats de Dan White ont prétendu que son comportement violent était dû entre autres à la consommation massive de junk food d’où l’appellation (ironique) de Twinkie Defense. Dan White s’est suicidé quelques deux ans après sa sortie de prison. Ce n’est pas pour autant qu’une étiquette “Consommer des Twinkies tue” a été apposé sur les paquets !