În urma scurtei, dar intensei mele experienţe pariziene, câteva sunt lucrurile care mi-au apărut ca evidente. Vi le împărtăşesc şi vouă în speranţa că vă vor fi de folos cândva.

***

Parisul este oraşul îndrăgostiţilor.

***

Cu metroul M2 ajungi negreşit în staţia Anvers.

***

C’est quoi ça?

***

Terasele dau adesea spre ceva celebru. Sau care ar merita să fie celebru.

***

Parisul nu e un oraş, ci o stare de spirit.

***

Parisul ar putea fi numit Marele Bucureşti. Ar putea – dar ar fi păcat.

***

Paris, je t’aime.

***

Dacă te aştepţi ca mormântul lui Jim Morrison să fie ceva impresionant, don’t bother.

***

C’est combien ça?

***

E Père Lachaise, nu Père La Chaise sau Perla Chaise, cum poate v-aţi închipuit.

***

Clătitele nu se numesc clătite, ci crêpes. Aşa le-au spus ei.

YAY! Finally, a date has been set for the movie New York, I Love You for Toronto.  I think I have written about this awhile back. And it has already been screened pretty much everywhere…so it’s not even a new movie persay. But check out the trailer below if you haven’t already:

This is a follow up to “Paris, Je T’Aime” which I really enjoyed. I can appreciate that it was a bit hocky at times, as most movies about ‘love’ usually are. I remember my favorite scenes were “Quais de Seine” and “Daubourg Saint-Denis” with Natalie Portman.  

I hope “New York, I Love You” is good. This time around, they have Allen Huges, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, and Brett Ratner directing some of the shorts. There will also be lots of famous faces- Shia LaBeouf, Bradley Cooper, and Orlando Bloom! If I were judging the film based on the trailer alone, my expectations would be super high. But according to the 43% RT rating, I’m thinking otherwise. TOO BAD!  I think that because this has become somewhat of a ‘fake deep’ franchise film, as they plan to expand the series to other cities. Nonetheless, it was a film on my anticipated movies 2009. So I will naturally HAVE to see it anyway.

How could you not love Natalie Portman? She’s such a great actress -one of my favourite scenes in Paris je t’aime is the one where she acts with the blind guy. (Shown at the end of the post. You have to understand French though.) Should I swim now? But the sky doesn’t look promising.

Est-ce que c’est possible de n’aimer pas Natalie Portman? Elle est génial comme actrice -l’un de mes scènes préféré dans Paris je t’aime est l’un ou elle joue avec le mec aveugle. Dois-je nage maintenant? Mais le ciel se semble gris.

Has anyone ever seen the movie Paris, Je T’aime. According to the trusty IMDB:

Paris, je t’aime (French for “Paris, I love you”) is a 2006 film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities including American, British and French. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different arrondissements. (The various neighborhoods in Paris) The 21 directors include Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Joel and Ethan Coen, Gerard Depardieu, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Nobuhiro Suwa, Alexander Payne, Tom Tykwer, Walter Salles and Gus Van Sant.

If you haven’t here is one of my favorite clips from it, thanks to the good folks at Youtube:

(I’m including the version with the translation as this movie is originally in French and I know for some this is slightly difficult)

The funny thing to know about this clip is that the woman’s accent in French is HORRIBLE. Like so mad I can not even try to imitate it.

This is hands down one of my favorite movies in the world. I would advise anyone to see it, even if you aren’t that fond of Paris or France or French. The central theme is so moving, and the vignettes really accomplish a unique feel.

This brings me to a movie that was recently released but isn’t on a large national scale yet, New York I love you.

According to IMDB again:

In the city that never sleeps, love is always on the mind. Those passions come to life in NEW YORK, I LOVE YOU(rendition of 2006 PARIS, JE T’AIME) – a collaboration of storytelling from some of today’s most imaginative filmmakers and featuring an all-star cast. Together they create a kaleidoscope of the spontaneous, surprising, electrifying human connections that pump the city’s heartbeat. Sexy, funny, haunting and revealing encounters unfold beneath the Manhattan skyline. From Tribeca to Central Park to Brooklyn, the story weaves a tale of love as diverse as the very fabric of New York itself. Written by Vivendi Entertainment, Distributor

Below is the trailer.

Youtube says: This super-project film brings a collaboration of storytelling from some of todays most imaginative filmmakers and featuring an all-star cast. Together they create a kaleidoscope of the spontaneous, surprising, electrifying human connections that pump the citys heartbeat. Sexy, funny, haunting and revealing encounters unfold beneath the Manhattan skyline. From Tribeca to Central Park to Brooklyn the story weaves a tale of love as diverse as the very fabric of New York itself.

New York I love you is in select theaters RIGHT NOW. I am slightly killing myself slowly by not being able to watch it. So please if you can do yourself a favor and go see it. For me. Eventually it will get to Boulder. Key word being eventually. (and I’m being hopeful)

New York, I Love You (2008)
★★ / ★★★★

I’ve been waiting for this movie to be released in theaters for more than a year so I was really excited to see it when it finally was. Unfortunately, out of the ten segments (presented in order of appearances on screen–directed by Jiang Wen, Mira Nair, Shunji Iwai, Yvan Attal, Brett Ratner, Allen Hughes, Shekhar Kapur, Natalie Portman, Fatih Akin and Joshua Marston) only about five worked for me–the second (starring Natalie Portman and Irrfan Khan), the third (Orlando Bloom and Christina Ricci), the fourth (Ethan Hawke and Maggie Q), the fifth (Anton Yelchin, Olivia Thirlby, James Caan and Blake Lively), and the tenth (Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman).

I really wanted to love this movie as much as “Paris, je t’aime.” What made the first one so great is the fact that even though we encounter so many different genres and tones throughout the picture, it felt cohesive because we truly get a sense of who the characters were in under five to seven minutes. In “New York, I Love You,” it all feels a little bit too commercial. I felt as though it wanted to impress all kinds of people so much to the point where it held back emotionally and avoided taking risks. I’m also astounded by the fact that there were no homosexual storylines, barely any segments consisting of African-American or Latino characters, and most of clips consisted of a person falling in love or lust with another person. There are many dimensions of love (love for the city, love for a pet, love for oneself…) but it didn’t quite think outside the box. Those missing qualities are crucial to me because New York is supposed to be a melting pot of ethnicities, sexualities and mindsets yet we got to see the same kinds of people time and again. With “Paris, je t’aime,” we get diversity and in more than half of them, there was not a happy ending, which I thought was closer to real life than the stories presented in this film.

The five segments that I thought were standouts had a certain passion in every single one of them, whether it’s about a woman who doesn’t quite feel comfortable about getting married; an artist struggling to read one of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s books and whose curiosity of a woman he’s only met through the phone bothered him to the core; a man who thinks one way about a woman turning out to be someone completely different than we all expected; a teenager who goes to prom with a blind date unknowing of the fact that his date is unlike anyone he expected; and a couple celebrating their marriage that lasted for more than sixty years. Those are the kinds of stories I want to tune into and dissect because hidden layers are embedded in them. What I don’t want to see is someone supposedly falling in love unless he or she has something truly significant or different to contribute. The other five segments that I didn’t quite like should have been taken out and replaced by stories from other genres such as horror or science fiction, or they could have had a different mood or perception such as in a black-and-white reality or featuring a person so wasted in drugs–a way in which we could see the world through their eyes. That would have made more sense to me because we are essentially a drug culture. Or it could have featured at least one fashion model or a fashionista because New York is one of the biggest fashion capitals in the world. Instead of really embracing to tackle issues mentioned previously, the movie was way too safe with those other segments.

Having said all of that, I have to admit that I’m particularly hard on this picture. Since I don’t do half-star ratings, it must be said that I consider this a solid two-and-a-half star movie. When I came out of the theater, I was certain that I was going to give it three stars out of four but after thinking about it a little bit, it made me realize how much potential it didn’t use to create a truly magnificent project. For such a fascinating place like New York City, you just can’t play everything safe and get away with it. At least not with me because I’m big on seeing diversity and reality in certain kinds of films, especially in slice-of-life cinema. I’m not saying at all to not see this in theaters. By all means, please do to support a film released only on limited release. But what I want you to take away from this review is the awareness that what’s being presented on this film is not the gritty and dirty New York but the clean, nice New York we see on a prime time television shows.

Hopefully, the next project from this film series would not be as afraid to branch out.

The Room--Transcendently Terrible

** Elizabeth **

I really wanted to watch this after my visit to the Tower of London. It was definitely well-made, and Cate Blanchett did a great job, but for some reason, it didn’t really reach all the way to my heart. It was like a classical painting, beautiful but cold, keeping you at a distance.

** Paris, Je T’Aime **

Of course, I wanted to see this after my walks through Paris. It turned out to be a corsage of short vignettes, each taking place at a different Paris district (“arrondissement“). The stories all have different directors and different cast members, and as such, they vary wildly in tone, themes, and quality. Some of them fall into the yeah-whatever category (the excruciating story set in Chinatown, the pointless Elijah Wood vampire tale); some of them are baffling (the mime love story); and some of them are emotionally potent (the story of a musician and the rescue worker). My favorite story–and the one I could relate to the most–was the very last one, a simple story of a middle-aged woman who visits Paris for the first time. All in all, the stories effectively in making the collective point that anything is possible in the city of magic that is Paris. It made me eager for my next visit (but seriously, no more bread).

The Class-Tres bien!!!

Another French movie I saw was “The Class.” It’s based on a true story, and it’s about a teacher trying to get through to kids at a tough public school. I was blown away by this movie. Every scene feels amazingly authentic; I felt like I was watching a documentary. This is not a schlocky Hollywood formula film where the teacher with the heart of gold comes and inspires the students to greatness (Dangerous Minds, anyone?). “The Class” is about reality, and it doesn’t shy away from complexity.

The teacher, while certainly well-meaning, is also clearly flawed (he infuriates two of his students by saying they acted like “skanks”). As for the students, they are likewise real, not bad per se, but young, immature, and infuriating at times. There is no such thing as “good” and “bad” in this film; it’s an illuminating and unflinching look at all the gray areas in between. It’s both inspiring and despairing, without ever ringing false.

** Tyson **

Unlike my father and brother, I personally can’t stand watching boxing (or UFC fighting for that matter). I’ve never bought it as a sport. It may be physical, and it may have regulations, but you’re still talking about an activity where the purpose is to beat the other guy until he can’t stand up.

Still, Mike Tyson was such a famous (and infamous) figure that even I couldn’t help be intrigued. And after watching this documentary, I must say, I ended up being even more intrigued by him. He really holds nothing back in his interviews, and his life story ends up being this mythical allegory of a larger-than-life figure whose empire ultimately comes crumbling down. He obviously had countless issues (especially with women, as he freely admits–though he denies raping the woman that he refers to as “swine”), but he’s also clearly done a lot of growing up, and it’s hard not to feel for him.

** Passion of the Christ **

I was reluctant to watch this because I heard it’s very bloody, but my brother convinced me to watch this (“Dude, Tom, you’ve gotta watch it”). When we were renting ths at Hollywood Video, the clerk told us, “Oh, that movie changed my life. They were so mean to him!” After watching it, I understand what he meant.

It is just as bloody as I feared, but it feels authentic, not gratuitious. After all, that’s what Jesus must have experienced. The decision to have the actors speak in the language of that time (Hebrew?) also adds to the sense of realism. Ultimately, I was really moved by the film (especially by the performance of the actress who played Mary), and I’m glad I finally watched it.

Glen and Marketa (aka Swell Season)

My brother and I are alike in that we really want to share the things we like to other people. So I ended up watching “Once” twice (ha ha, pun intended), once with my brother and once with my mother. They both liked it, as I expected.

How can you not like this movie? It’s definitely in my Top 10 All-Time Favorite movies. It’s got great music (though I must say, I like the girl’s voice far more than the guy’s), the characters are immensely likeable, and the story–about an Irish guy and a Czech girl who both love music–is simple but painfully real from beginning to the bittersweet end. It’s just an amazing achievement all around.

** The Room **

Now we go from the sublime to… gosh, it’s so hard to come up with appropriate adjectives for “The Room”. Basically, I was reading on Wikipedia about movies that are considered the worst films ever made, and this one (a critic called it the “Citizen Kane” of bad movies) piqued my interest.

After watching it, I can assure you that it really is terrible. Really, really terrible. But that’s not the end of it. It’s also kind of cool in its absolute, unrepentant terribleness, and there is a reason why it’s developed a cult following. It’s terrible, yes, but it’s transcendent, nonetheless.

Let’s first talk about the story. It’s basically about a guy named Johnny whose fiancee is cheating on him with his best friend. Then he finds out and gets very upset. But none of that really matters; you won’t care at all. What makes “The Room” whatever it is lies in the details. Johnny laughing creepily for no reason no matter what he’s doing. The fiancee’s mom announcing she has breast cancer like it’s absolutely nothing (and how the fiancee barely seems to care). The nameless character who shows up and starts talking to everyone from nowhere. The endless scenes of the Golden Gate Bridge everytime the director wants to show that time has passed. The games of catch where the characters pass a football back and forth when they’re almost right next to each other. How pretty much every scene starts with “Oh, hi [insert character's name].” The list of WTF moments goes on and on.

I think the reason “The Room” works in its crazy, bizarro-world way is because the director (the same guy who plays Johnny) really did make a movie that was true to himself. From interviews, he sounds like a nice but extremely eccentric guy, and since he made the movie that he wanted to make, it does feel real, no matter how ridiculous and surreal it is. For that, I can only admire him.

Now, here’s a new track from the upcoming album by Swell Season (better known as the Guy and the Girl from “Once”):

The Verb – Swell Season

And one of my favorite scenes from “The Room” (Johnny buys flowers):

Alright, I’m obsessed with these shorts right now.  I once read that a short story is the hardest piece of fiction to write, which means that, with a minute a page, a five minute short must be really difficult to write/act/direct/shoot.

Take this five minute, 39 second story:

That packs a fucking punch.  And you’re invested!  In five minutes you’re totally invested in the lives of these people and you definitely want things to work out for them.

So much can be said and expressed in five minutes, it amazes me that we even need more than that to get the point.  Man, I’m obsessed with this film now but it’s just so beautiful and perfectly directed/acted/filmed that I can’t get enough of it.  I can’t wait to see New York, I Love You so that can be all I talk about for weeks.

Last week I watched Paris, Je T’aime for the first time and fell in love with the stories within the movie, the Cities of Love franchise and the possibilities hidden in every and any city around the world. It was quite fitting that I saw this before (and technically, during and after) my LA trip.

I can’t pick a favorite short, but Gus Van Sant’s is pretty great. Any lovely thing you could ever want anyone to say to you is said right there.

If you haven’t seen it, enjoy:

..
‘ Qual é então esta ligação entre nós?  Esta  coisa indefinivel. Para onde vão  estes  destinos que se amarram para nos  tornar  inseparáveis?
Vivemos dia por dia, nossos desejos,  nossos amores. Partimos sem saber que  estamos sempre na mesma história.
O que é então que nos separa, que por  acaso nos reúne, por que tantas idas e  tantas partidas nessa roda infinita?’

(La même histoire – Feist @ Tema do  filme Paris, Je t’aime)

E até hoje não consigo entender o destino e o porquê das coisas serem desse jeito e não de outro.

Et qu’est-ce qu’il y  a rue du Jour ???

La Droguerie !! Plus exactement :

Endroit hautement dangereux pour une fille aux mains hyperactives comme moi… C’est une sorte de marchand de couleurs, de matières, de tout ce qu’on peut imaginer de beau, drôle, petit, chic, (in)utile, rare, pour personnaliser, modifier, customiser ses vêtements, se faire des bijoux ou tricoter…

LA caverne d’Ali Baba où j’aimerais bien me perdre, tiens.

Quand j’y vais, la tentation est plus forte qu’à H&M (ou presque!), tout semble tellement beau, tellement faisable que ma bourse le sent systématiquement passer. Dur, trèèèès dur de résister.

En entrant, sentiment de douceur et d’abondance des murs de fils à tricoter de toutes les espèces possibles ; j’aime les multitudes de tiroir en bois sans âge, au fond du magasin ; le mur de boutons (une véritable passion chez certaines des vendeuses), et face à lui le mur de rubans. Il y a aussi la multitude de bocaux remplis de toutes les perles inventées sur terre (j’exagère à peine). Tout ce que vous pouvez imaginer.

Je ne crois pas être jamais repartie bredouille de l’endroit. Même avec les plus folles idées. Florilège…

Un jour, je suis arrivée avec des collants fleuris. Des Falke (tiens tiens, on en trouve chez Asos…), merveilleux, non réédités, je n’en suis toujours pas remise… Et j’ai dit : voilà, ils sont sublimes, je veux me faire un collier qui aille avec !

Une autre fois, je cherchais du ruban qui aille avec des chaussures aux couleurs un peu délicates. L’idée était de mettre de petites touches de couleur sur mes tenues noires. L’embarras du choix. Je suis folle de ruban, il faut dire…

2 boutons, quelques strass, du satin, et la martingale d'une veste noire s'illumine !

Une fois trouvé, on fait ce qu'on veut du ruban : ceinture, lien-bracelet...

Depuis cet été, La Droguerie a eu l’excellente idée de vendre des coupons de liberty. En pleine furie Liberty, bien entendu. Merci pour moi. Et hop, je retape une aumônière et me fais une ceinture façon Cacharel.

Ceinture, aumônière, boutons recouverts. Yumii !

(Bon, il faudrait demander à WordPress pour quoi je ne peux pas insérer des photos verticales, ça serait pas mal…)

Bon à savoir, La Droguerie existe aussi à Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Strasbourg et Lille. Et elle possède un corner au dernier étage du Bon Marché. Les conseillères sont vraiment calées, pas besoin d’être experte pour franchir le seuil du magasin : elles vous expliquent tout par le menu. Juste, un peu de patience, il y a souvent la queue…

Hier, en sortant, il y avait dans mon petit sac arc-en-ciel : ruban à sequins noir, clous rocks, étoiles à broder, et écusson. À suivre !

]]> http://etoffesetmoleskine.com/2009/10/16/avenue-montaigne/ Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:57:25 +0000 astreee http://etoffesetmoleskine.com/2009/10/16/avenue-montaigne/

Il est un lieu que j’aime particulièrement sur cette avenue…

Vous l’avez deviné, non, je ne parlerai pas des vitrines à tomber de la célèbre Couture-avenue, mais d’un théâtre… Une des grandes salles parisiennes pour la musique classique, certes, mais surtout pour moi un lieu chargé de souvenirs.

J’aime l’ambiance feutrée, presque intime de cette salle à dimensions faussement humaines – elle peut contenir beaucoup plus de spectateurs qu’il n’y paraît -, éclairage doux et doré du hall, bois chaud et velours rouge vaguement passé des fauteuils. L’élégance même.

Le Théâtre des Champs Élysées accueille aussi bien récitals, concerts symphoniques, qu’opéras. L’ambiance semble un peu guindée ; toux et applaudissements intempestifs sont réprouvés aussitôt par des soupirs  ou des chuuuut exaspérés, ce qui finalement est très amusant. Et puis l’obscurité laisse sauves les apparences pour l’offensé… Malgré tout nous autres jeunes y sommes bienvenus, nombreux, et les tarifs de dernière minute s’avèrent beaucoup plus vérifiés qu’à l’Opéra de Paris ou à la Salle Pleyel, où ils restent trop souvent à l’état de promesse (grrrrr).

J’y suis souvent arrivée à la dernière minute, voire carrément en retard… Haletante, j’attrape à la volée mon billet à l’accueil et me jette dans les escaliers, à la recherche de l’ouvreuse sans laquelle il est impossible de s’asseoir. Je me souviens d’un Pélleas et Mélisande, cinq minutes de retard, tout le premier acte sur les marches de la salle ; l’inconfort instantanément éclipsé par la féérie de Debussy, chevelure majestueuse et amours contrariés, qui se mariait tellement à l’endroit Belle Époque.

Oui, je crois que c’est cela qui me séduit ; l’impression d’entrer dans un autre temps en pénétrant dans ce théâtre. Avec sa galerie de personnages.

La petite dame âgée du vestiaire se chargera de vos sacs, avec son petit air malicieux-distingué, sans manquer de lancer une petite réflexion pointue et très drôle si l’attirail n’est pas à son goût…

Et les ouvreuses. Dans leur uniforme-jupe noir, elles semblent aussi sorties d’un autre siècle, gouailleuses ce qu’il faut pour mener leur monde,  gardiennes du temple, leur courte clé au bout d’une chaînette. Ah, cette clé. Elle donne accès à la salle, aux petites loges. Sans elle, oubliez votre concert. C’est LE sésame. Et il faut plutôt être sympathique pour entrer, je vous l’assure : on soigne l’ouvreuse pour qu’elle sorte sa clé.

J’ai un rêve. Un jour.

Un jour je lui volerai, sa clé.

]]> http://etoffesetmoleskine.com/2009/10/14/lundi-soir-couture/ Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:52:20 +0000 astreee http://etoffesetmoleskine.com/2009/10/14/lundi-soir-couture/

Du plus loin que je me souvienne, j’ai toujours été entourée de fils, tissus, machines à coudre. Rien de très pompeux, rien de mercantile : la pratique familiale – quasi culturelle – du “home made” ! Et moi, des après-midi entiers à jouer non loin de ma grand-mère qui cousait mes tenues, ou de Maman taillant les double-rideaux de la maison. Et les premiers essayages avec la peur bleue des épingles, les fils qui jonchent le sol, la fierté d’avoir une pièce unique…

C’est sans doute tout cela qui m’a poussée naturellement à personnaliser, ajouter, enlever, triturer très souvent mes vêtements, craquer pour des étoffes (j’en ferai bien quelque chose plus tard…), parfois même à coudre, à créer, broder, emmêler, pour des résultats jamais définitifs, et toujours cette satisfaction : je l’ai fait moi-même !!

Seulement, à force d’improviser, de piétiner parfois, ou de carrément bloquer sur les termes techniques des indications des patrons, j’ai décidé d’apprendre pour de bon.

Par chance la mairie de Paris propose, parmi ses fameux cours du soir, celui de coupe-couture… Je vous passe l’angoisse cocasse des sélections (j’exagère à peine, il fallait voir ça, la tension presque palpable), le CV de l’auguste professeur(e), qui a l’air bien fourni, ses tenues home made bien encourageantes, et puis le soulagement, à la réponse, positive. Je suis priiiiise !

Me voici donc enrôlée, entre Beaubourg et l’Hôtel de Ville, avec une bonne vingtaine de filles, 3 heures par semaine !

Objectif avoué de ce cours : savoir faire n’importe quel vêtement soi-même, sans patron. Oulala, j’en sautille d’avance, à l’idée de tout ce que je vais fabriquer de mes petites mains après cette année intensive…

J’ai donc d’ores et déjà appris ce qu’un perroquet, une roulette et un carbone peuvent bien faire ensemble… Premier projet : LA jupe !

Et puis, pour l’amoureuse de Paris, après l’effort, le plaisir de frôler le sublime Hôtel de Ville, de nuit, le nez déjà enfoui dans une écharpe…

by The Great White Gypsy

A Serious Man – Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Set in 1967, this black comedy follows a Jewish professor as he attempts to stop his life from unraveling after his wife announces she wants a divorce. It would appear that the Coen dynasty is back in full swing after their three year hiatus between The Ladykillers (2004) and No Country for Old Men (2007). Though longtime Coen teammates Carter Burwell (composer) and Roger Deakins (cinematographer) are back again, the cast for this one is largely unknown. I can’t wait.
Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed
October 2

Whip It – Directed by Drew Barrymore, Written by Shauna Cross
Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut about a punk rock outcast (Ellen Page) living in small town Texas who rebels by joining an all girl roller derby league. I’m a fan of Page and Barrymore, and though it was filmed almost entirely in Michigan and features an esoteric chick-indie-punk soundtrack, Barrymore managed to get some good names on the roster. Not cast-wise, as Page and Marcia Gay Harden are the only recognizable ones, but she borrowed longtime Wes Anderson cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman, as well as editor Dylan Tichenor (Doubt, There Will Be Blood), and Art Director Kevin Kavanaugh (The Dark Knight, The Prestige). Call me impressed.
Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden
October 2

Zombieland – Directed by Ruben Fleischer, Written by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick
Sure, the writers and director of this Americanized Shaun of the Dead are newbies. And yes, British humor often times prevails when put toe to toe (except the Office, Steve Carrell is a silly bitch). But after watching the previews, how can you not smile and say, “Yeah, I’ll see that eventually.”? If for no other reason that watching little miss sunshine kick some zombie ass would be sweet.
Woody Harrelson, Jessie Eisenberg, Abigail Breslin, Emma Stone, Amber Heard, Bill Murray
October 2

An Education – Directed by Lone Scherfig,Written by Nick Hornby
Wait…Peter Sarsgaard? In a low profile dramatic role you’ve never heard of until now? Yeah, that sounds about right. About a 17-year-old girl in 1960’s London who abandons her college plans for a wealthy socialite twice her age. You may not recognize any of the names behind the scenes, but Nick Hornby (author, High Fidelity) is enough for me.
Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina, Emma Thompson, Rosamund Pike
October 9

Couples Retreat – Directed by Peter Billingsley, Written by Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn
Apparently, Ralphie from A Christmas Story is all grown up and wants to be a director. Starting with a screenplay by Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn will either be his ticket to greatness, or a nail in his mediocre comedy coffin. Still, Swingers and Made were great, and the cast in this one has me more than confident. If the plot isn’t obvious by the title, you should not see this movie, you might shoot your eye out (fuck you, you knew it was coming).
Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Ken Jeong, Jean Reno, Faizon Love, Tasha Smith, John Michael Higgins
October 9

Peter and Vandy – Written and Directed by Jay DiPietro
In the style of (500) Days of Summer, this relationship film set in New York City jumps back and forth through time telling the story of how Peter and Vandy went from friends to lovers, and how they ended up as a comfortable, yet manipulative couple. The chemistry between Ritter and Weixler looks good, and Sundance apparently loved it. My only worry is, in a non-linear feature film, editor Geoffrey Richman has been limited to documentaries. Ok, he did Murderball and God Grew Tired of Us, but still, a lot’s riding on this guy’s shoulders. DePietro’s first.
Jason Ritter, Jess Weixler
October 9

Trucker – Written and Directed by James Mottern
James Mottern’s first endeavor gives Monaghan an amazing role as a long distance truck driver who must care for the son she abandoned while his father is in the hospital. Interesting cast (I like Adams and Fillion), and behind the scenes, names like Mychael Danna (composer: (500) Days of Summer, Girl Interrupted) and Lawrence Sher (cinematographer: Garden State, The Chumscrubber) intrigue me. Assuming Monaghan’s role is as great as it appears in the preview, I will make a bold statement: If Melissa Leo can be nominated for Frozen Rivers, this might be Monaghan’s year.
Michelle Monaghan, Benjamin Bratt, Joey Lauren Adams, Nathan Fillion, Jimmy Bennett
October 9

Law Abiding Citizen – Directed by F. Gary Gray, Written by Kurt Wimmer
Gerard Butler’s wife and daughter are killed. The D.A. (Jamie Foxx) gives the murderers a plea bargain. Years later, Butler starts exacting his revenge on everyone involved…from the comfort of his jail cell. Wimmer wrote and directed Equilibrium (freaking awesome), but he also wrote and directed Ultraviolet (freaking garbage). Aside from editor Tariq Anwar (Revolutionary Road, American Beauty), everyone involved is a so-so list of random action film participants. So why would you see this one? Cause it’s Friday…you ain’t got no job…and you ain’t got shit to do.
Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Leslie Bibb, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, Viola Davis, Regina Hall
October 16

New York, I Love You – Directed by Faith Akin and Yvan Attal, Written by Emmanual Benbihy and Tristan Carne
I’m sure even the most skeptical among you can’t say you didn’t enjoy Paris, Je T’aime. It was a great cross-sectioning of different views and stories around the city, told by some great directors (The Coen Brothers and Gus van Sant among them). I gotta say, I’m a little disappointed about the young cast and director lineup (where the F are DeNiro and Scorcese?) But as an overall project, I’m really looking forward to this film. With segments directed by Allan Hughes, Shunji Iwai, Wen Jiang, Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Marston, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, and Brett Ratner.
Bradley Cooper, Natalie Portman, Shia LaBeouf, Blake Lively, Robin Wright Penn, Orlando Bloom, Hayden Christensen, Christina Ricci, Rachel Bilson, Ethan Hawke, John Hurt, Justin Bartha, James Caan, Maggie Q, Anton Yelchin, Andy Garcia, Chris Cooper, Olivia Thirlby, Drea De Matteo, Julie Christie, Cloris Leachman, Eli Wallach
October 16

Where the Wild Things Are – Directed by Spike Jonze, Written by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers
Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s story about a boy who invents an imaginary world populated with large creatures who name him King. Jonze hasn’t really done many films (Being John Malkovich and Adaptation), but he’s an accomplished music video director, and with an adaptation by Dave Eggers, he can’t really go wrong. Effects look good, voice casting is solid.
Max Records, Catherine Keener, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Chris Cooper, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose
October 16

Amelia – Directed by Mira Nair, Written by Ronald Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan
From the director of The Namesake, this biopic of Amelia Earhart covers her romance with flight, and her rise to the level of cultural icon. Can’t say it looks like anything really spectacular, but Swank has won multiple Oscars, Phelan wrote Girl Interrupted, and The Aviator was warmly received. Look for this to show up on some Academy Award lists regardless.
Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccelston
October 23

Antichrist – Written and Directed by Lars von Trier
Danish director Lars von Trier has won numerous awards for his films. He has also shocked a lot of people not only by his style, but by his tendency to add super realism to his films by actually having the actors doing whatever the characters are supposed to (meaning if there’s a group sex scene, chances are those people are actually having sex on camera). Antichrist is the story of a couple trying to reconnect in a cabin after the death of their son. What happens next is ridiculously graphic, violent, and spiritually disturbing. While the wide theatrical release will no doubt be heavily edited, the uncut version is something you have to see to fully understand.
Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg
October 23

Saw VI – Directed by Kevin Greutert, Written by Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton
Don’t think I really need to explain this one. Jigsaw’s dead, but we’re gonna try to fit at least four more storylines into the original script. Director is new, writers have worked on the last three Saw films. I’ll see it, but when an original horror franchise with an awesome theme song allows a Texas Chainsaw Massacre motif into their preview, it worries me.
Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Shawnee Smith, Betsy Russell
October 23

(Untitled) – Directed by Jonathan Parker, Written by Jonathan Parker and Catherine DiNapoli
Shelton plays an art gallery director who falls in love with a struggling artist/musician in New York. Should be good for a few laughs if you can’t stand newagepostmodernretroindieavantgardeabstracthipsterbullshit. Also, Vinnie Jones as an artist, and Adam Goldberg kicking a bucket on stage should be hilarious. Rookie writer/director.
Adam Goldberg, Marley Shelton, Vinnie Jones
October 23

Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day – Directed by Troy Duffy, Written by Troy and Taylor Duffy
We’ve had to wait ten bloody years for this film to actually see the light of day. Now it’s here. If you didn’t see the first one (what the hell is wrong with you??) it’s about two Irish brothers who are “called” by God to administer justice and vengeance to society’s scum. I’m actually impressed that after so long on the shelf, the writer/director of the first film is still on board. Can’t freaking wait.
Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Clifton Collins Jr., Julie Benz, Judd Nelson, Billy Connolly, Peter Fonda
October 30

How to Seduce Difficult Women – Written and Directed by Richard Temtchine
Although there are no recognizable names or faces attached to this one, imagine if someone combined Hitch and School for Scoundrels, and then made a GOOD film. The main character, Pierre, decides to teach the ways of French seduction to the floundering American men who have lost the art (stupid French guys with their…sexy accents…). Interspersed with NY street interviews about sex and seduction. Could be interesting.
Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Stephanie Szostak, Jackie Hoffman, Rachel Roberts
October 30

KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN

The Ministers – Written and Directed by Franc. Reyes
Kinda like Boondock Saints…except Latin. And they’re serial killers. And Leguizamo plays twins. And I’d bet money Keitel gets naked for no reason. Reyes is a weird cat, but he directed Empire and Illegal Tender, which weren’t bad. Leguizamo’s always good, so we’ll see. Rumored limited release date, nothing solid yet.
John Leguizamo, Harvey Keitel, Wanda De Jesus, Florencia Lozano
October 1 (Limited)

Aladin – Written and Directed by Sujoy Ghosh
Shut up and let me talk. Yes, it’s an Indian film. Yes, it appears there is a bit of singing involved. However, the story of Aladin is one of the most widely known and adaptable myths to come out of the area. And the preview actually gives me a Stephen Chow (Kung Fu Hustle, Shaolin Soccer) kind of feel. Excuse the hell out of me for trying to broaden your minds. Only release date in India so far. Check it out.
Ritesh Deshmukh, Jaqueline Fernandes, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt
October 23 (India)

Pope Joan – Directed by Sonke Wortmann, Written by Heinrich Hadding
Based on the German novel, this is the story of an English woman born in Germany, who disguises herself as a man and ascends to a seat of power in 9th century Vatican. A German film about gender disguise, and John Goodman’s in it, but Hilary Swank isn’t? That’s so confusing it has to be fattening. Limited release in Germany so far.
David Wenham, John Goodman, Ian Glen
October 22 (Germany)

This movie was on demand on the Sundance Channel and I just had to watch it again.  It makes me so happy to watch this film and think about all of the different people and how their stories make up the fictitious population of Paris (both travelers and locals).  Overall, this collection of short films jolts the viewer all over the place.  From a single mom singing to her baby as she drops him off at all day childcare only to go to work and sing to a rich woman’s baby to the almost newlywed couple who rekindle their romance after the man hit’s his head on Oscar Wilde’s grave and suddenly gets a sense of humor; this film is enlightening and fun.  My two favorite shorts in this film, if I REALLY had to choose two, are the mimes in “Tour Eiffel” and the tourist segment “14ème Arrondissement” with Margo Martindale.

I like “Tour Eiffel” with the mimes because it’s fun.  It is basically saying that no matter who you are, someone is out there for you.  The female mime played by Yolande Moreau and the male mime played by Paul Putner are forever charming and engaging.  The segment is directed by Sylvain Chomet, who has a background in animation.  This segment for Paris je t’aime was the first time he did anything live action.  I think it’s fantastic and fun.
The other short that I really like is”14ème Arrondissement” directed by Alexander Payne.  I love this one because at first it made me sad, but then it challenged what I thought was the norm and made me feel awkward for feeling sad.  The awkward and awful french accent of tourist played by Margot Martindale is embarrassing and no where near as elegant as many of the other segments.  She is a middle aged woman, never married, who works as a postal worker in Colorado.  She has taken French for years in preparation for her travels to France, which she has saved for diligently, and this trip is her dream.  I think the short’s intention is to point out that we automatically judge.  Payne gives us an in depth look into the tourists feelings, just like a diary entry, and she reflects on how she has missed out on love in her life, but at the same time does not feel a lack of it.  It challenges what we think happiness is and in the end makes us feel realize that we too can be happy unconventionally and that happiness is not any greater or less.