The Concert

The concert (The concert review) was screening on Friday night at COLCOA. The film follows a group of old Russian musicians who, pretending to be the Bolshoi, end up landing a gig at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. At the Q&A, director Radu Mihaileanu stated that the premise of this picture was based on a true story, a group of musicians having indeed impersonated the Bolchoi a few years ago in Asia, but except for this, The concert seems to copy the Buena Vista Social Club formula, transferring the Cuban and New York settings to Russia and Paris. While this uplifting farce is quite amusing, with some good moments such as the recital, it is a work that, in the end, proves to be filled with cliches and somewhat manipulative.
As a sidenote, the movie was introduced by his distributor, Mr. Harvey Weinstein who, rather than talking about this film, stated he wouldn't stay at this screening to go instead meet Mr. Jean-Paul Belmondo at a nearby festival. While paying homage to the French film icon at this festival was certainly appropriate, the whole thing sounded kinda rude, which knowing Mr Weinstein's reputation isn't that surprising.

Farewell

Following Spy(ies) showed last year at COLCOA, Guillaume Canet seems to be the go-to guy when it comes to play reluctant amateur spies. In this tale based on a true story, he plays a French engineer who gets contacted by a Russian colonel (played by the filmmaker Emir Kusturica) to deliver secrets to the West. Avoiding melodrama and sensationalism, Farewell (Farewell review) offered the psychological portrait of two ordinary men fighting with their conscience for a greater good. Finely directed and captivating, from the beginning to the end, this film was reminiscent of these good old cold war movies.

Not being able to attend the screening for a Q&A, the director was replaced by the actor Fred Ward who plays Ronald Reagan in the film.

COLCOA 2010 Opening Night Gala

COLCOA’s opening night was as usual taking place in the lobby of the DGA, with guests cruising around the bars and feeding on fine French appetizers. There was somewhat a bittersweet feel though, as most of the French filmmakers invited to the festival couldn’t make it due to the travel mess caused by the European volcano – only 3 filmmakers were able to attend, some coming from Paris through China …

As for the opening film, it was once again a crowd-pleasing romantic comedy, Heartbreaker (Heartbreaker review) starring Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis. While offering a quite engaging story mocking some genre clichés, the film proved to be also annoying at times, mostly due to poor directing choices, making it a charming but quite weak way to start a festival.

Cannes Lineup 2010

Here is the lineup for the 2010 Cannes film festival, which Plume Noire will cover:

IN COMPETITION
Tournee, directed by Mathieu Almaric
Des Hommes des Dieux, directed by Xavier Beauvois
Biutiful, directed by Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu
Hors-la-loi, directed by Rachid Bouchareb
Un Homme Qui Crie, directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Housemaid, directed by Im Sangsoo
Copie Conforme, directed by Abbas Kiarostami
Outrage, directed by Takeshi Kitano
Poetry, directed by Lee Chang-dong
Another Year, directed by Mike Leigh
Fair Game, directed by Doug Liman
You, My Joy, directed by Sergei Lovnitsa
La Nostra Vita, directed by Daniele Luchetti
Utomlyonnye Solntsem 2, directed by Nikita Mikhalkov
La Princesse de Monptpensier, directed by Bertrand Tavernier
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul

OUT OF COMPETITION
Robin Hood by Ridley Scott
You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger, directed by Woody Allen
Tamara Drewe, directed by Stephen Frears
Wall Street – Money Never Sleeps, directed by Oliver Stone

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS
Kaboom, directed by Gregg Araki
L’Autre Monde (Blackhole), directed by Gilles Marchand

UN CERTAIN REGARD
Blue Valentine, directed by Derek Cianfrance
O Estranho Caso de Angelica, directed by Manouel de Oliveira
Les Amours Imaginaires (Heartbeats), directed by Xavier Dolan
Los Labios, directed by Ivan Fund and Santiago Loza
Simon Werner a Disparu… directed by Fabrice Gobert
Film Socialisme, directed by Jean-Luc Godard
Unter Dir Die Stadt (The City Below), directed by Christoph Hochhausler
Rebecca H. (Return to the Dogs), directed by Lodge Kerrigan
Pal Adreinn (Adrienn Pal), directed by Agnes Kocsis
Udaan, directed by Vikramaditya Motwane
Marti Dupa Craciun (Tuesday, After Christmas), directed by Radu Muntean
Chatroom, directed by Hideo Nakata
Aurora, directed by Cristi Puiu
Ha Ha Ha, directed by Hong Sangsoo
Life Above All, directed by Oliver Schmitz
Octubre, directed by Daniel Vega
R U There, directed by David Verbeek
Rizhao Chongqing (Chongqing Blues), directed by Xiaoshuai Wang

SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Inside Job, directed by Charles Ferguson
Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, directed by Sophie Fiennes
Nostalgia for the Light, directed by Patricio Guzman
Draquila - L’Italia Che Trema, directed by Sabina Guzzanti
Chantrapas, directed by Otar Iosseliani
Abel, directed by Diego Luna

COLCOA 2010

There is a strong sense of melancholia in the COLCOA 2010 film selection this year, which should satisfy cinephiles and Francophiles alike.

Probably more than any year before – at least the 8 editions I attended – the festival seems like a homage to some of the greatest French cultural icons, with a succession of classics and documentaries featuring names like Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Eric Rohmer, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina, Arielle Dombasle, Serge Gainsbourg while the DGA theaters were renamed Renoir, Truffaut and Melville.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing. On one hand, this will allow a younger festival crowd to learn its classics but on the other hand, the older audience probably already know these classics, especially as the Criterion collection released most of them. But more importantly, this once again restricts the global vision of French to the French new wave and film noir, emphasizing a cliché that will only satisfy the elitist readers of Cahiers du Cinéma.

While COLCOA has, throughout the years, done a good job representing mainstream French cinema with dozens of gallic comedies, romances and dramas, it still lacks this year what the French are also known for, those subversive, rough and provocative works that both repulse you and challenge you intelligence.

That said, when it comes to the current cinema, there are quite a lot of films I am eager to see, from a biopic about French music legend Serge Gainsbourg to the spy thriller Farewell featuring Guillaume Canet and Emir Kusturica and Lucas Belvaux’ psychological Rapt. The gala entry Heartbreaker featuring Romain Duris & Vanessa Paradis as well as The Concert are worthwhile entries as well and guaranteed crowd-pleasers.

Those who like “movies about feeling” – I’m using that Beavis and Butthead quote because there is also The French Kissers, a film featuring a couple French Beavis and Butthead clones – shouldn’t worry as Catherine Deneuve, Marion Cotillard, Chiara Mastroianni, Vincent Lindon & Sandrine Kiberlain are also present in the selection.

When it comes to film noir, Sphinx and Immaculate seem pretty intriguing and might worth being seen. And if you want more blood, there are even killers and zombies this year, with In their Sleep and The Horde.

Now let’s back to classics. Three documentaries, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno, Two in the Wave (about Jean-Luc Godard & François Truffaut) and Irene should give us an interesting look at a few emblematic French filmmakers, while Pierrot le Fou, Pauline at the Beach and, to some extent, La Petite voleuse will give you the opportunity to catch up.

Razzies 2010 Award Ceremony

The 30th edition of the notorious Razzie awards was being held at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Hollywood.

The ceremony, which spoofs the Academy Award extravaganza offered its usual mix of dance numbers, singing and acerbic one-liners. While the event aims at gently mocking the Hollywood formula, whether it’s its films or its self-congratulary bash at the Kodack Theatre, it should be said that in the last 10 years I have been attending the ceremony, there hasn’t been much change: the ceremony is somewhat becoming the kind of cliché it is supposed to satirize, offering a succession of mostly tedious singing numbers and borrowing killer one-liners from obscure reviewers who are to film bashing what Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers is to film whoring.

This doesn’t mean that the event isn’t fun – quite the contrary as there are lots of laughs –and there wasn’t even a moment of sarcastic brilliance when, following Sandra’s Bullock’s win for worst actress, a Razzie cast member stormed the stage as Kanye West to tell us that Beyonce who was also nominated for worst actress deserved the prize.

While one of the screenwriters for the awful sci-fi pudding Battlefield Earth came to accept the prize for – well deserved – worst film of the decade award, giving a pretty amusing acceptance speech, the highlight of the night was of course the presence of Sandra Bullock who came to pick up her prize for worst actress.

Ms. Bullock’s speech proved however to be quite a blow to the Razzies’ respectability. The actress stated that the reason she won was most likely because she had said she would come to the show if she were winning; She also questioned the audience’s objectivity, stating that most of the voters probably hadn’t even seen the movie she was nominated for, All About Steve, even bringing a box of DVDs to give us a chance to finally watch it. The problem is that she was right about both points.

If the premise of the Razzies is somewhat to punish Hollywood for all the atrocities Tinseltown is bringing to our screens, it is also the bully creature from his founder, John Wilson. Rather than trying to be objective – at least the Academy makes an effort when it comes to voting – Mr. Wilson sends us his list of favorites every year, mostly based on his own taste and the reviews featured on RottenTomatoes, a site where critics are picked on quantity rather than quality. As a result, some actors/actresses, filmmakers and pictures are systematically lambasted every year, while others are left untouched. The other issue is that, as Ms. Bullock pointed out, lots of voters haven’t even seen the works of the people they are voting for – hopefully the media and industry people at least make an effort – and are just basing their choices on what Mr. Wilson suggestive ballot is telling them or just simply doing some bashing.

While Ms Bullock probably didn’t deserve her Razzie award – I’m not sure she deserved her oscar either – she was right to highlight the lack of fairness coming from the Razzie members. Hopefully, this will provide a chance for the Razzie foundation to revamp its process because we need it to be as sharp and objective as possible to effectively sanction Hollywood for its shameful sins.

Continue reading about the Razzies 2010 Award Ceremony by checking out the Razzie 2010 winners and nominations as well as our Razzies 2010 award videos ...

AFI Fest 2009

Plume Noire is at AFI Fest - to check out our coverage click AFI Fest 2009
More to come about the festival soon ...

LA Film Festival 2009 Winners

Filmmaker Award: Wah Do Dem
Documentary Award: Those Who Remain
Best Narrative Audience Award: The Stoning of Soraya M - The Stoning of Soraya M review
Best Documentary Audience Award: Soul Power
Best International Feature Audience Award: Born Without
Best Performance: Dear Lemon Lima

Unmade Beds

There is surprisingly a strong French cinema feel in this film set in London and directed by Argentine director Alexis dos Santos. The film follows 2 roomates, a Spanish boy looking for his father and a French girl looking for love with the British music/art scene as a backdrop. The film is slow paced and humorous, fueled by nights of drunkenness and occasional sex, while the tone oscillates between poetry and light existentialism, without the pretentiousness. Music is a big part of the film and despite being set in the present, it also echoes the British youth and scenes from the 80's and 90's, which should make it hit close from home for lots of spectators - at least those who grew up with new wave and later on Brtip pop. Unmade Beds review

Facing Ali

There has been countless documentaries, movies and shows about Muhammad Ali but Facing Ali (Facing Ali review) gets probably the closest to experience him as the fierce fighter he was as, rather than going for the usual biography, it makes us face the champion through the eyes of 10 men who fought him in the ring. What's interesting is that, despite all the beating up and the wars of words -- and Mr. Ali was quite a big mouth -- they all respect him, even showing affection for their past nemesis. Not only does the documentary give us a unique insight about the champion but it also gives us a look at the lives of these men who got into the spotlight thanks to Mr. Ali. While they all got their 15mn of fame, their paths differ, some having fallen into oblivion or having been doomed while others found success. Despite their ups and downs, these fighters provide for a colorful gallery of portraits, the old lions having for the most part become charming and humorous characters who, while reinforcing the Ali myth, provide the flesh of this documentary.

Hot Rods to Hell

With a title like Hot Rods to Hell, you might expect a movie involving bad-ass Mad-max type drivers and menacing leather-clad bikers. What you instead get is a group of rich teenagers who, by contemporary standards, look as menacing as your average computer nerd. A great moment of corny nostalgia filled with overacting and laughable moralization, the film centers around a family getting bullied on desert roads by a group of teenagers driving hot rods. What were designed as thrills at the time now sound like jokes and the film is memorable for some great lines such as: a mom talking to her daughter "every woman on earth wants a man"; two teenage kids talking "you think all women are the same?" - "no they have different names". Hot Rods to Hell review

Birdwatchers

Starting with a humor note, poking fun at both tourists - in the movie - and what the audience might expect, Birdwatchers (Birdwatchers review) is quite a singular film mixing social commentary, ethnological study, magic and irony. The film, which aims at sensitizing us to the rights of indigenous from Brazil who are trying to get some of their land back easily win us to their cause but fails when it comes to portrait the characters in this story, whether they're on the good or bad side. While the film makes these indigenous look stubborn, cold-hearted and their crusade somewhat aimless, its portrait of their nemesis isn't deep enough to make us believe he would be inclined to take extreme actions. In addition, the magic aspect of the story tends to undermine the purpose of the film, which is to get a serious reaction from us, when faced with so much injustice.

Transformers the revenge of the nerds

Just kidding, we don't cover commercials for toys. I just wanted to share that for the 2nd time in 3 years, I am revolted that the LA film festival not only shows a Transformers movie but also a Michael Bay film, a filmmaker who is at the total opposite of what cinema and film festivals are about.

Born Without

This documentary, which was screened as part of Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna’s Ambulante festival, focuses on Jose Flores, a handicapped musician and actor who could be seen in Alejandro Jodorowsky's cult Holy Mountain. While the documentary obviously approaches its subject with a social angle, showing us how handicapped people are perceived - and treated - in Mexico, Mr. Flores' life is colorful enough to portrait him as a human being rather than basing this work on hisd his physical appearance. Unfortunately, and despite surprising late revelations, Born Without fails at providing us with enough matter to sustain our interest. The film remains somewhat flat, without real thematic approach, and is never able to transcend its anecdotic format. Born Without review

Andy Warhol Screen Tests with Dean & Britta

What makes the Los Angeles film festival such a unique festival has always been its knack for bringing us events that mix cool music and films. I still remember their punk-rock karaoke years ago when the festival was taking place at the Sunset plaza while other highlights included the Sex Pistol's Steve Jone's Indie 103.1 radio show live from the Ford Amphitheatre.

This year they brought us once again another exciting moment, this time blending art, music and cinema, with the screening of Andy Warhol's screen tests, supported by a live accompaniment by electro-folk duo Dean & Britta. The music of the band, with its Velvet Underground tones, provided a great experience while the screen tests featuring the likes of Lou Reed, Denis Hopper, Nico, Eddie Sedgwick among others were being shown onscreen. 13 Most Beautiful... Songs for Andy Warhol Screen Tests review

The Stoning of Soraya M

The Stoning of Soraya M (read The Stoning of Soraya M review) proved to be one of the most powerful and revolting film I have seen in a long time (and no, I'm not saying that to sound like that advertising whore for film posters that Rolling Stone's Peter Travers is).

Set in a remote Iranian village, the film tells the true story of a woman who was stoned to death after being wrongfully accused of cheating by her husband who wanted to get rid of her. Based on the eponymous bestseller, this film avoids the traps of melodrama and makes sure to not be interpreted as a critique of Islam. The Stoning of Soraya M takes on hypocrites using religion as a pretext and denounces a world where women are treated as second-rate citizens. Fueled by a documentary-like realism, this is a rought and uncompromising work, which ending is almost unbearable to watch - be warned that most of the audience had to close its eyes or was crying during the final sequence.

The film was followed by a Q&A featuring the director and the lead actress (the beautiful Shohreh Aghdashloo) and the LA film festival can also be credited for bringing a scholar who, among other things, explained that stoning wasn't part of the Koran.

Jimmy Page, Jack White & Coffin Joe

Our coverage of the LA film festival 2009 started with a bang as Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and the White Stripes's Jack White were attending the screening of It Might Get Loud (read the It Might Get Loud review), a documentary focusing on the art of guitar playing of emblematic figures such as Page, White and U2's The Edge (who was busy rehearsing in Spain for the opening of U2's tour). If you're a fan of the 3 guys, which I am, you certainly will enjoy having the opportunity to spend time with these 3 icons and see them jam together. However, watching It Might Get Loud as a critic is a different kind of experience, as this film proved to be highly disapointing. To capture the essence of these musians and the creative process in general, the filmmaker posed himself as a watcher, rather than as a true director, letting his camera roll freely to follow whatever the artists are doing. As a result, It Might Get Loud is devoid of any narrative threat, wandering aimlessly and failing to bring anything of substance to the table. Listening to what Mr White had to say, there would have been several interesting points to explore, if the filmmaker would have dared to challenge the musicians; but by containing himself in the role of a witness, he unfortunatly fails in his endeavor, delivering the work of a fan rather than a real documentary.

The third entry in the Brazilian horror Coffin Joe series, Embodiment of Evil (Embodiment of evil review) brought back the thrills of exploitation cinema, with its crazy mix of sadism and nudity. While I enjoyed it, I must admit some scenes were hard to watch -- horror geeks seemed to find them amusing -- and I wouldn't recommend that film, unless you have a strong stomach or a sadistic propensity.

Cannes Film Festival 2009

Just a quick announcement to let you know that from May 13th to May 24th, Plume Noire will be covering the Cannes film festival 2009 to bring you exclusive reviews of the films presented.

COLCOA 2009 Awards

Top Prize: Eden is West
Special Prize: The First Day of the rest of your life
Audience Award: Welcome
Audience Special Mention: Mesrine
Short film Award: Make Yourself At Home
Short film Special Prize: Skhizein

A Day at the Museum and A French Gigolo

Designed to be a critique of the art world, the ensemble piece A Day At the Museum, turned out to be one of the most excruciating films I've seen in a while. Not only wasn't it funny, but this spoof of a pretentious world suffered from being pretty pompous itself. The film, which is an adaptation of a popular play also suffered from looking like a filmed play, the director here being a stage director, which resulted in creating a constant feeling of stagnation while cinema, contrary to plays is about movement. While some of the scenes only lasted a few brief moments, several scenes aiming at vehiculing a message were stretched, creating a sense of boredom onscreen. Despite an ensemble cast including some of the most popular figures of French cinema, A Day At the Museum not only fails to entertain but ends up being a major failure, like a bad piece of art.

Written and directed by French comedy star Josianne Balasko, A French Gigolo kicked off with a lot of Gallic charm but somewhat lost ground as soon as it started to oscillate between comedy and pathos without really finding itself. By turning abruptedly from comedy to drama, the film lost its welcome light tone, looking for morality and redemption through plot lines that strechted its running time.