My TOP 5 favourite Paris movies

To mark my upcoming trip to Paris (I'll be off TOMORROW!!), here's a list of my favourite Paris movies. This was fairly easy, as I haven't seen that many films set in Paris. (Or French films, for that matter. They are often a bit weird.) The original plan was to first post this and then during my absence publish longer posts of each movie. Well, as it happens, I recently picked up a nasty virus called lazyness, so I'll only post this now, and the others after I came back. Cured. Hopefully.

Anyway, here you go, sil vous plait, voila and a couple of stress mark thingys here and there, I don't know where.

5. Marie Antoinette (2006)

THE PLACE TO SEE: The palace in Versailles.

"This is ridiculous."
"This, Madame, is Versailles."

4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

THE PLACES TO SEE: Notre Dame. Duh. And Disneyland, ooooooh yeah, I've only been waiting for this for twenty years!!

"Morning in Paris, the city awakes / To the bells of Notre Dame / The fisherman fishes, the bakerman bakes / To the bells of Notre Dame / To the big bells as loud as the thunder / To the little bells soft as a psalm / And some say the soul of the city's the toll of the bells / The bells of Notre Dame" 

3. Before Sunset (2004)

THE THING TO DO: The Seine cruise.

"I heard this story once about when the Germans were occupying Paris and they had to retreat back. They wired Notre Dame to blow, but they had to leave one guy in charge of hitting the switch. And the guy, the soldier, he couldn't do it. You know, he just sat there, knocked out by how beautiful the place was."

2. Amélie (2001)

THE PLACE TO SEE: The café where Amélie works. And its toilet.

"Let me help you. Step down. Here we go! The drum major's widow! She's worn his coat since the day he died. The horse's head has lost an ear! That's the florist laughing. He has crinkly eyes. In the bakery window, lollipops. Smell that! They're giving out melon slices! Sugarplum, ice cream! We're passing the park butcher. Ham, 79 francs. Spareribs, 45! Now the cheese shop. Picadors are 12.90. Cabecaus 23.50. A baby's watching a dog that's watching the chickens. Now we're at the kiosk by the metro. I'll leave you here. Bye!"

1. Paris, je t'aime (2006)

THE PLACES TO SEE: Everything! The Eiffel tower, Tuileries subway station, the tomb of Oscar Wilde, the mosque...

"Sitting there, alone in a foreign country, far from my job and everyone I know, a feeling came over me. It was like remembering something I'd never known before or had always been waiting for, but I didn't know what. Maybe it was something I'd forgotten or something I've been missing all my life. All I can say is that I felt, at the same time, joy and sadness. But not too much sadness, because I felt alive. Yes, alive. That was the moment  

I fell in love with Paris. And I felt Paris fall in love with me."

The unimportance of being productive

During the past couple of days I've seen lots of movies, from various genres and decades, some very good, some not quite so, but I haven't really felt inspired to write a long post about any of them. Plus I think being on holiday makes me extra lazy. And the excitement about our approaching Paris trip makes it difficult to concentrate on anything! But here are the movies, in short this time.

(500) Days of Summer (2009) 

directed by Marc Webb / starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschannel

I will probably write a longer post about this some time, because its really a wonderful film, one of the best and most original of its genre. Gordon-Levitt is dreamy, first-class eye candy. And Deschannel fits very well on the role of the quirky girl, who doesn't believe in falling in love. I like how we know from the beginning that we don't get a happy ending for the two. I like Chloe Moretz as the know-all little sister. I like the little oddities, like the random, wonderfully cliched dancing sequence and the scene diveded in expectations and reality. A great movie about love that's not like in the movies.

Dracula (1979) 

directed by John Badham / starring Frank Langella, Kate Nelligan, Laurence Oliver

This one waited for watching for a long, long time, recorded on my DTA, and now I finally found the will to sit down and press play. And well, I liked Frank Langella, but at some point I just lost interest and started doing something else while the film played on the background. Once in a while I glanced at the screen and people were turning into vampires and being stabbed into heart with sticks and I didn't feel like I was missing much. But atleast the creatures didn't sparkle.

The Gold Rush (1925) 

directed by Charles Chaplin / starring Charles Chaplin, Mack Swain, Georgia Hale

This film would deserve a post of its own, too. This was true old school Chaplin again, quite similar to City Lights, and yeah, I liked it almost as much. (I think City Lights is untoppable. It was my first Chaplin full-length feature, and it probably will always be the best one in my book.) The Gold Rush includes some of the most iconic Chaplin moments - the house swinging at the edge of the ravine and of course the bread roll dance. Which is just awesome! God I just love this man. Next... The Great Dictator. Then The Kid, and then I've watched all the classic. Gee!

In Her Shoes (2005) 

directed by Curtis Hanson / starring Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette, Shirley MacLaine

A tale of two sisters who have nothing in common except for the shoe size. Both sisters annoyed me at times, in their own ways. Shirley MacLaine was the best thing in the film. I still recognized her, although it's been quite a while since The Apartment! Not a great movie, but couldn't say I wasted the hours I spent watching it.

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) 

directed by Robert Mulligan / starring Gregory Peck, Frank Overton, Brock Peters

Again, a relic from the very bottom of my DTA's memory. A black and white classic based on a novel, discussing racial issues doesn't really sound like a lot of fun. And sure, it wasn't a lot of fun, but a very good film anyway, and not even very deadly to watch. Gregory Peck's Atticus has to be the coolest movie dad ever, no questions asked. A deep, interesting film with a lot to say, definitely a classic for a reason. Next stop, the novel. If only...

L.A. Confidential (1997) 

directed by Curtis Hanson / starring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Kim Basinger, Guy Pearce

A very highly ranked film about crime and punnishment that doesn't always occur. Guy Pearce was great, and Kevin Spacey and that actor whose name I just can't remember (even though I talked about him just a few posts ago, anyway, the farmer from Babe) too. It wasn't torture to watch this film, but for me it was just very forgettable. Russell Crowe has never been that annoying. Sorry, but I just can't see what everyone is fussing about.

The Ninth Gate (1999) 

directed by Roman Polanski / starring Johnny Depp, Frank Langella, Lena Olin

Weird.

That's all.

Touch of Pink (2004) 

directed by Ian Iqbal Rashid / starring Jimi Mistry, Kyle MacLachlan, Suleka Mathew

A fun, easy-going little film about a gay man, who pretends to be straight to his mum and who has Gary Grant as his imaginary friend. Nothing breathtaking, obviously, but quite entertaining and sweet. Some very nice British accents. And the leading actor has pretty eyes.

Now. Some True Blood and packing. We'll be off to the heart of Europe very very soon!

Paulo Coelho: Veronika Decides to Die (1998)

"When she opened her eyes, Veronika did not think 'this must be heaven'. Heaven would never use a flourescent tube to light a room, and the pain - which started a fraction of a second later - was typical of the Earth. Ah, that Earth pain - unique, unmistakable."

I'm bending the limits of my movie blog to discuss the book I just finished. Paulo Coelho is one of the most read and loved authors all over the world, and for a reason. He tells life-changing stories about normal people, and conveys positive energy, inspiration and spirituality to the modern world, so much in need of just those things.

Veronika Decides to Die was the second book I read by Coelho. (The first one was Zahir, which I didn't like that much.) It tells the story of Veronika, a young Slovenian woman, who appears to have it all: beauty, a job, a loving family. And yet she's not happy: for her, the future just doesn't seem worth living. So she decides to kill herself. However, she doesn't succeed. She ends up in Villete, a local mental hospital, where she's told the sleeping pills she took damaged her heart and she has only a few days left before it collapses. During those days she learns to value every moment and finds joys she'd never experienced before.

Needless to say, the book was very good. The mental hospital is a very fascinating setting, and my favourite parts of the book descussed specifically the concept of 'mad'. See, the book doesn't only concentrate on Veronika, it tells the stories of other inmates of Villete, too. The line between what is considered 'normal' and what 'mad' is incredibly narrow, and really, we're never that far from slipping to that other side. Which is a bit scary thought, but also somehow soothing. Being 'mad' isn't descriped as something too bad. Mostly is just caused by a reaction to a situation in life, or a way to cope.

The book also encourages us to be a little 'mad' from time to time - meaning, to do things differing from normal, to try things you'd usually try only in your wildest dreams, to take changes and leaps of faith. It has some very wonderful thoughts in it, and it really makes you think about the value of your own life, too.

Hollywood reacted to the huge popularity of the book and made a film about it in 2009, with Sarah Michelle Gellar (I first accidentally wrote Sarah Jessica Parker. Thank god not her.) playing Veronika. I'm going to see the film, but a bit suspiciously, afraid they've either Americanized the story or made it just... blah. (Like The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. The book was wonderful, and there wasn't really anything wrong with the movie, but it was just... blah.) Here's the trailer.

Mad Men (season 1) - the mad world of ad men

I bought the first season of Mad Men to see it as a test. The result of the test: I will have to see the second season, too.

Mad Men sets in a prestigious advertising agency in New York, in the early 1960s, in a glamourous era after the depression when people are desperately chasing the American dream. Mostly it concetrates on one of the most talented and desired man in the business, Donald Draper - his various affairs, mysterious past, problems at home and in the office. There's also a wide range of other interesting characers. Who, for me, are often more interesting than the main character. I guess I have a thing about favoring the supporting characters over the central one.

Don't get me wrong, Don Draper is a great character and Jon Hamm plays him very stylishly. In many ways his a difficult character - distant, serious, closed-up, not giving much away of himself, so mostly you just see this hard, polished, ice-cold shell, which is both intriqueing and intimidating. I grew fonder of him towards the end of the season, but can't still quite understand or approve some of his behaviour, arrogance and cynicism.

January Jones plays Don's wife Betty. January Jones has a very swell name! She also had a small role in the best romcom ever (Love Actually, if you didn't know), so thumbs up for that. Betty is a beautiful, young house wife, mother of two children and married to a handsome, successful man. Perfect, right? We know it isn't. Behind the flawless facade Betty is quite lost - a fragile, unhappy woman, who can't be totally honest to anyone, not even her terapist, nor herself. The cheating husband doesn't really help.

Peggy Olson (Elizabeth Moss) is Don's new secretary. Young, confused, unexperienced, she tries to learn the ways of the office, both the written and unwritten rules. However, she has ambition and some ideas. Peggy was probably my favourite character from the very beginning. Just like the viewer, she was a newbie in this harsh environment. I like how she tries so very hard, but doesn't always know how to act or what to say in certain situations, making herself easy to mock by the self-satisfied, in-a-group-stupidity-condenses men of the office.

Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser) is probably the most annoying character - and yet one of my favourites. Pete's from a powerful family, wedging his value to the company. And he's a shameless climber, not dumb, but thinking a bit too much of himself and letting it show, lacking humility and sense of humour, when it comes to things below his belt. And not only figuratively. He's not very popular around the office because of his big mouth and unability show respect to certain authorities, and he often feels alone and left out. The storyline of him and Peggy was my favourite along the season.

Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) is  the head of all the secretaries, teaching them the ways of the office, offering a shoulder to cry on and if necessary, bringing them down to earth when they aren't acting in an appropriate way. She's a very confident woman, with tons of attitude and curves to die for (just saying). She's also a favourite of mine.

Rest of the ad men don't get that much attention, but I'm looking forward to learning more about them. Expect for that grey-haired big boss Sterling. Pathetic old man. Sorry.

Mad Men's writing is what makes it so good. It's clever yet subtle. I love the time period and the clothes, oh, the clothes. From time to time the little feminist in me pouts her mouth at the mentality of the era - the place and meaning of a woman, the sexism and the dismissive honey/sweet heart/dear way they are talked to in the world still ruled by men (been there, experienced that, still in the 21th century...). And the cheating, oh god it's shameless and ugly. And then they practically slap their wives when they smile at the man next door. It annoys me, but at the same time that's what makes the show what it is: an accurate potrayal of that time. And it's always super cool when a woman dares to stand up for herself and doesn't settle on being alive just to please the man next to her. High five, y'all!

Silencing the little feminist in me in three two one now.

So. One season down. Second season is a must-see, we'll see when I'll get my hands on it. Mad Men is not the new Lost, but it was a good find anyway. The mission impossible continues soon, as I see if I can become addicted on True Blood on a second try.

Limelight

Limelight (1952)

Directed by Charles Chaplin. Starring Charles Chaplin, Claire Bloom, Nigel Bruce, Sydney Chaplin.

Long story short: Calvero is a once-great comedian, whose fame has faded with his youth. By accident he befriends with a with a young, depressed ballet dancer Thereza. They support each other, and together try to achieve what Calvero once had, and Thereza hasn't yet had a taste of.

It's impossible not to see the autobiographical aspect of Limelight. Chaplin was 60 years old at the time, still a liked and recognized face, but clearly approaching the end of his career. This was indeed his last film produced in America - around the film's release he was exiled from the US. Limelight obviously reflects some of Chaplin's own experiences and feelings, but how much of himself did he really put on Calvero? Who knows. Calvero is a washed-up clown - hunted by the thought that he can't make people laugh like he did before, and hungering for that one more moment to shine, one more moment in the limelight. It's sad to think these ideas might've floated around Chaplin's head, too. 

Limelight is not the usual Chaplin. It's a drama with comedic elements, rather that a comedy with dramatic ones. I did chuckle a few times - for example there was a funny scene where Calvero talks to his grumpy landlady like they had some steamy love affair going on. Haha. There are also some vaudeville numbers, and Chaplin gets to show there's still some fire in those old bones. One of Calvero's acts was called "Tramp Comedian" - a great nod to the legendary character Chaplin created.

There are many lenghty, amazing dance and comedy numbers. The music is the fruit of lots and lots of hard work. Chaplin won his one and only Oscar for Limelight (not counting the Honorary Oscar), the music specifically. No wonder. (Well, that the Oscar was his one and only is more than a wonder.)

This was also the first time I heard Chaplin speak in a film and  first it felt SO WEIRD. But he was a wonderful actor - slapstick might have been his strong point, but his dramatic acting is really worth mentioning, too. His performance seems effortless and natural, as if he wasn't acting, but merely being himself. Which might not be too far from the truth. Calvero is a charming, witty old gentleman, and so was Chaplin. Claire Bloom is a bit melodramatic at times, but holds her head high next to her veteran co-star. Charlie's son Sydney also plays a role of a romantic pianist.

There's a lot of talk in Limelight, some of it's very philosophical, almost to the point of being pretentious. But though I still prefer him conveying the joys and sorrows of life through slapstick, he moves and touches this way, too. He was a thoughtful, intelligent man, and the dialougue of the film is skilled and just wonderful, discussing life, love, fame, aging, optimism, the will and unwillingness to live...

My mistake was I saw Limelight too early. I should have watched more of Chaplin's earlier films first, like The Kid, Gold Rush and The Great Dictator, and then finally see this film that reflects the late years of the comedian behind masterpieces, the man who made people laugh for a living. I will have to rewatch the film after some time, because there's really a lot to learn about its maker between the lines.

(And I'm intentionally saving The Kid for the last, because I know I'll love it.)

"Life can be wonderful if you're not afraid of it."

Inception - prepare your breath to be taken away, far away

Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine.

Long story short: ... Okay, this is a bit difficult. So, there's a technology that allows you to enter people's minds and dreams and steal their secrets and ideas. And there's this one guy whose mind these other guys need to enter to plant an idea in there (that's called 'inception') ...and that's pretty much what it's all about. Kind of.

Isn't it just awesome, how something that's been hyped to be awesome actually turns out to be just that? I was so worried that I wouldn't like or understand Inception. And - even though I have to admit I didn't fully, totally, completely understand it - I did like it, a lot. And that's just awesome.

Now - a little praise. I feel like calling Chris Nolan 'a genious'. Seriously, who knew he could top The Dark Knight. He did! Oh man. The cast, then. Somehow they'd managed to cast only actors that I like. Leo - the usual dark and twisty awesomeness, Joseph Gordon-Levitt - oooooooh, hello eye candy (and more!), Marion Cotillard - favourite actress material, Ellen Page - I'm glad you didn't get your first Oscar for Juno, you'll get it for something so much better, Ken Watanabe - Ha! Chairman!, Tom Hardy - a new face for me but liked him immidiately, Cillian Murphy - something very freezing about him, in a good way, and of course Michael Caine - wonderful, awesome, that's all he knows how to be.

... I don't know how to start analysing and disentangling the film. I can say it was the best film I've seen in a good while - but at the same time I'm positive Inception won't become a favourite film of mine, because for me a favourite film means that I can watch it over and over again and every time it's just pure indulgence.  Inception is a brilliant film, so brilliant it's weird to think someone human came up with it, it's very very well made and it seriously is modern film making at its best - 'a triumph of modern cinema', as I mockingly descriped Eclipse a while back.

At the same time it's difficult, complicated, almost tiring, if you're not feeling at your sharpest. Half way through I felt a bit exhausted, because there was so much to take in and no break to catch your breath. It demands you to concentrate constantly and keeps your brain busy, provoking your thoughts. It's... well, like a maze. Which you can't crack just like that. And as brilliant as it is, and as much as I enjoyed it, it wasn't pure indulgence. So - if someone askes me in the end of this year what was the BEST film of 2010, I will probably say Inception. If they ask what was MY FAVOURITE film, I will say something else. Something silly like Toy Story 3 or Kick-Ass or Harry Potter. You know what I mean.

Anyway, at the end I was just glad I'd substantially understood what the film was about, had been able to follow all along and even guessed and predicted a thing or two. I call this a personal triumph, haha.

Dreams and the subconcious are a blurry and mysterious area of science, and thus very fascinating. Somehow in Inception they'd managed to take some things we know - like the feeling of falling that wakes you up - and compose a technology that you know is fiction, but it's made and explained so well it feels plausible and real.

The CGI was excellent, just excellent, and there was obviously a lot of it, but it didn't feel like they were gloating with it - special effects weren't the reason to tell a story (ahem, Avatar, ahem), but a tool to tell it. Also, they didn't shoot it in 3D, which in my book means a million thumbs up! Go, you.

Some random thoughts: I liked how that Edith Piaf song played quite a major role in the film. As you remember, Marion Cotillard won an Oscar for potraying the singer. Hans Zimmer's music is... like Hans Zimmer's music tends to be. I liked the film's humour a lot, it was subtle and clever. There wasn't much of it, but just enough to nicely lighten up the atmosphere when necessary. The ending... Aaaaaaaargh, damn you Nolan, you nasty nasty thing! (=Thank you! You are a genious, there I said it!)

What else... Oh, I don't know. My breath is still a bit taken away, I can't think clearly. The Perfect Film still remains unmade (as it hopefully will forever), but Inception shows it's always worth a try. And I hope they still remember this little film when the awards season kicks in.

"Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange."

 EDIT // Damn, one just can't spell after midnight.

Flea market discoveries

Sometimes it's worth wandering between the stuffy, messy shelves. I came across a stack of old Episodi magazines 0,50 € each. And not that old, really, all of this year's issues were there, too, including the most recent one. Whoo! I was able to resist the urge to buy the whole stack. I was tempted, though. The Hunchback of Notre Dame dvd was also a must-buy. Not from the flea market, but still. The materialist in me is very happy.

... But the child in me not that much! I've been assuming that Toy Story 3 opens in cinemas next week, but turns out I didn't get the month right. So I'll have to wait until the end of August! Noooooooooooo!

BUT - always look at the bright side of life... 

Inception countdown: 2 hours 18 minutes