If you don’t think Les Français are excited about prospect of The Artist sweeping the Academy Awards, witness a friend who’s ESL students prepared a PowerPoint presentation illustrating why the little-French-film-that-could deserves every award coming its way.
In the spirit of awards fever – the Césars are tonight and the Oscars are Sunday – VINGT Paris film contributors Christophe Dumay, Brian Clark, Jon Handelman, Susie Kahlich, and Hannah O’Brien provide you with a professional rundown of every nominated film they’ve had the pleasure—or displeasure—to see.
A Better Life
I kept thinking this was the French film Une meilleure vie which is supposed to be a moralistic tale of victims of the rolling credit schemes but is really about the worst boyfriend ever and I couldn’t believe it was nominated. Turns out, this A Better Life is an American film about an immigrant family! I saw the wrong one! Doh! --SK
A Cat in Paris
I went to see this in Paris because I thought that maybe a children’s movie would have simpler dialogue and it would therefore be a great way to practice French comprehension. Turns out it’s ten times harder when the character’s mouths don’t synch up with the dialogue, so I really have no idea what this movie was about. Paris looked pretty though, and the cat was cute. --BC
A Separation
Emotionally stirring? Yes. Thought provoking? Yes. Disturbing? Yes! I really enjoyed this film, even though it is definitely not one to watch when you are curled up with a blanket looking for Sunday afternoon escapism. The performances are brilliant and it is one of the most stark and realistic looks into Iran, and the politics of people that I have seen. --JH
Albert Nobbs
An interesting foray into the female gaze dressed up as a costume drama, although it does get a little black & white in the feminist politics: all the women are victims, all the bad guys are… well, guys. But strong performances all-around except for man-candy Aaron Johnson who is the weakest link in an otherwise well-crafted production. --SK
Beginners
Usually, it’s a deal-breaker for me if a dog in a movie suddenly speaks through subtitles. But I got past the talking dog in Beginners! It’s a sweet, well-acted and compassionate movie, which is often very funny to boot. --BC
Bridesmaids
Alright, let me get this straight: we finally get an attempt at a smart comedy aimed at modern women, and then the moment in the film where the protagonist decides to empower herself is represented by a montage of her baking? --BC
Ok, I have to say it, I don’t think Bridesmaids deserves to be here. I love Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy and especially Rose Byrne, and while there were definitely hilarious scenes, for me, the movie just didn’t ‘flow.’ --JH
This got so much hype in the US as the first raunchy comedy by, for and about women I felt sure to be disappointed. But apart from the occasional slip into sappiness and gratuitous scatology, it was pretty damn funny. Funnier than The Hangover or, as it’s more aptly known in France, Very Bad Trip (indeed), although I don’t know if Bridesmaids really deserves its nomination. –SK
Drive
I really liked the first half of this film where Gosling was just driving around L.A. thinking about stuff, and that heist-gone-wrong in the middle was brilliantly executed. But as the film slipped more into the conventional, violent hero’s quest (and director Nicolas Winding Refn’s fetishisation of the material got more desperate), it got a bit dull. Also, Ryan Gosling as a hard-boiled, mysterious tough guy? I mean, we used to have Lee Marvin for roles like this. --BC
A story of misplaced scruples and wasted talent, the film has been hailed for its soundtrack and fine performances (Albert Brooks is great), but the violence is a little gratuitous and a lot of the dialog is just downright lazy. Ron Perlman is still probably picking splinters out of his impressive teeth after chewing up all those sets. –SK
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Can I just say to all you Harry Potter haters out there that the one ‘non-Harry’ reason to see this film is Alan Rickman’s stirring performance, which is truly brilliant, and was truly overlooked for a supporting acting nomination this year. Oh, and it’s the adventurously entertaining end to a cultural phenomenon. --JH
Hugo
The first half of the film meanders too much, but it’s worth it for the glorious celebration of filmmaking, history, passion, creativity and life that unfolds in the last hour. --BC
Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen was in great form here, and moreover, Owen Wilson’s aw-shucks charm complimented his sensibility perfectly. I’m still baffled by the criticism that the film romanticizes Paris too much, since Allen has done the same thing with every city in which he shoots. The same Parisians who complain to me about this issue have seen Manhattan a dozen times. Go figure. –BC
A clever set-up by Woody Allen that falls flat in its execution. You can get a better version of the same thing in Woody Allen’s 1980 short story The Kugelmass Episode. –SK
Definitely not one of Allen’s best (I realize this line of criticism is way overplayed) but lovely and funny all the same. While certain parts cross the line into caricature, I left the theatre smiling. –JH
As someone who is forever nostalgic for the past, Woody Allen’s film was like reading my mind (except the venue would be New York). It is definitely not the best of his work and is a dated concept but it is light and unassuming enough to become a guilty pleasure. Marion Cotillard is as lovely as ever, as is Paris throughout the eras. Who wouldn’t want to be in the same room as Hemingway, Stein and Picasso? --H.O’B
Moneyball
I don’t care about baseball, but this movie actually made me cry. On a plane. Sober. This film should be taught in film schools as an example of excellent cinematic craft and amazing storytelling. Pitt won’t win for Best Actor, which sucks because he really deserves it with this one. --SK
Pina
Beautiful, simply beautiful. ‘Documentary’ or ‘Art house pic’ does not begin to describe the sumptuous visual splendor of Wim Wenders’ unconventional look at a truly great artist, choreographer Pina Bausch. Not to mention that I saw the 3D version – yes, 3D! --JH
Rango
The characters and plot of this movie never quite engaged me, but kudos to Gore Verbinski for making a children’s film with such thoroughly weird, and sometimes repulsive looking characters. The Spaghetti-Western touches and the borrowed-plot from Chinatown were pleasant surprises as well. --BC
Real Steel
I tried. I lasted all the way to the fifth minute. And then I just couldn’t. --SK
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The prequel that explains all the following Planet of the Apes films, although doesn’t explain what Frida Pinto was doing in the movie other than being eye candy (seriously: she’s beautiful but there was no actual purpose to her character), or why James Franco was limited to only two facial expressions, or why it took those damn apes what felt like 5 million years to evolve into revolutionaries. On the other hand, the simian revolt is pretty spectacular. But the best thing about this film is saying the title in French, with gusto: Planet de SINGES! Try it out loud! --SK
The Artist
I left forty minutes into The Artist. At the time, it didn’t have the zillion nominations and all the hype, so my departure wasn’t meant as some sort of angry middle finger at the establishment -- I was just a bit bored. The film played more like a celebration of silent film clichés than one that actually understood the heart and the spirit behind F.W. Murnau, Ernst Lubitsch or hell, even Singin’ in the Rain. If this is a love letter to classic cinema, it’s the type of love letter you write just to get someone in bed for a night. –BC
If I could bottle and somehow sell the charisma of Jean Dujardin, I would be a very rich man. Seriously. He, as well as the rest of the fine cast (including John Goodman as the stereotypical old time Hollywood producer!) are pitch perfect, minus the pitch. Suffice it to say, I loved The Artist; I thought it was sweet, good humored and serves as the perfect homage to the Silent Era and the ‘talkies’ that were to come. --JH
What we have here is a movie that sets out to be a commentary on the classics and becomes one itself. Laced with lavish settings, endless yet comforting clichés of a Silent Hollywood, no sooner have we gotten used to the luxury and humour, than we are forcefully thrown into a completely different film of tragedy. This was I felt the film’s best asset: the manner in which it showed the cut-throat attitude of Hollywood. The way one day you’re on top, the next you’re destitute and contemplating suicide. What a lovely and fickle world Hollywood is. --H.O’B
The Descendants
A perfectly solid film, but I felt like Alexander Payne was playing it all too safe compared to his other work. I don’t have any complaints about what was onscreen, but I haven’t thought about the movie much since seeing it either. On the other hand, I still think about how great Election is pretty often. –BC
Maybe it’s because Sideways is one of my favorite movies, but I was truly underwhelmed with Alexander Payne’s most recent outing. Loved George Clooney and Shailene Woodley though, and would definitely give it a second watch to see if I somehow missed something the first time around. -JH
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
David Fincher once again proves that he is a great director, and that he can take an even a noticeably flawed script and make it totally compelling. Even montages of people looking at pictures on computers were exciting in this movie! That said, it seemed like the second half worked too hard to make Lisbeth relatable and accessible, which is a shame, because the movie was far more interesting at the beginning when she seemed mysterious and volatile. Note: I have not read the books or seen the Swedish movies. –BC
I didn’t read the books or see the Swedish film, but this film demanded your attention from the start and I willingly gave it. Christopher Plummer is definitely getting better with age, Rooney Mara was a compelling mix of Goth girl meet rock chick, and Daniel Craig was rather amusing. But the ending tries too hard to humanize Lisbeth and in doing so she loses much of her depth and intrigue. --H.O’B
The Help
Ok, so sue me, I’m going on record to say that I liked, yes liked, The Help. Despite all of the controversy over its portrayal of African Americans in the South (see Spike Lee), the performances of Viola Davis and Jessica Chastain are truly remarkable, and elevate the film. --JH
The Ides of March
George Clooney’s directorial effort was far more relevant, sly and well-executed than that other movie that’s earning him so much attention. This one sneaks up on you, packs a wallop and becomes even more rewarding after a few days of reflection. And unlike in Drive, Gosling was perfectly cast here. --BC
A taught political thriller on par with All the President’s Men, The Snowman and the Falcon, and even Z. It’s slick, it’s polished, it’s packed with powerhouse performances. And it’s a very clever commentary on the legacy of Obama and the disillusioned Dems who voted for a saviour, forgetting he’s just a man. --SK
The Iron Lady
To criticize Meryl Streep is like walking on egg shells – thread carefully or her followers will strike you down. I am not one of her followers. I acknowledge her as a good actress but I’d prefer a Judi Dench or Susan Sarandon any day. However, she comes uncannily close to Thatcher in physique and insanity, but too much time is given to Thatcher/ Streep reflecting on her warped life. The film tries overly hard to make you feel something for the character; as a result you end up feeling nothing at all. But she will probably go on to win another Oscar, so what do I know. --H.O’B
The Tree of Life
Probably the film from this list that I will remember and revisit most. What moved me most was not the beautiful cinematography, the scope or the experimental film techniques, but rather the startling directness, emotion and sincerity with which Terrence Malick engages the material. --BC
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The casting of this film reads like a dream – the crème de la crème of British acting talent. The charismatic and croaky Hurt makes an all too early exit, while Oldman once again proves he’s one of the most versatile actors of his generation, and the ever-affable Colin Firth stretches his range with a more sinister streak. All in all, great ensemble acting, but I don’t feel that all this talent was put to its full use in the film. The first part did its job and had me suitably intrigued, but somewhere in the middle I think the film becomes too complicated even for itself. --H.O’B
…and the César goes to…
L’Appollonide, Souvenirs de la Maison Close
See Tristan Stansbury Worthington’s review here.
La Guerre est Déclarée
Heart-wrenching, beautiful and cruel: this film explores both the exultation and tragedy we bring upon ourselves when we dare to love and bring a human being into this world. The actors gave truly moving. A great film! --H.O’B
Le Havre
The latest opus from the more prolific of the Kaurismaki Brothers. Kaurismaki's take on the peculiar architecture of Le Havre and his Finnish sense of pace and humor make for 100-proof cinema. --CD
Intouchables
A very good tragi-comedy with characters you want to identify with for the time being, with a beautiful moral to this based-on-a-true-story tale. –CD
France’s answer to the Oscar-winning hack job Crash, but far funnier and far less sanctimonious. Omar Sy is delightful and François Cluzot does an excellent job properly elocuting through the entire film. The audience I saw this with applauded (!), although I doubt anyone ran right out to the banlieue and befriended any North Africans. Very well-made, very heart-warming, very good. I cringe to see what Hollywood is going to do with it. –SK
I cannot speak highly enough about this film. I loved it from start to finish. The chemistry between the actors was mesmerizing and inspiring. This film radiated something very rare that comes from the breaking down of boundaries: goodness. --H.O’B
Un Monstre à Paris
Without a doubt the best animated film I have seen in a long time. It is extremely fun, emotional and dark at times. Paris has never been more beautiful and quaint in its animated depiction, and Vanessa Paradis and M’s combined musical efforts make this a film enjoyable for all ages. --H.O’B
January 2012, Vingt Paris Magazine
