Bright Star, Paris and The Burning Plain (MOD)
Yesterday was a very busy movie day for me. I saw two films in the theater and one on Movies on Demand. When you work full time you have to cram things into a short amount of time.
Jane Campion's lovely Bright Star is the story of the romance between poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his last love Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Despite their love for each other it is impossible for Fanny to marry Keats because he is almost penniless. Back in those days a woman needed to marry a man who could take care of her. But the heart knows no reason and the two embark on a heartfelt but chaste love affair. We know how things turns out because Keats dies at the young age of 25. But that doesn't take away from the film.
Bright Star is beautiful to look at. Some of the scenery is breathtaking. The film starts off rather slowly and I think that the beginning of the film should have been trimmed a bit. But things soon pick up and I got involved with the story. Cornish is wonderful as Fanny. It is possible that she might get an Oscar nomination. I felt that Whishaw was a bit weak in his role and he only gets better when his character is getting sick. Paul Schneider plays Keats' cynical friend Charles Brown and he is truly amazing. Despite a few floors I recommend this film to anyone who loves (as I do) poetry and romance.
Paris is a marvelous new film by Cedric Klapisch. And after seeing the film I wonder why it took so long for it to arrive on our shores. There are many characters in this film and they are all a joy to watch.
Pierre (Romain Duris) used to work as a dancer. He is now facing a serious illness. He needs a heart transplant. He contacts his sister Elise (Juliette Binoche) who he hasn't seen in a while. She is a single social worker with three kids. When learning about her brother's illness she and the kids move into his apartment.
Roland (Fabrice Luchini) and Phillippe (Francois Cluzet) are brothers who are very different. Roland is a professor who falls for one of his students (Melanie Laurent). Phillipe has a young wife who is expecting a child.
These are just some of the characters we meet in the film. There are people who work in a farmer's market, a woman who owns a fancy gourmet food store and people who came from Africa to start a new life (and one who is trying to get to Paris) among others.
Klapisch directs the film in a crisp style and there is never a dull moment. All of the acting is terrific. The film has humor and pathos. You see that these people are just like you with their everyday problems. And they are part of the city, which is a character in the film. I just loved Paris and hope that you will too.
The Burning Plain was supposed to come to my local art theater but its run was canceled. I guess that might have been because it got such bad reviews. But I was curious about it and decided to see it on Movies on Demand. And I am not sorry that I did. Honestly, I can't understand why it did so poorly with the critics. But this is not the first time that I really liked a film and the critics didn't (the opposite has also happened - where they loved a film and I didn't).
The film is written and directed by Guillermo Arriaga. There are different strands that come together as one whole story. Gina (Kim Basinger) is a married woman who is having an affair with a married man. She also has had a health problem that has made her self conscious. Her daughter Marina (Jennifer Lawrence) finds out about the affair and is very upset about it. We also meet a woman (living in another place and time) named Sylvia (Charlize Theron) who has a pretty good job but seems to go from man to man and also seems very disturbed. And that is all I will say about the plot. You will have to see the film to find out what happens.
Arriaga wrote some fantastic screenplays for director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. He also wrote a very good one for Tommy Lee Jones. This is his directing debut. You can see that he is not in Inarritu's category. He lacks the passion and intensity of Inarritu. But I still think that he made a compelling film. And the three above mentioned women are all terrific in their roles. The supporting cast was also very good. So I don't understand all of the negative reviews. I would say see this film on demand or wait for DVD but try to see it. It is a good solid drama.
Jane Campion's lovely Bright Star is the story of the romance between poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and his last love Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Despite their love for each other it is impossible for Fanny to marry Keats because he is almost penniless. Back in those days a woman needed to marry a man who could take care of her. But the heart knows no reason and the two embark on a heartfelt but chaste love affair. We know how things turns out because Keats dies at the young age of 25. But that doesn't take away from the film.
Bright Star is beautiful to look at. Some of the scenery is breathtaking. The film starts off rather slowly and I think that the beginning of the film should have been trimmed a bit. But things soon pick up and I got involved with the story. Cornish is wonderful as Fanny. It is possible that she might get an Oscar nomination. I felt that Whishaw was a bit weak in his role and he only gets better when his character is getting sick. Paul Schneider plays Keats' cynical friend Charles Brown and he is truly amazing. Despite a few floors I recommend this film to anyone who loves (as I do) poetry and romance.
Paris is a marvelous new film by Cedric Klapisch. And after seeing the film I wonder why it took so long for it to arrive on our shores. There are many characters in this film and they are all a joy to watch.
Pierre (Romain Duris) used to work as a dancer. He is now facing a serious illness. He needs a heart transplant. He contacts his sister Elise (Juliette Binoche) who he hasn't seen in a while. She is a single social worker with three kids. When learning about her brother's illness she and the kids move into his apartment.
Roland (Fabrice Luchini) and Phillippe (Francois Cluzet) are brothers who are very different. Roland is a professor who falls for one of his students (Melanie Laurent). Phillipe has a young wife who is expecting a child.
These are just some of the characters we meet in the film. There are people who work in a farmer's market, a woman who owns a fancy gourmet food store and people who came from Africa to start a new life (and one who is trying to get to Paris) among others.
Klapisch directs the film in a crisp style and there is never a dull moment. All of the acting is terrific. The film has humor and pathos. You see that these people are just like you with their everyday problems. And they are part of the city, which is a character in the film. I just loved Paris and hope that you will too.
The Burning Plain was supposed to come to my local art theater but its run was canceled. I guess that might have been because it got such bad reviews. But I was curious about it and decided to see it on Movies on Demand. And I am not sorry that I did. Honestly, I can't understand why it did so poorly with the critics. But this is not the first time that I really liked a film and the critics didn't (the opposite has also happened - where they loved a film and I didn't).
The film is written and directed by Guillermo Arriaga. There are different strands that come together as one whole story. Gina (Kim Basinger) is a married woman who is having an affair with a married man. She also has had a health problem that has made her self conscious. Her daughter Marina (Jennifer Lawrence) finds out about the affair and is very upset about it. We also meet a woman (living in another place and time) named Sylvia (Charlize Theron) who has a pretty good job but seems to go from man to man and also seems very disturbed. And that is all I will say about the plot. You will have to see the film to find out what happens.
Arriaga wrote some fantastic screenplays for director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. He also wrote a very good one for Tommy Lee Jones. This is his directing debut. You can see that he is not in Inarritu's category. He lacks the passion and intensity of Inarritu. But I still think that he made a compelling film. And the three above mentioned women are all terrific in their roles. The supporting cast was also very good. So I don't understand all of the negative reviews. I would say see this film on demand or wait for DVD but try to see it. It is a good solid drama.
posted by Film Fanatic | 8:45 PM
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