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Ahoy, squirts! Quint here with a little chat I had with the lovely Emily Mortimer. I have something of a crush on Ms. Mortimer. I know that’s no surprise. She’s beautiful and a good actress to boot, so I’d be worried about myself if I didn’t have a small crush on her. I did warn her publicist in advance of the interview, but they didn’t seem to think it was a problem. Hopefully her husband doesn’t read this…
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Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
You know, there are other films besides SPIDER-MAN 3 opening this weekend. LUCKY YOU, for example, or perhaps PARIS JE T'AIME, which our own MiraJeff has a review of today. I know Quint quite likes this one, and I’m curious just because of that amazing roster of filmmakers involved:
Greetings AICN, MiraJeff here with a look at “Paris je t'aime,” a bold but ultimately meaningless under-taking from some of the world's finest filmmakers. Allow me to begin by pleading my ignorance regarding the nature of the short film format. That doesn't mean I don't like them or understand why they exist or what purpose they serve, it just means, I don't know the criteria on which to critique them. The only thing I do know is that most shorts are either unbelievably good or ridiculously bad. If you want to get a read on what I consider a great short, check this out. Regardless, if you're going to do a two-hour love letter to Paris in the form of 18 short films, you could do far worse than offerings from the Coen Brothers, Gus Van Sant, Alexander Payne, Alfonso Cuaron, Wes Craven, Tom Tykwer, Oliver Assayas, Richard LaGravanese, Christopher Doyle, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Walter Salles, Gerard Depardieu and a handful of other acclaimed international filmmakers. The anthology concept was developed by producers Emmanuel Benbihy and Claudie Ossard, based on an idea from French TV director Tristan Carne. Each director was asked to tell the story of a romantic encounter in under five minutes in one of Paris' diverse neighborhoods, on a tight budget and a 2-3 day shooting schedule. "Paris je t'aime" is the uneven result.
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Greetings humans, Monki here with another update from the Bermuda International Film Festival. I've had a blast so far, everyone is super nice, the food is deeelicious and the films are incredible. I have yet to see anything I didn't absolutely love.
Today's update covers three films. One is a collection of shorts by some incredible directors, one was a short that has been converted into a feature and one is perhaps one of the best documentaries I have ever seen.
Paris je t'aime
Some genius had the idea to take 18 different filmmakers from all over the world and have them make short vignettes about love. Those were then all placed together in one beautiful film called Paris je t'aime. Directors like the Coen Brothers, Alfonso Cuaron and Wes Craven all have short bits featuring at their core a story about love. A love lost, a love found, unrequited love, the love of a father for his daughter...you name it, it's probably represented in this film at some point.
We get traditional love stories, we get comedic performances, we get a horror story...a cosmopolitan ice cream sandwich of a film, and I adored it.
Great actors shine in their brief moments. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elijah Wood, Steve Buscemi, Nick Nolte, Rufus Sewell all have small but engaging parts in their respective shorts. There is something for everyone in one. Take someone you care about to this one and enjoy.
Cashback
I'm a sucker for young love. I'm a hopeless romantic at heart (as are most geeks). I almost immediately fall for the first woman to show any sort of kindness for me. (Read my final SXSW article to get the skinny on my festival crush problem.) Films like The Girl Next Door, Eight Days a Week, Short Circuit really get to me. (Okay, maybe Short Circuit is a bad example.)
I always imagine myself falling into a movie-like state of romance with a young woman. We meet at a theater or a festival or something of that nature, our romance plays out over a series of movies we watch together as we share popcorn and a passion for film and then in the end we live happily ever after. I've come to the realization that this will probably never happen, at least not in this manner. Therefore, for me, I love seeing films where the young male lead ends up getting the one he truly cares for. Call me a sap, I don't care, I like when a film warms your heart.
Cashback is that kind of film. A young art student, Ben, portrayed by the Gryffindor Quidditch captain himself, Sean Biggerstaff, finds himself in a terribly difficult break-up. A sudden insomnia grips him and he spends his evenings working at a local grocery instead of laying in bed reliving his painful split. We get introduced to Ben's coworkers, a rag-tag group of bozos who all have their own ways to kill time waiting to leave work.
Ben discovers the best way to kill time is to freeze it. As an artist he studies the intricate details of all of those around him. We are treated to his fantasies as he wanders through his store observing the female form in all of it's beauty. While his co-workers dream of various ways to pull off Jackass-like stunts, Ben is furthering his understanding of human nature.
Of course, that understanding leads him to Sharon, a co-worker of his played by the beautiful Emilia Fox. We watch their courting process and all of the ups and downs of that process.
I really really loved this film. It's an intelligent take on a well-covered subject. Guys, be smart, take your ladies to this movie...it is excellent.
Cats of Mirikitani
This documentary is breath-taking.
Cats of Mirikitani is a documentary that focuses on Jimmy Mirikitani, an artist living on the streets in New York City. Documentary filmmaker Linda Hattendorf set out to make a film about the man who lived a block or so away from her apartment. What she ended up getting is one of the best docs I've ever seen in my life.
We begin the film watching as Jimmy paints Japanese internment camps like the one he was locked away in when he was a younger man. He is upset by the U.S. government and still holds a grudge with the way he was treated when he was a younger man. A title card reads "August 2001" as we see Jimmy sitting at a park drawing a way with his back turned to the World Trade Center towers. He describes the bombing of Hiroshima where he lost most of his family. He draws a hauntingly beautiful image of flames overtaking his small city.
Then September 11th happens. And there is Jimmy, with his back turned to the mayhem going on in the streets...still painting. Literally people are running past him screaming and crying while he remains focused on his art. Incredible.
The documentary then takes a turn. Linda couldn't stand the sight of Jimmy in a cloud of toxic dust and she actually takes him into her apartment. A good portion of the film is then dedicated to the two of them together trying to find out more about Jimmy's life and whether or not he has any relatives they can contact.
This film wasn't made with a huge budget. It was probably shot on a MiniDV handi-cam or something of the like, but the film itself is beautiful. Take that as a lesson young filmmakers, it is the story that counts first. This film is going to win a lot of acclaim and awards. From what I understand Jimmy is still painting and telling his stories to anyone willing to listen. You should find out more about his situation over at their website.
If you love documentaries, you need to see this film.
So there you have it, my days 3 and 4 of the Bermuda International Film Festival. I've had a lovely time so far, meeting loads of great people from all over the world. One thing though, I leave the country and the freakin' Alamo Downtown shuts down? What the hell?? Ahh well, it'll be nice to see the Ritz turned back into the movie palace it once was. How cool will that be, the Alamo Palace. Woooo...
On a personal note, my sister just got engaged yesterday and I'd like to send her my best wishes. I love you Katie, no matter how stupid your dog is. Brooks, best of luck to you, I look forward to mooching off of your success in the future.
I'll end with a couple of pictures I've taken in this lovely country. The water here is gorgeous and has to be seen to be believed.
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Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. I know for a lot of people PARIS JE T'AIME is off the radar, but let me say a few names. Natalie Portman. Steve Buscemi. Elijah Wood. Nick Nolte. Willem Dafoe. Bob Hoskins. Ben Gazarra. Gena Rowlands. Maggie Gyllenhaal. Joel Coen. Ethan Coen. Alfonso Cuaron. Christopher Doyle. Wes Craven. Gus Van Sant. Tom Tykwer. Alexander Payne. Walter Sayles.
The film is released (limited) this May, but I saw it last fall and have been extremely lazy about writing it up, but I really, really fell for it. It's 18 stories about love in Paris. Some interconnect, some don't. It's not about that, but about different filmmakers and how they view love. Some are traditional, some are horrific, some are the love between a father and daughter, a wife for a husband, a boy for a girl.
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