French screen icon, famously cast in her first major part in New Wave Alain Resnais’s first film, “Hiroshima mon amour,” legendary actor Emmanuelle Riva died in Paris yesterday. At age eighty-nine she has had a career that’s spanned five decades, starting with auteur filmmakers in the sixties all the way to her heartbreaking and understated portrayal of an Alzheimers victim in Michael Haneke’s ... more >
ARCHIVES
Quelle tristesse! Emmanuelle Riva dead at 89
She was also a published poet, her voice, unforgettable
Unstoppable ARGO crowned bestest at Academy Awards
Ben Affleck's film gets well-deserved nod
I never get my prediction for Best Movie right. This year, I did. Sure, you will claim that “Argo” was a shoo-in, what with the trail of fire it’s been leaving behind it these past few months (unstoppable, that movie's been lately), and you’re right. “Argo” is where the money’s at. Although shot in Turkey, the Ben Affleck-directed political thriller takes place in Tehran, Iran, right in the ... more >
French cinema on the rise | NEWS
Paris lobby group stakes claim over 2012
French cinema's B.O. returns in 2012 have set a record with over $1BN in ticket sales, an increase of 88% compared to the previous year, according to a statement released Friday by Unifrance, the Paris-based lobby and trade representation group. This new record beats the previous one established in 2008, by a lot. According to Unifrance, which is also responsible for the promotion of French ... more >
Did American cinema make the grade in 2012?
"Lincoln" rounds out the scoreboard
Throughout 2012 I found myself drawn more toward world cinema--particularly European films--and less to American ones. Reasons are numerous, among which the number of rote big-budget efforts, repeated from one movie to the next, totally predictable, with nothing to surprise viewers, let alone engage them. Full disclosure: I don’t live on the planet where audiences flock to the "Harry Potter" ... more >
Amour
The winner from this past Cannes Festival
Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emanuelle Riva
Directed by Michael Haneke
Any review of Mchael Haneke’s “Amour” should start by noting what a moving story it tells. Did I cry during “Amour”? Two-ply tissues. “Amour” gives a gentle but chilling view into the final months of a woman’s life, and the frustration of a husband who must care for his loved one as she slowly passes away. However I approach “Amour” with two minds. As a touching depiction of life struggling ... more >