french films Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Jeffrey M. Anderson's 400 Screens, 400 Blows - Doing the Right Thing
Filed under: Documentary », Foreign Language », Columns », 400 Screens, 400 Blows », Cinematical Indie »
If you only see one movie in 2006, make it An Inconvenient Truth, which drops to 346 screens this week. And yes, that includes the heavily lauded United 93. Because, frankly, the point of that movie will be lost when 20-foot walls of water have crashed down upon and destroyed large chunks of the world. When you walk out of An Inconvenient Truth, you feel terrified, energized and hopeful. And if you're a Republican (or, in fact, one of many Democrats) that doesn't like Mr. Gore, please just put that aside for 100 minutes. Party politics will be the least of your troubles when the environment hits its critical tipping point as discussed in this film.
It keeps me awake nights to think that, while an estimated 3.1 million people have seen An Inconvenient Truth, some 33.8 million have seen The Da Vinci Code (now on 201 screens). I know I'm supposed to go into greater detail when I write a review, but The Da Vinci Code is really just about the dumbest movie I've seen in a while. And it has nothing to do with the book (which I haven't read) or its nifty little treasure hunt. I'm just talking about a work of complete cinematic incompetence by Ron Howard and Akiva Goldsman, who -- inexplicably -- both won Oscars in 2002. (Howard beat out Robert Altman, David Lynch, Ridley Scott and Peter Jackson.) If this is a measure of our national intelligence, I think I'd better run out and invest in some scuba gear before it's too late.
French cinema more popular abroad than in France
Filed under: Foreign Language », Box Office », Cinematical Indie »
Mon Dieu! It appears that the French are losing their taste for homegrown
films - just as demand for them outside of the country is growing. According to the AFP, France rode the international
success of films such as March of the Penguins to the tune of
$453M this year, representing a 50 percent increase in foreign audience appreciation. At the same time, domestic
consumption of French flicks dropped over 14 percent. Penguins itself accounts for over $70M in box office
sales internationally, with over 16 million people having seen the story about Emperor penguins doing it all for the
nookie. In France, however, the penguins only tempted 1.2 million people to waddle their butts into theater seats.So, what have YOU done for French cinema lately? What's the last French flick you watched? I went through a phase several years back where I attempted to bone up on some classics of French cinema, getting addicted to Truffault along the way. But I have to admit I've been a Parisian slacker as of late. And "slacker" is generous: the last French flick I can remember watching is Amelie. Before that, it was Romance, which probably deserves an award for being the world's most depressing porn flick. (Um, not that I have tons of expertise in that area...)
The Return of Jessica Alba?
Now 'New Moon' Prevents Skin Cancer!_thumbnail.jpg)
Discuss: Who Would be the Most Profitable Director if ...
Warner Bros Will Make Clint Eastwood Fans' Day
Their Best Role: Nicole Kidman in 'To Die For'
_thumbnail.jpg)
