Quick note: I’m not a film authority (yet), and this is only my personal opinion. Although I do tend to be right about everything.
La Vie D’Adele (2013) (or Blue is the Warmest Colour)
I appreciated the fact that this film tries to portray the development of a young girl, as well as a lesbian relationship, in a very realistic, almost crude way. But it was hard for me to enjoy, partly because of the way it was shot (a lot of suffocating close-ups) but also because it’s quite slow and is also around three hours long. On a more general note, good that a movie about a lesbian relationship is so popular/mainstream, not so great that all everyone seems to be talking about in relation to it is the infamous sex scene. One step at a time, I guess.
The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)
I loved this film! Its characters are quirky and colourful, but at the same time dark and twisted. It’s fun as hell and has a great cast so I won’t say anything more, just go see it.
The Bling Ring (2013)
Based on a true story… Also, frankly, so boring that my dad and I didn’t even bother finishing it. We found it quite vacuous and superficial in the treatment of the subject; Coppola mainly bases her game on the visual aspect, giving you, once more, her characteristic caleidoscope-like succession of images of an overabundance of shiny things. A bit of a magpie aesthetic, too, if you ask me, and it didn’t do much for character development. So while I can’t claim anything about the second half of the film, the first part got quickly monotonous because of the lack of depth in the treatment of the story. Shame.
Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Well, obviously this is no artsy film… but that’s no reason not to LOVE it! I loved the first film, and the second installment was just as good. And if you think it’s just for kids, you’re missing out. Kids’ films are often the best, and this one I particularly like (from a slightly more academic point of view, too) because it’s not gendered in any way: it’s not pink princess stories, and it’s not tough superheroes with guns (or whatever lil boys seem to be watching these days :P). It’s a super funny film for everyone to enjoy. Oh, and: minions. Need I say more?
8 1/2 (1963)
We screened this classic with my film committee. Most people didn’t really like it. There’s no real ‘story’ in Hollywoodian terms, it’s a long movie, it’s a bit weird (many dream/surrealist scenes or just nonensical scenes) and also, as someone pointed out, well, not very feminist. We had an interesting discussion about auteurship* and tried to identify all the little things/themes that come up in other Fellini movies. I’ve only seen another of his films, La Dolce Vita. The protagonist is the same, and the construction of the plot is similar: it’s just a succession of events, people go from one place to the other, and the protagonist is surrounded by beautiful women, all wanting a piece of him. It’s also interesting to note that Fellini shot this film in black&white even though colour film was already common at that point. While most people weren’t crazy about the film, I quite enjoyed the viewing experience (especially since I usually watch films in my smal laptop screen), because the film was beautifully shot. As a girl said, every frame could be a photograph; you definitely notice how much attention has been given to detail.
And a film on the to-see list:
La Grande Bellezza (2013) (or The Great Beauty)
Apparently, Gambardella’s film is basically a Fellini ripoff, some people really liked it, others thought it was really superficial. I wanted to see it before, but now I simply have to!
*(look it up: basically auteur theory explores the notion that some film directors like Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg etc. are artists completely responsible for the film and questions this, but surely the internet will do a much better job at explaining than I am!?)
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