05.24.07

Jean Pierre Meville – Le Doulos – French Film noir

Posted in Art, Life & T shirts, Films, Reviews at 9:54 am by our arts correspondent

Melville became the archetypal director of French ‘policiers’, but this was his first. Jet black shadows, cigarettes and trench coats – he took the props of forties US film noir and added a complexity that was pure Gallic.

Le Doulos [1963]

With the great Belmondo (Breathless) in the lead this film is full of ambiguity that is never entirely explained. Indeed the only part of the film that doesn’t work well is the long exposition that Belmondo has to give at the end to make some sort of sense of the foregoing action. Long flashbacks seem to change the meaning of what we have experienced – although we do not know who we can trust and Belmondo’s explanation could be a self-serving fabrication.

Melville has created a film that replicates elements of the great noirs that had come before, but Le Doulos is not a classic on a par with those Bogart was making years before. Still it is a film that repays careful watching.

04.16.07

Vodka Lemon – award winning film set in Armenia

Posted in Art, Life & T shirts, Films, Reviews at 10:33 am by our arts correspondent

I admit it, I’m not up on Armenian cinema. Here though is a great film set in post-Soviet Armenia. The landscapes are cold, snowy and inspiring – the poverty is brutal and unremitting. The extreme temperatures exacerbate the horrors that the people have to endure, yet the film is lyrical and upbeat. What happens?  Not a lot – this is not for action movie fans. Two pensioners realise they can be happier with each other than their memories of former partners.
Vodka Lemon [2003]As their hearts change so the snow that covers everything starts to melt.  We leave with a sense of success, that people can make a difference and can change for the better. As a snapshot of a different, almost unimaginable life this is well-worth seeing. Almost documentary in its photography, Vodka Lemon deserves all the plaudits it has received.

Enjoy!

02.13.07

L’Appartement by Gilles Mimouni

Posted in Art, Life & T shirts, Films, Reviews at 10:05 am by our arts correspondent

Wow! What a film!

L’appartement is a cool Gallic comedy thriller, which ticks all the boxes – sultry Gauloises smoking, sexy short-skirt wearing, complex plot misunderstandings. OK, you have to accept a few coincidences, but it’s worth it for the ride.

To simplify a complicated story without giving anything away, you have a protaganist who is about to get married, who catches a glimpse of an old girlfriend who just upped and left without telling him. He wants to know why…

L\'Appartement [1997]Watch it, even if you don’t normally like French films this is a winner

10.18.06

Borat movie – looking good

Posted in Art, Life & T shirts, Films at 9:36 am by tshirtman

I always thought Borat was a far better character than Ali G -when he was just on UK TV speaking his outrageous views to fox hunters and allowing them time to answer with almost as outrageous views, but ofcourse their’s were seriously held. Now Borat the movie has been released and I’ve seen the trailer, which is a step further in absurdity. See it here . Borat telling Southern Americans he supports their ‘war of terror’ is a classic. I will be watching this beaut asap!

10.06.06

Idiocracy movie – a film coming soon

Posted in Art, Life & T shirts, Films at 11:02 am by tshirtman

Idiocracy – a movie set in the future where an ‘average jo’ is hibernated for 500 years.  When he wakes up society is so dumbed down that he is no longer average, but by far the most intelligent person! Sounds like it could be a great satire. But it’s only just out, so we’ll have to wait a while to see it.