FIrst Rule of Movie Club is: you don't talk about Movie Club. But you do share, because sharing is caring.
When I first read Gustave Flaubert's gorgeously melancholic Sentimental Education, I was struck by how modern it felt for something written in 1869 (and taking place in the 1840's.) His protagonist, Frédéric, feels like the original Emo poster child from which all young, disillusioned and weepy icons have sprung. From Morrissey and the Smiths to … Continue reading L’Éducation Sentimentale (Sentimental Education)
Agnes Varda's films are so simple, so deceivingly effortless flights of thought, that you could be forgiven for thinking she just sort of dashed them out of thin air over the course of an afternoon. Though she deals mostly in documentary, her documents are fiction, myth, and dreamlike, taking us on personal journeys that go … Continue reading Cinévardaphoto
It's not often you find a great film that is truly meant for all ages and works; most kids' films these days are a formulaic combination of a dumbed-down plot (the assumption being that kids can't handle anything more complex) and a tacked-on moral about believing in yourself, with a bunch of pop-culture references to … Continue reading Les Oiseaux de Passage (Birds of Passage)
Michel Ocelot is a French animator who didn't make his first feature until he was 55 years old- and what a great debut it is. Kirikou and the Sorceress draws deeply from the rich folk tales of West Africa as it spins a series of wild tales focused on Kirikou- a young African boy with … Continue reading Kirikou and the Sorceress
Every movie is its own miniature universe, complete with its own set of internal logic. When you sit down to watch one, your brain instantly tries to make sense of the world you've been thrust into- who the characters are, what their motivation is, and what kind of a world do they inhabit? What makes … Continue reading Le Pont du Nord
Clair Denis does not make it easy for her fans. Her films are dense narratives with little exposition and even fewer clues as to what's going on. They require your utmost attention, forcing you to put a lot of effort into deciphering the images you see before you. Who is that? What are they up … Continue reading L’ Intrus / The Intruder
"The King and the Bird" is the literal translation of this animated masterpiece by Paul Grimault, considered the greatest animated French film by some, and the greatest of any country ever by others. It has had many titles: The King and the Mockingbird, The King and Mr. Bird, Mr Bird to the Rescue and Adventures … Continue reading Le Roi et l’Oiseau (The Curious Adventures of Mr. Wonderbird)
Yves Robert's La Guerre des Boutons was a huge success when it came out in 1962, yet this classic French kids' film is pretty much unknown today- if anything, you may have heard of (or seen) the 90's British remake, unaware this gem even existed. That's too bad, because, like the best films meant for … Continue reading La Guerre des Boutons (War of the Buttons)
If Takeshi Miike, young Peter Jackson, and John Waters all had a baby together, Bernie would be the result. A satirical and cartoonishly violent film about a mentally disturbed man raised in an orphanage in search of his parents, Albert Dupontel's debut feature pushes the boundaries of good taste way past any of the safe … Continue reading Bernie
What better way to celebrate the madness of our present time than with the work of art that started it all? Ubu Roi premiered, as a French play, in December 10, 1896, and the world hasn't been the same since. Ubu Roi ushered in modernism. It is punk rock a century before punk rock came … Continue reading Ubu Roi
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