I’ve been meaning to see these two films for a long time. Not only do they feature three of the best French actors, but they also are true gems of movie-making. These two movies were shot in the same year and tell a story that spans two generations. Many critics have called this classic story the best ever in French cinema and it won many international prizes. Apart from the tragic story, the overall feel is that of nostalgia. It is effectively an ode to the Arcadian dream, a pastoral ideal still pursued by most urban French residents: moving to the countryside, being in tune with nature and living a shepherd’s life, away from all the humdrum of the harsh city. It’s also the dream of Jean, son of Florette.

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The first time the trailer of Mean Girls struck the screen of the local movie theater there was a sigh rippling through the audience. ‘Not another high school comedy’, seemed to be the general remark. But, that is doing Mean Girls a great injustice, since it takes a funny, black and cynical look at American high schools and actually turned out to be quite entertaining.
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This is one of those movies I used to love as a kid. Anything that had a sci-fi or fantasy ring to it I wanted to see. For old times sake I decided to watch it again last night on TV. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s second leading role, after he played before Conan in part one (a.k.a. Te Barbarian).

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All I knew about this film when I popped it into my DVD player was that it had something to do with a Christian rock band and judging by the cover, was probably a comedy. During the first fifteen minutes, as the somewhat confusing array of characters were introduced, I was tempted to switch off a couple of times, but once the characters started to grow on me, I found myself laughing out loud in parts and enjoying the film thoroughly.

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De Moya (family bar & drink consumption workplace) will be holding free film screenings with political themes every Saturday night in July at Frederik Hendrikstraat 111 in Amsterdam. They’ll be kicking off with a sneaky preview of F911! Doors open at 9 PM and the film starts at 9.30 PM
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Poor Ben Affleck. He desperately tries to make it as a action hero, but he just doesn’t cut it as far as I’m concerned. In this latest adaptation of a short story by Philip K. Dick (Total Recall, Minority Report) he plays a guy that tries to piece his memory together after it was wiped. Not very convenient as he is the only guy that can save the world from disaster (the horror!). Even with a touch of futuristic flavour in it and some John Woohaaa-action thrown in to spice things up, we are still left with a bland stew of ideas and cheap stunts. After this, even the presence of goddess Uma Thurman (in a stupid role!) cannot save this drivel.

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This amazing box set, containing all four films of the Alien legacy, has been on my must-have-list for quite some time. It’s always a big risk buying expensive box sets like Alien Quadrilogy, but let me start by saying this one is absolutely worth every euro, dollar or pound. It has nine discs in total in a very nice packaging though, that said, the American version seems to be a little awkward to handle being a fold-out. The European version is constructed like a book and is much easier to handle.
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Inspired by a mention of Blazing Saddles in a previous CoP posting, I got to thinking about the rather nerdy habit I have of using particular film quotes in my everyday life. There are many, but from Blazing Saddles it would have to be Madeleine Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp saying “Enter, Wilkommen, Bienvenue, Come in” or the “Hurrumph” in Mel Brook’s office scene. Does anyone else have a similarly film-geeky habit?

Argh! After taking on the role of Sylvia Plath (much to the dismay of some CoP readers) Gwyneth Paltrow is now taking on the role of Marlene Dietrich! A film is apparently in the Dreamworks pipelines based on the Dietrich biography written by her daughter, Maria Riva. Obviously I am being totally subjective when I say grrrrrr!! I have always been a great fan of Dietrich’s and never of Paltrow, so I am naturally unhappy about this casting. As I write this I am trying to come up with viable options for other actresses, but have gone blank. Suggestions anyone?