Starring: Léa Seydoux & Adèle Exarchopoulos
Written by Abdellatif Kechiche & Ghalia Lacroix
Directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
Adèle is a young woman whose life is transformed when she begins an intense romance with Emma, an attractive artist with blue hair.
So explicit it
brings new meaning to the term
“three-hanky movie.”
Grade: A-
c2013
By Daniel J. Hoag
Blue Is the Warmest Color is playing now in select cities.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2278871/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter & Eddie Redmayne
Screenplay by William Nicholson
Directed by Tom Hooper
In 19th-century France, a fugitive from justice seeks to put his criminal past behind him by raising the daughter of an ill-fated factory worker while fleeing the police officer who has sworn to capture him.
Look at me! I can
sing and cry at the same time
to a camera!
Grade: B
c2013
By Daniel J. Hoag
Les Misérables is playing now in theaters nationwide.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1707386/
Starring: Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes & Kylie Minogue
Written & directed by Leos Carax
In this French fantasy, the mysterious Monsieur Oscar travels the streets of Paris in a limousine, going from appointment to appointment, each time transforming himself into a new persona for a new role.
For those who like films
deeply metaphorical
and batsh*t crazy.
Grade: A-
c2012
By Daniel J. Hoag
Holy Motors is playing now in select cities.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2076220/
Starring: François Cluzet, Omar Sy & Audrey Fleurot
Written and directed by Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano
A wealthy quadriplegic develops a strong friendship with the young man from the projects that he hires to be his caretaker.
A well-worn premise,
but constant laughs will have you
crippled with delight.
Grade: B+
c2012
By Daniel J. Hoag
The Intouchables is now playing in select cities.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1675434/
TCFF 12-02
Starring: Logan Lerman, Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom, Christoph Waltz, Matthew MacFadyen, Luke Evans & Ray Stevenson
Screenplay by Alex Litvak and Andrew Davies
Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson
D’Artagnan and the three Musketeers try to stop a deadly conspiracy involving Cardinal Richelieu, the assassin Milday, and the Duke of Buckingham.
It’s all for one, but
one may be for eye-gouging
after watching this.
Grade: C-
c2012
By Daniel J. Hoag
The Three Musketeers is available on Blu-ray and DVD on 3/13/12.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1509767/
Written and directed by Werner Herzog
Filmmaker Werner Herzog follows an exclusive expedition into the Chauvet Cave in France, which contains ancient pictorial art dating back over 30,000 years–nearly twice as old as any other known to exist.
Ancient art from a
forgotten world makes for a
memorable film.
Grade: B+
c2011
By Daniel J. Hoag
Cave of Forgotten Dreams is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1664894/
Starring: Mélanie Thierry, Gaspard Ulliel, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet, Lambert Wilson & Raphaël Personnaz
Screenplay by Jean Cosmos, François-Olivier Rousseau, Bertrand Tavernier
Directed by Bertrand Tavernier
In 16th century France, a woman’s love for her dashing cousin is thwarted when her father’s political ambitions force her into an arranged marriage.
Soooo long, soooo boring.
An inert and poorly-shot
period snoozer.
Grade: C
c2011
By Daniel J. Hoag
The Princess of Montpensier is now available on DVD.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1599975/
Starring: Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline & Jennifer Beals
Written by Caroline Bottaro with Caroline Maly
Directed by Caroline Bottaro
A French maid develops a passion for the game of chess and, with the tutelage of a reclusive American widower, undergoes an emotional reawakening.
Only the French could
make playing chess seem sexy.
A surprise charmer.
Grade: B+
c2011
By Daniel J. Hoag
Queen to Play is available on DVD today.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1082009/
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Gerard Depardieu & Fabrice Luchini
Written and directed by François Ozon
In the late 70s, a French “trophy housewife” steps in to manage the umbrella factory run by her tyrannical husband after the workers go on strike and proves herself to be an excellent leader.
Deneuve is charming,
but the troll-like Depardieu’s
a miscast relic.
Grade: B-
c2011
By Daniel J. Hoag
Potiche is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1521848/
Starring: Matt Damon, Cécile De France & Bryce Dallas Howard
Written by Peter Morgan
Directed by Clint Eastwood
The lives of an American psychic, a French journalist, and a London schoolboy intertwine as they struggle with personal connections to death and the afterlife.
Some fine acting saves
this maudlin meditation
on living with death.
Grade: B-
c2010
By Daniel J. Hoag
Hereafter is available on Blu-ray and DVD on 3/15/11.
It was an Academy Award nominee for Best Visual Effects, 2010.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1212419/
The Haiku Review 