Precious

Alright, this is a movie about an utterly fat young girl. Don't tell me that it wasn't what you thought if you happened to watch its trailer.

That's what I basically thought before getting into the dark projection room.

But Precious, a 16 years old overweight girl, is not only that. She lives in a very poor area of NYC, and she's expelled from school. She can barely read, and she's pregnant with her second child; why would she let herself into such a scheme? Because this girl was daily raped by her father, and beaten by her own mother, jealous of the "relationship" between her husband and her daughter.

But when her son is born, Precious decides that she had had enough of this life as a victim. She decides to follow some courses in order to be able to apply for a job and to offer a better life to her two children.

Unfortunately, she has to fight old demons - including her mother, but she is helped by social workers (Mariah Carey in a supporting role), a nurse (Lenny Kravitz!) and a teacher who all believe a better life is possible for the young woman.

Another woman's fight, very moving, revolting in many parts but really well told.

Desert Flower

At first when I saw its trailer, I thought that movie would be either too sopay or just unbearable to watch because of its subjects; Waris Dirie is one of the most famous supermodel of the 80's era. But no, it's not a movie about fashion. Desert flower is based on Dirie's novel about excision, a mutilation that no less than 6000 girls endure every single day in the world.

When Waris was 13, she fled her nomadic family in order to avoid a wedding with a much older man. Once in Mogadicio, she is sent by some relatives to London, to work as a cleaning lady at the Somalian's embassy. She lost her job once the civil war calls back to the country all the ambassadors. Working in a local McD. (no, i won't give any names) she's spotted by one of the most famous fashion photographer who suggests her to pose for him.

That transforms her life, but not as much as the day she was "circumcised". Years later, as she's worldwide famous, she decides to speak about it in an interview and for the first time, the UN becomes aware of one of the most tragical tradition that is still perpetrated.

Despite the subject, the movie tells the story of a woman's fight, and even though the subject is tragic, the way of telling this modern -and much less fairy - Cinderella's tale is not sad, but accurate.

I would lie if i didnt say I skipped the two minutes or so when she describes the excision in itself, but this movie is in every way a good way to know more about how the issue became known worldwide, and through whom.

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

Pippa Lee (Robin Wright) seems to have a pretty boring housewife's life beside her old husband. They just moved to a suburban area in Connecticut, where Pippa Lee doesn't find anything interesting to do, surrounded by elderly people (except for the neighbour's son, played by Keanu Reeves)...She remembers her childhood, her mum and her mental disorders, her teenagehood during which she ran away from home (she's played by Blake Lively), her brief housesharing with a couple of lesbians (including a sparkling Julianne Moore), her meeting with Herb, her husband...But now, with two grown up children and a despising husband who cheat on her with her best friend (Winona Rider, slightly neurotic), Pippa must also find out how to be happy again...and surprisingly her agitated nights will lead her to that...
this movie is a jewel, Robin Wright is stunning, and her character is very moving. She drags us along into her mind for a very accurate story of her life and couple.

New-York I love you

This is a movie which contains several stories, and as many ways to see NY...from a traditionnal jewish wedding to casual meetings leading to sex after a glass in a bar, from the first kiss at the prom night to an elderly couple arguing about everything and nothing while walking along the seashore...
There are so many different stories and characters that it's difficult not to fall into at least one story og that beautiful modern tale built on the example of Paris je t'aime...

Il n'y a pas beaucoup d'étoiles ce soir

This is a hilarious book written by the French actress Sylvie Testud; she depicts the actress's world from the beginning of her career. She highlights the funniest moments and makes the reader share her everyday life as a comedian. The first interviews she gives, she first autographs she signs, her first naked scene, her fear of playing dangerously with wild animals or jumping from a roof, the award she won,...everything here is far from the glamorous Hollywood style that comes to mind when one think about actors and actresses...it's good to taste some simplicity coming from that sophisticated and often superficial world!

The Visitor

Walter is in his sixties; his wife, a great pianist, passed few years ago. He never got over it, and his life contains nothing exciting anymore; he keeps on teaching his economy classes but doesn't make any effort to put some energy in it.
One day, he has to attend a conference in NY, where he owns a flat in which he hasnt returned for 25 years.
Entering his flat, he finds out that it has been occupied for the last two months by a couple, a young Syrian drums player and his Senegalese girlfriend. Understanding that the couple has nowhere to go for the night, Walter offers them to use the spare room until they find something else.
Little by little, he becomes interested into the strange djembe music played by the Syrian young man. They develope a friendship evolving around music, and Walter learns to enjoy life again. Unfortunately, the immigration services arrest the Syrian musician and a new fight begins for Walter: helping his friend to recover his liberty.
I don't want to spoil the fun so I won't say how it ends, but this movie is very accurate on the refugee's situation in America, and it is a tale about music, about immigration, and about a sad old man whose life might not be totally over thanks to the unexpected meetings he made in NY.

Bright star

It is a shame that French students don't get a chance to know more about John Keats's poetry while at school. On a freezing winter afternoon, perfect weather to go to the movies, I went to see Bright Star, directed by the Asutralian (or is it NZ?) Jane Campion. Starring Abbie Cornish as Fanny Brawne and Ben Wishaw (the amazing Jean Baptiste Grenouille in Perfume) as John Keats, the movie relates Keats's love affair before his tragic death in Rome, in december 1820. Maybe the movie tends to be too romantic...but not to my taste, as the dramatic dimension of Keats's life is totally represented here; there is no such thing as a "they happily lived together ever after" end, which is unfortunate because it would have meant that Keats didnt die aged 25 and would have written more sensual poems.. but the beautiful images and the strength of the characters played by Cornish and Whishaw makes you want to run straight to a bookshop and dive into his poetry...

Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art—

Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night,

And watching, with eternal lids apart,

Like Nature’s patient sleepless Eremite,

The moving waters at their priestlike task

Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,

Or gazing on the new soft fallen mask

Of snow upon the mountains and the moors—

No—yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,

Pillow’d upon my fair love’s ripening breast,

To feel for ever its soft fall and swell,

Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,

Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,

And so live ever—or else swoon to death.

L'Illusion comique, Corneille

Corneille is one of the most famous French theatre authors of the 17th century. He is mostly known for his tragedy Le Cid, and only a few people know him as the prolific author of comedies as well as tragedies. The play I mention here, L'Illusion comique, is a strange one for several reasons: classical theatre is commonly known to follow some defined rules, concerning mainly the duration and place of the plot.

Here, Corneille enchants the reader by not respecting those rules and making us traveling with Clindor, the main character, whose actions are followed by his father, who rejected him ten years ago, and who asked to a magician to show him what happened to his son.

There is a hero, a funny domestic, a beautiful lover, a mean father, and the aforesaid magician, everything mixed in something which is not totally a comedy, but yet can't be called a tragedy either.

For those unfamiliar with Corneille's works that is a very interesting approach of his talent, as it was his last comedy before the writing of Le Cid.

Et aussi sur le groupe PriceMinister : Littérature, Appartement Nantes

Le dernier vol

This is a french movie about a pilot named Lancaster who disappeared in Sahara during the 30's. His fiancée looked for him, risking her own life, but was unsuccessful to find him. Staring the beautiful couple Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet, I had very high expectations as they're both known to be really good actors. So much for my expectations, because sadly the movie is utterly boring, and the hour and half seems to last much longer, as the only action is seeing them walking along their camels in Sahara, with Marion's character weeping most of the time.
Even the oriental music is not as good as it could have been...

The Private Patient, PD James

This is exactly the kind of book that would only attract my despise in a bookshop; why would I bother reading crime fiction while I would have so many opportunities so read history books or novels based on real stories?
But, once you're stuck in Birmingham, heartbroken and bookless (which is by far worse than being heartbroken!), and you have a 5 hours journey back in London, using a coach service that will prove to be not so efficient...you'd better give a keen look to the half dozen books shelved in the nearby Spar.
Hence my PD James choice, which I dont regret, because after having begun that book few months ago, I read it again and finished it within two days. Not only are the characters well described and interesting to follow in the story, but also the crime is well invented and there is a bit of Agatha Christie in the way this novel is written.
So, about th eplot; a famous investigative journalist decides to remove a lifelong scar she has on her face, staying for that in Dr Chandler-Powell's Clinic in Dorset. The Manor in which the clinic is settled looks like those old A. Christie's places where seeing Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple wouldnt seem odd at all.
Unfortunately for Rhoda, the journalist, there are no Poirot nor Marple, but only murder...that Commandant Dalgiesh will have to solve with his team of super-detectives.
So, maybe from now on I'll check more often the crime fiction shelves :)
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article4627392.ece