L'Ivresse du Pouvoir

The Comedy of Power

slow pace..kurang menggigit


L'IVRESSE DU POUVOIR: 2,5/5
GAMBAR: 3/5
CERITA: 2,5/5
ACTING: 2,5/5

Note (2007.frenchfilmfestival.org):

Inspired by true events, A COMEDY OF POWER is a sleek, sophisticated entertainment that artfully walks a line between moral comedy and political thriller; master of suspense Claude Chabrol sets this witty examination of the abuses and psychological ill effects of privilege against an oil scandal investigation.

The stunning and accomplished Isabelle Huppert plays Jeanne Charmant-Killman, a.k.a. the ‘Piranha’, a tenacious examining magistrate assigned to untangle a vipers’ nest of high-level bureaucratic chicanery. Her new post catapults her into the public eye and boosts her already considerable power: woe betide the executive whose office suffers one of Jeanne’s surprise raids. But her work as a professional nemesis has its own subtly damaging effects on her personal life…

La Noche de los Girasoles

The Night of the Sunflowers


Salah satu dari sedikit film yang menggunakan alur cerita berputar-putar (sepatutnya bisa dibilang mundur ke belakang), dan dilihat dari berbagai perspektif yang berbeda-beda. Recommended!

LA NOCHE DE LOS GIRASOLES: 4/5
GAMBAR: 3,5/5
CERITA: 4/5
ACTING: 3,5/5

Note (from amazon.com):
Director Jorge Sánchez-Cabezudo's Goya-nominated rural film noir employs a Rashomon-like storytelling technique to detail the journey of a Speleologist and an experienced potholer who emerge from a cave expedition to make a horrifying discovery. Castilla-León is a dying rural village in the middle of nowhere. When cave explorer Esteban (Judith Carmelo Gómez) learns of a newly discovers cavern in the area, she sets out with her experienced assistant (Walter Vidarte Alameda) to make an official document of it. Upon emerging the pair learns that Esteban's girlfriend has been assaulted, and sets out on a violent revenge mission that sets into motion a tragic series of events in the impoverished local communities. Told from six different perspectives, The Night of the Sunflowers explores the notion that the truth is never as simple as black and white.

Europa

Film tentang bisnis kereta api di Jerman pasca Perang Dunia II.

EUROPA: 2,5/5
GAMBAR: 2/5
CERITA: 2,5/5
ACTING: 2,5/5

Note (from imdb.com)
An American of German descent arrives in post-war Germany 1945. His uncle gets him a job on the Zentropa train line as a sleeping car conductor. The American's wish is to be neutral to the ongoing purges of loyalists by the Allied forces and do what he can to help a hurting country, but he finds himself being used by both the Americans and the influential family that owns the railroad. After falling in love with the railroad magnate's daughter, he finds that he can't remain neutral and must make some difficult choices.

Swimming Pool

Film misteri yang menarik. Sayang disc-nya ngambek di tengah jalan :(
Ludivine Sagnier tampil 'berani' dlm film ini.

SWIMMING POOL
DNFW


Note (from imdb.com):
Sarah Morton is a famous British mystery author. Tired of London and seeking inspiration for her new novel, she accepts an offer from her publisher John Bosload to stay at his home in Luberon, in the South of France. It is the off-season, and Sarah finds that the beautiful country locale and unhurried pace is just the tonic for her--until late one night, when John's indolent and insouciant French daughter Julie unexpectedly arrives. Sarah's prim and steely English reserve is jarred by Julie's reckless, sexually charged lifestyle. Their interactions set off an increasingly unsettling series of events, as Sarah's creative process and a possible real-life murder begin to blend dangerously together.

Enfermés Dehors

Locked Out

starred by Albert Dupontel
disc-nya rusak...

ENFERMÉS DEHORS:
DNFW

Note (movies.sympatico.msn.ca):
When he finds the uniform of a policeman who committed suicide, Roland, a homeless man, wants to return it to the police station. But before he can do his good deed, he’s expelled from the premises because of his horrible stench. So he decides to wash and fix up the uniform so he can eat free at the police cafeteria.

Finding that his new appearance commands respect, he’s able to help others who are also in a position of disadvantage. He becomes attracted to Marie, a young widow working in a sex shop, who accuses her parents-in-law, the Duvals, of preventing her from seeing her 18-month-old daughter under the pretext that she formerly appeared in skin flicks. But while trying to recover the baby, Roland mistakenly kidnaps Duval-Riché, a corrupt rich businessman about to make a large transaction.

MISC: César Awards 2008

Inilah daftar pemenang César Award 2008 (dalam cetak tebal/bold). Berguna untuk rujukan sewaktu nyari-nyari judul di tempat jualan DVD :p

Best Film:
The Secret of the Grain (La graine et le mulet)
La Vie En Rose (La Môme)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon)
Persepolis
Un secret

Best Director:
Abdel Kechiche for The Secret of the Grain
Olivier Dahan for La Vie En Rose
André Téchiné for The Witnesses
Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Claude Miller for Un secret

Best Actor:
Mathieu Amalric in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Michel Blanc in The Witnesses
Jean-Pierre Darroussin in Dialogue avec mon jardinier
Vincent Lindon in Ceux qui restent
Jean-Pierre Marielle in Faut que ça danse!

Best Actress:
Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose
Catherine Frot in Odette Toulemonde
Isabelle Carré in Anna M.
Cécile de France in Un secret
Marina Foïs in Darling

Best Supporting Actor:
Sami Bouajila in The Witnesses
Fabrice Luchini in Molière
Pascal Greggory in La Vie En Rose
Laurent Stocker in Ensemble, c'est tout
Michael Lonsdale in La Question humaine

Best Supporting Actress:
Julie Depardieu in Un secret
Sylvie Testud in La Vie En Rose
Ludivine Sagnier in Un secret
Bulle Ogier in Faut que ça danse !
Noémie Lvovsky in Actrices


Sumber: Wikipedia

Fanfan La Tulipe

Not really a good story, although the costume and setting is great.

FANFAN LA TULIPE: 2,5/5
GAMBAR: 3/5
CERITA: 2,5/5
KETAWA: 2,5/5

Note (from imdb.com):
In this 2003 remake of the classic 1952 French film, Fanfan la Tulipe (Perez) is a swashbuckling lover who is tricked into joining the army of King Louis XV by Adeline La Franchise (Cruz), who tells Fanfan that by doing so, he will eventually marry one of the king's daughters.

Renaissance

Renaissance
Paris 2054. Live forever or die trying.

Mengikuti semangat film Sin City, Renaissance adalah film animasi dengan teknik motion-capture & CGI dengan warna hampir seluruhnya hitam dan putih.

Karas, seorang kapten polisi, menyelidiki kasus penculikan seorang periset dari perusahaan medis Avalon.. dan pada akhirnya setelah motif penculikan terungkap, Karas-lah yang menjadi tumpuan bagi 'dunia' untuk memilih antara "life" atau "immortality"..

RENAISSANCE: 3/5
CERITA: 3,5/5
GAMBAR: 3/5

Note (from imdb.com):
Paris, 2042: a dark Rotoscope world of shadows and right angles. Ilona Tasuiev, a brilliant young scientist, is kidnapped, and her employer, Avalon, a major health and beauty corporation, wants her found. Karas, a jaded police captain, is assigned to find her, fast. He seeks help from her sister, Bislane, and they are soon uncovering identify theft, missing files, and hints that something back in 2006 may explain what's going on. Ilona's mentor, Avalon's vice president, a Japanese researcher, an underworld boss, and Bislane's drug connection all figure in the mix. So does an attraction between Karas and Bislane. What's behind the kidnapping? Who's the victim?