WilliamCKH

I can understand how the Sight & Sound Poll might have ranked this film on the Top of their list. Given the rules, I can see how many critics would have this film in their Top Ten. After all, every list needs an outlier, a film to cleanse the palette amongst the many genre films synonymous with this list, and JD may rise to the top in that category. When the votes are counted, this film may well be included in the majority of the ballots.

It's interesting in that JD is only one of two or three film on the list not categorized as ENTERTAINMENT, in its broadest sense. It is a philosophical piece, an art piece through and through, and it is presented very well, focusing on the external life of a woman, a mother, a widow, a prostitute, through a series of vignettes and makes no attempt to capture the internal life of the main character . In the age of social media, this film is an antidote to the INSTAGRAM/TIKTOK/FACEBOOK mindset of today. After viewing JD, I felt not so bad, in comparison, about my own life, even optimistic. In fact, I felt a sort of kinship with her watching her complete the most mundane tasks of daily living without a need for heightened emotion or personal drama. JD, of course, is not the greatest film ever made, but it may certainly be the best example of why films, like people, should not be ranked as if they were always in competition. This film, and many others like it, stands alone. (if that makes any sense).

Great Film, In addition to covering a large landscape from Action to Thriller to Drama and Comedy. There is also a great depth to this film. The pivotal scene, for me, is when Otto is in Mathilde's room and comments on the post-its on Mathilda's wall, events leading to the tragedy. Otto tells her it's meaningless to try to make sense of it, and Mathilde replies.."it's just easier when there is someone to be mad at". And later in the film, after realizing the group's mistake, Marcus is pleading to the them, "Who is to blame then? Who?"

With tragic events, sometimes accidents and randomness scares us even more than evil. Justice is no longer at our disposal. As the title of the film suggests, we continue to ride it though, sometimes to our detriment, because we have no other vehicle. Maybe, the film also suggests, love and camaraderie can be that other vehicle.

Based on the premise, I had high expectations for this film. I was not disappointed. The film, however, started out, I thought, too quickly, too cleverly, a la Amelie Poulain, with its introductions and back stories of the main characters. When the film settled down, inside the apartment, the film got back on track to a pace I could enjoy. The dialogue is wonderful between the characters, each character having a unique voice and talking about subjects I would talk about at a dinner party. Each character had a certain point of view, unique yet relatable. Although the title is only a springboard to other subjects, it does start the film rolling, and roll it does, from jokes, to misunderstandings, to secrets, to childhood resentments, to pent up rage reaching it's climax during Babu's meltdown. Although all the characters are interesting, it is Babu we are rooting for. I loved Valérie Benguigui's amazing performance. I'd never seen her in films and I hope that I get to see more of her. The other actors are also fine in their roles. I must also say that Francoise Fabian has just aged beautifully. The first time I saw her was in Eric Rohmer's MY NIGHT AT MAUDS'S which was released in 1969. She still looks amazing.

....I wrote this review before reading all the credits and was saddened to learn that Valerie Benguigui passed away in 2013 from cancer. People are here for a short time and they leave us. Some, if lucky, leave behind something that is forever in the cultural landscape. I'm glad I was witness to this beautiful film and beautiful performance ..Rest in Peace

This film was a wonderful surprise, a treasure found by accident. I'd never heard of this film, but knowing that Romain Duris and Anais Demoustier were in it was enough to draw me in. I've always enjoyed Duris' work. He has great range as an actor and goes all out in almost everything he does and Demoustier is a beauty whom I first saw in BIRD PEOPLE made only a year earlier.

So, the first ten minutes or so went by rather slowly, and I was only half paying attention to the film. But once we see Duris' character David transform into Virginia, and see Demoustier's character Claire react to the transformation, the film begins to flow in the most wonderful way. You're heart really goes out to David/Virginia as judgments fall by the wayside. You see the struggle, the vulnerability, and the joy all at once in Duris' performance, and how it draws Claire in. Demoustier's performance is so subtle and so beautiful in this film and balances with Duris' so effortlessly.

The dance these two do, and myriad of topics introduced, gender identity, sexual identity, moral identity, friendship, family all tackled in such a fresh way, i.e. not making too big a deal about it. Also, I found this film to be fun and funny and had a smile on my face throughout. I love the fact that the jokes, the laughs were derived from the shear joy and surprise of the scenes and not made at the expense of any of the characters or groups portrayed in the film. In the end, I felt not only entertained, but enlightened. I love films that create their own world, their own moral universe of codes and standards, their own ideas of what is right and wrong. This film stretched a little of my universe. It surprised me not only with its subject matter and its wonderful details, but offered me a chance to surprise myself with my own feelings towards them

What a great film! How can it be where as you're two hours into watching the film, you wander where its going, you're not really sure if you like any of the characters, and at the end of the film, you want to stand up and shout and hug each one of the characters. Roger Ebert wrote about this film that 'It meanders, but knows exactly where its going" and I completely agree with that assessment.

Its a film where, at over 150 minutes, the length is completely essential for the enjoyment, because it is not so much the content of the film's scenes that give it its power, but the overall spirit of it which gives it its strength and meaning. Two very powerful scenes near the end, Isabelle hugging Vincent, and Max hugging Vincent, for different reasons, were just incredibly well directed, well acted, with so much depth, it left me in awe and the heartbreaking speech from Jean-Louis, which gives the movie its title, was just amazingly perceptive not only of its characters, but of modern life in general. Much thanks goes to the writers, the director, the actors, and everyone involved with making this very french film universal.

P.S. Francois Cluzet's performance is extraordinary, especially the scene where he's scolding the child for cheating at FREEZE! (un,deux,trois soliel) The look on his face of self-loathing, asking himself "why am I like this?" was brilliant. His whole performance was so unconventional, so unexpected, but so honest. It surprises me sometimes how actors are able to strip away egos in order to get so deep. Bravo!

I sometimes feel that watching movies nowadays is like ordering a meal at a restaurant. You order something on the menu with certain expectations, and declare it a success if at the end those expectations are met.

It would be grand to go into movies as an adventure, like a trip, not knowing where the film takes you and experiencing as it goes and only at the end do you know realize that there is no end, the journey was the destination.

Ferran takes us on such a journey...The film begins with fantastic scenes of everyday people all in their own little worlds, set in Paris, all with their phones, music, issues, problems, and hones in on Audrey, a housekeeper at an airport hotel and Gary, a tech exec, in town on business..... After a few scenes of their respective stations in life,...we are half expecting the two to meet, perhaps have an adventure or two, and eventually fall in love...But Ferran is not interested in putting together a ROMANTIC COMEDY... it is not on the menu. Instead, she focus not so much on the lives of these two characters... but uses them as a springboard for her main goal, to introduce us to the transcendent in the everyday world and everyday people that surrounds us. I won't go into how she achieves this but, she does it unexpectedly and wonderfully..

This film reminds me of some of the wonderful French films they used to make in the 70's by directors like Resnais, Tanner, Sautet, etc. with touches of Jacquot Benoit's A SINGLE GIRL, social commentary thru characters representing a whole generation of young men and women who are trying their best with modern life, but somehow seem out of sorts with the way their lives, and the world is turning out. We need more movies like this.... BTW, I have no idea how Ferran filmed the little sparrow, if it was real or computer-generated, but thru this film. I've become quite enamored with them. It's crazy that people say things like cruelty, violence and so forth in films are just for entertainment and don't really influence people's behavior. Of course films influence how we feel about the world. Just watching this film has made me like birds.

I was hesitant taking another trip w/ Steve and Rob in that I so much loved the first film and thought this film might be a letdown and was never going to expectations set by the first film. No need for worries, this film was just as good, just as funny and better still, both Steve and Rob have remained (aside from Coogan's haircut) them old selves, changing little from when we left them in Northern England, a perfect mixture of affability and arrogance, quick witted, sometimes to the point of absurdity, sprinkled with a tinge of melancholy.

If you love British humour, travel & beautiful scenery, fine food, movies, literature and poetry, and beautiful women......(pretty much all things worth living for)... than this is the movie to watch.

Steve: (looking at a beautiful hotel receptionist walking past) She's has a lovely gait.

Rob: Yes, probably padlocked.

Hilarious!

I was intrigued throughout this movie in that many of the elements central to the story coincided with recent books I had picked up regarding the recurrence and the three-dimensionality of time. And although such a topic would seem overly scientific and antiseptic in terms of the physics of it, in these books, made such an idea a very natural and very human way of making sense of this seemingly chaotic existence of ours. People you love die, people you love leave you, you were young once, now you have aged and seem no longer relevant. What is there to life to look forward to?

This moving, changing, evolving world, driving ahead at its own pace and direction, so much of it out of our control. The Clouds of Sils Maria, i think, represents something eternal one can hold on to in the face of the temporal, something to grasp in the face of moving time.

Assayas, introduces very complex ideas into this simple and elegant story. Binoche, as always, is wonderful. Kristen Stewart was surprisingly good. I'd seen her in the Twilight films and was underwhelmed. Hope she does more good work.

P.S. It was kinda funny in that I was seated next to a teenager, that during the film, showed that he wanted to be anywhere but there, yawning, restless fidgeting, sleeping, while I, in my 40's sat mesmerized. I had to crack a smile as this unfolded in the theatre, mirroring what was happening on the screen.

I had an idea from the opening credits that Damian Szifron's WILD TALES, was going to be fun. Images of animals with the actors' names as counterpart, preparing the audience for the animalistic behavior about to come.

The film is comprised of six separate vignettes, short stories, if you will. These vignettes all begin innocently enough, passengers boarding a plane, a man driving through the desert, a restaurant on a stormy night, a wedding, everyday slices of modern day life. Something occurs to break the routine, the main character responds, then the scene escalates, and escalates, and when you think you've reached the peak, it escalates even more, and finally in the end reaches a perfect balance of comedy and tragedy. The tales are all perfectly relatable and escalate logically and realistically, nothing comes out from left field. All the characters, each flawed in so many ways, remind us so much of ourselves, both at our best and at our worst... and make us laugh and feel in recognition.

Great Movie.

This movie really surprised me. Having loved L'AUBERGE ESPAGNOLE and connecting with the characters and then re-connecting with them in fun- filled Russian DOLLS, I was expecting the third film to slowly wind down their stories. After all, the characters are boring grown ups now, with kids and responsibilities, so how much more fun can they be. But to my surprise, this film was just as much fun, was just as full of joy and energy as the first films,

Having lived a life pretty close to the age of these characters, I felt an even deeper connection with these characters in this film. True, their lives have become much more complicated, but their stories have become richer, their worldview bigger and their lives deeper and so much more meaningful. Klapisch uses many of the same devices, many similar situations that made the first films memorable, but because the central characters are now so well fleshed out, we journey with these characters as fellow travelers, not only thru New York City (as we did in Barcelona and St. Petersburg) but thru life.

I hope this is not the end of the series. It would be a wonderful to travel to more places with these characters and wonder where Klapisch will take them (and us) next.

I don't recall who said this, but the quip "All one needs to make a film is a beautiful girl and a camera", came to mind while watching this film.

Of course, the statement seems a bit harsh to the makers of the film, but it isn't meant to be. If you aren't fascinated with Adele, you probably wouldn't like this film. Personally, I think I could have watched her on screen for another hour or so were I allowed.

Abdellatif Kechiche's work reminds me of the work of Eric Rohmer in that realism, in periphery, is captured but through the eyes of someone who ismagical. It seems quite fitting ironically that his characters discuss Sartre regarding existence preceding essence, for in this film, the essence of the main character drives the existence of the narrative.

Also, I would like to add that in certain frames of the movie, Adele Exarchopoulous is the spitting image of a young Sandrine Bonnaire, who also exploded onto the scene with A NOS AMOURS and VAGABOND some 30 years ago. Adele has big shoes to fill.

ANOTHER EARTH is at its core a science fiction fantasy, but rooted in very human events and in very human emotions. The big idea of the film deals with the discovery of an alternate earth, identical in every way to ours, moving closer towards us... as this is happening Rhoda's life is shattering, her future and her dreams have all been lost. The thrust of the film may seem to speak of luck as a chief defining factor in the outcome of one's life and how very thin a line exists between success and failure. For me, however, the deeper message it invokes has something to do with the stripping away of self illusions(through tragic events)and how that is necessary in order for one to see reality, without all is smoke and mirrors, making visible the real beauty in the world.

I was very touched by the scene with Rhoda and the old man in the hospital....and the ending... it blew me away, not only because it was unexpected, but it seemed right, even though it didn't fit the logic of the movie. It was one the few times in film where the satisfication of the ending was derived in its beauty, not in its logic.

This film reminded me of so many other great films, and has a very European feel to it. Maybe it was the cold weather setting or the ethereal nature in the the face of Brit Marling, but I could catch glimpses of Lasse Halmstrom's MY LIFE AS A DOG (with the Russian cosmonaut reference) and Lars Von Trier's MELANCHOLIA (with the visuals of Earth 2) and Krystof Kieslowski seemed also to have great influence on this film, with his THREE COLOURS:BLUE (the music composition scenes) RED, with the news footage of Rhoda in profile in freeze frame and not to mention, of course, THE DOUBLE LIFE OF VERONIQUE.

A stunning film!

Whenever I watch a great film, I always have a sense of feeling cleansed, as if a soiled part of me has been washed away (for the time being anyway) by something on the screen that touches a better part of my soul. THE HUNT certainly did that for me. The story is a simple one, a man, a teacher, is wrongly accused of sexually misconduct with a young child and his community, filled with old friends and acquaintances, turn on him and make his life a living hell.

Vinterberg's film brings to mind many of the same topics and is loaded with the same visceral feelings that his first film THE CELEBRATION touches upon, sexual deviancy, alienation, the mob mentality of the righteous, mixing innocence with brutality in many of its most heartbreaking scenes. Mikkelsen handles the main character Lucas both with restraint, and a little explosiveness when warranted. It is this fine line between stability and chaos, of the civilized world and anarchy, that give this film an unpredictable quality. The entire cast is wonderful and Vinterberg's direction and writing are spot on. Great Film!

Mr de Oliveira has a lot to answer for with this film. The movie begins with a brilliant setup introducing us to Rosa and her daughter Maria, as they depart on a cruise from Portugal. We follow them on their trip to India, and are treated to beautiful sights and a history lesson at each of their stops, from Marseilles to Pompeii to Athens and Istanbul and Egypt and onward to Saudi Arabia. In between, we meet people along the way who guide the mother and daughter through the maze of history. We are also introduced to the Captain and a group of women who, each speaking their native language, communicate to each other their own views on the trajectory of civilization.....

It is in a small conversation at the end of the film, when Rosa tells Maria, that history essentially is nothing more than men defending their power, much like if someone takes her doll, she would fight to take it back... it is the taking and defending of one's own world.

After this, just when you think the cruise is on a smooth course, the final scene takes the wind out of the sails and we are left aghast. It is a jaunting realization that history is not something confined to books are in conversations over dinner. It is happening, in the now,...even to the most innocent of us.

Here again is an amazing French language film about children....This film brings up so many issues about the state of education in our modern society... the role of the teacher, the administrators, the parents, in the development of our kids... and our society. And the children in this film are all wonderful... smart, caring, funny, and mischievous. I wonder, hypothetically, what children become without someone like MONSIEUR LAZHAR in their lives. I think more and more children have fewer adult role models to look up to. Everyone is so busy, cornered in their own boxes, afraid to step out of bounds, with no time to give...It makes for a secluded...secular world...

Although it took me two nights to view this film, I must say I was very satisfied with it at the end. The arc of the story, spanning over 50 years or so really was truly grand. The film touches on the many personal issues and emotions of its central characters, yet maintains a certain distance, careful not to have us rooting for or against certain characters, while showing sweeping historical changes take place in the background.

The cast is top-notch, especially Karina Smulders, who plays Ada Van Holland, a young, unwordly bride-to-be traveling, for the first time, from Holland to New Zealand. There is a natural, non self-consciousness about her performance that is very appealing. The other members of the cast are also very wonderful. Many flawed characters occupy the screen, but no one beyond redemption and forgiveness. The cumulative affect of the storytelling, between flashback and modern day, was, in the end, deeply personal, and awe-inspiring.

Jean Becker would never be able to make a living as a filmmaker in America. This should not be taken as a critique of him as a filmmaker, rather as a critique of America. This thought came into my mind as I sat virtually alone (with 2 others) in a 200 seat theatre, located in a booming city of over a million, on a Sunday evening, during the first week's release of his latest film MY AFTERNOONS WITH MARGUERITTE. How sad it is to see such a film virtually unnoticed here in the states. Oh well,....

The film tells the story of Germain, played very subtly by Depardieu, who is a gentle giant, a bit slow, but lovable. He lives with an abusive mother, makes a living doing odd jobs around town, spends his free time gardening and drinking with his friends, has a girlfriend whom he adores, and is very much content with his life. One day he meets Margueritte, a woman of 95, sitting alone in the park, reading and feeding the pigeons. A friendship blossoms. They have conversations, exchanging their views on life, she reads to him and even persuades him to pick up a book himself.

Marguerite is content with life, although lonely. She lives at a home for the aged, paid for by a distant relative. Germain gives her a companion, someone to share with the ups and downs of everyday life. She has seen and done much and now is ready to live out the rest of her days quietly. The ending of the film is quite wonderful and I will not spoil it for the reader. Like the ending of Becker's last widely released film CONVERSATIONS WITH MY GARDNER, it may appear to be overly sentimental. It shouldn't. It would be wonderful if more movies ended in such an upbeat way, celebrating life and the joys that simple human kindness can create.

As I try to go back over the film's many details, I find in it so much beauty and wisdom, the kind that is so much needed, but missing from modern life...

High BBC period drama production values, explicit lesbian sex scenes, wickedly funny tongue-in-cheek humor, with wonderful music and songs, What's not to love?

Rachel Stirling really grows on you as Nan. I loved how her character developed, the many series of ups and downs she went through, and her final song onstage having fought her way back to earn such a moment. In the end I was sorry to say goodbye.

memorable moments: *When Nan first sees Kitty onstage and she grabs at her heart.

* Nan's first outing as a streetwalker, servicing an old man... and the music that's playing in the background.

* The wonderful songs, lyrics...my pal Cyril, he's a regular peril when he gives the girls the eye, my pal Cyril, he drinks like the devil, he can drink the dairy dry...etc..

* Florence watching Nan perform with tears of joy...

* all the references to oysters throughout the film..:)

I wish I can see it again for the first time.

I saw this movie over a decade ago at a university and it had stuck in my mind all these years. I re-watched it again recently on DVD and realized why. Although it is a film about the deaf community, it has so much to teach us all about communication in general.

First, the scenes with the children and how they slowly learn, not only from their teachers, but from their classmates, showing both the difficulties and joys of learning how to communicate with one another. Seeing these children courageously push forth on something so unnatural to them was inspiring. Then there are interviews with various people, young and old, each telling the story of how they dealt with being different and learning to communicate with the outside world. Then there were scenes of a cultural exchange program of French and American students that was both touching and inspiring, with the students forming a bond that will last them a lifetime. and Finally, the film documents the marriage of a deaf couple's, their wedding day, their apartment hunting and the birth of their child, all shown so sensitively by Philibert as to inspire all of us to be kinder human beings. This is a first-rate documentary, providing us insight on the deaf, and making each of their stories universal.

I must say that Philibert has a knack of finding interesting people in his documentaries, especially teachers and children. In TO BE AND TO HAVE and this film, the main teachers look surprising alike, tall, graying,balding men with beards with immense amount of patience and passion for teaching. And the children in both these films are all so wonderful.

I caught this movie at our local film festival and found the film fascinating. It tells the story of a young girl Katarina, beautifully played by Alicia Vikander, coming into her own maturity after being exposed to timeless music and poetry. Through abit of courage, she lands a job as a receptionist in city's music center, gradually giving her the skills and independence she needs to succeed in life on her own terms. Her reality is ugly at times, with a mother who is messed up and suicidal. She depends on the men in her life to give her the necessities in life. But soon we see her stronger side, longing for this new reality of beauty and poetry missing from her old life...but it's not that easy, and she does things that are wrong, terribly wrong...A conscience, though, is not a luxury she can all afford. I think the director wants us to take pity on Katarina. Katarina, I think, doesn't want that.

Alicia Vikander is wonderful in the role. She reminds me of a young Sandrine Bonnaire. This is a star-making film for her and I'm looking forward to what she's going to do next.

I was debating whether or not to walk into this movie. I had no idea what this movie was about and I was tired and there was another movie I wanted to watch at the local film festival. Sometimes in life though...you make good decisions, and I'm so glad I took the plunge.

I have to say that the main reason to watch this film is for Carice Van Houten's wonderful performance. She covers the gamut of emotions as Lea, a happily married woman confronting her own demons and emotions after the undergoing the traumatic birth of her first child. She takes her character in directions that are totally unexpected. It is vibrant and wonderful. There is an initial prejudice, of course, in that she so very attractive, physically, but she portrays Lea so convincingly, with so many dimensions....that as the movie went along, she became even more beautiful, if that's possible. At the end of the film, you felt as if you've been cleansed.

The idea that there are so many good movies out there, so many good books, so much good art..that I have not yet encountered makes me excited. I'm so happy that there is always the possibility of finding small gems like this out there, made by people with great care, for the betterment of the world.

This is a really excellent movie, centered around the lives of two women and their children. It starts off very slowly...and builds.. and builds... until finally at the end it explodes. The scope of the film is huge, touching on issues such as addiction, motherhood in the modern age, sexuality, marriage, infidelity, family relationships...etc ..of the lies we live with, the lies we tell ourselves, the games we play with our own lives in relationship with the lives of others. The situations are complex, disturbingly so, with no real answers other than holding on tight those we love.. I wish I could describe it better,... just watch it for yourself.

Sometimes you watch a film and within the first few minutes, you understand the story, know where it is going, and know somewhat how it will end. It was this case with me when watching this film. You somehow know that the Redlich family will remain in Africa during the war, surving the best they can while their families will perish in Germany, and that after the war, they will return back to their homeland.

It is in the richness of the details, the characters, the African people, landscape, that gives this movie its value. There are so many scenes in this movie that break your heart, and so many that fill it, that by the end of the film, you've really felt you've been someplace, and that you've traveled in good company.

To me, this episode represents the best of what BRAMWELL has to offer the viewer. It runs the gamut of emotions all in an hour's episode. We begin with Dr. Bramwell and Dr Marsham at the fair, with both doctors having fun, enjoying themselves, something they seldom have time for. Then they meet Rose, who suffers kinda from Elephant Man's disease, with a huge protrusion on her forehead. Eleanor thinks that it is merely a tumor and thinks she can rid her of this growth. When they finally operate, they find that it is not what they expected. Mistakes have been made and Rose becomes a vegetable. The pain Eleanor must deal with realizing that Rose may be TRAPPED, unable to move or speak, but still conscious of her surroundings is almost unbearable. She has certainly ruined Rose's life, but with the best of intentions, and she must learn to live with it. This episode deals with the issue of class, family and intense suffering for the mistakes one makes, despite the most professional of diagnosis' and the best of intentions. It is painful to watch, no one is at fault, but people suffer... greatly and there is nothing anyone can do.

turn of the century London....a thrift infirmary treating patients with the diseases and scourges of the day....graphic depictions of 19th century medical practices, including operations, amputations, etc... a beautiful lady doctor with a heart of gold and a stubborn streak...YES PLEASE....MAY I HAVE SOME MORE! I'd jump off a ladder if there was a chance I'd get treatment from Jemma Redgrave. I can look at her all day.

I've got to stop watching shows like this. It only makes it harder in real life...finding real women to compare to the likes of Eleanor Bramwell