Tagged: movies
The King’s Speech – An English Movie
Although Britain isn’t exactly famous for its films, the King’s Speech is one of the best made in recent years. It tells the true story of King George VI, and his journey to the throne after his brother abdicated. Before he was king, ‘Bertie’ (as he was know to his family) was a quiet family man with a stammer and no confidence. He even struggled doing the few formal speeches required before he wasKking. After his brother fell in love with an American divorcee – Wallace Simpson – he gives up his right to the throne, choosing his off-limits wife over being king. This means the job is handed over to Bertie, who is devastated. But with the help of a quirky Australian speech therapist, Lionel Logue, the King gains the skills and confidence he needs to guide his country. With an outstanding cast including Colin Firth (who I am slightly in love with) and Helena Bonham-Carter, this is an amazing movie and I would definitely recommend it. Apart from anything, you get to learn a little of English royal history….
Les Intouchables – A French Movie
Although it came out a year and a half ago in France, this movie only hit our screens last September, and had mixed reviews (from real critics). To be honest, we have to disagree with what most of the critics said… It was suuuuch a great movie, and absolutely hilarious in parts. The acting is really, really good and it’s not as clichéd as it could have been… We’d definitely recommend it (although half the newspaper reviewers wouldn’t).
This is what Philip French of the Observer has to say about it:
“Based on a true story” but more than a little tweaked, this popular movie is to be France’s entry for the best foreign language film Oscar. It’s a polished account of the odd-couple friendship between Philippe (François Cluzet), a rich, handsome, cultivated quadriplegic, and his new carer, Driss (Omar Sy), an intelligent, charismatic, uneducated young working-class west African who has done time for robbery. What draws them together is their total honesty, sense of humour and contempt for stuffy bourgeois hypocrisy, and the general gaucheness of nearly everyone around them. It’s as slick as an oil spill, as sugary as an eclair, and many moviegoers will find it irresistible.”
Átame – A Spanish Movie
I have to say, I didn’t really enjoy Átame. Although you expect something slightly weird/ messed up when you sit down to an Almodóvar movie, this just wasn’t fun to watch. It’s about a guy (who happens to be a young Antonio Banderas) who escapes from a mental asylum with the aim of making an ex-porn star woman his wife. In order to do this, he holds her hostage in her own home. Yep. So far, not so good. To make matters worse, she starts to fall in love with him in what seems to be a very short period of time. She seems to have something like Stockholm Syndrome, but even so the end of the movie is unsatisfying and kinda sad. At the time of release in Spain in 1990, the movie received generally positive reviews from Spanish critics and (according to Wikipedia) reached an audience of one million in the country. However, Átame didn’t enjoy the same kind of success in other countries… Apparently, German’s just didn’t get it, and a certain English reviewer thought it was “essentially humourless”. In America, issues were raised over the movie’s rating in cinemas, and various feminist groups complained about the portrayal of sadomasochist undertones regarding the victimization of women. Although usually I loooove Almodóvar’s movies (check out this post), this film I just wouldn’t recommend.
Untouchable – a French movie
Who doesn’t like going to watch a movie in another language (with subtitles), right? It’s really good that even mainstream cinemas like the Vue chain in London are showing foreign languages, the main one recently being “Untouchable“. Although it came out a year ago in France, it only hit our screens last week, and has had mixed reviews. To be honest, I had to disagree with what most of the critics said: I thought it was a great movie, and absolutely hilarious in parts. The acting is really, really good and it’s not as clichéd as it could have been… I’d definitely recommend it (although half the newspaper reviewers wouldn’t).
OUR RATING – 
This is what Philip French of the Observer has to say about it:
“Based on a true story” but more than a little tweaked, this popular movie is to be France’s entry for the best foreign language film Oscar. It’s a polished account of the odd-couple friendship between Philippe (François Cluzet), a rich, handsome, cultivated quadriplegic, and his new carer, Driss (Omar Sy), an intelligent, charismatic, uneducated young working-class west African who has done time for robbery. What draws them together is their total honesty, sense of humour and contempt for stuffy bourgeois hypocrisy, and the general gaucheness of nearly everyone around them. It’s as slick as an oil spill, as sugary as an eclair, and many moviegoers will find it irresistible.”
And here’s the trailer, so you can see just how good it is:
German Movie – Goodbye Lenin!
Goodbye Lenin! (2003)
This movie is set just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The main character, Alex, lives with his mother and sisters in East Germany. Alex takes part in an anti-government protest one day, and his mother watches as he gets arrested. In total shock, his mother has a heart attacked which induces her into a coma. Without giving too much away, after the fall of the Berlin Wall Alex’s mother wakes up, but knowing what has happened to her beloved East Germany would bring on a fatal heart attack. Alex then visits his mother regularly, pretending everything is the same…
The movie, which stars Daniel Bruehl as Alex, won various German film awards as well as being nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe. It’s a really good movie because you learn a lot, especially if you don’t know much/ anything about Germany at the end of the 1980s.
Here’s the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIjSaHUKD5I
the europhiles 