Au Revoir
Posted by: j_john
Yesterday I dragged Andrew down to the Fox Tower to see this crap French film, Bon Voyage. I was upfront about my motivations--this was my latest chance to see my beloved Virginie Ledoyen on the big screen. We had a good analytical talk about it on the brisk walk back to the Hott Denn, being especially critical of the melodrama and overuse of "classic film conventions" that made it into a dumb attempt to Hollywood-ize something that could have been uniquely French. There was one scene where the camera zoomed-in on the nemesis of our protagonist and he totally raised his eyebrow and glared menacingly. What should have been an interesting plot about false-imprisionment during the outbreak of France's occupation by the Germans in WWII ended up focusing most of its attention on Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Adjani, who are convincingly annoying in their respective roles as a French minister and a movie actress. Then the American actor Peter Coyote enters the picture from somewhere, playing a French journalist who is really a German spy. Weird casting.
At least Virginie had some good screen time, and she inhabits the role of nerdy-but-cute student girl well.
City Slicker
Posted by: j_john
St. Paul, MN:
Woke up to get the trusty paper, the StarTribune, and was greeted by the local deer population. Later I went for a run and had a lengthy staredown with an emaciated fox. He finally got out of my way but stayed interested in my pace (or perhaps he wanted my iPod). Squirrels with red coats and acorns are everywhere, and it's leading me to think that I need more nature in my life.
Next up, a run around Pleasant Lake.
Japanese Story
Posted by: j_john
Recently I've been going through a bunch of Japanese cinema (Kurosawa and Ozu) and most recently watched Ozu's "Tokyo Story", which deals with the dynamics of a family with grown children who aren't able to spare the time to be with their parents. It was depressing to see the bickering and selfishness in that film and how it applies to my life and the lives of pretty much everyone. The universal truths and elegant simplicity of life. At first I thought I was bored by Ozu, hopefully I can come to understand the relevance and deeper significance of his realistic approach to cinema.
Kurosawa might have been more fun to watch (what with the Samurais and all), but right now I need something that speaks to me with a realistic voice. Or maybe I'm just kidding myself. Say, I guess I still want to see "Dawn of the Dead."
