Its not everyday that we watch a film that is strikingly different than cinema on the whole, but this beautiful, dark, twisted, French fantasy really is something to behold. Equal parts Laika, Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, and German Expressionism, Marc Caro and Jean Pierre-Jeunet take us somewhere that can only exist in dreams or nightmares #SilverDollar
Tag: French
Dollar Reviews 043: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets/Dunkirk
Things start off with the culmination of our Luc Besson Debt to Cinema chain, his long gestating, must see in 3D, comic book adaptation then segue into Christopher Nolan’s larger than life, humanistic war flick (20:30) and my horrible experience watching it. Next Steve tries to lighten the mood with A Ghost Story (46:50), Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and Little Hours (49:10). Finally I dipped into the anime again with Food Wars (52:47) and Inuyasha (54:50) + my first impressions of my New Nintendo 3DS XL (57:38).
Debt to Cinema 097: Léon (The Professional)
Inspired by Steve’s pick the week before and doubly so once Ashley decreed we would watch Valerian together, I decided to give Luc Besson another go. Whereas Nikita was a deep cut, Leon is the film that made his career and I finally gave it the view it deserved #IdBuyThatForADollar
Debt to Cinema 096: La Femme Nikita
Leave it to America to make a proudly Parisian film even more French, this Luc Besson romantic thriller bleeds angst and oozes style. Before the two remakes and equally as many American TV adaptations, this is the breakthrough international piece of cinema which made the EuropaCorp president an action impresario and household name #IdBuyThatForADollar
Debt to Cinema 081: The Fly (1958)
Winding up our remake series is the original Fox adaptation of last week’s Cronenberg masterpiece. Despite the Cinemascope, nice color, and general likeness between the two flicks, we found ourselves mostly unkind to this first outing starring Vincent Price. There’s a lot to be said about the power a remake can have and even more about the nature of sequels here, but this version is sadly, proof re-imaginings can be a good thing.
Dollar Reviews 031: Elle
If the name Paul Verhoeven doesn’t mean anything to you, chances are you’ve never thought about our site’s branding. Robocop is one of those films that just gets me, so finally having the chance to not only catch it’s director’s latest work, but also review something of his for the first time, was a special treat for us. Given the nature of this flick, we are mum on details, but you can tune into A Few Dollars More for the juicier conversation.
Debt to Cinema 066: Joyeux Noel
German, French, English, the entire world was involved in the war this film is centered around, but it takes a miracle to remind them we’re all the same. The supposedly true event at the heart of this is beautiful, I just wish more surrounding it was actualized. Moving from the horrors of the holiday to this humbling reminder of what makes us human, especially in the face of turmoil, is about as nutty life gets around Christmas (well, until next week that is…)
Debt to Cinema 039: The Red Violin
What the world needs now, is love, sweet love, its the only thing there’s just too little of – especially for Classical music. That’s not the topic exactly, but it is instrumental in the main character’s creation. This is the second sabbatical episode and our first attempt at a new intro. Even if it sucks, hopefully us trying something new can get you to share what you thought.
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