Well, we missed the boat on getting our early-year movie post out to you, but we sincerely hope that going to the cinema more often is one of your good resolutions for 2015! In any case, we’re trying to help you with that!
And since the month of February has just begun, it’s the perfect opportunity to offer you a first look at what’s playing in theaters right now.
Two former “Robins des Bois” at the movies
This month, we’re highlighting two big kids of French cinema, two major figures from the much-missed troupe “Les Robins des Bois”, Jean-Paul Rouve and Marina Fois. The former steps behind the camera for “Les souvenirs”, while the latter gets into a hair-pulling fight with Laurent Lafitte in “Papa ou maman”. Emotion, laughter, and major meltdowns on the agenda!
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Papa ou Maman
The Alpe d’Huez Comedy Film Festival
just delivered its verdict! “Papa ou Maman” won the Audience Award. Is it a well-deserved prize? When two masters of comedy share the screen for a wacky film, well yes, it works!
Marina Foïs and Laurent Lafitte form a wild and hallucinating couple, touched by hate, neurosis, and excess, all under the direction of Martin Bourboulon, for whom this is his first feature film.
And yet the pitch is simple: Florence and Vincent decide to divorce by mutual agreement, in a rather cordial, even friendly atmosphere. But when they both simultaneously receive a dream promotion that sends them abroad, war is declared.
The cause? Doing everything possible to avoid getting custody of their three children. A cruelty that often clashes with political correctness, in an emphatic style with quirky and self-assured dark humor, much like American comedies in the style of the Farrelly brothers. Because rare are the comedies in France that dare to stage acts as unhealthy and immoral (but so enjoyable) as those of parents against their children.
It’s hard not to think of the cult film “The War of the Roses” in this little Machiavellian game between a husband and his wife, where the worst tricks are considered. Back then, Kathleen Turner and Michael Douglas lit up the screen, unleashing a delicious hatred whose dramatic outcome remains legendary.
Laurent Lafitte and Marina Foïs have nothing to envy them for, as their infernal race is masterfully executed from start to finish with a contagious hysteria, amplified by the nervous and nuanced direction of Martin Bourboulon.
“Papa ou Maman” subverts the clichés of the perfect, united family, sparing none of its members, with parents moving from complicity to tearing each other apart, all under the eyes of their unbearable children whom you just want to slap…
And that works out perfectly, as they dare to go all the way, even to a hilarious slapping scene during which the viewer shamefully thinks: “Ha! Serves them right!”. The film surprises thanks to a neurotic atmosphere, where the norm and calm cleverly herald the arrival of a storm.
Table of Contents
Directed by Martin Bourboulon, starring Marina Foïs and Laurent Lafitte
Running time: 1h25
In theaters starting February 4, 2015
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Les Souvenirs
We all know Jean-Paul Rouve the actor, the hilarious and bumbling comedian of the “Robins des Bois”. At the start of this year, he returns to us in the role of the master of ceremonies, behind a subtle, gentle, and tender camera.
Because with “Les souvenirs”, Jean-Paul Rouve opens up to melancholy and simplicity, creating a film imbued with emotion without ever totally forgetting comedy. The seriousness and grace that emanate from the whole never stop the director from returning to his first loves.
For his third feature film, Jean-Paul Rouve calls on his great friend, writer David Foenkinos, to adapt his novel “Les souvenirs”. Two artists attached to simplicity, to the lives of “real people,” to their states of mind and their self-questioning. It is a family story, with its difficulties, its sorrows, and its moments of joy, expressed so well by the words of Foenkinos, and skillfully transposed to the screen by the honest eye of Jean-Paul Rouve.
The film follows the journey of Romain, a young aspiring writer who goes in search of his grandmother when she runs away from her nursing home. The bond that unites them drifts toward a hunt for memories, a confrontation with the past. For his part, his freshly retired father is bored to death and sees his marriage fall apart…
The film benefits from beautiful craftsmanship, a postcard effect that illustrates the sweetness of nostalgia so well. Annie Cordy plays a grandmother endearing in her sincerity; far from the popular singer, she transforms into a vibrant actress who makes hearts tremble and the camera, presumably seduced.
The complicity that unites the grandson and the grandmother raises the question of generational conflict, with youth and old age meeting at the turning point of tragic events. The present ignores the past, which resurfaces to better face the future.
How do we understand and support our family? How do we face the gloom of everyday life? How do we learn from our elders? So many questions raised many times in our heads, which take on their full meaning in this spiraling staging.
The family circle is part of the circle of existence. Among the austere aspects of life, Jean-Paul Rouve cheats a bit on Foenkinos’s book, inserting a few notes of humor, thus supporting the theory of the roller coaster.
Life is sometimes tragic, sometimes comic. The past of Jean-Paul Rouve is never far away. But “Les souvenirs” marks his love for the true, with fiction sometimes paying it the most vibrant of tributes.
Directed by Jean-Paul Rouve, starring Michel Blanc, Chantal Lauby, Annie Cordy, and Mathieu Spinosi
Running time: 1h36
In theaters since January 14, 2015
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10th Mobile Film Festival: 1 minute to convince!
It’s already been 10 years since the Mobile Film Festival made its debut. A concept that can be summed up in three words: A mobile, a film, a minute. A simplicity that encompasses a grand project, where anyone can improvise as a filmmaker. One minute to tell a story, let your imagination run free, work on your style and your narrative. An exercise more complex than it seems.
A Festival that encourages “home-made” and multiplies the chances for enthusiasts to achieve acclaim: obtaining a 15,000-euro grant to make a short film with professional resources and a team. The film will subsequently be premiered at the following Festival.
An event that has attracted the interest of great filmmakers (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Claude Lelouch, Jan Kounen) whose keen eye has contributed to encouraging this new mode of expression that never ceases to surprise and gain in quality, thanks to constantly evolving technology.
The era of low-quality amateur films is over; today, mobile devices are high-performance tools. Some of these “very” short films border on professionalism and ingenuity. Perfect lighting, HD image, stylized editing.
The Festival has become a showcase for progress and the spokesperson for a new generation of filmmakers whose technical, artistic, and narrative prowess commands admiration.
Each year, a prestigious jury (chaired this time by director Gérard Krawczyk) composed of cinema or media personalities will award 6 prizes during the closing ceremony, which will take place on February 10th (by invitation): Best Directing, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Film.
Improvise as a jury member by voting for your favorite film as well. All the short films in competition can be seen on the Festival website.
The winner will receive the Audience Award worth 3000 euros, thus contributing to the funding of a short film. Also find the testimonials of Gad Elmaleh and Danièle Thompson, who share their experience as former jury presidents.
A grand Festival whose educational aim is also to be commended, since the organizers have created the “Mobile Film Academy” this year, allowing winners from the last 4 editions to participate for free in workshops with the goal of training in film professions.
An opening towards the future offering these budding talents the possibility to meet professionals from this prestigious world of the seventh art. An event that does not skimp on resources to give these enthusiasts the chance to get a foot in an environment deemed inaccessible. Talent finally rewarded!
You have until tonight to vote on the Mobile Film Festival website!
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Festival Ciné Junior
A very quick message to also tell you about a Festival that is in its 28th edition, the Festival Ciné Junior, which is taking place right now in Val-de-Marne until February 10, 2015.
In total, 33 locations spread across the department offer over 100 films and 300 screenings for children and young people aged 3 to 15.
On the program: screenings, workshops, meet-and-greets, snacks, gifts to be won…
Festival Ciné Junior
From January 28 to February 10, 2015
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“From Rome to Paris”, 11 Italian films at the Arlequin Cinema
The 7th edition of the “From Rome to Paris” event will take place from February 19 to 22 at the Arlequin Cinema. This event is organized by L’UNEFA, the National Association of Film and Audiovisual Exporters, with the support of the Directorate General for Cinema, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and Tourism, and the collaboration of the Italian Cultural Institute of Paris.
On the program, 11 films to discover all the richness of the previous year’s Italian production.
The tip: screenings are free admission subject to availability.
L’Arlequin Cinema
76 rue de Rennes – 75006 Paris
From February 19 to 22, 2015
article written by Julie Brando and Mademoiselle Bon Plan
