Movies
Lush and extravagant winter fairy tale. For some reason this Disney adaptation of the Nutcracker flunked, but it's one of the nicer things I've seen them do the past couple of years. Imaginative and beautifully realised fantasy elements make this one worth the gamble. Better than I expected.
Simple but sweet feel-good film. It tells the story of a reincarnating dog as he ponders the reason of his existence. There's a little drama, but it never gets too sour or downbeat. The film looks nice and dreamy, the dogs are cute as hell and even though it doesn't leave that big of an impression, it's not a bad way to spend 100 minutes.
With Lasse Hallström behind the camera, it's no surprise this film ended up pretty sentimental and cheesy. That said, it's not really his worst film either. It felt like a lamer take on Perfume, where smell is substituted with chocolate and the romance gets a more prominent place in the spotlight. Vianne lives in a small, dormant town in France. Time stood still here, its inhabitants devout and submissive Christians. Things take a sharp turn when Vianne opens up a chocolate store and seduces the people of the village with her sweets. Not everyone is happy with Vianne's intrusion, certainly not the mayor who feels his power is slipping away. The quirky setup and somewhat self-conscious tone make this film watchable, but the performances are relatively weak and Hallström's direction is pretty tame. This isn't the visceral and overwhelming experience it could've been, instead it's a decent enough charmer which lacks impact.Read all
One of Lasse Hallström's earlier features. I'm not a big fan of the director, and Happy We contains his particular brand of cheese, but there's a kind of gleeful joy present that is dearly missing from his USA work. The film is light and comfortable, even when the drama has the potential to darker and more introspective. A trio of friends reunites after a very long time. Growing up, the three of them were inseparable, but through the years they lost track of each other. When they meet up again, they reminisce about the old days, but as they rekindle their friendship, new feeling start to brew between the old friends. There's a goofiness and lightheartedness that is really quite endearing, though it does fade to the background once we get past the halfway mark. The performances are solid but not too remarkable, the drama remains light and the pacing is solid. Not the greatest film, but better than expected.Read all
Lumière and Company
