view all categories

Posts Tagged ‘French New Wave’

No Gravatar

Another Mother’s Day has passed (I hope you had a good one) but luckily for you the Top 10 Movie Moms are available all year round - here’s the final Top 10 - including 2 new ones not yet profiled! Keep in mind these Moms may not be the most typical (they’re all actually pretty unique) , but they are definitely the most dynamic and interesting to watch on the screen.

10. Carol White in Todd Haynes’ Safe

A disturbing and eeery portrait of a California housewife and step-mom that suddenly turns sick from the chemicals in the air is in part an attack of suburban culture and in part a more general metaphor for the AIDS epidemic. But these social critiques aside, Julianne Moore’s turn as Carol White is a fascinating look at a woman who wants more that to run a house. The scene of Carol at a pals baby shower, when a young child is sitting on her lap as she starts to experience an attack will sit with you for some time… As will the last moment of the film. It’s a true testament to the side our mother’s keep to themselves…

And even though Carol may have had other problems, to ensure we all have clean air to breathe!

Read the rest of this entry »

Join TakePart's community today!


No Gravatar

The eighth look at one of my favorite movie moms. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are here)

Gilberte Doinel in Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows

She is definitely one of cinemas worst moms (in a conventional sense) but the scene where Antione Doinel tells his teacher that his mother is dead is without a doubt one of the most memorable in cinema history. The 400 Blows wouldn’t be the same without it’s antagonist and if you’re a Truffaut and French New Wave lover, you probably can’t help but think that if Truffaut’s mother (who he based Gilbrete Doinel on) wasn’t so awful, that he might not have needed to escape into the cinema.. And that would have been a terrible thing.

And on the note of kids watching movies, to learn about Facet’s Chicago International Children’s Film Festival Young Critics Camp! And definitely click click click to see some great scenes from the film.

Read the rest of this entry »

Join TakePart's community today!


No Gravatar

When I first saw the trailer for Christophe Honore’s new film Love Songs I didn’t know what to make of it. What started out as a Antoine Doinelesque (Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board) look at 3 lovers, soon turned into a montage of French songs, with the actors singing and moving to the music. At first it wasn’t clear if the characters were supposed to be singing, but then it became obvious that the film was in fact a musical. I saw the trailer 2-3 more times in the next week and by the 3rd time I was getting into it quite a bit and YouTube’d it.

After maybe 12 viewings, I knew I wanted to see the film. So when I heard that the director Christophe Honore and star Louis Garrel would be in Brooklyn on March 2nd for an advanced screening, I bought my ticket right away, expecting a fun and musical movie experience. The film had moments of fun and great songs, but it was darker than expected and after the Q&A I realized it was also more political than it appeared.

Read the rest of this entry »

Join TakePart's community today!