Saturday, June 2, 2012

(30) Stars of Summer - Day 2: Catherine Deneuve

It's getting French in here.

In case you forgot what to do, here are the rules. And if you need help finding a movie to watch, check out this list of all the month's actors with links to what's available on Netflix Instant. And if you're not a Netflix subscriber, maybe this will help.

Catherine Deneuve. I'm jealous of anyone who gets to watch The Hunger.

14 comments:

  1. May I recommend A Christmas Tale if you're using Instant; fabulous movie.

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  2. Going to comment on THE HUNGER as soon as I take a cold shower, amiright??

    It's pretty great to see a vampire movie really go all-in on the relationship between vampirism and sexuality and come out on top. Though I could have done without that synth portion of the soundtrack in the third act that sounded like an armpit fart.

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  3. I took Patrick’s dare and watched THE HUNGER. Yes, the sex scene was appropriately sexy, but the best parts of the movie were Deneuve’s scenes with David Bowie, especially when she says goodbye to him (if you’ve seen it, you know the part I mean). Also, the part where the little girl plays her violin for Bowie? Dang. Tony Scott gets a lot of crap for being Mr. Style-Over-Substance, but his visual flourishes really elevated this one to something more than just an exploitation flick. Cool horror movie.

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    1. I'm ashamed to admit I actually haven't seen it. I'm just aware of its reputation. Well, the reputation of some scenes. A scene.

      Thanks for joining in, Mac! Everyone should download Mac McEntire's novel, Cine High, for the Kindle or laptop! I did!

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  4. Just watched Repulsion - a good slow-burning, descent into madness film by everyone's favourite statutory rapist, Roman Polanski. It's a well-acted but subdued performance by Deneuve, so probably not the best film to watch to get a sense of HER personality. I should probably go watch The Hunger.

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  5. Just finished The Hunger. I think Mark Ahn said it best when he said, "(.)(.)"

    I liked the movie, but didn't love it and can't imagine having much desire to see it again. If nothing else, it's interesting to see the seeds of Tony Scott's 732-cuts-per-minute style beginning to blossom right there in his first feature.

    Also, bonus points for the credit "Make-up Illusions by Dick Smith and Carl Fullerton". Thats boss.

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  6. THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964)

    While lacking the whimsy one might expect from a G-rated musical, this grounded, sometimes tragic, story of two lovers separated by a military commitment is as infectious as any Gene Kelly classic. The organic melding of dialogue and music as a technical feat is comparable to the single shot filmmaking used in RUSSIAN ARK and ROPE.

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  7. REPULSION--

    Surprisingly disturbing. The creepy moments have actually dated very well, even in scenes where the technical aspects haven't. Like Sol has said, Deneuve is pretty subdued, but it's obviously what the performance called for.

    Got into a debate with resident F'er JB over possible interpretations of the film's ending. One thing we could agree on though is that, knowing Polanski, he never intended to have the ending cut into stone.

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  8. We watched Repulsion, too. It took me a long time to get into it, but it kept getting better and better as it went along. Some of it played like a parody of a student film, but that's probably because a lot of student films play like a parody of Repulsion. In the end, I really, really liked it. And holy cow is she pretty.

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    1. I agree with everything this guy Patrick says. Let me add - she has GREAT legs, too. :) I really liked this film and can't believe it took me so long to see it.

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  9. Yes, Repulsion. One of the most disturbing final images ever.
    And lots to argue about.

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  10. Surprise! I ALSO watched Repulsion. I am not sure I liked it. While I connected with Deneuve's performance -- she was arresting -- I never quite connected with the character. And like Emeric, I found my Deneuve selection decidedly “lacking in whimsy.” Unless “Whimsy” was the name of the rabbit.

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    1. AHHHHH!!!!! The rabbit. Rabbits have rough lives in cinema.

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  11. "THE LAST METRO" (1980)

    Not Truffaut's best (he became the type of director he criticized when he wrote for 'Cahiers du Cinéma') but a compelling and intelligent WWII French resistance drama. "Inglorious Basterds" fans will recognize the framework of the importance of art (theater in this case) as a worthy way to resist the Nazi occupation. As the muse at the center of the chaos Deneuve is fine (a little too old for the part though).

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