Barbe Bleue

Barbe Bleue Trailer

Can't wait to see this one in the theater. Its based on a French Fable and directed by my favorite, Catherine Breillat. Other movies of hers to check out:

The Last Mistress

Besides Head-On, this is my favorite film about love and marriage.

Fat Girl

The French title is To My Sister, don't ask me why they changed it for the states. This one is already on Criterion. Vite vite.

Romance

Seasoned film watchers only please. I don't need any hate mail.

Can You Tell I Hate the Oscars?

I found out the winners of this years Academy Awards via text message— working on a film, hanging out in a kitchen, waiting for my lighting cue. Not only did I want Kathryn Bigelow and the Hurt Locker to win everything, I had a systematic answer to why they would.

District 9: Nope. The Oscars went international last year. "Slumdog Millionaire was such a great film. And it was foreign!"

Up: Nope. Sorry y'all. We're still a few years away from giving Best Picture to a cartoon. (Even if it was a perfect one.)

Precious: Nope. Black Oscars just happened in 2002.

Avatar: No way. They can't reward Cameron for making the same movie again. He got his rocks off with Titanic. Boom. Done.

An Education: Nope. It's an actual foreign film, and we all know those are boring.

Blind Side: Sure. The Academy is going to throw away Best Picture on a "small independent" movie. Not happening.

A Serious Man: The Coen Brothers can do no wrong. The Academy can't give an Oscar to them every time they make a film.

Up in the Air: Nope. Too topical. Plus, I can't quite put my finger on the relationship between Clooney and Hollywood. All I know is that the time isn't right yet. (I know he didn't direct or write this one, but anything Mr. Clooney is in, is a Clooney project.)

Inglourious Basterds: No. I'm pretty sure the Academy has been goddamn frightened of Quentin Tarantino ever since they awarded him Best Screenplay for Pulp Fiction in 1994.

The Hurt Locker: The last man standing. It's the best movie made about the Iraq war to date, directed by a woman who has been making films (not always great ones) for over twenty years. Did you catch that? Directed by a woman. Which means it "signifies" something. The Academy couldn't resist.

Can you tell I hate the Oscars? I will admit I'm cartwheeling all over the place considering Ms. Bigelow and my favorite movie won, but it's all too easy to predict. If you want to get a feel for what the best movie of the year was, or better yet, a movie that represents what is happening in cinema at any given time, check out the Palme d'Or or the Golden Bear. In fact, make yourself a list from these awards. And I'm not afraid to smack you around if you don't.