Category: Movies

les Cowboys,

This is a unique look at France, social/cultural conflicts and a family tragedy set in the remote countryside.  Screenwriter Thomas Bidegain is the Director of this striking drama.

Apparently the cowboy culture was a strong influence of rural France in the 1990s.  The story is vaguely based on the 1956 John Ford classic The Searchers when John Wayne searches for his niece, Natalie Cole, after being kidnapped by Comanches.

In the French production, the father and son of the kidnapped daughter, apparently abducted by the jihadist boyfriend, search for years to find their loved one.

This film is not always easy to watch.  It is often confusing and difficult to follow. It is also riveting and beguiling.  I will take a chance here and predict you have seen nothing quite like it before.  Much of the subject matter is timely and the run time of 144 minutes seemed to fly by.

Rating: 

Independence Day: Resurgenence

Independence Day: Resurgence is the newest in the film series just released, coincidently, a week before our 4th of July holiday.  Only this time the aliens are coming with a space ship some 3,000 miles wide.

Earth has built extensive defense outposts on the moon (talk about too little, too late?!), and earth’s brave warriors engage the foe in an attempt to thwart the attack.

All the special effects and the few cameo appearances that add a little humor to the ridiculous script are not enough to make lemonade out of this sour fruit.

There are a bunch of new releases that will more than make up for this disappointment.  Save your money.

Rating:

Free State of Jones

This movie is based on true events near the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction.  It is my understanding Director Gary Ross was acutely respectful of history during the making of this film.  Critics are mixed on their satisfaction.  We liked it with a few misgivings.

Most importantly, it is a reminder of our history, in this case, much of it horrific and unimaginable.  But is also a story of hope, tenacity and perserverence.

The acting is quite good and its release is undoubtedly targeted at the current political process and the turbulent cultural landscape.  It’s not perfect but it is pretty darn good.  It is two hours and 14 minutes long.  Good idea to stock up on popcorn and soft drinks!

Rating: 

Tickled

This is arguably one of the most unique documentaries we’ve ever seen.  What began as a lighthearted expose of the on-line tickling phenom and the industry behind it takes a turn to the creepy underworld of adult erotic entertainment and the not nice people behind that.

Reporters from New Zealand seek to learn more and become embroiled in a weird undercurrent where lighthearted fun becomes some sort of mean spirited control including character assassination.

Truly unbelievable film making, storytelling and investigative reporting.  You have never seen anything quite like it.  It is one of those stories where the reality is really stranger than fiction.  Seek this out.  Very limited distribution.

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We have not seen a movie worthy of our 4 globe rating since early April.  Finally, the log jam broke this week with the release of several award worthy films.

Finding Dory and the preceding Pixar’s Animated Short film Piper will clearly be early Oscar contenders in their respective categories.

The Conjuring 2

As was the case in the first Conjuring film, The Conjuring 2 is based on real events in 1977, in the Enfield borough North of London.  The Hodgson family, mother and four children, struggle when the family encounter demonic and malicious spirits.

Real life paranormal investigators , Ed and Lorraine Warren are summoned by the church to journey to Britain to help the family.

This movie is well crafted, well acted and is certain to make audience squirm.  While it was often quite tense, it is sure to become another classic.  Do not miss the final revelation just before the credits!

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Finding Dory

The much anticipated Finding Dory opened this weekend topping the box office charts over $136 million.

Our theater was filled with parents children in tow.  The best surprise, the children were absolutely quiet.  Not a peep until the very end when a toddler announced, “Wow, that was good!” to thunderous laughter.

The youngster was right.  It was not only good, it was exceptional.  The right balance of Dory’s confusion, discovery, and acceptance.  It introduced a bunch of new supporting characters, many will undoubtedly become regulars to the already enormous Pixar/Disney stable.  You can expect to see more of a  new octopus superstar very soon.

Rating:

Genius

I was surprised to discover so many mixed reviews about Genius, a film about the famed Editor Maxwell Perkins (brilliantly played by Colin Firth) and his friendship/guidance with author Thomas Wolfe (portrayed for Jude Law).

The screenwriter, John Logan, shines.  I have a new admiration for Editor’s of the period, and their staff.  Imagine those poor typists with manual typewriters hammering away on thousands of pages of text, most of which would never see print.

It is the amazing cast that really brings this story about complex lives and conflicted relationships to fruition.  Add to Firth and Law; Nicole Kidman as the needy Author’s wife and Laura Linney as the Editor’s spouse.  Guy Pearce as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dominic West as Ernest Hemingway and Vanessa Kirby as Zelda Fitzgerald.

Ultimately, it stimulated my imagination.  What a fascinating time in history.  What interesting people.  What extraordinary perspectives and personalities.

Rating:

Now You See Me 2

Here is another release with mixed reviews.  I’m not sure why.  It was more of what the first release offered, clever concepts, mostly likable characters, an original presentation, and enough twists and turns to compete with a rollercoaster.

Yes, there are scenes that are less than perfect.  Others stretch plausibility to the extreme.  And some scenes make no sense at all, did anybody really believe Daniel Radcliffe as the thug?!

Okay, so less than perfect, but I will say, the 129 minutes run time flew by.

Rating:

De Palma

OH MY!  We were intrigued when we saw the previews and immediately hooked to see this documentary on the opening weekend.  First and foremost, this is a must for all cinephiles.

It is virtually a chronology of Hollywood filmmaking from Hitchcock forward.  At 75, De Palma delivers a ‘no holds barred’ explanation of his life’s work, behind the scenes perspective of how the industry really works and a wild romp through some unforgettable footage you won’t soon forget.

To be fair, at times it seemed like narcissistic rambling but there was so much information flowing out of him one is challenged to keep up and process the data.  What a goofy, crazy, amazing, creative creature.

Rating:

The Lobster

The critics LOVED this film, ranking it in the top 5%.  Audiences apparently really liked it too.  Me, not so much.  Unique?  Yes.  Original?  Absolutely.  Funny?  Some folks thought it was hilarious!  Me, occasionally in a perverse sort of way that would not be regarded as a compliment.

In some other world, single people must go to a pseudo re-education hotel where guests must find a mate within 45 days or be transformed into an animal of their choice.  Guests can extend their stay by shooting rouge guests with a stun gun to “buy extra days”.

Yup!  It goes downhill from there.  The entire story is delivered a constant monotone by every single character who spoke.  Call me madcap, but I did not get it.  I found it tedious and annoying.

Great cast!  Colin Farell, Rachel Weisz,  and John Reilley.  Let me know what you think if you see it.

Rating: 

Me Before You

This is a romantic drama where an inexperienced working class girl seeks employment as caregiver to wealthy young man paralyzed by an accident.  What starts as a employee/employer relationship evolved into something personal, then more.

His bitterness and resentfulness are slowly replaced by the right balance of struggle and the joy of life.  The banter between these characters is crisp and believable.

The acting is just right.  Emilia Clarke plays the assistant Louisa (Lou) Clarke.  Sam Claflin plays the quadriplegic William Traynor.   The story is based on the best selling novel by Jo Jo Moyes titled the same as the film.

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Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

This musical comedy mockumentary about a boy band, Conner4Real, and its front man, brilliantly play by Adam Samberg.  The Band hits box office gold with the mega success of their first album.  Boy Band makes good.  Lead singer believes his own hype.  Boy band crashes.  Boy Band breaks up….

It sounds far fetched yet so familiar.  Humm…how many groups come to mind?!  What makes this movie work is it never stops.  The pace is quick, so is the humor, goofy stuff and theatrics.  Think Saturday Night Live on musical steroids.  Some of the scenes are cliché but others are quite inventive.  It is relentless and well crafted.

The last third really brings the story all together.  There is soul searching and the healing of prides and egos.  And…drumroll…a music awards appearance that brings everything together; including funny appearance by Mariah Carey.

It is probably not going to win any awards but it was an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.

Rating: 

Maggie’s Plan

This drama/comedy is about a 30 something New York single woman , Greta Gerwig as Maggie, who decides it is time to have a child without the help of anyone but a sperm doner, a bit part played by Travis Fimmel, as the local the pickle producer becomes National distributor.

Enter, Ethan Hawke’s character, John, as professor and his wife, Julianne Moore as the tenured Nordic scholar.  Throw in eccentric neighbors, played by Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph and a you have a revolving love triangle involving three children.

The acting is what makes this film work.  It’s not perfect and the premise is pretty flawed but in some respects, its not all that unlike the real world.  (I’m just glad its not mine!)

The Julianne Moore character is the superstar, intelligent, witty, and driven.  Her performance alone is worth the time and admission.

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X-Men: Apocalypse

In this ninth installment in the X-Men series, the ancient (original) mutant is awakened and attempts to take over the world while the X-Men try to stop him.  That is about it…  Well, maybe a bit understated.  But only a bit.

En Sabah Nur, bad mutant, is a really good really bad dude.  He recruits four of the X-men as the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”  They raise havoc around the planet.  In the mean time, the good mutants are circling the wagons…

There are really good special effects, lots of unexpected surprises and reasonably good acting.  James McAvoy, the always awesome Michael Fassbender, and the consistently good Jennifer Lawrence are the most noteworthy.

Critics were not pleased and audiences shunned this episode.  We thought is was fun and worth the time and money.  Maybe there are too many Marvel movies in release these days.  Just a thought.

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Alice Through the Looking Glass

Well…it had to be made.  After all the 2010 Alice in Wonderland racked up a whopping $1 Billion box office.

So now we have Alice Through the Looking Glass with many of the original actors in tow.  Jonny Depp with better than ever make up and still stupid accent plays Hatter.  Ann Hathaway is still the White Queen tormenting her sister the evil Red Queen played by the incredible Helena Bottom Carter.

Sacha Baron Cohen plays Time and Mia Wasikska plays Alice, now all grown up and cheated by her extended family of fame and fortune.

Ultimately Alice tries to use time to go back in time to save Hatter’s family from oblivion.  Visually stunning, mostly entertaining but ultimately fatiguing, we were disappointed.

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The Nice Guys

The good news is this was a fun romp through Hollywood of the1970s: drugs, sex and mayhem.  It was well crafted, held your interest and was often very funny.  Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling have excellent chemistry together.

On the down side, the main characters bordered on dumb and dumber.  They were not “nice guys”.  In fact, they were conniving, irresponsible shysters and terrible professionals.

On the bright side, it was not boring.  It clips along at a quick pace and once you embrace this as a silly comedy, it becomes an easy watch.

Audiences and critics liked this much more than we did.  I’ll watch it again on a long plane ride and reconsider my opinion.

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Weiner

Oh my!  This documentary is about the former New York Congressman, Anthony Weiner, who ran for Mayor of New York in 2013.  “Former” because in 2011, he was forced to resign after texting a series of sexual pictures of himself to women that became public and the subject of relentless ridicule.

His wife, still a top aide to Hillary Clinton, struggled to “stand by her man” but, nonetheless, endured and supported her husband.

It seemed odd that anyone would agree to a documentary like this.  It is both riveting and creepy at the same time.  The critics loved it.  I found it pitiful.

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 The Darkness

This psychodrama meets the supernatural after a vacation in the Grand Canyon by a Southern California family was not well received by the film critics.

It was a tad confusing.  The writers threw in a bit of autism, bulimia, alcoholism, and infidelity just to make it interesting, if you will.  That just muddied the waters.  We all saw the creepy guys from the beginning, all the rest was window dressing for the finale.

Kevin Bacon is the most notable star and delivers a fair to middling performance.  This will undoubtedly be available on pay per view very soon.  Save your money unless you are in the mood.  It will be on a network channel or airplane sooner than later.

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Love and Friendship

This film is based on the unpublished novella Lady Susan written by Jane Austen in 1794.  That’s amazing because this period piece is sharp, witty, funny and unpredictable.  Sometimes all of the above concurrently.

Kate Beckinsale channels Lady Susan Vernon and oozes impeccable taste and scheming ambitions.  There are more ins and out, ups and downs than your favorite soap opera.  The costumes, sets and humor are flawlessly delivered.

Do see this on the big screen if you can.  This is sure to become a popular classic.

Favorite line: Lady Susan’s daughter says: “but marriage is for one’s whole life!”  Lady Susan who has recently been widowed replies “Not in my experience,”

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Dough

This is a comedy/drama that does not take itself too seriously.  Good thing because otherwise the storyline is implausible and kitchy, albeit funny and endearing.

Aging Jewish baker hires young black Muslim immigrant to help bake kosher goods in an evolving British neighborhood.  It sounds benign until the young apprentice starts adding marijuana to certain recipes and conceal an added “surcharge” for the fortified goods.

There is no Oscar material here but just enough laughs and twists to make it worth a watch.

Rating:

Viva

This is an interesting and fascinating film.  Interesting because the story is about a young man, Jesus, who ekes out a living as a hairdresser in the slums of Havana, Cuba.  One of his customers is the owner of a seedy drag club who offers Jesus the opportunity to perform.

Suddenly Jesus’s father appears, recently released from prison and inserts himself into Jesus’s apartment and life.  The father is a drunk, a bully and is verbally abusive toward Jesus’ life choices.

Oddly enough, this film is an Irish production, filmed entirely in Cuba.  Viva means “to live”.  This is a harsh peek at life in the slums but also a look at compassion and perseverance.

Very limited theater release.  Seek this one out for a look at a unique film.

Rating:

Money Monster

 

It seems the critics were expecting a Wall Street epiphany from this Jodie Foster directed film about a live Investments Television show that is derailed when a young disgruntled blue collar investor takes over the set and threatens to blow everyone up with a bomb.

I’ll admit, it’s not perfect and there are some wrinkles that are a bit far fetched, but the core story is pretty good.  Strong performances by George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O’Connell as the would be bomber whose character is way out of his league.

The tension factor is about right.  The police as mislead heavy handed public servants is reflective of the current public perception.  It was an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.  Just don’t expect any big industry awards for this one.

Rating:

Dark Horse

 

It is hard not to like this true story.  A hand full of working class friends from a poor mining village in Wales pool their meager resources to buy a broodmare who produces a foal that eventually becomes a champion race horse that wins the Welsh Grand National.

It is a documentary that flows like a soap opera or sit com.  There are plenty of social commentaries woven into the story.  In fact, it is core to the story.  It’s the winner of several audience awards including the 2015 World Documentary Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

It is a feel good film that offers a rare glimpse into simple village life in rural UK.

Rating:

High Rise

 

This is suppose to be a Fantasy Science Fiction film about class warfare that erupts in a modern urban high rise residential building resulting in chaos and  carnage.  The idea seems to reveal or exploit the extreme socioeconomic canyons between the “haves” and “have nots”.

Instead, the story degenerates into obscure violence, strong sexual content/nudity, and a plethora of disturbing images and language.  I am surprised with only an R rating.

The great cast and well intended plot could not save this film. At almost two hours, we were delighted when the movie ended.  Note the rare rating.

Rating: ZERO GLOBES

Sing Street

 

Here is a feel good movie that will remind you of your youth (hopefully).  Set in Dublin, Ireland in 1985 and filled with music of the era.  Fourteen year old school boys from a poor rough Catholic neighborhood decide to start a band.

The lead singer falls for the young “model” across the street.  The suitor uses the “band”, not yet created, to draw her into the making of a music video to promote the new venture.

The talented young want-to be-band members quickly find their ‘sound’ (think Duran Duran) and eventually land a gig at the school.  Of course there is the parallel love interest and a great ending.  Rated PG.  Some strong language, bullying and drugs.  (It was the 80s!)

Special note: There is a scene in the movie set in the Dublin suburb of Dalkey.  John and I and John’s Mom were there in 1985 (same year the movie is set in).  It looks as charming now as it did then.

Rating:

Mother’s Day

Humm…Jennifer Aniston plays mother of two young boys who is recently divorced, unemployed and demoralized when ex-husband announces his marriage to bombshell new wife. Ex wants visitation of his sons with the new wife. Yup, pretty hard to swallow.

Enter friends Kate Hudson and her sister, next door neighbors and their “secret” spouses. Add bitter parents on perpetual RV road trip that pay a surprise visit and discover the “unique” spouses and chaos prevails.

Oops, I forgot about Julia Roberts as TV Home Shopping diva and long lost daughter with child.

The film is crafted well and relatively well acted. There are some zany moments but don’t expect Oscar material.

Rating: 

Captain America: Civil War

The Marvel movie machine hits a home run with this latest franchise film.  The Avengers are under global pressure to yield to oversight on their powers to battle evil doers.  This causes a divide in the Avengers ranks.

The divide lead by Captain America (Chris Evans) on one side and Ironman (Robert Downey Jr.) on the other with the rest of the superheroes splitting 50/50.  This leads to some interesting “engagements”.

The result is interesting and thought provoking entertainment.  It is well worth the investment of a couple of hours.  Nonstop action and rated PG-13 for violence.

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Before I Wake

This is a suspenseful supernatural thriller about an 8 year old boy whose dreams become reality.  The boy is adopted by a young couple who are struggling with the recent loss of their child only to discover a series of heart wrenching night terrors that come to life.

It is an odd mixture of sci-fi meets creature feature.  The critics panned this film but we found it unique and just interesting enough to give it a “see it” nod.

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Miracles From Heaven

Based on “the incredible true story”, this movie is about the middle daughter of a Texas family who suffers from a rare but potentially deadly intestinal disorder and the struggle to overcome the illness.

It is a powerful tear jerker and is heavy handed on Christian faith but also balanced with the believable power of strong family support.

Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah deliver solid performances.  Rated PG.  There are tough scenes of pain and childhood illness.

Rating 

NOTE:  We love watching movies when we travel.  This week we saw Captain America, Before I Wake and Miracles From Heaven in different theaters in Panama City, Panama.  The last film was in an upscale shopping center (Prada, Chanel, Dior and such).  Arguably the most luxurious theater we have ever visited.  Each seat was an oversized recliner with an adjacent service table, call bell to summon a butler for food, cocktails…

It is alway fun to compare theaters and audiences in other countries.  It was also a welcomed break from the 80+ temps and 90% humidity for a couple of hours.

Watch for our PANAMA post in the next few days!

 

The Huntsman: Winter’s War

This was meant to be the prequel to the famed Snow White story.  It stars Charlize Theron as the evil queen, Emily Blunt, the sister and equally evil ice queen, Chris Hemworth the Huntsman and Jessica Chastain as the love interest.

All the performances are actually well done and the special effects were pretty good.  So why is the film getting panned by critics and industry insiders?!  Apparently, something derailed the entire production back at the studio, ultimately causing the director and the star Kristen Stewart to walk, as in, away from the project all together.

Comments like “cheesy performances” and “clumsy filmmaking” and worse are making the rounds.  At the end of the day, the movie left me wanting for more.

Rating:

Green Room

Oh my!!  Punk rockers perform at a neo-Nazi “club” in remote Oregon only to stumble upon something they were not meant to see.  It quickly becomes a movie of horror, a bloodletting thriller of survival.

It was often difficult to watch.  The action was intense and unrelenting that made the film eerily watchable.  There wasn’t time in the moment to process everything that was happening so it just unfolded ready or not, like it or not.

A big surprise was the unexpected appearance of Patrick Stewart as a really good bad guy.  I left the theater exhausted and somewhat stunned.

Rating:

Elvis & Nixon

“What?” was my first reaction to the movie Elvis & Nixon.  I had forgotten The “King” actually did meet with President Nixon for about 40 minutes at the White House back in 1970.

Kevin Spacey morphed into his Nixon character, perfect casting.  Paired with Michael Shannon as a believable Elvis.  The actual conversation was never documented or recorded so the script was free to imagine what may have been.

There was also an odd, creepy undercurrent.  Both men were clearly a few cards short, if you know what I mean.  Yet there was enough quirkiness to make it a unique story to be sure.

Rating:

The Wave

This Norwegian film about the unstable mountains above Norway’s fantastic fiords created by glaciers thousands of years ago.  They are moving, ever so slowly but surely, they are moving.

What makes this film work is the acting and the characters.  These are nice likable people living in a safe affluent country surrounded but incredible beauty.  This pastoral tone slips away when a huge chunk of the mountain gives way and crashes into the narrow fiord creating a massive tsunami wave.

This is a nail biting action thriller.  It is well crafted and easy to watch.  The English subtitles seemed easier to read than most.  It was only in the theaters for a very short time.  You can find it on line or pay per view.

Related Travel Note:  At some point in life, a visit to the Norwegian Fiords is a must.  The long days of summer is the best time to be there.  It can be done by train or car but the water route is hands down the best option.  There are dozens of fiords, Geiranger being the grandest.  This movie experience was greatly enhanced having traveled to this unique part of the world.

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Hologram for the King

Tom Hank’s character is the focal point for this unique story about a businessman, father and divorced husband down on his luck at the end of his career.  He takes a tech job is Saudi Arabia as a last stand for success.

He struggles to adapt to jetlag, business and social protocols and a lump on his back.  There is a goofy Saudi driver he befriends,  a wild party at the Danish Consulate, several encounters with the locals including a female doctor.

It is a fascinating and relatively accurate peek at an unusual country from a different perspective.  Ultimately uplifting.

Another Travel Footnote:  John and I were among the first 1000 “tourists” given visas to visit Saudi Arabia many years ago.  It was a fascinating experience but not for everyone.

Rating:

Criminal

My, my, where to start.  It is an action thriller.  Ryan Reynolds is an undercover CIA agent being tortured for access to missile defense secrets.  Kevin Costner plays a psycho criminal chosen to host Reynold’s memories and that is just the first 5 minutes.

While the premise sounds a bit goofy the story evolves into a fascinating concept.  The Costner character absorbs more and more of the Reynolds memories and slowly transforms into a more normal person.

In the meantime, the bad guys are at work trying to cause mayhem and destruction of the world as we know it.  This film is an action packed throw back to the 90s films with a Frankenstein twist.  Great London locations.  Good cast, Kevin Costner, Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, Gal Gadot, and Alice Eve.

Rating:

The Jungle Book

The latest Disney film production of The Jungle Book is based on Rudyard Kipling’s original book.  This time filmed in a new live-action format that blends live action with computer generated images.  The result is a stunning, near life like viewing experience.

You know the story, little Mowgli is raised by a pack of wolves in the great African wilds.  The fierce tiger, Shere Khan, wants Mogli banished because of a bad encounter with mankind.

Mogli leaves the jungle with the guidance of the panther mentor, Bagheera.  Meets bear friend, Baloo.  Encounters with python, Kaa and ape King Louie.  Some unexpected friends arrive to save the day.

This is sure to be a box office hit with audiences of all ages.  Note for parents: some intense or scary action scenes.  A superb cast of 15 voices.

Rating:

Born to be Blue

This is the true story of jazz great trumpeter Chet Baker and his life struggle with heroin addiction and stage fright.  His version of jazz trumpet was unique and attracted a loyal following as a popular heartthrob.

Ethan Hawke convincingly becomes Chet Baker.  He is fearless, full of energy and empathy for the character.  The film is written and directed by Canadian Filmmaker Robert Budreau.

You may come away from this movie feeling like you now know this artist and what drives him.  At a minimum, he was another talented person destroyed by drugs.  Mr. Baker died in 1988 at the age of 58.

Rating:

The First Monday in May

This documentary is focused on the powerful world of fashion as art, the cultural power of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the iconic power of Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief of Vogue magazine.

It is also a story about the creation and execution of the enormously successful 2015 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute exhibit and lavish gala.  The theme: China: Through the looking Glass and the behind the scenes of planning, creating, challenges, barriers, problem solving, politics, complexity and execution made for a fascinating viewer experience.

There is a lot of focus on Ms. Wintour, and some attention to the celebrity aspect of the event, but the real star was the creative genius of so many fashion designers and the incredible imagination and execution in bringing those designs to life.  And then to the exhibit.  I wish we had been there.

Rating:

April and the Extraordinary World

We must have missed something!?  The nations critics give an overall rating of 8.2 out of 10 for this French animated feature film.  The audio is by a who’s who of the French film elite.  We saw the English version recorded by an equally talented American cast.

That said, the animation was OK, just OK.  Certainly nothing ground breaking.  The storyline was interesting, but not complex.  A fantasy about a talking cat, lost parents, misguided authorities, evil mutant aliens, deadly global pollution and such.  It was not clear what the point was suppose to be.

One critic said it “bestows a sense of otherworldly exhilaration”.  I  saw the same movie but felt it was more “Scooby Doo” than exhilarating.  Much of the animated sets were creative but, frankly, quite juvenile.

We are huge fans of France, French films and French culture.  No doubt we lost something in the translation.

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