I saw the film "The Lookout" last night since it is nominated for a Spirit Award for best first feature and I am voting this year. The film itself has a few exciting moments - but it's Joseph Gordon-Levitt who really carries the picture as the male lead, with Jeff Daniels who also shines as supporting male. Gordon-Levitt, whom many of us remember as the kid from "Third Rock From the Sun", impresses with a vulnerability rare amongst actors his age. I'm sure we will continue to see him shine as his career further develops.
After I saw this film, I started to consider my list for best films of 2007. I came up with a list of five - mostly foreign language and all with deeply satisfying scripts that relate on an acutely human level. I have written blog posts about 3 of them and highly recommend them all. Check them out!
- The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (blog entry)
- Blame it on Fidel (La Faute a Fidel) (blog entry) I'm shocked that this film was not nominated in the best foreign language category for the Oscars or the Spirit Awards.
- Two Days in Paris
- Caramel (which I just found out, will be playing at the Laemmle on Sunset and Crescent Heights) (blog entry) I don't know if this film came out in the US last year, since I saw it in Paris. It is by a Lebanese film maker and the movie is set in Beirut. Really lovely.
- The Kite Runner
Showing posts with label Caramel movie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Caramel movie. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Freedom Biking in Paris
Today was an adventurous day in Paris. And, believe me, I was ready for at least some adventure. The reason? The weather. It was gorgeous. Since the sky for the past week has consistently threatened rain, today was a very welcome change. It wasn't only sunny...it was warm too. Finally, the summer clothes I packed for my trip have come to some use.
I started the day with a relaxing cafe latte with my family at the neighborhood cafe/restaurant. After lunch, I met up for a rendez-vous with Houari, a French Algerian friend whose sense for fashion and all things luxurious surpasses few others. Our first goal for the afternoon was to rent the Velib. The term is a melange of the words "velo" and "liberté". The ciy's mayor instilled a great new bicycle program where people can rent bikes througout the city. The bike stations are numerous and in many locations, and the bikes themselves are new and rustproof. They also come with their own lock. It's a great idea and the city is full of velib riders. Or, quite literally, freedom riders.
After a couple of unsucessful attempts at attaining a bike at stations in our area, we took the metro to Champs Elysées and catch a showing of "Caramel", the Lebanese film we had planned to see. The past few days have been ideal movie days since the ticket prices were slashed dramatically to promote good will among residents and tourists who had had enough of depressing weather.
The film is in Lebanese Arabic with French subtitles and was directed by Nadine Labaki (who also played the role of Layale in the film). It is the story of five Lebanese women all connected through a local beauty salon. The age of the characters run from early twenties to eighties and looks at universal issues, in addition to dilemnas specific to women in Lebanon and Middle Eastern women in general. It is a beautifully shot film and got it just right esthetically. I hope it opens in the U.S., although I believe such gems will probably be harder to find in America. In Paris, it shows right smack in the middle of the Champs Elysées. Go figure.
After the movie, we made a brief stop to my favorite Target doppelganger, "Monoprix". Here's a picture of Houari in front of the store:
Allthough it is very similar to Target in its superstore concept, The merchandise at Monoprix is considered more selective.
Afterwards, we were finally able to get a couple of velib bikes at a popular station off of Champs Elysées.
Here is Houari negotiating with the computerized machine at the station. Our first two times didn't work out so well, but third time's a charm!:
We then rode from the 8th arrondissment until close to the Opera where Houari wanted to make a stop at Zara Home. A recent addition to the Zara clothing brand, Zara Home looks lke a cross between a Pottery Barn and a Cost Plus Market (from outside anyway. I was guarding the bikes out front). The ride to the store kind of reminded me of Shanghai - the opperative word here is "kind of". Because although both scenes are filled with bicyclists, motorbikes, buses and cars, nothing compares to those crazy Shanghai intersections and their swarms of bicylists, and even a rickshaw now and then.
Around 6:30pm, we headed back to our starting point via Rue Rivoli. I love the impressive view off this street where the Tuilleries, Les Invalides, The Obelisk statue and the Eiffel Tower create aun unbelievable portrait of the city. We then rode back towards Champs Elysées and then Avenue Pierre 1er Serbie. The cobble stones were a bit hard on the velib, but the whole experience was exhilarating. Paris by bicycle is a must for any sightseer. Of course, I wouldn't recommend it without someone who knows the city's ins and outs.
The first day en velib was a success. Now that I have a week long pass, there are 6 more days to go. Long live freedom biking !
I started the day with a relaxing cafe latte with my family at the neighborhood cafe/restaurant. After lunch, I met up for a rendez-vous with Houari, a French Algerian friend whose sense for fashion and all things luxurious surpasses few others. Our first goal for the afternoon was to rent the Velib. The term is a melange of the words "velo" and "liberté". The ciy's mayor instilled a great new bicycle program where people can rent bikes througout the city. The bike stations are numerous and in many locations, and the bikes themselves are new and rustproof. They also come with their own lock. It's a great idea and the city is full of velib riders. Or, quite literally, freedom riders.
After a couple of unsucessful attempts at attaining a bike at stations in our area, we took the metro to Champs Elysées and catch a showing of "Caramel", the Lebanese film we had planned to see. The past few days have been ideal movie days since the ticket prices were slashed dramatically to promote good will among residents and tourists who had had enough of depressing weather.
The film is in Lebanese Arabic with French subtitles and was directed by Nadine Labaki (who also played the role of Layale in the film). It is the story of five Lebanese women all connected through a local beauty salon. The age of the characters run from early twenties to eighties and looks at universal issues, in addition to dilemnas specific to women in Lebanon and Middle Eastern women in general. It is a beautifully shot film and got it just right esthetically. I hope it opens in the U.S., although I believe such gems will probably be harder to find in America. In Paris, it shows right smack in the middle of the Champs Elysées. Go figure.
After the movie, we made a brief stop to my favorite Target doppelganger, "Monoprix". Here's a picture of Houari in front of the store:
Allthough it is very similar to Target in its superstore concept, The merchandise at Monoprix is considered more selective.
Afterwards, we were finally able to get a couple of velib bikes at a popular station off of Champs Elysées.
Here is Houari negotiating with the computerized machine at the station. Our first two times didn't work out so well, but third time's a charm!:
We then rode from the 8th arrondissment until close to the Opera where Houari wanted to make a stop at Zara Home. A recent addition to the Zara clothing brand, Zara Home looks lke a cross between a Pottery Barn and a Cost Plus Market (from outside anyway. I was guarding the bikes out front). The ride to the store kind of reminded me of Shanghai - the opperative word here is "kind of". Because although both scenes are filled with bicyclists, motorbikes, buses and cars, nothing compares to those crazy Shanghai intersections and their swarms of bicylists, and even a rickshaw now and then.
Around 6:30pm, we headed back to our starting point via Rue Rivoli. I love the impressive view off this street where the Tuilleries, Les Invalides, The Obelisk statue and the Eiffel Tower create aun unbelievable portrait of the city. We then rode back towards Champs Elysées and then Avenue Pierre 1er Serbie. The cobble stones were a bit hard on the velib, but the whole experience was exhilarating. Paris by bicycle is a must for any sightseer. Of course, I wouldn't recommend it without someone who knows the city's ins and outs.
The first day en velib was a success. Now that I have a week long pass, there are 6 more days to go. Long live freedom biking !
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