Film: Louis Garrel of Les Chanson d'Amour (2007)

While many of you will have seen this 26 year old heart-throb strip down to nothing in the erotic film, The Dreamers directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, Louis Garrel reveals something else in the French film Les Chanson d'Amour: his singing voice. This musical, written and directed by Christophe Honoré, is about love, life and loss through death. It was nominated for the 2007 Golden Palm at Cannes, and stars a brilliant cast including the always sensual Ludivine Sagnier (think, Swimming Pool, 2003 with Charlotte Rampling) and Chiara Mastroianni (Catherine Deneuve's daughter). Honoré skillfully weaves together a playful three-part musical about the youthful relationship between Ismaël (Garrel) and Julie (Sagnier). The relationship's fragility is tested through the oddities of a threesome (with Alice, played by Clotilde Hesme) and senseless death all wimsically portrayed through little bursts of poems set to music. While the film is earnest and authentic in its emotional quality, it does take real guts to create a musical that can be realistic enough and engaging enough for this generation. Solely for its musical quality, Les Chanson d'Amour bears a resemblance to Les Parapluies de Cherbourg (1964) staring Deneuve. Nothing, however, can trump the technicolor umbrellas and Geneviève's naive glamour in Les Parapluies. Although the songs are charming and surprisingly well sung (well done Louis!), Les Chanson d'Amour feels more like an experiment with slightly distracting sexual comedy.

And, on another note: unfortunately ladies, Louis is already taken by the 44 year old cougar: Valeri Bruni-Tedeschi, whose brother-in-law is 'le Bling-Bling Président' Nicholas Sarkozy.
Oh Louis!....

Film: Man on Wire (2008) "The artistic crime of the century"

Philippe Petit, performing a poetic dance across the WTC towers, NYC 1974

Far above the New York City skyline on a hazy August 1974 morning, a diminutive, flamboyant and quixotic Frenchman daringly dances across the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Crazy and delusional as it may sound, Philippe Petit's 45 minute performance, his gracious ballet conducted in thin air, comes across as a destined, rational, well-orchestrated stunt in the documentary 'Man on Wire' (2008) by director James Marsh. In a series of interviews, real footage and recreated scenes, Marsh captures the thrilling achievement more as a break-in heist where logistical nightmares of transporting equipment up the 107 floors of the two towers, security guards, and false ID's stand in the way of one man's ambition. "It's impossible, that's sure. So let's start working," says Petit of the challenge. This heartfelt documentary captures, without grandiose intentions, the wonder, delight and awe of one man's unbelievable dream brought to reality through the trust, solidarity and dedication of a handful of friends. If nothing else, Petit challenges us to join him metaphorically on the wire: "To me, it's really so simple, that life should be lived on the edge. You have to exercise rebellion. To refuse to tape yourself to the rules, to refuse your own success, to refuse to repeat yourself, to see every day, every year, every idea as a true challenge. Then you will live your life on the tightrope." The irony of it all, is that Petit survives to tell his tale...and yet the buildings do not.