Paris, je t'aime

Paris, I love you. Movie, you are wonderful too. Back in 2006 Tristan Carné got the idea to combine stories from a variety of talents to show what a great city means to a variety of people. Paris was first on the list. New York came later in 2009. We'll soon see Shanghai and Jerusalem and I hear Rio is in development.

There were so many great names in this I will list only the ones American audiences will be most familiar. Apologies to my many French readers. here are a few reasons to watch this movie:

Steve Buscemi in a subway scene many of us have dreamed of or feared.

Miranda Richardson in a hot red trench coat.

Juliette Binoche who finds a cowboy (Willem Dafoe) to look after her son.

Nick Nolte surprises everyone.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bob Hoskins, and Elijah Wood in 3 very odd relationships.

Olga Kurylenko as a very hot vampire.

Natalie Portman best sees Paris though the eyes of a blind man.

Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara show us how exs should get along.

Rufus Sewell and Emily Mortimer get a little help learning to laugh together.

There are truly too many other great performances to list here. Be patient and watch all the stories. The point is that everyone we see has an interesting story. And, from time to time our story lines cross.

Watch this with someone who has been to Paris and will delight in seeing it again.

Everything Is Illuminated

How can I even begin to explain this movie? There is nothing like it out there. Deliciously weird. Way off beat. Painfully funny. More than likely spot-on true. Warmly sad. These scratch the surface. You just have to rent it to see the rest.

Elijah Wood continues to shake off his Frodo role. His character collects family memorabilia and in the process learns some interesting stories about his ancestors. To feed his fixation, he travels to the fatherland in search of a mysterious woman who appears in a photo with his grandfather. Along the way he meets some of the most memorable characters you will find in a movie like this.

Eugene Hutz, front man of a musical group called Gogol Bordello which also does much of the soundtrack, plays tour guide and translator to Wood's character. What he does to the English language is brilliant. It will keep you smiling if not panting with laughter.

And, speaking of the soundtrack, this is a great addition to your collection if you like music you'll never hear on the radio in this country. Gypsy polka rock? I don't know how else to describe it. It's fun, and it's perfect for this movie.

If you have ever gone of a real journey to learn about your family, you will relate to this wonderful story. It unfolds gently and by the time you realize what is going on it has lured you in. When the trap is spring you don't may have trouble deciding if you should weep with joy or sadness. Bittersweet is how I think the literati describe it. I did both.

Watch this movie with someone who you don't mind laughing AND crying with.

Green Street Hooligans

British football (soccer) hooliganism is fairly akin to American gang society. Each "firm" has a military-like structure. One must be initiated in. Not all of it's activities are legal, and the only way out is incarceration or death. The only real difference is that one group centers it's actions around the most recent game and the other centers activities around, um, fund raising and discipline.

This movie is about one such firm, Green Street. It is about as authentic as us yanks could stand. If you want a peek into this subculture, this movie is a great primer.

German-born Writer & Director Lexi Alexander is as interesting a Hollywood character as you can find. She is a former world champ Karate and Kick-boxing champion who has dreams of being a film-maker. She worked as a stunt woman until getting her first work on screen. it was good enough to earn her an Oscar nom. I share all this to give some insight into why this movie is so intense. It comes from the gut of a director who is fearless and knows how to get what she wants.

That was way to much to say before getting to the actors or plot. Thanks for indulging me.

Elijah Wood (Avalon, LOTR series, and Everything is Illuminated) plays a Harvard student who is wrongly expelled. Having nowhere else to turn but his sister in London, he goes there to work out what to do next. While there, he gets caught up in the Green Street activities.

Claire Forlani (Meet Joe, and CSI series on TV) plays the sister.

Very few other cast members will be recognizable to us Yanks, but their work is solid and very satisfying.

Watch this movie with a plate of bangers and mash. Toss a pint as well if you must. And by all means, sing along.