It's not French, but Evil Dead 2 is a really good film
Best French Fillims
- Thread starter paolo
- Start date
I think all of the famous ones have been mentioned, but 'Etre and Avoir' is an amazing film length documentary.
Also, not for everyone but the Tricolor trilogy by Kieslowski are decent, the stories are a bit silly, but the cinematography and acting are excellent
Also, not for everyone but the Tricolor trilogy by Kieslowski are decent, the stories are a bit silly, but the cinematography and acting are excellent
Last edited:
maya
timewasting fool (in every universe)
Hm think I mentioned it already in my massive rant in post #87, but I'm only saying that because I have OCD and need to point that out, not to be a smug cnut or belittle you in any way (honest). The same director did a documentary circa 1990 (IIRC) about the deaf subculture in France, it's fascinating and you get to see a lot of sign language in action.
Your avatar just reminded me of 'le planete savage' which is another great one that I imagine you mentioned (I stopped reading on page 2)
I keep meaning to rewatch them and see how they stand up twenty years later.
Here's a one I haven't seen mentioned having gone back through them
The Luc Besson Joan of Arc film from about 5 years ago. It had a lot of problems and I imagine that a lot of people don't rate it, but the battles were brutal and it doesn't ever slow down
The Luc Besson Joan of Arc film from about 5 years ago. It had a lot of problems and I imagine that a lot of people don't rate it, but the battles were brutal and it doesn't ever slow down
maya
timewasting fool (in every universe)
Ah, yeah it's a Draag alien from Fantastic Planet/Planète Sauvage, well spotted
The book 'Oms en serie' written by french SF writer Stefan Wul which the film was based on is apparently good, have never mastered enough french to read it. Most french science fiction seem to grow out of a Jules Vernian type of 'wonderment!' angle of the fantastic and strange rather than the more sober and less flowery anglocentic 'scientific extrapolarisation' viewpoint... when they combine their style with dystopian tales and/or vaguely political/social commitment the results can be different in a good way.
The director of Fantastic Planet, René Laloux, did another anti-dystopian animated film called 'Gandahar', which I'd rate because it's got some good elements and memorable designs and ideas- But they decided to use an animation studio in North Korea to produce most of the backgrounds and actual animation because their workforce were cheaper to use, ignoring the irony gesture of outsourcing a film about resisting total mind control and an all-powerful regime to a place with exactly such a regime, making themselves complicit to the same suppression the film is about...
maya
timewasting fool (in every universe)
Is that the one with the gal from the Fifth Element in it? (racks brain) ... Milla Jovovich?
BTW, did Luc Besson once direct a film about diving and the ocean or dolphins or something like that? I'm having 80s flashbacks, but can't quite place it (racks brain again), ah- The Big Blue! Is it good or not? Only vague childhood memories of having seen it once, no idea what it was about, only remember the sea and something about reading a shit novelisation of it in the library years after having watched it and feeling cheated it didn't provide the equivalent of the perfect blue surfing on dolphins in the moonlight promised by the shiny cover...
That Picard bloke who filmed the ocean from his submarine made films of his voyages IIRC, would love to see those. Early pioneer of oceanic exploration. Got a Star Trek captain named after him.
Last edited:
maya
timewasting fool (in every universe)
I think the unavoidable pretentiousness (consciously or not) implied/displayed here by discussing/ranting on about french films suits the subject well actually.
The good thing about urban is the exact same thing that sometimes can be a little bit bad about urban, depending on how you feel- and that's that it's full of all sorts of people and sometimes we come across as pretentious and sometimes we come across as rude because the mighty banhammer isn't as stern as a lot of people like to think and even swearwords are allowed without any outrageous moral panic (NOT the case on a lot of especially american forums, i swear-) Many are overtly pedantic, longwinded and sometimes dull, sometimes we take ourselves (and others) a bit too seriously. Most of us (if not all, or even you) are really Firky. But we keep keepin' on, compulsively and excessively chronicling our brainwaves into the urban hive mind frame, keep dragging along and continue to coexist- although there can be mumbling and icy dagger stares occasionally, sometimes things are cosy and sometimes there's good discussions with just the right amount of non-invasive balanced trolling to keep everybody happy. Your post was funny by the way, I just kept overplaying the wordstream diarrhoea to show that I knew you were making fun of me and others for being a bit pretentious and that, but I don't mind. Here- have a hobnob and a virtual
up.I also saw a film once, but it wasn't any good. I don't remember what it was called. Ceci n'est pas un pipe, I think.
I also read a book about aliens, how they might look if they adapted to life as sea creatures and it seems they ended up looking like new age dolphins and whales... Someone should make a film about that. Perhaps in french?
Someone needs to rescue this thread from me and get it back on track, and I'll shut up now. Boring sunday, and stupid mood (sorry)
Last edited:
Ah, yeah it's a Draag alien from Fantastic Planet/Planète Sauvage, well spotted
The book 'Oms en serie' written by french SF writer Stefan Wul which the film was based on is apparently good, have never mastered enough french to read it. Most french science fiction seem to grow out of a Jules Vernian type of 'wonderment!' angle of the fantastic and strange rather than the more sober and less flowery anglocentic 'scientific extrapolarisation' viewpoint... when they combine their style with dystopian tales and/or vaguely political/social commitment the results can be different in a good way.
The director of Fantastic Planet, René Laloux, did another anti-dystopian animated film called 'Gandahar', which I'd rate because it's got some good elements and memorable designs and ideas- But they decided to use an animation studio in North Korea to produce most of the backgrounds and actual animation because their workforce were cheaper to use, ignoring the irony gesture of outsourcing a film about resisting total mind control and an all-powerful regime to a place with exactly such a regime, making themselves complicit to the same suppression the film is about...
I'm not sure how or why, but everyone European who was a kid in the 80s seems to have that style of French comic art deep in their subconscious. I hadn't heard of Mobeus until he died a couple of years ago but I already somehow had his universe in his head when I saw his art.
I don't know if I agree with you about the French whimsy vs Anglo technofilia but I do get what you mean. The French stuff seems to be fascinated by biology. I've never attempted any of the comics either, I think I'd need a teacher....
One of my things about animation is that except Ghibli you don't see many paintings anymore as cinema. Even with Pixar and Gainax where you are looking at amazing art there is that intangible missing like why records sound different to wav files.
I'm sure someone will tell me that they both use lots of paintings
Yeah, fifth element and resident evil, Luc Besson's wife!
If I had to review it I'd probably give it a bad review, I just enjoyed watching it
Big Blue I'm in the same position as you, I think I saw it when I was about 13, they're on a boat, they were trying to find a place in the sea where all the dolphins and whales went to play, everyone says it is brilliant. Is it not like one of those Werner Herzog films where the director is just doing a really good job of showing you something that goes on that makes you regret living in a town and trying to ignore the fact that we live on a planet
I think the unavoidable pretentiousness (consciously or not) implied/displayed here by discussing/ranting on about french films suits the subject well actually.
The good thing about urban is the exact same thing that sometimes can be a little bit bad about urban, depending on how you feel- and that's that it's full of all sorts of people and sometimes we come across as pretentious and sometimes we come across as rude because the mighty banhammer isn't as stern as a lot of people like to think and even swearwords are allowed without any outrageous moral panic (NOT the case on a lot of especially american forums, i swear-) Many are overtly pedantic, longwinded and sometimes dull, sometimes we take ourselves (and others) a bit too seriously. Most of us (if not all, or even you) are really Firky. But we keep keepin' on, compulsively and excessively chronicling our brainwaves into the urban hive mind frame, keep dragging along and continue to coexist- although there can be mumbling and icy dagger stares occasionally, sometimes things are cosy and sometimes there's good discussions with just the right amount of non-invasive balanced trolling to keep everybody happy. Your post was funny by the way, I just kept overplaying the wordstream diarrhoea to show that I knew you were making fun of me and others for being a bit pretentious and that, but I don't mind. Here- have a hobnob and a virtual
I also saw a film once, but it wasn't any good. I don't remember what it was called. Ceci n'est pas un pipe, I think.
I also read a book about aliens, how they might look if they adapted to life as sea creatures and it seems they ended up looking like new age dolphins and whales... Someone should make a film about that. Perhaps in french?
Someone needs to rescue this thread from me and get it back on track, and I'll shut up now. Boring sunday, and stupid mood (sorry)
I like getting reviews lol
I'm terrible for tangents as well, I've quit bbs forums except lapses but the format is a good one, I like the longer structure, Facebook and Twitter with the short form are good, but it's a bit limiting for 'I'm not leaving the house today'
It's not 'the correct answer' but the fact that those social media are just massive companies whereas forums are generally run by some spod and some equally spoddy friends works against them sometimes. It's like western democracy how you just end up with people who don't have sex enough in charge
I rewatched them about 5 years ago. They are still enjoyable, but you will need a lot of Gitanes and croissants to not roll your eyes
Must be due a new season of Engrenages soon
I hope so. Berthaud's moody hotness is much missed in these parts.
They said at the end of the first series of Les Revenants on C4 at the beginning of 2013 that a second series was "coming next year", but I've not heard anything.
It's all about Karlsson for me
I see why she gets the popular vote, but Berthaud has a greater take-no-shit attitude and is thus sexier for me. Their mutual loathing is also great.
DaveCinzano
WATCH OUT, GEORGE, HE'S GOT A SCREWDRIVER!
Antifa: Chasseurs De Skins is an interesting documentary about anti-fascist gangs of the 80s (the YT version below is split into 10 parts with English subs)
maya
timewasting fool (in every universe)
Yeah he was sort of subliminally influential in mainstream culture for a long time before he got more widely known, the art of a short story he made was the main influence for the city design in Blade Runner, the one who got credited as main designer for the film was probably Syd Mead, but Moebius did make some sketches and contributed to it AFAIK, although most people didn't know that until much later... The director's cut dvd have some nice b&w Moebius sketches included in the artwork on the actual box, IIRC- would love to know if there were more of them and if they could be published or put online somewhere, it's a nice historical
TBF a lot of comic artists of the 70s and 80s shared some of Moebius' visual aesthetic and ideas, probably because of the comic book/science fiction fan subculture and publications like Heavy Metal spread a certain aesthetic and although a lot of those individual artists have very distinct personal styles, you can still se a shared influence, which is cool. You get the sense that a lot of these fictional universes overlap, just because you see similar themes/visual styles in their work.
Haven't that got a genre name even, "biopunk"? (as a variant of cyberpunk)
I think there was a french SF film recently called something like "Eden"(?sp), which explored that sort of thing (EDIT: "Eden Log", 2007)
I think backgrounds are almost always painted by dedicated 'background painters', or whatever their industry title is? The digital animation probably also based on sketches but reckon they have that sort of drawing board tool where they just sketch directly into the computer with some sort of digial pencil, someone will be bound to know... IIRC there's some animators on urban, don't remember who it is though so can't tag them and ask...
I'd no idea they were married, well done him!
(EDIT: ah, looks like he's with another one already! fast worker...)Still in production AFAIK last time I checked (this summer), perhaps delayed a bit but still on its way? (Also re: international sales at least, the subtitling will take some time... sob) Must get the Mogwai soundtrack.
I hope the creepy little boy is in it, he's really unsettling and it seems like he's got some unexplored possibilities (the way he conjures up images of past misdeeds directly into the perpetrator's retina), also the thing about the queen bee zombie woman controlling electricity at will, causing power cuts etc.- I'm sure we'll get some sort of revelation about this eventually... Also I never got whether that woman was really back from the dead or never died and just some sort of catalyst for a type of energy which summons the zombies and make her control them, perhaps this too will be explained.
maya
timewasting fool (in every universe)
DaveCinzano , have you seen the Serge Gainsbourg documentary where it was shown how he got loads of antisemitic comments in newspapers (nasty charicatures emphasizing the nose and so on, people crying he "wasn't really french") and even from national front types threatening him and stuff after he sung a reggae version of the Marseillaise (national anthem) on TV in the 80s? On his first concert afterwards, after insisting that his band ought to stay in the bus because it was too risky for them to go on stage due to the toxic climate, he entered the stage alone, facing a massive stadium audience with a lot of clearly hostile nationalist types... He just stands there alone on stage and starts singing the anthem a cappella, just him and the microphone, and you can hear his voice actually shaking in the beginning, but he carries on and raises his fist, and continues to sing and you can literally see the mood in the audience changing, he wins them over completely... This from a man who went through WW2 and had to wear the star on his chest. He's just as french as them. So fucking powerful.
Last edited:
Riklet
procrastinación
Definitely worth a watch!! that dog is awesome.
discokermit
Well-Known Member
boudu saved from drowning.
orphee.
la jetee.
rififi.
rififi was directed by jules dassin when he was blacklisted in hollywood.
orphee.
la jetee.
rififi.
rififi was directed by jules dassin when he was blacklisted in hollywood.
The Octagon
Stop...Hammertime
butchersapron
Bring back hanging
To be watched alongside Sur le Paves (which almost rips off the title of something i always meant to put on and will get round to someday on these same people, called Underneath the pavement - the sewers!) for the opposition. And the one on the Black Dragon Gang.
Similar threads
- Poll
