A REAL HERO : DJANGO UNCHAINED

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REVIEW - With a five months delay, here is finally my review of Django Unchained. I wanted to write it back in january but I could never seem to find the time. It really bothered me as I had the chance to attend the parisian premiere in presence of Tarantino and his cast. He is not in my pantheon of favorite directors but I have always had a soft spot for him as a movie critic and geek.

You can imagine how high my emotions ran that night, especially when I had a quick chat with the handsome Christoph Waltz and Mélanie Laurent who is the sweetest petite thing ever. Needless to say, I was in my best dispositions towards Djando Unchained. Deep down, I had always been looking out for the Tarantino’s film that would make me an unconditional fan of his cinema. Perhaps had I miss something about it so far. Unfortunately, Django did not convert me.

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DANCING ON MY OWN : BAZ LUHRMANN’S ‘THE GREAT GATSBY’

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REVIEW - What is that you do on your birthday ? Do you take the day off and prepare for your big party ? Do you surround yourself with your friends and family ? Do you not want to be alone on that day ? I do. I woke up this morning wanting to retreat within myself and ponder on my life, on the future.

I wanted to do the thing I love the most as well : going to the cinema. To see something meaningful. I had seen everything expect from The Great Gatsby, released today and opening the Cannes Festival. A Baz Luhrmann film. It was not as terrible as I thought it would be; thanks to this actor I have discovered – perhaps you’ve heard of him - : his name is Leonardo DiCaprio.

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ATONEMENT : TRANCE

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REVIEW - “I need the thing that happens when your brain shuts off and your heart turns on” wrote Wurtzel. As a critic, I can’t go to the movies just to have a great time. I have to come home with something to write about, so my analytic mind has to be on.

When a film makes me stop thinking, there must be greatness in it. I don’t turn a blind eye to its flaws but I certainly judge it with more indulgence, grateful for the magic it has performed on me. Trance is one of those movies which have managed to shut my brain off and turn my heart on.

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FOOL FOR LOVE : MUD

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REVIEW - Written and directed by Jeff Nichols who has been designated as the Obi-Wan Kenobi of indie cinema, Mud has received rave reviews in France. Present in the last year selection of the Cannes festival, it did not win any prize which had startled the press, won over by this Twainesque oeuvre. This begs the question : “is Mud really perfect?”.

Praised for its simple mise en scène and storytelling, Mud has been even held as the antithesis of Terrence Malick’s Tree of Life. Although I welcome Jeff Nichols’ “classicism” too - which is a refreshing change from the overbidding use of artifices (the photography looks as natural as the Mississippi and its riverbanks) - I regret Mud ’s pace.

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