Sex and the City

On Wednesday I went to see the new Sex and the City movie. I was lucky to get a ticket as movie theatres across the country were totally sold out.

Was I impressed? Well, not really, but I didn't expect to be. I knew the film could never live up to the hype, but was curious to see the final dénouement of the Carrie/Big saga.

I've always been a big fan of the series, mainly because of the clothes but also because the story is quite addictive, and there are always some great one-liners. Having lived in New York, I now feel I pick up on details that would have skipped my attention before. References to places such as Bed Bath and Beyond, Bergdorf Goodman, Pastis, City Hall, the Public Library, etc, now have more meaning. I also have to say that, despite not really missing NY since I left (mainly because I've been too busy), the film's Brooklyn Bridge scene did cause me to feel slightly teary-eyed. I used to love walking across that bridge.

Overall, I think the film delivered what the audience wanted - a happy ending but not sugary-sweet. However, I do feel that the overall cinematic experience was marred due to the high level of product placement. In fact, it seemed like the whole script was guided by different endorsements, from Christie's (one of the first scenes takes place at an auction there) to Pret a Manger (Carrie and Miranda delicately unwrap some very un-atkins sarnies, obviously to indicate that that the no-carbs diet is so 5 years ago, and also to hint at the presence of the British lunch joint in NY) to a list of the most exlcusive wedding dress designers (Vera Wang, Vivienne Westwood, etc), and of course: the Vuitton bag.

As one guy I spoke to after the show put it, the film encapsulates 'utter American captialism'. I'm not claiming to be against shopping culture, but I must admit that the lavish excesses of the film did make me feel a bit queasy.

Nevertheless, there were, as usual, some delightful comic lines, delivered mostly by Samantha of course.

European Cinema at its best

So, Laurent Cantet scooped the Palme d'Or at Cannes yesterday, for his latest film, Entre Les Murs. I haven't seen the film yet, but if his riveting Emploi du Temps (2001) and Vers le Sud (2005) are anything to go by, the critics haven't slipped up in nominating him for the coveted prize. Well done Laurent!

Another festival gem that I'm dying to catch a glimpse of is Desplechin's Un Conte de Noël. Starring the dazzling Catherine Deneuve and the brilliant Mathieu Almaric, who were both in his glorious Rois et Reine (2004), this is sure to be fantastic.

Paolo Sorrentino, the quirky Italian director who made the baffling but thought-provoking Amico di Famiglia (2006) and the chilly, disturbing Conseguenze d'Amore (2004), won the special jury prize for his political satire about Italy's seven-time prime minister Andreotti.

I also can't wait to watch Win Wenders' new film, Palermo Shooting. I absolutely adored Wings of Desire and this looks like it's set to be equally as daring and original, with a killer soundtrack to boot.

I Cannes

Just one of the reasons why I'd like to be at the Cannes Film Festival... sigh....

3 days in Paris

I spent this weekend in Paris, staying in the 19th arrondissement with some friends. They live right by the Canal St. Martin. The area has a peaceful feel but there's also a lot going on. There are the two MK2 cinemas, one on each quay, linked together by a special boat called 'Zéro de Conduite'. Their cafés spill out onto the pavement, casting multicoloured lights onto the water at nighttime.

Unlike some of the more touristy Paris quartiers, the 19th still retains a sense of neighbourhood spirit. On my walk back from the subway to my friend's place on Friday, a boules game was taking place on the quayside, its players ranging from about ten years old to seventy. Nearby is also the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont - a beautiful park in Baroque style, built in 1867. I've been wanting to go there since I saw Eric Rohmer's film, La Femme de L'Aviateur (1981), which is filmed there.

Subway Cures

If you've been to New York in recent months you may have noticed, as I did, the proliferation of adverts in the subway, encouraging people to 'improve' themselves in some way or other. These seem to be epecially prevalent on the C-line, which happened to be my local subway. Daily commuters are confronted with a widening array of posters, promising miracle cures for ailments ranging from bunions, hammer-toe and wonky teeth to impotence. Some ads even reveal the identity of the doctor - complete with mugshot - promising to administer the cure. Dr.Zizmor, the dermatologist, for example, guarantees that 'you'll say thank you, Dr Zizmor' once he's cleaned up unwanted blemishes from your face. His ad doesn't fail to mention that 'all major credit cards accepted' and that his clinic is 'open 5 days per week', furtively adding in parenthesis 'including Sundays'. Sounds more 'zitmore' than Zizmor, to me.
You'll also notice that the phone number provided at the bottom of each poster often incorporates a word into it, presumably to make it easier for people to memorise (for impotence the buzzword is 'male', for bunions it's 'foot', etc). This presumably allows people to avoid the embarrassment of being seen copying down the number. I disregarded this latter consideration when I took these pictures, however. The people on my subway carriage probably thought what an unfortunate person I am, to require so many treatments at once.

Oh, Dia

On Sunday I made my long-awaited trip to Dia:Beacon, the upstate wing of the Dia Art Foundation (which was founded in 1974 and has its base in New York City). It was a gorgeous day and the light streaming through the large windows of this ex-printing factory made the artworks look their best. I was surprised at how vast the space was - almost 30,000 square-feet - and at the amount of different artists on display at once, from Andy Warhol to Joseph Beuys, Richard Serra and Bruce Nauman.