Summertime… and the viewing is nostalgic. On a lazy, hazy summer afternoon, what better way to spend your time than to catch up on classic films that you’d missed through the years, or, rewatch them. Sure, a glass of pink lemonade and some chocolate-dipped madeleines would add to the enjoyment. Here’s a wonderful film by … Continue reading ‘Cleo from 5 to 7’: A Film for Paris in July
Here are my photos for two blogging events: Saturday Snapshot hosted by At Home With Books and Paris in July over at BookBath. In August, 2010, I was in Paris, stayed at a small hotel on a side street in the Latin Quarter, across from the Sorbonne. And just recently I was reading the book … Continue reading Saturday Snapshot & Paris in July
The Brasserie Balzar Near the Sorbonne, Sarte and Camus’s frequent hangout where they dined and debated. Insert shot of Menu: Breakfast for 6 Euros includes a croissant, tartine, confiture, hot drink, orange juice. A View of the Tower Size is relative. The Paris Apple Store Probably the most elegant of all the Apple branches. The … Continue reading Saturday Snapshots July 28: Paris Montage
Once again, Saturday Snapshots framed by a Paris in July backdrop… I was pleasantly surprised to find the open space outside the Louvre being used not only for tourist line-ups but as a spot for a family outing. Dad can keep an eye on Sis biking, while Mom gets baby ready for a video shoot. … Continue reading Saturday Snapshots July 21
For the first time in months, I set foot into a public library yesterday. To be exact, three different branches, to make up for a regular activity I’d enjoyed before the Covid lockdown. Our library system is very modern, creative, and full of resources, a pleasure to visit. The New Central Library opened two years … Continue reading The Library Reopens
From high art in the gallery (my last post) to street art, here catching the last chance for a Paris in July entry, I’m presenting the fascinating documentary, a road movie of making art in the open milieu of villages and among the working populace. Faces Places (2017) is an account of the venerable auteur of … Continue reading ‘Faces Places’ with Agnès Varda and JR
I didn’t go to Paris for these, but Vancouver, B.C. I visited the Vancouver Art Gallery for their exhibition “French Moderns: Monet to Matisse, 1850-1950” in March this year. Here’s a description from their poster: The works in French Moderns exemplify the avant-garde movements that defined Modern art from the late-nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries, tracing a formal … Continue reading Pictures at an Exhibition
According to the French Ministry of Culture department that produces and promotes French cinema, 27 percent of French movies were directed or co-directed by women in 2017 compared to 20.8 percent in 2008. (source article here) An improvement, but they are still not pleased with the disparity and working towards a more equal representation. For … Continue reading ‘Coco Before Chanel’ directed by Anne Fontaine
This film by the French director Anne Fontaine could offer you a couple hours of cool entertainment in a lazy, hazy summer afternoon. Gemma Bovery (2014) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert was published in 1856. There have been no less than half a dozen movie adaptations of this famous piece of literature, dating back as … Continue reading ‘Gemma Bovery’ to cool your summer day
If the Impressionist painters were to make a movie, what would it be like? A Sunday in the Country (1984) could very well be an exemplar. French director Bertrand Tavernier used the camera as a paintbrush to tell his story, while the cast bring to life the human pathos that are deeper than a painting on the wall … Continue reading ‘A Sunday in the Country’ is an Impressionist Cinematic Painting
The remaining summer month isn’t going to be long enough for a slow reader like me to finish all the books I’ve started. There are 7 titles on Goodreads that I’m ‘currently reading’, one of them has been there since the Jurassic Period. Ok, maybe not that long, but I haven’t given up The Guermantes … Continue reading Summer Reading
Clouds of Sils Maria is an intricately conceived rumination on the passage of time, ageing, being female, being famous, and for that matter, being gradually becoming obsolete. The newest film from the prominent, Paris born, French director Olivier Assayas, it was nominated for numerous awards at film festivals, including the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film … Continue reading Clouds of Sils Maria Movie Review
