Amazon.com

Like Gattaca did before it, Code 46 extrapolates from the present to posit a chilling, dystopian look at our genetically regimented future. In the corporate-controlled, near-future scenario presented by prolific director Michael Winterbottom and his regular screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce, nations and languages have merged to form a polyglot society in which genetic imperfections are avoided by the strict enforcement of Code 46, which prohibits sex between people who share 100%, 50%, or even 25% matching DNA. As an insurance-fraud investigator in Shanghai to investigate the issuance of forged passports (a major offense in an overcrowded world), Tim Robbins meets his prime suspect (Samantha Morton, echoing her role in Minority Report), and their violation of Code 46 has tragic and ultimately dehumanizing repercussions. Fascinating as a "what-if" scenario, Winterbottom's film is more successful as a melancholy mood-piece than a science-fiction tale. While the plot and characters suffer from occasionally vague definition, Code 46 offers a fascinating study of human longing in an age of oppressive globalization. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Description

Paul Dedalus is standing at the crossroads of his life. He must choose his direction in life, in his career, and in his love life as he sits in fear of the despairing life that his father is unable to escape from. Featuring an extraordinary cast of France's most promising young actors and actresses, "My Sex Life" is a witty look at a group of twenty-something grad students trying to cope with life, love and everything in between. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

hmm
the first hour of this movie satisfactorily grabbbed my attention, and based on the comments of other amazon customers, i expected it to improve considerably. it didn't.

i knew a great deal of the movie would be conversations. unfortunately, most of them were rather banal. for substance, there was one glib quote by kierkegaard and one by kundera. some of the main character's reflections on the nature of relationship were somewhat insightful. however, most of the other talk centered, unfortunately, on the other characters' sexual ups and downs, which is not necessarily awful, if you like that sort of thing.

aside from that, the acting was good, the actresses rather enchanting. although i did find the contrast peculiar, in the scenes in which they were totally nude and the males fully dressed, which was the standard within the film.

disappointed, deeply...
This is a lovely film, at least it was when I saw its premier screening at the MFA in Boston. I loved the characters & dialogue, had been eagerly awaiting its appearance as/on a dvd, but, while it's here, the transfer/compression of it blows. The image quality's so poor & the colors incredibly bleached out. I wan my money back & or a better transfer (preferably). To whom do I bring my complaint to? Do the europeans lack for technology? A poor transfer was also done to another great (foreign) film, a Spanish one, titled "Vacas", which is a great film, though, not on dvd.

A Movie for Young Intellectuals
If you're looking for steamy sex scenes, forget it; while this movie does deal with sex, it does so through discussion and debate, two highly-regarded French art forms! (Perhaps a lot of the disappointment surrounding this film is due to the fact that the title was inversed when it was released in the U.S.: The French title is "How I Got Into an Argument (My Sex Life).") But don't write the film off yet; it is an excellent thinking-person's romantic comedy.

Mathieu Amalric is superb as Paul Dedalus, the central character of the film. (Amalric is excellent in any movie, actually.) Paul is a graduate student instructor who is brilliant, but lazy, and undecided in all the major areas of his life. He is too afraid to dedicate himself to a career as a professor, so he has been delaying writing his doctoral thesis for years. Though he has been with Esther for ten years, that does not indicate any form of commitment on his end, as he will not let the relationship mature or change in any form; he cannot break up with her, and he cannot remain faithful to her. Paul idolizes his only friend, Nathan, a professor of the same age who is not as brilliant as Paul, but has had the admirable drive to at least complete his thesis and secure a teaching post at the university. At the same time, Paul despises his ex-best friend Frederic, who is nearly as bright as Paul, but has an obsessive ambition and forceful ego that have propelled him to department chair over Paul. Paul has affairs with Nathan's girlfriend Sylvia, and her sister-in-law Valerie (both of whom have emotional/mental problems of their own), justifying that each one is better than Esther because they either have a job, a place of their own, and/or educational goals (none of which Paul really has for himself). Paul fancies himself Esther's rock, and eventually dumps her because "no one can carry the weight of someone else's responsibilities." The story, which switches between the present time, a few months earlier, and a year earlier, shows how Karma whips Paul around a bit, and forces him to come to terms with his insecurities, his future, and most importantly, his love for Esther.

Paul may be the main character, but Esther (a wonderful performance from the little-seen Emmanuelle Devos) is the true hero of the film. Desplechin's direction is so subtle, yet precise, that at the beginning of the film, we aren't even aware that we are seeing Esther through Paul's eyes: At first, Esther is needy, whiney, suffocating and ugly (a reflection on his esteem for her). But in the middle of the film, after the break up, we see Esther bloom. She all of a sudden becomes stunning, but not through any superficial changes. We see Esther as she truly is: Beautiful, intelligent, and completely self-sufficient, with an amazing and quiet courage. Paul may not be able to carry her responsibility, but all along, it was actually she who carried his. Her greatest fault, as well as her best quality and strength, is her love for Paul, which he is too blind to see at first, then later realizes. (Another credit to Desplechin's direction: Even when Esther is most angry at Paul, you unconsciously see him through her eyes, and see just how charming and intelligent she thinks him to be.) If you're a girl whose heart has been broken, you will relate to Esther's silent moments, her wailing moments, and her struggle to move on with her life.

Don't expect things to tie up neatly; real life never resolves itself in simple, concrete ways, and neither do French films. Along with Esther and Paul's doings, we also peek into the lives of Paul's friends and family members, who are all in their mid-twenties and early thirties, and are similarly at crossroads-with-no-signs points in their lives. This large cast of characters plays out the problem of intellectual youth: As bright as they are about academic matters, they are ignorant when it comes to human relationships, including the way they view themselves. Probably also attributed to the otherwise admirable French qualities of discussion and debate, they rationalize or theorize too much on their problems and situations in order to avoid making decisions or taking responsibility for their actions.

Do not be put off by the serious and cerebral topics of this film: It is extremely funny, but in an intelligent sort of way. Very little of the humor is physical or circumstantial (although it does have its moments where you will burst out laughing, such as the scene where the monkey gets stuck behind the heater, which a previous reviewer mentioned).

"My Sex Life" also offers an alternative view to Paris; it is the setting for all of Paul's romantic moments, but the city has never looked so grey, which reflects the loneliness of the students' lives as they struggle to find love, while blind to the love that is already there. No glamourous scenes, no sunny makes-you-happy-to-be-alive moments; this movie is as gritty as real life, and just as interesting.

Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Devos were both nominated for Most Promising Actor and Actress Cesar awards (the French version of the Oscar)for this film. (Amalric took home the award.)

Video Transfer is still poor for DVD
First of all, I like this movie and had seen it on VHS before ordering it on DVD. I thought it would be a good movie to learn some French by turning off the subtitles since it has a lot of dialog and is long. I was wrong.

Problem 1: You can't turn the subtitles off.

This is ridiculous for as recent a movie as this. They obviously could have found a print without the subtitles and then offered subtle options on the DVD menu.

Problem 2: The subtitles are in white.

Again ridiculous - yellow or white with a thin black border obviously work better when against a white tablecloth or sheet (which happens several times).

Problem 3: The video quality is terrible. I've watched 50 or so DVD's by now and this one is not up to par - it almost looks like it is raining in some of the darker scenes outside. They even left the annoying marks on the upper right for a film reel change in. I can't wait till all films are just shot digitally in the first place, so we never have to get stuck with these bad transfers again.

My advice is to rent it, or if you have a player for the European region, perhaps their version is better.

Poor video transfer?
I sent the VHS version of this movie back largely unseen because the subtitles were so fuzzy. The overall video quality, in fact, I think is suspect. I look forward to watching this movie when it is successfully transferred to DVD. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"Only in excess can one find liberty." Oh, that's right--the Marquis de Sade wasn't just a freaky-deaky sex fiend, he was also a philosopher. And that's the side illuminated in Sade, a marvelously chewy look at an episode from the life of the indecent marquis. In 1794, after the Revolution, Robespierre has imprisoned Sade in a comfortable old nunnery, along with some royalists. Daniel Auteuil's superb performance in the title role brings a lifetime of scandalous living to Sade's face, and he makes the man utterly unapologetic. By the time Sade deflowers a fascinated young woman, the act is more a defiant political statement (for both of them) than a naughty roll in the hay. This is another good one from director Benoît Jacquot (A Single Girl, Seventh Heaven), whose work always manages to be calm but passionate. It certainly tops Quills, another look at the enigma of Sade. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Fabulous French Cinema
This review refers to the DVD(Wellspring)edition of "Sade"...

Daniel Auteuil gives a mesmerizing performance as the Marquis de Sade in this wonderful film depicting de Sade's confinement during one of the most violent chapters of French history.

Heads roll(literally) in late 18th century France. It is the time of the "Reign of Terror" and many aristocrats await their fate...the guillotine! A special sanitarium is used for these upper-crust offenders and de Sade is among them. Found to be immoral and not fit for society, the man who lends his name to what we now call "sadism", never ceases to persue his right to express himself. Even many of the other prisoners feel he is beneath their station in life. But he brings a new awareness to them and when a young girl, the teenage daughter of one of these families expresses her regret that she will die before "experiencing" life, Sade makes it his mission to make sure she is awakened sensually before the end!

This film is beautifully directed by Benoit Jacquot. It captures the essence of the period with the exquiste cinematography of the settings, the authentic costumes, and the outstanding performances of the very talented cast.Although a fictionalized account, the story is believeable and you will get lost in this time and place. Auteuil will have you under his spell in no time. Marianne Denicourt is perfect in her portrayal of Sade's mistress who will do whatever it takes to keep him alive, and Isild Le Besco is remarkable in her intuitive performance of the young Emilie who turns to Sade in her time of fear.

The DVD by Wellspring is top of the line. The widescreen(2.35:1 aspect ratio) picture is gorgeuos. The colors are vibrant.The sourround sound is excellent. You have the choice of DD5.1 or 2.0. You can also choose to have the English subtitles on or off. The subtitles are clear and well placed. Features include an insightful interview with director Jacquot, and filmographies.

A fabulous piece of French cinema, but it may not be for everybody. The guillotine scenes may be disturbing to some, and of course with the main subject being the Marquis de Sade, there are some scenes that are quite erotic.(if this were an American film it may fall into the NC-17 rating).

If you are a fan of Auteuil, French films, or just fine filmmaking, have a look at "Sade".

Merci and...enjoy...Laurie ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Slow evolving character development
This is your typical slow evolving character development film that tries to capture a slice of life. More down trodden than up lifting and not really reflective of my life or anybody elses that I know which is typical of most French Films.

Life as it is
"Late August, Early September" depicts life as it is for two struggling writers trying to proclaim a space in modern literary world while meeting everyday chores of life and relationship. The movie has its own pace of revealing its characters and their interactions from an observatory angle. It also examines one very sensitive, tender yet socially uncomfortable relationship between a teen and a mature writer who just found himself questioning his achievement in his career at forty.

Intriguing and identifiable characters
Some will say french melodramas are too understated and long winded but i found myself thoroughly enjoying this character-driven gem. Editing is reminescent of Godard with its jump-cut scene transitions and non-static camera movements. If you like slow character-evolving films without the overt freudian-analysis and preaching, go check out the film at a rental before purchasing.

The Best French Film of the Year
Late August, Early September is a gem. If you like Rohmer, but need more 'character complexity', this film will satisfy your need for intellectual stimulation, poignancy, and reality.

This film is to cinema what Kundera is to literature. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"You're not my mommy." These words are uttered with complete certitude by the 9-year-old son of upper-class Parisian Isabelle Huppert; mother and son are about to enter the Twilight Zone. Comedy of Innocence is from the prolific Chilean-born filmmaker Raoul Ruiz, a director less interested in telling conventional stories than he is in playing with the boundaries of what a movie is. The 9-year-old demands to be taken to the home of a stranger (swanlike Jeanne Balibar, from Va savoir), whom he proclaims to be his true mother. Ruiz's command of mood and atmosphere carries the movie through its tantalizing set-up, and Huppert is of course a superb presence. She plays against the expectations of the role, finding the simmering truth beneath. One might hope for a bit more meat in the lackadaisical middle section of the film, but the eventual explanation is intriguing and worth hanging around for. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Compelling Psycho-Drama
This review refers to "Comedy of Innocence" (Comédie de l'innocence), DVD edition(Wellspring)...

If your looking for something French, something out of the ordinary, and a film well worth discussing after the view, this film is for you. I have to admit, there were moments in this film I found a little hard to follow, and others hard to swallow, but there was never a moment that I wanted to leave my seat, as the story became more compelling with every scene. Don't let the title fool you...it's a psychological drama/mystery that would take the wisdom of King Solomon, the expertise of Dr. Freud, and the patience of, well..a mother...to unravel.

Camille is a precocious nine year old, and only child of a well to do family. On his birthday he startles his mother Ariane, by declaring that he is not really Camille, he is a boy named Paul and she is not his mother at all. Ariane is eager to show Camille her love for him, and goes along with him, as he takes her on what seems to be a wild goose chase, but finds them at the apartment of Isabella, a woman who he now calls Mommy and who is thrilled to be reunited with her long lost,deceased son. And so the psychological tug-of-war for the boy begins. Who is this child really? Could he be the reincarnation of Paul? Is Ariane going mad? You won't want to miss a frame of this fascinating story.

Although I had never seen it before, I purchased this film, mainly because I am a fan of Isabelle Huppert. She turns in a wonderful performance of the very distraught mother. But I also marvelled at the work of Jeanne Balibar(Isabella), and will now be looking for her films as well. Artfully directed by Raoul Ruiz, with a haunting score, and wonderfully photographed, it's a nice one to add to your foreign film collection.

A very nice DVD from Wellspring. It includes English subtitles, that can be turned off, a very enlightning interview with Director Ruiz, has a nice widescreen picture and excellent sound in DD5.1(may also be viewed in stereo).

This film is billed as a thriller, akin to "The Sixth Sense", I didn't view it as anything like that, and if that is what you are hoping for, you might consider passing this one by.

Merci and enjoy....Laurie

Spooky and unsettling... or is it??
I admit it: I was looking for something more Hollywood, but all the good new releases were checked out on a Friday night, so I had to go for a second-tier rental instead. A European supernatural arthouse thriller seemed like a good option, even if the steady stream of similar films -- "Abre Tus Ojos," "Sixth Sense," "The Others," "The Ring," "The Eye," et al. -- is getting to be a bit much. And why do all these films have to star precocious, knowing little children who intone wisdom that seems beyond their years? In this case, it's a moody little Parisian boy named Camille, who wigs out after his ninth birthday, and tells his mother (played, somewhat flatly, by Isabelle Huppert) that he is in fact another child altogether, a boy named Paul, who as it turns out is a kid on the other side of town who drowned a couple of years ago. For some reason, Mom humors him, and they take a cab ride to the other boy's apartment, which is where the truly unsettling part of this film begins. The dead child's mourning mother appears, and insinuates herself in the other family's life, seducing Camille away from his family -- or so it seems. The middle section of this film slides into unreality and surrealism, as the actions of all involved seem warped and unexplainable. What's going on here? Are these people all dead, and living in some sort of Purgatory of unresolved emotional baggage of their former lives? Or are they all just nuts? The best performance, by far, in this film is by the elastic, elfin, wide-eyed Jeanne Balibar, who plays the other mother, and seems in turns both pixie-like and demonic. I agree, this isn't the greatest film ever, and the ending seems more rushed than deft, but the nauseating uncertainty that builds up as the plot unfolds shows that the filmmakers certainly had something on the ball... It does kind of stand the ghost-kid genre on its head a bit, and may make for an entertaining rental.

A Thriller But Not Scary
"Comedy of Innocence" is a psychological thriller released in 2003. Thought many scenes are weak, especially the last half, there are some entertaining scenes. The plot idea is unique, which explores a child who is believed to be a reincarnation of his mother's old friend's son. He begins visiting the other woman regularly while identifying her as "mom" and himself as Paul, not his real name. The climax tries to build as his real mom becomes more furious. However, the attempt doesn't succeed. But the suspenseful theme is great. It keeps the audiences interested. The unanswered questions may disappoint viewers, expecially the ones that the viewers are anticipating the most. The acting is average, though there are some strong shining moments. Sometimes, such moments keep the thriller theme successfully. "Comedy of Innocence" may be a great movie to rent only once. Overall, mixed reviews may arise. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jacques Rivette's exciting and delightful romantic comedy finds the French New Wave giant on familiar territory. Namely: theater as life, life as theater, and the junction where both fold together in an expansive universe of cinematic space and time. The director of such remarkably modernist classics as Celine and Julie Go Boating and La Belle Noiseuse here takes on a story of romantically entangled Parisian actors mounting a production of Luigi Pirandello's play As You Desire Me. As lovers hop in and out of ever-shifting relationships, the production comes together and opens to mixed success. The dynamics on and off the stage, between real life and theater, begin to fuse as Rivette breaks the narrative into disjointed pieces and lifts them to a higher plane of passionate resonance. An enjoyable ride and a tremendous accomplishment from a master filmmaker. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (18)

At last! The best movie of 2001.
'Va Savoir' opens with a voice in the darkness asking for lights to be turned on a stage, and the entire film can be seen as a play or a celebration of play, of acting, role-playng, creating, stories, plots. the two lead characters are actors, and in their forking narratives, bring everyone they come in contact with into their theatrical orbit. Camille is the French lead actress with an Italian touring company who are performing Pirandello's 'As You Desire Me' (the story of the amnesiac mistress of a writer who treats her like one of his creations, filmed by Hollywood with Garbo (another Camille) and Stroheim) in Paris to general indifference. During her hours off, she seeks the lover she dumped three years previously, a sheepish philosophy professsor now living with a domineering ballet teacher.

her co-star and company director Ugo, whose precise relation to Camille we don't learn until near the end, spends his days searching for an unpublished, possibly apocryphal play by his 18th century compatriot Goldoni. this paper chase leads him to the beautiful student Do, whose mother's library may hold the key, and who is instantly smitten by the older man. her brother is used to pilfering valuable books to fund his gambling habit. these two plots, intercut with apparent crudeness early on, begin to interweave to comical, romantic and magical effect, distending its mysteries and crime narrative, collapsing into a farce of dizzyingly shifting relationships and a vertiginous mock duel. 'Va Savoir' creates an enchanted world that looks superficially like ours, but operates on completely alien principles.

Jacques Rivette is one of cinema's great fabulists, but he doesn't depend for his fantasy on special effects or the literally supernatural. Every scene, even the long excerpts from the play, are filmed with plausibility and an air-brushed realism. It is in plot development that Rivette's fantasy lies. having begun the film with rehearsals for a drama, Rivette proliferates confusions between reality and illusion. there isn't a single sequence in the entire film that doesn't have characters walking down corridors, streets or paths, or walking into rooms, but these everyday events are transformed, corridors become labyrinths or secret passageways, rooms become magic chambers or dungeons, rooftops the plains of undiscovered planets. People dreaming becoming creating authors, mirrors portals to another dimension. The emphasis is on characters seeking to affirm their identity, but continually transforming, metamorphosing, renegotiating. Allusions abound, as often distracting the viewer as enlightening the theme.

'Va Savoir' plays like 'Celine and Julie go boating' (Rivette's most famous film) updated, with the theatre as haunted house, caretakers Camille and Ugo releasing all kinds of ghosts from the past. it is also similar to Bergman movies like 'the Face' or 'Fanny and alexander', their plot-displaced climaxes extended over an entire film. If Rivette has decided to charm his audience rather than challenge it, it is somehow appropriate that in this age of infantile, no-attention-span cinema, the most adventurous, enjoyable and youthful film in years is made by a 73 year old.

"... as many pregnant pauses as bon mots"
Although billed as a romantic comedy, Jacques Rivettes' relatively terse 1990 film "Va Savoir" ("Who Knows?") focuses on the priority of obsession over romance. At a few critical junctures, the tension breaks and we are allowed a nervous laugh before it resumes.

I found the whole drama oddly compelling. This is much the same reaction as I had to "The Venus Beauty Institute". And "Va Savoir" is every bit as pointless. Its two and a half hour running time allows for as many pregnant pauses as bon mots. I neither liked nor understood any of the characters, who were alternatively morose and manic. Their introversion evokes the claustrophobic feeling of the staged play within a play, Luigi Pirandello's "As You Desire Me".

The plot involves an actress Camille (Jeanne Balibar), who is returning to her native Paris after three years in the Italian theatre company directed by her Italian lover Ugo (Sergio Castellitto). She becomes re-acquainted with her previous lover in Paris, a Heidegger-obsessed professor of philosophy (Jacques Bonaffe), who is living in their former apartment with an ex-con ballet-teaching feng-shui practicing lover Sonia (Marianne Basler). Meanwhile, Ugo seeks out a manuscript to a lost play, crossing the path of a literature student/ingenue Do (Helene de Fougerolles), in one of the the most photogenic libraries encountered since "A Name of the Rose". Do's mysterious, ladies man of a brother Arthur (Bruno Todeschini) becomes involved shortly thereafter. The rest of the movie sees the various characters face off alone (yes, they're all deeply conflicted, even with themselves), one on one, or in groups. All the loose ends are summarily tied up or discarded in a grand finale on stage, a contrivance on a par with the Marx Brothers' "Coconuts".

(Note: I watched this with English subtitles and I speak neither French nor Italian.)

My favorite movie of 2001
When I saw "Va Savoir" in theaters, I loved it so much that I stayed in my seat for the next showing (with the film's lethargic 154-min running time, that's around 5 hours or so) and I enjoyed every second of it. I just love the characters in this film. The way they talk, the dialogue, the situations and places they find themselves in, all of it magical. I do not understand people saying the film is enjoyable, but not heavy or a "major Rivette", which I wholeheartedly disagree with (I find this to be Rivette's best work since "La Belle Noiseuse"). I have seen the film around 6 or 7 times and have yet to tire of it. For anyone looking for a charming, intelligent, hugely entertaining, and romantic movie...this is it. Highly recommended.

VA GARBAGZE IS MORE LIKE IT
THIS MOVIE HAS ALL THE EXCITEMENT OF A FRONTAL LOBOTOMY.FRENCH NEW WAVE IS JUST ANOTHER TERM FOR UTTER GARBAGE. THIS MOVIE CAN BE USED TO HELP CURE SLEEP APNIA.

I agree.... so boring I had to turn it off...
Now I've seen quite a good share of foreign films. Maybe it is my ignorance on theatrical names and topics in the film, but I could not follow any of it. The characters were very dry and distant. It has a very disappointing ending and the plot is just very slow moving.

Not very highly recommended. ... Read more