OMNIBUS FILMS

THIS IS MY COMMENT IN MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE’S BLOG:
http://memoriesofthefuture.wordpress.com/2007/07/25/and-then-one-day-you-kissed-me/

--I’m glad you like Emily Mortimer. I got very interested in her after I saw her in BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS (2003, Stephen Fry, A+). She really shines in this movie, though I think Fenella Woolgar is the one who steals many scenes in it. Emily Mortimer is also great in DEAR FRANKIE (2004, Shona Auerbach, A)

--You are the first person that I know who loves Wes Craven’s segment.

--To tell you the truth, I like Bruno Podalydes’ segment, though not as much as many other segments. And I really love one film directed by Bruno Podalydes. It is DIEU SEUL ME VOIT (ONLY GOD SEES ME) (1998, Bruno Podalydes, A), which is a romantic comedy. What I like very much in DIEU SEUL ME VOIT is that it seems to have some political aspects, which is hard to find in other romantic comedies. In this film, the hero has three lovers—a nurse, a documentary director (Jeanne Balibar), and a policewoman. These three women have to answer the same question about Cuba, and these three gave different answers. I don’t think I truly understand the political subtext in ONLY GOD SEES ME, but at least this film made me think a lot about the political subtext after seeing it, instead of just making me feel good and then disappearing from my mind very soon like other romantic comedies. I don’t know if I can convince you to change your mind about not watching Bruno Podalydes’ films, but at least I have tried.

These are the segments in PARIS, I LOVE YOU (A) in my preferential order:

1.14TH ARRONDISSEMENT (Alexander Payne, A+)

This segment also surprises me a lot. I like SIDEWAYS (2004, A+), but feel so-so about ABOUT SCHMIDT (2002, Alexander Payne, B+). However, I love this segment ten times more than SIDEWAYS. This segment is quite funny and touching. The character played by Margo Martindale in this segment reminds me of the heroine of SHIRLEY VALENTINE (1989, Lewis Gilbert, A+), because both of them are middle-aged women traveling alone, and their travel might lead to their self-liberation.

2. LOIN DU 16EME (Walter Salles, A+)

This segment makes me feel very sad.

3. LES MARAIS (Gus Van Sant, A+)

4. QUARTIER DE LA MADELEINE (Vincenzo Natali, A+)

5. PLACE DES FETES (Oliver Schmitz, A+)

This segment also makes me feel very sad.

6. QUARTIER DES ENFANTS ROUGES (Olivier Assayas, A+)

7. TUILERIES (Joel & Ethan Cohen, A+/A)

8. TOUR EIFFEL (Sylvain Chomet, A+/A)

9. QUARTIER LATIN (Gerard Depardieu + Frederic Aubertin, A)

10. QUAIS DE SEINE (Gurinder Chadha, A)

11. PERE-LACHAISE (Wes Craven, A)

12. PARC MONCEAU (Alfonso Cuaron, A)

13. MONTMARTRE (Bruno Podalydes, A/A-)

14. PORTE DE CHOISY (Christopher Doyle, A-)

15. FAUBOURG SAINT-DENIS (Tom Tykwer, A-)

16. PLACE DE VICTOIRES (Nobuhiro Suwa, A-)

17. PIGALLE (Richard LaGravenese, A-)

18. BASTILLE (Isabel Coixet, B+)


I’m quite surprised, in a negative way, with Suwa and Coixet’s segments, because I like their feature films very much. I saw 2 DUO (1997, Nobuhiro Suwa, A+) and MY LIFE WITHOUT ME (2003, Isabel Coixet, A+). Both these films touch me so strongly, while their short segments cannot.


--As you know I like to make lists. So in this case I make a list of omnibus films.

MY FAVORITE OMNIBUS FILMS

1.ID SWISS (1999)
This is a film about the multinational aspect of Switzerland. Two from seven segments stand out: MIXED UP by Nadia Fares, and TRAIN FANTOME by Thomas Thuemena. MIXED UP is a surreal, poetic film about North African women in Switzerland, while TRAIN FANTOME is a documentary which dares to ask the question “Is it possible that there can be a war between French-speaking Swiss and German-speaking Swiss?” To my surprise, some interviewees answer “Yes”.


2.TALES OF TERROR (2004, Japan)
Many people hate this horror film which consists of 8 segments, but I really love this film, especially the two segments directed by Kosuke Suzuki. These two segments really defy explanation.


3.TUBE TALES (1999)
This film consists of eleven segments concerning subway trains. My two most favorite are the ones directed by Ewan McGregor and Charles McDougall.


4.11’09”01 – SEPTEMBER 11 (2002)
My two most favorite segments are the ones directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Claude Lelouch.


5.EROTIQUE (1994, Lizzie Borden, Clara Law, Ana Maria Magalhaes, Monika Treut, A+)


6.ABOUT LOVE (2005, Ten Shimoyama (A-), Yee Chin-yen (A+), Zhang Yibai (A))

7.SPIRITS OF THE DEAD (1968, Roger Vadim (A-), Louis Malle (A), Federico Fellini (A))

8.TALES OF KISH (1999, Abolfazl Jalili, Naser Taghvai, Mohsen Makhmalbaf)

9. EGG (This is a Thai omnibus film consisting of 7 segments, including the one directed by Michael Shaowanasai)

10.TSUNAMI (This is a Thai omnibus film consisting of 13 segments. My most favorite are the ones directed by Sompot Chidgasornpongse, Sonthaya Subyen, and Pramote Sangsorn.)


MY WISH LIST FOR OMNIBUS FILMS

1.THE HEIRESS (1982, Viviane Berthommier, Daniele Dubroux, Marie-Christine Questerbert, Helma Sanders-Brahms, Ula Stoeckl, Jutta Brueckner)


2.DANISH GIRLS SHOW EVERYTHING (1996, directed by 18 directors, including Mani Kaul, Dusan Makavejev, Monika Treut, Zhang Yuan, Jaime Humberto Hermosillo, Mika Kaurismaki)


3.LOST AND FOUND (2005, Stefan Arsenijevic, Nadejda Koseva, Mait Laas, Kornel Mundruczo, Cristian Mungiu, Jasmila Zbanic)


4.STATE OF THE NATION: AUSTRIA IN SIX CHAPTERS (2002, Barbara Albert, Michael Glawogger, Ulrich Seidl, Michael Sturminger)


5.VISIONS OF EUROPE (2004, directed by 26 directors, including Fatih Akin, Barbara Albert, Sharunas Bartas, Christoffer Boe, Constantine Giannaris, Theo van Gogh, Peter Greenaway, Aki Kaurismaki, Damjan Kozole, Bela Tarr, and Jan Troell)