Scarlet Carpet

Cinema Quotes: Jim Morrison

2012-02-10T18:01:00.001+01:00

Jim Morrison knew how to deal with music and lyrics, and we are all well aware of that. It was an innate talent; during his student years he had opted for theatre, film and cinematography at UCLA, though. He even made a film, HWY: An American Pastoral (1969), in which he was the main actor, and the producer. It stayed quite obscure, but supposedly it can be found online. Here comes an

On the Path with the RIFFers

2012-02-08T01:37:00.000+01:00

Tonight, I attended the first ever thematic evening organised by RIFF, maybe the most inspired cultural organisation here in Luxembourg; and I'm not saying that because they are my friends, and fellow ex-volunteers, no, I'm saying it because it's true. In the first instance, check their name: RIFF stands for Rocking Integration on Futuristic Festival -isn't that totally nuts, and cool, and

What do you want from me? or the City will Devour you

2012-02-06T12:55:00.002+01:00

Life can be prosaic -especially this part of the world. We may yearn for adventurous rides. But, are we ready for it? Griffin Dunne, dresses the role of Paul Hackett for a dense with paranoia and angst, and Kafka, and Theatre of the Absurd and much more, Scorsese black comedy After Hours (1985); Paul Hackett is a word processor who wants to jump out of his comfort zone; he thinks he's ready

Jake La Motta VS Randy the Ram

2012-02-01T11:42:00.000+01:00

Imagine this fight taking place, as the clash of every possible component of the cinematic and the social; everything is different between Jake and Randy, if not opposing: epochs, cinematic characters and style, not to mention principles. There are obvious similarities, though; wrestling and boxing have both the extreme physicality at stake: you have to endure to feel self-fulfilled. You

Insatiable is my Name: Russ Meyer's Vixen! (1968)

2012-01-30T01:02:00.001+01:00

Vixen! was the film that catapulted Russ Meyer in the international vixendome. "The King of the Nudies", as he was referred to -a title he full-heartedly chose to adorn his headstone with- is well-known for his big breast fixation, weird sense of humour and sexploitation crescendo. His Amazonian, insatiable women often portray such vigour and men-hunting qualities that one can see them as a

Créajeune: a short film competition for youth

2012-01-26T13:43:00.000+01:00

Yesterday, it was a very special night for me. My first favourite place in Luxembourg, Eisenborn Youth Center powered by SNJ moved to my second favourite place, the Cinematheque. Unfortunately it was only for the night -wouldn't it be perfect if such a cooperation could be more systematic? Creajeune is a video contest for young adults, organised by the QuattroPole, a wonderful cross-border

Welcome to "All Saints" (2011)

2012-01-24T16:35:00.001+01:00

"All Saints" is a Greek hospital. A hospital where funny things happen. Like in many Greek hospitals, more or less. Several sectors are not running like the should in GR, some of them you see in the news, some others you don't; this is a film for the Greek Public Health System, a problematic and deficient one. Thanks to Sotiris Goritsas and his sense of humour, the tragicomic events that you

Cinema Quotes: Martin Scorsese

2012-01-23T17:46:00.000+01:00

Today I'm starting something new here; hand-picked cinema wisdom from inspiring talent, directors, industry people or theorists are bound to find a welcoming hub, and equally welcoming readers. The first quote comes from Martin Scorsese. The Taxi Driver (1976) director, has become my obsession lately, due to the Cinematheque's Retrospective; the quote also features on the back of their

Scorsese and Women; Guilt and Pleasure: Who's that Knocking

2012-01-20T12:35:00.001+01:00

Machismo is definitely what Scorsese is linking back to most of the time; Scorsese did direct Alice doesn't live here anymore (1974), a road-movie that won Ellen Burstyn an Oscar, though. It's an ok melodrama, but nothing impressive. Mafia and gangsters, weirdos, defiant personalities and secret agents are definitely more impressive, especially if they have the Original Sin in the back of

Carnage within Four Walls

2012-01-19T17:01:00.001+01:00

A bunch of comparisons started hustling and bustling in my mind, while watching the film: Jodie Foster travelling to another planet in the 90s sci-fi Contact, then being a strict moralist and a very judgemental person in Carnage. Christoph Waltz cannot get rid of his phlegm either he is a rotten-to-the-bone Jew hunter for Inglourious Basterds either a busy lawyer and part-time dad. And Kate

Le Havre or An African Container and its Consequences

2012-01-13T19:32:00.001+01:00

Aki Kaurismaki always had two ambivalent qualities in his films: the ability to keep a certain distance, on the opposite side of let's say Hollywood, that tries to force feelings -either in its soaked-to-tears dramas or its feel-good comedies- and a certain naive take on life and its adventures. He can observe the world with an innocent child's eyes or he can let one of his characters do so;

Get Ready for Scorsese: a Retrospective

2012-01-10T19:16:00.000+01:00

Do you like Scorcese? I do. But what is exactly that I like? It's mainly the romantic idea of a director-producer who is working non-stop for so many years and is not done yet. I remember the first Scorsese I saw was -what a surprise- Taxi Driver; somewhere in central Paris, while strolling with my sister, we decided to plunge in the master's wild world. A critical point in his career, and

The Coolest Cinema in London

2012-01-07T22:37:00.002+01:00

I know this title is full of hype and I will have to already tell you what goes without saying; there is no one coolest cinema in London, but many cool ones, so my choice here will be purely personal. They are so many cool cinemas in London, that it's definitely hard to pick up the coolest one. I like the Curzon Cinemas, both in Mayfair and in Soho and I adore the BFI's, they are the utter

Five Easy Pieces (1970) or the Elusive Quality of Fame

2012-01-06T01:08:00.001+01:00

How do some become household names while others rest in oblivion? What is that makes a Star? The texture, the choices or just the Casting Director? Why do we all know the name of Jack Nicholson, whereas that of Karen Black does not even ring a bell? This is a companion on how to play Five Easy Pieces (1970) on the piano. Or just some random words on all-time favourite Goddess

To Catch a Thief (1955)

2011-12-21T00:17:00.001+01:00

I was browsing through my photos and I found this one; a post that intended to get published but never made it, till now. So, this beautiful film that won an Oscar for Best Cinematography will be my Christmas gift for you, not a Dickens story with ghosts, no, definitely a contrapuntal Christmas choice. To Catch a Thief (1955) is not a winter film, either, that's why you will cherish it.

Twin Tales of Terror and Madness

2011-12-16T12:58:00.001+01:00

"Join us on December 16th – the last day before Cinematheque closes its doors for the holiday! Or else… you won’t live past New Year’s Eve!" That's how they advertise tonight's film folly @FilmReakter and they are right; this is the only valid plan for such a cold, rainy Friday: let fear freeze you even more. I will definitely be there and REPORT back to you, soon. AND...here comes the

Golden Globes 2012 Nominations are Out!

2011-12-15T15:36:00.001+01:00

I barely have time to comment, so I will just give you the list, but ok, I can say a few words. In a nutshell: are they CRAZY? Bridesmaids sucks! I am not convinced by Moneyball either, and Midnight in Paris?! Gimme a break, please. Misses Williams is not very convincing for me in her Marilyn version, Ryan Gosling in Stupid, Crazy, Love is good indeed, the same goes for Brendan Gleeson;

Sabrina Ouazani is an Algerian Beauty

2011-12-14T14:30:00.000+01:00

But Lambert Wilson is an asshole. An ignorant. A peasant. To put in nicer, no real gentleman. I'm sure most of you landed on this page via Google search you know the incident better than me -it dates back to spring 2010. The setting: an actress in her twenties -one that takes everything with a smile, the failure of an actor in his fifties, Cannes Film Festival; they co-star in the film, they

Trapped in Adolescence's Submarine

2011-12-09T12:30:00.000+01:00

Craig Roberts is Oliver Tate, a bright and very self-involved kid; a bit of a Drama Queen, too (that certainly rings a bell). He would love it, if there was the possibility of a film crew following his every move (personally, I would opt for a horde of paparazzis, and I'm not even an adolescent, see?). It's common before adulthood the feeling that young people are starring in their life's

The Intriguing Life of Scarlett Johansson

2011-12-06T14:49:00.001+01:00

"Relationships are complicated. Being married is a living, breathing process. I think I was not fully aware of the peaks and the valleys." Says who? Someone that should know, I reckon, after having many affairs, relationships with peers or older men -Sean Penn included- and was already married and divorced, all that at the age of 27. Scarlett Johansson, really makes me wonder once more if

International Aids Day with House of Boys

2011-12-01T05:00:00.000+01:00

The 1st of December is the International Aids Day, a day dedicated to the War of Humanity vs HIV. Aids is a problem that touches us all, men, women, gays and straights, but you know that already, don't you? I will cut the preaching short and continue to mix good causes with cinema, as always. Just to add how much I miss my Athenian days, when with my friend Julie I was attending every singe

Bicycle Film Festival

2011-11-30T16:57:00.001+01:00

When Brendt Barbur was hit by a bus while biking in New York city, he was not discouraged. On the contrary, he came up with the idea to transform his painful experience to something beautiful instead. That's how Bicylce Film Festival was born. The Festival, "a platform to celebrate the bicycle through music, art and, of course, film" is said to be "a major catalyst for the urban bike movement

Thank you, Ken Russel; Tommy was good fun

2011-11-28T23:31:00.001+01:00

The news of Ken Russell's death shook the world media; he is now called a pioneer, an iconoclast, a groundbreaking and controversial director, things that he always has been, of course. I admire more, though, those who are brave enough to love him for his kitschy and bombastic qualities, in Tommy, for instance. Tommy is the film that left me utterly impressed with its unconventional

Blaxploitation Night with Filmreakter

2011-11-26T12:08:00.011+01:00

Let me first share my feelings of thrill, regarding the Filreakter Community; when I found out that people like me exist here, people who love Cinema, work/watch/deal with Films, and do not belong to the wide pop-corn-eating audience that chose their Saturday night film reading the storyline in Time Out, but fiddle with old images, references, meanings, subtext and they're having fun with it,

French Film Titles: a Story to Tell

2011-11-23T17:39:00.006+01:00

Day in, day out last week I was flipping through the pages of a French Culture Publication called Spectacles a Metz that covers, take a wild guess: the spectacles around Metz, naturally, in La Moselle area, France. It is an interesting publication with a wide variety of spectacles -music, theatre, expositions and everything else culture-wise- but let me narrow down the results of my search,