tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post3881136457061356043..comments2023-07-25T18:12:10.051+10:00Comments on Melbourne Film Blog: Getting serious about FrenchPaul Martinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-35227794405395784102007-04-20T10:02:00.000+10:002007-04-20T10:02:00.000+10:00Cathleen, as I said on Michael's The Evening Class...Cathleen, as I said on Michael's The Evening Class, I find Almodóvar so damn frustrating. There are so many elements I love, and I find him a good director. I've liked all his films but none of them have achieved greatness for me, because of that ceiling he can't rise above. I'll even go so far as to say that I think his ego prevents him. I get the impression (and I may be completely wrong) Paul Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-31569635702713441272007-04-20T08:11:00.000+10:002007-04-20T08:11:00.000+10:00Yes, THE MATADOR is one of my favorites as well, a...Yes, THE MATADOR is one of my favorites as well, also, DARK HABITS. And, because i'm a woman writer, i guess, i like THE FLOWER OF MY SECRET.<BR/><BR/>ON THE BEACH should be on DVD, no?Cathleen Rountreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15578820802063357885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-81792556141786503502007-04-19T17:02:00.000+10:002007-04-19T17:02:00.000+10:00Cathleen, since Volver was released (which I've se...Cathleen, since Volver was released (which I've seen twice), I've watched all of Almodóvar's work. I know many people point to Talk to Her as one of his best. My favourites are Matador and Live Flesh, the only works he used co-writers. I think that Almodóvar's work (including Talk to Her) never breaks through an invisible ceiling because of HIS writing. Artistically he's got great style, but Paul Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-52493356409199950862007-04-19T15:10:00.000+10:002007-04-19T15:10:00.000+10:00Paul, I read your VOLVER commentary and agree with...Paul, I read your VOLVER commentary and agree with much of it. i, too, thought Cruz was a little over-hyped. i wonder why you didn't mention TALK TO HER, which i find hugely more satisfying. I agree with your assessment of the soap-operatic quality in VOLVER (and many of his films, actually, and i've seen them all). For all of his Spanish "heat" and Cruz's contrived sexuality, the film left me Cathleen Rountreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15578820802063357885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-91968549097989652872007-04-17T12:12:00.000+10:002007-04-17T12:12:00.000+10:00Hi Cathleen, and thanks for your comments (and you...Hi Cathleen, and thanks for your comments (and <A HREF="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2007/04/cathleen-rountreethe-movie-lovers-club.html" REL="nofollow">your 2c worth</A> at <A HREF="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/index.html" REL="nofollow">The Evening Class</A>). From <A HREF="http://www.cathleenrountree.com/" REL="nofollow">your website</A>, I see we have some common interests thatPaul Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-41063737454032263492007-04-17T09:43:00.000+10:002007-04-17T09:43:00.000+10:00Hey, Paul, we met on Michael's blog ("The Movie Lo...Hey, Paul, we met on Michael's blog ("The Movie Lovers' Club" post). Good choice, French. I studied it for several years and then lived with a Frenchman for four years, so when I'm in France, I can get by okay. Now I'm on to Spanish. Took Spanish 1 about 3 years ago and tomorrow I'm enrolling in intensive summer sessions of Spanish 1 (repeat) and Spanish 2. The weird thing is that when I try to Cathleen Rountreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15578820802063357885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-72933386748974300742007-04-16T15:23:00.000+10:002007-04-16T15:23:00.000+10:00Trent, I got to ACMI to see the Centre Pompidou Vi...Trent, I got to ACMI to see the Centre Pompidou Video Art exhibition at lunch-time today, just before the Godard video and watched it in it's entirety. I've not seen any of his films yet, so I don't have a good contextual appreciation of it. However, I think it will help me to appreciate where he's coming from when I do get around to seeing something of his. The visual quality was quite poor (Paul Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-86124032847737459612007-04-15T22:14:00.000+10:002007-04-15T22:14:00.000+10:00I'm intrigued, my e-mailIt will probably take Goda...I'm intrigued, <A HREF="trentw@iprimus.com.au" REL="nofollow">my e-mail</A><BR/><BR/>It will probably take Godard's death for anyone to show his films here, and by then it will just be an empty gesture. The Chauvel showed A Bout de Souffle a couple of weeks ago but so what--anyone would think that's his only film as that's all cinemas ever seem to show, no one bothers to show his later films. I Lenzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05610661392856002902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-67384193372147067032007-04-14T23:49:00.000+10:002007-04-14T23:49:00.000+10:00Hi HH, thanks for dropping by. So is it Huntz or ...Hi HH, thanks for dropping by. So is it Huntz or Trent? And do you have a blog (the link doesn't access anything). There's a link for my email in the sidebar, drop me a line as there's something I wanted to discuss.<BR/><BR/>I get to ACMI a couple of times a week or more (I was there this evening) but haven't seen the Pompidou exhibition yet. I might go there a few lunch-times as I work not Paul Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-32717902496217146532007-04-14T18:22:00.000+10:002007-04-14T18:22:00.000+10:00Congratulations on your decision to learn French, ...Congratulations on your decision to learn French, Paul! I return to Paris every couple of years because I love to just hang there, socialize, watch film. It's the city I would ultimately like to retire to.Michael Guillenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15464792353062386579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-81882662825337916542007-04-14T14:01:00.000+10:002007-04-14T14:01:00.000+10:00Hey Paul, it's huntz hall. All the best with learn...Hey Paul, it's huntz hall. All the best with learning French--as you mentioned actually living in a French-speaking country would be the ideal way to learn, but this is a good start. The closest I got was spending a week in Montreal, but Quebecois is a little different anyway. I would love to understand every language spoken in the movies I see because I think a lot of subtlety and nuance is lostLenzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05610661392856002902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-59663579597510891672007-04-13T11:12:00.000+10:002007-04-13T11:12:00.000+10:00Thanks Matt. I don't have a problem with subtitle...Thanks Matt. I don't have a problem with subtitles at all, but I feel that there's subtleties one misses out on. For example in Beau travail we see the protagonist writing or in other films there may be street scenes with signs, etc.<BR/><BR/>My understanding is that English is a very hard language for others to learn; just a matter of practice and determination. Yeah, lots of DVDs sounds goodPaul Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-46681489343198129792007-04-13T04:19:00.000+10:002007-04-13T04:19:00.000+10:00Hey Paul,Quelle bonne idée!I'm so glad I'm a nativ...Hey Paul,<BR/><BR/>Quelle bonne idée!<BR/><BR/>I'm so glad I'm a native French speaker: I'd hate to learn it, it's not the easiest of languages to tame. But it's a great initiative, and there's nothing like watching foreign films without the need for subtitles. <BR/><BR/>By the way, I really recommend watching French films on DVD (especially ones you've already seen) turning off the subtitles. Matt Rivierahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03856241078630118517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-39403360812399603822007-04-12T15:46:00.000+10:002007-04-12T15:46:00.000+10:00Yeah Marty, that'd be a bit of a dream holiday for...Yeah Marty, that'd be a bit of a dream holiday for me. But not just Cannes, as I think film festivals can be a bit intense, but just hanging out in a city and going shopping, seeing films and doing normal day-to-day stuff. <BR/><BR/>I spend a month in the US (NYC and Washington DC) about three years ago, and even in an English speaking country, I found it fascinating to get around walking or Paul Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10965628567103267009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34898184.post-40640388707297650392007-04-12T11:03:00.000+10:002007-04-12T11:03:00.000+10:00French is a great language and not as difficult as...French is a great language and not as difficult as you would expect. I took the CAE French class years ago in 1992 but didn't do the full course. However, I am going to France next month attending the Cannes Film Festival and then jetting off to Paris for 5 days. I know a bit of French that gets me by ok. You'll enjoy learning French and your partner will find it very sexy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com