REVIEW: DVD Release: Paris Je T’Aime

Film: Paris Je T’Aime
Release date: 4th February 2008
Certificate: 15
Running time: 115 mins
Director: Gus Van Sant, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Christopher Doyle & Vincenzo Natali
Starring: Steve Buscemi, Natalie Portman, Gerard Depardieu, Bob Hoskins, Nick Nolte
Genre: Drama/Romance
Studio: Universal
Format: DVD
Country: France/Liechtenstein/Switzerland

Paris, the city of love; and what better a location to typify love in all its splendour? But just how profound can ‘love’ be? How many different kinds of love can you count on your hand? Hard, isn’t it? This is where Oliver Assayas and Frederic Auburtin step up with Paris Je T’Aime; exemplifying all the forms of love humankind has forgotten in the hype of love being all-good, using a cohesive intensity of “stories of love, from the city of love.”

Try not to be fooled by the title – translated to Paris, I Love You - which would mislead the hopeless romantic into believing they were about to view a tale of happy-ever-after romance from the passion capital, and although this is not entirely untrue, there are other surprises in store structured around love at its best, its worst, and it’s most downright bizarre!

Paris Je T’Aime takes an innovative approach to screening the model love story - by showing the good, the bad and the ugly sides in all types of dealings. Originality is the key - this film doesn’t merely account for the soppy saga of a male and a female, and their romantic journey and fruitful encounters, but does, using eighteen short pictures produced collectively akin to a slideshow, portray eighteen mini fables of how love can take on many forms – ones often overlooked.

Each one of the five minute long shorts were put in place formerly to represent the districts of Paris, and each shot therefore is named after said administrative districts, or “arrondissements” to be precise, of the city. Although, the eighteen short films, each directed by twenty-two separate administrators, are screened collectively without any headings, nor any specified introductory or ending clarification - so focus is required to ensure full perspective is gained…


The film begins with the first short set in Montmarte where we watch as an obviously lonely man believes his luck could be in a positive transition when a woman suffering from low blood sugar levels collapses outside his car where he attends to her and they appear to hit it off immediately.

However, this optimistic short is not an example of a pattern to follow, as screened subsequently are tales of love and the possibility of it, love in its peak form, dying love, and love that has already been lost. Not only focussing upon the everyday granted relationships, the film explores homosexual relationships and the relationship between divorcees, between father and daughter, between employees and employers, between strangers on the street, between a mother and a baby, between married couples, between a grieving mother and her deceased son, between fiancés, between an actress and her drug addiction/dealer, between a blind boy and his girlfriend and, also, peculiarly, between a vampire and her prey-turned-lover!

Praise must go to the opening sequence where Paris in all its wonder and exquisiteness is shot skilfully using artistic cinematography, including awe inducing long shots of the city by day and night. Slow sweeping scans hypnotise and have the ability to make us fall in love with the charming Paris, echoing the title immediately. This captivating scene further enhances our lust for Paris, as fireworks appear onscreen alongside the great Eiffel Tower, accompanied by fairytale Cinderella-style melodies. One begins the movie adoring Paris, and ends feeling still in love but sceptical of what that love truly means and its level of sanctuary.

It would appear, as there are numerous varying characters throughout, many of whom are Hollywood big timers, including Maggie Gyllenhaal and Elijah Wood, that the city is the uniting protagonist of the show. As well as a star-studded cast, which also features the more established Gena Rowlands and Bob Hoskins, the films represent various nationalities including British, French and American. Yet, this cast of Hollywood elites and diverse representations don’t exactly improve on the show’s prominence as much as they conceivably should and perchance the main flaw with the production - the mise-en-scene is overcrowded; making for claustrophobic viewing.

The entire film is innovative and, at times, truly gripping, however, it would seem rather than the good shorts out shining and thus cancelling out the bad shorts, the ghastly drag the superior down. Even so, the unison of sensations experienced whilst watching range from cheerfulness to wretchedness, from jolt to wonder, and from perceptivity to total perplexity, so commendation should be given to the twenty-two directors for making this occur.

Each short reeks of individualism and distinction from the next, making for a fine watch. If you enjoy array in a movie and tiny segments of stories rather than an extensive drawn-out single narrative then you’ll care very much for Paris Je T’Aime and will declare the title with a personal sentiment.


Paris, Je T'Aime will have you smiling and perhaps crying, and is certainly uplifting, but mostly you’ll be left with a mood that is not just unsatisfactory but aptly uncertain and uneasy. It’s like the French take on British classic Love Actually - although, not quite as good, actually. VMF

REVIEW: DVD Release: Daughters Of Darkness

Film: Daughters Of Darkness
Release date: 30th August 2010
Certificate: 18
Running time: 96 mins
Director: Harry Kuemel
Starring: Paul Esser, John Karlen, Delphine Seyrig, Daniele Quimet, George Jamin
Genre: Erotica/Horror
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: Belgium/France/West Germany

Newlyweds Stefan and Valerie are celebrating their spontaneous marriage in Childen Manor, Ostend, Belgium, when things take a turn for the worse, and certainly for the bizarre. A plot thick with surreal and thrilling events; Harry Kümel screens a rather original (if not still a little predictable) take on a vampire horror surrounding a ghoulishly grim honeymoon with a difference!

Everything seems to be running smoothly, and in the normal post marital fashion for honeymooners Stefan and Valerie - even in the middle of winter, at a seaside resort, they appear perfectly happy as though nothing could spoil their joyous bliss. This is until they realise they are not the only guests staying in Childen Manor. The Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory and her faithful assistant Ilona are also occupying a suite close by.

From here on in, strange episodes come to pass, arising suspicion between Stefan and Valerie, and the Concierge Pierre, who swears the Countess has not changed or aged one bit in the forty years since he last set eyes on her in the Manor as a young boy.

News reports of sadistic occurrences begin to emerge: three young girls, all virgins, and all patently beautiful, have been murdered by way of blood drainage in close by towns, leaving not a shred of evidence in order to begin looking for a perpetrator. Stefan, too, begins to act warily different, and even more so when the two mystifying women are present, expressing a deeper interest in the dead, and especially for those of the recent corpses.

It is increasingly obvious that the Countess and her assistant are up to no good, but are noticeably skilled in covering their tracks. However, when Elizabeth gets carried away one night in an oddly pleasurable description of her ancestors’ means of claiming eternal youth via killing and drinking the blood of copious virgins, there is no doubt who the true slayer is. The question is, will Stefan and Valerie live to enjoy a lengthy married life together, or will they be the next victims of the ferocious Countess and her partner in crime Ilona?


The performances are well delivered, despite one or two slightly over dramatic scenes from Valerie, and a few unclear audio moments, helping us feel a part of the action. It is possible to feel afraid for the fated couple, but, simultaneously, feel empowered at the idea of holding the control and beauty of Elizabeth.

An interesting element of cinematography is used between scenes, where the screen is filled with the colour red, whilst an accompaniment of horror harmonies is played before the next scene is quickly cut to - indicating the vast bloodshed to be expected. However, despite a couple of nice scenes in Bruges, there aren’t many interesting landscape shots or captivating screen fillers, as most of the film is shot inside the hotel or outside in the dark of night. Besides the pretty faces, there’s little beauty on screen.

The idea of sexual yearning is present throughout, and portrayed between Valerie and Stefan, as well as Ilona and Stefan, but there is an emphasis upon lesbianism, too, with a seemingly sexual relationship portrayed between the Countess and Ilona, and also amid Countess and Valerie nearing the end: “Did you see her skin, her lips?”

It must be said that although the film is a fine piece of cinema for its time, and would certainly have made an impact in the 1970s, it reveals its age in certain scenes with the predictable lines and plot developments - for example, a vampire’s struggle for eternal youth and what this leads them to do to mere humans, and the sexualisation of such characters and their prey. In saying this, the film does hold surprising plot twists, which are admirable and add to the intriguing quality Kümel has acquired and displayed. The ending, in particular, deserves credit for the way in which it is shot and revealed.


Vampires, virgins and violence: the perfect recipe for a fierce and haunting piece of terror fuelled cinema. For a 1970s horror film, Harry Kümel comes out on top, but in comparison to a horror film of today’s standards, Daughters Of Darkness simply doesn’t measures up. VMF

REVIEW: DVD Release: Adelheid

Film: Adelheid
Release date: 23rd August 2010
Certificate: 15
Running time: 98 mins
Director: Frantisek Vlácil
Starring: Petr Cepek, Emma Cerná, Jan Vostrcil, Jana Krupicková, Pavel Landovský
Genre: Drama/Romance
Studio: Second Run
Format: DVD
Country: Czechoslovakia

In his first attempt at a colour film, director Frantisek Vlácil transports us by means of a train journey to Czechoslovakia where we are met with the repercussions of World War Two. A love tale with peril written all over it; Komer exemplifies the misfortunes which war carries to the table and how in its attempt to reconstruct minor faults of the world, war can end up hindering and reproducing them further. But will the two unlikely protagonists beat the odds in an unhopeful world with a happy ever after?

The story is led by one of two central characters Lieutenant Victor Chotovicky, a Czech soldier on his return journey from duty with the British RAF who we learn is somewhat of a rebel when he refuses to obey the orders of head officers on the railway, and, as a consequence, becomes involved in a brawl. It becomes clear that Chotovicky is not your average man as he takes no nonsense from anyone and battles for his privileges.

The nostalgic opening sequence is shot beautifully with idyllic views of the Czechoslovakian countryside accompanied by sombre yet hopeful music akin to those of religious melodies. From commencement onwards the film takes a poignant yet buoyant approach.

Chotovicky finds a slightly run down mansion, prior residence of the powerful and dangerous Hansgeorg Heidenmann, where he decides to make a habitat for himself. One morning he is awakened by the sound of scrubbing, and, in an attempt to reclaim what he now considers his, he approaches the ‘intruder’ armed, demanding to know how she got in and her motives. The woman, whom we learn is Adelheid Heidenmannová, knows the building well as she is the daughter of Heidenmann, and is now reduced to servitude as a consequence of her father’s terrible war time actions...


‘Adelheid’ comes from the old German name ‘Adalheidis’, which means nobility. Adelheid herself, along with Vlácil’s plot, reflects individual nobility and the attempts to regain human dignity in a time where all notions of such givens had vanished.

Patently, the mystifyingly demure German woman captivates Chotovicky from the moment they meet, and a yearning obsession quickly develops. Chotovicky acts rapidly in requesting to Sergeant Henja that Adelheid stay with him when she is supposed to return to the camp, where she can act as a servant to his every need. The film’s scenes from here are mainly filmed within the former dwelling of the Heidenmann’s, where the Lieutenant’s feelings for Adelheid increase, although it is not clear whether Adelheid reciprocates these emotions wholly or complies with the idealistic encounters required in order to fullfill her duties.

There are brief moments of joy and anticipation in Vladimir Komer’s novel turned film but nothing extravagantly amorous is said or acted upon to prove the two are in sync and especially in dual love with each other, although this coyness may be a result of the language barrier. Adelheid remains rather numb to the affair, although not against it - evident when she obeys Victor’s practiced German order: “Go to my room and wait for me in my bed,” whereas Chotovicky seems to be in love with her, or at least in lust, when he utters the tender words after they make love: “Now I am home.”

Romantics rejoice - this film is a sure fire way to get your passionate juices a-flowing; you will laugh and perhaps cry, but during the entire screening hope for a blissful ending for both Victor and Adelheid (optimistically, together). The emotional tale shows love at its strongest and at its weakest - how love can trap people and how it can set people free. We see the two leading roles become intertwined with one another, although on different levels, and for varying reasons, exemplifying a truly doomed and perhaps even forbidden love story.

Although the film deserves great credit for its plot, actors’ skills and devotion to characters, the only negative aspect is the poor cinematography in one of the first few scenes where Chotovicky takes a blow to the head and stumbles rather pathetically and unconvincingly to the ground. This laughable ‘fighting’ scene comes across as mediocre in comparison to the rest of the film where no major errors seem to occur apart from a few dubbing faults.

There is a recurring theme of loneliness concerning all characters involved. Lieutenant Chotovicky’s solitude is evident as he has no family, partner or home, and very few personal belongings. Adelheid’s aloneness is stemmed from her lack of family also, and how her life has changed significantly from riches to rags. Even minor characters like the Sergeant and his second in command show signs of being forlorn. Scenes concerning the Sergeant epitomise his dreary life with drink and dreams; he drinks alongside his officers and they talk somewhat bitterly about what others have and what they would desire in their monotonous lives.
This is further highlighted in one early scene where a German girl talks to Victor about her shortcomings. The story is a good historic account of the effects on an individual’s personal, physical and mental health as a result of living throughout a war of any kind. It is as though the bitterness of war stands in the way of love, or any feeling for Adelheid - perhaps the trauma of her father’s case is too much for her, and she resents the politics that remain.

Another huge element which is very hard to neglect is the running theme of sexual longing and frustration. Most characters make reference to sex; whether about themselves personally or about someone else on screen, and small, easily missed glances or quick passing phrases would indicate a cast wishing for some passion and/or companionship in life. However, the sexual chemistry is depicted mostly between Adelheid and Victor Chotovicky.


In Adelheid, the well selected cast and Vlácil’s fine directing skills have the ability to make the audience experience the same emotions they do - we feel the loneliness, the bouts of happiness and the relevant sensations at the end. A fine piece of cinema, especially for its time, and one which truly represents casualties of war. VMF

REVIEW: DVD Release: City Of Men

Film: City Of Men
Release date: 23rd February 2009
Certificate: 15
Running time: 102 mins
Director: Paulo Morelli
Starring: Darlan Cunha, Douglas Silva, Rodrigo Dos Santos, Camila Monteiro, Jonathan Haagensen
Genre: Crime/Drama
Studio: Miramax
Format: DVD
Country: Brazil

Three friendships, three betrayals, three tales to tell… Paulo Morelli delivers his take on the lives of the residents of Dead End Hill, where veiled truths are uncovered causing friends to become foes, lives to be lost and boys to become men. Amid a plot overflowing with passion and the prominence of personal growth, pardon and partnership; City Of Men conveys juxtapositions of the grim and the grand outcomes for treachery or disobedience of the unwritten rules of Rio de Janeiro.

Reminiscent of City Of God, City Of Men illustrates life in the favelas/slums of Rio de Janeiro, yet this time the plot is assembled around not just the strive for endurance and victory, but for a break in tradition.

We join best friends, Laranjinha and Acerola, two teenagers who, on the brink of turning eighteen, have never had any paternal influence and discuss how this has affected them. It appears from the beginning that Laranjinha is more affected by his absent father than his comrade Acerola, who at the tender age of 17 entered paternity himself, and so Acerola sets out to track down his best bud’s father in time for the details to be on his ID when he reaches 18.

However, when Acerola does locate Laranjinha’s father, Heraldo, they soon ascertain that not only is he an ex-con but he has no more interest in being a father to Laranjinha now than he did eighteen years ago, instantly dismissing any chance at a newly formed association with his son. Despite this, a persistent Acerola is spurred on by his own knowledge and experiences of life without a father figure, and eventually persuades Heraldo to give his son a chance in his life…


Laranjinha and his father bond greatly and there appears to be genuine hope for the two at becoming the father and son they should always have been. That is until Heraldo refuses to let the newly homeless Acerola stay the night whilst giving his son the choice of staying with him or retreating to the streets with his pal, and a confused and besotted Laranjinha chooses to stay at home with his father, risking everything with his should-be paramount companion.

Alongside the camaraderie of the two young men, we are also introduced to that of Madrugadao and his subordinate Nefasto - an alliance which almost instantaneously is under pressure and in effect turns sour; provoking a fresh warfare - the fight for tenure of aptly named Dead End Hill.

The young men’s relationship fluctuates from sturdy to fragile as the facts about each others’ fathers is exposed, and they get separated and become enemies in their home town war. Yet the central issue to the plot is this: can such a liaison withstand the tests of time and be rectified after hidden realities have been uncovered changing everything they once knew and believed in?

Highly involved with the father’s role, Paulo Morelli stresses the effects of absent fathers, both good and bad, but most importantly strives to portray the message that a father is not so much vital, but definitely imperative. We see this exemplified beautifully during the end scene with Acerola and his son Clayton, as he sets an example in everyday tasks like crossing the road safely.

Featuring similar cinematography to City Of God, with high angle sweeping shots and impacting customary Brazilian music accompanying the action, City Of Men hits home the sincerity of the events on screen, urging one to feel a part of the highs and the lows of the character’s experience. The beach scenes in particular are impressive; wherein the sun kissed skin of the locals is breathtaking, creating a want amongst the viewers’ thoughts to be there enjoying the dancing rays.

This leads to the main and well deserved praise, which must go towards the actors, some of whom also starred in City Of God and were simply residents of Rio de Janeiro prior to the two films. The natural wit, grace and ability to convince airing from each and every character is hugely evident, a product for satisfying viewing and scrutiny, where emotions are, at times, elevated, and at others dragged down, reaching a dramatic climax where a gratifying sense of catharsis is achieved.

The only negative: it is hard not to compare the film to the classic City Of God, and in doing so you find faults which otherwise wouldn’t have registered. Firstly, the introductory scene of City Of God has the ability to astound and intrigue instantaneously whereas City Of Men, notwithstanding a good opening scene, and one that attracts also, is one which doesn’t blow the viewer’s mind to the same influencing extent. Throughout City Of Men and City Of God, we get to grips with the personalities of each character wanting them to thrive, we feel a part of their lives through the great shooting and connection-provoking storylines, but there is an all more powerful a correlation felt to the characters in City Of God - perhaps due to the audience proceeding through their voyage from boys to ‘men’? In addition, the impact the film has as a whole on the viewer stands to prove that City Of God is a remarkably hard hitting film.

The appropriate comedy facet alongside convincing and quick witted one-liners (“Hot my ass, a gangster never feels the heat”) helps push the boundaries for Morelli here, although again not as effective as in City Of God, but still it alleviates the deadly mood and relaxes the viewer before the next blow. This is much needed, with action packed gun possession and ultimate murder on Dead End Hill where nothing is off limits when possession is at stake.


With the accent upon survival of the fittest, and the urge to “retrieve what is rightfully yours,” salvage is a key motive for the characters and factor for the entire stratagem within City Of Men. In a rousing story screened with raw sensation using a fatherless, foolish and foreboding cast, we get to view a beautiful work of art, which is actually fast, fresh, fearless and forward thinking. VMF

REVIEW: DVD Release: City Of God

Film: City Of God
Release date: 7th July 2004
Certificate: 18
Running time: 102 mins
Director: Kátia Lund & Fernando Meirelles

Starring: Phellipe Haagensen, Matheus Nachtergaele, Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Seu Jorge

Genre: Crime/Drama
Studio: Miramax
Format: DVD
Country: Brazil/France

Director Fernando Meirelles, breaks the mould with his commended and extravagantly nominated City Of God where accomplishing one’s desires are not as basic as they are in his 2001 film Domésticas, for example. Derived from the flourished novel of the same name by Paulo Lins, City Of God bids you to Rio de Janeiro to ascertain why “Hoods don’t love, they desire. Hoods don’t talk, they smooth talk. Hoods don’t stop, they take a break.”

This tale of the City of God, based upon true events, is initiated by way of narration from the leading role, budding photographer, Rocket. Through Rocket’s recounting experiences as a youth growing up in Rio de Janeiro, we learn of his journey, and those of his fellow friends and foes.

The City of God is depicted not just through the nostalgic Rocket, but also via melancholic, yet somehow idyllic landscape shots. The city, Rocket explains, was a place where people came “to find paradise,” and this is simply the beginning of the recurring notion within the film that the people of Rio de Janeiro struggle most of their lives reaching for fulfillment of their desires.

Rocket tells the stories of various young men he grew up alongside, although he mainly focuses upon the accounts of two central and vital characters - Benny and Lil’ Ze. In doing so, he exemplifies the true face of Rio de Janeiro’s City of God; one wherein the locals were, as reported by Rocket, “too far removed from the picture postcard image of Rio de Janeiro.”

As the anecdote begins, the City of God appears to be a place filled with soul, energy and love, and what follows on screen for most of the 130 minute running time is most definitely a mixture of these elements. However, as the plot begins to unfold, these fundamentals are overwritten by the sheer darkness, violence and sorrow experienced, yet also sadly contributed to by its inhabitants...


With such an intensely fuelled action-packed opening scene, it’s no wonder Fernando Meirelles has done so healthily with his 2002 film. It is impossible not to be hypnotized by Meirelles’ clever use of speedy sweeping and prompt freeze shots, alongside the magically energetic traditional Brazilian music flowing throughout the introductory scene. It is here we are subjected to a somewhat amusing, if nevertheless imperative frantic chicken chase, wherein the elegantly swift camera work creates a scene which one can almost feel a part of. We watch as an alarmed and anxious chicken observes his poultry pals being slaughtered without any hope of survival. However, it appears that the chicken believes there is a better option and makes a break for it, but not before the residents of the City of God spy the run-away bird and pursue it. There seems to be a preliminary metaphor here for the hopeful citizens of the City of God tying in greatly with the film’s tagline: “If you run, they’ll catch you... If you stay, they’ll eat you.” Perhaps the message Meirelles is aiming to render is that in the City of God, there is no way out of the city’s constraints - no happy ending. This is further portrayed through the tragedies that occur around individuals where they learn the hard way that attempting to flee the city can have dire consequences.

Rocket tries his best to stay out of any trouble that occurs within the City of God, despite many of his peers being involved from ages as young as 12, and his brother being a member of the Tender Trio (Goose, Shaggy and Clipper) - an infamous gang back in the 1960s but who are described as “amateurs” compared to the next generation of hoods who flourish as a result of the Trio’s influence - Lil’ Ze (formerly the child gangster Lil’ Dice) and Benny, his childhood buddy, are the two most prominent.

In the 1970s, the two boys enter adolescence and, along with it, become eminent for their transgression packed lives, featuring little more than guns, drugs, music and violence. However, Lil’ Ze and Benny couldn’t be more distant in their approach to handling situations and everyday life - Lil’ Ze, quick to jump at a chance for bloodshed and danger, is usually calmed down by his comrade Benny, who opts for rationality, peace and love.

The film depicts other characters who play critical roles, such as drug-lord Carrot and, eventually, even the cautious and civil Knockout Ned is caught up in the havoc wreaked upon the City of God, where the quest for survival can sometimes become superior to the quest for the accomplishment of aspirations - proven as the young characters learn the hard way how either option can result in death: “The slum had been purgatory, now it was hell.”

Meirelles unites a couple of romantic scenes, together with a little comedic air, alongside heart wrenchingly poignant moments, blends them up with the brutality, felony and shock capacity to produce a work of art that has it all - a picture that will have you wondering which emotion you shall experience next! Fernando Meirelles has outdone himself in this masterpiece of Portuguese cinema. Still, a lot of his acclaim should not only rest on his vast skills as a director but on the perfect cast he chose, and their dazzling ability to move their audience to such a large degree.


In what seems the product of inspiration from directors Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese, Fernando Meirelles delivers an outstanding and gripping film. Differing from his previous material, the Brazilian director encapsulates the City of God and its habitants’ mesmerising rawness in a way one rarely views within cinema. VMF