SYNOPSIS:
What do you get when Natalie Portman meets director Tom Tykwer
in the City of Lights? In PARIS, JE T'AIME, celebrated directors
such as Wes Craven, the Coen Brothers, Gus Van Sant, Gurinder
Chadha, Walter Salles, Alexander Payne, Frederic Auburtin
and Olivier Assayas, have come together to show Paris in a
way never before imagined. Through a kaleidoscope of stories
about joy, separation, unexpected strange encounters and of
course -- love -- their
films capture both the reality of contemporary Paris as well
as the enchantment one feels as a visitor..
MOVIE
REVIEW
This film
is a must-watch, and there is no way anyone won’t enjoy
it.
What bold
words, you must be thinking. But like the ecstasy of love,
you must personally experience this 2-hour movie to fully
immerse yourself in the indescribable cinematic experience.
Featuring
20 well-loved directors from cult and mainstream circuits,
as well as a respectable cast of actors, this combination
is a godsend. In fact, we are still so star-struck from what
we have just seen; it almost seems unbelievable that this
movie could actually pull itself off.
The concept
is simple: 18 stories about love set in the city of love.
What we get is a creative palette of tales that showcases
different filmmakers’ talents. And yes, the shorts are
all delightful in their own unique way.
There
is Joel and Ethan Coen’s (O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
wacky segment about a tourist who experiences something unpleasant
in the underground subway. There is Christopher Doyle’s
(Away With Words) bizarre short about a Frenchman and a Chinese
hair salon owner. There is Oliver Assayas’ (Clean) edgy
take on celebrity drug abuse. There is Wes Craven’s
(Red Eye) classy segment about a couple arguing at Irish poet’s
Oscar Wilde’s grave.
And we
haven’t even mentioned the brilliant works by Tom Twyker
(Perfume), Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries), Gurinder
Chadna (Bend It Like Beckham) and Gus Van Sant (Elephant)
among many others.
The cast
includes many familiar faces like Natalie “Queen Amidala”
Portman, Gaspard “Hannibal Rising” Ulliel, Willem
“Green Goblin” Dafoe and Elijah “Frodo”
Wood.
We almost
feel embarrassed having to name-drop like an obsessed cinephile
writing this review.
But this
is exactly what makes a complete movie experience –
a colourful array of enjoyably-executed shorts put together.
It also helps when there are scenic views of Paris to admire.
This
is definitely a labour of love that every movie-lover should
embrace.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This Code 3 disc contains no extra features at all,
which is really a pity because so much could have been said
about the conceptualization of the film. What a shame - imagine,
what a good collector’s item this would be if it contains
a godsend palette of interviewees all in one disc.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The disc’s visual transfer makes you wish you were there
in Paris, while having the option of English/French Dolby
Digital 2.0/5.1 as its soundtrack.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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