✩ Movie recommendation : The Nightmare Before Christmas ✩

✩ The Nightmare Before Christmas ✩

Hi Charlie! In honor of Halloween (35 days) and Christmas (91 days) (that is just an excuse to share with you this wonderful movie..) I will be sharing with you my favorite movie that I watch on both of these special occasions. Before you start reading, I want you to know that I'm not writing the full story. I'm only writing the start of the story and why you should watch it. I'm basically giving you a recommendation, not a review! Also, this is my first ever movie recommendation, so I'm sorry if it's a bit weird or incomplete, I'll try my best to improve! Anyways, enjoy my wayyyy too long blog article on the masterpeice that is "The Nightmare Before Christmas"!

✩ Introduction┊ ˚➶ ｡˚

Let's start off with the "boring" information before moving onto the story! "The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 disney stop-motion animation directed by Henry Selick, (Yes, the one who also directed another amazing stop-motion animation "Coraline".) and originally written by Tim Burton.

Tim Burton actually wrote "The Nightmare Before Christmas" as a poem in 1982 before it finally became the animated movie that we know and love today. 

You can listen to the original poem narrated by Christopher Lee here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbPCwc_Cdz0

✩The Storyline┊ ˚➶ ｡˚

For those who don't know the amazing movie that is "The Nightmare Before Christmas", let me give you a synopsis that will hopefully make you want to watch this amazing movie! 

The story starts like this.. In a secluded town that is named "Halloween Town", we meet our main character, Jack Skellington, who is a living skeleton ; Sally, who is a living ragdoll and the rest of the town's residents who are all monsters from different popular fairytales like witches, mummys, vampires... 

Sally✩ 

Some of Halloween Town's people...✩ 

In this Halloween Town, everyone works to get ready for the Halloween holidays, with Jack Skellington being some sort of leader. But one day, during the preparation for the Halloween holidays, Jack suddenly feels bored of having to always prepare for the only holiday they always prepare for : Halloween. 

So, Jack decides to take a quick stroll in the woods of Halloween Town, before stumbling on 7 odd looking trees, which were actually doors. And each door is shaped like a traditional holiday item. These doors will actually lead to 7 different towns with each tree/door representing different holidays : Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's day and... Christmas.

Jack, obviously intrigued, will enter the Christmas door and will discover Christmas Town. A town where everyone prepares for  their only holiday, Christmas. Once leaving Christmas Town after visiting it, he will come back to Halloween Town and decide that he wants to prepare for Christmas. Except nothing goes as planned and even Sally tries to persuade him into not creating his own "Christmas" holiday because of a bad gut feeling...

How will Jack prepare for Christmas when he has never done it before, how will Sally intervene to stop Jack and his not so good idea and what is going to happen next?... You will only know if you decide to watch it!

✩ Why should you watch it?┊ ˚➶ ｡˚

We're now moving onto our last section.. WHY SHOULD YOU WATCH THIS AMAZING, PERFECT, BEAUTIFUL MOVIE?... Hmmm....

- Well, first of all, as I said in the beginning, it's my first time writing a sort of résumé which means that it's probably not good and definitely does not do the movie justice. So if you want to see what the movie is REALLY like, you should go and watch it right now! 

- Secondly, this movie has amazing visuals. You can pause literally any scene and there'll be a lot to analyze and look at. Also, the clay-ish sort of style the film has is very unique! Please take a look at the opening scene of the movie to see what I'm talking about. It's visuals and unique style is undeniable, indescribable and quite eerie/creepy (especially during the opening scene)! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8NeYGphFyk

- Thirdly, THE MUSIC!!! It wouldn't be a Disney animation if there weren't any songs. The music in this movie are either fun and catchy, or gloomy but in a good way. Here's my favorite one from the film "Sally's Song". It's very raw in emotion, I just love it, I wish it were longer! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rivTGBzBMM 

- And lastly, to conclude this way too long blog, the people worked really hard on this movie, so why not watch it? I mean, you're already reading this blog, might aswell just watch it and see the masterpiece that this movie is for yourself!

Anyways.. That's all I have to say. Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon!

Bye Charlie! ✩

Why you should go watch Annette

Hello, Charlie !

I saw Annette during the holidays and honestly...

Me too !

So, first, what is Annette ?

Annette is a musical comedy made by Leos Carax, with Marion Cotillard, Adam Driver, and other great actors.

It tells the story of the perfect Hollywood couple: Anne, an internationally renowned opera singer, and her husband, Henry, a famous stand-up comedian with a distinctly American sense of humour. However, the birth of their child turns their "perfect" life upside down...

It is now one of my favourite films. No kidding, it's a masterpiece. But, because it's neither an argument nor well explained, I'm going to logically and COMPLETELY objectively (ahem) explain why you should watch the movie Annette as soon as possible. Here are 5 reasons why !

So, may we start ?

1/ Because the acting is amazing

In the film, all the actors play really well, but honestly, a special mention must be given to Simon Helberg and Adam Driver. One gives a masterful performance with his feverishness and growing jealousy, the other with his violence and brutality. It's just incredible.

 

2/Because the soundtrack is breathtaking 

It was the Sparks who did the music for Annette. And what a fabulous job! There's humour, a driving rhythm, and the actors' singing is on point. I could give you a song here, but at the risk of spoiling the film, I'll just say that you should go and see it to hear the soundtrack... ;)


3/Because it is extremely well filmed

This is not Leos Carax's first recognized film (Annette won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, so I'm not the only one who appreciates it :D ) but it's the only one I've seen so far, and I have to admit that every single shot of the film are just magnificent !

4/Because the emotions you feel when you are watching the movie are indescribable

Beyond the various chilling moments in Annette, those that make you laugh, those that make you cry, the film leaves a mark on you. When I left the cinema, I couldn't even say why I liked it. Of course, one can immediately recognize the filmic and musical qualities of Annette, but it is above all a strange sensation that one feels after having seen it.  Weird, weird... But terribly fantastic!

5/ Because it denounces child exploitation and domestic violence

Without going into detail at the risk of spoiling the film, I would simply say that Annette is not just an aesthetic work, and has a real meaning. Of course, all this is hidden behind the artistic and symbolic side of the film, but a nice message is present...

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Those are my top five reasons, but I'm sure if someone asked me, I could come up with half a hundred more, and I could talk about the film for hours. And for those of you I still haven't convinced, I'd just ask...

~Marine

THE FRENCH DISPATCH

Hi Charlie,

Here is my first blog post !

I’m writing this article during September, which means that October is near (no, I’m not going to talk about Halloween sorry). There is a special event that’s happening in October, more precisely, on the 27^th. Some of you might already be aware of it because I’ve spotted a big fan group of Wes Anderson’s work here! Anyway, I think you’ve had enough hints now. On the 27^th of October, The French Dispatch will be available in all cinemas in France! (For the luckiest ones, it was already released during the festival of Cannes on the 12^th of July as an avant-premiere). 

The French Dispatch is Wes Anderson’s next movie. He’s been preparing it since November 2018 which was the month the movie was shot (in Angoulême, Central-West of France) and was supposed to release it in August 2020 but had to postpone it because of coronavirus (it’s always coronavirus’ fault). So here we are, waiting for this film to come out. To keep you busy while you are all waiting, I offer you this article that will inform you about every single piece of information we have on this future movie. 

The synopsis  

To begin with, the story (inspired by Wes Anderson’s passion for The New York Times) is based on the topic of journalism. This movie is located in the little and fictional French town of Ennui-sur-Blasé where The French Dispatch (“la dépêche de France”) is an editorial board, directed by Arthur Howitzer Jr, for an American newspaper. It takes place during the 20^th century in a retro France and follows several stories published in this magazine by its journalist team sent all around the world to write those articles. The movie will be shaped in a chapter form, as usual for Wes Anderson. 

 

The cast and price

For this movie, the cast is incredible. We can find some experienced actors from Wes Anderson’s films such as Owen Wilson, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Léa Seydoux, Mathieu Amalric and Adrien Brody. 

However, some new ones have also entered Wes Anderson’s atypical world and joined this flawless cast like Benicio del Toro, Timothée Chalamet, Félix Moati, Lyna Khoudri and plenty of other actors.  

 

Let’s talk about money now ! 

The movie The French Dispatch cost 25 million dollars, the exact same amount that was used for The Grand Budapest Hotel. 

The trailer 

On top of it, here is the link to watch the trailer if you haven’t seen it yet! You’ll be able to see a bit of Wes Anderson’s colorful and aWESome world. Moreover, you will see the visual effects, the extravagant settings, the ironic lines and all sort of small details that make up his unique touch. (I also recommend you to look at The Royal Tenenbaums and / or The Grand Budapest Hotel (one of Theo's favorite movie!) if you found this trailer very impressive or really like Wes Anderson's particular style in non-animated films)

► 2:26

I hope you all enjoyed this article and are going to enjoy the movie in October too !

"Mid90s" the skate film you have to see !

   Hello Charlie, today I am going to talk you about an amazing film you have to see immediately !

Mid90s is an American film written by Jonah Hill, released in 2018. Setting in the middle of 90’s, the film follows Stevie, an innocent and touching teenage boy. He lives in Los Angeles with his single depressed mother, and his abusive older brother Ian. In lack of tenderness and searching for warm, he escapes his turbulent home life by hanging out with a crew of older skateboarders. 

Brought in by Ruben, this new group of friends will become his alternative family. The four characters of the band are very different from each other, Ray is the most talented skater and the wise leader of the pac, « FuckShit » is his best friend since childhood, the laid-back one, « Fourth Grade » is the videographer and Ruben seems to be jealous of Stevie which quickly become the favorite little one.

 

Stevie, nicknamed Sunburned, hangs out and skates with his new friends, and he discovers the world of drinking, smoking, going to parties and snaking down the freeway on skateboards at dusk. He learns how to cope with hierarchies and rivalries in friendship group. 

Mostly, Stevie struggles to figure out what it want to be. Surrounded by unstable role models, the struggle makes it interesting but also frustrating and moving. I was very attached to Stevie and I had the impression to evolute with him as the film was progressing. I was impressed the way Stevie wasn’t scared of life and how he dared to try new tricks without the fears of failing and hurting. I admire him for that reason, it can be a metaphor of life : not to be afraid to make bad decisions. 

I really loved how the world of skate was represented. In the society mind, skateboard only means drugs, violence, alcohol, dirty, daredevil behavior and anti-social attitudes. It is partly true, but we tend to forget all the wonderful things world of skate can bring : emancipation, independence of minds, friendship, values, creativity, will and self-surpassing. 

In « Mid90s », these both sides are represented, thus you can have a real vision of what is this incredible world of excitement and danger.  

Another point I really appreciated is the way Mid90s has been filmed. Firstly, the authenticity of look, music and language of 90’s is surprising. Shot on super 16 millimeter, it increases this feeling of reality, closed to documentary style. 

As you maybe know, the film dimension is very important for skateboarders, shooting tricks is necessary. In Mid90, it appeared some sequences of skateboarding from video tapes shot by skaters themselves. It adds a realist aspect, very significant in the world of skate. 

Mid90s has been received by critics, as a « promising first outing for Hill » and a « Jonah Hill's nostalgic nod to the mean streets of his youth ». 

I recommended you this wonderful film depicting an unrecognized world full of extravagance and subtlety of free young minds.

If you liked my article, here is the trailer of Mid90s : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyRPQv-C7T8

Have a nice week-end and let me know if you appreciated the film in comment !

BlacKkKlansman

 On Tursday night, with the cinema club, we've been to the Gyptis to see the movie "BlacKkKlansman". This article is going to be about the movie.

    The story took place in 1978, in Colorado Spring. There, a young black man called Ron Stallworth works in a police station. He begins to works as an infiltrated cop, and after his first mission, he is assigned to infiltrate the racist organisation called the Ku Klux Klan, more commonly caller the KKK or the "organisation". With the help of his jew partner Philippe Zimmerman , he infiltrates this racist organisation, while he actually is a black person.

    First of all, let me tell you that this film is amazing. The serious subject that is racism is treated with fun, which makes the movie really enjoyable, and keeps the audience interested, instead of being just a documentary. More than that, the characters are well treated, they all have their own personality, and they are not just sheeps, or the prototype of "the hero" and "the bad guy". And the fact that they all have their qualities and their defaults, and thanks to that, the film affected the audiance even more because the characters were actually very... Human. They make mistake, they have defaults, and because of that, they are even more apealing.

    Now, let's talk about what's not good about this movie. What I am going to say is only a minor spoil about the story, because what I am going to talk about doesn't have any effect on the main story. But still, if you don't want any spoil, you can go straight to the next paragrph. So, to get back to the subject of this paragraph, I think that the only bad point of this film is the love story. It doesn't bring anything to the film, and it is there only to say that there is a love story in the film, to attract more people. So the love story is exessive and just useless. But this is, as far as I am concerned, the only bad point about this film.

    To conclude, this film is wionderfull, and I would recommend it to anybody who is NOT to sensitive, because the subject of racism is treated really cruedly, and it could shock some. If you are not that sensitive, then go ahead!

MY FAVORITE 90's FILMS!!!!

                                               90's FILMS

     

         

Hi there ! So this is my first blog article and I'm so excited to post more blog articles in the future , so my topic is about the 90 's films , I'm very fond of them and you will see why because I'm pretty sure you know them but there's one thing , I'm truely sorry If I didn't mention films that are for you worth mentionning , I didn't watch all the 90's films so I would be pleased if you could recommend me some films that you fond of  found intreseting ;)

Firstly , the movie that watched over and over again when I was little is of course" home alone 1 "it's the story of the McCallisters rushing to the airport to have the christmas in paris but when they get on the plane , Peter and Kate , kevin's parents realize that they  forgot him , he's only eight years old and have the house for himself alone , first he panicks then enjoys the fact that he has a big beautiful house to himself . It's a must-see sweet and funny film and I loved it because it has a christmas vibe to it , it's very cosy and you just feel happy watching it .

      

                

then there's Pulp Fiction , an amazing film with John Travolta , Samuel L .Jackson , Bruce Willis  and Huma Thurman .It's about two hit men who try to retrieve a stolen suitcase from their employer , A paid boxer to lose his fight etc , It's about  unexpected and unrelated people that form comedy events and some horrific consequences . IT's very special but you'll realize how great it is when you see it .

The last one is " You've got mail " with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan , It's a funny love story about the owner of a big bookstore putting out the local small bookstore that happens to be the women that he was emailing , they both don't know in real life who is the person that they're emailing and the way you found out is so emotional , I cried watching it hahaha , It's such a touching and funny film and you can really see the beauty of New York showed in it  .

                      

I hope you enjoyed reading my article , tell me about films that you think are intresting , I will be publishing some articles often so I hope I will get a better writing , see you next time ;)