Paris, Je T'Aime (2006)

Fall in love with Paris from your living room!!

I saw this film in theaters when it first came out and thought that it was as really artistically strong film. I loved the idea of having 20 world-class directors all creating their own stories out of this spectacular city. I really should have bought the DVD when it first came out - not sure why I didn't. But now they're releasing it on both Blu-Ray and Steelbook. I'm really not sure which one to get - I'll probably ending up getting it on Blu-Ray because I really want to see some of these particular stories in a really high quality - its going to look sweet. But the steelbook tin looks really cool and is definitely a collectors item. Either way, if you haven't bought this film yet, now's your chance! October 31, 2008

Product in great condition; on-time!

Coen Bros. vignette classic. Buscemi is custom made for their "victim" roles. The rest of the video was delightful. I love this type of film, vignettes.
It was always engaging. October 10, 2008

Paris, I love you, too.

A poetic collection of vignettes about lives in Paris...not necessarily connected. Not perfect, by perfectly beautiful. October 7, 2008

I think I'm in love...

Originally written Nov 27, 2007...

I've never been to Paris, but have always had it on my list of places to visit. The history, the art, the culture are all well documented. That's why it's the most visited city in the world. More tourists flock to Paris each year than to any other location on the planet. I hope to count myself among those numbers some time soon, and the urge for going was increased a thousand-fold by the film I watched last night:

"Paris je t'aime"

The tagline for the film is "Stories of love. From the city of love.", but it's so much more than that. Featuring eighteen short films by twenty different directors, the five minute segments are each devoted to a different neighborhood in Paris, and each have their distinctive stamp. All of them are moving in their own way, some for good, some not, but that's really up to the individual. Standouts include the contributions by Joel & Ethan Coen, Olivier Assayas, Isabel Coxiet, and Alexander Payne. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the others, (I did apart from a segment on mimes and another on hairdressers) it's just that those were particularly good, especially Payne's American woman alone in Paris.

I've not been so moved by a film in years, and I can't stress enough how good it is.

A + September 11, 2008

The one about the different kind of "love"

In 2001, I enjoyed an HK film titled "Heroes in Love" which covered the various different forms of "love", four different stories and different directors. Enjoyed the movie very much and years later, when I heard of a film that would feature over a dozen shorts by different directors and talent form all over the world which all take place in the City of Love... Paris, France. I was sold.

In Paris Je T'Aime (Paris, I love You), there are 18 different shorts directed by famous directors worldwide and featuring major talent as well from different parts of the world.

Similar to "Heroes in Love", a different take on "love" with each short but if there was one thing that is consistent with each short is that every location is just beautiful and shows off the beauty of Paris.

For Gurinder Chadha's ("Bend it Like Beckham") titled "Quais De Seine" features a group of three guys sitting around and two of them hollering at the women passing by, while one just watches the woman sitting next to them. Sitting next to them is a young muslim woman who just can't believe what the guys are saying and when she walks off, trips...and the young man helps her up. This segment just shows the two different cultures but yet despite the difference, the young man is fasicinated by her.

For Joe and Ethan Coen ("The Big Lebowski", "O Brother Where Art Thou?") and their short "Tuileries", Sam Buscemi is a tourist and catches the eye of a couple who are making out. Of course, the guy doesn't appreciate it and thus a confrontation begins.

For Olivier Assayas's "Quartier des Enfants Rouges", Maggie Gyllenhaal is an actress who has a passion for narcotics and thus an interesting short to watch her drugged out.

For Australian filmmaker Christopher Doyle, who we know for his work in a variety of camera work for Asian films "Porte de Choisy" features Asian women in France and a sort of nod to the "Chung King Express" days, a classic Faye Wong hit is played during his short.

As for my favorites, Spanish writer-director Isabel Coixet's "Bastille" is a short about a man who is planning to confess to his wife that he wants to leave her. But before he tells her, she drops the news that she has a terminal illness and is dying. And decides to be with her for the remainder of her life and rediscovers he loves her until its too late.

In "Place de Fetes", German writer-director Oliver Schmitz directs a tragic tale of a man who works at a parking garage and falls for a woman he meets. He very much wants to meet her again but when they do, it's not in the best circumstances.

For "Faubourg Saint-Denis", German writer-director Tom Tykwer has an interesting short which features an actress played by Natalie Portman and a young blind man (Melchior Besion). The young man thinks his girlfriend has broken up with him and reminisces of his times with her. This camera and editing/post-production work for this alone was impressive.

"Plae de Victories" by Japanese writer-director Nobuhiro Suwa's short is a mother (played by Juliette Binoche) who mourns her son who has died and just wants to see and hold him one more time. It's a touching short.

There are a few segments that were ok and others that were freaky such as a vampire tale starring Elijah Wood but all in all, I really enjoyed this film.

For one, to have 22 directors come together for 18 shorts about love in Paris and for them to do it in their own style, and some who were able to work with the talent that they really wanted was just very cool. Location scouting for this film was just done well. Every outdoor scene, restaurant scene...everything was well selected and overall, I enjoyed the film.

Now with that being said, both these films are not for everyone. There are those who will watch it and just think both are a waste of their time. While there will be those who watch it and just see the beauty of these two films.

There are different kinds of love and for the directors to explore those differences, that's what I found so fascinating. September 4, 2008

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