SURROGATES - Jonathan Mostow (2009)

Science fiction film based on the 2005–2006 comic book series of the same name. The idea of robots which are doing everything for us and we are only staying in our flats and never going out. The actors look really artificially. I like the visuality of this film. Surrogates are sexy, physically perfect mechanical representations of people. It's an ideal world where crime, pain, fear and consequences don't exist. When the first murder in years jolts this utopia, FBI agent Greer (Bruce Willis) discovers a vast conspiracy behind the surrogate phenomenon and must abandon his own surrogate, risking his life to unravel the mystery.

THE CONVARSATION - Francis Ford Coppola (1974)

Monitore and be monitored... Slowly gradating and dragging into the plot, but much more intensifying and suggestive. At first very banal monitoring of an uninteresting conversation of two persons in the park slowly changes to proper thriller. Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) has to choose between ethics and job and he tries to solve this situation.  Gene Hackman is as famous as Francis Ford Coppola as director. It´s a portrait of the character and the era which are connected by absolute lost of freedom, the fragility of personal life. Harry Caul is listening lives of others, but he is denying his own life, in a fear that he could be listened and betrayed. He is like a chameleon in a flat full of impersonal stuff, with a mistress who knows nothing about him, with a colleague who can´t establish friendly relationship between them, with a telephone number nobody knows. Nevertheless he cannot escape the paradox hunter - prey in the moment when he tries to behave like a human and prevents a tragedy. The conversation is a particular and abstract metaphor of modern civilization as an era, when everybody can listen and manipulate, but everybody is fragile and vulnerable. Coppola uses visually sophisticated form of full shapes, he works complexly with narrator (different angles of retrospects) and fantastic sound track.

 

PUBLIC ENEMIES - Michael Mann (2009)

Adaptation of Bryana Burrough´s book: PUBLIC ENEMIES: AMERICA'S GREATEST CRIME WAVE & THE BIRTH OF THE FBI, is talking about the hardest time of economic depression, and about the world-known gangster Johna Dillingera (Johnny Depp) and his group, part of his group was John "Red" Hamilton (Jason Clarke), Homer Van Meter (Stephen Dorff) a Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi). We meet them in the year 1993, when John is already known gangster. His robberies are perfectly scheduled and all of them are working like they should. Nobody is injured and Dillinger is very popular for public. He is very charismatic and handsome gentleman who is nice to civilians. He wants only money of the bank not theirs. He is like recent Robin Hood. Federal agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) has to stop Dillinger with any instruments. Dillinger has been arrested few times, but he always escaped or tricked justice. He realizes he cannot escaping forever. His situation is also more complicated when he  felt in love with Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard). Bank robberies aren´t so gainful, he has less friends, and Purvis wants Dillinger better death than alive. Red-blooded gun battles, high-quality set design and costumes, great dialogues between Depp and Cotillard. Mann depicts the atmospere of the period brilliantly, it reminds me film noir and golden age of Hollywood. 

COCO AVANT CHANEL - Anne Fontaine (2009)

I expected pretty much because of the previous films with Audrey Tautou like A Very Long Engagement or Amelie from Montmartre, but also because of the theme - Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel is a great person from french history. This biographical film could be better - Maybe I have this feeling because I knew the story of Chanel, so there was nothing what could me surprise.

I estimate costumes and the setting - they are precious. The woman fashion before 1910 was fussy and overdecorated - Chanel started to produce dateless fashion. At first she used men´s clothes and transformed them to women´s fashion. She was supported by her rich lovers. The costumes are beautifully made.

Why they have chosen Audrey Tautou for the main character? She is wellknown adorable actress who attract audience to cinema and she also looks like Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

9 - Shane Acker (2009)

As I am fan of animated films, I really appreciate this film. We have seen many films where the war between humans and machines takes place, but this is something new. This post-apocalyptic universe counts with all humans death. Apocalypsa has been caused by invention of scientist who invented "The Machine". After that machines massacred all humans. This is the background of the story.When the scientist recognized what is happening, he made 9 small figures, in which he put his soul. These 9 figures have been the rest of the humanity on the world. He believed that they "save" the world. They are fighting with machines for their lives, they destroy the facory of machines and save the world. But actually thay don´t know what will happen. Animation is made perfectlly - humans and the world seem to be living. The figures because of their eyes remind me Johnny Five, but we would find connection between many films. I recommend 9 to watch, it makes me pleasure watch film full of visual art. Every frame should be a piece of art.

COUSCOUS - Abdellatif Kechiche (2007)

I really appreciate this film. It is quiet long time ago I have seen such a nice film.

The story takes place in France in the Mediterranean port and is about the North African community, especially about one family and their coexistence. The main character is sixty-one shipyard worker Sliman whose dream is to open a couscous restaurant on the boat. This man is broken by his life, he cannot put effort on anything. He has no money, he brings to his family only fishes. They don´t estimate it.
 Only a daughter of his mistress wants to help him.
They repair the boat, everything is prepared for the opening.
... But the most important part of the meal is missing - the cous cous - by the fault of his sons. Mistress and her daughter save the situation, but Sliman ironically dies.

It seems that his death will weld them together.

The culture is so impressive and colourful. And Sliman is in oposit to this turbulent situations, he is working quiet and slog. He tries to make his dream alive. His death is more symbolical then real, it can be read in the way that he sacrificed for his family.

SHEEPCHAIR

I have to share this design masterpiece.
Product, graphic and web designer Jiří Svatoň has made new limited collection of sitting furniture OVIS ARIES for this year´s exhibition DESIGNBLOK 09 in Prague - three types of metal tabourets with skinny block foot and real ovine wool.
When I found it, the first thing which appeared in my mind was the Island of Skye - the chair will fit to that place for sure.
Next time I´ll try to write something about FILM :o)