Sunday, February 17, 2008

Netflix



Yes, it's a movie about a rat who dreams of becoming a chef. It's also perhaps the greatest cinematic re-imagining of Paris I've seen. When Remy climbs up to a roof and sees Paris at night I ached to be there again, to the point of welling up. Such is the power of Brad Bird, who fills his film as always with brilliant and touching moments, and his latest features a few tear-jerker bits and many good chuckles. Delicious! A memory sequence launched by the experience of good food is positively Proustian.

Other films set in Paris which made me ache to be there again include: Chloe from 5 to 7, The Ninth Gate (!), and the 400 Blows.

Films that made me want to avoid Paris include: The Last Tango in Paris, Irreversible, and Le Weekend.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. And I've never even been to Paris.

I'm drawing a blank now (I'll glance through my film moleskin later), but I saw a great mid 50s noir set in Paris, full of jazz and shadow. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have a photographic memory, instead I have to settle for a rusty colander

Casey said...

Last Tango also makes me want to avoid butter.