Study in China

Here are the movies I reviewed for the October issue of EL Magazine, which was distributed in Tokyo last Sunday. L’age de raison Sophie Marceau is Margaret, a go-go executive for a French nuclear plant manufacturer who, whenever she suffers a loss of self-confidence, references strong women from history, like Joan of Arc and…Ava Gardner? Though ostensibly a comedy with lots of whimsical visual touches by director Yann Samuel, L’age de raison quickly descends into sentimental mush after a country notary who is disposing of an abandoned estate delivers to Margaret a package of letters that she wrote at the age of 7 to her future self. Confronted with her girlhood dreams she suffers a crisis of identity and starts to doubt what she’s turned into, but only for as long as it takes Marceau to exhaust her store of tantrum modes. One hopes all this self-reflection might lead Margaret to doubt her own career path–the name of her company, after all, is Pandora–but except for toug...

S ophie Marceau's fourth feature with her director partner Andrzej Zulawski is a portentous epic that will have even the most ardent Europhile racing for the exit. Inspired by classic 17th-century novel La Princesse De Clèves, Zulawski's update follows Clélia (Sophie Marceau), a photographer torn between loyalty to her husband and desire for photojournalist Nemo (Guillaume Canet). Marceau clearly has a ball with the complex character but Zulawski's cluttered script undermines her by incorporating subplots involving a press baron, his eccentric family and gangsters chasing Nemo. All this pushes La Fidélité perilously close to the three-hour mark, with only the occasional sex scene to break up the tedium.

Jane Eyre with sex. That pretty much sums up Firelight , a delicate, romantic, British period drama that moves at a meditative pace (some would say ponderous) despite the heroine's fast-fluttering heart. Slow or no, it's a deeply passionate film, and fans of gothic romance—you know who you are—will savor it. Dillane plays a well-born Englishman who in 1838 pays Marceau, who is Swiss, £500 to have sex with him, bear his child and then surrender the baby at birth. Seven long years later, she manages to get herself hired as her daughter's governess without Dillane's knowledge and shows up at his remote English estate. Sparks instantly fly between the two despite a big ol' secret

  After killing a "hired gun" bomb maker (there is no similarity to the shooting of an innocent and unarmed man by London police last year so, muckrakers, please stop claiming there is), Bond wants to find out who was trying to hire this man and what the target is. 007's investigation leads him to the Bahamas and Miami where he learns that middleman Dimitrios (Abkarian) is in cahoots with Le Chiffre (Mikkelsen), a banker for terrorists and international organized crime who was thought to have been killed in Iraq while Saddam Hussein was still in power. In Fleming's book, Le Chiffre is a Communist agent who embezzled funds from the Soviets and then lost it in a series of brothel investments. He must then win back his patrons' money in a high-stakes baccarat game at the titular casino. Bond, the best gambler in the service, is sent by M to beat Le Chiffre, to humilate him and make sure the Reds don't get their money back. ...

  Sophie Marceau (French pronunciation: [sɔfi maʁso]; born 17 November 1966) is a French actress, who has appeared in 35 films. During her teens, Marceau achieved popularity by her debut films La Boum (1980) and La Boum 2 (1982), for which she received a Car Award for Most Promising Actress. In addition to her French language films, she has worked in international films such as Braveheart (1995) and as the main antagonist Elektra King in The World Is Not Enough (1999).  

   

  Directed by Marina de Van. Starring Sophie Marceau and Monica Bellucci. Running Time: 111 minutes. If the name Marina de Van sounds even remotely familiar, there's a good chance you've seen her very disturbing film about self-mutilation, titled IN MY SKIN, in which she also starred. For those who don't know what I'm talking about, IN MY SKIN is a notorious French film that tells the story of a young woman who becomes addicted to mutilating herself and, eventually, eating her own skin. It's part Psychological Horror, part Body Horror, and a lot better than it sounds. Not an easy movie to watch, but I'm a fan. Having said that, knowing that Marina directed and co-wrote this film really upped my level of anticipation; never mind that it stars two wonderful and gorgeous actresses, Monica Bellucci (IRREVERSIBLE) and Sophie Marceau (BRAVEHEART). DON'T LOOK BACK is a lot of things, but for the sake of keeping it somewhat simpl...

Until now, Germans typically played the bad guys in the Bond films. Now, German-Swiss director Marc Forster is defining Bond anew. His Bond film 'Quantum of Solace' is the shortest one to date, and also features perhaps the most evil villain, who chases him continuously from one action scene to the next. Exciting. But is it a must-see in the theaters? When James Bond in 'Goldfinger' entered his hotel room--44 years have passed since then--a Bond girl was lying dead on his bed, completely covered in gold, and suffocated by it. A picture which burned itself into the collective consciousness of all who saw it. Bond Girls Foto: REUTERS Who would James Bond be without his Bond girls? 'Quantum of Solace' i...

Sophie Marceau Artist Unknown b. Sophie Dani鑜e Sylvie Maupu Sophie Marceau, though popular, has never really fulfilled her early promise. Binoche now has the Oscar, Bardot the iconic status, and Deneuve the eternal chicness, but Marceau has been left behind, surpassed by a new generation of French stars. Nevertheless, she is up there with the big stars of French cinema but it is unlikely she will reach the summit Sophie Marceau (n閑 Sophie Maupu ) was born November 17, 1966, in Paris, France. While growing up with her father -- who was a truck driver -- in the Parisian suburbs, Sophie was always far removed from the big movie studios of France. When she was 14, a friend of her's informed her that French director Claude Pinoteau was casting fresh talent for his film, La Boum . Sophie was cast in the teenage film, released in 1980. The film was a huge hit and led to the sequel, La Boum 2 , released 2 years later. Sophie was honored with the Cesar ...

  Sophie Marceau, 44 – French Bond Girl, played the Princess Isabelle in Braveheart and starred in Anna Karenina Men dream about them and women dream of looking like them. Beauty may...