Un conte de Noël

Eräs joulutarina / En julberättelse. FR (c) 2008 Why Not Productions + three other companies. D: Arnaud Desplechin. SC: AD, Emmanuel Bourdieu. DP: Eric Gautier - a 35mm colour film print at 2,35:1 from a digital intermediate. LOC: ?Rouen?. CAST: Catherine Deneuve (Junon), Mathieu Amalric (Henri), Jean-Paul Roussillon (Abel), Anne Consigny (Elizabeth), Emmanuelle Devos (Faunia), Chiara Mastroianni (Sylvia). 155 min. A Cinema Mondo release with Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Outi Kainulainen / Joanna Erkkilä. Viewed at Maxim 2, Helsinki, 28 Nov 2008. - A beautiful transfer with no annoying digital limitations, warm and vibrant colour, a fine softness of texture. - The compilation on the soundtrack a pleasant mix of classical and jazz. - A big, original and tough story of a dysfunctional family which faces issues including cancer and sibling feud of the severest kind. There are the several generations and the many lifestyles that are impossible to reconcile, yet an attempt is made at Christmas time. The prodigal son (Henri) is needed for his bone marrow to save his mother (Junon). - The actors are very good, and the director's grip is assured in this story of love and war within the dysfunctional family. - I admired the warmth of Eric Gautier's cinematography in the big ensemble scenes.

Quantum of Solace

Marc Forster: Quantum of Solace (GB/US 2008) with Olga Kurylenko (Camille) and Daniel Craig (James  Bond).

007 Quantum of Solace / 007 Quantum of Solace. 

    GB/US © 2008 Danjaq / United Artists / Columbia. P: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson. 

    D: Marc Forster. SC: Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade – inspired by characters created by Ian Fleming. 

    DP: Roberto Schaefer – colour – 2,35:1 – cameras: Arricam ST/LT, Arri and Angenieux Lenses, Arriflex 235, Arri and Angenieux Lenses, Arriflex 435 Advanced, Arri and Angenieux Lenses, Dalsa Origin, Sony CineAlta HDW-F900R – negative or master format: 35 mm (Kodak Vision2 200T 5217, Vision3 500T 5219), Digital, HDTV Video – cinematographic process: Digital Intermediate (2K) (master format), source formats: Digital (4K) , HDCAM SR (source format), Super 35 (also 3-perf) – printed film format: 35 mm (anamorphic) (Kodak Vision 2383, Vision Premier 2393) [source of technical information: IMDB]. 

    M: David Arnold; James Bond theme by Monty Norman; "Another Way To Die" (Jack White) perf. Jack White & Alicia Keys. Visual effects: several companies. 

    CAST: Daniel Craig (James Bond), Olga Kurylenko (Camille), Mathieu Amalric (Dominic Greene), Judi Dench (M), Giancarlo Giannini (Mathis), Gemma Arterton (Strawberry Fields), Jeffrey Wright (Felix Leiter).

    108 min

    Released in Finland by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Finland with Finnish / Swedish subtitles by Marko Hartama / Marko Hietikko. 

    Viewed in Kinopalatsi 1, Helsinki, 7 Nov 2008.

Digital look mostly hidden by extremely rapid cutting. Steel blue gray colour gamut. When shots linger the limitations of the definition become evident.

The previous Bond film got some of the best reviews of the whole Bond cycle, and it was apparently the financially most successful Bond film of all. This is a direct follow-up. – One of the shortest Bond films, it focuses on action, a little like the hyperkinetic action films that were trendy from the 1980s until the 1990s. The danger is that all action and rapid cutting can get tedious. – As a fan of Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, The Kite Runner) I see no director's touch in this assignment. – Daniel Craig's Bond is made more single-mindedly a killing machine, and there is an acceptance of violent torture that resonates with Abu Ghraib. Bond was always cynical and brutal, but there were more sides to the character before. Now he resonates more with the ugly side of the world espionage. However, there is a division with the bad Americans and the good Americans. There are also critical comments on the cynicism of world politics. – I feel that the spirit of Bond died with the Cold War, and the series now lives an artificial life, but surely it will be continued as long as the success is this phenomenal. – Certainly the Bourne films are now more cutting edge than the Bond films. – I still think they should have more powerful villains and more powerful women (besides Judi Dench as M). – There would be any number of fascinating ways to create modern spy thrillers. The reality is more thrilling than any of the current spy films films, as can be seen in books like Steven Coll's The Ghost Wars. – Now only some details of new technology are interestingly modern. – The score is on the level of the best of the Bond cycle.