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Mandibules (2020)
Mandibules (2020) is a French comedy about two petty thieves finding a giant fly and trying to train it for their personal gain. Reading the description, I had expectations for the film but it turned out to be routine. The film exhibited as part of the French film festival by ICAF gets my Raw rating. When driving a stolen car to collect a parcel, Jean-Gab finds a giant fly in the trunk. His friend Manu, gives an idea of training the fly and using that to earn money. The two go in search of a place to house the fly and do the training. Initially, they use a mobile home…
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2 Alone in Paris (2008)
During the early days of the pandemic, we saw pictures of the roads of the busiest cities in the world being completely empty and with subsequent lockdowns, the scene became familiar. But to see the famous parts of Paris being deserted and void of people in 2008, when this film was made, should’ve been eerie. That’s the feeling the film, 2 Alone in Paris (Seuls Two), by Directors Ramzy Bedia and Eric Judor tries to create in the audience, unfortunately, the rest of the movie in the name of being a comedy comes out absurd and makes you feel stupid. Available on Netflix it gets my ‘Rotten’ rating. Gervais is…
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Call My Agent! (TV Series)
As audiences, we are captivated by the dazzle and glitter of the silver screen and its stars. We hardly think about the hard-working people behind the screen who start from the first task of connecting a director with the vision to the correct actor for the role. And today’s stars don’t bloom suddenly, they are identified years before and then nurtured, trained and tolerated. These are the tasks that talent agents do. Call My Agent! (Dix pour cent), the French TV Series follows four such Talent agents – Mathias, Andréa, Gabriel, and Arlette. The comedy-drama covers the competition along with the mistrust that exists between them, the challenges in their…
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Spoiled Brats (2021)
Spoiled Brats (Pourris gâtés 2021), a French comedy is a film that is as simple as it gets. It is about a millionaire in Monaco pretending to be penniless so that he can teach his three children the value of money and the importance of working. The city-state looks stunning in the visuals. This was a feel-good film that was predictable yet entertaining and I liked it. Available on Netflix, it gets my Raw rating. Philippe Bartek (Artus), Alexandre Bartek (Louka Meliava) & Stella Bartek (Camille Lou) are the three children of a super-rich single dad Francis Bartek (Gerard Jugnot). The eldest, Philippe is a gourmet and comes with useless…
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Stuck Together (2021)
Stuck Together (8 Rue de l’Humanité) is a French comedy about the early weeks of the pandemic when France was under a strict lockdown. The story revolves around the families living in an apartment building in Paris, trying to remain calm, bond-together to get over the fear and stress caused by the onslaught of COVID-19. There is no story, the screenplay covers the interpersonal dynamics between the residents and how they resolve them. There were moments that were relatable and enjoyable, but at two hours, the film loses our attention quickly and becomes boring. It gets a ‘Raw’ rating in the mangoidiots scale and is available on Netflix. Tony, a…
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Chocolat (2000)
Chocolat (2000) is a comedy-drama that happens in a small village in France during the 1950s. It follows Vianne Rocher, a chocolatier arriving in the quiet community resulting in residents opening up to new possibilities. I easily get interested in movies that cover tightly-knit communities and the dynamics within, so I liked the film. It had a predictable story and a slow screenplay that won’t be fancied by most. Chocolat is available on Netflix and scores a ‘Raw’. Vianne Rocher, a single woman and her daughter live like nomads moving from one town to another, staying in each place for some time but never burying their roots anywhere. During one…
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The Last Mercenary (2021)
The Last Mercenary (2021) is a French action-comedy that is available on Netflix. The screenplay feels like an attempt by Bollywood to give an action film with sentiments. A long lost father, who was the top-secret agent (Richard Brumère or The Mist) in the country, gone rogue and now a mercenary, coming back from hiding to protect his only son (Archibald), who has lost his government given cover and protection. The film gets a mangoidiots rating of ‘Raw’ for some good action sequences by Jean-Claude Van Damme, whose appearance reminds me of Pradeep Rawat of Ghajini’s fame. Archibald’s secret identity is being misused by a bad guy who plans to put…
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My failed visit to Paris in 2016 and Schengen VISA
Today I started re-reading Ms Pallavi Aiyer’s book on Europe “Punjabi Parmesan”. She starts by sharing her anxiety and feeling of being treated second-class as she waits with a blue passport (Indian) in the queue at immigration in Brussels while her Spanish husband and baby boy sailing through the area with their maroon (Spain) passports. This reminded me of one of the many incidents I have had with applying for VISA or the experiences I have faced at the immigration counters in a foreign airport. The below incident happened to me in 2016, for that year’s summer vacation, my wife & I decided to go to the beautiful city of…
