Tidbit: 'Anna' (2019; R)

I hate to write critically of a film by writer-director Luc Besson, l've enjoyed most of his movies; they tend to have heart, a profound message, and solid action. But, and l say this with humility, 'Anna' (2019) leaves much to be desired. However, Sasha Luss, who plays lethal KGB-CIA agent Anna Poliatova, is a pleasure to behold.

Tidbit: 'G.I. Joe: Retaliation' (2013; PG-13)

It seems director Jon M. Chu intended to make an awe-inspiringly sprawling, Michael Bay-inspired action adventure, with jaw-droppingly advanced weaponry, amazingly elaborate high-octane action, laugh-out-loud humour, fully fledged characters that the audience would care about, moving moments, and an inspiring pro-G.I. Jane message... but somehow missed the mark. I don't know. Bruce Willis is fun to watch though. 😊

'Rampage' (2018; PG-13): A Rip-roaring Fun Ride

I returned to the rip-roaring fun ride that is 'Rampage' (2018), the other night. I hadn't watched it in a little over a year. I am writing about it, at length, for the first time.

Davis Okoye (Dwayne Johnson) is a jaded primatologist working at the San Diego Wildlife Sanctuary. He has a strong bond with George, an albino gorilla that he rescued from poachers, when he was but an infant. Davis is ex-military, and has fought many battles and seen the horrors that man is capable of, and has conequently developed a general mistrust of people. Kate Caldwell (Naomie Harris) is a grieving, justice-seeking geneticist whose brother died from cancer, when her former employer, Energyne, took her revolutionary genetic work (which could have saved her brother) from her, weaponised it, and fired her. Kate is on a mission to bring her former employers, Claire and Bret Wyden (Malin Akerman and Jake Lacy, respectively), to justice. When Energyne's space-based research lab explodes, and weaponised genetic research samples wind up in three different parts of the U.S., causing Davis' gorilla friend George, a wolf and an alligator, to spontaneosly mutate and grow into giant, raging and destructive animals, Davis' and Kate's paths cross. Davis needs to get George back to normal, and Kate sees the whole mess as an opportunity to finally expose Energyne, but the two get roped into stopping the giant animals from killing masses of people and flattening whole cities, too.
 

One of the things that struck me when I watched 'Rampage' for the first time, was that it was a big budget movie with two 'people of colour' in the lead roles, Johnson and Harris. Granted, after the uproarious triumph of 'Black Panther', whose cast was nearly all-Black, this might not seem like something to point out. But it's SOMETHING. The other thing was that two actors, Jeffery Dean Morgan and Malin Akerman, who played the Comedian and Silk Spectre II, respectively, in 'Watchmen' (2009), were sharing the screen again, here.
 

Johnson carries this film quite impressively; he obviously has strong screen presence, built as he is, but he also lends Davis Okoye, a strength and vulnerability of spirit, that is a pleasure to see. Kate Caldwell's (Naomi Harris) smarts, brains-over-brawn approach, and feminine energy, are the perfect counterpoint to Okoye's hulking, macho brute. Jeffery Dean Morgan's Agent Russell, the 'cowboy' with a southern drawl, is fun to watch. He calls a helicopter a "whirlybird", which sounds funny when said in his unique cadence. Malin Akerman, whom I discovered in Zack Snyder's 'Watchmen', is also a pleasure to watch; you like to dislike her villainess, Claire Wyden. Claire is daring, diabolical, confident and competent; quite unlike her bungling, cowardly brother Brett Wyden (Jake Lacy), and this makes for humorous interactions between them.
 

Okoye and George's relationship is quite a joy to behold. It has a strength, depth, seriousness, and light-heartedness, that is fascinating to watch. It's all set up seemingly effortlessly; it didn't take me long, and with little backstory, to see and appreciate the strong bond between Okoye and George; a real, human actor, and a computer-generated character, albeit anchored on a human stand-in. This beautiful pairing of a real human and a virtual creature, isn't new; it's been done successfully in many movies past. But that doesn't dimish its specialness here. It's a triumph of directing, writing, acting, animation and cinematography; of filmic execution.
 

I like how the end credits graphics are cleverly inspired by, for lack of a better term, genetic sequencing strips. There's a great deal of product placement in this film, some of which I probably missed. Much of it was probably so sneakily done that it went undetected by my conscious mind. I noticed the Microsoft tablet that Claire and Brett use, in their skyscraper office; Okoye's Jeep-like 2004 Ford Bronco concept vehicle; the large flat-screen TV that Kate watches the 'space accident' news piece on; the Black Hawk helicopter that delivers the wolf-hunting crew to their destination, and the various assault rifles the crew uses; the downed Apache attack helicopter that Okoye fires at the giant alligator from (I'm reminded of that National Geographic 'Megafactories' episode, that focuses on the manufacture of Apache attack helicopters); the Northrup Grumman B2 Spirit stealth bomber that ends up not delivering its payload, the 'Mother Of All Bombs' (MOAB), and the two fighters that accompany it; and so on. I wonder whether the huge brands (Ford, Microsoft, Sikorsky Aircraft, Colt Firearms etc.) that advertised their wares in this movie, had any say in the content of the movie; shaped its story in some way(s).
 

I like Kid Cudi's 'The Rage' which plays over the end credits. The rhythm of Cudi's rapping, and the percussion that accompanies it, are absolutely brilliant. He's quite talented. I'm not so enthusiastic about the chorus though; it doesn't quite gel with the verses; it feels alien to the rest of the song; it feels as though it was ripped from a different song and shoehorned into this one. Having said that though, the chorus is, at the same time, somewhat appealing. This is the second well-crafted song I've come across, that Cudi has contributed to a video game-inspired movie; the first is 'Hero', which he made with Skylar Grey, for 2014's 'Need for Speed', which he also acted in. Is it mere coincidence that he's made songs for two video game-related movies? I suspect otherwise.
 

Andrew Lockington's score is brilliant. He composes beautifully for both, big action sequences and quiet 'character-driven' moments. The track 'Gorillas', which we hear in the early moments of the film, is a sublime piece, with ethereal choral voices.
 

There's a hugely satisfying primal/primeval/primordial/visceral/lizard brain appeal in seeing giant creatures destroying giant buildings, and each other. 'Rampage' wouldn't be the enjoyable movie that it is, without the giant, berserking gorilla, wolf, and alligator. They are literally the stars of the show. George most of all though. The action, score, and sometimes risque humour, are a great deal of fun. This movie is also beautifully poignant in some instances.
 

'Rampage' is definitely worth checking out.

Remembering 'The Glimmer Man'

 

I watched the Steven Seagal and Keenen Ivory Wayans movie 'The Glimmer Man' (1996), at the cinema (Elite 400, in Bulawayo), about 22 years ago. That was the last time I watched it. To this day, I remember a scene where Seagal and Wayans go into a small, dimly lit alternative medicine store in Chinatown, following a lead in their investigation. An old Chinese woman running the store, offers ginseng to Wayans, in Chinese, and Wayans says to her, sort of jokingly, "Do you know I'm black? I have no idea what you’re saying". I had to look up that bit of dialogue to make sure that there actually was something of the sort. I had it in my memory as "Does she know I'm black?" That would have been Wayans talking to Seagal. This scene is just about the only one I remember somewhat clearly. I'm not sure why; perhaps it's the comedic element in it; perhaps humour, even subtle humour, makes us remember things a little better. Another thing I remember about 'The Glimmer Man' is how intensely atmospheric it was. There was something about its cinematography that stood out, I can't describe it though, as it's been such a long time.

I think I explored more back then, than I do now. I could go to a movie I'd never heard of and have a good time, even if the movie itself was awful. The theatrical experience, taking in a movie projected on film, the medium it was shot on, was sheer magic. The experience of sitting in the dark, in an optically and acoustically controlled space, and looking at huge images flickering before me, was enough. I think I've lost that innocence. I've become very calculated in my viewing. I follow certain directors' work; I seldom go to movies (especially not since COVID-19 started) or pick up a movie, on a whim. Perhaps there's a way to recapture that innocence. I don't know. But I digress.

I've just had a noteworthy thought, so I'll continue digressing, bear with me. Perhaps the theatrical experience isn't quite what it was before, for me anyway, not because of something as abstract as losing one's innocence, but because of a shift in technology. Du-uh! Nowadays most, if not all movies, are photographed and projected digitally, as opposed to being shot on actual film, and projected on film. Because I swear, taking in a movie, in a theatre, in the '90s, had a visual and aural ambience, that you don't get today. I strongly suspect that that shift from film to digital is what changed everything for me; what my senses picked up on. I'm not knocking digital, it works, but film has a feel that is all its own. For the first time, I think I'm starting to understand why filmmaker Christopher Nolan insists on shooting on film. End of digression.

Wayans' wisecrack in 'The Glimmer Man' is etched in my memory.

Note: Take 99% of the filmic reminiscence above, with a grain of salt. To borrow from Neil Gaiman, memory is gloriously fallible. Plus, I didn't watch the movie discussed, to verify my recollection of it. "Why?" You might ask. Well, perhaps to preserve the purity of this particular memory, errors and all.

Blomkamp's 'Elysium'

 

Earth, 2154. The planet is plagued by disease, famine, poverty, overpopulation and other nasties. The rich have relocated to 'Elysium', a super-advanced paradisiac habitat that orbits the earth, leaving the poor to suffer. Max Da Costa (Matt Damon), an orphan raised by nuns, is a convicted felon, out on parole, living in squalor and working at a droid-manufacturing plant owned by Armadyne, a security technology corporation. One day Max is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation, in a work accident, and is left with only 5 days to live, before his organs shutdown. Max must leave earth, where he cannot receive life-saving medical attention, and get to Elysium, where he can access a 'Med-Bay', an ultra-advanced device that can cure almost any disease and heal almost any type of injury. But there are many perilous obstacles in Max's way, that he must surmount at any cost, and therein lies the spellbinding tale.

 

I like Trent Opaloch's cinematography. This film is a feast for the eyes. The scenes that depict the wasteland that earth has become, have virtually no colour, and this 'bleached' look, accentuates the desolation. This reminds me of an article I read some years back -- an interview that filmmaker David O. Russell gave. Russell talked about his brilliant film 'Three Kings', which also has the 'bleached' look that the 'earth segments' of 'Elysium' have. Russell said that he and his collaborators used a process called 'Bleach Bypass', to achieve the 'washed out' look of 'Three Kings', which was meant to give the film a realistic sheen -- like news footage. I wonder if they used the same process for 'Elysium'.

The scenes that are set on the paradise that is Elysium, are the visual opposite of those scenes set on earth. On Elysium, it's 'All Colours Go!' Every conceivable colour appears here. The whole colour gamut is restored in these scenes. We see lush, green lawns; bright red security droids and bright red helicopters, amongst other things. This richness of colour on Elysium, juxtapositioned with the scarcity of colour on earth, hits home the idea that these two places are vastly different.

 

It took me some time to get used to Sharlto Copley, as a villain. He just seems like this approachable, gentle human being who wouldn't harm a fly -- the kind of person whom you approach to play a sort of nerdy character, like his Wikus van der Merwe from 'District 9'. Had Copley played the bloodthirsty, psychologically disturbed mercenary, Kruger, without a beard, I doubt very much that I would have found him believable. The copious amounts of facial hair -- his beard -- gave his 'soft' face some grit, and ultimately helped me suspend my disbelief.

The beautiful actress Alice Braga, who plays Frey, Max's love interest, seems to be making a name for herself in big-budget Sci-Fi fare, such as 'Elysium'. She played opposite Will Smith's Robert Neville, in the Francis Lawrence-directed 'I Am Legend'. She played opposite Jude Law in Miguel Sapochnik's dystopian artificial-organ-repossession actioner 'RepoMen'. And now this. Braga is a highly capable actress. I enjoy her work, a great deal.

'Armadyne', the name of the droid-manufacturing corporation in this film, struck me as a nod to 'Cyberdyne Systems', a similar corporation in the 'Terminator' series of movies. And the name of Matt Damon's character Max, struck me as a reference to the character popularised by Mel Gibson, in the dystopian 'Mad Max' movies.

 

The camera moves in a pretty interesting way, in the scene where Max and a couple of Spider's (Wagner Moura) men, conduct a 'data heist' -- stealing 'organic data' from the brain of Armadyne CEO, John Carlyle (William Fichtner). Specifically, just after Max has fired 'air-burst' rounds (from what seems to be a suped-up AK-47) at one of Carlyle's security droids, which shatter it, spectaculary, into tiny pieces. And when Max moves away from this spot, to the downed shuttle, where John Carlyle is, the camera sort of 'locks' onto Max, who becomes the visual center of the frame, and 'pivots' from him, whenever it moves. And as Max moves around, one can see, for lack of a better description, 'video scan lines', which briefly make the movie feel like a 3D shooting video game, which is very enjoyable to see. Blomkamp did something similar to this, with the camera, in 2009's 'District 9', which was also fun to see.

 

There's an interesting mix of languages in this film -- English, Afrikaans, Spanish and a bit of French. It's not often that one comes across such. I am intrigued by the fact that Jodie Foster, who plays power-hungry Defense Secretary Delacourt, can speak French and has appeared in ‘A Very Long Engagement’, a film by renowned French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I found it interesting that it was mostly Hispanic people that were fighting to reach Elysium. And Elysium seemed to be populated mostly by White people. Hmm.
This is the first film in which I've seen a super-advanced Bugatti shuttle, that can accelerate to supersonic speed, in seconds, and a super-advanced Versace tanning bed. I found this imaginative. The shuttle impressed me more. It's a triumph of flying vehicle design. All of the design in 'Elysium' is impressive, from the environments; to the vehicles; to the weapons; to the droids and other things. It's all absolutely impressive. I haven’t yet fathomed the mechanics behind the exo-skeletons worn by Max and Kruger, but these devices were so beautifully realised, I was willing to suspend my disbelief.

 

Ryan Amon's score is nothing short of magnificent. There's a certain very poignant piano-based theme that plays just before Max dies, while he's saying his last words to Frey -- 'Max and Frey' would be an appropriate name for it -- it's magnificent. This theme carries over into the sequence showing the Emergency Medical Services ships being deployed to earth, and closes the film. Then follows the piece that plays at the beginning of the end credits roll, with its exquisite strings, or is it wind instruments? I'm not sure. It's achingly beautiful.

Max has to die, so that the poor masses of earth may enter Elysium -- paradise. Is he a messiahnic figure? In the climactic fight between Max and Kruger, towards the end of the film, the camera lingers on the blood flowing from Max's hand -- a wound inflicted by the blade-loving Kruger. Could this be a reference to the stigmata of Christ -- the holes pierced through his palms, as he was nailed to the cross? Is any of this... religious symbolism?

Why does Max sometimes experience fleeting, but severe head pain, when he encounters Kruger? Kruger has bits of metal sticking out of each of his cheeks -- is he some kind of cyborg? Are these remnants of the various surgical procedures that he has undergone (perhaps in a 'Med-Bay'), for injuries sustained on the job?

 

Interestingly, Carlyle has the word "RICHE", which I think is French for ''rich'', imprinted on his right cheek.

The location of Max and Kruger's final confrontation -- a sort of bridge, linking two buildings, one of them housing The Core; the 'central processing unit' that runs Elysium -- is somewhat reminiscent of a Japanese garden, because of the few pink flower blossoms (what the Japanese might call "sakura") that are on either side of it.

 

It's interesting how director Neill Blomkamp is taking Afrikaans culture (and South African culture in general) to the world, through his films. Sharlto Copley's psychotic Kruger is the caricature of the bad Afrikaner, gleefully taken to extremes. This makes for some welcome bursts of comic relief, sprinkled throughout the film. There's even a scene in which Kruger sings an Afrikaans lullaby to a child. Afrikaans words like 'lekker', 'boet', 'kak' and 'boitjie', are used liberally. 'Elysium' is 'more Afrikaans', so to speak, than Blomkamp's previous 'District 9'. Here he really let's loose. And quite enjoyably so.

I like Blomkamp's brand of Sci-Fi. It has a great deal of heart. The human element always transcends the pseudo-technology, no matter how awe-inspiring that technology may be. Okay, I may have overshot the mark there, as I have seen only two of his feature-length films.

I have watched 'Elysium' three times thus far, not knowing that this particular (bootleg) DVD had English subtitles, so I missed everything that was said in Spanish. I only discovered the subtitles when I was well into my essay, while watching particular scenes and verifying my recollections. I decided that if this piece was ever going to see the light of day, I would have to let that go. I had spent more time than necessary, altering, adding and primping, already. "A work of art is never finished", they say, "it is abandoned."

Liebesman's 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'

 

So I finally watched Jonathan Liebesman’s ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ last night, courtesy of my 8-year-old nephew Ethan, who (to cut a long story short) acquired the DVD. The following are my first impressions, which are likely to alter with subsequent viewings.

Ethan was educating me, telling me the names of the four Turtles, by colour, and I listened humbly to his Master Splinter-like wise counsel. It was cute. I was watching the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ animated TV series; eating TMNT ice cream; buying a TMNT colouring book and keeping it in pristine condition; and drawing the Turtles for my classmates in primary school, about 15 years before he was born. So, it was cute.

Designer Massimo Vignelli said “If you do it right, it will last forever.” The ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ are a perfect example of this. In the early ‘90s, when I was a preteen, the TMNT were all the rage. Now two and a half decades later, I’m 33-years-old, and TMNT are still a hot commodity. Creators Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman outdid themselves. They created a pop culture phenomenon that has stood the test of time, that has lasted ‘forever’. Okay 25 years isn’t ‘forever’, but you get the point.

 

It’s difficult to make a child-friendly science fiction-action-adventure-comedy movie, in which there are four giant reptiles who wield Ninja weapons and a ‘robot samurai’ who shoots knives from his arms. Liebesman had the task of restraining the gore and not showing a single trace of blood (except in the ‘blood draining’ scene) in this film where bullets, katana, bo-staff, sai and nunchaku, fly in almost every frame, without looking ridiculous. He pulled it off. Although, I think the child-friendly rating (PG-13), kept this film from really soaring, from achieving its full potential. Had TMNT had an ‘R’ Rating, it would have been a much better film, I think.

 

When bad guy scientist Eric Sacks (William Fichtner) had Leonardo (Johnny Knoxville), Donatello (Jeremy Howard) and Michaelangelo (Noel Fisher), in his clutches and was marveling at these mutated humanoid reptiles, that he and other scientists, unwittingly created, he said something like “And to think, we could have used rabbits!” This struck me as a nod to cartoonist Stan Sakai’s rabbit bodyguard, Usagi Yojimbo. I enjoyed this.

When Splinter (Tony Shalhoub) tells the Turtles how they ended up in the sewers, that it was the young April O’Neil (Megan Fox) who saved them from a laboratory fire and brought them here, he calls April a ‘hogosha’ – a guardian spirit. Then one of the Turtles says, quite funnily and somewhat reverentially, “Dude, like, our friend is a guardian spirit” or something like that. I found this amusing.

 

The action sequences, though impressively elaborate and ambitious (e.g. the chase down a snow-covered slop), left me a little underwhelmed. Why? Perhaps it’s because I felt a sense of deja vu, as though I had seen it all before. In one shot, I felt that a CG character didn’t interact convincingly with a human actor. This is when April meets Splinter for the first time. We see this brief shot of them facing one another, but Megan Fox, to me, doesn’t look like she can actually see the computer-generated Splinter. Did the problem lie with the acting, or the VFX, or both?

 

There are four giant turtles and one giant rodent, who have a familial bond; unwittingly form an alliance with a female reporter; have mastered Asian-style armed and unarmed combat; live beneath a gigantic city that is threatened by a diabolical scientist and an evil, shadowy master of the war arts. I am looking for the subtext and symbolism, in this premise. I can’t find any.

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’, this name manages to combine four disparate elements – a phase in the growth or aging of a human being, a genetic phenomenon, an ancient martial art used by mercenaries in feudal Japan, and a reptile that resembles a tortoise – and makes it look natural. This is quite a feat, if you ask me.

‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ is a great deal of fun to watch. I look forward to watching it again.

A fairly enjoyable, decadent, slice of French cinema

'The Page Turner' ( La Tourneuse de Pages) is about Mélanie Prouvost, a girl (played here by Julie Richalet) who dreams of becoming a concert pianist. She attends trials with her mother, at a prestigious school. In the middle of her piano recital, one of the panel of judges watching and listening, who happens to be distinguished concert pianist Ariane Fouchécourt (Catherine Frot), is disturbed by an assistant who brings her a message. Mélanie stops in the middle of her performance, waitng for the messenger to leave, so that all the judges may be attentive to her. With the messenger gone, she resumes her recital, but the flow of her performance has been interrupted, and the judges are not impressed. They do not accept her into the school. Her dream is destroyed.

Years later, when Mélanie is now a young woman (played here by the immensely beautiful Déborah François) she lands a job at Jean Fouchécourt's law firm (husband of Ariane Fouchécourt, who interrupted Mélanie's recital, all those years ago) so that she may exact her revenge. After working at the law firm for a while and gaining the trust and admiration of her employer, she finagles her way into Fouchécourt's opulent home, where she is charged with the care of their only child -- a young boy named Tristan, who's a budding pianist.

The vengeful damsel puts her diabolical plan into motion. One afternoon, when Ariane (who doesn't remember Mélanie at all, now that she's an adult) is practicing for an upcoming concert, Mélanie comes into the room, goes over to the piano, reads the music sheet from which Ariane is playing, and without invitation, turns the page at the right moment, so that Ariane may play on uninterrupted. Ariane is greatly impressed that this seemingly 'unmusical' young woman who's taking care of their son can read music. Ariane then hires Mélanie to be her page turner at the upcoming concert. The concert comes Mélanie turns beautifully for Ariane, and the crowd is immensely impressed by the performance. A strong bond begins to form between the two.

Jean goes away on a business trip, leaving Ariane, Tristan and Mélanie. Mélanie is due to leave the couple's home soon, so she doesn't waste time. She makes romantic overtures towards her host, Ariane, and a little romantic affair blossoms. But Mélanie is feigning her feelings, it's all part of her plan. With Ariane still in an emotionally vulnerable state because of some unpleasant past event whose nature I cannot recall, she falls deeply in love with Mélanie. Not only is Mélanie the pianist's page turner, she is now her love interest too. Ariane is now doubly dependent on her, Mélanie has become like a drug to her.

One of Ariane's band members, tells her that she doesn't have a good feeling about the new page turner, and Ariane doesn't pay any attention, she's smitten. Another concert comes and the Mélanie intentionally absconds, at the last minute, from the concert, leaving a stranger to turn for Ariane. Ariane is devastated. She is a nervous wreck. Without her lover at her side, the concert is a flop. Ariane, and the rest of the band members' reputation is tarnished. After the ill-fated concert, Mélanie reappears, and because Ariane has fallen so deeply in love with her, she tries to reprimand her, but she can't, she goes against her better judgement and takes her back. Mélanie is in a position of immense power -- exactly where she wants to be.

On the evening before Mélanie's departure from the Fouchécourt's home, Ariane writes a note, declaring her love for the young woman, and tells her that she would like to see her again (without Jean's knowledge off course), and slips the note under the Mélanie's bedroom door. Mélanie sees the note, reads it and keeps it -- ammunition to use against the woman who cheated her of her dream. Morning comes and Mélanie is up earlier than she's supposed to be, packs all of her belongings, leaves the note from Ariane in Jean's study, with the rest of his mail, where he's sure to see it, and blithely walks out through the large, ornate, front gate, without saying goodbye. Tristan sees her leave though.

Jean returns from his business trip and receives a warm welcome from his wife and son. He enters his study and as per habit, starts checking his mail, and discovers the romantic note. He reads it and is so shocked, he is at a loss for words. He enters the room where Ariane and Tristan are waiting to give him his homecoming surprise, shell shocked and holding the note in his hand. Ariane sees the deathly morbid look on Jean's face, and the note in his hand, and knows that she is ruined. She is so filled with the pain of shame that she falls to the floor, unconscious.

The camera cuts to Mélanie, walking alone down a picturesque country road, with a look of self-satisfaction in her steely eyes. Mission accomplished. Revenge has been exacted.

I had seen this film, about seven years ago, in a film magazine (Sight and Sound, I think) and had been intrigued by it. So when the Alliance Francaise de Bulawayo library -- my only source of French cinema (this isn't a paid advertisement, by the way :)) -- acquired a copy, I was thrilled. I snapped it up.

Deborah Francois, the actress who plays the older Mélanie, is immensely talented and beautiful. It's a pleasure to watch her. She bares a resemblance to the great Audrey Hepburn. She is the French equivalent of Hepburn. I adore her.

The 'questionable romance' in this film was, ahem… interesting to behold. There's a scene in which Mélanie emerges from a swimming pool, water flowing down her scantily clad form, and walks past Ariane, who looks at… You get the picture. :)

I found 'The Page Turner' to be a fairly enjoyable film.