LIFESTYLE | WHAT DID I WATCH THIS WINTER ?

As winter officially came to an end, it is time for me to make a retrospective of the films I've watched on long cold winter nights under my comfy blanket.

A Little Chaos

I was in class when one of my classmate said "Wow, Alan Rickman just died". It was right before a test and I was speechless. I almost shed a tear. I always had a crush on this actor. The way he says "Mister Pottah" in Harry Potter just turns me on. And behind the scenes, he seemed like a nice, funny, kind, joyful... guy. I did not watch "A Little Chaos" when it came out, I was a broke ass student in London back then. But it was definitely a film I wanted to watch. First, the casting is impressive. I could drown in the eyes of Matthias Schoenaerts, Kate Winslet is breathtaking and then there's Stanley Tucci. And the whole scene takes place in Versailles, in France. It is a really poetic film, with visuals that do justice the impressiveness of Versailles. And it is a beautiful love story as well. It is a film I would recommend on lonely depressed nights, when you feel like giving up on everything, including love. It gives you hope that it still exists. Well, it did in 1682. Sort of.

Brooklyn

Saoirse Ronan is just... Wow. Every film she does, she turns it into gold. Brooklyn is about leaving everything you love behind in order to give yourself a better shot at life, it is about discovering a new land, a new culture, a new self, it is about growing up, it is about feeling homesick, it is about doubt, it is about never forgetting where you come from. It is about me leaving Paris last year to study in London. It is about my mother leaving Congo to build a family in France. It is about the parents of my grand father leaving everything behind in Portugal and Spain to raise their children in France. Brooklyn is about everybody.

Burnt

A classmate last year introduced me to the sexist world of cooking. I had no idea. Well, this film is just eye opening. This is absolutely not what the plot is about. But I couldn't think about anything else while watching it. The egos of chefs, how they treat women... And damn, I wrote a paper on sexism in Hollywood for my English class and this film is all about it. The cast is almost all male, only two women and a little girl. The women say very few words during the film and of course, they play Bradley Cooper's love interests. And they help him get successful but get fairly no reward. Urgh. How sexist is that ? About the movie now : I liked that there was Omar Sy (and Bradley Cooper of course) in it, and that it took place in London. And for a film about food, it doesn't gets you as hungry as you may think. Just watch "Chef" and you'll know what having the munchies means.

Clouds of Sils Maria

I HATE Kristen Stewart. At least that's what I thought. Well, back in the days, I used to hate her obnoxious resting bitch face and the fact the her acting skills come down to only one facial expression. But last month, I caught myself watching the "Twilight" saga on TV and my first reaction was "was she always that beautiful?". Yes, I also believed she was ugly as fuck. But on a second thought, she's absolutely gorgeous. And I had the same reaction watching "Clouds of Sils Maria". And discovered she could act as well, she was in fact oretty perfect in this film. I wanted to be her friend. I wanted to have a laugh, to drink wine and have a cigarette with her and Juliette Binoche. Juliette Binoche is stunning. And damn, that perfect English she speaks : BOW DOWN BITCHES. The film is well made, thanks to the rythm and the actors, we're somehow confused when Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart are rehearsing : are they just saying the lines of the play or are they really discussing their real feelings ? Loved it. And gosh, the landscapes are breathtaking. Definitely the best film I watched this winter.

The Big Short

I did not watch this film because of the cast liar even though I wouldn't spit on those guys. Yep, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, and Brad Pitt sure gets the ladies in theaters. Well, I watched the film because it was nominated for the Oscars and I wanted to know what it had in store. Well a lot. First, the editing is PERFECT.Should have won a Oscar for that. Second, thank God for the popularisation of all theses economical notions. And I laughed to tears when Selena Gomez or fucking Margot Robbie explained me stuff I learned in Economics in highschool. And finally, we need to talk about Christian Bale's acting. Can he even get better ? For fuck's sakes, even playing a creepy man with OCD and a glass eye or something, he freaking turns me on. In the film, he sends chills down your spine because he is this borderline trader on the edge of doing something really REALLY bad but still got something that makes you want to hug him, HARD.

Irrational Man

Speaking of men that freaks you out and turns you on at the same time, I introduce you : Joaquin Phoenix. And it seems like Emma Stone's character has the same vibe about Joaquin Phoenix in the film. This Woody Allen film with Emma Stone is waaaaaaay better than "Magic in the Moonlight" which was shitty as fuck. In "Irrational Man" there's tension, sexual tension and suspense because of the murder (am I saying too much ?). And the irrational character Emma Stone is playing is made for her crazy facial expression. You HAVE to see that movie !

Armelle De Oliveira