The Diving Bell and Butterfly

(aka Le Scaphandre et le Papillon)
3 out of 5 stars
enjoyed this film more than most things I've seen this year, but I don't think it's necessarily the best picture I've seen. I thought it worked up to a point. It's a touching story, though the 'diving bell'/'butterfly' metaphor felt a tad overused. The actors in the film are so beautiful to look at, the performances are subtle yet powerful, but I don't think Schnabel's 'fantasy' scenes quite hit the level of Gael Garcia Bernal's work, nor did a story about appreciating the beauty in the world live up to Sam Mendes' American Beauty. Still, definitely worth seeing.

La Vie En Rose

4 out of 5 Stars
I normally strongly dislike biopics (Ray and Walk the Line were almost tedious for me to sit through...dude, it's already 1973 and we still have another two hours to go?!?) but the non linear structure plus the brilliance of Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf made me love this one. She's beyond incredible -- she never plays it campy or over the top, but she shows us a heart breakingly honest portrait of Piaf. It was the structure of the film that held my interest -- I thought the director never underestimated the intelligence of his audience and therefore allowed us to jump through time with Piaf and watch her success and her pain.