Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Elle: The New “Basic Instinct” with a “French Twist”

By José Alberto Hermosillo
“Elle” is a sophisticated, twisted-erotic-psychological thriller - charge with a high voltage of anxiety, desire, and animosity. It will stick with you right under the skin for a long time.

Director Paul Verhoeven returns to his European roots with a high content of sexual deviations, perversions, and obsessions - always pushing in his films, the boundary-line beyond the imaginable.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ©2016 SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
The role of “Elle” is custom made for Isabelle Huppert (“Things to Come,” “Amour,” “The Piano Teacher”) who perfectly portrays Michele LeBlanc, an upper-class, high-ranking French executive, and producer of violent video games charged with bloody erotic sequences that alter the subconscious. 

PHOTO COURTESY OF ©2016 SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
The responsibilities of Mrs. LeBlanc have changed her into an uptight, snooty, hard-hitting woman.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ©2016 SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
After a freak home invasion and rape, her mind is obsessed with the assault and can't stop thinking about it. 

The event repeats itself, over and over, inside her head and in constant incursions.

“What if…” she could defend herself and counter-attack the burglar.

“What if…” she would be in control and get pleasure out of it.

"What if..." she could take revenge against her attacker...

The thoughts of being a woman in power, (not only in her job, but in her sexuality), create a high level of instability, anxiety, and cravings in her mind and body.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ©2016 CINE MATE
Mrs. LeBlanc would like to know who attacked her. She suspects everyone, but she has no evidence of who he could be. 

She has many haters, starting with her ex-husband and her closest collaborators.

Some of her detractors are her daughter in law, her confused and immature son, and her mad and sophisticated mother who has a relationship with a much younger stud.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ©2016 SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
The mother wants her daughter to heal herself and become more “normal” by visiting and to forgive her incarcerated father, a “monster” serving a life sentence for committing a horrendous crime which Michele witnessed when she was a teenager.   
ISABELLE HUPPERT. PHOTO JOSE A HERMOSILLO ©2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
“Oh…” is the original name of the novel by the French-Armenian writer Philippe Djian, outstandingly adapted to the screen by David Birke.
PAUL VERHOEVEN, PHOTO JOSE A HERMOSILLO ©2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
Director Paul Verhoeven really knows his craft. In "Elle," he places every element in the right space and time. When he became famous in Hollywood with the Cult Classics such as “RoboCop” “Basic Instinct,” “Total Recall,” and “Show Girls,”  he already had a long trajectory in Europe.
PAUL VERHOEVEN, PHOTO JOSE A HERMOSILLO ©2017 FESTIVAL IN LA
In the Netherlands, his homeland, he made his most controversial works “Turkish Delight,” “Diary of a Hooker,” “Katie Tippel,” “Soldier of Orange” and“The 4th Man.” 

Verhoeven continues making films with the same quality and freedom in Europe and in Hollywood as well.

Many directors have successfully explored this genre with sex, violence, and fetishism. Like: Vicente Aranda’s “Amantes/Lovers: A True Story,” Bigas Luna’s “The Chambermaid on the Titanic,” Luis Buñuel’s “Susana” and “Belle de Jour,” and François Ozon’s “Criminal Lovers” and “Young & Beautiful.”

“Elle” is the winner of the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama, Isabelle Hupper. And it is the official French submission for the Academy Awards 2017, in the Foreign Language Film category.

Verhoeven’s experience in Hollywood makes “Elle” unfold with perfect cinematography, fast-paced editing, and elongated moments that enhance the actors’ performances to a whole new level of importance.

In "Elle," every actor is impeccable. Isabelle Huppert is Magnifique!
PHOTO COURTESY OF ©2016 AFI FEST
Michele’s anger and obsessions make her unconscious of her own reality. 

At one point, she must figure out how to get out of this sickening situation in one piece and regain control of herself, but her environment drags her down into deeper waters.

As the sexual assaults become more frequent, the structure of "Elle" could be interpreted as “Jesus descending into Hell.”

The technical achievement of “Elle” makes it seem like a non-traditional French movie, but because of its sexual content, we can say “Elle” is very French. If you dare to see this film, you will know what I mean.

Paul Verhoeven, Elle.
Paul Verhoeven, Elle. Film Critic José Alberto Hermosillo www.festivalinla.com 



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Copyright © 2016 Festival in LA 

Saturday, December 10, 2016

THE BEST FILM FESTIVAL POSTERS 2016

By José Alberto Hermosillo

 
Selecting the best film festival posters of the year can be subjective and open to interpretation. What is tangible is the beauty, originality, and harmony of the composition.

The poster's colors, spaces, and fonts convey information and emotions that a festival wants to promote to its targeted audience. 

The base colors have to be limited to no more than five. 

The information is vital, and it has to be precise and understandable. 

The language, name, dates, theme, and location must be precise and easily read.

During the year, Festival in LA collects and curates the design of many of the posters of the festivals from around the world to ensure the legacy is preserved and shared by many who appreciate the art of graphic design and the ones who love films in general. 

The Best Film Festival Posters of 2016 are:

Persian International Film,  
Sep-Oct. 2016, 
Australia
 
7th ANNUAL PRESCOTT
FILM FESTIVAL
PRESCOTT, ARIZONA
 
Cinerama 70MM Film Festival,  
September 9-19, 2016, 
Seattle, Washington 
 
Annecy International Animation Film Festival, 
June 2016, 
France
 
Carthage Film Festival, 
Oct-Nov 2016, 
Tunisia
 
Petaluma Film Festival
Oct 2016, 
California
 
Horizontes Latinos
San Sebastián, Spain.
 
Luxembourg City Film Festival
Feb-March 2016, 
Luxembourg

  11th Austin Polish Film Festival
 Austin, Texas
 
American Film Market, 
Nov. 2016,
Santa Monica, California
 
San Sebastian International Film Festival, 
Sep. 2016, 
Spain
Festival International de Cine de 
San Cristoval de las Casas,
Chiapas, Mexico
 
Chicago Latino Film Festival, 
April 2016, 
Chicago, Illinois 
 
Festival International du Film, Cannes, 
May 2016, 
France
 
Mostra Internazionale D'Arte Cinematografica, 
La Bienale di Venezia, 
Ags-Sep 2016, 
Italy 
Berlinale, 
Feb 2016, 
Germany
 
Bucheon Fantastic International Film Festival, 
July 2016, 
France

Copyright © 2016 Festival in LA