Five Unconventional Films to Watch on Valentine's Day
By no means am I a softie when it comes to love and romance. Sure, I'm like a real-life Ted Mosby, but I'm also a realist and hate when films end on a predictable note. Anybody that's been in a relationship knows they're not all butterflies and gum drops, and some of my favorite films are the ones that portray all forms of life in honest, realistic ways... no matter how painful they may be.
With that said, eschew the typical romance films for Valentine's Day and check out some films that skew our expectations of fictional relationships. To put you on the right path, I've created a list of 10 unconventional films to watch on Valentine's Day. Grab some wine, a blanket, your significant other, and prepare yourself for some heartbreaking, cynical takes on love - just as nature intended.
[Video] Blue is the Warmest Color's Adele Exarchopoulos poses for GQ (NSFW)
Blue is the Warmest Color has been one of the most talked about foreign films since its premiere at Cannes earlier this year. The hype is real, as illustrated by my review of the film from this year's Chicago International Film Festival. Outside of the film's sexual nature, Blue is the Warmest Color is highlighted by amazing performances from the two leads, Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos. It's Exarchopoulos whose point of view we follow in the film, and it's her magnificent portrayal of Adele that will have audiences feeling for her (as they dream about feeling her).
Riding the wave of buzz, Exarchopoulos met up with GQ to do a mini-interview and photo shoot. Like all other GQ shoots, the video and photos are a bit racy and may not be safe for work. What they are safe for, however, are thousands of new-found crushes and a growing attraction to French actresses. You'll be able to catch Blue is the Warmest Color in a very limited amount of theaters this Friday. For now, the video and photos below should whet your appetite.
[via GQ]
[CIFF Capsule Review] Blue is the Warmest Color
[Ruby Hornet will be attending the 49th Chicago International Film Festival from 10/10 - 10/24. Be sure to follow along as we bring you coverage from the longest-running competitive international film festival in the country. You can find all of our coverage from this year's CIFF here.]
Blue is the Warmest Color (La vie d'Adèle chapitres 1 & 2)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
Country: France
CIFF Screening: October 12, 2013 (6:30pm)
Release Date: October 25th, 2013 (limited)
[youtube id="7PcgYoBUtlo"]
A lot has been said about Blue is the Warmest Color, and more will continue to be said as more people watch the film primarily known for its lesbian sex scenes. However, the sex scenes, explicit as they are, run the risk of overshadowing such a beautiful film about first love and identity/self-discovery. It's a French film through and through in the way the film has an air of warmth and passion that films from other countries can't necessarily pull off in the same way.
Unfortunately, what makes Blue is the Warmest Color so great is sometimes taken away from the aforementioned sex scenes between stars Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. My problem with sex scenes in any form of media/entertainment is how necessary they are. Do they build upon the film's narrative? Do they actually bring more to a character's arc/personality? Are they shot in good taste? Simply put, the sex scenes in Blue is the Warmest Color are so artificial that the passion they're intended to invoke are laughed away as male voyeurism.You can tell why controversy came up over the actresses' discomfort with the sex scenes and director Abdellatif Kechice's obsession over them. Out of the handful of sex scenes in the film, only maybe two or three of them are actually justified. These scenes were supposed to represent the fulfillment of young love, comfortability in one's self and in another person, and the physical embodiment of love. Instead, they're pornographic and uncomfortable for both audience and actress.
I really hope the sex scenes don't overshadow the otherwise remarkable, amazing film framing them in the minds of general film audiences. Blue is the Warmest Color is lighthearted and contemplative, enlightening and heartbreaking, entertaining and frustrating; the very definition of French film pondering of Self. Overall, Blue is the Warmest Color has been my favorite film of CIFF thus far. There's a reason why it won the Palm d'Or at Cannes; it's just a matter of general audiences' ability to see the film for what it truly is: a magnificent love story that will hopefully be remembered for its remarkable performances from Seydoux and Exarchopoulos and not the handful of sex scenes.
Score: 
8 out of 10
Blue is the Warmest Color had actress Lea Seydoux "feeling like a prostitute"
Blue is the Warmest Color was my most anticipated film screening at the 49th Chicago International Film Festival. I attended a pre-festival press screening for the French film last week ago, and it met my expectations... but also let me down in a number of ways (the review will be up this weekend). Controversy has swirled around the film's graphic, sometimes exploitative sex scenes between the two leads, Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos, and their frosty relationship with director Abdellatif Kechiche. In spite of the controversy, the film was also awarded the Palme d'or, Cannes Film Festival's highest award, as well as becoming the only film in Cannes history to award the Palme d'Or to both the director and lead actors.
In a talk with The Independent, Seydoux elaborated on her feelings over the aforementioned sex scenes and how they had her "feeling like a prostitute":
“Of course it was kind of humiliating sometimes, I was feeling like a prostitute. Of course, he uses that sometimes. He was using three cameras, and when you have to fake your orgasm for six hours...," the actress said. "I can't say that it was nothing. But for me it is more difficult to show my feelings than my body.”
In response, Kehiche justified the multiple cameras and rumored dozens of takes:
"Concerning the love scenes, I didn't ask for anything other than the expression of a form of passion. I felt like showing this carnal and passionate love, entirely guided by desire. [...] For me, the scenes as they are in the film don't go far enough. It's true that we did start them over often, but for very evident reason. I couldn't ask Adele and Lea to make desire last, they had to want to do the scene."
Blue is the Warmest Color will generate a lot of buzz upon its release. If you have the time, I strongly urge you to catch its only Chicago International Film Festival screening this Saturday, October 12tmh at 6:30pm. If you can't swing it, the film will receive a very limited theatrical release on October 25th..
[The Independent, via The Playlist]
[Trailer] Blue is the Warmest Color (La vie d'Adele - Chapitres 1 & 2)
http://youtu.be/Y2OLRrocn3s
The first trailer for Blue is the Warmest Color has recently released. Known in its native France as La vie d'Adele - Chapitres 1 & 2, the film garnered critical acclaim upon its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, being awarded the Palme d'Or (Cannes' Best Film award), as well as a special commemorative Palme for the two leads, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. However, the film is not without its own controversies as it depicts long and graphic sex scenes. The MPAA has rated the film NC-17, which isn't as much of a death knell as it used to be, the rating still carries a bit of weight with it as the film can't be marketed or played in mainstream theaters. Then again, what mainstream theater would screen a French film about two women falling in love, anyways?
Blue is the Warmest Color is an adaptation of the 2010 French graphic novel, Blue Angel (Le bleu est une couleur chaude), about a young 15 year-old girl, Adele (Exarchopoulos) falling in love with Emma (Seydoux), a blue-haired art student at a local college. Together, they discover love and themselves within each other's presence.
The trailer is completely in French, but gives a taste of the film's tone. While it will be released in very select theaters on October 25th, it'll be premiering at this year's Chicago International Film Festival, which will take place October 10th - October 24th.