Samuel Beckett

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.（やることなすこと、うまくいかなかったとしても、気にすることはない。 またやって、また失敗すればいい。前より上手に失敗すればいい。）----Samuel Beckett

COCO CHANEL ココ・シャネル

Even though this film is a melodrama, it's so well made that we can't but fall for Coco's challenges. We can't imagine how often she was verging on bankruptcy, and how she came out of it with a mixture of audacity, being at the right places, and bedding rich gentlemen. Barbora Bobulova（バルボラ・ボブローヴァ）is stunning as young Cocó. Probably more likable than Audrieu Tatou（オドレイ・トトゥ）. Both are fine, probably "Cocó avant Chanel" emphasizes the sad and grim aspects more while this version indulges into more romance and show us something absent from the feature film. Also in this version we see the origin of the famous perfume N 5 and her famous little black dress. Coco Chanel changed the way women dressed and also introduced a new philosophy of fashion -- women should dress for themselves and not their men, and true fashion comes from the streets. She was a powerful woman from a humble background in a class-conscious society and depended upon alliances with the wealthy to get her where she needed to go. The movie does a very good job and could not have picked anyone better to play the icon than Shirley MacLaine（シャーリー・マクレーン）, who does a fantastic job.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=333635

Finding Forrester 小説家を見つけたら

Directed by Gus Van Sant（ガス・ヴァン・サント）, who also directed "Good Will Hunting（グッド・ウィル・ハンティング）" ,these two film have essentially a lot in common. An underprivileged young kid is discovered by a genius and is shepherded to his full potential. Just "Good Will Hunting" was to math, this film is to literature. Regardless of the familiar plot, "Finding Forrester" succeeds because of an excellent screenplay and outstanding acting performances by Sean Connery（ショーン・コネリー）, Rob Brown（ロブ・ブラウン） and F. Murray Abraham（Ｆ・マーレイ・エイブラハム）. This story is uplifting for both of them. Forrester (Sean Connery) helps Jamal (Rob Wallace) realize his potential as a writer, and Jamal helps Forrester heal his emotional traumas to free him as a human being.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=162852

Eat Pray Love 食べて、祈って、恋して

I guess most people are seeing this film for Julia Roberts（ジュリア・ロバーツ）and we know Julia Roberts well enough to tell that she would not associate herself with a bad film. She looked stunning, and her own character shone through. The photography was brilliant, the atmospheres of Italy, India and Bali were all brought to life. Anyone who has been unhappy in a marriage and has wished they had the courage to leave it knowing it's the right thing for both parties, will appreciate this film. In that case, there was a satisfyingly good ending, not always so in real life. It will encourage you to be braver and believe that you can find love again, and if not, at least you will know you do not need your own man or woman to find happiness.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=336557

The Visitor 扉をたたく人

Another Thomas McCarthy（トム・マッカーシー）'s gem after his charming "The Station Agent", which hasn't released on DVD in Japan yet, unfortunately. It depicts Walter Vale played by Richard Jenkins（リチャード・ジェンキンス）. A solemn economics teacher, who spends his time pretending to write on his book and learn piano. Walter finds himself in New York on business and runs into two illegal immigrants. Then the story begins. It shows us that all of us can change our lives and those changes are all around us and are indeed welcome.

For farther information, please visit the website.
http://www.allcinema.net/prog/show_c.php?num_c=333640