Thursday, May 17, 2012

Goodbye First Love


Another meandering, talky and pretentious film (France) about a young woman's first love affair.  I rarely like French films for these very reasons.  At one point in this film, the two lovers go to the cinema;  she loves it, but he says it was talky and complacent.  Oh, the irony.
There's a bit of tasteful nudity and idyllic French countryside.  
Headhunters          (3 subjective stars)


Taken from the crime novel of the same name by Norwegian Jo Nesbo,  Headhunters is a slickly paced thriller about a high-living corporate headhunter with short-man complex.  To make up for his lack of  stature,  he feels he must shower his supermodel wife with constant luxury.  Maintaining this lifestyle requires a second job as a thief.


Nesbo's books excel both in plotting and pacing and the screenwriters have done an excellent job of carrying this over to the film.  It's beautifully shot and well-acted.   There is some violence.   My only quibble is the ending, which doesn't do justice to the whole.  It's meant to be heartwarming, but it doesn't mesh with the black comedy tone of most of the film.