Artivels Undescribable Perfection

Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Bob Taylor For forty years now, Andre Techine has made films that have delighted me (Les roseaux sauvages, Les voleurs) or annoyed me (Le lieu du crime, Rendez-vous). He seems to be on safe ground when he deals with homosexuality, the need for family ties, and beautiful surroundings (here he can film Venice in all its splendour). He flounders when dealing with straight relationships: what is going on between Dussolier and Bouquet, anyway?-- they seem to be in different films.Carole Bouquet is so splendid to look at that I can forgive almost any deficiency in the script in order to drink in that lovely face. Adriana Asti (Gina in Before the Revolution, the film that moved me more than any other) has the best line: "You turn everybody on but nobody turns you on!" It's so true, you admit ruefully. Melanie Thierry has a small part as Dussolier's daughter and leaves a good impression.

ajlane04 Oh goody: more neurotic people to watch ruin their lives and those around them. I love foreign films as they depict other views but this one left a lot to be desired.The adorable dog being slammed against a wall to kill it was especially brutal. I'm sure the male who wrote this into the script is a brutal, evil person. Isn't there enough violence around us? Do we really have to call it entertainment? The scenes of boating and Italy's waterfronts were interesting. The soft light in some of the scenes seemed kissed by the sun. But be forewarned: your time would be better spent taking a two hour nap.

jm10701 I rented this movie because I have loved every movie by André Téchiné I've ever seen, and I've seen most of them. After I had received the DVD in the mail but right before I watched it (Thank God!) I read several online reviews warning that it contains an appalling depiction of cruelty to an animal - a dog, evidently. I wish I had seen those reviews before I put this movie in my DVD queue; I'm just very grateful that I read them before watching it.ALL animal cruelty depicted in a movie is gratuitous and inexcusable, by the way, and it doesn't matter AT ALL whether the abuse is real or simulated. Whether the animal hurt was alive or a very well-crafted prop doesn't matter to me as a viewer, although those who do hurt real animals for entertainment - and movies are entertainment - deserve to have the same things done to them (and, thank God, again, that's exactly what will happen eventually).Shame on André Téchiné! What he did here is what's Unforgivable. He is one of the greatest modern movie directors, but after this he's off my list forever. Although I just got the DVD, and it's sitting in the player right now, I'll send it back to the rental company unwatched. By an act of superhuman will I am not going to crack the DVD first, but I sure would like to.I have never before written a review of a movie I didn't see or a product I didn't use. I ordinarily disapprove strongly of reviewers who do such things, but this is not an ordinary situation. My personal experience with the movie is less important than spreading the word of the abuse it contains in any way I can.I sincerely thank those earlier reviewers who published the warning, and I now pass it on to the next generation of movie-lovers who are considering this movie and care about animals. If those earlier reviewers were lying, if they have induced me to disparage this movie unfairly, I regret that, but it's a risk I'm willing to take for the sake of the animals and others who genuinely (and not just glibly to make themselves sound good) love animals.To those of you who despise people like me, I say: I couldn't care less what you think. I didn't write this review for you.

Larry Silverstein This French drama was directed and co-written by one of the stalwarts of the French film industry Andre Techine. It has an all-star cast which includes the veteran award winning actor Andre Dussollier and the very talented Carole Bouquet.At the outset, Dussollier portraying Francis a famous crime novelist, has come to Venice to rest and hopefully write his next book. He meets Bouquet, the real estate agent showing him possible living accommodations, and they seem to hit it off. This takes place amidst the spectacular cinematography of the outlying waterways of Venice, where both ocean liners and small boats co-exist.He says he will rent the very expensive home she's showing him if she will move in with him. After thinking about it and consulting with a friend, and former lover of hers (portrayed by Adriana Asti), she accepts.However, we quickly learn this idyllic setting in the early parts of the film will not last long. As various characters come in and out of the movie, I found almost all of them to be very unlikeable and some of their actions to be actually despicable.For example, when Dussollier's daughter (portrayed by Melanie Thierry) comes to visit him and Bouquet, who are now married, she ends up completely disappearing and abandoning her young daughter and husband. When Dussollier hires Asti, a former Private Investigator, to find her Asti discovers she has run off with a drug dealer. Later, Thierry ends up sending her father a porno tape of her and the drug dealer just to infuriate him, as apparently they've had a long history of conflicts.This is just one example of many. The acting and the dialogue are strong and as mentioned the cinematography is wonderful, but I found by the end of the movie I really didn't care what happened to any of these people.Also, a note of caution: There is a scene in the film where a dog is suddenly murdered and I found this to be brutal to have witnessed.In summary, this French drama left me as cold and unfeeling as the people in it.