26 PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY January 16 - 31 , 2018
By Alan Samuel
Success can be a mixed bag . An upstart French family with millions learn the hard way that money can ’ t buy happiness in Happy End . How many times has that scenario played out in the real world . So , let ’ s go abroad to see how the French do it in this classy Foreign melodrama from Mongrel Media now on view at the International Village or the Fifth Avenue Cinemas .
Every family has problems - no matter how large the bank accounts . Mix in big industry , an industrial accident and a screwed -up / doped -up heir apparent and you just know the Laurent family are in for some turbulent times - and that ’ s putting it mildly . And family succession is also front and centre as an aging Jean-Louis Trintignant so flawlessly portrays . It ’ s good to see some superb French actors still being able to display their talents as does Isabelle Huppert as a daughter trying to keep her son and others in line and out if trouble . Hard indeed .
Trappings of success and excess among the moneyed gentry get great Robin Leech coverage here . So , if you enjoy peeking into the world of the rich and famous that most of us dream about while never entering in our own then Happy End may do the trick . It ’ s not that memorable or meaningful a movie but it does offer good quality performances and tactfully looks at aging and dementia along with the problems of passing on power and privilege to those who may not be ready now or ever to continue that lineage / tradition - and how many times have we seen that play out in the real world ?
Happy End ( PG ) *** Mixed Blessings !
In The Fade ( PG ) **** Huntress !
Political grudges can be hard to control . That urge to exact revenge for the cornerstone for In The Fade . Consider this terrorist laced thriller to be one of the best . See a gutsy lady go all out to settle a score in This momentous Mongrel Media release now I stilling hope ( or hate ) at The International Village Cinemas
Quality films get aired at film festivals and In The Fade is no exception . Actress Diane Kruger is In The zone as a loving mother and wife with a young son living the good life in Berlin . All is well until one day an attack takes her loved one . Who is to blame for the carnage is the question of the day . Past indiscretions of the husband come to light and not before long his heritage comes into question .
Head on hostility and prejudices boil to the surface as the victim ’ s Muslim heritage and dubious past come into play . Throw into e mix some Nazi nut jobs and a trumped up trial the talk of the town and you can sense the pressure boiling . Lost without a family the grieving matriarch decides it ’ s up to her to seek justice . Three guesses as to how she decides to right those perceived wrongs .
Smart , sophisticated and rather timely In The Fade raises lots of important questions and is quite fitting doe the times . Just like Rambo and Dirty Harry made heir marks among the public during trying times so will Diane Kruger ’ s impressionable rendition of a woman caught in a system seemingly out of sync and her own way of making things right .
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QUIZANOVA
Test No . 1 : Entertainment
1 . According to Box Office Mojo , who ’ s the highestgrossing Hollywood actress of all time ? a . Julia Roberts b . Scarlett Johansson
2 . Don McLean wrote “ American Pie ” because that ’ s the name of the plane which crashed and killed music legends Buddy Holly , Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper in 1959 . a . True b . False
3 . Who ’ s the only fictional character in Time magazine ’ s list of The 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century published in 1998 ? a . Bart Simpson b . Sherlock Holmes c . Superman d . Mickey Mouse
4 . The first leg of the inaugural season of the reality TV series The Amazing Race in 2001 was from New York City to what continent ? a . Europe b . Asia c . South America d . Africa
5 . Until the end of the 20th century , what opera was banned in China because the government felt it portrayed the country unfavorably ? a . The Mikado b . Turandot c . The Magic Flute d . Madame Butterfly 6 . Name the illusionist who made the Statue of Liberty disappear and reappear in 1983 .
7 . In a 2011 parody of so-called “ videoke rage ” killings , the Japanese rock band Kishidan covered what popular English song in a music video where its frontman was shot several times while singing the future ?
8 . What English actor ’ s acclaimed performance-capture film roles include Gollum , King Kong and Supreme Leader Snoke ? 9 . What “ insomniac ” film from the 1990s has the tagline : “ What if someone you never met , someone you never saw , someone you never knew was the only someone for you ?” 10 . What are the first names of the star-crossed lovers in Miss Saigon , originally played by Lea Salonga and Simon Bowman ?
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