It’s 11:22pm on Thursday, and I realize I forgot to finish this piece to publish it… So here we go ! I’m finishing it, because tomorrow I’m leaving for another festival I’m shooting at and unless I wake up at 6, there won’t be another minute to finish this post!
I spent so much time with friends this month that I didn’t consume much… Here are the winners that squeezed in between social moments !
Movies :
Started the month strong with only movies I found really bad though I was quite optimistic when entering the screening room…
Hot Milk by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (2025) : A first huge disappointment as I love Emma McKey and Vicky Krieps. I went in there excited and half way through I was asking myself what I was doing there and couldn’t wait for it to finish. I’m a sucker for beautiful aesthetic and can bare with a rather lose storyline if the colorgrading is cool (The Las Show girl is proof) but it wasn’t enough here. The story was going everywhere with characters who were all too much. Can we get Emma McKey out of that role of the girl who pretend to not care but actually does and smokes cigarets in a Effy in Skins way although she’s not that trashy ?
Sorry Hot Milk, I wrote these notes feeling very much alive after the screening and I can feel the difference compared to my last month post.
The Phoenician Scheme by Wes Anderson, (2025) : I used to love Wes Anderson, I swear one of my favourite movies is by him (Moonrise Kingdom), but honestly, anything after Grand Budapest Hotel I can’t. I keep giving him a shot, every movie that comes out I go see it, but it’s getting worse and worse. It’s too absurd, nothing feels real, the dialog seem so fake, all the characters are now seen and reseen, it always uses the same structures to a point that it feels like he is doing his own caricature sometimes. Even the camera moves don’t feel natural anymore. What felt like his personal style seems out of control. I can’t, it was a nightmare to watch. Even the subtitles were unbearable, so small when the dialogs go so fast with a rhythm and structure of speech that is hard to follow. And now that I saw the exhibition that collected many accessories from the set this is the only I can see : accessories everywhere, that don’t feel genuine anymore.
Then I got luckier and saw a good one :
That Summer in Paris by Valentine Cadic (2025) : I’m not going to be very objective for this one as I know Valentine, and her short movie Les Grandes Vacances made me like short movies again, in the way it was written, shot, played, … I came with both no expectations and a feeling of wanting to like the movie. I really liked it ! Her actress is very special and I hope I get to see her in other movies than Valentine’s ones. She brings an attitude that makes it hard to know if she is playing her part or simply being herself in front of the camera with lines to say. I appreciated the colorgrading, which is not french movies strength usually. It was light and made me smile. I recommend it !
I also rewatched one of my favourite movies.
Beginners by Mike Mills (2011): The moment was so comfy : a warm summer evening, in the dark on the sofa, window open to the street noises, people chatting at the bar downstairs, and me looking at Beginners another time, but rediscovering it at the same time (I hadn’t watched it in a while). I love the editing of this movie, I find it so inspiring. I have never seen this anywhere else. I love the characters, the story, the little details. Watch it and let me know if you liked it!
Completely different : I watched “documentaries” on Netflix. First Titans, about a billionaire who created his own submarine and it didn’t go really well, and watch several episodes of Trainwreck : the American Apparel one (I was obsessed with this brand, let me tell you I was excited to know what happened to it), the one about the Toronto Mayor, and the cruise that turned into a nightmare.
These are not very intellectual, but they are definitely funny to watch ! We all need a moment to relax and look at the crazy things the world has to offer.
Books :
I didn’t finish the only book I started this month. I struggle finishing it. It’s not tough, it’s poorly translated and I lose interest very quickly. But I’ll finish it and give my opinion next month ! However I always talk about the novels I read here, but I can also include photo books ! There are no rules but my owns.
Another Patch of Sky by Brian Chorski : This one is a beauty. It goes into my favourite photo books. The colors, the themes, the atmosphere, the design. Literally, I wish this book was my creation, and if I create one someday, I hope it can look as beautiful.
The Virgin Suicides by Sofia Coppola : a photo book gathering Corinne Day’s photographs on the set of the movie. This one is a little special : everything is shot on film, so naturally I love the look of the images. And it’s shot on a movie set. Not any movie set, Sofia Coppola’s, so it looks so dreamy. I bought it almost as a manifestation of what I hope I can shoot someday. Every image I wish I had been there to shoot it. Seeing these made me wish even more I can step foot on an inspiring movie set, sooner rather than later.
Artists :
While shooting at We Love Green I discovered a new artist that I really liked so I thought I’d share it with you.
Zamdane : so I shot at this festival and felt like a boomer not knowing half the line up, but the good thing is I also discovered new artists ! I discovered Zamdane live, a french rapper, very love oriented. I’m bad at identifying musical categories so I’ll use my own vocabulary : it was vanilla-rap, a delight to listen to and especially live seeing all the fans singing all the lyrics eyes closed.
And I think we are done with what I had to share… Apologies, I’ve done better before…
However, instead of reading books, I tried new restaurants this months. Is it a section I should add in these posts ??? Or should I create a Paris guide ? The coffee shops, where to eat, bookshops, galeries, … ?