I have my Amul cheese with Thums Up!
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is in India these days and thus took the opportunity to bestow one of its biggest stars with his France’s highest civilian honor. Continue reading
UPDATE: French media has been citing this article left and right, which led to Lorie Pester’s talent agency ECI to tweet one of the articles. If that’s not a confirmation I don’t know what is…just remember, you heard it here first!
French singer/actress Lorie Pester has been cast opposite Jackie Chan in the action extravaganza Dragon Blade, currently shooting under the direction of Daniel Lee (Black Mask, 14 Blades,…), we can exclusively report.
The historical epic, which also stars American actors John Cusack (Being John Malkovich) and Adrien Brody (The Pianist), is set to be China’s most expensive production to date with a budget of $65 million. It tells the story of a Roman general (Cusack) who disappears into Han Dynasty China with his 1,000 man legion and is hunted down by Tiberius (Brody), another Roman general. Chan plays a Chinese commander who teams up with Cusack.
Pester spent most of last week shooting scenes for the film in the Gobi desert. It is unclear at this point what role she is playing, but it is safe to say her character is connected to Cusack’s in some way as the two seem to have become fast friends based on their flurry of tweets.
Nevertheless this casting is sure to mark a turning point in the career of the young woman, who has been written off by many in her home country but may end up being an action star to watch. Continue reading
Un Garçon (translation A Boy) is the latest single from Lorie, one of France’s most popular pop singers who recently signed to guest star in an episode of the long-running American TV show The Young And The Restless.
The song is about a girl finding out that the man she’s with is actually gay and is hurt that he didn’t tell her himself. The chorus goes something like this: “I was hoping you’d confide in me, I don’t want your silence anymore, would I lose my mind, just because you love a boy?”.
Of course popular does not equate well-liked as Lorie is easily one of the most hated and ridiculed French celebrities, just like many female American pop stars, with many believing she’s simply a pathetic opportunist who badly apes whatever is in fashion at the moment, jumping from sugary pop to rock-influenced pop to R&B to electropop quicker than you can say “huh?”. She hasn’t helped herself by recently stating she’d gladly stop making music if she was offered a good screen role.
As for this latest music video, a lot of criticizers have felt that Lorie is shamelessly plagiarizing Rihanna and Pink. Whether that’s true or not I find it mildly enjoyable but definitely not her best work. What do you think of it? You can find a full approximate translation of the song after the jump. Continue reading
Since his first novel’s release in 1994, ex-reporter Jean-Christophe Grangé has taken the position of France’s top thriller writer. His novels always feature tortured characters, graphic depictions of violence and an intrigue bordering on the supernatural. His success has naturally been translated several times in film, with The Stone Council (original title Le Concile De Pierre), his third novel and most supernatural-minded work, being his third book adapted for the silver screen after The Crimson Rivers and Empire Of Wolves.
The Stone Council follows Laura Siprien, an interpreter in French and Russian who goes to Mongolia and adopts a little baby boy, Liu-San. Everything’s fine until a few days before the child’s seventh birthday, when strange events start to happen. Laura and her son seem to share the same nightmares night after night, a strange unexplainable mark appears on Liu-San’s chest and Liu-San starts to chant in an old dialect he’s never learned while sleeping. While attempting to learn more about what’s going on, Laura falls victim to countless hallucinations and is followed by a string of brutal murders.
Directed by Guillaume Nicloux (the A Private Affair/Hanging Offense aka That Woman/The Key trilogy), the adaptation was co-penned by Nicloux and Stéphane Cabel (Brotherhood of The Wolf). It stars Monica Bellucci (Shoot ‘Em Up), Catherine Deneuve (Dancer In The Dark), Moritz Bleibtreu (Speed Racer) and Sami Bouajila (The Siege) among others. Subtitled trailer and review after the jump. Continue reading
The Movie Planet 