Twilight Breaking Dawn Part Two

All good things come to and end, eventually. So it's goodbye to bad acting, terrible wigs, too much white make-up, implausibly glittery vampires, new borns without voracious hunger (how does that work?), werewolves who somehow manage to transition back into human form already dressed in cut off denims (really, how does that work?), Taylor Lautner's six pack (pity), the house in the woods (want), the woods and the whole Cullen shebang.

As you can tell I have sometimes had trouble suspending my disbelief, but it was a sad day yesterday when the Twilight saga drew to a close. It's been an entertaining few years and there aren't that many films you can go to with your teenagers, or rather that your teenagers will let you tag along to. I will miss the silly, flawed plots and soppy teenage luv, but the value of several hours of escape from the serious world should not be underestimated, nor the power of the fabulous North West scenery. Adieu.

http://www.breakingdawn-themovie.com/

Frankenweenie, Tim Burton

Opened yesterday in Paris, the latest animation from Tim Burton is a triumph: part-pastiche, mostly lovable if the gothic is your thing. And it is mine.

Inspired by a strangely Vincent Price looking science teacher, Vincent revivifies his dog Sparky. Unfortunately his less well-intentioned class-mates try to imitate him with disastrous results (giant rampaging tortoise/godzilla, weird cat/bat creature and so on).

Set in the same kind of anonymous black and white American suburbia as Edward Scizzorhands, this was the perfect Hallowe'en treat as we are in a city where the night of tricks is not really celebrated.

Five stars all round. Excellent. Go see, no need to take a child.

Cinema en plein air, Parc de la Villette

The season for sitting in a park at night watching a movie on a giant inflatable screen is upon us. I made it to the Parc de la Villette this week, as finally the weather is being kind, to see Looking for Eric, which is a bitter sweet offering from Ken Loach that I seemed to have missed when it came out in 2009.

It was odd though listening to the French reaction to a film in which the English worship of Eric Cantona plays a central role. Great company and it is only a pity it goes on late for a school night.

You can see the rest of the programme here:http://www.villette.com/fr/agenda/Cinema-en-plein-air-2012.htm

Go early and picnic, but if you take chairs, be courteous and sit towards the back. It's free by the way.

On the Road

The first film I have actually managed to go and see in France - and a mass Spoken Word outing.  It was much anticipated and had me engaged in all kinds of pre-reading - namely both the scroll and the published version of the novel in the last few weeks. Beat that!

Enjoyable, but less about the journeys, more about the partying and the vast American landscape was zipped through in seconds. I would have liked to have seen more of it and heard more from the novel in the narration, especially the wonderful descriptive passages about America. I don't understand why the script was based on the scroll, but names were from the novel. What drove this choice? We all know who's who, why not just call them by their real names? It's an almost impossible task to make a film from this book, so, fair effort and well worth going to see. Some of the French press I've read hate it, but ignore that and make up your own mind.

If you want more you can visit the scroll itself at the Museum of Books and Manuscripts where it will reside until 19 August. For details go here: http://www.museedeslettres.fr/public/

Dark Shadows

A disappointing outing from Tim Burton this one, I'm afraid. Yes the costumes are stylish and there are a few lines of genuinely clever dialogue, but on the whole the Seventies nostalgia/hommage suffers terminally from its weak to totally predictable plot. Johnny Depp can't rescue it, neither can the rest of the stellar cast. Pity, we were so looking forward to it. There is one saving grace in the from of Alice Cooper, who's not looking bad at all. Go if you were a teenager in the 70s and enjoy the music all over again, otherwise wait for Frankenweenie in a few weeks' time.

Tim Burton at Le Cinematheque

For all fans of his movies, this is THE exhibition to see this year. In Paris at Le Cinematheque until 5 August you will find acres of artwork, poems, shorts, marquettes, movie costumes, props and sculptures, some made specially for the show. We loved the ultra-violet sculptures and the short films featuring Stain Boy.

No need to find a child to take, this is one for old and young alike. All you need is a sense of the macabre and a penchant for Vincent Price. Enjoy, we did, hugely. Opens at 12pm, but buy tickets in advance as the billetterie staff are slow to the point of...

Details here: http://www.cinematheque.fr/

Harry Potter 7

At the risk of being childish - ooo it's good - dark, scary and well worth the noisy cinema, although there was rather too much wandering in the wilderness doing an ad for the Forest of Dean tourist office. That aside it had everything you could want from an HP movie. Pity we have to wait so long for the final instalment. I want to see it today...