Reviews
Un divan à New York (1996)
A classic 50's romantic comedy updated for the 90's
A Couch in New York is a French/American/Belgium co-production with the innocence and humour of the romantic comedies of the 50's. Juliet Binoche shows the charm of a modern day Audrey Hepburn (with the same beautiful vulnerability portrayed by Hepburn in Funny Face and Breakfast at Tiffany's) while William Hurt plays the strong man role that used to be reserved for the likes of Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire or Gregory Peck. Using old tricks of mistaken identity and falling in love with a stranger, the dialogue is somehow saved from sounding corny and instead pays homage to the classic romantic comedies. A two tissue movie.
Buffalo '66 (1998)
Not a traditional love story, but much closer to real life than most films that come out of America
I have never seen any of the previous work of the writer come director/star and let's even throw in composer, Vincent Gallo. And as a general rule if the same name has four or more credits I do not bother watching assuming it too self-indulgent. However, I watched "Buffalo '66" not knowing the credits and was surprised at the end that this film was driven by one person, Vincent Gallo. The film captured the real America that many discover on a road trip - the America of Dennys, cheap hotels, giant takeaway coffee cups and broken families. The central character of Billy (Vincent Gallo) is not a traditional romantic lead, but he is closer to what most American men are than what Tom Cruise is. The film has that rare honesty, similar to that of "Waiting for Godot", so that the viewer leaves understanding what the film is about.