Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Serial arthouse kook Michel Gondry makes a rare foray into the world of documentary filmmaking. But he has not done so for just any subject, in fact the only stories that have so far been capable of shifting the imaginative Frenchman from his fantastical world of fiction sit incredibly close to his life. In this instance, it is the story of his Aunt, Suzette Gondry, and her son/his cousin Jean-Yves.
Beginning with a dinner at which the extended family are held rapt by an amusing anecdote from the irrepressible matriarch, The Thorn In the Heart sets up a narrative built around Suzette’s own storytelling capabilities.
As the film meanders through the recesses of her memory, she describes events from her past, takes us to places of personal significance, including the schools in which she taught and the villages in which she worked, all the...
Serial arthouse kook Michel Gondry makes a rare foray into the world of documentary filmmaking. But he has not done so for just any subject, in fact the only stories that have so far been capable of shifting the imaginative Frenchman from his fantastical world of fiction sit incredibly close to his life. In this instance, it is the story of his Aunt, Suzette Gondry, and her son/his cousin Jean-Yves.
Beginning with a dinner at which the extended family are held rapt by an amusing anecdote from the irrepressible matriarch, The Thorn In the Heart sets up a narrative built around Suzette’s own storytelling capabilities.
As the film meanders through the recesses of her memory, she describes events from her past, takes us to places of personal significance, including the schools in which she taught and the villages in which she worked, all the...
- 12/9/2010
- by Michael Edwards
- Obsessed with Film
HeyUGuys brings you the latest in World Cinema film trailers in association with Film Dates UK.
We’ll be showcasing some of most anticipated foreign releases as well as highlighting a few hidden gems which may have fallen off your radar. It’s no surprise that Hollywood has turned to World Cinema for inspiration in recent years with the number of remakes getting more and more popular.
Whilst it remains to be seen how many of these remakes go on to succeed or stay true to their original story counterparts, we decided it was high-time we turned the spotlight onto the next wave of foreign films to grace our screens.
For those who’ve yet to embark on their journey into the foreign movie world, here’s a beautiful and carefully crafted video tribute to the vibrant world of foreign cinema.
A Serbian Film (Srpski Film) UK Cinema Release Date:...
We’ll be showcasing some of most anticipated foreign releases as well as highlighting a few hidden gems which may have fallen off your radar. It’s no surprise that Hollywood has turned to World Cinema for inspiration in recent years with the number of remakes getting more and more popular.
Whilst it remains to be seen how many of these remakes go on to succeed or stay true to their original story counterparts, we decided it was high-time we turned the spotlight onto the next wave of foreign films to grace our screens.
For those who’ve yet to embark on their journey into the foreign movie world, here’s a beautiful and carefully crafted video tribute to the vibrant world of foreign cinema.
A Serbian Film (Srpski Film) UK Cinema Release Date:...
- 12/7/2010
- by Andy Petrou
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
New movies for the weekend of May 28-31
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
The Thorn in the Heart
Sex and the City 2
Survival of the Dead
Below are the quick recaps, or click on the links for full Scorecard Reviews.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Directed by: Mike Newell
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
Running Time: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 28, 2010
Overall
There’s just know “wow” factor with this movie. There’s a “cool” factor but it’s only few and far between. With that said, it’s still one of the best video game adaptations out there. Gyllenhaal and his stunt double do some pretty good parkour on the building tops. Unfortunately, the story is a little too muddled and confusing. There is also nothing between Dastan and Tamina except good looks. The movie starts with Dastan...
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
The Thorn in the Heart
Sex and the City 2
Survival of the Dead
Below are the quick recaps, or click on the links for full Scorecard Reviews.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Directed by: Mike Newell
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
Running Time: 1 hr 43 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: May 28, 2010
Overall
There’s just know “wow” factor with this movie. There’s a “cool” factor but it’s only few and far between. With that said, it’s still one of the best video game adaptations out there. Gyllenhaal and his stunt double do some pretty good parkour on the building tops. Unfortunately, the story is a little too muddled and confusing. There is also nothing between Dastan and Tamina except good looks. The movie starts with Dastan...
- 5/30/2010
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
The Thorn in the Heart (L’épine dans le coeur)
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Cast: Suzette Gondry, Jean-Yves Gondry, Michel Gondry
Running Time: 1 hr 25 mins
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: May 28, 2010
Plot: Gondry makes a very personal film about his Aunt Suzette and cousin, Jean-Yves. Though ostensibly about her years as a teacher in small schools in the French countryside, the relationship between mother and son steals the focus of the film.
Who’S It For? Fans of Michel Gondry who would like to know more about him and where he gets his unique world view.
Expectations: I love Gondry’s films and music videos, he has such a unique style, but I wasn’t sure how that would transfer to a documentary.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Suzette Gondry as herself: Michel’s aunt is a lovely woman who seems very personable and fun. She doesn’t seem like the focus of a documentary though.
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Cast: Suzette Gondry, Jean-Yves Gondry, Michel Gondry
Running Time: 1 hr 25 mins
Rating: Unrated
Release Date: May 28, 2010
Plot: Gondry makes a very personal film about his Aunt Suzette and cousin, Jean-Yves. Though ostensibly about her years as a teacher in small schools in the French countryside, the relationship between mother and son steals the focus of the film.
Who’S It For? Fans of Michel Gondry who would like to know more about him and where he gets his unique world view.
Expectations: I love Gondry’s films and music videos, he has such a unique style, but I wasn’t sure how that would transfer to a documentary.
Scorecard (0-10)
Actors:
Suzette Gondry as herself: Michel’s aunt is a lovely woman who seems very personable and fun. She doesn’t seem like the focus of a documentary though.
- 5/28/2010
- by Megan Lehar
- The Scorecard Review
This week I was delighted to sit down with Michel Gondry, the director who brought us “Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind” and “The Science of Sleep,” and who is currently in post-production on the superhero genre "The Green Hornet", and promoting his documentary "Thorn in the Heart." In this exclusive conversation, I had the opportunity to talk with Gondry about the recent news regarding "The Green Hornet" 3-D conversion. Gondry shares his quest to have the film released in 3-D. He says, “We’ve been trying to get the studio to do it in 3-D since we started. It’s a good sign they really care for this movie.” Gondry started using 3-D back in 1994 when he worked on a music video for The Rolling Stones. His continued excitement about the technology is obvious in this interview.
Click here to watch Gondry discuss 3-D, the influence of music on...
Click here to watch Gondry discuss 3-D, the influence of music on...
- 5/7/2010
- Makingof.com
Best known for his music videos and the improvisational art style carried over into films like The Science of Sleep and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind , director Michel Gondry is making a constant effort never to be pigeonholed into one style or even one medium. In his latest film, The Thorn in the Heart , Michel plays the role of documentarian, exploring the life of his Aunt, Suzette Gondry. Traveling to the south of France and turning his lens on various family members, The Thorn in the Heart blends new footage and interviews with vintage Super 8, trying not to shy away from some delicate family issues regarding Suzette's relationship with her son, Jean-Yves. Currently working on the just-announced plan to convert his upcoming The Green Hornet to 3D, Gondry was...
- 5/5/2010
- Comingsoon.net
By Christopher Stipp
The Archives, Right Here
I was able to sit down for a couple of years and pump out a book. It’s got little to do with movies. Download and read “Thank You, Goodnight” right Here for free.
Check out my new column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp
Michel Gondry - Interview
There is absolutely no question that if I were to make a Top 10 list of films for the decade that just past Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind would, without question, has a place in the top slot. A movie that takes the tired and broken trope of what happens when boy meets girl and it goes horribly awry, the movie makes visual the pain and discordance you feel when despondency is your only emotion. Michel has a way of making emotions feel like...
The Archives, Right Here
I was able to sit down for a couple of years and pump out a book. It’s got little to do with movies. Download and read “Thank You, Goodnight” right Here for free.
Check out my new column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp
Michel Gondry - Interview
There is absolutely no question that if I were to make a Top 10 list of films for the decade that just past Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind would, without question, has a place in the top slot. A movie that takes the tired and broken trope of what happens when boy meets girl and it goes horribly awry, the movie makes visual the pain and discordance you feel when despondency is your only emotion. Michel has a way of making emotions feel like...
- 4/2/2010
- by Christopher Stipp
Quirky French director Michel Gondry largely eschews his usual clever camera tricks and crafty artificiality in the documentary The Thorn In The Heart. The movie features a few Gondry-esque touches—toy trains to illustrate a change of location, a mix of different types of film and video, “behind the scenes” footage immediately prior to an interview, and so on—but for the most part, Gondry keeps the movie simple and on-task. The Thorn In The Heart is intended to document the life of Gondry’s aged aunt Suzette, and that’s exactly what it does. Why Suzette Gondry? From an ...
- 4/1/2010
- avclub.com
Rating: 6.5/10
Director: Michel Gondry
Starring: Suzette Gondry, Jean-Yves Gondry
Upon watching the first scene in Michel Gondry’s family documentary The Thorn In The Heart unfold, I started to get a sinking feeling and sneaking suspicion that this film might wind up being an exercise in tedium– and in French no less. In the scene, the subject of the film, Michel’s Aunt Suzette laughs uncontrollably trying to get through a story she finds hilarious but those watching will most likely find it nonsensical. In fact, even her family who sit around her at the dinner table seem to have trouble getting through it.
Read more on SXSW 2010 Review: The Thorn In The Heart…...
Director: Michel Gondry
Starring: Suzette Gondry, Jean-Yves Gondry
Upon watching the first scene in Michel Gondry’s family documentary The Thorn In The Heart unfold, I started to get a sinking feeling and sneaking suspicion that this film might wind up being an exercise in tedium– and in French no less. In the scene, the subject of the film, Michel’s Aunt Suzette laughs uncontrollably trying to get through a story she finds hilarious but those watching will most likely find it nonsensical. In fact, even her family who sit around her at the dinner table seem to have trouble getting through it.
Read more on SXSW 2010 Review: The Thorn In The Heart…...
- 3/25/2010
- by Drew Tinnin
- GordonandtheWhale
In addition to Seth Rogen's version of The Green Hornet, innovative director Michel Gondry has another film being released, The Thorn In The Heart (L’Epine dans le Coeur), a documentary which further propels his filmography into the realm of the unvisted with a personal look at the life of Gondry family matriarch, his aunt Suzette Gondry, and her relationship with her son, Jean—Yves. Michel examines Suzette’s years as a schoolteacher and her life in rural France. During the course of filming the documentary, new family stories are unearthed and Michel uses his camera to explore them in a subtle and sensitive way. It had its world premiere screening at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival and will be released April 2nd in select theaters.
- 3/24/2010
- by josh@reelartsy.com (Joshua dos Santos)
- Reelartsy
Michel Gondry has made a name for himself with strange, dream-like films such as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep. Even Be Kind Rewind found a blurred area between fantasy and reality, and nobody knows what to expect from The Green Hornet simply because of these traits. Before we see his vision of a masked vigilante later this year, however, Gondry is inviting us to take a close look at his family. Posted by Apple, the film is an intimate look at the matriarch of the Gondry family - his aunt Suzette Gondry - and her life as a schoolteacher and various stories from her past as well as the family's. The film debuted at the Cannes film festival last year and is scheduled for release (albeit no doubt limited) on April 2nd. Check out the trailer below or in HD over at Apple. function...
- 3/23/2010
- cinemablend.com
Less than a week worth of recovering from the Sundance Film Festival, and we are already looking forward to our next, big film fest coverage. That would be the South by Southwest Film Festival held annually in Austin, Texas. Last year, Scott and I brought you all kinds of coverage from the Lone Star State, and this year doesn’t look to be much different.
With that, the announcement came last night of the feature films that will be playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Previous announcement were already made about films like Cold Weather, Electra Luxx, Hubble 3D, Lemmy, Saturday Night, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights making their debut. Kick-ass was recently announced as the opening night film, as well.
Among the other films being presented this year are some Sundance darlings, a few, highly anticipated premieres, and MacGruber.
Check out the full list...
With that, the announcement came last night of the feature films that will be playing at the SXSW Film Festival. Previous announcement were already made about films like Cold Weather, Electra Luxx, Hubble 3D, Lemmy, Saturday Night, and The White Stripes: Under Great White Northern Lights making their debut. Kick-ass was recently announced as the opening night film, as well.
Among the other films being presented this year are some Sundance darlings, a few, highly anticipated premieres, and MacGruber.
Check out the full list...
- 2/4/2010
- by Kirk
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Late yesterday the SXSW Fim Festival, which runs from March 12-20 in Austin, TX, announced the full lineup of films that will be screening at this year’s event. And baby, it’s quite a list. Mixing big name films with intimate indie gems, the sheer number of films and the vast array of talented filmmakers is sure to be a hit with attendees and critics alike.
This lineup includes premieres of studio films such as Universal’s MacGruber, Lionsgate’s teen superhero actioneer Kick-Ass and smaller films like Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs, Michel Gondry’s The Thorn in the Heart and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything Is Going Fine. With so many films to watch, it will be very difficult to find time to seem them all during the events nine days. But hell, we’re going to try.
For more on...
This lineup includes premieres of studio films such as Universal’s MacGruber, Lionsgate’s teen superhero actioneer Kick-Ass and smaller films like Tim Blake Nelson’s Leaves of Grass, Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Micmacs, Michel Gondry’s The Thorn in the Heart and Steven Soderbergh’s And Everything Is Going Fine. With so many films to watch, it will be very difficult to find time to seem them all during the events nine days. But hell, we’re going to try.
For more on...
- 2/4/2010
- by Chris Ullrich
- The Flickcast
The 2010 SXSW Film Festival and Conference has announced its initial slate of titles. The list is rife with hot world premieres (Kick-Ass), films fresh from Sundance (The Runaways, Cyrus), hot titles from the 2009 editions of Tiff and Cannes that haven't had much U.S. play (Enter the Void, Dogtooth, Trash Humpers), interesting documentaries (Lemmy, The People v. George Lucas) and much, much more. Simon Rumley's Red, White & Blue, which has received much praise on Twitch based on its Iffr screenings, will have its North American premiere.
Midnight programming courtesy of Fantastic Fest is also back with titles like Higanjima, Monsters, Serbian Film, Outcast, and a yet to be announced special film. Keep eye out for SXSW coverage at Twitch, but for now, pursue the massive list below (descriptions courtesy of SXSW).
Headliners
Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film...
Midnight programming courtesy of Fantastic Fest is also back with titles like Higanjima, Monsters, Serbian Film, Outcast, and a yet to be announced special film. Keep eye out for SXSW coverage at Twitch, but for now, pursue the massive list below (descriptions courtesy of SXSW).
Headliners
Big names, big talent: Headliners bring star power to SXSW, featuring red carpet premieres and gala film...
- 2/4/2010
- Screen Anarchy
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.