Alyssa Linn Palmer's Blog, page 18
November 5, 2013
Review: Blue is the Warmest Colour (La vie d’Adèle)
I have been lax in reviewing this film; I saw it in September, but only now have I had time to put my thoughts into a post. The nudge came from a spate of articles about how New York’s IFC centre said they would allow under-17′s in to see the film, even though (in the USA, at least) the film is rated NC-17 due to the ‘sapphic sex scenes’. The IFC issued a statement which said, in part, “This is not a movie for young children, but it is our judgment that it is appropriate for mature, inquiring teenagers, who are looking ahead to the emotional challenges and opportunities that adulthood holds…”
Naturally, there have been protests of that decision, but I’m glad that they have taken this position. Lesbian sex scenes (actually, sex scenes in general, whether GLBT or otherwise) should not be a reason for an NC-17 rating, in my opinion. Sex isn’t, in itself, offensive. And I would like to see more films rated higher, especially those with wanton violence. To me, Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill’ series ought to have been NC-17. However, for whatever Puritan reasoning lies behind the MPAA, nudity and sex sparks tittering and indignation. I applaud the IFC centre for their position.
Now, to my actual review. I’m not sure where to begin. I’d been looking forward to this film since before it won the Palme d’Or at Cannes (see article link here), and when I saw that the Calgary International Film Festival would be screening Blue is the Warmest Colour, I snapped up a ticket as soon as they went on sale, and eagerly (impatiently) awaited the day.
This film was worth it. And more.
C’est le mieux. C’est très belle, et triste aussi.
Stretching over three hours, though I wouldn’t have complained if it were longer still, the film follows student Adèle from secondary school through to her mid-twenties. It’s based on the graphic novel ‘Le bleu est une couleur chaude’ by Julie Maroh (a beautifully illustrated book; it’s in English translation now, so do pick it up.)
In the beginning of the film, Adèle is not sure of herself, of her wants and desires. She dates a young man at her school, but it fizzles and she feels little for him. Then, crossing the street near the main square in Lille, she passes a young woman and her girlfriend. The girl’s blue hair catches her eye, and their gazes meet, both turning back to catch a second glimpse before they’re lost in the crowd. This scene was beautifully shot and my own heart fluttered, feeling the tension and attraction between Adèle (played by Adèle Exarchopoulos) and Emma (Léa Seydoux).
From there it progresses, and the pair meet again in a lesbian bar, and again when Emma seeks Adèle out after school. She’s several years older, in art school, and more experienced in the world than Adèle. It’s Adèle’s first real love, and the film is realistic in its portrayal of young love, passion, and eventual betrayal and falling out. Their relationship is sensual, and loving, and exactly the sort of thing for ‘mature, inquiring teenagers’ to see.
I hadn’t yet read ‘Le bleu est une couleur chaude’ when I saw the film, but I did pick it up afterwards. The film’s script veers from the graphic novel, but not so much so that readers of the novel would be so greatly displeased. Now, if you’re looking for a fast-paced film with intense drama in every minute, you should look beyond La vie d’Adèle and choose something else. It’s a slow-building film, more real-life than cinema. But it is genuine and passionate, and I was immersed. Walking home from the cinema afterwards, I felt in a daze, my imagination still there onscreen with Emma and Adèle, in Lille.
If Blue is the Warmest Color (La vie d’Adèle) comes to a cinema anywhere near you, you MUST GO.
November 4, 2013
Win a paperback of my gay romance MOONLIGHT & LOVE SONGS
My book MOONLIGHT & LOVE SONGS is a featured giveaway this month over at France Book Tours. Enter to win on their site, and you could have a paperback copy winging its way to you!
October 29, 2013
Guest Blogging: Nude modelling, and win a copy of THE ARTIST’S MUSE
Today I’m guest blogging over at Women & Words, hosted by the lovely Jove Bell.
When I took my art degree, I was always the artist, and never the model. We had many, throughout the various classes, the various disciplines, in all shapes and sizes, and occasionally I used to wonder, What does a model think about? It can be an awfully long time to pose, and once that pose is set, one’s mind would surely wander.
I could never get up the courage to apply to be a life model. Not that I mind being naked in itself, but just the idea of being naked in front of an entire class had me quaking in my Converses. Never mind the actual having to pose part of the equation. What do I know of poses? But occasionally, I’d consider what it might be like, to have my image transferred onto paper or canvas, by charcoal or paints. Not egotistical enough to consider myself being immortalized, though. 
Pop over to read the rest, and enter to win a copy of THE ARTIST’S MUSE.
Book Review: The Mona Lisa Speaks, by Christopher Angel (+ Giveaway!)
Leave a comment to be entered to win an autographed copy of THE MONA LISA SPEAKS! (US/Canada only.)
Another thriller I couldn’t put down. I feel like I’m being spoiled!
It didn’t take me long to get into this book, a tightly written story that kept me captivated all the way through. Canadian computer security expert Robertson Ross foils a robbery attempt on art gallery owner Mathilde, and in the process, meets the woman of his dreams. Except it’s not that easy. Love never is, and Mathilde has more problems than she lets on.
Right from the start, I was delighted with this book. It’s so nice to read a book where an American isn’t the protagonist. I could cheer on a fellow Canadian (fictional though he may be). And I could imagine myself in the Louvre, wandering the halls, seeing the art, and wishing I too could see the expansive storage of artifacts and art.
Reading this story felt like a delicious indulgence—art, Paris, daring thefts, computer geekery, and true love, all rolled up in one. The author’s direct first-person narrative sucked me into the story so quickly, and in sections I almost didn’t dare to breathe, wondering how Rob might get himself out of the sticky situations he found himself in. I was never quite sure how things would turn out.
This is a fantastic read, and I was delighted to see a bonus chapter of a followup book. Now, to wait until that one is released!
And here’s an excerpt to whet your appetite!
She loved the quiet of the nights and the early mornings, especially Monday nights, because Tuesday was a day without the hordes of the great unwashed, and instead brought the blessed ministrations of her admiring and careful staff. They treated her as she felt she should be. They fussed over her, admired her, and appreciated her true beauty. If only they could be convinced to hide her away from public display – keep her in private for only those true cognoscenti. That would be the life.
But, who was this strange fellow? She didn’t recognize him, and she knew all of her usual caretakers. And, why was he alone? What was that strange sheet placed over the case? She was always glad when the case was opened, but this didn’t feel like a breath of fresh air to her.
Was this more of those strange and invasive tests? What did they call them – x-rays and infrared scans? She dreaded the strange, unpleasant coldness of the examining tables, and the cold, technical feel of the examination itself. Yes, Leonardo had dreamed of machines like this, but surely not to have them trained on her! The secrets of her beginnings were nobody’s business but hers, and Leonardo’s. And if he had taken them to the grave, then that is the way he wanted it. If he had painted over her veil, it was because he thought that suited her better, and showed off her beauty all the more. Why reveal an imperfection the master had hidden?
What is that in this man’s hands – a new frame? What? NO, IT CANNOT BE! Oh, Leonardo, what sort of betrayal is this of your greatest work?
She saw herself – in somebody else’s hands. It was like looking down on oneself from death. There was her smile, the smile that had beguiled millions, but she suddenly found herself as the viewer, not the viewed. And it terrified her.
This was not Leonardo’s great work. This was a travesty, a transgression of everything that was right in the world.
Wait, he dared touch her? What was this madman going to do?
About the book:
Brilliant and confident Robertson Ross, an outdoorsy Canadian computer expert hired to update the Louvre’s security system, falls in love with Mathilde, a classic beauty and cultured Parisian art dealer. But, when he discovers that she’s deeply in debt to Jacques Renard, a powerful and dangerous lord of the French criminal underground, he has to embark on the risky and thrilling theft of the Mona Lisa to save her – and their unborn child.
Rob’s biggest problems actually begin after he successfully steals the Mona Lisa and replaces her with a perfect copy. Facing betrayals and double-crosses at all turns, he needs every bit of his intelligence, cunning, courage, and computer skills to stay alive and reunite with his true love. This is a story of thrills, danger, and a Canadian from the frozen North falling in love with Paris.
Buy the book:
Released May 6, 2013 by Over The Edge Books
http://overtheedgebooks.com/portfolio/the-mona-lisa-speaks/
http://www.amazon.com/Mona-Lisa-Speaks-Christopher-Angel/dp/1484166957/
ISBN-10: 1484166957
ISBN-13: 978-1484166956
Get in touch with the author:
www.TheMonaLisaSpeaks.com
Twitter @filmangel and @MonaLisaSpeaks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristopherAngelAuthor
About the Author:
Emmy nominee Christopher Angel was inspired to write The Mona Lisa Speaks, his first novel, during a visit to the Louvre, where he dared ask, “why is the Mona Lisa so famous?” The answer, in part, surprised him: few know that the Mona Lisa was stolen in 1911, and went missing for two years. Wondering what happened in those intervening two years launched his own fictional update of the story.
A professional film-maker, Christopher’s most recent movie as a writer/director is This Is Not A Test - a satire about domestic terrorism that aired on Showtime. He was nominated for an Emmy for his work on James Cameron’s documentary, Expedition Bismarck, and won a student Academy Award for his short film, Mr. October. Christopher received his B.A. from Yale University, where he was a Humanities major, and an MFA in film-making from the University of Southern California.
October 28, 2013
Book Review: The Greenland Breach, by Bernard Besson (+ Giveaway!)
Leave a comment below to win an ebook copy of THE GREENLAND BREACH. The contest is open internationally!
Oh my.
THE GREENLAND BREACH is the latest thriller out from digital-first publisher Le French Book, and it’s a doozy. The world is gripped in dramatic climate change as the Arctic ice caps are breaking up, threatening Europe and the East coast of the United States and Canada with a tidal wave that will drown their cities. Greenland is splitting apart, the ice is melting, and an environmental catastrophe is the catalyst for international rivalries and espionage as geological research firms and scientists barter and bicker with governments and economic development corporations.
We start in on the action immediately with a gruesome murder, and a ship, the French vessel belonging to Terre Noire, desperately trying to escape destruction during a massive tsunami. The damaged ship is a linchpin in the narrative, and its claustrophobic and dangerous atmosphere kept me holding my breath with each plot twist.
When we meet John Spencer Larivière, the head of a small spy organization called Fermatown and a former French intelligence officer, we’re already wondering what he’ll be thrown into, given the state of the world. He accepts a contract to look after the headstrong daughter of a Canadian-based corporation, North Land, and ends up in Greenland, his organization embroiled in a double-crossing game of espionage where nothing is certain.
By halfway through the book, I was utterly enthralled, and I read as fast as I was able, anxious to follow the twists and turns of the plot, and figure out just who was behind the chaos and destruction. The ending did not disappoint (and that’s all I’m going to say about that, because I would hate to inadvertently spoil the book for someone!)
I wasn’t familiar with Bernard Besson prior to reading THE GREENLAND BREACH, but now that I have, I’m going to be crossing my fingers and looking for translations of his other work (look up titles, etc. to insert here). And if there aren’t any, then I know I’ll be writing to Le French Book to beg them to translate another!
About THE GREENLAND BREACH
The Arctic ice caps are breaking up. Europe and the East Coast of the Unites States brace for a tidal wave. Meanwhile, former French intelligence officer John Spencer Larivière, his karate- trained, steamy Eurasian partner, Victoire, and their bisexual computer-genius sidekick, Luc, pick up an ordinary freelance assignment that quickly leads them into the heart of an international conspiracy. Off the coast of Greenland, a ship belonging to the French geological research firm Terre Noire is in serious trouble. The murder of an important scientist jeopardizes evacuation. Is it related to the firm’s explorations? Is the rival Canadian-based scientific and economic development corporation, Northland Group, involved?
On land another killer is roaming the icy peaks after researchers, while a huge crevasse splits Greenland apart. What are the connections? In the glacial silence of the great north, a merciless war is being waged. Global warming and subsequent natural disasters hide international rivalries over discoveries that will change the future of humanity. This riveting thriller by prizewinning novelist and former top-level French intelligence officer is like a French-style James Bond team walking into Ronald Emmerich’s The Day After Tomorrow, but much closer to home.
Praise for The Greenland Breach
“Original and harrowing.” –Cosmopolitan
“This is a remarkable book that is fascinating, frightening, instructive and fun all at once.” –Inter-Ligère
About the Author
Bernard Besson is an expert in economic intelligence, a former senior chief of staff for the French intelligence services, and a prizewinning thriller writer. He lives in Paris.
About the Translator
Julie Rose is a prize-winning, world-renowned translator of major French thinkers, known for, among other works, her acclaimed translation of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, which was published by Random House in 2008.
Websites:
http://www.lefrenchbook.com
http://www.thegreenlandbreach.com
Facebook: LeFrenchBook
Twitter: @LeFrenchBook
Buy links:
http://www.lefrenchbook.com/our-books/thrillers/the-greenland-breach/
http://www.amazon.com/l/6327897011#
ISBNs:
978‐1-939474-94-0 (Kindle)
978-1-939474-95-7 (epub)
October 16, 2013
Guest blogging: INSPIRED BY A PROSTITUTE
Today I’m guest blogging over at the Alliterative Allomorph, run by author Jessica Bell.
In a converted railway station, crowded with visitors, I first saw Edouard Manet’s ‘Olympia’ in the flesh. So to speak.
It blew my mind.
A quick bit of backstory: I took a Fine Arts degree at university, so to see the ‘Olympia’ (and other works at the Musée d’Orsay) in person…it was a bit like a Christian pilgrim catching their first glimpse of the Sancta Camisa at the cathedral in Chartres.
October 14, 2013
Lakeside Autumn Colours
I was away for a few days over the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday, and went to a small lake in Saskatchewan for a few days of R&R. The colours were beautiful, though the wind was so strong that a lot of leaves came down before I was able to take photos.
October 7, 2013
I’m on tour!
All this week, I’m on tour with my new book, MOONLIGHT & LOVE SONGS. Check out the posts and giveaways, via France Book Tours:
Monday, Oct 7
Guest-post + Giveaway at Roof Beam Reader
Tuesday, Oct 8
Review + Giveaway at I Am, Indeed
Wednesday, Oct 9
Review + Giveaway at Turning The Pages
Thursday, Oct 10
Review + Giveaway at Making My Mark
Friday, Oct 11
Review at Books A To Z
Saturday, Oct 12
Review + Giveaway at Mommasez…
Sunday, Oct 13
Interview + Giveaway at My Book Addiction And More!
Monday, Oct 14
Review + Giveaway at Sinfully Sexy Book Reviews
Tuesday, Oct 15
Review + Giveaway at New Books On My Shelves
Wednesday, Oct 16
Interview + Giveaway at Words And Peace
October 1, 2013
New release! VEE (Vol. 1) on Kindle!
“Sylvia, my brightest star, my desire. My lust, my soul.
“She was Lia to her co-workers at the bookstore, Sylvia to her mother, who clicked her tongue disapprovingly at her bright blue and hair and her Monroe stud. But to me, she was simply Vee.”
In Alex’s notebooks, the story of Vee unfolds, from their first kiss, their first date, and the moments in between. It’s a May-December romance between a former punk girl gone conservative, and a gamine young woman in combat boots and fishnets. They find each other on the streets of New York City and it’s love at first sight.
These are short collections of stories. Along with the free reads from this site, there are new, unreleased stories, and occasionally short fiction that was first available in various anthologies. (And for those of you who read MOONLIGHT & LOVE SONGS and need a little more of Daniel and Benoit…there is more!)
Volume 1:
Vee (from FELT TIPS)
Heart of Glass
Birdland (I)
Birdland (II)
Vee’s Notebook (from ANYTHING SHE WANTS)
Release Date: October 1, 2013
ISBN-13 (Kindle): 978-0-9920065-5-6
September 30, 2013
Release Day! THE ARTIST’S MUSE – Get it now.
It’s that time!
Pick up a copy of THE ARTIST’S MUSE at Bold Strokes Books, in any ebook format you desire!
Broke and desperate after her girlfriend leaves her for a man, Colette finds a job as an artist’s model. When she arrives for an interview, she’s surprised to meet a striking young woman, Lise Beauclerc. Her relief at not having to pose for a man turns to infatuation as she observes Lise during their sessions, creating fantasies in her mind during the hours she poses.
Colette has no idea if Lise would return her affections, and when she finally gets up the courage to ask her out, their connection is more than she’d ever hoped for. However, a few days later, Lise introduces her to Marcel, her former fiancé. They seem intimately involved, and Colette is devastated. Will her dreams of Lise be unrequited?
