Happenstance (2000)

Featuring: Audrey Tautou, Faudel. Director: Laurent Firode.

Warning: This movie is only supposed to be available for streaming until Dec. 31st. Act fast!

As some of you may know, I'm completely in love with Audrey Tautou. It leads me to watch movies I would never normally watch just to see those big brown eyes and that enchanting smile. Movies like Happenstance.

Now don't get me wrong, Happenstance isn't by any means a bad movie. It just isn't my kind of movie. This is  one of those movies with intersecting stories about romance that the French seem to be so good at making. That sort of movie must be rather hard make. You bounce around from character to character and nothing ever seems very cohesive. However, this director, Laurent Firode, pieced together enough interesting vignettes to keep me interested even if the overall story wasn't that compelling.

Sadly, that also means you only get so much Audrey Tautou and that was my biggest disappointment with this movie. Yes, the arc of the story centers around her but she wasn't on screen nearly enough for me to be satisfied. Then again, that's just my own strange crush thing and not something you should worry about. If you like movies like this and have already seen Paris, Je T'aime one too many times, then go ahead and give this one a try.

Click here to add this to your Netflix queue.

According to Netflix this movie will stop streaming on 12/31/11. Of course, sometimes they lie.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? I want to have Audrey Tautou's babies.

Is it artsy? Not really, but its sort of romantic and it is in French.

What stood out the most to you? The creepy guy that is always lying.

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Wanting to show your girlfriend that you have a sensitive side.

What rating did you give it on Netflix? 3 Stars.

 Sorry, I couldn't find an English version of the trailer.
 

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The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

Featuring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin. Director: Philip Kaufman. 

Warning: This movie is only supposed to stream until April 15th so act fast!

This is one sex-filled movie and not in an exploitative way. There is just a lot of sex, hot sex too. Some combination of Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin goes at it about every fifteen minutes, and this movie is nearly 3 hours long. That's a lot of whoopee.

Another cool thing about this film is that it happens to be the first time Daniel Day-Lewis starred in a leading role and he doesn't disappoint. At some point while watching this movie I realized that Day-Lewis is probably the most intense actor ever if you forget about the genius of Marlon Brando. He's just an incredible talent, and while he's gotten plenty of recognition from the Academy, I don't think he gets the credit he deserves with people that aren't in the industry.

In this film Day-Lewis plays a womanizing doctor in 60's Prague who has the uncanny ability to get any woman to take off their clothes just by staring at them and saying, simply enough, take off your clothes. Seriously, I need to work on my body language and develop an intense stare so that I can get the ladies naked so easily. Then all of a sudden Soviet tanks role in and the movie is sort of political for a while. Then it's about sex again and then it's sort of over.

The plot really sort of held this movie back in my opinion. The acting is all phenomenal, the setting is beautiful and the sex was hot and naughty. The movie seemed disjointed, the ending was disappointing and it ran longer than it needed to. That being said, the great acting and the hot sexin kept me interested enough and it's worth checking out this film just for that.

To add this movie to your Netflix queue click here.

According to Netflix this movie will stop streaming 4/15/11. Of course, sometimes they lie.

The Standard 5:

Why is it in your queue? Daniel Day-Lewis is an acting God.

Is it artsy? Yes, it's too long and you're left wondering what the point is. On the bright side, that means good acting and hot sex.

What stood out the most to you? "Take off your clothes".

What mood should I be in to watch this movie? Horny, and preferably watching with someone else who is horny.

What rating did you give it on Netflix? 3 Stars. 

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