filmbore picks Angel-A

Angel-A

Director: Luc Besson
Screenplay: Luc Besson
Starring: Jamel Debbouze, Rie Rasmussen, Gilbert Melki
Year: 2005
Language: French
UK rental release: January 2007


IMDb
Rotten Tomatoes 


Luc Besson has returned to his roots recently, with the intense, gritty action-thriller, Lucy, centred around a strong female lead. In honour of his faith in nostalgia and mainstay, I want to talk about one of his more touching, personal films: the alternative love story that is Angel-A. 

André Moussah (Jamel Debbouze, Days Of Glory, Amelie) is an American citizen and a scam artist. Hard on his luck, he has until the end of the night to get hold of €40,000 or face the wrath of some of his debtors. This is but one dilemma for André, however, as he is in trouble all over the place!

Someone else who's after his wallet is Monsieur Franck (Gilbert Melki, Monsieur Ibrahim, Three) who puts the pressure on him to deliver the goods but dangling him from the top of the Eiffel Tower! Feeling desperate, André turns to the American Embassy for help, claiming that his papers and cards have  been stolen. Yet, with a colourful past, there's little the Embassy can do for him. Even struggling to get locked up in a prison cell for the night, with no other route out of his terrible strife, he toys with the idea of jumping from a bridge. Maybe ending it all is the easiest option?

He's stopped from taking the plunge when confronted with Angela (Rie Rasmussen, Human Zoo, Femme Fatale), who has been having the same idea. She feels no hesitation, and as she leaps, he feels compelled to follow her down to save her.

As he carries her to the side of the river and throws her ashore, it's not until she stands up that he realises how breathtakingly tall she is (which may be down to a convenient curb and a mean set of high heels!). For saving her from imminent death, she vows a life-debt to him, devoting her eternal kindness and promising to do anything that he wishes.

This gives André an idea. With her help, there could be a way to bypass his debts. Angela has her own intentions through helping him though, and when André hears of her mission, he struggles to come to terms with the gravity of it!

Entirely shot in black and white, Angel-A reflects a romantic side of Paris that you haven't previously seen, exposing the beauty in the gruffness, complementing the conventional attractiveness of an already over-familiar city. It captures Paris uniquely. I use this phrase confidently, as this is a city that has been shot by so many film makers over the years, with a relative line of similarity uniting most of them. 

Besson and his regular collaborator, Director of Photography Thierry Arbogast, take a braver approach, with contemporary filming combined with classic capture. Both methods are glued together with numerous techniques (extreme long shots, over-the-shoulder shots with canted angles, and more!), all while using natural light to infuse its grey-scaled visage. 

This technical mixture blends smoothly, with the colour tone marrying each approach used, gifting us a palatable treat for the eyes. It's delicious on the lips too, allowing you to a raise a smile even in some of its more melancholic moments. In fact, there are some good comical undertones at play, and not in an obvious way either. 

The whole picture is cheeky, knowing exactly what perspective to play at: jovial while retaining its thoughtful edge. Such emphasis on balancing this flavours is partly achieved thanks to the performances from our two leads. There's great natural chemistry between them, with both actors bouncing off each other effortlessly with fun dialogue and unusual japes to garnish the portrayal of two intriguing characters.

Rie Rasmussen is stunning as the ethereal Angela. With minimal effort, she exudes charisma through her demure, aloof, while still a little other-worldly, demeanour. Her execution of the part is the keystone to the entire piece, elevating the picture to a more poetic stance, while providing the special ingredient that makes this odd couple so entertaining. Besson knows how to pick a leading lady!

With such a striking female lead character, Besson needed someone to play the everyman. André is a mere ruffle in the overpowering tapestry of Angela yet needs to hold his own in her presence. For this, Besson chose the only man with the right balance in Jamel Debbouze (who stood out in his wonderful performance of Saïd Otmari in Days Of Glory, reviewed here).

Debbouze is enigmatic as André, taking us on a ride through a seedier side of the French capital in his attempts to negotiate around everyone he confronts. A rich role to be given, not wasted on this talented performer, as he relishes in every line that he gets to play with; savouring each phrase and delivering them with panache.  

With such diverse differences between their characters, including the difference in their backgrounds, they are destined never to be together (a little Montague-Capulet, if you will), making their growing connection that much more tragic.

This makes the film a little cute, while retaining an attentive approach on a number of life's intricacies: lack of self confidence, losing faith and hope, little perspective on the bigger picture. Thematically, how these are handled could have come across a little limp and stereotypical. Instead, its scruples are portrayed gently, all evolving in their importance through the reflection of André through Angela.

This is realised at its best during the mirror scene, which is my favourite part of the whole film. It is both revealing and familiar. As André is introduced to the sweeter, truer side of himself, you are drawn directly into the picture's emotional heart, grounding you at its pinnacle just before the final act.

I forbid you to not connect with this scene somehow. It is a brilliant unique moment in cinema, one that should promote Angel-A in its ratings one some more familiar sites. It's a prime example of when Jamel Debbouze delivers some effortless acting, illustrating why he is perfect to play such human characters. It's a perfectly poised moment in a perfectly paced film.

Scandalously looked over in Besson's canon, Angel-A is both sweet and sour, gently carrying its delicate mix of flavours with a hint of audacity. Break down these soft complexities and you'll reveal something a little more touching - at its heart it's a love story that's also about natural friendship.

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Alternatively, you could contact me directly about this film or my other reviews on picks@filmbore.co.uk

Top 10 Ice Cream Vans in movies

Oh no! Summer is over...Booooo!

Yet fear not, as the medium of film can breathe the feeling of sun, sand and sea into your evening by whisking you away from the icy clutches of winter, taking you back to your warmer memories. And what better way to hark back to sunnier times than by a trademark of British summer...the ice cream van!

Or ice cream truck, depending on what part of the world you are from. Whatever the title, nothing unearths summers of our youth better than the ever-nearing jungle of a rainbow coloured vehicle; a chariot of creamy treats and fruity flavours that turns every playing kid into a Tazmanian devil! Yes, there's nothing more craze-inducing for a child then the moment the ice cream man turns up!

So, as we slowly lose grip on the brighter period of 2014, let's embark on a trip through cinema with a list of the top ice cream vans in movies...filmbore style!

The criteria:

• The ice cream van needs to be involved in at least a decent scene in the movie. It doesn't necessarily need to be the basis of the entire movie yet should be integral to a particular moment at the very least.
• Preferably, I expect to see an alternative approach to running an ice cream van, may it be in method, manner or reason for owning one.
• The ranking within this top ten is based on the strength of the owner's business model, not necessarily the quality of the film. If they can impress me with their ingenuity of enterprise, I'll move them up the chart

Everybody.....ICE CREAM MAN IS COMIIIIINNGGG!

WARNING! Spoilers and brain freeze up ahead!

10. Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Kudos goes to an unusual way to capture the minions, as they're suckered into the ice cream trucks lure even more so than the kids in Gru's neighbourhood's. Lack of enterprise keeps it low though I'm afraid.

Busin-ice Model: 3/10
Scoop a minion...stop him waffling!

9. After Hours (1985)

This early black comedy by Martin Scorsese is a building farce of dilemmas for one unlucky word processing clerk. Things get worse, however, as he's hunted down by a crowd, led by a Mister Softee ice cream van.

Busin-ice model: 4/10
Thriller in vanilla

8. Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

Kids should think twice for rushing to an ice cream truck in this neighbourhood. As the owner of the van looks out vigilantly, an innocent young girl begs for an ice cream, only to shot by the local Street Thunder gang.

Busin-ice model: 5/10
Heavy on the raspberry sauce

7. Trees Lounge (1996)

Steve Buscemi's Tommy Basillo inherits an ice cream business from his uncle, with his alcoholic ways preventing a thriving enterprise. His efforts are wasted, as his actions lead to the truck being smashed by a begrudged associate.

Busin-ice model: 6/10
Desserted by friends and family

6. Phantasm (1979)

Reggie's ice cream business can do more than provide creamy treats. It exposes the weakness of the film's antagonist the Tall Man, who is affected by the cold. Not bad for an local ice cream vendor!

Busin-ice model: 7/10
Ice Screeaaammm! (Sorry...I couldn't help it!)

5. Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai (1999)

Ghost Dog's best-friend can only speak French but he runs a mean ice cream stand. Somehow, he still has a business after giving away free ice cream to little girls and allowing people to be killed right in front of his parlour. Impressive!

Busin-ice model: 8/10
Tasty Chopolate (these puns are getting worse!)

4. Nice Dreams (1981)

Cheech and Chong's "Happy Herb Nice Dreams" is an ice cream truck as a front for pedalling their marijuana (surprise, surprise!). If they weren't high off their own supply, they may have had a more fruitful business.

Busin-ice mode: 8/10
Cheech and Chong go all Ben and Jerry

3. Do The Right Thing (1989)

The Icee Man is here! Forget the boy nearly run over chasing the ice cream truck - check the man preceding it! Strutting about Brooklyn, scraping ice off a block, adding fruity flavours, he's both lo-fi and enterprising. Cooler than the ice itself!

Busin-ice model: 9/10
Old sCool!

2. Friday (1995)

Big Perm..I mean...Big Worm plays this just right. Like Cheech and Chong, his ice cream truck is a front for his drugs business. Yet, he still actually sells ice cream. Convincing and profitable...and you know this maaan!

Busin-ice model: 9/10
Friday betters the sundae 

And the winner is... 

1. Comfort And Joy (1984)

The ultimate ice cream van movie. Okay...a lot of you may not have heard of this small, Scottish film. Made by Bill Forsyth (Local Hero, Gregory's Girl) it's a prime example of grounded British cinema of the eighties.

Bill Paterson plays Allan Bird aka "Dicky", a Glaswegian celebrity due to his status as a radio disc jockey. Out on his travels one day, he catches the eye of a girl (Clare Grogan) in the back of an ice-cream van. Enamoured by the lady, he pursues the vehicle, leading him to witness an unexpected attack on the van by two masked men with baseball bats.

The owner and the girl scare the men away by covering them with raspberry sauce and scoops of ice cream. Dicky goes over to check on them; his first step to involving himself in a turf war between two competing ice cream business. But can he help bring the battle to an end?

 
This is a typical British comedy of this era, making it an easy and enjoyable watch. But this isn't top of the list due to its movie stature. As mentioned in the criteria, the ranking is based on the business strength, where here we have two ice cream vendors taking their vocation so seriously they begin warring with each other.

No film delves further into the seedy world of ice cream van trucks than Comfort And Joy. A dry comedy drama that takes the softy out of the Mr Soft and injects it with its Italian roots...a Gelato of the Gangster realm, as it were.

Busin-ice model: 10/10
Walls fair in love and war!

Just missed out:

Once Bitten

Maximum Overdrive

Ice Cream Man 

When The Bough Breaks

Killer Klowns From Outer Space

If you disagree, and have other suggestions, please post comments at the bottom of the post. Or, email me directly on topten@filmbore.co.uk.

And don't forget, you can tweet me @filmbore or post on my Facebook page here.

filmbore's coming back!

The UK's biggest film geek returns! filmbore is stepping up and speaking out!

It's been a mighty long hiatus but filmbore has emerged from the smoke and is ready to take on the world of cinematic critique once more!

And there's plenty of content on its way to you, plus some new material to feed your filmic famine.

As usual, I'll be reviewing the best of unique movies, covering independents, small British and World Cinema. Some of you who have followed me for some time will remember these reviews arriving on a weekly basis. Well, times have to change. Re-branded filmbore picks,  these articles will appear more sporadically. This is good, however, as I can focus on bringing more quality content for the other elements of the site.

So, more News articles and more topics for the Whingebox! These areas have been neglected in the past. I'll be remedying this with juicy gossip and themes for debate more regularly in future.

And fear not...I haven't forgotten my followers' favourite, Top 10s with a difference. I'll still be compiled the most bizarre and weird lists seen on the net (Top 10 Scary Rabbits still seems to be a hit...top of Google search today!). In fact, some are on their way very soon, so feast your eyes on the looming results and keep posting your comments on the choices made.

Most excitingly though, keep your peepers on one of the new tabs, Special Features. Soon, this will receive a fresh collection of articles for filmbore, including poems, interviews, tributes and mini-review festivals. Two key pieces to come soon will be an interview with a Nottingham-based writer and a festival-in-parts on classic World Cinema.

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