Reviews

For those of you familiar with Leonardo DiCaprio's work The Beach, the supporting French actor, Guillaume Canet, may have left an indelible impression in your mind due to his suave good looks and charm. But in the past few years Canet has proved to audiences that he's more than just a pretty boy. His latest film, Ne Le Dis à Personne, was adapted and directed by him, unequivocally proving that his is the lasting kind of talent. The film itself is a good suspense tale, though at times it is rather complicated with twists and turns that would normally fall flat on its face with a less able director. The fast paced action has some nice camera work and aesthetically a couple of scenes will stick to mind long after the film has ended. Credit is also due to the cast, all of whom managed to flesh out their characters; most notably François Cluzet, who draws sympathy from audiences as the grieving widower, a performance that earned him a Ceasar, the equivalent of an Academy Award in his native France (perhaps this is the film that will catapult him internationally into the kind of Depardieu status).Those of you who managed to see Canadian film The Barbarian invasions, will be pleased to see Marie-Josée Croze and Marina Hands reunited again on the screen, while those of you who wondered "Where in the world is Kristin Scott Thomas?" you will notice that she is still honing her craft and being rather choosy about the projects she's undertaking. In short, this is the kind of film that does justice to its genre and I won't be in the least surprised, if Hollywood does a remake in the not too distant future.

It's a shame they only made 19 episodes. One would think that with all the Gourmet food networks out there a show that involves interesting social issues along side the truffle sauce would actually pique people's interest- Go Figure. I wouldn't be surprised, if it was cancelled in favour of another ER type show, because we certainly don't see enough doctors running around saving lives on our TV screens. This show is not only entertaining, but it also makes one wonder about the kitchen staff - and not just whether or not they washed their hands or spat on one's food. We wonder if the sous-chef like Cordel has sexual struggles or if the guy who does the dishes also has to fork out money so that his "slave master" doesn't hurt his family back in China. In our sanitised world, where most people never question how the chicken they're eating got on their plate, Godiva manages to dish out some tough issues with aplomb and those who watch it not only take note, but they end up caring about every one of those characters. Now, if only Ramir would experiment some more with the Indian spices....