Vilaine, the Movie

The other day, my TWDB and I decided to go to the cinema. It was a bit of a last-minute decision, being 7.20pm on Friday night. We had no idea what was on, so went onto the website of our local cinemas to have a look.

After hurriedly skipping through some of the reviews, we realised that most of the shows started at 8pm, on the other side of town! It was time for action, so we jumped into the car and decided to leave choosing to spur of the moment inspiration once there.

We made it on time, stood outside the row of posters dithering. I'm hopeless at deciding what I want to eat/do/read/see, but I was told it was 'lady's choice' and nearly 8pm, so I plunged in bravely and suggested 'Vilaine'.

A FRENCH FILM? I hear you cry. Yep, French, and very much a film. Well, the alternative was 'Transporter 3' or some miserable movie you come out of not having enjoyed and wondering why you spent money to make yourself depressed when there's quite enough in real life to render you thusly as it is, and quite frankly going to the cinema is supposed to be pleasurable and leave you feeling GOOD, not CRAP! In my opinion, anyway. Especially if I'm paying, which I wasn't, but then I was out with my TWDB and having fun, and wanted things to stay that way.

So, 'Vilaine' it was, and I was very glad with my choice. The story is about Mélanie who is not attractive, has never been attractive, and, what makes her life even more impossible is that she is 'gentil' (nice). So everyone takes advantage of her niceness, including her wayward mother, her creep of a boss and her 'friends'.

She has been communicating with a guy on the internet, and is due to meet him on St Valentine's day even though she has sent him a photo... Unfortunately, disaster strikes and poor Mélanie realises that something has to change.

So, she decides that niceness is for losers and creates 'Vilaine', her vengeful alter ego. What follows is a hilarious readjustment of the universe.

'Vilaine' is an 'anti The Incredibly Irritating and Boring History of Amélie Poulain' film, which I absolutely detested. Where Amélie is smug and annoying, Mélanie is just trying to get by as best she can, and failing miserably. Where Amélie interferes with her neighbour's lives for no particular reason, Vilaine wreaks revenge for personal emotional injuries endured over the years. It's a cool movie where the underdog triumphs.

Unusually, for a French film, it has a happy ending.

If you hated Amélie, you'll love 'Vilaine', and if you liked Amélie, you'll probably also enjoy 'Vilaine'.

We left the cinema still laughing, and went off to find supper. A word to the wise: out of season, if it's after 10pm, go home to eat cos there ain't nothing cookin' in town. Or stay in the cinema complex and choose one of the cantine chains that have chain food from freezer to microwave. Or eat first and go to the later show.

You have been warned!

On the hoof

The weekend flew by in a heady whirlwind of activity, much of it unplanned which made it seem even headier.

The boys announced, on Friday, that they wanted their hair cut, but not by me (sniff sniff) despite the fact that I am an ace cutter of hair even if I do say myself... No, they wanted something more stylish and assumed (probably rightly) that I'd make a botch job of it. They were still enthusiastic even when I told them they'd have to come to Intermarché with me because that's where the non-rdv salon is, and normally I can't drag them out on a Saturday morning for love nor money. Actually I haven't tried money...

So while I trailed up and down the aisles, they sat in comfort and splendour being primped and pampered. Looking at my youngest's gel'd crest and my eldest's spikes I grudgingly admitted that they looked much smarter and snazzier than had I been snipping, but funnily enough I was left to cough up the dosh to pay for their new looks...

After an afternoon of footie in drizzle and supper out with a bottle of chablis and brown Cuban Bacardi (pal B's been having fun in the Duty Free...!), on Sunday we took advantage of the national cinema festival where all tickets were 3.50Eur instead of 8Eur. It's a measure designed to ensure that culture is within the means of all which I think is fab, because our seats cost 10.50Eur instead of 24.

We watched The Water Horse (Ke Dragon des Mers) which everyone enjoyed, including me. The story was enchanting, the scenery stunning and the acting perfectly good. I thought the music was a bit naff in places, especially at the Save Willy moment when 'Nessie' tries to jump an anti-submarine net but apart from that, for a kiddie film, I hadn't minded spending 10Eur to watch it. Needless to say, the place was packed. People are keen to take advantage of every opportunity to get out and about at reduced rates or free entry. Luckily we had got there before lunch, bought the tickets, then eaten at MacDo and then come back in plenty of time to get a good seat. You have to be ruthless at these events, or you arrive too late and everything's sold out.

The weekend finished with another unplanned supper party from which I tottered happily back up the hill, with boys equally delighted at their evening's amusements.

I just about got the housework done, squeezed in between other more exciting activities!

Saturdays...!

My eldest's 11th birthday was a couple of weeks ago, and today he is supposed to be doing the celebrating with his friends bit. I meanly told him he couldn't invite every kid and his dog to a MacDo-fest as it costs too much for what it is. On the other hand, I suggested, I would take him and a couple of pals to the cinema.

This suggestion went down very well on condition, he said, that I left him and his pals to see the movie all by themselves. Ah. I agreed, of course, thinking that we would be in town and I could mooch around the shops for an hour or so, have a nice cup of coffee on the Place de la Comedie and watch the world go by plugged into my MP3 player.

Not quite... He wants to see The Simpsons movie which is on at the super mega Mulitplex outside Montpellier, near Ikea (funnily enough...). Pop went my afternoon's activities bubble. I now have the prospect of going to a movie myself all on my todsome which I loathe (never done it, don't intend to start now...), sitting in the car reading, going to Ikea looking at things I don't want to buy (or I do, but can't...), taking the tram back into town to rekindle original bubble or drive down to the beach. Hmmm. All involve effort except sitting in the car reading. How annoying.

Why the desire to have it easy? Well, I went shopping in Carrouf this morning, and it's buggered me for the day... Shopping on Saturday mornings really is the pits but since I was there I bought a box of organic quinoa and a nice rice/lentil organic mixture just for a change. Intermarche doesn't have such exotic items. It's probably why I spend less when I shop there too...

Maybe reading on the beach is what I'll do this afternoon. It's lovely here today - must be easily mid-20s°C. I'll let you know...