limmy-log

(via Johnny Depp, Natalie Portman sign on for McCartney’s ‘My Valentine’ - latimes.com)

And it’s screening before The Intouchables! I’m not sure if the writer of the article watched the film, but the music creates a strong “flavor-ral” connection between the video and the film, for sure. In any case, if it’ll draw people to the cinemas to see the show, I’m all for it! Really, really enjoyable. 

And I’m really interested to see what the domestic response will be to it, here in the USA, given that people here are much more sensitive to any onscreen portrayal that might have the slightest hint of a Black-person-as-entertainment, White-person-as-enlightenment model. I was privileged enough to watch it at the DGA’s COLCOA this year, and be at the filmmakers’ Q & A session, where it was very evident that they had hoped for this film to transcend racial and cultural borders, not reinforce them. In France, they certainly seemed to have succeeded: the film was talked about as “the cultural event of the year,” and Omar Sys became the first Black actor to win the Best Actor Cesar (French Oscars). He also came in third in a recent poll of the most popular persons in France! (Behind the Algerian football player Zidane, no less.) 

My advice: just watch and enjoy it first, you can take it apart with me later—that’s a promise. ;) I haven’t laughed so hard for so long!