Embracing the spirit of Halloween, here’s a little something about French horror movies from greencine (an excerpt). Yes, there ARE French horror films!

“…The French horror-meisters are after something more vicious, grounded in a sense of the actual possibilities of terror on the body and psyche…

8. Sheitan (Satan). A racially diverse and hip group of teenagers end a rambunctious night out in the city by traveling to the rural home of a beautiful girl they meet in a disco. It turns out the place is inhabited by her strange country-bumpkin family, lead by a grinning, delirious, and slightly menacing housekeeper, played with over the top relish by Vincent Cassel (one of France’s leading actors). As the city kids realize trouble may be in store, Sheitan builds an impending sense of dread that is offset, and made more unsettling, by a quirky, jittery sense of humor. The house is an effectively creepy funhouse filled with strange artifacts and odd angles, and the film plays like a French version of The Twilight Zone: we know something is dreadfully wrong but we are not sure what. It is intriguing fun to find out the answer, a combination of satanic ritual, family secrets, and unholy birth - even if by the end we are still not completely clear what exactly has happened. The last shot is a bizarre visual joke that is both memorable and very French.

7. Calvaire: The Ordeal. Marc (Laurent Lucas), a small time entertainer, makes an appearance at an old folks home, where he awkwardly fends off the advances of an older woman (a cameo by the most famous French porn star of the 70’s, Brigitte Lahaie). Back out on the road, beset by a suspicious set of circumstances, he finds himself stranded in a small town, where he winds up at a hotel with no other residents (always a bad sign!). Like Sheitan (without any of the lightheartedness), the film is a paranoid nightmare about being trapped in an otherworldly conspiracy, set out in the country where the world has been allowed to go mad. Marc’s own anxiety about sex, hinted at in the first scenes, becomes manifest in his increasingly surreal and threatening situation: it soon becomes apparent that the hotel-keeper, who really misses his departed wife, has deranged plans and affections for his guest, while the other male townsfolk spend their time trying to screw pigs, and eventually turn their attention to Marc. The entire place seems to be under the sway of some hypnotic torpor, in which suppressed (homo)sexual urges fester. This dynamic is brought to life most powerfully in an amazing bar scene when the men dance together as if possessed by a secret backwoods ritual.

6. I Stand Alone. Gaspar Noé’s first film centers on a lonely and disturbed butcher played by Philippe Nahon, whose bulbous face is emblematic of the tone of the new French wave - a mixture of cynicism, menace, and grotesquerie. He lives in almost complete psychological isolation, and the Boogeyman chasing him is the emptiness of life itself. In unrelentingly somber fashion, the smothering awareness of alienation closes in, embodied by a technique that Noe uses repeatedly throughout the film in which the camera aggressively moves toward Nahon’s grim visage in a series of jarring jump cuts. No violence happens in these moments, but the magic trick is that they are as suspenseful as most scenes in which blood is spilled. There is no mistaking the implication of Noé’s atmospherics, a bold cinematic play on the phenomenology of existentialism: it is reality itself that is frightening. The butcher’s psychological torture chamber finds a tragic catharsis in the finale, when overwhelmed by incestuous lust and guilt, he commits a horrible act against his own institutionalized daughter. One of the most upsetting things I had ever seen until Noé’s second film (see bottom of the list).

5. Them (a.k.a. Ils) (Them). A couple vacationing at an elegant and isolated manse find themselves terrorized by faceless, seemingly purposeless hooded killers (roughly the same plot is found in the just-released American film The Strangers). The film is an exercise in sustained suspense, as the sanctity and safety of home is slowly encroached upon with eerie precision. The attack is made more unnerving because of its anonymity. In the end, daylight comes, sweeping away all the tension of the proceeding night, and the identity of “them” is revealed. And a mysterious auditory cue for their menacing presence that appears throughout the film is explained by the most innocent of objects, adding to the creepy surprise.

Continue reading

tags: france, french, horror movies, halloween

French game developers, Phelios Inc., based in Atlanta have released this free game called, “Whack the Dead” just in time for Halloween. So while waiting for trick-or-treaters and munching on tons of candy corn, waste a little time and indulge in some good fun whacking of the dead.

Nah, it’s not really violent in a realistic way; I mean, because they’re already dead! it’s more light fun and silliness with zombies and other creepy characters. Click on the green creatures and get rid of them whilst racking up on points. Your default weapon is a shovel, but you can upgrade if you find guns, rifles or grenades. The grenade will kill everything that’s on the board at once! Don’t whack the alive people or you will lose points. Play using a mouse (playing on a touch pad doens’t work as well), and try to to beat my high score, which is 911. Not a very auspicious score but beat that, anyway. I dare you!

Whack the Dead is actually really fun if you play it on an iPhone using your fingers to whack, but you can play it on your computers as well. Best of all it’s free.

Download Whack the Dead for Mac

Download Whack the Dead for PC

tags: french, whack the dead, halloween games

Though I’m not much of a fan of her music, I loved Vanessa Paradis in the excellent movie with Daniel Auteuil called, Girl on the Bridge, and I really like this recent photo of her by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott (photoshopped and all), which is featured on the November 2008 French Vogue Magazine Cover.

tags: france, french, vanessa paradis, vogue france

Celebrate a different kind of Halloween this year in Paris by roller blading around the city dressed as something ghoulish or Halloweenish with Pari Roller. Pari Roller has scheduled a group skate for Friday, October 31 at 10pm. This should be a lot of fun and not to be missed if you’re into blading. The group could be as large as 25,000 people and it’s said that Paris’ group skate is the biggest in the world. Meet at Montparnasse between the tower and the train station at 10pm and skate ’til about 1am. Click here for more info.

tags: france, french, paris, halloween, roller blading, skating

Val de Reuil, located just south of Rouen has expressed their Obama love with this hard-to-miss billboard. I thought that was kind of cool.

tags: france, french, obama, val de reuil, yes we can, french billboards

The 25 year old oldie but goodie, “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, doesn’t seem to age much in la belle France, much like the art of “playback” (lip syncing or lip dubbing). Remember the happy fired AOL employees from last year? (I loved that one.)

This year, and just in time for Halloween, 140 university tech students (near Rouen) created their version of Thriller, which in itself is very difficult if not impossible for many French people to pronounce. Luckily, it’s dubbed! Like the AOL employee vid, it’s done in one long shot throughout the whole song. Fun Halloween stuff, I say.

Click here to see the video.

tags: france, french, thriller, halloween in france

[via]

Previous dialogues: Francois Hollande and Maxime Bono, The Dalai Lama and Carla Bruni, Michael Phelps and Alain Bernard, Sarkozy and Qaddafi, Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon, Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan, Tom Hanks and Jean Reno, Daniel Balavoine and Francois Mitterrand, Florent Pagny, Zidane and Xavier Darcos

tags: france, IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Anne Sinclair, sex scandals, business as usual

Monsieur le président must be a money magnet because the same publishers (Pascal Petiot Editions) of the famous Sarkozy Voodoo Doll is ready to release a book of games based on the presidential couple, and their history. In this book of games you’ll find puzzles and games filled with funny and playful references and anecdotes of Nicolas and Carla, etal. I bet you can’t wait to get your hands on this, can you? You’ll have to wait ’til next Monday. It’ll be available on November 6 for 8.5 euros.

[source]

tags: france, french, sarkozy voodoo doll, Pascal Petiot Editions, cahier de jeux de Nicolas et Carla, carla bruni

A guy dropped his phone in the toilette of the TGV and tried to retrieve it. Was he CRAZY putting his HAND down a nasty ole French toilet?! I would be so glad never to see that phone again. Ew. Well, his hand got stuck. Beurk!!!

A high-speed TGV train en route to Paris was delayed for over two hours after a passenger got his arm stuck in the toilet, France Info radio reported.

The 26-year-old man found himself in this embarrassing - and painful - position after inadvertently dropping his mobile phone into the commode.

When he tried to retrieve the device, he found himself trapped by the toilet’s suction action.

According to witnesses, both the victim and the loo had to be removed from the train on a stretcher so that he could be freed by firefighters.

The hapless passenger survived the incident with a painful elbow, but nothing was broken, his rescuers said.

[source]

tags: france, french, tgv, toilet,

From engadgethd:

“Apparently all that’s necessary to get a lagging country to hop on the high-def bandwagon is to talk bad about ‘em, or at least that’s the case here with France. After we heard that the nation wasn’t exactly rushing out to adopt HD, in comes word that four major French channels will soon be available in high-definition on digital terrestrial TV (DTT). TF1 HD, France 2 HD, M6 HD and Arte HD will all begin broadcasting OTA in HD on October 30th, and while all of these are already available on other platforms, we can only imagine that beaming ‘em out gratis will greatly increase HD awareness. Any other nations want to follow suit? Oh, and France, way to be a role model out there.” [source]

tags: france, french, television, hd

As a die-hard enthusiast of Halloween and as a chronic gamer, I can not help but be envious of people in or near Paris this Halloween. Why? The Undead Invasion is in Paris! If you’re in Paris and want to try something different and fun this Halloween, check it out with a team of your friends and become zombie fighters. I know you’ve always wanted to be a zombie fighter. Here’s some info:

What is the Undead Invasion?
Every Halloween, a select number of zombies are granted access to our world to survey the conditions for a full-scale invasion. You and your team of zombie hunters must make it clear that there will be no invasion this year and that this aggression will not stand.

You will be confronting a formidable enemy with no respect for human life, customs, or fashion sense. This adversary, however, has a weakness. The zombie scouts can only stay above ground so long as they are in possession of their official travel permits, another example of the unexpected bureaucracy of the Zombie Autonomous Administration.

Outwit and your mindless foe and convince him to freely part with his permits. To help you locate the zombies and complete this task, Undead Invasion Central Command will distribute portions of the Book of the Living Dead.

By combining your wit and will with this information, you will be able to locate and neutralize the zombie threat. The team that makes the greatest contribution to this effort will be crowned Zombie Stomping Champions and will awarded all of the commensurate perks. (read the official rules here)

Register to play
Registration is quick and easy, we suggest a team of 3-5 zombie hunters. Once registered, you will receive updates and instructions from Undead Invasion Central Command. In the mean time, you can start learning about the Book of the Living Dead and zombie identification techniques. Register now.

Cities participating in the Undead Invasion: Atlanta, Brisbane, Honolulu, Lahaina, Nashville, New Orleans, New York (sold out), Paris, Princeton, Richmond.

Undead Invasion
Paris, France
Friday, October 31, 2008, 7:00 pm
20€ per player
Note: Game is English-based.
Click here for more information about the Undead Invasion in Paris

tags: france, paris, halloween, undead invasion

If you haven’t received your absentee ballot to vote for U.S. President, don’t worry, you can still fax in your vote. You still have to mail in your vote as well. To note: when you fax your vote, you obviously relinquish your rights to a secret ballot, which is no big deal, really. Go to this site and it’ll take you through the simple and necessary steps to get your ballot out.

I read in Le Monde that 93% surveyed in France would vote for Obama; which is also similar to worldwide polls. Will the whole world be in a collective emotional depression if McCain wins? Yes.

tags: france, expats, elections 2008, u.s. president

A fountain in Roquemaure, France.

tags: france, french, roquemaure, fountain

Update: According AFP, this item is a best seller at amazon.fr. heee!

From reuters:

“French President Nicolas Sarkozy has threatened to sue a publishing company unless it withdraws a Sarkozy doll that comes with a “voodoo manual” instructing readers to plant pins in it, his lawyer said.

The doll is emblazoned with some of Sarkozy’s most famous quotes such as “Get lost you pathetic arsehole” — his words to a bystander who refused to shake his hand at a farm show last year. Readers are encouraged to plant pins in the quotes.

“Nicolas Sarkozy has instructed me to remind you that, whatever his status and fame, he has exclusive and absolute rights over his own image,” lawyer Thierry Herzog wrote to publishers K&B in a letter published by newspaper Le Monde.

Confirming details to Reuters, Herzog said Sarkozy would sue the publishing firm if it didn’t respond and pull the product. K&B has issued 20,000 copies of the manual and doll.

The company has also issued a Segolene Royal doll representing Sarkozy’s rival in last year’s presidential election. Her lawyer said she was also considering legal action.

Voodoo is a religion rooted in West Africa that is practiced in parts of the Caribbean, especially Haiti, and parts of the southern United States.

According to a widespread belief, voodoo worshippers can plant pins in dolls representing their enemies to curse them from afar.

However, voodoo experts say the practice has been widely misunderstood and misrepresented by outsiders.”

tags: france, french, sarkozy, voodoo doll

And to think that we JUST got broadband last week. I’m not kidding. The 2nd to get WIMAX installed in our region - but it’s not actually available to the public yet. Anyway. Back to Alsace. They’ll be the first to switch off their analog tv but all of France is scheduled to do the same. I bet our region will be LAST. Better late than never, I suppose.

From: broadbandtvnews:

“The Alsace region of France will be the first to see analogue television switch-off in late 2009, according to Eric Besson, the country’s secretary of state for development of the digital economy. Before the complete switchover, there will be three small-scale changeovers.

These three pilot changeovers are scheduled to take place in Coulommiers at the end of this year, in Kaysersberg, Alsace, in the second quarter 2009 and in the region of Cherbourg. The pilots will affect approximately 100,000 people and are meant to monitor any problems in the process.

After Alsace, analogue broadcasting will stop in Lorraine, Champagne-Ardenne and Franche - Comté. Also, in 2010 changeover will take place in the west of France, specifically in the regions of Brittany, Pays de la Loire and Basse-Normandie.

The majority of the freed-up spectrum will be allocated to “the services of the future of the audiovisual world,” said Eric Besson, especially for DTT-HD and mobile TV.

The French government plans the creation of a total of 11 multiplexes, with a coverage of 95% of the population, and two networks dedicated to personal mobile services reaching a potential 70% of the population. There will be room for 66 DTT channels.

The plan also assigns the entire band Band III (174-233 MHz), which will be released in late 2010 to digital radio.

At the end of July, about 57.8% of households were equipped for the reception of digital TV, with at least one receiver and 29.9% of homes completely dependent on digital.” [source]

tags: france, french, digital tv

Although there are many ways to explore the Camargue, France’s sprawling area of protected marshland, my personal recommendation would be to see it on horseback. That is, if you’re up for that kind of thing.

Because the Camargue is designated as a botanical and zoological nature reserve, it seems fitting to try to see it all the while respecting nature and the wildlife all around. I love riding and I’d been wanting to go horseback riding for ages, so this was the perfect opportunity, and for me, the perfect way to see the Camargue. If riding on a big animal’s back is not your cup of tea, you have many options: jeep safaris, organized tours, and my second choice for seeing the area, bicycling. With many areas of the Camargue being off-limits to motorized traffic plus the advantage of such a flat terrain, you’re good on bike. Hills will NOT be a problem. Hiking’s also a good choice but you must be in enormously great shape to cover a lot of ground, and to run away from charging wild bulls. Just kidding.

^{photo from Les Arnelles}

Looking for places to rent a horse to ride will not be a problem; they are everywhere. Just check out the place and owners a bit and examine the health of the horses. We visited three places before choosing Les Arnelles. The people working there were great, the horses were well taken care of, and since we had specific areas we wanted to see, they let us customize our ride.

If you plan on taking photos on horseback, I’d recommend bringing a small camera that you can use easily with one hand. I made the mistake of bringing my large camera, which is a little too clunky and heavy to use with one hand (carrying reins in the other hand), which is why I took very few pictures. Also, along the way, I lost my lens cover while we’d been galloping for a stretch. Doh!

NOTE: Don’t forget the mosquito repellent! Also try to bring some binoculars.

Les Arnelles
Route d’Arles
13460 Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer France
Tel: +33 (0)603 892 379 | +33 (0)686 601 515 | +33 (0)490 978 286
Website: Les Arnelles

tags: france, camargue, horseback riding camargue

Montreal’s French community has given an adorable Labrador puppy named, “Estrie” to Nicolas Sarkozy, following a tradition of canine gift giving to French leaders. Doesn’t she look miserable?!?

tags: france, french, montreal, gift from canada, estrie, labrador, sarkozy,

The people over at gizmodo find the new cable box, “le cube” a lot more “stylishly French” than I think it is… I don’t find it stylish nor particularly French, except for the fact that it’s in France. I WANT to like it, but it’s not working for me. Anyway. More about it below.

From gizmodo:

“French cable provide Canal+ teamed up with touted OLPC and Jawbone designer Yves Behar to produce “Le Cube,” their new, ultra-stylish HD cable box with DVR and video on demand functions. Looking like a Wii all dressed up for a formal event, Le Cube blends simple geometry with simple colors to create something that’s visually striking.

But looks aside, this thing puts all of its interactive electronics and LED display into the black square portion of the box, leaving the rest relatively unscathed. It even comes with a remote control that matches the black and white motif. Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t mind moving to France just to have this in my living room. Le Cube will be available for Canal+ subscribers around November 4.” [source]

tags: france, french, cable box, canal plus, olpc, jawbone, le cube, yves behar

WWF France (World Wildlife Fund) is turning 35 years old. Remembering their 35 years of struggle to save natural habitats and wildlife, and their 35 years of helping to protect biodiversity, the WWF is taking their icon/mascot, the panda, as a theme to “celebrate” these 35 years of combating the disappearance of pandas and thousands of other species of animals in danger. There are only 1600 pandas left on earth because Man has accelerated their extinction. The exhibit of 1600 pandas at the Trocadero is a call to action for each person to do their part in helping to reverse the deterioration of our natural environment.

1600 Pandas - WWF
Trocadero, Paris
October 18, 2008
10am - 5pm

tags: france, french, pandas, wwf, trocadero

The Cafe de la grande bourse is probably one the best placed cafes in Nimes, one that offers a good view of the colosseum and a main side walk, perfect for people watching. It had been a while since I was in Nimes, and it looks like over the last 5 years or so, they’ve cleaned things up tremendously, and it’s now a nicer place for walking and sightseeing.

tags: france, cafe, nimes, colosseum, arena

The French animated short, Skhizein, written and directed by Jeremy Clapin has earned several awards (The Cannes’ Kodak Prize for Best Animated Short, Animafest’s Best Film, Palm Spring’s 2nd Best Film…). It’s a story about Henri, a cute little guy who unfortunately gets struck by a 150,000 ton meteor. Luckily, he survives! Sort of. From that moment on, if he wants to move or do anything like answer the phone or sit in a chair, he has to judge his distance 91 centimeters (3 feet) away because he exists 91 centimeters from where he used to exist…

There will be a special night dedicated to the making of SKHIZEIN in Paris, where you’ll be able to see Jeremy Clapin’s first short, Une Histoire Vertébrale, followed by SKHIZEIN. Jeremy will also introduce the crew along with presenting the different stages involved in the making of the film.

Une soirée consacrée à la création de Skhizein - October 20, 2008, 7:30pm
LE DENFERT
24, place Denfert-Rochereau
75014 - Metro Denfert-Rochereau.
Admission: 5€
Website: Skhizein
Email Contact: jeremy@muiye.com

tags: france, french, films, skhizein, short animated films

Thought these were funny. Find them here.

tags: french, paris, i heart paris, condoms, souvenirs

From bbc:

“Football matches in France will be called off immediately if spectators jeer during the French national anthem, says the country’s sports minister.

France’s national anthem was booed in Tuesday’s friendly win over Tunisia.

“Any match at which our national anthem is whistled at will be immediately stopped,” said Roselyne Bachelot.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the booing was “insulting” and that in the event of a repeat it would be necessary “to call off matches”.

“It’s insulting for France, it’s insulting for the players of the French team, it should not be tolerated,” he added.

“I think we should stop the matches when the anthems, whichever they are, are booed.”

Two goals from Thierry Henry gave France coach Raymond Domenech a much needed boost in cementing a 3-1 win in Paris.

But the booing and whistling by some in the crowd - many of them Tunisian - as the French anthem was played infuriated France’s political establishment.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has demanded an investigation into the matter.

President Sarkozy’s aides said he had summoned French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes following the “scandalous incidents which occurred at the Stade de France”.

Bachelot added: “Government members will immediately leave the arena where our national anthem has been whistled.

“When whistling of our national anthem happens, all friendly games with the country concerned will be suspended for a period yet to be determined by the federation president.”

Sports Minister Bernard Laporte has suggested that France no longer play friendlies against Maghreb region countries.

There have been similar problems in recent years in matches against Algeria and Morocco.

Friendlies against North African sides traditionally attract widespread support from sizeable immigrant communities in and around the French capital.

Some booed when the names of the French players were read out over the PA system before kickoff, reaching a crescendo for Hatem Ben Arfa, born in France to Tunisian parents.

Arfa opted to play for the country of his birth despite overtures from the Tunisian Federation.

“I’m not really angry with them,” said Ben Arfa. “It’s a bit of a shame but it’s not a major problem. They need to exist, you have to understand them.”

tags: france, french, football, boo, french anthem

This spot for a new Dominos pizza was on the other night, and it made me realize that it’s so France specific. You wouldn’t find the French La Savoyarde pizza (topped with light Crème fraîche, Mozzarella, smoked fatty bacon, potatoes and a very strong smelling Reblochon cheese) in the U.S. just like you wouldn’t find the very American Bacon Cheeseburger Feast Pizza in France.

I suppose you wouldn’t find the “Orientale” in the U.S. either, which is topped with some veggies and “double merguez.” See the French Dominos Pizza List versus the American Pizza List.

Another silly bit of trivia I found was that you can order Côtes de Provence Rosé, an AOC wine, at any of the 136 Dominos in France. Yeah, there are THAT many in France!

tags: france, french, dominos france, la savoyarde, pizza

Over several years now, a strange thing has happened in France: the coffee started to suck. Yes, there were cafes that served terrible coffee forever, but for the most part in the early 2000s, it was still flavorful, very drinkable sludge espresso. It was French coffee, the coffee that I expected to have each time I came to France. I liked it, and the quality was very consistent from cafe to cafe. So when we moved to France six years ago, I was happy to be able to live the cafe experience, meeting people, hanging out, watching passers-by and sipping tasty coffee as often as I pleased. I used to always be surprised that I wouldn’t get the shakes if I had a double shot. However, soon afterward, I began not really enjoying my cuppa because of a declining quality, and in some cases, I developed a strange rash from drinking some brands of coffee, not to mention, getting the shakes (which I get when I drink American coffee). Slowly and surely, I reduced my consumption of coffee, and today, I don’t drink any coffee, whatsoever.

I miss it but I can’t seem to find anything I like. Apparently, I am not alone.

More and more people have stopped going to cafes, which has forced many cafes to close. In fact, since the beginning of this year, 610 cafes in France have closed their doors to the public forever. They just couldn’t make it. Many of these cafes had been in business for many generations.

Why did this happen? Expert have found many reasons that have played a contributing role, but for me, ultimately two were responsible, and it’s specifically these reasons that acted as the final coups de grace:

1.) The Case of the Free Coffee Machines - In the early 2000s, thousands of cafes were offered “free machines” for their establishments. “Free” is not entirely accurate and this “free” had heavy strings attached. In exchange for the free machines, the cafes were obliged to use coffee supplied by the company that offered the free machines. Guess what? That coffee is CRAP, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out which company offered the free machines. (see appropriately numbered, number 2 below)

2.) Good coffee companies were bought by evil corporations - There is no doubt in my mind that corporate mergers brought quality down in coffee; it happened right before my very eyes and taste buds.

There are other factors why cafes have shut down.

3.) People stopped going to cafes. Why? The coffee sucked! Also #4 below.

4.) Weak Purchasing Power - Crazy inflation occurred when France turned to the euro. Prices went up but salaries did not. That said, even with less money to dedicate to little luxuries, I feel that people would still frequent cafes if the coffee was good.

5.) The popularity of home coffee makers using capsules - I hate these with a passion, and I hate that they have become so popular. I don’t care what they taste like because I find them to be very unfriendly to the environment. So wasteful. Why oh WHY did George Cluny agree to do those “What Else” spots? Doesn’t he CARE? Having said that, I think people in general were looking for alternatives to find more tasty coffees since they couldn’t find them at the cafes.

6.) The Smoking Ban - Since smoking is no longer allowed in