Amazing impact of ‘Coco’ Chanel
By Rama Gaind
Coco avant Chanel
Pioneering French fashion designer, Gabrielle Bonheur ‘Coco’ Chanel had an astonishing impact on haute couture in 20th century fashion.
Her attention-grabbing, menswear-inspired fashions displayed a classy simplicity that could not be ignored.
This film follows the life of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel (Audrey Tautou who shines in this role) right from the time she and her older sister Adrienne (Marie Gillain) are dropped off at an orphanage through to her rise as they struggle through their lowly existence, shrewdly using their good looks.
We watch as ‘Coco’ moves towards her dream city of Paris, watch her style develop and meet the men in her life: coarse heir (Benoit Poelvoorde) and the man who was the love of her life Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel (Alessandro Nivola).
The film’s slow pace, at times, is offset by the works of costume designer Catherine Leterrier, director of photography Christophe Beaucarne and the musical score of Alexandre Desplat.
The Proposal
WHILE the lead stars Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds prove to be a likeable pair in The Proposal, the film is pretty bland.
After successful Manhattan book editor Margaret pushes her assistant Andrew into marriage to avoid being deported to Canada, the unlikely couple head to Alaska to meet his atypical family.
Director Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses) has not lessened Peter Chiarelli’s script with tepid emotion.
While Bullock’s comic skills appear ageless at 44, top marks for acting go to 87-year-old Betty White (Sue-Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls) for her high spirits.
Ice Age 3
THE cute characters return with dinosaurs for company, this time round. They enter Dino-land for an adventure which benefits, courtesy of a new character called Buck.
Manny and Ellie await the birth of their mini-mammoth, Sid the sloth gets into trouble when he creates his own makeshift family by hijacking some dinosaur eggs, the saber-toothed tiger, Diego, feels he’s getting too "soft" and Scrat is still trying to pinch the ever-elusive nut (and maybe love is not too far away).
Featuring the voices of Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary and Simon Pegg, this 3D animation gives an edge to entertain viewers of all ages.
