Michel Gondry’s latest is charming but slight, and its typical teen-boy obsessions about boobs and bullies are already well-trod ground. I’m “biast” (pro): have enjoyed Gondry’s films
I’m “biast” (con): tired of movies about teenaged boys
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Turns out that typical teen-boy obsessions — longings to touch boobs and deal smackdowns to bullies, etc — are pretty much the same even when they’re subtitled. So the latest from writer-director Michel Gondry (Mood Indigo) feels very familiar and, worse yet, very slight, lacking the fantastical whimsy of some of his earlier films and coasting, often literally, on the charms of its young misfits, though they are nicely drawn. Fourteen-year-old Daniel (Ange Dargent) — a sensitive artist called Microbe by mean classmates because he’s so small for his age — finds a pal in the school new boy, Théo (Théophile Baquet...
I’m “biast” (con): tired of movies about teenaged boys
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Turns out that typical teen-boy obsessions — longings to touch boobs and deal smackdowns to bullies, etc — are pretty much the same even when they’re subtitled. So the latest from writer-director Michel Gondry (Mood Indigo) feels very familiar and, worse yet, very slight, lacking the fantastical whimsy of some of his earlier films and coasting, often literally, on the charms of its young misfits, though they are nicely drawn. Fourteen-year-old Daniel (Ange Dargent) — a sensitive artist called Microbe by mean classmates because he’s so small for his age — finds a pal in the school new boy, Théo (Théophile Baquet...
- 8/3/2016
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Michel Gondry made his first movie 15 years ago, and he never really stopped, although most moviegoers will struggle to name them all. It’s a pretty short list — he’s directed another feature every two to three years—but his playful oeuvre, which includes large-scale and minuscule productions in both English and French, follows such a jagged path that Gondry has himself become a living paradox: While his name conjures a unique handmade aesthetic and surreal, dreamlike experiences of lost souls, his output wanders so much that his films easily slip below most people’s radars.
“I feel forgotten sometimes,” he said during a conversation in New York last week. “It’s a bit disorienting.” The occasion for the conversation provided a perfect example of that disconnect: a new Gondry movie few people have heard about. At the end of last year, “Microbe and Gasoline,” Gondry’s eighth feature, had yet to land U.
“I feel forgotten sometimes,” he said during a conversation in New York last week. “It’s a bit disorienting.” The occasion for the conversation provided a perfect example of that disconnect: a new Gondry movie few people have heard about. At the end of last year, “Microbe and Gasoline,” Gondry’s eighth feature, had yet to land U.
- 7/15/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
The two boys of Microbe and Gasoline are pre-naturally wise, casually uttering profound truths about sadness, pain, and time, but the smartest observation comes when one says, “I can’t decide whether you’re a genius or an idiot” to the other. The answer is a mixture of both, and that’s the beauty of Michel Gondry’s interpretation of the classical coming-of-age story: over and over, Gondry allows his characters to fail, but he doesn’t use these sequences as signposts about cosmic consequences. Rather, it’s a thoughtful recognition that growing up isn’t a series of wish-fulfillment scenarios, but a time to fall on your face and pick yourself up.
Daniel (Ange Dargent) is a soft-spoken, shaggy-haired-artist-type who gets along better with his crush, Laura (Diane Besnier) than the other boys. He’s treats the present with a wistful resignation, but he’s barely able to deal...
Daniel (Ange Dargent) is a soft-spoken, shaggy-haired-artist-type who gets along better with his crush, Laura (Diane Besnier) than the other boys. He’s treats the present with a wistful resignation, but he’s barely able to deal...
- 7/8/2016
- by Michael Snydel
- The Film Stage
It feels wrong to say that the man responsible for something as achingly tender as the high-concept romantic masterpiece Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is only getting personal with his work now. And yet, French director Michel Gondry's new comic adventure Microbe and Gasoline may just might be the wizard of whimsy's most intimate picture to date. Drawing on his own experiences as a Gallic grade-school hooligan tinkering with homemade contraptions, he's filtered his memories of childhood into a buddy comedy that bridges the gap between how it happened,...
- 7/8/2016
- Rollingstone.com
To help sift through the increasing number of new releases (independent or otherwise), the Weekly Film Guide is here! Below you’ll find basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.
Starting this month, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for July 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, July 1. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
The Bfg
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement, Mark Rylance, Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, Ruby Barnhill
Synopsis: The Bfg is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It’s lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been...
Starting this month, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for July 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, July 1. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
The Bfg
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement, Mark Rylance, Penelope Wilton, Rebecca Hall, Ruby Barnhill
Synopsis: The Bfg is no ordinary bone-crunching giant. He is far too nice and jumbly. It’s lucky for Sophie that he is. Had she been...
- 7/1/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
The reputation of writer-director Michel Gondry is built more on concepts than characters. His name conjures artistic images: a Chemical Brothers kaleidoscope; Lego White Stripes; the cobbled-together videos of “Be Kind, Rewind”; vanishing reality in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” In Gondry’s new film, “Microbe & Gasoline,” he puts people first in a charming if comfortably familiar coming-of-age tale. Two high school boys, chafing at their social-outcast status, build a cautious friendship and eventually take to the back roads of France in a homemade vehicle. Daniel (Ange Dargent) scrawls raw portraits of friends and relatives as he yearns for.
- 7/1/2016
- by Russ Fischer
- The Wrap
In 2008, the satirical website The Onion published a story entitled “Michel Gondry Entertained For Days By New Cardboard Box,” poking a bit of fun at the French filmmaker’s ability to find whimsy and imagination in the most unexpected of places. That Gondry’s movies revel in the fantastic and often eschew anything resembling the cynical is hardly news, but that he’s continued to invest himself in the creation of those kind of films (save for that brief foray into superhero fare with “The Green Hornet”) is certainly worth pointing out on a regular basis.
Read More: ‘Microbe and Gasoline’: Michel Gondry’s Latest Film Gets Whimsical And Inspiring New Trailer
His latest, “Microbe and Gasoline,” is another example of exactly that. Finally getting a release in the U.S. nearly a year after it opened in France (and ten months since it first played in the States,...
Read More: ‘Microbe and Gasoline’: Michel Gondry’s Latest Film Gets Whimsical And Inspiring New Trailer
His latest, “Microbe and Gasoline,” is another example of exactly that. Finally getting a release in the U.S. nearly a year after it opened in France (and ten months since it first played in the States,...
- 6/29/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The U.S. rollout of Microbe & Gasoline has been approaching so quietly, you’d be forgiven for not realizing Michel Gondry had a new film at all. But he does, and it’s coming to our shores this weekend, and based on the footage we’ve seen so far it looks pretty damn adorable. Ange Dargent and Théophile Baquet play Daniel and […]
The post ‘Microbe & Gasoline’ Clip: Michel Gondry’s Charming Tale of Teen Friendship appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Microbe & Gasoline’ Clip: Michel Gondry’s Charming Tale of Teen Friendship appeared first on /Film.
- 6/28/2016
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
Microbe And Gasoline (Microbe et Gasoil) Partizan Films Reviewed by: Harvey Karten, Shockya Grade: B Director: Michel Gondry Written by: Michel Gondry Cast: Ange Dargent, Théophile Baquet, Diane Besnier, Audrey Tautou, Vincent Lamoureux, Agathe Peigney Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 5/21/16 Opens: July 1, 2016 What a delightful little piece! Michel Gondry, whose “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” hints of the writer-director’s surreal bent, as that movie deals with two characters who seek to erase memories of each other from their minds, now tackles the really special time of adolescence. Two teens, Daniel (Ange Dargent), called Microbe because of his small shape, and Théo (Théophile Baquet, called Gasoline because [ Read More ]
The post Microbe and Gasoline Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Microbe and Gasoline Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 6/28/2016
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
"A house with wheels?" "Exactamundo!" Screen Media Films has debuted the official Us trailer for Michel Gondry's latest feature film, called Microbe & Gasoline, about two funky kids named Microbe & Gasoline. I wasn't a fan of Gondry's last film, Mood Indigo, but this is one is fantastic - he gets back to his roots, telling a very charming story of two quirky friends escaping on a road trip and what it means to have a real friend who is just as weird as you are. Starring Ange Dargent and Théophile Baquet, plus Audrey Tautou, the film is actually a must see if you're a fan of Michel Gondry's films or coming-of-age adventures. I'm glad I had the chance to see this and do recommend it to anyone who is curious to give it a watch. Enjoy. Here's the official Us trailer for Michel Gondry's Microbe & Gasoline, in high def from Apple: Microbe,...
- 5/7/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
It’s been some time since a Michel Gondry-directed (fiction) feature really earned proper attention, which might explain why Microbe & Gasoline, very well-received though it may have been, didn’t stand out during its handful of fall festival appearances. But people did respond with kind words, in many instances calling it the man’s finest work since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Microbe & Gasoline has been picked up, albeit quietly, for a U.S. release, and so there is a domestic trailer. Showcasing the wild (but hopefully not too whimsical) adventures taken up by stars Ange Dargent and Théophile Baquet, it’s almost exactly how one would expect a comedic and foreign-language coming-of-age movie to be sold. Judging by the material and advance praise, this should make for a nice respite from the blockbuster glut.
Have a look at the preview (via Apple) and new poster (via Twitch...
Microbe & Gasoline has been picked up, albeit quietly, for a U.S. release, and so there is a domestic trailer. Showcasing the wild (but hopefully not too whimsical) adventures taken up by stars Ange Dargent and Théophile Baquet, it’s almost exactly how one would expect a comedic and foreign-language coming-of-age movie to be sold. Judging by the material and advance praise, this should make for a nice respite from the blockbuster glut.
Have a look at the preview (via Apple) and new poster (via Twitch...
- 5/6/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Screen Media Films has acquired U.S. rights to Michel Gondry‘s “Microbe and Gasoline” from StudioCanal, the company announced Tuesday. Screen Media will release the film on July 1 in New York (Landmark Sunshine Cinema) and Los Angeles (Nuart Theater) before expanding in a traditional platform release throughout July and August. “Microbe & Gasoline,” which premiered at the 2015 New York Film Festival, follows two young friends who embark on a road trip across France in a vehicle they built themselves. Ange Dargent and Theophile Baquet star alongside Audrey Tautou of “Amelie” fame. Also Read: Michel Gondry's 'Mood Indigo' Starring Audrey Tautou Acquired.
- 4/26/2016
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Screen Media Films has acquired U.S. rights to writer-director Michel Gondry’s Microbe & Gasoline, which bowed at the 2015 New York Film Festival. A July 1 release is planned in New York (the Landmark Sunshine Cinema) and Los Angeles (the Nuart Theatre) ahead of a platform release. The StudioCanal pic is about two young friends who embark on a road trip across France in a vehicle they built themselves. Ange Dargent, Theophile Baquet and Audrey Tautou star. Georges Bermann…...
- 4/26/2016
- Deadline
Plus: Sylvia Hoeks joins Alcon’s Blade Runner sequel; Screen Media acquires Michel Gondry’s Microbe & Gasoline; and more…
Miramax announced on Tuesday that it has optioned film rights to Matthew Quick’s upcoming novel The Reason You’re Alive.
Allison Shearmur (Cinderella, the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) will produce the story about a Vietnam veteran who undergoes brain surgery and sets out to atone for a past injustice affecting his son.
Quick’s previous book was The Silver Linings Playbook.
Dutch actress Sylvia Hoeks has been hired in a leading role alongside Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas and Dave Bautista in Alcon Entertainment’s Blade Runner sequel. Denis Villeneueve is scheduled to start shooting in July. Hoeks starred in local box office hit Tirza, the Dutch foreign-language Oscar submission in 2010. Warner Bros will distribute the sci-fi project in North America and Sony Pictures Releasing International in remaining global territories...
Miramax announced on Tuesday that it has optioned film rights to Matthew Quick’s upcoming novel The Reason You’re Alive.
Allison Shearmur (Cinderella, the upcoming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) will produce the story about a Vietnam veteran who undergoes brain surgery and sets out to atone for a past injustice affecting his son.
Quick’s previous book was The Silver Linings Playbook.
Dutch actress Sylvia Hoeks has been hired in a leading role alongside Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas and Dave Bautista in Alcon Entertainment’s Blade Runner sequel. Denis Villeneueve is scheduled to start shooting in July. Hoeks starred in local box office hit Tirza, the Dutch foreign-language Oscar submission in 2010. Warner Bros will distribute the sci-fi project in North America and Sony Pictures Releasing International in remaining global territories...
- 4/26/2016
- ScreenDaily
This playful comedy drama, about two boys running away from home, is all you’d expect from Michel Gondry, and its geekiness makes it all the more lovable
If this film were a person, you’d want to give it a big hug, as you would a gawky teenager, and reassure it that it will be tough out there, that not everyone is going to get its idiosyncratic charms, but that’s Ok because it’s awesome just the way it is.
Michel Gondry’s spiky-sweet comedy drama centres on two such 14-year-old outsiders: scrawny, girlish-looking Daniel (Ange Dargent) and more confident but jagged Théo (Théophile Baquet). A pair of geeks who don’t really fit in with their own families, let alone the Versailles high school they attend, they decide to run away from home. Sure, they have adventures, but all that hiding from cops, nearly getting beaten up...
If this film were a person, you’d want to give it a big hug, as you would a gawky teenager, and reassure it that it will be tough out there, that not everyone is going to get its idiosyncratic charms, but that’s Ok because it’s awesome just the way it is.
Michel Gondry’s spiky-sweet comedy drama centres on two such 14-year-old outsiders: scrawny, girlish-looking Daniel (Ange Dargent) and more confident but jagged Théo (Théophile Baquet). A pair of geeks who don’t really fit in with their own families, let alone the Versailles high school they attend, they decide to run away from home. Sure, they have adventures, but all that hiding from cops, nearly getting beaten up...
- 11/5/2015
- by Leslie Felperin
- The Guardian - Film News
In his most satisfying film since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Gondry crafts an optimistic adolescent adventure from the mess of real life
It’s hard to know what we’ll end up calling this phase of Michel Gondry’s career, but it’s certainly been unpredictable. He’s made four non-Hollywood movies since 2011’s big budget disappointment The Green Hornet, the unlikely superhero entry starring Seth Rogen. There was a guerrilla-style experiment with non-actors on a New York City bus (The We and the I), an undiluted hit of love-drenched visual whimsy (Mood Indigo) and a hand-drawn animated rap session between himself and Noam Chomsky (Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy?). While each were innovative, these were peculiar and particular films. With the French-language Microbe and Gasoline, Gondry has made his most satisfying movie since his 2004 masterpiece Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Consider it an anti-Superbad.
It’s hard to know what we’ll end up calling this phase of Michel Gondry’s career, but it’s certainly been unpredictable. He’s made four non-Hollywood movies since 2011’s big budget disappointment The Green Hornet, the unlikely superhero entry starring Seth Rogen. There was a guerrilla-style experiment with non-actors on a New York City bus (The We and the I), an undiluted hit of love-drenched visual whimsy (Mood Indigo) and a hand-drawn animated rap session between himself and Noam Chomsky (Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy?). While each were innovative, these were peculiar and particular films. With the French-language Microbe and Gasoline, Gondry has made his most satisfying movie since his 2004 masterpiece Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Consider it an anti-Superbad.
- 9/29/2015
- by Jordan Hoffman
- The Guardian - Film News
Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks, will make its World Premiere at the 53rd New York International Film Festival, running from September 25 to October 11. The film was one of 26 announced as part of the festival’s main slate, along with one of four World Premieres.
Some of the main slate highlights include Todd Haynes’s Carol, featuring Cannes Best Actress Winner Rooney Mara alongside Cate Blanchett, Miguel Gomes’s three part saga Arabian Nights, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin, the Us premiere of Michael Moore’s latest Where to Invade Next, Michel Gondry’s French film Microbe et Gasoil, and the World Premiere of the documentary Don’t Blink: Robert Frank, about the life of the fames photographer and filmmaker.
Previously announced films include the World Premiere of The Walk, Robert Zemeckis’s Philippe Petit biopic serving as the opening night film, the World Premiere of...
Some of the main slate highlights include Todd Haynes’s Carol, featuring Cannes Best Actress Winner Rooney Mara alongside Cate Blanchett, Miguel Gomes’s three part saga Arabian Nights, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s The Assassin, the Us premiere of Michael Moore’s latest Where to Invade Next, Michel Gondry’s French film Microbe et Gasoil, and the World Premiere of the documentary Don’t Blink: Robert Frank, about the life of the fames photographer and filmmaker.
Previously announced films include the World Premiere of The Walk, Robert Zemeckis’s Philippe Petit biopic serving as the opening night film, the World Premiere of...
- 8/13/2015
- by Brian Welk
- SoundOnSight
Flying mostly under the radar, Michel Gondry's "Microbe And Gasoline" is yet another very budget endeavor for the filmmaker who always manages to find new ways to repurpose cardboard. While the phrase Gondry-esque is perhaps thrown around too often, this latest is one you truly can't imagine coming from anybody else. Ange Dargent and Théophile Bacquet lead the movie (which also has an appearance by Gondry's "Mood Indigo" star Audrey Tautou) in the tale of Microbe and Diesel, two pals who decide that summer with their respective families won't be any fun. Instead, they build their own wacky car and hit the highway for an adventure that takes them across France. Read More: Interview: Michel Gondry On 'Mood Indigo,' Fancy Props, And The Future Of Stop-Motion Animation The film opens in France on July 8th. There's no U.S. distribution yet, so no word on if/when it might land here.
- 6/19/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
This sounds like it's going to be so much fun. The first photo from the new Michel Gondry film has hit the web. Gondry moves quickly and quietly when working in France, we didn't even know this was shot yet. Microbe et Gasoil, as it's titled (or Microbe and Gasoil), is already filmed and stars Ange Dargent and Théophile Baquet as the two boys, along with Audrey Tautou. This first photo won't make sense until you hear the plot, then you'll have a big smile on your face when you realize. "As the summer holidays approach, the two friends don't want to spend two months in the company of their families, so they build their own 'car' out of a motor mower and some planks of wood, and set off on an adventure on the roads of France." Here's the first photo for Microbe et Gasoil, posted by Film Divider...
- 5/15/2015
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
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