C'est la vie (1990) is an autobiographical film by Diane Kurys (Entre Nous), and takes place during the summer of her 13th year. It is a slice of life film, and shows how she, and those around her, cope with the divorce of her parents. The family is to spend the summer at the beach, with her mother's half sister and her family. This has been an annual event. She has been picking up overtones that her parents marriage is not a happy one, and, at the train station, her mother hustles her and her sister on the train with their nanny, and announces that she won't be there for a few weeks. It shapes up to be the best summer of her life. She delights in tormenting her nanny, romancing her older cousin, and enjoying her joker of an uncle. Then her mother arrives -- with a lover, and the children learn that they will be moving to Paris with their mother. Then, their father arrives. He doesn't want the divorce, and tries to play the kids against their mother to stop it.

One reviewer called it half coming of age, half tragedy of divorce, and said that the two stories fought each other. Not every story with a girl on the cusp of womanhood is a coming of age story, and Frédérique (Julie Bataille) is the same child at the end of the film that she was at the beginning. She is ready to start High School, and her family will never be together again, but there is no loss of innocence here, or coming of age. All of the children from both families, which range in age from 5 to 15, play together, and gladly. One of the things that makes this film for me is the absolute believability of the characters. Frédérique, writing in her diary, says of her older cousin, "He says he slept with a girl. I didn't belive him, but he gave me details, and now I am not so sure." When they sneak into a sand castle contest for members of a beach club, and one of her cousins is declared the winner, then disqualified because he is not a member, all the kids sneak back late at night and burn the club playground down.

As for the adults, they are an equally entertaining mix. Valéria Bruni-Tedeschi as the governess is the perfect butt of the kids jokes, and provides the only exposure. She is lying on her stomach with her top undone to avoid tan lines, when the uncle hollers, "scorpion." She jumps up, exposing her breasts. The uncle is a joker, but has a temper. The aunt is pregnant yet again. The mother has thrown caution to the wind and is having an affair with a starving artist. The artist is going to New York, and expects her to drop everything and go with him. The father is self absorbed, and sees nothing wrong with using his kids to apply pressure on the mother.

IMDB readers have this at 6.3 of 10. Ebert, in a thoughtful review, awarded 2 1/2 stars. His main complaint was that he wanted more resolution, commenting that he was not convinced even the film maker knew what effect the divorce had on the kids. I would guess that Kurys is still sorting out her feelings about her parents' breakup. The trailer was a montage of scenes from the film with an English voice-over by Kurys, who said that it was the best summer of her life, that ended with the most shattering experience of her life. She translated C'est la vie, which we usually think of as Such is Life as That's Life. I didn't detect the usual cynical view that life sucks, so what, in her tone, but rather that life is what it is. I enjoyed this film very much, but your mileage will vary. C.

Movies:

The Life of David Gale (2003)

I've watched this movie so much lately that I can call David Gale "Dave". I came upon a better copy of the film, so here are the more revealing images of Laura Linney. These show her breasts clearly, and just a hint of the ol' Delta of Venus. As of early 2000, this gal was 35 years old, had never shown a damn thing, and it looked like she never would, because she was getting Oscar nominations without stripping.

Boy was that wrong.

Once she removed her clothing in The Maze, it seemed to be a liberating experience for her. Now she won't put 'em back on. She got naked in The Life of David Gale and it wasn't even necessary. She had a bag over her head, and could have used a body double, but didn't.

• Laura Linney (1, 2, 3, 4)

Updates:

• Updated volumes: J-LO, Laura Linney, Courtney Love, Virginie Ledoyen, Kelly Lynch, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Lucy Liu
• New volumes: Lauren Hays, Griffin Drew, Suzanna Hamilton

Mailbox:

Scoop: Jenny Agutter always appeared to be so unselfconscious, exposing herself on film while delivering respectable performances.  That set her apart, in a way, and I was wondering what ever became of her. Hopefully, she's alive, happy and still naked somewhere out there.  Any info on her?

• Not much. She lives in Cornwall, has been married for a long time to the same guy and, as far as I know, she hasn't been naked in public since 1981, despite a propitious start in her film nudity career. I guess you have to be British to know what she's doing now because IMDB says she has been in a bunch of TV mini-series in the U.K in the past five years or so. 
   
  It seems that one never sees her in movies, and she doesn't do any TV shows that reach the USA, as far as I can see.  I never watched the "telly" when I lived in London in the 90's, so I didn't see her then. In fact, I can't remember seeing her in 15 years except for her small role in Blue Juice, and I don't even remember that. I watched Blue Juice, IMDb says she is in that movie, and I specifically mentioned her in my review, so I must have seen her, but I'll be darned if I can remember what she did in that film. My review says she played Queen Guinevere in some dream or fantasy sequences, so I did obviously take note of her at the time, and I mentioned that she looked "lovely" (She was in her mid 40's at the time, and has now turned 50)
   
  She's done a few more minor movie roles recently, even appeared in a John Duigan (Sirens, Lawn Dogs) movie, so I guess she's getting her feet back in the water. In fact, IMDB says she is currently STARRING - first billing, no less - in a new thriller - supposed release date 2002. (I don't know a damned thing about it. Never heard of it). Here's the link  http://us.imdb.com/Details?0292155

Other crap:

• How bad is the economic situation in Zimbabwe? The government needs to print more money, but can't, because they can't afford the paper which banknotes are printed on.

• up J-Lo's skirt, and other forbidden secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood

• "So you want to be a contestant on a reality TV show like Fox's new "Married by America?" Well, be prepared to get warehoused like a detainee at Guantanamo Bay to help maintain the program's supposed "integrity." Amusing internal memo at:" http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/marriedby1.html

• To the Batpole, Robin. Adam West and Burt Ward reunite

• Weapons of Mass Seduction - from Page Three

• "In other TV news, one of this year's American Idol finalists has been charged with assault in connection with a bar brawl that ended last November in the death of a 39-year-old Pennsylvania man. Details at: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/jaereda1.html

• New Jersey housewife find's Hitler's mummified head in garage sale. (Weekly World News)

• Tourette Syndrome Barbie. The video is in English, even though the site is in Dutch

• The "Married by America" chick, Jill Nicolini, has "posed for Playboy". The Playboy database doesn't list her, so I guess she was in the so-called "newsstand specials".  Here's her bikini shoot from Vampirella. Here's an image search from "All the web" (be sure to turn off the offensive content filter, so you can enjoy the most offensive stuff)

• Sergei Federov confirms that he and Kournikova were married briefly
  
  
   

What're the odds?

Odds to win the 2003 NCAA Mens Basketball Championship

(Closing Date: Mar 15, 2003 14:00)

Win odds listed as payoff on $1 bet. 4.0 is the same as "three to one".

Ohio State is lookin' a mite sluggish

• Sheryl Lee topless in a 3-way love scene from "Kiss the Sky" (1999).

Be sure to pay Graphic Response a visit at his website. www.graphic-barry.com.

A return to "Bacchanales Sexuelles" from 1973. Joelle Coeur shows all as she has a romp with her girlfriends boyfriend. I guess that's what friends do share.

And just a quick look at a legend Racquel Welch showing a little cleavage from an episode of "Lois & Clark".

• Joelle Coeur (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
• Racquel Welch

Here's a real quick scan of Janina Frostell, a very popular Finnish (bikini) model and a singer. She never has posed naked so this is better than nothing.

I believe there have been images of her previously in the Funhouse, so we know that she has a very ample bosom and that's the side of her we still really would like to see...

Desiree Marie Velez
(1, 2, 3, 4)

McDONALD'S TRIES OFFERING McFRUIT
Now Try Getting A Fat Kid To Order It - McDonald's restaurants in England are responding to recent lawsuits over their food being fattening by putting fresh fruit on the menu, such as sliced apples, grapes and a fruit drink. Nutritionists still weren't satisfied and complained that the drink has added sweeteners, preservatives, coloring and only 9 percent fruit juice.