NZTed

This is an absolute gem of a film. I hadn't done my homework - just ticked it a as good option to see in the NZ International Film Festival, but I was hooked form the opening scenes. It's a subtle, beautifully played film, based around a young writer (Leon) who is struggling to put the finishing touches to a novel, while staying at what is turning out to be the holiday home from hell. Leon is his own worst enemy, always makes the wrong choice, and then beats himself up about it. There is a sinister backdrop to the story, and an unsettling tonal shift toward the end - but that's life, right? Despite the dark undercurrent that gradually emerges, the film is also very funny, and therefore works on more than one level - as a study of human behaviour but also as pure entertainment. I loved this film, and I highly recommend it.

All I previously knew of Johnny Hallyday was that he was a big star in France, so this series was a great introduction to him. Judging from one of the other three reviews, he wasn't everyone's cup of tea, and I'd admit that his music is a little outside my own comfort zone. But that doesn't detract from this series, which is an interesting, entertaining, fast-paced (occasionally slightly too fast - it would have been helpful to know what year we were in sometimes) journey through the ups and downs of Johnny's life and career.

Love him or hate him, there's no doubt that he was a cultural colossus in France, so it's was good to have the opportunity to see what made him tick (if indeed he knew himself), and to try and understand why he held so much appeal in his home country, but little outside it. Well worth a watch if you're interested in French culture, pop music in general, or even (obviously) just Johnny himself.