Susanne Bier, director
Anders Thomas Jensen, script from a story by Bier and Jensen

Starring: Pierce Brosnan (Philip), Trine Dyrholm (Ida), Kim Bodnia (Leif), Sebastian Jessen (Patrick), Molly Bixt Egelind (Astrid)

The buzz
A new film by Susanne Bier always attracts attention. The Dane is one of the most accomplished and renowned female filmmakers in the world. She’s won many prizes including the best foreign film Oscar (for In a Better World), a Golden Globe, a TIFF FIPRESCI award, a couple of European Film Awards as well as commendations at Sundance, The Montreal World Film Festival, Rome, Rouen and, yes, even Sudbury.

And she’s landed Pierce Brosnan—yes, an ex-James Bond, as a romantic lead in her new film.

The genres
Zoomer romance; comedy of manners

The premise
Wealthy produce merchant Philip (Pierce Brosnan) and hairdresser Ida (Trine Dyrholm) meet “cute”—she smashes her car into his priceless sports vehicle—while they’re on their way to the wedding of their children Astrid and Patrick.

Ida is recovering from a very bad cancer scare; after chemotherapy, she is actually bald and is wearing a wig. If that isn’t enough, she has just found her husband Leif in bed with another woman after returning home unexpectedly from the hospital. A double whammy! As for Philip, he has never recovered emotionally from his wife’s death.

At first—this being a romantic comedy—they can’t stand each other. But that soon changes as Ida’s beautiful smile and Philip’s politesse warms matters enough for them to understand and share each other’s tragedies.

After a very skillful set of comic and dramatic scenes, their children, Patrick and Astrid, start to seriously question their relationship while Ida and Philip begin to fall in love. (Patrick may be gay; certainly he doesn’t reciprocate Astrid’s advances.) Meanwhile, Leif shows up with his new mistress adding an element of low comedy to the proceedings.

Will true love emerge? What do you think?

The performances
Post James Bond, Pierce Brosnan has often been an amiable presence. While his thespian talents are closer to Hugh rather than Cary Grant, he is an interesting actor to watch. It’s hard not to like him.

The film is absolutely stolen by Trine Dyrholm as the brave, funny, hairdresser. Charming is the obvious word to use for her performance in the film. You could chalk that up to superior casting on the part of Susanne Bier—but then, may I offer a TIFF tale? As it happens, I saw Love is All You Need and another excellent Danish film, A Royal Affair, within two days. In A Royal Affair, Ms. Dyrholm has a “Lady Macbeth” role as a vengeful Queen Mother. There was nary a smile and not a whit of humour in the performance. And it was impressive! IMDB, that “reliable” guide to cinema, notes that Alec Baldwin once called Trine Dyrholm “the best actress” playing today. I’m not sure that’s the case but she clearly makes Love is All You Need her film—and a good film it is.

The director
For Susanne Bier, this film is a relaxation after the rigours of In A Better World. Her films have romantic elements but overall, they tend to be melodramatic with political concerns. That’s particularly true of In A Better World and After the Wedding in which the Danish lead characters are shown to have led idealistic and helpful lives in Africa and Asia but are then forced into hypocritical personal choices in Denmark in order to continue doing the work they believe in.

Here, there’s comedy albeit with tragic overtones. We end up caring for Ida and Philip because they’ve earned a respite from life’s dark dramas. Bier has created a comedy that still has a sharp edge to it.

The skinny
This is truly a Zoomer romantic comedy. It’s the elders we care about and their relative escapes from hard pasts. While this isn’t a major film, Love is All You Need is a charming relaxation worth seeing either in cinemas or on DVD.

Olivier Assayas, director and writer

Starring: Clement Metayer (Gilles), Lola Creton (Christine), Felix Armand (Alain), Carole Combes (Laure), India Menuez (Leslie), Hugo Conzelmann (Jean-Pierre), André Marcon (Gilles’ father)

The buzz
Assayas’ film was placed in competition for the prestigious Golden Palm at last year’s Venice Film Festival. He won the Osella prize for best screenplay. The film had its Canadian premiere at TIFF 2012 and has received mainly laudatory reviews at festivals.

The genres
Coming-of-age; revolutionary ‘60s flick; European art film

The premise
“The events” of May 1968 have only recently ended. The Fifth French Republic had almost capsized under the coalition of radical workers and students clamoring for a socialist—or possibly Communist–state.

Though the Gaullist government has quelled the potential uprising, pockets of radical resistance exist, and are acting up, in France. And similar movements are creating anarchical violence in Italy and Germany.

High school students aren’t just talking about the prom or dating rituals. Some are engaged in active rebellion. Gilles, Jean-Pierre, Christine and their friends are working on underground newspapers, sneaking back into school at night to paint defamatory graffiti on the walls and windows, fighting cops at demonstrations and much more—all in the cause of the revolution.

At the same time, they’re still teenagers, sorting out life and love and what sort of jobs they want to pursue when they finish their education. Gilles, a talented painter, has a beautiful girlfriend, Laure, who breaks up with him soon after Something in the Air begins. Though he misses Laure, Gilles quickly hooks up with Christine, who is, if anything, more committed to the revolutionary cause than him.

During one of the group’s nocturnal attacks on the Establishment, a security guard is nearly killed when one activist drops a huge bag of flour on him from a bridge overlooking their battle. Jean-Pierre, who is not there, is accused of the attack. The rest flee to Italy.

As the security guard recovers, the matter is dropped by the police apart from a lawsuit that the guard instigates against Jean-Pierre. And that, too, is eventually dropped. Gilles takes up painting again though he is occasionally drawn back into radical activity. He sees Laure again at a crazily large party but she’s now into heavy drugs and suffers a tragic end. Christine returns from Italy months after Gilles with their relationship unresolved.

Gilles, Alain, Christine, Jean-Pierre: the four committed high school friends are leading exciting but cloudy lives as the film ends. Will they continue to be Communists or Socialists? Or in thirty years, will they be capitalists, too?

The performances
This is a film that has been largely cast with non-professional actors. No one has to “act” much; they simply have to look like and appear to be Sixties characters. That they do quite well

The director
While this is not a true account of Olivier Assayas’ life, it certainly benefits from the fact that he grew up during that time and had experiences that somewhat resemble that of Gilles. One can’t imagine Something in the Air being made by someone who hadn’t lived through those turbulent times. What’s remarkable is that Assayas is able to evoke the period so exactly—with so much depth and feeling. The dialogue, characters and scenes genuinely bring back those times to this critic, and, I suspect, to many others.

The skinny
Something in the Air is a poetic time capsule of a film, dropped back to Earth after 40 years. Few films have ever given the sense of the aimless anxiety, the romance and the search for truth that so motivated that period. Assayas has created a truly remarkable film that should appeal to nostalgic Zoomers–and young people engaging in their own spiritual and political quests.

Question:
A popular wildlife painter was born in Toronto on this day in 1930. He trained as a naturalist at the Royal Ontario Museum and taught high school geography and art. He began to gain recognition in the 1970’s and has since become a major voice in environmental concerns. Who is he?

Answer:
Robert Bateman

Today’s Winner
Joan Jan of Toronto You win 2 tickets to The New Classical 96.3 FM presentation of the Unique Lives event featuring “Dionne Warwick” at Roy Thomson Hall on June 3, 7:30 pm

PLUS you’ll be entered into our “May VIA Rail Grand Prize” to win a $2,000.00 gift certificate from VIA Rail Canada – A more human way to travel.

WINNERS MUST PICK UP PRIZE HERE at The New Classical 96.3 FM, 70 Jefferson Avenue Mon-Fri, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Winner must show picture ID when picking up prizing.

The Classical Commuter Quiz is brought to you in part by Audi Centre Oakville.

Interesting how we go along in life assuming that we’re aware – even if only peripherally - of all the things, experiences, people that will /can make us happy, fulfilled, uplifted.

Then, out of the blue, along comes something/someone new, and life is different,richer, more interesting.
And that’s just what happened to me on coming across this – how shall I describe it? – eloquent painting by contemporary Cuban painter, Tomas Sanchez…

Incredible Art by Tomas Sanchez

Question:
On this day in 1873, Parliament passes a bill creating the North-West Mounted Police. In what year did they become the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP?

Answer:
1920

Today’s Winner
Mark Harvey of Thornhill You win 2 tickets to The New Classical 96.3 FM presentation of the Unique Lives event featuring “Dionne Warwick” at Roy Thomson Hall on June 3, 7:30 pm

PLUS you’ll be entered into our “May VIA Rail Grand Prize” to win a $2,000.00 gift certificate from VIA Rail Canada – A more human way to travel.

WINNERS MUST PICK UP PRIZE HERE at The New Classical 96.3 FM, 70 Jefferson Avenue Mon-Fri, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Winner must show picture ID when picking up prizing.

The Classical Commuter Quiz is brought to you in part by Audi Centre Oakville.

Nour is 24 years old, I believe. Her painting would communicate utter dismay at any time in history, but the fact that she is Syrian gives it an extra and immediate power and poignancy. I was just finishing my theatre studies and heading off into an uncomplicated future when I was her age…

I wish her the very best of luck

Syria Art by Nour Zantah

Question:
On this day in 1979, Canada’s 16th Prime Minister is elected. Who is he?

Answer:
Joe Clark

Today’s Winner
Robert Adragna of Toronto You win 2 tickets to The New Classical 96.3 FM presentation of the Unique Lives event featuring “Dionne Warwick” at Roy Thomson Hall on June 3, 7:30 pm

PLUS you’ll be entered into our “May VIA Rail Grand Prize” to win a $2,000.00 gift certificate from VIA Rail Canada – A more human way to travel.

WINNERS MUST PICK UP PRIZE HERE at The New Classical 96.3 FM, 70 Jefferson Avenue Mon-Fri, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Winner must show picture ID when picking up prizing.

The Classical Commuter Quiz is brought to you in part by Audi Centre Oakville.

It seems to be dusk, my favourite time of day. Perhaps that’s why this painting has such appeal for me.
Interesting: Monet called it View of Rouen, and no doubt is, but though it has the title it’s not the real subject of the picture, is it?

Nor is it the boat, so prominently placed. It was all all a set-up so he could paint that beautiful water and the sky that goes on forever…
it’s also – to me – a perfect example of how powerful a visual silence can be…

View of Rouen by Claude Monet

Question:
On this day in 1920, radio station XWA begins broadcasting the first regularily scheduled programming in North America. Where did it broadcast from?

Answer:
Montreal

Today’s Winner
Andy DiFrancesco of Mississauga You win 2 tickets to The New Classical 96.3 FM presentation of the Unique Lives event featuring “Dionne Warwick” at Roy Thomson Hall on June 3, 7:30 pm

PLUS you’ll be entered into our “May VIA Rail Grand Prize***” to win a $2,000.00 gift certificate from VIA Rail Canada – A more human way to travel.

**Winners go to Kim’s Convenience on May 30 or June 1 – we cannot guarantee the date to winner – first come – first serve

WINNERS MUST PICK UP PRIZE HERE at The New Classical 96.3 FM, 70 Jefferson Avenue Mon-Fri, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Winner must show picture ID when picking up prizing.

The Classical Commuter Quiz is brought to you in part by Audi Centre Oakville.