Dancing at Chaillot… just like in Seville!
Fawesome Rafaela Carrasco! On February 3, the beautiful Spanish dancer and choreographer, surrounded by her troupe of dancers, singers and guitarists, set the Palais de Chaillot on fire for the opening of the 5e Biennial of Flamenco Art in Paris. The Eiffel Tower sparkled a few meters away, the Trocadero was in the mist, but, on the stands of the Palais de la danse, the Parisian spectators drummed with the tips of their shoes and shouted sunny “olé”… Five years ago, in partnership with the Biennale of Seville, the Palais de Chaillot allows enthusiasts and simply curious people to see and hear the best of the flamenco tradition, but also to discover its rising stars and very contemporary experiments. This year, in six shows, flamenco dares to merge with hip-hop or Greek tragedy, but it also shows itself, as with the famous dancer Farruquito and his six musicians, in its noblest and most authentic light. The untranslatable Elf in the frosts of Paris: run for it!
Fifth Biennial of Flamenco Art, at the National Dance Theater, Palais de Chaillot, until February 18.
Embark on the Nile with Hercule Poirot
Hercule Poirot/Kenneth Branagh is back in front and behind the camera. After the Orient-Express, the Belgian detective with a Franglais accent takes us to the banks of the Nile aboard a luxurious paddle steamer where champagne flows freely. As it should be in Agatha Christie, there are murders and potential culprits. “There is something frightening regarding love sometimes”, warned the novelist in Death on the Nile (1937). Irish actor-director Kenneth Branagh takes her at her word and signs, with screenwriter Michael Green (Blade Runner, 2049), a dark yet brilliant version of the mystery novel. Not a melodrama, but an infernal dive into the twists and turns of passion and revenge. On an electric and sexy mode. Agatha is still there, but she has the blues, like the original music which sticks to “this triangle of love and sex between Jacqueline de Bellefort, Simon and Linnet”, according to the director, who respects the mechanics of precision of the queen of crime, whose refined and very British universe is restored down to the smallest detail. In the casting, many actresses, Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) in the lead, Annette Bening and small news of choice, Emma Mackey (Sex Education, Eiffel)Rose Leslie (Game of Thrones), Sophie Okonedo(Rwanda Hotel) et Letitia Wright (Black Panther). Difficult not to embark on this cruise.
“Death on the Nile”, in theaters.
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Brew sake while reading manga
Fans may fondly remember the drops of god (Glénat), this manga which a few years ago knew how to bring together informed oenologists (like our colleague Jacques Dupont) and laymen around a phenomenal comic saga devoted to the world of wine. Natsuko no Sake would be, in a way, its emulator and worthy heir, but centered this time on one of the national treasures of the Japanese archipelago. Said Natsuko is a young woman working in an agency in Tokyo who decides to return to the Saeki family home, producer of a centuries-old sake. It was the death of her brother, Yasuo, the heir to the estate, which pushed her to take up this challenge and to rub shoulders with competing houses. Assisted by Shinsuke, the toji (master brewer) house, Natsuko explores a world at the frontiers of extreme tradition and controlled innovation, and introduces the reader to a fascinating ancestral process where the which, the famous fermented rice at the source of the making of sake, looks like a golden rain.
«Natsuko no Sake», by Akira Oze (Vega / Dupuis), 6 volumes available.
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Loving tomorrow with singer Iliona
They are Belgian, beautiful, blonde, descendants of artists. They studied at the Decroly school in Uccle, an establishment renowned for its “active pedagogy”. They learned the piano at an early age, and as teenagers posted videos on social media of themselves singing songs they compose, write in French, perform and produce on their own. This is how they were discovered, and this is where the comparison between Angèle and Iliona ends. At 21, the latter has just released a mini-album of nine songs that smack like soap bubbles (special mention for the addictive catchphrase “If you love me tomorrow”). A bath of jumpy and cheerful pop in which it is delicious to immerse yourself.
“Burnt Head”, by Iliona (Aristide).
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Laughing at clichés with “The woman who…”
We know by heart the codes of the type thriller domestic noir ”, Whether in novels, movies or series. An extended title that gladly begins with “The Woman Who…”, a rich and idle heroine who discovers a psychopath in her environment, but no one believes because she is neurotic. In the parody miniseries The Woman Who Lived Opposite the Girl at the Window, all the codes of the genre are brought together and amplified. Anna, a painter lacking in inspiration, an alcoholic since the death of her daughter, convinces herself that her neighbor is a serial killer and conducts an investigation strewn with clichés, improbable twists and telephone conversations. We watch these eight brief episodes between consternation and jubilation. But why devour it? First, because of the brilliant acting of actress Kristen Bell (Veronica Marsalso spotted in the excellent and crazy The Good Place). Then, because it’s really funny. Finally, because this pastiche of our guilty pleasures, terribly credible, outlines a fine reflection on the uninhibited success of these formatted blockbusters.
“The Woman Who Lived Across from the Girl in the Window” on Netflix.
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