Photo of the Week
Just a dusting of snow on Montmartre's cobblestones on Tuesday. Photo: Eric Tenin of Paris Daily Photo.
Wednesday, 08 February 2012 11:13
Paris Update Flash News
TRENDY TAPAS
The bar at Mojita et Bob on Rue Oberkampf.
The lower stretch of Rue Oberkampf might well get its mojo back from the Belleville end with the recent arrival of tapas bar/restaurant Mojita et Bob (3, rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris; tel.: 01 58 30 88 59), run by a charming young husband and wife team, and animated by the buzz of a happy young crowd. "Bob," by the way, is not the husband's name – it refers to "bring your own bottle," but they have plenty on hand, along with an extensive cocktail list, including, of course, mojitos. The tapas come from the creative end of the spectrum, with most dishes served in glasses or ramekins on rectangles of slate. Expect blood sausage with spiced banana and speculoos, grilled polenta with Emmenthal and Espelette peppers, pea mousse with chorizo, sardine rillettes, all very tasty. Not a patatas bravas in sight. It's a long way from the simple origins of authentic Spanish tapas, but these are done so well that you can forgive the occasional forays into culinary gymnastics. Colin Eaton
Wednesday, 08 February 2012 11:13
Paris Update Flash News
GOURMET GROUPON
An illustration from GourmanDeal′s Web Site.
Two young (24 and 26) French businessmen, tired of working for big corporations, have had the excellent idea of launching GourmanDeal, an upscale, more exclusive Groupon-style site for restaurants only, great news for those of us who have had far-less-than-satisfactory experiences with Groupon restaurants (read all about it here). GourmanDeal (in French only for the moment) offers an opportunity to try more expensive eateries like the excellent Le Quinze de Lionel Fleury without breaking the bank. The site′s founders, Damien Nantermet and Bruno Bouzid, promise to keep their standards high and plan to expand to other French and European cities. Heidi Ellison
Paris Update This Week's Events
For full details about an event, click on its name to visit the official Web site (in English when available).
Festival Au Fil des Voix
World music artists from Tunisia, Morocco, Guinea, Italy, Greece and more. Alhambra, Paris, through Feb. 11.
Ice Skating Rinks
Hôtel de Ville, Paris, through March 4.
Leonardo Live
> Filmed tour of the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the National Gallery in London, various cinemas, Paris, Feb. 16.
London Calling
> Festival of British films, Forum des Images, Paris, through Feb. 29.
Paris Fine Art
> Art and antique fair, Palais des Congrès, Paris, Feb. 10-20.
Robert Altman Film Festival
> Cinémathèque Française, Paris, through March 11.
Soldes
> Retail sales in Paris: through Feb. 14
Fonds Solidarité Sida Afrique
> Benefit concert with Yael Naim and many others, open to donors to this fund to fight AIDS in Africa, Cirque d'Hiver, Paris, Feb. 13
Steven Spielberg Film Festival
> The entire œuvre, Cinémathèque Française, Paris, through March 3.
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Boudu
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Film
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/ Comedy
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Published on Wednesday, 25 February 2009 23:29
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Written by Heidi Ellison
Saved from Drowning Yet Again
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| Gérard Depardieu makes himself at home in Boudu. |
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March 15, 2005: Was it really necessary to make a third version of the same film, especially when the first was such a perfect gem? In 1932, Jean Renoir made Boudu Sauvé des Eaux, with the brilliant Michel Simon playing the clochard Boudu, who is saved from suicide by a bourgeois couple and then insinuates himself into their lives, making absolutely no concessions to propriety. Renoir’s film was hilarious and touching. The next director to take a stab at the story was Paul Mazursky, with the 1986 Hollywood version, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, starring Nick Nolte as the bum, with Bette Midler and Richard Dreyfuss as the wealthy couple whose lives are turned upside-down by their embarrassing houseguest. Altogether a funny, successful attempt. Now actor Gérard Jugnot directs and plays the husband in a new version called Boudu. The title role is played by that force of nature Gérard Depardieu, who is in no fewer than five films on French screens at the moment. Depardieu (were he and Nick Nolte separated at birth?) is convincing as Boudu, but not as frighteningly hilarious as he could be. For the rest, it’s an entertaining little film, but when you’re inviting comparison to a great one, you have to do better than that.
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Heidi Ellison
© 2005 Paris Update
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