Olivier Py Movies

Jacques Offenbach's 5-act opéra fantastique Tales of Hoffmann (1881) receives an interpretation by the Gran Théâtre de Genève in this 2008 stage production. It stars Marc Laho as Hoffmann, and, as his three ill-fated romantic conquests (all variations of the same woman): Patricia Petibon as Olympia, Rachel Harnisch as Antonia and Maria Riccarda Wesseling as Giulietta. Three different musical ensembles provide accompaniment: the Chœur du Grand Théâtre de Genève (under the direction of chorus master Ching Lien-Wu), the Chœur Orpheus de Sofia (under the direction of chorus master Krum Maximov) and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (under the co-direction of concertmaster Bogdan Zvoristeanu and musical director Patrick Davin). Olivier Py did the stage direction and lighting, while Pierre-André Weitz designed the sets and costumes. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

The loosely interrelated romantic difficulties of six people living in Paris provide the framework for the drama Nos Vies Heureuses/Our Happy Lives. Cecile (Cecile Richard) is an impulsive bohemian who documents the lives of her friends with her camera. One of her closest friends is Emilie (Camille Japy), who is trying to work her way through a dying relationship with her boyfriend Antoine (Alain Beigel), even though he still seems to have feelings for her. Julie (Marie Payen) is on the rebound from a busted romance and falls for Ali (Sami Bouajila), a Moroccan who washes dishes in a restaurant and is having trouble staying in France. Ali's boss, a chef named Lucas (Jean-Michel Portal), has just watched his marriage crash and burn and is starting to ask himself serious questions about his sexual identity. The first feature after a series of highly praised short films from director Jacques Maillot (and quite a feature at 147 minutes), Nos Vies Heureuses/Our Happy Lives was shown in competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Two very violent men have conspired to steal a valuable solid gold image of an African deity from the museum in Mali where it is being kept. They had it smuggled out with a number of well-made but very cheap replicas. The plan was to give each of the replicas to the members of a new squash club as a diversion, and profit from the original (worth $1 million) themselves. There is a slip-up, however, and the real statue goes to one of the players. The deliveryman now has to track down all the statues, and in this antic caper comedy, that's easier said than done. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Tommy Fawkes (Oliver Platt) is a struggling stand-up comedian who has tried for years to get out from under the shadow of his father, George Fawkes (Jerry Lewis), himself a famous humorist. Tommy finally scores a showcase spot at a major resort in Las Vegas, but when opening night rolls around, Tommy's act is an unqualified disaster, with the failure made even more painful by his father's presence in the audience. In search of a fresh start, Tommy heads to Blackpool, England, where he was born and raised, to look for a new act. Hoping to buy material from local performers, Tommy auditions a large number of acts, most of whom are utterly hopeless, until he sees a hilarious vaudeville team, the Parker Brothers. Their act seems more than a bit familiar, however, and Tommy soon realizes that they're doing his father's old material. But they have every right to be doing George's schtick -- it seems George stole his act from the Parkers ages ago. What's more, the younger and more eccentric of the Parker Boys, Jack (Lee Evans), is actually Tommy's half brother, the product of a fling with a Blackpool showgirl years ago. Veering between comedy and drama, Funny Bones has more than its share of effective moments on either side of the fence, and features fine supporting performances from Oliver Reed, Leslie Caron and Harold Nicholas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide