Say you don't need no diamond rings

Hors de prix (Priceless) (2006)

and

Run Fatboy Run

Crit

Let's bracket these as perfectly harmless, mostly enjoyable, ultimately unsurprising popcorn entertainments--not that there's anything wrong with that! The French pic gets the edge, and not just because of that dress Audrey Tautou almost wears in the opening sequence; Prix at least surprises us a bit en route to the unsurprising conclusion, and, being French, has a little genuine cynicism going for it: gold digger, instead of immediately falling in love with the guy who loves her, first teaches him how to dig gold himself. It also reminds my why I liked Le Fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain less than the similarly themed, vastly less promoted film that showed in the U.S. about the same time, Le Battement d'aile du papillon (Happenstance): Tautou's characters are a lot more interesting when they have a bit of the garçonne in them. Gad Elmaleh plays a marginally less hopeless version of the doofus he played so well in the surprising La Doublure (The valet); throw Daniel Auteuil and Kristin Scott Thomas into the mix and this would probably be as good as that.

Comparisons with other Simon Pegg flicks are likewise hard to avoid with Fatboy: not as disappointing as Shaun of the Dead, not as hilarious as Hot Fuzz. The Times review credits it with the potential to "inspire the depressed and the demoralized to grit their teeth and keep running." Doubtful, but I may have to withdraw my "harmless," 'cause it occurs to me that it might inspire the depressed and the demoralized to imagine that they too may find their Thandie Newtons, which will probably only lead to further depression and demoralization in the end.

P.S.--The hell's wrong with people? I was the only one in the audience who stayed for the cover of Toots and the Maytals' "Monkey Man" over the end credits. Turned out to be Amy Winehouse--not as good as the original, but that's a high bar; certainly worth 3 minutes of even my rapidly depleting time left on the planet. Don't bitch about ticket prices if you're not staying for the whole show, eh?

Trailers

• Sex and the City: The Movie--Had seen a teaser, but saw the full trailer for the first time today: she marries Big! Yes, yes, I've Netflixed the whole series over time--a good palate cleanser after an intense season of Deadwood or The Shield. I'm noncommittal about the film.
• Snow Angels--Already opened in the city, and reviewed at the level where I'll see it downtown but skip it in the 'burbs.
• Монгол (Mongol)--Holy hordes! I could do without Voiceover Guy telling me what a Big Picture this is, but jeez, what a Big Picture this appears to be. Bring it on, Genghis!