Jessica Pare

Stardom
$14.98
The cult of celebrity and beauty is exposed in the blackest humor by Denys Arcand with the hysterical "Stardom." Jessica Pare as Tina Menzel is a vacuous beauty never allowed to be more than pretty face and sexy body. The casting of mostly Canadian actors, Dan Ackroyd (SNL), Thomas Gibson (Dahrma and Greg), and newcomer Pare are ensemble perfection in a scathing parody of entertainment television, expose documentaries, fashion, and confrontational talk shows. Frank Langella (HBO Unscripted) who rarely is seen in comedic roles portrays the stuffy Blaine de Castillion, an aging minor diplomat who marries Menzel, his young trophy wife only to be overthrown for another monosyllabic athletic type.

Menzel as characterized by Pare is the uneducated, unsophisticated, and naive young girl swept to the heights of fashion and celebrity solely by the manipulation of others. She is a victim of both men and women of the vapid fashion and art trade that cashes in at her expense. The modeling world which Tina inhabits is revealed with stunning cinematography as Arcand strips away the layers of commercialism that relies on selling notions of youth and physical perfection like Menzel. No pc topic is overlooked by Arcand who takes a swipe at Canada's First Nation's eco-hype and indigenous spirituality, PETA animal rights fanaticism, heavily accented, and pretentious Toronto ET-like reporters, Canadian ice hockey, and feminist-lesbian-politics -- all with hilarious results.

Gibson as the steely agent for a multinational public relation agency who represents Tina never permits his client to be anything but an innocent yet desirable money-making commodity. Gibson's brief b/w screen time reflected roots of high production cosmetic ads, and with Pare, is beautifully photographed to highlight the couple's physical attractiveness although theirs is the only relationship never consumated. His droll performance is ambiguous and dead on esp. teaching a 400-level Yale course in "Sports and Celebrity Entertainment" and warning students of Millie-Vanilli versus Celine Dion talent spotting.

With little exposure beyond HBO, "Stardom" continues to be true to the reality-TV trend. Yet, it was ahead of its time particularly in forecasting the reactions to full frontal nudity and actress, Meg Ryan that unfortunately have come true. Arcand's film is so subtle with drollness and satire that much of its humor may fly over non-Canadian audience failing to grasp the sources of regional and nationalistic jibes. There are no sacred cows in Arcand's stable, just sharply insider commentary on the cult of celebrity. A film that should be included in every home collection.

Stardom [VHS]
$14.98
The cult of celebrity and beauty is exposed in the blackest humor by Denys Arcand with the hysterical "Stardom." Jessica Pare as Tina Menzel is a vacuous beauty never allowed to be more than pretty face and sexy body. The casting of mostly Canadian actors, Dan Ackroyd (SNL), Thomas Gibson (Dahrma and Greg), and newcomer Pare are ensemble perfection in a scathing parody of entertainment television, expose documentaries, fashion, and confrontational talk shows. Frank Langella (HBO Unscripted) who rarely is seen in comedic roles portrays the stuffy Blaine de Castillion, an aging minor diplomat who marries Menzel, his young trophy wife only to be overthrown for another monosyllabic athletic type.

Menzel as characterized by Pare is the uneducated, unsophisticated, and naive young girl swept to the heights of fashion and celebrity solely by the manipulation of others. She is a victim of both men and women of the vapid fashion and art trade that cashes in at her expense. The modeling world which Tina inhabits is revealed with stunning cinematography as Arcand strips away the layers of commercialism that relies on selling notions of youth and physical perfection like Menzel. No pc topic is overlooked by Arcand who takes a swipe at Canada's First Nation's eco-hype and indigenous spirituality, PETA animal rights fanaticism, heavily accented, and pretentious Toronto ET-like reporters, Canadian ice hockey, and feminist-lesbian-politics -- all with hilarious results.

Gibson as the steely agent for a multinational public relation agency who represents Tina never permits his client to be anything but an innocent yet desirable money-making commodity. Gibson's brief b/w screen time reflected roots of high production cosmetic ads, and with Pare, is beautifully photographed to highlight the couple's physical attractiveness although theirs is the only relationship never consumated. His droll performance is ambiguous and dead on esp. teaching a 400-level Yale course in "Sports and Celebrity Entertainment" and warning students of Millie-Vanilli versus Celine Dion talent spotting.

With little exposure beyond HBO, "Stardom" continues to be true to the reality-TV trend. Yet, it was ahead of its time particularly in forecasting the reactions to full frontal nudity and actress, Meg Ryan that unfortunately have come true. Arcand's film is so subtle with drollness and satire that much of its humor may fly over non-Canadian audience failing to grasp the sources of regional and nationalistic jibes. There are no sacred cows in Arcand's stable, just sharply insider commentary on the cult of celebrity. A film that should be included in every home collection.

Lost and Delirious
$14.98
Probably the most shocking thing about this tragic love story is that it is feasible. I can relate in so many ways to it. It is scary to discover that you were waiting for Juliet instead for Romeo in your life. And not everyone has the guts to live out this kind of love. I guess this happens more often than what we think. And for some it does have a Shakespearean ending to it.

The story is good, and the music is awesome. Some of the photography is really great. And it's a kick to see these actresses at such a young age and see what they turned into as young adults. I did like the movie, although you might want to skip it for a day that you are in a mood for serious drama and tragedy. It's not your usual love-romance happy ending story, but it's worth watching it, specially if you are into lesbian movies.

Stardom
$24.98
The cult of celebrity and beauty is exposed in the blackest humor by Denys Arcand with the hysterical "Stardom." Jessica Pare as Tina Menzel is a vacuous beauty never allowed to be more than pretty face and sexy body. The casting of mostly Canadian actors, Dan Ackroyd (SNL), Thomas Gibson (Dahrma and Greg), and newcomer Pare are ensemble perfection in a scathing parody of entertainment television, expose documentaries, fashion, and confrontational talk shows. Frank Langella (HBO Unscripted) who rarely is seen in comedic roles portrays the stuffy Blaine de Castillion, an aging minor diplomat who marries Menzel, his young trophy wife only to be overthrown for another monosyllabic athletic type.

Menzel as characterized by Pare is the uneducated, unsophisticated, and naive young girl swept to the heights of fashion and celebrity solely by the manipulation of others. She is a victim of both men and women of the vapid fashion and art trade that cashes in at her expense. The modeling world which Tina inhabits is revealed with stunning cinematography as Arcand strips away the layers of commercialism that relies on selling notions of youth and physical perfection like Menzel. No pc topic is overlooked by Arcand who takes a swipe at Canada's First Nation's eco-hype and indigenous spirituality, PETA animal rights fanaticism, heavily accented, and pretentious Toronto ET-like reporters, Canadian ice hockey, and feminist-lesbian-politics -- all with hilarious results.

Gibson as the steely agent for a multinational public relation agency who represents Tina never permits his client to be anything but an innocent yet desirable money-making commodity. Gibson's brief b/w screen time reflected roots of high production cosmetic ads, and with Pare, is beautifully photographed to highlight the couple's physical attractiveness although theirs is the only relationship never consumated. His droll performance is ambiguous and dead on esp. teaching a 400-level Yale course in "Sports and Celebrity Entertainment" and warning students of Millie-Vanilli versus Celine Dion talent spotting.

With little exposure beyond HBO, "Stardom" continues to be true to the reality-TV trend. Yet, it was ahead of its time particularly in forecasting the reactions to full frontal nudity and actress, Meg Ryan that unfortunately have come true. Arcand's film is so subtle with drollness and satire that much of its humor may fly over non-Canadian audience failing to grasp the sources of regional and nationalistic jibes. There are no sacred cows in Arcand's stable, just sharply insider commentary on the cult of celebrity. A film that should be included in every home collection.