Irma Vep

If you have not seen the original Assayas movie from 1996, try watching it first. You will understand more about the idea behind this series. In short, it's just more of the same 1996 movie, but with enough details shuffled around to make it interesting to watch even if you have seen it before.

This is a remake of a movie that was telling about shooting remake of an old movie from the beginning of the 20th century, that was actually a 7h long series!

It's not for everyone, but you don't need to be neither patient nor intellectual to appreciate it. If you love cinema and love French cinema, you will appreciate this modern take on how chaotic tournage is.

...are not interesting if there is no resolution or continuity. We see things happen and end scene. Then we see something else happen and end scene. Then we see another thing happen and all of these things feel like cliffhangers and then none of the things we have seen have any consequences in anything that follows what we've seen so what is the point of even watching?

This Tv show is about people making a TV show, so if you dislike anything Hollywood (spoiled movie stars, eccentric filmmakers, etc), annoying french artists and classic cinema/theatre, then look somewhere else. But if love this kind of thing, you're in for a treat. The show's writing and acting feels natural and fluid, and Alicia Vikander has an undeniable screen presence. . We've only seen the first two episodes, so don't expect me to give you my take on the first 30 minutes of a movie-You gotta watch the whole thing before you can talk crap about the story or characters.

A popular actress joins a strange director and some other weird characters in a remake of an old silent film about Vampires who aren't really Vampires. I'm all in! Sure, much of it makes no sense but the fun is in the characters and what they do and say. Guess I was in the mood for something different because I like it more than most.

Assayas remakes his 1996 cult classic into a long form cheeky essay on the machinations of the film world. Here he is able to delve deeper into the characters, most notably the ticking time bomb mind of the box-office American disillusioned star, Mira (Alicia Vikander having fun with her Tomb Raider popularity status). Mira travels to France to take on the role of Irma Vep in the modern remake of Les vampires. What seems to be an easy role, and a good excuse to be in France, ends up being more than what Mira has bargained for. There is enough mystic on the character only after episode 1, giving the viewer a reason to come back for further Mira encounters of the strange kind.

There is also the director, René Vidal, (Vincent Macaigne having a neurotic time of his life). The director had only a minor part in the film version, but in this series it seems that there will be plenty of time to slowly roast the hapless director with a breakdown of artistic proportions that only Assayas can pull off (and enjoy at the same time).

Yes, there are cliche characters, but as someone who works in the film industry, they do exist. With Assayas at the helm, it is going to be one super-duper ride into the disintegrating minds of the filmmakers as reality clashes with the surreal film world. So let's all sit back, and watch the madness unfold...