Coco Chanel: Der Beginn einer Leidenschaft (2009)

Coco Chanel: Der Beginn einer Leidenschaft: Directed by Anne Fontaine. With Audrey Tautou, Benoît Poelvoorde, Alessandro Nivola, Marie Gillain. The story of Coco Chanel’s rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world.

“As a pretty engaged Batman fan (I read the comics, played the heck out of the Arkham games, saw all the movies, the first Animated Series and I even play the tabletop miniature game) I was apprehensive about this show.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAfter all, what could be good about a Batman show without Batman? Not to mention the fact that all the rumors mentioned different takes on characters, etc?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI tried it anyway… and Iu0026#39;m glad I did!u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThere is an awful lot to like here. First of all, the characters are interesting: interesting enough to make you forget all about Batman! You root for Gordon, youu0026#39;re annoyed at Bullock, Fish gives you the creeps and Penguin… letu0026#39;s just say heu0026#39;s moved up in my favorite villains list (and he was near the bottom, let me tell you!).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe acting is great (again I must mention Penguin) and while some have said itu0026#39;s over the top… maybe it is, but itu0026#39;s never distracting and fits within the universe that weu0026#39;re presented with.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAs I mentioned above, the series has its own take on the universe – youu0026#39;ll soon recognize certain characters, even though theyu0026#39;re introduced in ways that are different than what you knew from the comics – and yet, even as a seasoned Batman fan, I was never bothered by the differences and enjoyed the fresh perspectives on familiar characters.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAlso, donu0026#39;t worry about the writers shoe-horning in characters, just to get them on screen. Every character Iu0026#39;ve seen makes sense within the series.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe first season (which Iu0026#39;m basing this review on) has overarching plot lines, but occasionally has u0026quot;freak of the weeku0026quot; episodes. I was never bored, though (as I regularly was when watching Flash or Arrow) and itu0026#39;s obvious the writing went towards longer plots when it was clear the show was doing well. It never steeps to u0026quot;cop showu0026quot; levels, which is an achievement.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFinally, I must commend the u0026quot;atmosphereu0026quot; of the series. It all feels very u0026quot;Gothamu0026quot;, including the shots of the city skyline, the sets, the extras… it all comes together feeling very Batman, without actually having Batman in the mix…u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eDo I have any criticism? Not really, no. I would love it if they do a Batman series to tie into this one… thereu0026#39;s so much they could work with.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGo see it and enjoy it!”