What's on tv

The annual cérémonie des César du cinéma français will be broadcast next Friday night. The César awards are France's equivalent of the US Academy Awards or the British BAFTA film awards, the film industry's annual love fest. Like the Academy Awards, I never watch. Not only do I find award shows boring in general, and do not care about what people are wearing, I've usually not seen the nominated movies. I'm one of the few (I guess) who actually doesn't like going to the movies. I will see them at home, later. I've seen two movies in theaters in the past twelve years: The Return of the King and Brokeback Mountain, both seen in Paris more than ten years ago. Since then, just DVDs and our satellite movie channels.

This year's returning host, Edouard Baer, clutches the ugly César award.

What not to watch this week. Our tv magazine rates shows and movies using a star system: one star is ok, four stars is best. They use another symbol for really bad movies: the red dot. It means "à zapper" (change the channel!). The editors often include comments about the movie that make me laugh.

This week's gem stars Sylvester Stallone and Burt Reynolds (!) in a movie from fourteen years back called "Driven," apparently a youth vs. experience tale set in the world of race-car driving.

Driven. American/Canadian/Australian action film directed by Renny Harlin. 2001.
With Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds, Estella Warren.
Hired to boost the morale of a young hot-shot at risk of losing his title, a retired race-car driver becomes his friend.
►Incredibly far-fetched, the story is painful to watch. The direction is an uninspired jumble of tired clichés.
For adults and teens. First showing.