Melanie Laurent

It's impressive when a film can find magic and beauty in the everyday, and it's even more remarkable when a film can find such things in life's tragedies. The drama Beginners does just that, forging a lovely, touching gem from its main character's personal sorrow. Ewan McGregor stars as Oliver, a thirty-something man dealing with the death of his parents. When the film begins, Oliver has just lost his mother, but her passing prompts his father Hal (Christopher Plummer) to come out to his son. His other admission is that he has terminal cancer, so Hal only has a few more years to live, and he declares his intention to live the rest of his life as an openly gay man and experience all he had missed out on.

From there, the film follows two courses; one in which we witness Hal's final years as he lives it up and becomes closer to Oliver, and another that takes place after Hal has died. Grieving the loss of his father, Oliver tries to move on, and attempts to connect with a new love interest, Anna (Melanie Laurent). When Oliver meets Anna, a French actress who's frequently traveling for work, he's a melancholy shell of himself. His grief is heightened because his father's rediscovery of himself and subsequent happiness makes Oliver miss a man he was just getting acquainted with. As Oliver struggles to recover from loss, he finds solace in his memories, but it's uncertain whether he'll be able to let go enough to find the total happiness he obviously wants. While it's a setup that could be depressing or frustrating, the gentle hand of writer/director Mike Mills makes Beginners a gem of a movie that meditates on love, death, loss, and hope. To see why I loved the film, just read more

Between the trailer for Perfect Sense and now this preview, the universe is really feeding my love for Ewan McGregor this month. The perennially charismatic actor stars in Beginners, a movie that appears to be as charming as its lead. Things start off shaky, with McGregor's character Oliver talking to a dog like he's a human, and the dog sort of responds with subtitles. Keep watching: we're let in to other aspects of Oliver's life, like the father who's recently come out to him (Christopher Plummer), and Anna, the new woman in his life that he's falling for (the radiant Melanie Laurent, the badass heroine of Inglourious Basterds).

Though Oliver's life at first seems lonely, it appears that he's given the chance to grow through the revelations of his father's sexuality, and later, his dad's diagnosis of terminal cancer. Even his new relationship with Anna has its flaws, which Oliver seems to embrace. The tone feels very sweet and touching, and as long as that dog doesn't actually start talking, I'll be excited to see it when it comes to theaters June 3. Watch the trailer when you read more

Actress Melanie Laurent looked every bit the cool girl at Giuseppe Zanotti's cocktail party in Paris — aw, don't they look cute together? In honor of the footwear genius, the French actress donned a slick black and white ensemb, composed of a LWD and draped tuxedo jacket. It's a tried and true color combo, but notice how the modern jagged dress hem, red Chanel bag, and stunning metallic Giuseppe Zanotti sandals elevate her fresh 'fit to a whole new level.

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Melanie Laurent rolled into the Etam show in Paris last night looking like a total sex bomb, with carefully disheveled hair, a charcoal smoky eye, and absolutely fabulous bright peach lipstick. To fnd out what colors she used and how you can get the look yourself, just keep reading

The Spring couture shows are currently underway in Paris, which means it's time for star-studded front rows. Anne Hathaway was Giorgio Armani's guest of honor yesterday for his presentation, though she was able to tear herself away from his runway full of red carpet-worthy gowns long enough to exchange loving glances with her boyfriend Adam Shulman. Anne recently found out she's the year's female recipient of Harvard's Hasty Pudding pot, and she's also set to announce the Oscar nominations back in LA on February 2. Elsewhere in Paris, Hilary Swank joined Inglourious Basterds's Melanie Laurent at a collection from Etam designed by the model Natalia Vodianova. This morning brought Karl Lagerfeld's latest collection for Chanel, which went with a "neon baroque" theme. Pregnant Claudia Schiffer was there to join Alexa Chung and the always attention-grabbing Kanye West and Amber Rose.

To see more from the shows, just read more

Brad Pitt arrived in Tokyo yesterday, and this morning he was up for an Inglourious Basterds press conference alongside Quentin Tarantino and costars Melanie Laurent and Julie Dreyfus. They're all there to promote the movie before its release in Japan, and the stars sat down to independently field a few questions. Brad opened up about his work in the film, as well as his recent motorcycle troubles and his plans to expand his bike collection. Here's more:

• On his recent motorcycle accident: "I had a little mishap. No injuries, except my ego. I was trying to get away from some paparazzi and instead gave them a good story. It was my favorite bike, so that is really sad."
• On replacing his damaged bike: "I will definitely be looking at motorcycles [while in Japan]. You've got some of the best builders right here."
• On landing the role in Quentin's film: "We had heard about this script for about eight years before it came my way, so it had taken on a mythical dimension. I was doubly flattered because Quentin originally wrote the part for himself."