Un 32 aout sur terre (1998) **

After surviving a horrible car crash, a young woman (Pascale Bussiere) decides to have child with a friend (Alexis Martin). He already has a steady girlfriend, but being a typical guy, he enthousiastically agrees. His only condition: the child has to be conceived in the desert. This Quebec pic substitutes oddness for originality, and promises more than it delivers.

Foreign Ghosts (1998) *

Pretentious artsy flick set in Montreal.

Towards A Promised Land (1998) *

A documentary about Quebec's Jewish community and its relationship with the Francophone majority.

Viens danser sur la lune (1998) *

Lolita's Humbert Humbert would have loved this bizarre kidpic about 13-year-old nymphets wearing skimpy bathing suits and thick makeup. The voyeuristic camera behaves in ways more appropriate for soft-core erotica than family entertainment.

2 Secondes (1998) **

Charlotte Laurier plays a mountain-bike racer who retires from that sport to work for a messenger service in downtown Montreal. In a particularly poor year for Quebec cinema, this flawed effort still emerges as a veritable breadth of fresh air after many embarrassing flops.

C't'a ton tour Laura Cadieux (1998) **

Cavemen from Villendorf used to worship them as fertility goddesses. They inspired artists like Rubens and Botero. But unfortunately, in present-day Quebec, well-rounded matrons are no longer en vogue. They are forced on crash diets by doctors who make them wait for hours in their offices. This flawed, but entertaining adaptation of a Michel Tremblay's novel treats its oversized heroines with a unique mixture of warmth and cruelty.

Les Boyz II (1998) *

I've prepared a whole litany of abusive adjectives (arranged alphabetically from abominable to wretched) to heap upon this sorry-ass excuse for a movie, but since it will be a huge hit anyway, I might as well save my breath, and engage in more meaningful activities like shooting arrows at the sun or pumping water out of the ocean. 

Le Coeur au poing (1998) **

A young woman, feeling lonely, offers herself to complete strangers. This Quebec film is well directed and superbly acted (especially by Montpetit), but also very bizarre. An uneven effort: sometimes campy, often genuinely touching and always unsettling.

Seul dans mon putain d'univers (1998) *

A depressing documentary about juvenile delinquents in Montreal. A well-meaning effort, but seriously misguided. By offering no solutions (even implying that there are no solutions), the film basically encourages the viewers to nod their heads, sight...and go on with their lives. Supposedly "realistic" documentaries like this one largely explain public apathy concerning social problems.

La Deroute (1998) *

Quebec film about an Italian-Canadian businessman and his relationship with his daughter.

Kayla (1998) *

Set in a small Canadian village in 1920, it's a story of a young boy who befriends a wild dog. Not really a family film; younger children might be upset by scenes of animals being shot or poisoned.

La Position de l'escargot (1998) **

Tomassini is excellent as a young woman trying to reconcile with her prodigal father (Lanoux) and falling in love with her stalker. It's a great, beautifully nuanced performance. Unfortunately, the film itself is very uneven, with an interesting story badly scripted and weakly directed. And true to its title, everything moves at a snail pace.

Aujourd'hui ou jamais (1998) *

An old aviator, grounded for 15 years, wants to fly once again. But while fixing his antique airplane, he's visited by his prodigal father and a mysterious woman in a blonde wig. Lefebvre's auteurist touches (lethargic pace, catatonic characters, flegmatic dialogue, vividless imagery) are all very much in evidence.