May 5, 1999
Emporte-moi (1999) **
Directed by Lea Pool. With Karin Vanasse, Pascale Bussieres and Monique Mercure. Nostalgic, often meandering drama about a young girl (Vanasse) growing up in Montreal in the early 1960's. She divides her time between fighting with her Holocaust survivor father, french-kissing her brother, having an adolescent crush on a girl, imitating Anna Karina in "Vivre sa vie", running away from home, and collecting stray dogs.
Elvis Gratton II: Miracle a Memphis (1999) **
Directed by Pierre Falardeau. With Julien Poulin, Yves Trudel and Jean Chretien. Is Falardeau a chauvinistic xenophobe? Well, he obviously loath the American culture and the Canadian federalism, but he reserves his strongest hatred for those pure-laine Quebecers (like Elvis Gratton and Jean Chretien) who dare to look beyond the narrow confines of the separatist/nationalist perspective. But Falardeau is still one of Quebec's best filmmakers and even this mean-spirited, eneven, and often desperate farce is infinitely better, funnier and more intelligent than most local comedies.
Le Dernier souffle (1999) *
Directed by Richard Ciupka. With Luc Picard, Julien Poulin and Donovan Reiter. The latest attempt by the Quebec film industry to recapture the local market from the Hollywood domination by producing Hollywood-style commercial blockbusters. It features the most bizarre cast of heroes and villains representing every corner of the political spectrum: FLQ, MUC police, FBI, neo-nazis, right-wing militia, and the Russian mob. The film is rarely boring, but always contrived, and hopelessly conventional.
Quand je serai parti...vous vivrez encore (1999) *
Directed by Michel Brault. With Francois Reddy, David Boutin and Claude Gauthier. Patriotic, heavy-handed, slow and unbearably tedious historical drama about the 1838 rebellion of Freres Chasseurs against the British tyranny. Led by Chevalier de Lorimier, the insurrectionists were quickly routed, captured, tried and executed. The film will annoy both sides: the francophones will be depressed by its defeatist attitude, while the anglos will squirm over the intensely negative portrayal of their ancestors.
Matroni et moi (1999) *
Directed by Jean-Philippe Duval. With Alexis Martin, Guylaine Tremblay and Pierre Curzi. First the good news: The dialogue is superb, expertly mixing pretentious intellectual mumbo-jumbo with down-to-earth, obscenity-ladden gangster lingo, and creating a delightful cacophony of verbal contrasts. But now the bad news: The film stinks, wasting its qualities on an idiotic plot, annoying characters and desperate jokes.
Jacob Two Two Meets The Hooded Fang (1999) *
Directed by George Bloomfield. With Gary Busey, Miranda Richardson and Max Morrow. After a very promising start, this bizarre children fantasy quickly degenerates into a series of violent, unpleasant and vaguely dickensian confrontations involving enslaved kids and their adult tormentors. Written by Mordecai Richler, this alleged kidpic has a very R-rated sensibility. Give it a pass and see Elmo in Grouchland instead.
Le Grand serpent du monde (1999) **
Directed by Yves Dion. With Murray Head, Zoe Latraverse, Gabriel Arcand and Louise Portal. Imagine, if you will, a middle-aged bus driver from Montreal. He's into philosophy and young women. Night after night, he picks up the same people from the same bus stops: a mentally-challenged excentric, an old lady with a dog, a man who could be a vampire and a seductive young girl. The film - slow, meditative and artfully directed - explores their alienation with a flegmatism worthy of Wim Wenders.
Souvenirs intimes (1999) *
Directed by Jean Beaudin. With Pascale Bussieres, Yves Jacques and James Hyndman. Hopelessly pretentious film about rape, revenge and forgiveness. Characters suffer, torture each other, scream, suffer some more, reveal their true identities, fight, and finally reconcile.
Alegria (1999) *
Directed by Franco Dragone. With Frank Langella, Julie Cox and Rene Bazinet. Some film are just so irritating in their utter and insufferable mediocrity, they compel viewers to kick the chairs, throw the popcorn at the screen, spill their drinks and scream like wounded hyenas. This cinematic adaptation of the famous Cirque du Soleil spectacle is a case in point. It's like a cross between "Oliver Twist" and "Big Top Pee-wee", made by tone-deaf fashion victims.
Laura Cadieux.. la suite (1999) *
Directed by Denise Filiatrault. With Ginette Reno, Dominique Michel and Pierrette Robitaille. Remember, it ain't over until the fat lady sings. But while Reno & Co.'s can-can number is literally side-splitting (remember those dancing hippos in Fantasia?), the rest of the film is downright pathetic. Who wrote that dialogue? And while it's supposedly set on a Saguenay cruise ship, we don't even see a single rocky cliff! Did they run out of money and couldn't shot a single scene at Cap Trinité or Cap Eternité?
Pin-Pon le film (1999) **
Film pour enfants de Ghyslaine Côté. Avec Yves Soutières, Thomas Gratton, Philippe Lambert, Julien Poulin. Les tout-petits seront enchantés par cette gentille comédie pleine d'humour et de la joie. Même les parents auront un sourire aux lèvres en regardant les démélés rocambolesque de trois clowns en balade. Les aventures du Pinpin, Ponpon et Pouet Pouet ne sont peut-être pas aussi excitantes que celles de James Bond (moins d'explosions, par exemple...), mais elles vont sûrement réjouir ceux et celles qui savent apprecier une joile chanson melodieuse, un beau numero de danse et une plaisanterie de bon gout. L'intrigue est plutot mince (on part en camping, on dessine des papillons, on attrape des poissons...), mais on ne s'ennuie jamais.
Little tots should be enchanted by this pleasant comedy about three gentle clowns going on a camping trip. The humor is simple (lots of slapstick, very little sophistication), the songs are marvelously melodious and the pacing is quite energetic. Pinpin and Ponpon are no Laurel and Hardy, but their innocent charm is quite infectious.
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