September 9, 1998
Strike (1998) ***
Horny, disgusting creatures called boys are about to invade a private boarding school for girls. However, its pubescent residents are determined to defend this last bastion of matriarchal power and influence. Very much like "Clueless", this is a smart, effervescent comedy about sexy teenage vixens who are smarter than they look.
Spice World (1998) ***
A hip, entertaining musical about five gorgeous airheads who took the world by storm and set feminism back by at least a decade. Those sassy, brash and cheerful vixens mingle with celebrities, encounter fans from outer space, fight with their anal-retentive manager (Richard E.Grant), drive around London in a Spicebus and prepare for a live concert at Albert Hall. Only Victoria (Posh Spice) can actually act, but all girls deserve credit for being such good sports and making fun of themselves with such gleeful abandon.
The Spanish Prisoner (1998) ***
Very well acted, quite absorbing little mystery movie. The plot twists could have been more ingenious, but the dialogue is memorably unsettling and irritating.
A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998) ***
Based on an autobiographical novel by Kaylie Jones (daughter of author James Jones), this is a warm and sensitive film about a young American girl growing up in Paris. Her relationships with her adopted brother and her dying father are explored with unusual subtlety and psychological insight. A small, quiet gem of a movie, closer in spirit to director James Ivory's "Mr And Mrs Bridge" than to his famous British Heritage pix.
The Decline Of Western Civilization. Part III (1998) ***
Great documentary about the punk rock culture.
Mulan (1998) ***
A young girl saves China from evil foreign invaders. The Mouse House tries hard to placate Beijing (still angry about Kundun) with this spectacular, politically-correct, very pro-Chinese historical epic. The animation is superb (as always), but this film is different from previous Disney pix. There is some comedy (Murphy's hyper dragon is hilarious), but almost no romance or the usual "spunky-girl-with-an-attitude" antics. Instead, we get a "Shaolin Yentl" and that's meant to be a compliment. Directed by Barry Cook and Tony Bancroft, with voices of Eddie Murphy, Wen Ming-Na and Donny Osmond.
Rushmore (1998) ***
Bizarre black comedy about a 15-year-old student who falls in love with a teacher (Olivia Williams).
Men With Guns (1998) ***
The title refers to ruthless government soldiers and equally ruthless anti-government guerillas. Both groups make life miserable for poor, pacifistic peasants caught in the middle of their bloody conflict. This thoughtful, well-made film about civil war in Central America, bears unmistakable marks of its auteur - America's most humanistic and bleeding-heart-liberal filmmaker.
The Man In The Iron Mask (1998) ***
Athos, Porthos and Aramis are plotting to kidnap the King of France (DiCaprio) and replace him on the throne. It's an adaptation of an Alexandre Dumas' novel, but the original pro-monarchist message has been subverted and the film glorifies a rebellion against the tyranny of an evil ruler. The first half is quite slow, but the last hour consists of exciting cat-and-mouse chases through secret passages, dungeons and prison cells.
Love And Death In Long Island (1998) ***
A culture-clash comedy starring Jason Priestley and John Hurt.
Hitman (1998) ***
Jet Li stars in this very enjoyable, if somewhat ordinary, chop-socky actioner about a search for a mysterious killer.
Godzilla (1998) ***
It's basically a clone of "Jurassic Park" and "The Lost World" - same special effects and chases. This monster doesn't look anything like the old Godzilla we all know and love. It's simply a T-Rex, only much bigger. The first half of the film is quite boring, but the second hour offers non-stop action and great thrills.
The General (1998) ***
Wonderfully entertaining film about Martin Cahill, Ireland's most notorious thief.
Flowers Of Shanghai (1998) ***
Directed by Hou Hsia-Hsien. Shanghai's red-light district in the late 19th century. The action is set indoors, in splendidly decorated rooms, with candles and oil lamps bathing everything in warm hues of orange, red and yellow. The director is Hou Hsiao-Hsien, the Taiwanese master responsible for the brilliant "Good Men Good Women" (1995) and the visually impressive "Goodbye South Goodbye" (1996). Now, with "Flowers Of Shanghai", he opts for simplicity, telling a series of unsentimental stories about glamorous hookers and their rich clients. There are no sexual activities of any kind. In fact, the entire film consists of business-like conversations about inflated prices, exclusivity contracts, marriage promises and expensive gifts. Like an Oriental Frederic Wiseman, Hou uncovers the inner-workings of an institution, and the results are fascinating.
Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas (1998) ***
Few films so perfectly capture the effects of drugs on people's minds. A constantly imaginative film from Terry Gilliam.
Drive (1998) ***
An absolutely terrific kung-fu/road movie with first-rate martial arts sequences and oddball humor. Particularly memorable is Brittany Murphy (in her first important film), playing a flirty and vivacious motel owner. There are two versions of this film. One is 100 min, the other is 118 min.
Le Diner de cons (1998) ***
Cube (1998) ***
Six people - a policeman, a math wiz, an authistic savant, a paranoid physician, a building contractor and a former convict - try to escape from a labyrinth of cubic spaces full of deadly traps. A memorable Canadian sci-fi adventure film, very well written, acted and directed.
Cousin Bette (1998) ***
Aa bitter old maid (Lange) prepares a terrible revenge against her family. This witty and sarcastic comedy of manners brilliantly exposes the moral decay of France in the last years of the reign of King Louis-Philippe. It belongs to the great French tradition of super-cynical morality fables, populated by spoiled young virgins, debauched men and scheming spinsters.
The Thin Red Line (1998) ***
An all-star cast, great battle scenes, superb camerawork, a need for tighter editing.
The Big One (1998) ***
Michael Moore's back to his old tricks, trying to meet CEOs of several companies he doesn't like.
Babe: Pig In The City (1998) ***
The greatest hog thespian since Porky Pig returns in this exciting sequel to the 1995 sleeper hit. This time, our porcine prodigy liberates a bunch of homeless mongrels, tomcats and chimps from a city pound run by heartless, furless and two-legged monsters called humans. Not as charming as the original, but far more spectacular in terms of special effects, art direction and production designs.
Antz (1998) ***
A little ant worker (Woody Allen) saves his colony from a disaster while wooing a fiery ant princess (Sharon Stone). A very nice computer-animated film from DreamWorks and Microsoft's CDI.
Quiconque meurt, meurt à douleur (1998) ***
You Can Thank Me Later (1998) ***
Directed by Shimon Dotan. With Ellen Burstyn, Genevieve Bujold and Amanda Plummer. Burstyn plays an overbearing Jewish mother, whose incessant criticism of her adult children reduces them to a state of near-infancy. The family conflicts finally explode during a tense wait in a hospital, awaiting the results of the father's surgery. Set in Montreal, it's a pitch-black comedy about a dysfunctional family, superbly written, badly directed, but very entertaining.
Wild Man Blues (1998) ***
Fascinating portrait of America's most notorious and unfairly maligned filmmaker, focusing on his May-December romance with the daughter of his former girlfriend. Made during Allen's tour of Europe with his band, the documentary mixes beautiful jazz music with hilarious dialogue. Best gag: Soon-Yi revealing her favourite movie.
Why Do Fools Fall In Love (1998) ***
Three gorgeous women (Halle Berry, Vivica A.Fox and Lela Rochon) all claim to be the widows of Frankie Lymon.
Conte d'automne (1998) ***
Directed by Eric Rohmer. With Marie Riviere, Beatrice Romand and Alain Libolt. A middle-aged woman becomes the victim of the matchmaking efforts by her friends. Set in the Rhone valley in southern France, it's the final installement in Rohmer's celebrated "Tales of Four Seasons" cycle. As usual, it's a delicious, irony-rich dialogue that carries the day. Subtle, perceptive and attentive to the slightest detail, Rohmer is to cinema what Monet is to painting - an impressionist master forever reworking the same themes and giving them slightly different shades of meaning.
Celebrity (1998) ***
A Woody Allen film, interesting mainly for Kenneth Branagh's dead-on imitation of Allen's patented mannerism.
Bulworth (1998) ***
A US senator from California goes beserk, hires a hitman to kill himself, insults his supporters and hides in South Central L.A. while a political storm is gathering. This slick political satire hits all the right targets, but it doesn't say anything new.
The Borrowers (1998) ***
Outstanding special effects enliven this fine film about little creatures living behind walls.
Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) ***
A sequel to the 1980 hit about a band of car-wrecking musicians. The film really comes to life during its fabulous musical numbers, featuring the very best of blues, soul, r&b and bluegrass. The non-musical segments suck, but they are few and far between. Great cameos from James Brown, Aretha Franklin, BB King and others.
Revoir Julie (1998) ***
This unpretentious little film about two young women renewing their friendship might well be the best Quebec pic of the year. It's off-beat, quirky, low-key, subtle and de-dramatized in the best Eric Rohmer tradition. Both actresses, and particularly Morgenstern, are superlative. A genuine, unexpected sleeper, exploring the theme of suppressed sexual desire in a totally original way.
Primary Colors (1998) ***
A well-acted, expertly-written political comedy about Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. He's presented as an ambitious, womanizing and ruthless politician, who shamelessly uses his personal charm to seduce and manipulate everyone around him. But all those flaws only make him more endearing and sympathetic. The film is a jig-saw puzzle that rearranges the real people and actual events from the campaign, and dares us to identify them.
Pippi Longstocking (1998) ***
There are plenty of catchy tunes in this animated film about a vivacious redhead tomboy. A fashion victim, Pippi is a spunky little brat who lives alone with a horse and a monkey. This is a perfect film for those who can show how old they are without taking off their shoes. Songs:
"What Shall I Do Today" **
"Hey-Ho, I'M Pippi" ***
"Recipe For Life" **
"A Bowler And A New Gold Tooth" *
"Pluttifikation" *
"What Shall I Do Today" **
"Hey-Ho, I'M Pippi" ***
"Recipe For Life" **
"A Bowler And A New Gold Tooth" *
"Pluttifikation" *
The Parent Trap (1998) ***
This is a very rare case of a remake being exactly as good as the original. The story premise - twin sisters separated in infancy, never told about each other by their parents, accidently meeting after 11 years - might seem weird. But we have to remember it's based on an Erich Kastner novel written in... Nazi Germany. Family values were obviously quite different back then.
No (1998) ***
A modest little comedy about the October crisis in 1970. The plot revolves around a young actress from Montreal appearing in a sex farce being staged during Expo 70 in Osaka. Meanwhile, back in Quebec, her boyfriend finds himself consorting with a bunch of FLQ terrorists who use his appartment to test their newest bomb. Randomly mixing comic and tragic events, it's a tentative, often subtle, and occassionally awkward exploration of Quebec's identity problem.
My Name Is Joe (1998) ***
August 8, 1998
Mauvais genre (1998) **
Romantic misadventures of a young Parisian writer. One of those French films where the hero lives with one woman, chases after another, sleeps with a third and hides under the bed of a fourth. Occasionally entertaining, but mostly just plain weird.
Marie Baie des Anges (1998) **
Erotic adventures of a beautiful adolescent girl on the French Riviera.
La Femme assassin (1998) *
Bizarre black comedy about a female terrorist who shoots her teammate instead of a target, and is forced to hide from cops. At first, the plot seems incoherent. Gradually, everything falls into place narratively, through the characters' motivations and modus operendi remain as baffling as ever.
En plein coeur (1998) *
Directed by Pierre Jolivet. With Virginie Ledoyen, Carole Bouquet et Gerard Lanvin. What happens when a sexy-young-girl-in-trouble (Ledoyen) meets a horny-middle-aged-lawyer (Lanvin)? He tells her to get out of his office, that's what. But what happens when she tries to lift her skirt? Ah, then he falls hopelessly in love with her and unceremoniously dumps his beautiful wife (Bouquet). Watching such films one could get an impression that all French women spend their youth as mistresses and their mature years as cheated wives.
L'Ecole de la chair (1998) *
Boring pic about an older woman (Isabelle Huppert) falling in love with a young gigolo.
L'Homme est une femme comme les autres (1998) *
Under this non sequitur title hides a fairly ordinary, tender film about a gay man who marries a woman in order to get ten million franks from his homophobic uncle. But he falls in love with his wife and serious complications ensue.
Hasards ou coincidences (1998) *
Words can hardly describe the utter worthlessness and the painful wretchedness of this monumental disaster. The incoherent plot involves an Italian ballet dancer (Martines), her brief affair with a painter (Arditi), and her encounters with hockey players in Montreal, polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba, and divers in Acapulco. Actors appear bored and indifferent, as if waiting for the director to return to the set.
Paris (1998) **
Un réalisateur décide de faire un film à Paris. Il cherche son héroïne et s'adjoint les services d'une jeune professionnelle du casting. Ils rencontreront des jeunes comédiennes ou des jeunes femmes, respirant l'air du temps.
A French film director interviews several young girls for his documentary. Directed by Raymond Depardon.
A French film director interviews several young girls for his documentary. Directed by Raymond Depardon.
L'Age de braise (1998) *
A middle-age woman (Girardot), who spent most of her life in Africa as a humanitarian aid worker, re-examines her values and commitments. Interesting subject, fascinating characters, boring film. It's slow, ponderous and full of pointless symbolism.
Les Visiteurs 2: Les Couloirs du temps (1998) *
A knight (Reno) and his servant (Clavier) are time travelling again, trying to find some missing jewels. This sequel is bad. The pacing is too fast; gags are repetitive and dumb.
Sitcom (1998) **
Under the influence of a little lab rat, a middle-class family sinks into debauchery and perversity. A sequel of sorts to Marina De Van's short gem "Bien sous tous rapports" (1996). Unfortunately, its mix of misantropy, dadaism and depravity doesn't quite work in a feature-length format. After a while, the shock value wears off, and we're left with an empty shell of a movie.
Mondo (1998) **
Plotless film about a little boy wandering around Nice, encountering many nice people. Those who won't fall asleep, will discover a nicely crafted, snail-paced and heartwarming piece of humanist cinema. It's not a documentary, but many scenes were clearly filmed with a hidden camera on busy streets. From the director of Latcho Drom.
Taxi (1998) *
A speed-loving cabbie will loose his licence, unless he helps a police detective catch a gang of Teutonic bank robbers in Marseilles. But can his French Peugot (or is it a Renault?) outrun their cameleon-like Mercedeses? Plenty of car chases and anti-Kraut slurs in this bizarre action flick penned by Luc Besson. Never boring, but incredibly dumb, and numbingly eager to imitate the very worst in Hollywood cinema.
Irma Vep (1998) **
Interesting French film starring Maggie Cheung. She plays herself - a Hong Kong actress who comes to France to appear in an artsy remake of Louis Feuillade's "Vampires".
Sucre amer (1998) *
A mixed jury of white soldiers, black rebels and ordinary tourists, is asked to judge the actions of a Guadaloupean revolutionnary, Ignace, who led a rebellion against the French in 1802. An unnecessarily didactic, badly paced movie. The treatement is extremely heavy handed.
Le Demenagement (1998) *
It's Moving Day for a young couple, and their friends come to help, but everything that can possibly go wrong, does go wrong. It's a comedy of frustrations, not particularly funny, but painful only to those who take it seriously. A warning to Romanians - offensive ethnic stereotypes ahead (it's your turn this time).
Douce France (1998) **
A film about the lives of Algerian immigrants in Paris. It's a slice-of-life drama full of revealing vignettes. There is hardly any plot, but the picture succeeds as an ensemble character study. Unlike some other French films about Arab refugees (like "Bye Bye"), this one avoids racist stereotypes.
Dis-moi que je reve (1998) **
Curious film about a poor peasant family in France. One of their sons is mentally-challenged, spending most of his time playing with a cow. But one day he learns that he has an older brother, even more seriously ill, who lives in an institution. What at first appears as a weird black comedy of questionable taste, soon turns into a touching, very intelligent human drama.
Le Gone du Chaaba (1998) **
Directed by Christophe Ruggia. With Bouzid Negnoug, Mohammed Fellag and Nabil Ghalem. A neo-realist drama about Algerian immigrants in France, adapted from an autobiographical novel by Azouz Begag, who grew up in a miserable slum near Lyon in the 1960's. It's a powerful social chronicle of a small community already alienated from their old culture, and struggling (often unsuccesfully) to integrate into a new one.
Dieu seul me voit (1998) **
Directed by Bruno Podalydes. With Denis Podalydes, Isabelle Candelier and Jeanne Balibar. Quirky, very pleasant comedy about a bumbling French playboy (closer to Jacques Tati than Alain Delon) and his wacky amorous pursuits. Episodic and constantly surprising, it has a very understated charm unique to the French cinema. Rohmer, Tati (and even Pierre Carles) serve as inspirations for this gentle, very sophisticated comedy of manners.
Fred (1998) **
Fred (Lindon) is an unemployed worker who finds himself in the middle of a dangerous affair involving murder, blackmail and illegal construction materials. A successful mixture of love story, thriller, social drama and detective film. Coureau is excellent as Fred's loyal girlfriend.
Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train (1998) *
To prove their love for a deceased painter, his friends and family members take a train to Limoges. The reason: the painter had once said "those who love me can take the train". A painfully uwatchable film consisting of countless boring conversations.
100% Arabica (1998) *
Rai (i.e. Arabic rap) music sweeps across an immigrant neighbourhood in Paris, much to the chagrin of fundamentalist clerics from a local mosque. It's hedonism versus religious fanaticism, manichaen style. Predictably, the film praises the former, strongly condemns the latter, but offers no fresh insights. Director Zemmouri is probably hiding now under Salman Rushdie's bed.
Si je t'aime, prends garde a toi (1998) **
Directed by Jeanne Labrune. With Nathalie Baye, Daniel Duval and Jean-Pierre Darroussin. A respectable woman (Baye) meets a thugish man (Duval) who abuses her throughout the film. What happens to brutal men in American movies? They are shot (though usually only after many rapes or beatings). What happens to them in French films? They always find a masochistic woman who falls in love with them. A gentle little love story from the land of marquis de Sade.
XXL (1998) *
A nice Ashkenazi girl (Zylberstein) cheats on her Sepharadi boyfriend (Boujenah) with a goyim stud (Depardieu). Unexplicably, the guys quickly become the best of friends, ultimately forming a successful business venture. If there are any jokes in this alleged comedy, they are amazingly well hidden.
Secret Defense (1998) *
Directed by Jacques Rivette. With Sandrine Bonnaire, Jerzy Radziwillowicz and Gregoire Collin. A young woman (Bonnaire) wants to kill a man (Radziwillowicz) whom she suspects of having caused the death of her father. A long, boring, pointless, pretentious, convoluted, but nonetheless quite intriguing psychological thriller moving at a snail's pace towards a rather unexpected conclusion. There are worse ways of spending three hours of your life.
Post Coitum animal triste (1998) *
Boring pic about a married woman who has an affair with a younger man and becomes so overwhelmed with lust and desire that she goes insane. I am not kidding - that's the plot ! We need a strictly enforced embargo on French films about adultery. UN inspection teams should be dispatched from Bagdad to Paris and air strikes might be needed to destroy the stockpiles of these films.
Petits desordres amoureux (1998) *
French cinema's unhealthy obsession with sex reaches another low point with this bizarre comedy/drama about a nymphomaniac determined to seduce an impotent playboy. A limpy effort (if you know what I mean), redeemed somewhat by good acting and a clever ending.
Le Pari (1998) *
Dumb and tedious comedy about two relatives who decide to quit smoking. Deprived on nicotine, they soon freak out, annoying everyone in sight. The film tries hard to be clever and satiric, but those lame attempts at humor only make it more bizarre. Surgeon General's warning: don't inhale.
La Vie revée des anges (1998) **
Seriously overrated French drama about two young girls (Bouchez and Regnier) sharing a small appartment together. They're cute to be sure, but it's really hard to give a damn about their problems. With lousy jobs and even lousier boyfriends, they only inspire pity and irritation.
De l'autre cote du periph' (1998) *
Responding to a letter from a right-wing government's minister, left-wing French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier visits a Parisian suburb of Montreuil.
La Magie Melies (1998) **
A well-researched and nicely crafted documentary about the famous turn-of-the-century pioneer of French cinema. The movie lets us discover a unique filmmaker, whose style marked an important stage in the developpment of the cinematic language.
Comme elle respire (1998) *
A compulsive liar with a history of mental problems (Trintignant) finds herself kidnapped by dangerous thugs, who mistakenly believe her parents to be wealthy. Guess who gave them that idea. The film is quite remarkable for its vertigo-inducing switcheroos from black comedy and tender romance to disease-of-the-week antics and torture & exploitation thrills. Unfortunately, the result is one big pointless mess.
La Classe de neige (1998) *
Directed by Claude Miller. With Clement van den Bergh, Lokman Nalcakan and Francois Roy. What makes Miller tick? The genius behind L'Effronte (1985), also responsible for such wretched turkeys as Le Sourire (1996), now comes up with a bizarre little drama about a young boy with a very fertile imagination. The film belongs to the venerable French tradition of Grand Guignol, with bloody limbs scathered around and organs being harvested from living people. It got some minor award at Cannes, but all it deserves is a mop and a bucket of water.
Le Ciel est a nous (1998) *
French drug dealers are double crossing each other, while shooting at anything that moves. A pathetic attempt to imitate Quentin Tarantino. The delusional young hack who directed this turkey apparently thought that by emptying a few guns, adding some one-liners and throwing a couple of profanities, he could somehow make another Pulp Fiction.
Une Chance sur deux (1998) *
Plenty of big explosions, gunfights, chases and last-minute rescues in this French action comedy that imitates the very worst in Hollywood cinema. The plot (something about a delinquent young girl trying to find out which one of her mother's lovers is her real father) is chock-full of the most stupid clichés. It's very sad to see two screen legends embarrass themselves in such a stinker.
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