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Film

Le Déclin de l’empire américain

Le Declin de l’empire americain is a film about eight friends who work together in the History department of the Université de Montréal. These four men and four women share two other things in common, they speak French, and they’re perverted. One of these two things I also share with them1. While the women are at the gym discussing their sex lives, the men are at home cooking for the women. They regale one another with stories of their conquests and flashbacks to their trysts. While Diane tells of her new lover Mario, with whom she has gone to new levels of lust and submission; Pierre tells of his experiences trolling… Read More »Le Déclin de l’empire américain

Johnny Guitar

I went to the Lightbox theatre on the weekend, and saw the classic western Johnny Guitar. I had never seen it, or heard about it before, and honestly I’m not much of a fan of westerns, but this wasn’t your normal cowboy film. For one thing, the protagonist is not the titular character, but instead Joan Crawford as Vienna. The antagonist is Mercedes McCambridge as Emma. Vienna has built a saloon in the middle of nowhere, with the advance knowledge that the railroad will soon be coming right by there. She’s prostituted herself to get business information and favours to help her build her saloon. However in the near town is… Read More »Johnny Guitar

Lennon Naked

I recently reviewed the film Nowhere Boy, the prequel to Backbeat. In my review I stated: Now it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Backbeat, but if I recall, the band went on to be rather big, maybe it’s time for a sequel studying that part of their career. This film did just that. The film starts in 1964, when John Lennon meets his father for the first time in 17 years. While Nowhere Boy examined Lennon’s relationship with his mother, Lennon Naked is about his relationship with his father. The film follows some key events in the life of Lennon’s up until 1971 when Lennon and his wife Yoko… Read More »Lennon Naked

Jésus de Montréal

Denys Arcand’s 1989 film Jésus de Montréal is a classic Canadian film about an actor who is hired by a church to put on a play about the life of Jesus Christ. Daniel (Lothaire Bluteau) plays the role of Christ in the play, he doesn’t stick to the story of Christ that the Church wishes to be told, and instead attempts for more historical accuracy. Daniel’s story follows that of Christ, from the beginning of the film, until the end. Arcand outdid himself with a film that is a masterpiece. Lothaire Bluteau is wonderful as Daniel, even if you don’t understand a single word he utters. This is an essential… Read More »Jésus de Montréal

The Jerk

Steve Martin’s classic film The Jerk is one of the many classic comedies I hadn’t seen before. With Stripes and Caddy Shack it was strange, but with The Jerk, it’s simply moronic that I had not seen this film before. The film is ridiculous and extreme. There aren’t many films that can pull off cat juggling, and still be a good film, Martin does this. The Jerk is a film in a category unto itself. I can’t really think of any films with which one can compare it to, and that alone is something to be proud of. Steve Martin did an excellent job with this film,and 30 years later,… Read More »The Jerk

Stripes

So film 2 in my series of comedy films I should’ve seen a long time ago is Stripes, a comedy about two guys down on their luck who decide the best means to solve their joint problems is to join the army.  Looking at the film as a man who grew up in the ’80s, I can’t help but compare it to Police Academy. The two films are basically the same plots. Group of misfits join a military-like organization, get into trouble, prove themselves, get the respect of their superiors. It’s definitely easy to make these comparisons, but I must also remember that Stripes came first. While I watched Police… Read More »Stripes

Caddy Shack

I decided recently that I should watch a handful of classic comedy films that I’ve never seen. I started with Caddy Shack, because it was the smallest file, and I didn’t have much time between when I could start watching and when I had to be somewhere. It might not have been the shortest of the films, but it was quickest to transfer between machines1. Brief plot synopsis Some young caddy, played by someone, wants to get laid, and wants money. There’s an amazing, rich golfer (Chevy Chase) who also likes sex, and is slightly eccentric. There’s the weird groundkeeper (Bill Murray) who’s in a Looney Tunesesque battle of wits… Read More »Caddy Shack

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

When I heard that Edgar Wright was directing a film based on the Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels, I was stoked. I wouldn’t let the cynicism of a certain Pilgrim fan-girl bring me down, and I’d hope for the best. I was wrong. I was completely and totally wrong. I expected this film to be amazing, and it went well above and beyond any expectations I had. The Story A young man named Scott Pilgrim meets a foreign girl named Ramona Flowers who recently moved to his city, he falls for her, but to win her, he must defeat her seven evil-exes. That’s pretty much the story in a… Read More »Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Maury Chaykin

This past Tuesday, the world lost an incredible actor, Maury Chaykin. The actor has appeared in so many films, to list his credits would be useless. If you’ve seen Atom Egoyan or Don McKellar films, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Chaykin’s work. If you’re a fan of Canadian cinema in general, you’ll have seen Chaykin. The man’s been described best as a character actor, always playing different roles without a single role defining who he is. It’s perhaps his unique look, the rotund man who could either look sinister or jolly at the flip of a switch. He’s so very identifiable, and without the rugged good looks of a… Read More »Maury Chaykin