Reviews
Les Boys (1997)
Unfortunately, Québec is not ready to make good movies.
When other countries can invest $70 to 285 millions in a movie production, here, in Quebec, we still have difficultly reaching the $3 millions. Though, since the money is not given easily, we would appreciate, as a public, to see good movies... "Les boys" is a predictable story of a hockey team. I don't need to tell you more! It's a "Mighty Ducks" version for grown-ups. The style is not worked out, and the cast is just good enough to keep you from leaving the theater.
When are we, as a country, stand up and finally find our own style, unique and wonderful? A "Les boys" and the up-coming "Les boys 2" (it's a sequel!) really tell us that Quebec is not yet ready for this to happen...
A poor film: 1 tiny * on 10.
The Lion King (1994)
A generation's cult-movie
Many saw this movie. People of all ages, older and younger, have appreciated it. But a movie is always aiming at a particular target public. The movie was really "speaking" to the teenagers, who respond radically to "the Lion King" by buying songs and videos, and by singing to the "pride land's" rhythms.
The movie is truly a masterpiece of animation, though many confirm that the storyline was borrowed from a Japanese anime. It's style is classical and really "cleancut". Colors, atmospheres, and musics, all combined to achieve an extraodinary emotional film. One of the best. Only surpassed by Disney's Mulan, which was more complete.
A classic! 8* on 10
Toto le héros (1991)
Excellent movie about the extraordinary life of an ordinary man.
Take a deep breath... and dive... The movie is about to take you in a journey trough an extraordinary life... Not very overwhelming, one might say... but the story of "Toto le héros" is an unpredictable tale about a man who always thought he was nobody, and found at the very end of his life, that he was, in fact, a hero...
The very simple storyline is a sketch, for director Jaco Van Dormael, to elaborate a complex visual narration. Since we follow the main character, Toto, throughout his whole life, the movie is full of "time games". Van Dormael uses flash-back and leap in time to get away from a simple linearity. The aproach to dreams is very similar to Terry Gilliam's that we've seen in "Brazil" and "12 Monkeys".
"Toto le héros" is a touching film that will please the movie critics as well as the common viewers.
It is a chef-d'oeuvre...