This movie meant a lot to me, because I was twenty at the time and too caught up in other things to join the march. Well this movie could be called a comedy : the protagonist are first are not pasonarias, but fits the comedic trope of nice doofus caught up in something bigger than them. The cast is stellar (PHilippe Nahon has never been better, he should have got a supporting role César) and extremely funny until things speeds up, and at that point, you don't feel like you are watching actors playing characters but being with real folks. The movie steadfastly refuses to point any "good" or "bad" stereotypes (the question is even courageously adressed several times), some of our protagonist are flawed, just like any human beings. For those who complained rightfully about a rosy ending, the final cartoons (maybe not translated) do point out that the "walkers" felt rightfully cheated of what they stood for. The single fact that the thirtyeth birthday of the walk was ignored by the local medias, too busy sucking fascists d**k, tells a lot. Unlike aforementioned fascists (who don't give a beep about any country, they just want to get rid of "those who are not like ME ME ME), I love my country and hope I've done my tiny part, even if it can't compare to the walker's courage. Wherever you are, for what it's worth, you have my admiration ! And thanks to M. Ben Yadir for the reminder.
Reviews
144 Reviews
Samson and Delilah
(1987)
Bring back Jaka Sembung !
12 June 2009
Seems only us frogs saw this movie, huh ? One point is that this movie is the director of the astonishing "Jaka Sembung" with Barry Prima, a theatrical release under the title "Le guerrier" which became a cult movie and spawned several sequels show in double-feature shows when there was still such things (some obviously of the Godfrey Ho persuasion, mixing two different footage together). Seems the director wanted to repeat this hit
But only ripped himself off, with pizza-faced Hay taking the role of Barry Prima. It's a "nanar" indeed, especially since Putra is a relatively competent director ! Gee, now I'll go check nanarland to see if they reviewed this one
Green Street Hooligans
(2005)
Well done, but ambiguous
15 August 2008
Okay, I liked this movie. Very much. Maybe as a fan of everything (well, most) things British. It even went ways I would not have foreseen : there IS one death in the end, but not the one I had foreseen, and not in the way I had predicted. Also, though highly indifferent to anything soccer so I can't tell if it's true, I liked how they showed that those hooligans are in fact functional, hold jobs, but are addicted to violence and the men bonding that results. BUT
(Possible spoilers) The ending left me wondering, as it seems to be gloryfying petty, ugly violence as a way of life. Do you really learn anything from hanging with a crowd of drunken louts fighting for the most stupid reason, if they need one ? Then going into "Rumble Fish" territory with an ex-member who comes back for more ? I understand the director who did an excellent job is a woman and an ex-fighter. As an ex-martial arts practicionner myself who hates violence (those who tried martial arts will understand that it's not contradictory), I'd think she'd know better. And the revenge angle in the last minutes felt more like a Hollywood convention. Yes, he did not beat the crap out of the other guy, but went out with aforementioned drunken louts' hymn, for Pete's sake ! Don't know. It's a good movie, with powerful performances and a few contrievance, but I guess I liked "The football factory" better. It showed how those louts don't even need football as an excuse, crass violence is all those hooligans losers need
Batas Impian Ranjang Setan
(1986)
Cheap "Nightmare on Elm Street" rip-off
6 December 2007
Nothing interesting in there : far from the wild fancies of some Indonesian movies like the Jaka Senbung series, this opportunist shamble is just a shoddy assemblage of scenes lifted from "A nightmare on Elm Street" with a bit of "Poltergeist". The cinematography, the acting, the editing (apparently done with a chainsaw), the direction, calling all this ""amateurist" would be a praise. It's closer to the camcorder horror that clogs cheap four-movies-DVDs than anything else. Add to the mix a bunch of teenagers even dumber than their American counterparts, and this is a title not worth looking for, even for Asian horror completists.
Born for Hell
(1976)
Failed, but interesting
30 September 2006
This could have been some sort of "Taxi Driver". Could, if they just could have pulled it along with Scorcese's skills. After all, low-budgeter "Taxi Driver" had all it took to make an exploitation movie. This one has the gritty realism, the context (Visions of some overall violent world from Ireland to Vietnam, even more relevant nowadays), the disturbing elements
But does not seem to know what to do with them. We had an understanding of what Travis Bickle was up to, even if we were not in his head, we had enough to go with and sympathize (just like in real life actually), which makes even the botched attack on a political candidate an anti-anticlimax. Here, despite Mathieu Carrière's excellent acting, we have only disjointed things : he's a Vietnam vet, his wife cheated on him, he might be impotent and might have a death wish (though his actions denies it). How did it all comes together in one long, violent episode is anyone's guess. M. Carrière manages to keep the character's desperation obvious, but to what end ? It's not really a chain of events that leads him to his horrific deeds. The cheesy dialogue does not really helps, like a reference to lesbianism, fortunately without any moral tut-tutting, that leads nowhere. The whole things feels just like an experience in exploitation with some hints at social comment, or the other way around, if you feel so inclined. It's not bad, but it's one movie that could have been so much better if its various interesting elements have gelled into something coherent.
Kings & Queen
(2004)
Very emotional...
15 March 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I do agree... And disagree with faridi. I did not found the movie too long maybe even too short, since I would like to have the full story of characters like Chloe or Isamel's father (who proves to be almost an action hero in an impressive sequence !) But then, it's a real-life-experience movie, and do we ever, ever really know the people we meet ? The fact that some part are missing from the puzzle makes it all more fascinating. Though I do admit some parts remains puzzling *POSSIBLE SPOILERS* : where does Ismael's "madness" comes from exactly ? One character sees him as pretentious and unrespectful in his work, but we don't see it. And is Mrs. Devos' character really an egocentric monster as her father sets her out to be ? One must say Mr Desplechin perfectly waves flash-backs and obvious fantasy sequences (Did Devos'character "killed" her son's father physically or was his suicide a fantasy ? And was her torturing him real ?), but the disjointed narration is at the same time puzzling and fascinating, hinting at things that could have fueled a whole movie in itself (the whole adoption current : Ismael's father being adopted, him adopting another guy who lived with him and his wife, Ismael's refusal to adopt another child.) But in our days and time, how can one blame a movie for being too rich, too meaningful, up to the point that you wonder if some very emphatic, theatrical dialogs do not hold some kind of key ? Definitely a fascinating movie and, I bet, one that will withhold the test of time, mesmerizing and puzzling spectators in the future. Hey, all classics does not have to be perfect... A must-see for viewers tired of pseudo-intellectual babble AND Hollywood trifle as well !.
Five Dollars for Ringo
(1966)
Bad, cheap Euro-Western
19 January 2005
Euro and mostly Italian westerns gave out some great stuff by Sergio Solima, Corbucci, Leone, etc, but also uninspired nickel-and-dime productions made to cash on the fad and make a quick lira (or pesos !). This one is a very pedestrian efforts, without any new situations, very bad acting from the lead hero Who played for Jess Franco, that figures and shooting scenes that would be more fitted for a Wild West Show. A comic undertaken tries to provide some comic relief. Only Maia Pia Conte gives out a good performance, but can't save this incoherent mess, maybe explainable by the two directors. Avoid and see "Django" instead !
Paranoid
(III) (2000)
Who wrote this script ?
20 October 2004
It looks more like a series of moments thrown in without any sense of storytelling. What is the killer's relationship with cockroaches ? Who cares, it looks good ! What it this "article" everybody suddenly mentions ? No idea. Even the title is unappropriated, since there is no peculiar paranoid in this movie.
When revealed in a lame sequence, the "killer" barely has the built of the murderer we saw before. And the incoherent ending scores ten on the "Huh ?" meter. This is not just bad, it's also a cheat.
Rent something else unless you are in the mood for a real bad movie !
When revealed in a lame sequence, the "killer" barely has the built of the murderer we saw before. And the incoherent ending scores ten on the "Huh ?" meter. This is not just bad, it's also a cheat.
Rent something else unless you are in the mood for a real bad movie !
The Wisher
(2002)
A horror movie against horror movies ?
26 August 2004
That's right ! This one keeps on reminding you how bad horror movies are for you and how they drive people crazy with all those unscrupulous directors using subliminal images and all that jazz.
Talk about hypocrisy ! Besides, it plays the supernatural angle to the hilt just to pull it out near the end - but otherwise the killer's identity would be too obvious. No-one would expect greatness from the director of "Christina's house", but this turkey crosses the treshold. Horror movies fan, avoid this one at all cost and give the people responsible the finger ! Don't bother.
Talk about hypocrisy ! Besides, it plays the supernatural angle to the hilt just to pull it out near the end - but otherwise the killer's identity would be too obvious. No-one would expect greatness from the director of "Christina's house", but this turkey crosses the treshold. Horror movies fan, avoid this one at all cost and give the people responsible the finger ! Don't bother.
Phase IV
(2002)
Pretty basic...
27 May 2004
I don't really understand all the positive comments for this movie.
Aren't people tires of slow-mo car chases ? Those might be
technically good, but they are inserted in the action without subtlety
and in a way that screams "nineties direct-to-videos !". Why start
with a car chase, when we have no idea who is being chased and
can't root for him without any background, when a poor ordinary
schmuk pursued by total strangers could be an interesting angle.
Besides, it is just an ordinary "Man who knew too much" kinda
story : bystander suddenly gets on a secret, a conspiracy wants to
shut him up, he has to get to the bottom of things to avoid being
killed. It's a sent-up of "The Fugitive" style manhunts, aloso
explored in Andrew Davis' "Chain reaction". Here, the only thing is
to find a corporate villain - here pharmaceutical companies.
Granted, this one is not the worse of the crop and Dean Cain is
convincing, but it's really a run-of-the-mill thriller with a few ideas
thrown in. Still, I have to watch it again to see if I missed
something.
Aren't people tires of slow-mo car chases ? Those might be
technically good, but they are inserted in the action without subtlety
and in a way that screams "nineties direct-to-videos !". Why start
with a car chase, when we have no idea who is being chased and
can't root for him without any background, when a poor ordinary
schmuk pursued by total strangers could be an interesting angle.
Besides, it is just an ordinary "Man who knew too much" kinda
story : bystander suddenly gets on a secret, a conspiracy wants to
shut him up, he has to get to the bottom of things to avoid being
killed. It's a sent-up of "The Fugitive" style manhunts, aloso
explored in Andrew Davis' "Chain reaction". Here, the only thing is
to find a corporate villain - here pharmaceutical companies.
Granted, this one is not the worse of the crop and Dean Cain is
convincing, but it's really a run-of-the-mill thriller with a few ideas
thrown in. Still, I have to watch it again to see if I missed
something.
White Cannibal Queen
(1980)
TWO MOVIES IN ONE ????
15 February 2004
I think this movie is the same as rhe 1979 Franco Prosperi listed in the "Mondo Cannibale" listing. It is indeed a Jesus Franco movie. And it is indeed badder-than-bad !!! If you get bored, count the screenplay inconcinstensies.
Classic ?
6 June 2003
I think M. Wilder summed it all. If you want to see what eighties
Italian derivative movies felt like, just watch this one. I saw it in a
theatre when it first came out in our "old europe" (Yeah, I'm that old
!), and at the time, those babies did drew a healthy crowd.
Hollywood would do the same now with name stars and a 80
million dollars budget, but it won't have the same feel. On the DVD,
the Michael Sopkwiz introduction was classy in itself. Great in his
own way - not "Seven Samurai" or Antiononi or Chabrol great, but
great as in grindhouse classic...
Phroggy
Italian derivative movies felt like, just watch this one. I saw it in a
theatre when it first came out in our "old europe" (Yeah, I'm that old
!), and at the time, those babies did drew a healthy crowd.
Hollywood would do the same now with name stars and a 80
million dollars budget, but it won't have the same feel. On the DVD,
the Michael Sopkwiz introduction was classy in itself. Great in his
own way - not "Seven Samurai" or Antiononi or Chabrol great, but
great as in grindhouse classic...
Phroggy
27 Missing Kisses
(2000)
Poetic and gripping.
6 May 2003
At the time, this movie came just after the schock that was "Amelie". Not as technically perfect or original, this movie shares some of Jeunet's masterpiece poetry with a sense of the grotesque typical of this director (he or she ? Who cares ?), with lots of eccentric touches, and another late, great role for the underrated Pierre Richard. This one really went straight to the heart, by some impossible-to-explain chemistry. I'm still wainting for a DVD. video. anything !
More a compilation.
6 March 2003
.of two 45mn shorts with no relation whatsoever : first, a Frankenstein story, then, a werewolf story. Both are extremely classical, but well-paced, considering the short amount of time, with a B-movie esthetics typical of Full Moon movies. Considering the low amount of violence, this would be a good introduction to the classics for Harry-potter kiddies fans, hoping to have them switch on to the Universal/Hammer classics.
Thor the Conqueror
(1983)
Just a footnote
28 February 2003
well everybody already said how blatantly bad this movie is (the
attempts at humour seems to be directed at the viewer, just to say
"The joke's on you, sucker !", but I have to point out one scene
where we see the hero and one cronie walking to Well, walking.
Obviously you can see a whole modern village (Italian, I gather) in
the background with no attempt to hide it ! I wonder if it was
intentional or just sloppyness. Of course, you'd say, nowadays they do the same thing in the US,
with a 30 mil budget and a few MTV groovy young stars and none
of the wackiness typical to Italian B-movies, but Check a Sergio
Martino movie instead of this one. And I saw it in a theatre. After all, maybe I SHOULD get a life
attempts at humour seems to be directed at the viewer, just to say
"The joke's on you, sucker !", but I have to point out one scene
where we see the hero and one cronie walking to Well, walking.
Obviously you can see a whole modern village (Italian, I gather) in
the background with no attempt to hide it ! I wonder if it was
intentional or just sloppyness. Of course, you'd say, nowadays they do the same thing in the US,
with a 30 mil budget and a few MTV groovy young stars and none
of the wackiness typical to Italian B-movies, but Check a Sergio
Martino movie instead of this one. And I saw it in a theatre. After all, maybe I SHOULD get a life
Escape from the Bronx
(1983)
From Castellari
28 February 2003
Who was honored at a special "psychotronic" screening at the
Paris cinematheque. This one came second after a fairly decent
war movie. During Q&A, Castellari did not hide the fact that, for the
first movie, Mark Gregory was hired in a Gym in Roma, for his
physique more than his non-existent acting skills, which he proved
in several movies. Castellari stressed the fact that he was
disappointed with Gregory in this one, since he had lost a lot of
muscular weight (maybe that's why he never looses his jacket ?
And no closes-up, hiding his non-existent acting skills) Anyhoo, it
never was an actor to begin with, that is obvious. Anybody knows
what became of him ? (Castellari is a pretty nice and jovial man,
BTW, very open and straightforward during Q&A) I still think this sequel is better than the original, for what it's worth.
Both had huge releases in Europe, with impressive posters, and
made good money. Now, you have the same with 50 mil budgets,
a few MTV stars and special effects galore Go figure !
Paris cinematheque. This one came second after a fairly decent
war movie. During Q&A, Castellari did not hide the fact that, for the
first movie, Mark Gregory was hired in a Gym in Roma, for his
physique more than his non-existent acting skills, which he proved
in several movies. Castellari stressed the fact that he was
disappointed with Gregory in this one, since he had lost a lot of
muscular weight (maybe that's why he never looses his jacket ?
And no closes-up, hiding his non-existent acting skills) Anyhoo, it
never was an actor to begin with, that is obvious. Anybody knows
what became of him ? (Castellari is a pretty nice and jovial man,
BTW, very open and straightforward during Q&A) I still think this sequel is better than the original, for what it's worth.
Both had huge releases in Europe, with impressive posters, and
made good money. Now, you have the same with 50 mil budgets,
a few MTV stars and special effects galore Go figure !
Brocéliande
(2003)
Missed again.
15 January 2003
After a few misfires, we are still waiting for THE French horror movie that the critics will certainly vilify, but will launch a new trend. Not this time. Doug Headline can't be accused of not being knowledgable in the genre (He is editor of a high-class fantasy imprint, has worked for legendary magazine Starfix.), but why a scenario that uses EVERY cliché in the book (except maybe the Odious Comic relief) ? Why make it so predictable ? Even the nods towards Argento fails flat. It's not even an euro-teen movie like the German "Anatomy", much better, just a compilation of scenes that barely seems to have any relation one with the other and features LOTS of plot holes. The whole "Celtic" aspect is barely touched. And, after a "revenation" painfully predictable, the screenplay offers us a boring, endless chase in a subterranean necropole which seems bigger than Parisian catacombs. I really wanted to love this film. Really. But even a mother would not. Oh, and writer Valerio Evangelisti was supposed to have a cameo, but I vainly looked for him.
Féroce
(2002)
Ferocious. Or courageous.
26 December 2002
Courageous is this movie, by drawing a good/bad easy straight line. If at first, the storyline seems easy, the scenario gets into various twists and turn, dealing all the way with the moral issues without ever being moralistic. The ending is not a let down : while not resorting to turning into the enemy, sami Naceri's character finds a way to bring it down. By refusing to give its hero a "licence to kill" in the name of "Good" and using a subtler approach, Gilles de Maistre's movie gives us a mirror in which we can see the small part of The Beast that lies in each one of us. The final sentence - "Fascism is the socialism of hate" - draws the line : if nobody voted for thos bastards, they plainly would not exist. An unsettling constatation that will echoe in any thinking man's head. Not a perfect movie by a long stretch, but one that is not afraid to hit where it hurts, no matter where you live, and different from the usual brainwashed stuff we are used to. Courageous, as I first said.
Sueurs
(2002)
Flawed, but interesting.
7 August 2002
The film is a take on old adventure movies of the seventies, usually featuring Lino Ventura or other French heroes. The beginning is quite slow and even boring : the characters lack dimension and the direction shows off a bit in the Michael Bay tradition (something that will make nowadays movie look dated in a short amount of time.) But after the first half an hour, the film picks up, the characters gets some interest and you wind up really engrossed in this chase, though the scenario remains by-the-numbers. JH Anglade & company all bring out their hysterical best and, in the unnamed country where the action takes place, there are enough weirdo characters (The gas station owner.) and strange happenings to keep you on your seat. The final image is a great way to end a movie which just keeps on gathering speed until the end. Definitely worth a look.
Eight Legged Freaks
(2002)
More fun than scares
30 July 2002
I was awaiting a good, old fun ride and was not disappointed. In
the tradition of "Tremors", the whole movie is so tongue-in-cheeks
that it borders on parody, though obviously, there is a deep love for
the genre and conventions displayed here, which makes up for the
very basic storyline. Even the spiders manage to be funny, with
anthropomorphic reactions that sometimes evokes "Gremlins"
and sometimes classic Tex Avery (The "cat" fight ) that had the
audience roaring with laughter. Oh, and it also manages to avoid
monotony by giving us a full range of spiders with different
features, not just the tarantula variety. Unless you are totally
arachnophobic, I guess you'll get more laughs and action than
scares out of this one, but as light-hearted fun while not insulting
the viewer's intelligence, this baby is as good as you get. It also
features the most clever joke about another movie ("The sixth
sense") I've seen in a long time. This one deserves to be a hit
the tradition of "Tremors", the whole movie is so tongue-in-cheeks
that it borders on parody, though obviously, there is a deep love for
the genre and conventions displayed here, which makes up for the
very basic storyline. Even the spiders manage to be funny, with
anthropomorphic reactions that sometimes evokes "Gremlins"
and sometimes classic Tex Avery (The "cat" fight ) that had the
audience roaring with laughter. Oh, and it also manages to avoid
monotony by giving us a full range of spiders with different
features, not just the tarantula variety. Unless you are totally
arachnophobic, I guess you'll get more laughs and action than
scares out of this one, but as light-hearted fun while not insulting
the viewer's intelligence, this baby is as good as you get. It also
features the most clever joke about another movie ("The sixth
sense") I've seen in a long time. This one deserves to be a hit
Human Prey
(1995)
Human, pray.
11 May 2002
.You won't have to see this movie, obviously shot on video with the production values of a home movie. A doctor goes mad (Why ?), starts killing "scum" vigilante-like, then organises cheap girlhunts in the manner of Count Zaroff. This one is part of Brentwood's themed four-movies DVD, this one called "Serial Killers". It feature two other poor excuses for movies. And Jesus Franco's "Jack the Ripper" with Klaus Kinski ! This one is the only reason to buy this bargain-basement collection. You've been warned.
The Mothman Prophecies
(2002)
Promises not held
22 April 2002
The movie starts mundane and creepy enough, like the director's very good "Arlington Road"
but kinda looses
momentum : it's a pretty long two hours indeed. The creepiness is
still obvious, along with one-liners sufficient to give a motivation to
the supernatural events while not giving the mystery away. But
unlike "Arlington road", the superfluous "spectacular" ending is a
step off, giving an "all this for this" feeling and turning the movie
into an overblown X-files episode, as some already pointed out :
the whole deal could have been told in 30 mn without the padding.
Besides, Richard Gere is not strong enough as an actor to make
us root for him : a shame, especially considering Will Paxton's
performance. All in all, not a film to disown for Pellington - one
might wonder what a less skilled director would have messed up !
movie and psychological study. Good mood piece though.
momentum : it's a pretty long two hours indeed. The creepiness is
still obvious, along with one-liners sufficient to give a motivation to
the supernatural events while not giving the mystery away. But
unlike "Arlington road", the superfluous "spectacular" ending is a
step off, giving an "all this for this" feeling and turning the movie
into an overblown X-files episode, as some already pointed out :
the whole deal could have been told in 30 mn without the padding.
Besides, Richard Gere is not strong enough as an actor to make
us root for him : a shame, especially considering Will Paxton's
performance. All in all, not a film to disown for Pellington - one
might wonder what a less skilled director would have messed up !
- but a flawed movie which misses both points, either as horror
movie and psychological study. Good mood piece though.
John the Bastard
(1967)
Don Juan in the West !
10 November 2001
Before he made superior gialli, Crispino tried this first outing in the then-popular western genre. And came up with a winner. In between parody and serious bloodshed, this is an adaptation of the Don Juan mythos featuring interesting ideas, like the subplot about mormons persecuted in the US. The cast is very good - strong actor direction being one of Crispino's forte - and the script keeps things lively. The ending, turning the whole movie into a flash-back, dwells in supernatural territory. With gems like this to be discovered, on might wonder why Italian westerns have such bad press nowadays. Don't miss.
Gamer
(2001)
A cheap copy of Luc Besson's productions.
28 October 2001
This overbudgeted TV-movie tries to be hip and cool and copies very closely the style of Besson's productions (Poor Said Taghmaoui's character is directly inspired by Naceri in the "Taxi" franchise), from the esthetics to the dialogue. But a cliché-riddled storyline sinks it from the start, not helped by characters which are more annoying than funny or engaging (The worse being "Marcus Lambert", an actor modeled on Van Damme and his linguo.) As you guess, you don't really learn anything about the world of gamers or video cames. All in all, a dreadful experience.
Sealed with a Kiss
(1998 TV Movie)
Strong subject, weak movie
22 August 2001
This movie deals with the painful subject of domestic violence, but uses Basic Instinct-like settings to do so. It is non-exploitative all right, but doesn't really dwell on the subject, and too many plot points are dispatched in a "It's-in-the-script" manner. Especially Eeeeevil Nick Mancuso is dispatched in a manner that wrecks his pre-supposed intelligence. It's not really bad as far as TV movie goes, but desperately average. You have been warned
Tell Your Friends