Reviews

"Le Sang des Bêtes" is a splendid documentary about the life and work of many workers, living just outside the Paris walls after WWII. From the vast and deserted areas that seemed to completely surround the city and its few 'modern' outskirt-constructions, Franju suddenly leads us nearer to the heart of the capital. Where the industrial compounds rise. where, at the fringe of urban and rural worlds, the cattle is being slaughtered. From the horses slaughterhouses of the Porte de Vanves to the huge Halles de la Vilette, where cows, calves and sheep are being prepared to be eaten, this short film is by no means a claim for vegetarianism. Some scenes are certainly hard to watch, but the accurate eye of the director, his tenderness towards the men (and women) doing this very hard work, is the real point here. After all, we've seen animals die before (actually after, from 'Le Cochon' of Jean Eustache and Barbet Schroeder's New Guinea documentaries, to "Benny's Video" and the morbid attraction of Benny towards the film of the cow's death. So let not your prejudices take the better, and let the film deliver its message : that he is the witness of a world not that old, and already so odd to us.

I have seen three of his movies, and i always got out of the theatre not knowing what to think of it. It is always well films and directed, but the themes he treats are so peculiar.. Once again, the plot is here that of a strange illness, a heavy neckache, that will start everything else. It seems that the boy got it from a polluted river where he shot a scene for a film, but who knows ? it may as well have no origin. But this will lead us into the life of a family, where communication isn't the best. Uncommunicability, strange illness and behavior, leaking roofs, seem to be Ming-liang's obsessions.

if i hadn't seen his Otar Iosseliani's next film, 1999's masterpiece "Adieu, Plancher des vaches !". So my comment will probably be linked to the two films rather than only to this particularly strange journey, adrift in a Parisian's tramp mind. War is the main thread that links his dreams, as he embodies a medieval king, or a communist leader, or remembers of his east-european country, ravaged by war. But more interesting is the permanent obsession, for Iosseliani, of typical features like Cinema in itself, Paris, where the director actually lives (he's from Georgia), tramps, alcohol and songs. The scenes which I think are 'real' in opposition to 'dreamt' ones, mainly show the hero, with his unfortunate friends, but still happy singing beautiful harmonies. Just like the last scene (and others) from "Adieu,..". It is a bit difficult to follow the plot, since there are so many different ages edited together, but as the very first sequence shows us, this is only Cinema. So just let your mind wander with the pictures.

This would definitely be it. The only point of the film is to show car chase after one another, on highways and in the desert. Oh yes, they are a few helicopters too. So if you take it for what it is, the film is rather good. Lots of gags, irony, ... And a number of stunts amazing considering it's a Corman-produced movie.. how did they find the money ?

Yambao is a charming sorceress, under influence of her grandmother's spirit, greeding for revenge. She leads us thru this story of unusual passion and possession. But the film doesn't stand the pace.. long scenes of chanting slaves, althought sometimes (unvolontary ?) very funny, break the tempo and make us regret what this genre movie could have been

The first part of the film is quite good. As soon as they stay in the supermarket, Marie-Do and Pierre are really moving. It gets worse later.

Not because of the actor's performances, they're all quite good. Just that the second part leads much more place to the kind of "silent conversations" you can have with someone you love, and that only you and her/him can understand. What happens here is that we understand, but we're getting a bit bored by their meaningful looks without a sound. On the whole, it isn't bad, just disappointing to see the second part far behind the first one.

Being French, i used to make fun of Besson and his films, although i never had seen any one of them in a theatre. So i went to see his Jeanne d'Arc, which had received rather good critics, even from his usual enemies. What a bore! It is really awful! You can actually see 3 parts in the movie. The first one is when Jeanne is young. It is completely silly, full of horrible special effects when she has visions. Then come the battles, the less worse of the parts. too bad Besson feels like he has to show us a head or arm being cut with a sword every two seconds. Finally, the trial, with the conscience explaining us in an hour what we'd understood in a minute. despairingly long. Perhaps i'll give besson another chance in 20 years. till then, i'll know what i make fun of.