Change Your Image
![](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjQ4MTY5NzU2M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDc5NTgwMTI@._V1_SY100_SX100_.jpg)
jamesmacdonell
Reviews
Sicko (2007)
Sorry state of affairs....
Moore has constructed a highly damning and effective review of US health care. Yes, his critics are right when they point out that the picture he paints of places like Canada, the UK and France are somewhat Utopian when it comes to health care. Being Danish Canadian and having lived in London I have tried many different systems (although thankfully never the American) and none of them are perfect (long waiting lists, slow new drug review process to name but a few). Another valid point which Moore doesn't touch upon is that universal health care costs big time and that the countries he describes in his movie pay a lot more taxes than the US. But he rightfully points out in his movie that people in these countries are never turned away because of money and no matter what any critic of Moore contends; the fact that the world's super power does not offer health care to all of its citizens or health care companies turning down people for treatment are not only sad statements of fact - it's downright immoral! The US has many great things going for them and I've traveled around your country and met many great people with kind and open hearts (heck, I even have family in California) but I will never understand how a country with such an abundance of wealth and ingenuity cannot figure out how to care for their own and downtrodden?!?
Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006)
Geenie for best film - you gotta be kidding me?!
I didn't expect much out of this movie since I knew it was a low-budget but boy was this movie mediocre! The French-English bantering between the two cops which is the premise of the entire movie is funny - for about five minutes! After that it's just plain stupid and annoying and can't carry an entire film. The mixing of French and English works quite well and I'd like to see it tried again in a quality movie.
I think it's great if people support Canadian cinema. It's an important part of Canadian popular culture which is already saturated heavily by American cinema. But Bon Cop Bad Cop tries to be American with a twist (which means French/English speaking characters, small budget, a poor script and of course a hockey theme!) That's just not good enough. Canadian movies always seem to try to copy American cinema. When will we see Canadian cinema trying to create their own take on movie making rather than always relying on the American approach?!? The fact that this movie won a Geenie for best Canadian movie is just pathetic and sadly says a lot about contemporary Canadian cinema. The Canadian movie Water won a Academy award nomination for best foreign film this year and this is hopefully signs of better things to come in the future!
Canada Russia '72 (2006)
Superficial attempt at recapturing the Summit in '72
The three out of my four stars for this movie are purely based on the movie's honest and quite successful attempt at re-creating the factual context of the Summit (i.e. scenery, atmosphere, etc.). However, the movie falls short when it comes to telling Team Canada's story and creating an engaging story that tries to explain and uncover the particular dynamics of this great series. The movie focuses on so many different players and team execs on Team Canada that it in fact gives the audience very little insight into how the players really felt. Ken Dryden for instance is depicted as one of the few players that actually seems to have any brains and a willingness to learn from the Russians. And that, I believe, is one of the most important elements of this series; Canadian and Russian styles of hockey are exposed to one another which enabled both sides to learn from each other for the good of the game. The play in the NHL nowadays enjoys both hockey philosophies which has created a much more enjoyable style of hockey. Unfortunately, Team Canada's players are more often than not displayed as goons without much finesse (which we all now is far from the truth) and sometimes I had a hard time sympathizing with the Canadian team. Heck, I even felt like rooting for the Russians at some points (like when Clarke is ordered to immobilize the Russian star forward). Cudos to the filmmakers for including aspects like this which I'm sure most Canadians consider to be unsportsmanlike conduct, yet nonetheless part of the games that were played. However, when the movie already has a hard time explaining why we should care about these players the goon aspect just makes us even less likely to sympathize with them. This movie sadly leaves much to be desired - could have been told so much better!