LA BRUNANTE

Drama
In French with English subtitles

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Monique Mercure: Madeline, an elderly woman
Suzanne Clément: Zoé, a younger woman and part-time musician

REVIEW
The onset of sickness often prompts us to stop procrastinating and get moving. This is the premise for what is essentially a road trip around Quebec. Slow at times and somewhat drawn out, the main reason for taking in the movie would be to see a really fine performance by Suzanne Clément. She alone is worth the price of admission.

CLASSIFICATION
for some drug use and brief nudity.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
The license plate number on Madeline’s car is OGJ 587 but when she parks in front of the restaurant the number ends with 3992. However by the time she arrives in Gaspé, the car once again has the correct license plate back on it.

P.S.
The title means Twilight.

MICHOU D’AUBER

Drama
In French with English subtitles

BACKGROUND
The Algerian War (Guerre d'Algérie), also known as the Algerian War of Independence, took place between 1954 and 1962 and led to Algerian independence from France. One of the most important decolonization wars, it was a complex conflict characterised by guerrilla warfare, terrorism against civilians and the use of torture on both sides.

The people of France divided themselves either as pro French Algeria, or maintaince of the status quo, or an intermediate status between independence and complete integration into the French Republic.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Samy Seghir: 9-year-old Mahmoud
Nathalie Baye: Gisèle, a housewife
Gerard Depardieu: her husband Georges, the local postman

REVIEW
The closing credits provide details about the present status of the principals so it would seem the movie is based on a true story. Which explains why the political situation reappears so frequently, most often as an intrusion to the rest of the story.

This is one of those movies that one would describe as “just average”: the acting is passable, the story is not all that original, and the music somewhat limited (all by the same singer) and production values are fine.

But it is too long at two hours and four minutes. The first thing I would edit out is the slaughtering of the pig about three-quarters of the way through. Gruesome.


CLASSIFICATION
for brief sexuality, some violence and one disturbing scene.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
The casting director screwed up: the fellow being stopped by the police says he was born in 1924 which would make him 36 years old when these events too place. He is definitely much older than that, more like 60.

SURVIVING MY MOTHER

Drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Ellen David: Clara, a Montreal housewife
Colin Mochrie: her husband
Caroline Dhavernas: their teenage daughter Bianca
Véronique Le Flaguais: Clara’s mother
Louison Danis: the next door neighbour Ginetta
Adam J. Harrington: her son Michael

REVIEW
We’ve all experienced the discomfort of seeing someone trying to do their best but still making a mess of it. How about watching a half dozen people in that situation? No fun at all.

In a word, the acting is pitiful: apart from Clara’s mother, either they seem to be reading their lines for the first time or they emote in that exaggerated theatrical manner that is so false.

Even though the acting by Clara’s mother is better than the others, she comes across as a bitter, grouchy old woman and that makes it hard to feel sympathy towards someone like that when it’s time to do so. What were the writers thinking when they decided to portray her like that? They weren’t.

In addition the writers did a poor job of trying to include some comedic element to the story. They are either out of place or simply not amusing. No fun at all.

CLASSIFICATION
for nudity and some language.

AMERICAN GANGSTER

Biography, crime drama

BACKGROUND
Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson (1906–1968) was an American gangster from Charleston, S.C. who moved to Harlem in New York city with his parents as a small boy. He was given the nickname "Bumpy" because of a large bump on the back of his head. He was hired by the Genovese crime family to protect Mafia operations in black neighbourhoods against local Harlem criminals. Johnson was arrested more than forty times and would eventually serve three prison terms for narcotics-related charges. He served as mentor to future drug kingpin Frank Lucus.

Frank Lucas (born 1930 in North Carolina), as the oldest boy in the family he had to put food on the table. He began stealing food and later, mugging drunks. He eventually had to leave home in his teens, after taking $400 from his boss and setting the man's place on fire. Lucas headed for Harlem where he continued his life of petty crime. He took a step up when he caught the attention of mobster "Bumpy" Johnson and became his driver.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Clarence Williams: “Bumpy” Johnson, crime boss of Harlem
Denzel Washington: his associate Frank Lucas
Russell Crowe: New Jersey drug cop Detective Richie Roberts
John Ortiz: his partner Javy Rivera
Josh Brolin: Detective Trupo, chief of the NYPD narcotics squad
Lymari Nadal: Miss Puerto Rico 1970
Chiwetel Ejiofor: Frank’s brother Huey
Ruby Dee: Frank and Huey’s mother

REVIEW
At 2 hours and 37 minutes, it is way too long. I suspect the explanation is a pedestrian as the producers trying to get in the same league in terms of running time as the best of the gendre: “Scarface”, 2 hrs 50 min., “The Godfather”, 2 hrs. 55 min.
They should not have bothered because it simply prolongs a well made, good story past the point where sustained interest remains paramount. As with most movies of this type, the last 20 – 30 minutes are “must see” so you are almost compelled to hang in to the bitter end whether you want to or not. Chop out half an hour (an easy thing to do, starting with the extended court proceedings of Richie’s divorce case) and it gets one more star!

The acting thoughout is top notch with both Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe at the top of their game. For that reason alone it is worth seeing.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence, pervasive drug content and language, nudity and sexuality.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
 Frank tells the telephone operator the international country code for Bangkok is 376; in fact it is 66.
 Richie calls in a code 10-13 on the police radio. That is a request for weather and road conditions. Given the circumstances a 10-71 (shooting has taken place) would have been more appropriate.
 When they visit Frank’s brother at his service station, the posted cost of gas is 30 cents a gallon. That was the price back in 1964 and had reached 36 cents a gallon when the story takes place.

CONTROL

Biography

BACKGROUND
Ian Kevin Curtis (b. July 1956 in Manchester, England) from a young age exhibited talent as a poet. Although he was awarded a scholarship to attend The King’s School in Macclesfield he never pursued academic endeavours. He got a job as a civil servant at the Labour Exchange but his real interest was the pursuit of art and literature, eventually culminating in music.

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Sam Riley: Ian Curtis, lyricist and vocalist of the punk band Joy Division
Samantha Morton: his wife Deborah (Debbie)
Craig Parkinson: Tony Wilson, Manchester television personality
Toby Kebbell: Rob Gretton, the band’s manager
Alexandra Maria Lara: Annik Honoré, an employee with the Belgian Embassy

REVIEW
It is so unusual to see a movie in black and white but it is absolutely the best choice: it feels like it was made years ago, it best depicts the dreary inner city of Manchester, it perfectly suits the languorous pace of the movie.

Complementing that is another great choice, that of the actors. Particularly outstanding is Sam Riley. Although I’ve never seen the performance of Ian Curtis, the way he is portrayed looks and feels so authentic I have to believe it really was how he acted both on and off stage. In addition, Morton and Lara both put in excellent performances.

One caveat though: it is long, just over two hours, so it requires a fair amount of patience. But it is well worth the effort.

CLASSIFICATION
for language and brief sexuality.

P.S.
The title comes from one of the band’s best known songs, She Lost Control.

According to the press releases the movie constiutes the first for several people:
 Anton Corbijn: an acclaimed still photographer, this is his directorial debut
 Sam Riley: his first role in a film
 Deborah Curtis: her first book, Touching From a Distance, being the principal source of material

WELL DONE

Original title: Durs à cuire
Documentary
In French with English subtitles

BACKGROUND
Restaurant Toqué
900, Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montréal
According to the owners Christine Lamarche and Chef Normand Laprise “Fourteen years ago, when we created Toqué!, we wanted to showcase Québec products and the people who worked to supply us with them.”
Since then the restaurant has been presented with the prestigious 5 Diamond Award from the CAA and AAA. This rating – the highest there is – highlights the quality of the cuisine, service, décor and facilities of the selected establishments.

Restaturant Au Pied de Cochon
536 East Duluth, Montreal (Quebec)
As the name -- "The Pig's Foot" -- suggests, this is all about slabs of beef, pork, lamb, venison, and duck. Meats are roasted to a falling-off-the-bone turn in the brick oven surviving from a previous pizza joint. Chef Martin Picard prides himself in serving dishes having only four or five easily identifiable ingredients, in balanced proportions.

REVIEW
This could have been a really interesting documentary - but it isn’t.

Rarely do we get the opportunity to learn something interesting about first class restaurants, how they are run, the problems the owners encounter, the fascinating behind-the-scene activities, the amusing incidents, and not so amusing. That kind of thing.

Instead we get a very amateurish hour and half “fly-on-the-wall” perspective as two well-known chefs go about doing things like fishing. Half the time it is by way of shaky hand held shots taken from the back seat of the car as these two friends travel to somewhere. It is very disjointed and a overall a big disappointment.

CLASSIFICATION


P.S.
When they are in Spain on their way to see how the famous dried ham is made I suggest you take a short walkabout outside the theatre. I did not and regret it. With my hands clasped tightly over my ears and humming to myself to block out the sound of the terrified squealing pig I kept my eyes squinted closed as they killed and slaughtered him. Should be mandatory viewing for anyone who wants to become a butcher. For the rest of us, it is disgusting.

GONE BABY GONE

Crime drama

PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS
Amy Ryan: Helene, a single mother
Madeline O'Brien: her four-year-old daughter Amanda
Casey Affleck: Private Investigator Patrick Kenzie
Michelle Monaghan: his girlfriend and partner Angie Gennaro
Titus Welliver: Amanda’s uncle Lionel McCready
Amy Madigan: Amanda’s aunt Beatrice (Bea)
Morgan Freeman: Boston Police Captain Jack Doyle
Ed Harris: Detective Remy Bressant
John Ashton: his partner Nick Poole
Edi Gathegi: local Haitian drug lord Cheese

REVIEW
An intelligent well-written crime thriller that relies more on a good story line than lots of gore and much noise to make its point. If you pay attention there are clues (but no thunderclaps or zoom-in close-ups to tip you off) but like all good thrillers, not all of them lead anywhere. As it turns out, not everything is straightforward and there are moral issues that need to be dealt with.

Beautifully acted throughout but several people stand out in terms of their performance: Amy Ryan and surprisingly, Ed Harris who we’ve not seen do this well in years.

CLASSIFICATION
for violence, drug content and pervasive language.

FOR NITPICKERS ONLY
Patrick’s car would not meet the Department of Transport highway code anywhere because it lacks a rear-view mirror. On the other hand, nothing intrudes when viewing the passengers from the front of the automobile as they ride to meet someone.

P.S.
The decision by Ben Affleck to take up a role behind the camera as Director in my mind is a smart one because I never felt he was very good as an actor. His younger brother Casey continues to show us who is the real thespian in the family.

Definitions:
Banging down rails is street-talk, American slang for someone snorting “lines” of cocaine
A key is a kilo of drugs such as heroin or cocaine