Cath-10 Reviews

Bad Education (2004)

A magnificent movie whose core subject should not be misunderstood

[9/10 · 12 October 2006]

When this magnificent work of gifted director Amoldovar was shown in France, every critic immediately began speaking about how it was denouncing rapes of little boys by priests. When I finally saw it, I was very surprised : although there is indeed such a story, it is definitely not the core of the movie, whose real subject would rather be identity : is it possible to choose your own identity if the one you have been given by life doesn't suit you ? can you build a life on it ?As usual with Almodovar, this theme is declined in several manners throughout this superb film, which benefits from the talented Gabriel Garcial Bernal. A must-see.

Marie Antoinette (2006)

A pleasant movie but nothing on history

[4/10 · 12 October 2006]

Marie-Antoinette is a very pleasant movie, that will greatly appeal to all female teenagers dreaming of wearing extravagant dresses and shoes, going everyday to the hairdresser and eating expensive macarons. I did enjoy watching it as it was fun, even though the second part gets a little boring. However, what was the point in renting the palace of Versailles since the movie completely ignores Histoy ? Marie-Antoinette is shown as a bubble-head who spends her time thinking about where she will go out, when in reality she was politically-aware, supporting conservatism and divine royalty, which was all she had ever known. Also why show her confronting the crowd of commoners since the movie never says a word about French history and people's sufferings at the time ? I don't see the point. I spent a pleasant time watching the movie but I had forgotten it entirely the following day.

Surface (2005–2006)

Boring

[30 November 2005]

This is a terribly boring show, with rather mediocre actors. Action is incredibly slow, and anyway, nothing at all ever happens except for actors watching something the audience does not see and screaming : " oh my god !". It is quite clear the production had not money enough to show anything... but they lack the subtlety and ambivalence of "Invasion", which is far more interesting and worrying. "Surface" is a Godzilla story that is rather ridiculous and seems fit for young kids as it is never scary or even exciting, and one of the main characters is a young boy who is quite dull. This should be broadcast with kids programs...

The Serpent's Kiss (1997)

a bad imitation of Greenaway

[3/10 · 11 November 1998]

What seems really incredible in that movie is that the talented Philippe Rousselot chose its screenplay to shoot his first movie as director. From the beginning of the movie, it is clear that the plot displays some striking similitudes with the masterpiece of Peter Greenaway, "The draughtsman's contract". Therefore, Rousselot spent his time trying to make his own movie look different, but the result is sadly bad. The cinematography of the movie is beautiful, but there is no valuable plot and the characters have no existence. This is definitely a failure.

Destiny (1997)

A sublime, colorful musical

[10/10 · 11 November 1998]

This is a wonderful movie on tolerance. Chahine shows how the powers of dance, happiness and erudition oppose the dark forces of obscurantism and fanatism. Not only is the movie never rhetorically boring, but it is full of joy and music, making you feel like dancing ! This is definitely a masterpiece.

Character (1997)

An heavy saga that lacks subtlety

[11 November 1998]

This movie is the long saga of a son fighting against the father he hates. Since he lacks the love of his father, the young Katadreuffe is ready to do anything to be linked to him, even if this link is that of a financial debitor. He needs to place himself under the power of the egoist, brutal man that life had given him as father. However, this movie is based on characters that look like caricatures, and there is no subtility in that plot. Though the beginning of the movie looks promising, one is quickly bored by an unbelievable plot.

Life Is Beautiful (1997)

A comedy that lacks brilliance and respect

[10 November 1998]

Would "Life is beautiful" have had so good reviews, had there not been part of the movie about the holocaust ? I really doubt it. This movie is only a dull comedy that lacks brilliance and is based on rather silly gags. It is also flatly shot. But the real bad part on that movie is that by showing the concentration camnps as it does, it lets the audience think that the Holocaust was not so terrible after all. Begnini shows the concentration camp as if it was the Warsaw ghetto : people are working hard and some die in the process, but the very idea that there were some gas chambers working in order to annihilate millions of people is hardly evoked. The very fact that the little Giuseppe survives with so little trouble is hardly acceptable when one knows how mercilessly children were exterminated. Of course, some passages of the movie are full of emotion, but they are only minutes in a two-hour movie for which Begnini lacks the necessary tact to use such a subject. If I do believe that his intentions were pure and noble when he shot this movie, I hardly appreciate the intense marketing surrounding it. It does lack respect towards such a grave and important matter.

First Knight (1995)

Worst Movie

[1/10 · 9 November 1998]

This is such a bad movie that it should be shown to Film schools students, for them never to do such trash. The Arthurian legend is totally perverted in a movie whose special effects are incredibly weak. The actors may be the worse part of the work : Richard Gere turns Lancelot into an old American gigolo, while Sean Connery seems to have spent more time playing golf than playing Arthur. As to Julia Ormond, she is the most forgettable Guenievre in the Film history. Not only does this movie betray the legend, but it is also ridiculous and boring.

Army of Shadows (1969)

far from fake romanticism

[7 November 1998]

This is probably one of the best fiction movies ever made on the French resistance during Worl War II. Far from the usual romantic cliches showing handsome young men playing tricks with the Nazis and falling in love with sublime women, the substance of the movie is reality. It depicts a "shadow army" made of courageous men who are ready to sacrifice their lives but are aware of the huge cost they will eventually have to pay. It shows the cruel and sometimes inhuman choices they have to make in order to survive. This is a very useful movie that gives a real hint of what resistance truly was.

Covington Cross (1992)

Entertaining medieval series

[6 November 1998]

This is an entertaining series that relates the adventures and loves of the children of an English Lord during the Middle-Ages. This series is funny and quite interesting, though the medieval society it shows has more in common with Disneyland than with history.

Hanover Street (1979)

a melodramatic melodrama

[6 November 1998]

This is definitely not a good movie, even though there is Harrison Ford in it. It has a very artificial plot based on the love of a nurse and an American pilot (Ford) during World War II. Unhappily, she is married and has children. And to make things worse, during the second part of the movie, her lover must go to France for a secret, dangerous mission. And of course, his partner in the mission is... her husband. The two men become close friends, until Ford realises he is laughing with his beloved's husband. Will he sacrifice love or friendship ? If you do have time to lose, this movie is for you. It is quite forgettable but it at leat it is a little entertaining.

Snake Eyes (1998)

Great director, but where is the plot ?

[7/10 · 4 November 1998]

"Snake Eyes" opens with an amazing shot, directly imitating Orson Welles's "Touch of Evil". Brian De Palma shows that he is a great director, full of amazingly creative ideas, but how comes he forgot to find a good plot?

Six Days Seven Nights (1998)

Another bio-degradable movie

[4/10 · 4 November 1998]

This movie is the perfect summer movie, that does not require any part of your brain to work. You just have to sit and watch two hours of perfectly forgettable adventures. Of course, you won't get so bored, but you won't be able to remember the plot next summer. This is very convenient for the producers of the movie, who will surely have another bio-degradable movie looking just the same to show you at the time. But who chooses Harrison"s movies since a few years ? Why must fans of "Blade Runner" or "Witness" see him in such things as "6 days, 7 nights" and other "Air Force one" ?

The Damned (1969)

From the music of Bach to the madness of Hitler

[10/10 · 4 November 1998]

This fascinating movie tells the story of a family who owns an industrial empire, and in which each member will fight to win the power inherent to its direction. What is fascinating is the fact that the story is set during the rise of Nazi Germany, and that each member of the family stands for German history. The old baron Essenbeck symbolizes the old, civilized Germany of Bach and even of the Kaiser. When he dies, the power falls in the hands of one of his nephews, a brutal and ignorant man who stands for the SA. But he is soon killed and the power is taken by Sophie and her lover, who accept to work with the Nazis against the promise that they will become rich and powerful. These wicked lovers may be bad, but they are only human wicked people who are ready to use all means to gain power. The real symbol of Nazism in the movie is Martin, a mentally unbalanced young man who is a murderous pedophile and has an incestuous relation with his mother. Martin stands for the total evil of nazism, an evil which is no longer human. At the end of the movie, he controls the whole industrial Empire, just like the nazis rule over Germany. But he is alone, since the whole family has disappeared in the conspiracies of its members.

Doctor Dolittle (1998)

Harmless stupid entertainment

[1/10 · 3 November 1998]

This is definitely a stupid, bad-taste movie. Eddie Murphy stars in what is written like a sitcom. He is surrounded with his perfect family, full of good family values. If you're looking for politically correct entertainment, this movie is for you. But if you hate the idea of being the only one not to laugh at obscene gags in a movie-theater full of pop-corn addicts, just flee.

Legends of the Fall (1994)

So bad that you won't believe what you see

[1/10 · 3 November 1998]

This movie is probably one of the most boring movies ever made. I went and saw this movie because the romantic trailer and its sublime music had made me enthusiast. Alas ! The music actually came from "The Last of the Mohicans" and the real soundtrack proved to be horribly bad. But it is nothing compared to the movie. Before watching it, you had better know that everything is bad in this movie : the actors play so bad that it is hardly believable that the producer did not sue them. Brad Pitt plays as if he was starring in a Levi's advertisement, Julia Ormond is as forgettable as ever, and Anthony Hopkins is so ridiculous that I doubt he mentions that movie on his career resumes. As to the plot, it is worse ! You don't need to see the film to know what happens to the characters : it has the more predictable plot you will ever see ! The only quality could be that this melodrama is really melodramatic, but after one hour, it is so melodramatic that you begin to wonder if it is not a caricature. One thing is sure : some characters in that movie are REALLY unlucky, so that you can understand why they are SO depressed. If you are really so happy in your own life that you need a little depression, tjis movie may be made for you. Otherwise, just rent another Edward Zwick movie, "Glory"; at least you will lean history and see that a director may make the best and the worst movies in his career.

The Road (1982)

A wonderful movie about alienation

[29 October 1998]

YOL is a wonderful movie in which five Turkish prisoners, who are alienated by imprisonment, are granted one week of permission and discover that the Turkish society itself also alienates its inhabitants. The stories of these five men going back home for one short week are five tragedies : one of them has an unfaithful wife whose family orders him to kill her, in order to avenge the clan's honor. Another one is in love with a young girl of his village, but is compelled, by tradition, to marry his sister-in-law when his brother is killed by soldiers. Another one cannot see his wife or his children because his family-in-law cannot forgive him for giving up their son to the police when they both tried to rob a bank. All these men are confronted with the harsh rules of tradition that impede on their own freedom and feelings. This is a beautiful and never boring movie that is simply unforgettable.

Blade Runner (1982)

Dream of the Unicorn

[10/10 · 29 October 1998]

No need here to repeat how great a movie Blede Runner is. But I think it useful to explain the meaning of the dream of the unicorn : in the new version (the director's cut), Deckard dreams of a unicorn. And at the very end of the movie, when he comes bak to his flat to take Rachel with him, he sees a little origami of a unicorn, left by the other policeman, Gaff. This means that Gaff knows what he dreamt of, just like Deckard knew Rachel's personal memories. This obviously means that Deckard is a replicant himself...