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Reviews
Le poil de la bête (2010)
Not the film of the year, but a refreshing werewolf movie nonetheless
Joseph Côté is your typical "courreur des bois" (or wood runner), a scallywag who lives outside the boundaries of the law, the church, and social rules. We are introduced to him as he is about to get executed for innumerable petty crimes. Joseph escapes and manages to disguise himself by donning the garb of a dead Jesuit priest found in a ditch. Unknowingly, he has usurped the identity of Père Brindamour, a famous werewolf slayer. As he arrives in a village with the original intent of simply getting food and rest, he starts realizing that he's not the only visitor in the area as a werewolf kills one of his new acquaintances. People quickly look up to him, the unfortunate impostor, to rid the area of the beast (or beasts!).
Believe it or not, I've quite enjoyed this movie over the remake of the Wolfman (2010). Sure, the effects are not as good (the werewolf will sometimes look like it's stuck in a cross-over between a video-game and a movie- but is still quite effective in any scene where he isn't seen in harsh light). This movie had at least one good jump scene that got most of the audience scream in surprise. And most of all, it's another wonderful blend of humor and horror put together.
Those familiar with French-Canadian lore will notice the filmmakers tried to stay away from the religious explanation for the werewolf being (tradition has it that if someone hasn't gone to mass in 7 years, he becomes a werewolf), but they also did a nice job of steering away from the traditional Hollywood explanation too (though you might raise an eyebrow...)
The acting is good, the atmosphere is creepy, the jokes work- the jumps as well. It's obviously not Oscar material, but it's still a fun romp in a new genre of movie never seen in Quebec before, a period-piece horror film. All in all, this movie should make it in the top ten of anybody's favourite werewolf movies.
Les pieds dans le vide (2009)
Les pieds dans le vide... Not in the "vide" for nothing
What blew me away in this movie is the cinematography : not only is there breathtaking shots of skydiving, but the quirky shots and the play with colours is worth watching the movie just for that. Unfortunately, it's worth watching just for that... Plot wise, I could some it up like this : 2 sky diving freaks, one a teacher and the other a compulsive diver, are in a love triangle with one girl. I say love triangle, only I should call it a love V : both guys like the girl and the girl likes both boys... angst is brought in when the hotheaded compulsive diver takes increasingly dangerous risks despite the cool-headed teacher's criticism of this. The whole movie is pretty much a ping pong ball game of "do what I tell you to" vs "I don't wanna" mixed in with the incomprehensibly slutty girlfriend.
***SPOILER ALERT*** So how does the movie end and ruin the rest of the picture? After the hotheaded fellow is grounded for his unnecessary risks, he follows the teacher to an illegal base jumping run and jumps right behind him, thus distracting the teacher who ends up nearly getting killed. So despite being a jerk the whole movie AND causing a man to become paraplegic, everybody seems to be OK with it and forgives the harm done... I felt it was a big slap in the face to our credibility. It's almost as if they realized, woops we're up to two hours, let's wrap up this picture! (oh, and did I fail to mention they said at least twice that base jumping is illegal and if they get caught they go to prison or get a huge fine? They DO get caught and yet there's no mention of any consequences whatsoever. Overall, for fans of nice photography and skydiving, the movie is a must, but if all you're looking for is a good story, this one is a miss.