tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post4087408564584059417..comments2024-03-17T10:11:46.952-04:00Comments on Film Experience Blog: The Necessities of Life (Canada's Submission for Oscar)NATHANIEL Rhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11597109147678235399noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-66193801453463232832009-01-25T08:50:00.000-05:002009-01-25T08:50:00.000-05:00I watched this movie and - ok, I had some fun. It ...I watched this movie and - ok, I had some fun. It was moving, sad, nice movie for calm evening, when you have to cultivate your melancholic mood.<BR/>Of course, I don't think THIS deserves Oscar. But whatever, who believes in Oscars anymore? It's showbusiness...<BR/>Take care<BR/>ElliAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-23035930978777576472009-01-21T16:42:00.000-05:002009-01-21T16:42:00.000-05:00Anon- I think the French Canadian films get a lot ...Anon- I think the French Canadian films get a lot less play in the USA. That's probably the reason I am so far behind in regard to them. I have seen LILIES and MON ONCLE ANTOINE and enjoyed both. <BR/><BR/>I had also looked up some other reviews of this film to try and find some people who really liked it and why. It has a solid rating on IMDB plus Variety and the FLF review (thanks for that, I hadn't seen that one) so I know there are plenty of people who like/love it.<BR/>I thought the lead performances were ok, but the material, style, and direction did it no favors. <BR/><BR/>My negative reaction (as I think my review makes clear) falls at the feet of screenplay and direction. Its really flat, shoddily pieced together (in terms of story, editing, and rhythm), and really gives the performers no chance to rise above the familiarity of the material and take it to another level (as, say, Rourke and Tomei were able to do with the cliches that fill THE WRESTLER). Instead, it is totally content to remain familiar and redundant, and doesn't recognize that we have all seen this before. Lame, lame, lame.James Hansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09650436008918093617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-19195172315145892252009-01-21T15:01:00.000-05:002009-01-21T15:01:00.000-05:00Interesting review and interesting that you have s...Interesting review and interesting that you have seen little of French Canadian cinema which I prefer about 10-1 to English Canadian cinema, although recently that trend is reversing.<BR/><BR/>I have read almost nothing about this film... and I've been looking... a lot. There was a fairly positive Variety review and Ken Rudolph (a member of the Academy's FLF committee) posted a mini-review on his website which included: "remarkably well played film which has the ring of historical accuracy and packs an emotional wallop. Special note must be made for the wonderfully restrained performances of the Inuit man, Natar Ungalaaq and the teenage actor Paul André Brasseur who plays a young, bilingual, Inuit orphan boy, also ill, who befriends the man and helps him communicate. I loved this quietly powerful film." <BR/><BR/>That might explain how it got to the shortlist of nine films.<BR/><BR/>I agree with the other posters who recommended Falardeau, Vallée and Lepage.<BR/><BR/>Some older titles:<BR/>Les Feluettes (Lilies)<BR/>J.A. Martin Photographe<BR/>Les Bons Débarras<BR/>Mon Oncle AntoineAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-46413347147623904442009-01-21T11:46:00.001-05:002009-01-21T11:46:00.001-05:00David- Thanks for the correction. I have even ment...David- Thanks for the correction. I have even mentioned water in the comments here and wasn't realizing I flubbed that in the review. I'll go correct it. Thank goodness for being able to edit old posts!James Hansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09650436008918093617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-81414576507877412042009-01-21T09:10:00.000-05:002009-01-21T09:10:00.000-05:00Francois Girard has 3 films in release, actually.O...Francois Girard has 3 films in release, actually.<BR/><BR/>Otherwise, some of the best current French Canadian filmmakers are Robert Morin (Requiem pour un beau sans-coeur), Philippe Falardeau (Congorama), Yves Christian Fournier (Tout est parfait), Jean-Marc Vallée (CRAZY), Yves Pelletier (Les Aimants), Denis Côté (Elle veut le chaos), Rafael Ouellet (Le Cèdre penché), Sébastien Rose (Le Banquet), Robin Aubert, (Saint-Martyr-des-Damnés), Maxime Giroux (Demain), Simon Lavoie (Le Déserteur)... <BR/><BR/>And I'm probably forgetting some!Gilidorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13361541979219323059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-20901122792631971482009-01-21T06:55:00.000-05:002009-01-21T06:55:00.000-05:00The Barbarian Invasions was not the most recent no...The Barbarian Invasions was not the most recent nominated Canadian film: Deepa Mehta's Water was nominated in 2006.David Giancarlohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06279612727349738528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-57323086938099207482009-01-21T03:53:00.000-05:002009-01-21T03:53:00.000-05:00I should add Francois Girard, even though I think ...I should add Francois Girard, even though I think he only has two films in release and they're both primarily in English.John P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02221851435688110863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-76768421373464526352009-01-21T01:31:00.000-05:002009-01-21T01:31:00.000-05:00Dom and Jon P- Thanks for the recs. I will definit...Dom and Jon P- Thanks for the recs. I will definitely look for some more stuff. I totally forgot about Robert LePage who I love. I'd be happy to see him win at some point, although he is pretty un-Oscar, at least the stuff I've seen.<BR/><BR/>As far as the chances of this film...ugh. I just really hope not (sorry Canada!) I liked WATER and the Arcand is all good. This is just not good. At all. Some of the others may be "riskier" choices, but I'll take that any day.James Hansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09650436008918093617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-18396609804698928522009-01-21T00:47:00.000-05:002009-01-21T00:47:00.000-05:00Robert Lepage and Claude Jutra are both relatively...Robert Lepage and Claude Jutra are both relatively important Quebecois directors.John P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/02221851435688110863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-38350934501979929092009-01-21T00:34:00.000-05:002009-01-21T00:34:00.000-05:00Sorry, I make a mistake. The director is Benoit Pi...Sorry, I make a mistake. The director is Benoit Pilon... ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-90473998940942804602009-01-21T00:32:00.000-05:002009-01-21T00:32:00.000-05:00I love too C.R.A.Z.Y. The film DESERVED an Oscar N...I love too C.R.A.Z.Y. The film DESERVED an Oscar Nomination for this AWFUl foreign Lineup:<BR/><BR/>*Paradise Now: The Only film who deserves the Oscar prize.<BR/>*Joyeux Noël: A big production, an interesting story, boring ending...<BR/>*Sophie Scholl: Generally, Germany has excellent taste for choose films here, but beside Julia Jentsch's performance, is almost a TV Miniserie. Unleast is not a bad film like "Don't Tell".<BR/>*Tsotie: The Overrated film of the group. I think "Yesterday" is more worthy...<BR/>*Don't Tell: Smells like: "Sorry Italy for the last snubs", The film is almost a soup opera.<BR/><BR/>My Lineup:<BR/><BR/>*Palestine: Paradise Now<BR/>*Canada: C.R.A.Z.Y.<BR/>*Finland: Mother of Mine<BR/>*Russia: The Italian<BR/>*Belgium: L'Enfant<BR/>Alt: Greece: Brides (If there's not disqualification) and France Joyeux Noël<BR/><BR/>I think "THe Necessities of Life has a good luck, Deptha Meeta brokes the Arcand's monopoly in 2007, so maybe Denis Villeneuve is new blood.<BR/><BR/>I hope for The Young Victoria... Especially for Jean-Marc Vallée and Emily BluntAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-41458935227949291602009-01-21T00:04:00.000-05:002009-01-21T00:04:00.000-05:00James: The director of C.R.A.Z.Y. in fact is direc...James: The director of C.R.A.Z.Y. in fact is directing Young Victoria, so definitely someone to look out for.<BR/><BR/>Denis Villeneuve is also a solid director. He directed the always awesome Marie José Croze (Tell No One, Munich, Cannes Winner for Barbarian Invasions) in the acclaimed Maelstrom a few years back. He also had his short film "Next Floor" at Cannes last year, where it won an award.<BR/><BR/>Charles Binamé also does pretty well for himself. He directed the Maurice Richard biopic, The Rocket.<BR/><BR/>Also, I think Léa Pool counts.<BR/><BR/>These are contemporary directors, so older directors are a whole other topic...Dominiquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13904020232072043741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-25837880346556997512009-01-20T23:33:00.000-05:002009-01-20T23:33:00.000-05:00Yay Canadian cinema. David Cronenberg is waaaay ov...Yay Canadian cinema. David Cronenberg is waaaay overdue!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-71289608997387245722009-01-20T23:12:00.000-05:002009-01-20T23:12:00.000-05:00Interesting to hear that. I have enjoyed the Arcan...Interesting to hear that. I have enjoyed the Arcand films I have seen, but really I don't know all that much else. But between Cronenberg and Maddin, Canada has a couple of the greatest artists working right now. I'm sure there are others I'm forgetting, but who are the big French Canadian directors I should know about? I try and keep up on things, but my main academic interests end up with European cinema so that's where I end up putting the bulk of my energy. I'd love to have some more Canadian names to check out...James Hansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09650436008918093617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-16306771912348854582009-01-20T22:50:00.000-05:002009-01-20T22:50:00.000-05:00James, that is a bizarre opinion for a Canadian to...James, that is a bizarre opinion for a Canadian to read since French Canadian films fare so much better at the box-office than English Canadian films and are generally more successful come awards time. There is no comparison actually.Dominiquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13904020232072043741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-29392864897053891742009-01-20T22:38:00.000-05:002009-01-20T22:38:00.000-05:00Well, I love Canada (although I tend to enjoy thei...Well, I love Canada (although I tend to enjoy their English speaking directors more than French and others). I actually haven't seen CRAZY. Is it worth checking out?James Hansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09650436008918093617noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-3269986490603821202009-01-20T22:26:00.000-05:002009-01-20T22:26:00.000-05:00C.R.A.Z.Y. is one of the best Canadian films ever,...C.R.A.Z.Y. is one of the best Canadian films ever, period.<BR/><BR/>Dunno about this one. Can't even say I've heard anything about it either. (And I am also Canadian.)Dominiquehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13904020232072043741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-41514833936583016692009-01-20T22:17:00.000-05:002009-01-20T22:17:00.000-05:00Any thoughts about "C.R.A.Z.Y." (Canada's submissi...Any thoughts about "C.R.A.Z.Y." (Canada's submission from a few years ago)? I saw it recently and found it hilarious, and atypical of an Oscar movie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8256060.post-72404375218941313992009-01-20T22:09:00.000-05:002009-01-20T22:09:00.000-05:00I'm rooting for this film if only to mock the Fore...I'm rooting for this film if only to mock the Foreign Language Films nominating committee. Seriously.<BR/><BR/> I'm also Canadian.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com