2010 Cinemania Ratings@Arts & Opinion

2.4-- WOLF, Nicolas Vanier
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] This anthropological adventure, beautifully shot on location in the mountains of Siberia, provides insight into the lives of a Nomadic peoples, the Evene of Southern Siberia. The Evene are a nomadic and breed reindeer. Sergueï, 16-years-old, is chosen by his father-leader to safeguard the clan’s herd of 3,000 reindeer. On his first night, Sergueï discovers a mother with her four cubs. Unable to kill them, as the rules of the clan stipulate, he decides to let them live and keep their existence secret. Can he change the nature of the wolves and not endanger the livelihood of the clan. Due to the dialogue of the Evene being dubbed into French, the film lacked a sense of realism and credibility. The films of Anastasia Lapsui and Markku Lehmuskallio that deal with the Nenet peoples of the Russian Tundra are far superior.

3.8-- WOLF, Nicolas Vanier
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] Nature and Man merge in this hypnotic tale where filial duty, clan cohesion and spousal loyalty clash with one heavenly handsome young man named Sergueï . His devotion to a wolf pack overrides the vigorous task assigned to him by the leader of the Lapp clan: to lead and guard 3000 reindeer while en route to Southern Siberia's lichen-filled terrain. He accomplishes the command of protecting the reindeer while secretly protecting the wolves he meets and bonds with. He is supposed to kill any wolf he happens upon, and this is the crux of the story's conflict and ensuing drama. Moving and suspenseful, the film features fabulous cinematography that intensifies our emotions. And as our hero becomes closer and closer to his beloved new wolf family -- now threatened by his own human family -- we fear the outcome will not be a happy one. Winter and summer scenes majestically sweep across the screen as we gain insight into the strict tribal rules of Siberia's indigenous Lapps. Sergueï is most sneaky, but his heart holds the key to saving that which is larger than the need to kill without provocation. As a guardian of reindeer, Sergueï also proves he is guardian of much more. The director's message of harmony is heartfelt. Restraint and love may one day allow wolves their lofty and rightful place in nature's breathtakingly mysterious maze of survival.

3.1- POTICHE , François Ozon
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] “Potiche” is the French expression used to describe a ‘trophy wife’ i.e. a perfect housewife who accepts without question her husband’s authority on all matters. Suzanne (Catherine Deneuve) is married to Robert (Fabrice Luchini). He is the CEO of an umbrella factory and rules it with an iron fist. One day his disgruntled employees decide to go on strike demanding better working conditions. Robert is taken hostage and Suzanne goes to Babin (Gérard Depardieu) to save her husband. Babin is the mayor of the town, has Marxist ideals and had a brief affair with Suzanne. Robert suffers a heart attack and is forced to take a sabbatical. Suzanne replaces him and with her two children, Joëlle (Judith Godrèche) and Laurent (Jérémie Renier) negotiate a suitable settlement with the workers and succeed in turning the factory into a profitable venture. When Robert returns from his sabbatical, he wants his old position back but his wife does not wish part from it. Unable to accept defeat from a woman, especially his wife, Robert develops a devious plan to discredit her and take back his position. A delightful light-hearted farce that recalls the spirit of the 70s that benefits from an excellent rapport between the three leads along with timely humour.

3.1- POTICHE , François Ozon
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] When Suzanne takes over her husband’s umbrella manufacturing company, not only does she shed her days dealing with a tyrannical husband, but she also sheds her trophy wife dumb blond image to show her true mettle. She negotiates an agreement with union workers for her hubby’s company: he’s now lying prone in bed in post heart attack position. She becomes company leader and brings in her son and daughter. But when her husband resumes his duties, he kicks her out. Finally, she beats out every male opponent standing in her way when she wins a seat in parliament. This whimsical film deliciously dishes on wayward husbands who take their devoted wives for granted. Catherine Deneuve as Suzanne plays comedy to perfection, and Gérard Depardieu as her ex-paramour is as rotund in passion as he is in girth. It’s all very entertaining; the message is delightfully conveyed in typical light-hearted French style.

3.8 -- THE ROUNDUP, Rose Bosch
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] This harrowing and emotionally charged film brings to light France’s involvement in the Holocaust during WWII. On July 16th 1942, overzealous Nazi collaborators in the Parisian police roundup 25,000 Jews (many of them children). 13,000 were first incarcerated in the Velodrome D’Hiver under atrocious conditions -- no food or water in cramped quarters. Then they were sent to Beaune-la-Rolande in North-central France and finally to Auschwitz. Only one child survives -- Jo Weisman, around whom this film centers. We get an outstanding performances throughout from an all-star cast that includes Jean Reno, Melanie Laurent, Gad Elmaleh and Sylvie Testud. The innocent naivety of the children, especially the character of Nono Zygler, gives this film the required amount of lightness to get us through a painfully disturbing chapter of French history.

3.9 -- THE ROUNDUP, Rose Bosch
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] It's 1942, July 16. This outstanding film vividly exposes the chilling events leading to the deaths of 25,000 Parisian Jews, including 13,000 children. They are rounded up in the capital's Velodrome d'Hiver to suffer days without water or food, only to end up being carted away to an internment camp, and then on to Auschwitz. The story unfolds putting three adorable kids before our teary eyes. Two of them actually reunite after the war is over. Paris -- The City of Light -- becomes the City of Darkness when it comes to revealing the shameful complicity of French politicians and citizens only too eager to barter away human life in the most barbaric manner. Buried away for 68 years, this heinous period in French history is brought to light, thanks to the courage, research and dramatic rendering of reality by first-time director Rose Bosch.

3.3 -- DJINNS (STRANDED), Hugues Martin, Sandra Martin
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] When paratroopers are sent to the Algerian Desert to locate a downed French plane, they retrieve a case. This case becomes the focal point of intrigue for the platoon. What is in it? At the end, we find out, but not before each and every one of these tough soldiers, save for one, become possessed by desert spirits called Djinns. Hallucinations foretell their future and invoke their past. Each is forced to revisit these moments of unforgettable suffering as they resurge vividly in their imagination from prior war experiences. The past is everyone's invisible stalker, and in "Djinns" it hurdles these lost soldiers into a village where they meet their destiny of doom, thanks to those Djinns. Let's not forget though, there’s always one able to separate himself from the fold and arise triumphant. As for that mysterious case, worse disasters await the world.

3.6 -- DJINNS (STRANDED), Hugues Martin, Sandra Martin
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] Djinn are the Islamic equivalent of Christianity’s concept of Angels and Demons. The demonic (evil) Djinn enter a person’s mind, playing on their fears, driving them to the point of madness. Set in 1960, a French aircraft carrying a case containing state secrets is downed in the Algerian desert. An elite unit of paratroopers is sent to retrieve the case and rescue any survivors. They find the plane, but no survivors and retrieve the case. When Algerian rebels shoot at them they take refuge in a remote village. An evil force is awakened and begins to possess their minds, bringing out their deepest fears; the soldiers become increasingly erratic in their behaviour descending into a form of madness. Similar in concept to the 2005 Korean film “R-Point” by Kong Su-chang, both are supernatural thrillers that explore basic human fear that runs deeper than war-time bullets as they fight an unseen enemy.

2.5 -- LOVE CRIME, Alain Corneau
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] Director’s final film (Corneau died in August of this year) explores the possibility of the perfect crime. Christine (Kristen Scott Thomas) is a cold and calculating corporate boss, who stops at nothing to advance her career, even claiming as her own ideas those conceived by her underlings, such as Isabella (Ludovine Sagnier) who is a rising star is the corporate world. Isabella reports directly to Christine, whom she greatly admires until Christine publicly humiliates her. A short time later Christine is found stabbed to death and all evidence points to Isabella. Is it just circumstantial or is Isabella actually guilty? Despite excellent performances from the leads, this thriller fails to stand up to Hitchcockian standards due to its lack of credulity and numerous loose ends. A wonderfully integrated, moody score by saxophonist Pharoah Sanders in duet with a koto player.

2.4 -- LOVE CRIME, Alain Corneau
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] It happens every day in the corporate world where a boss takes credit for a campaign actually conceived and carried out to the finish by his/her underling. When Christine (Kristin Scott Thomas) sends Isabelle (Ludivine Sagnier), her up and coming colleague, to Cairo to cement a tricky deal, she ends up collecting all the kudos from the Americans, her overseas partners. Isabelle gets even by brokering her own deal behind Christine's back, thereby gaining recognition for her business acumen. But one should never mess with the top dog. Christine teaches her a lesson. She humiliates Isabelle in front of everyone when the latter has an anger meltdown that is videotaped in the parking lot of the company. It's shown to everyone at a gathering. Isabelle, in turn, through a series of clever strategies, ends up having her day and many after that. Do not rule out murder here. Christine finishes as the fallen star while Isabelle takes her place sky high in the pantheon. Kristin Scott Thomas plays the business bitch beautifully. Too many unexplained plot twists make the movie less than what it could have been.

3.6-- AN ORDINARY EXECUTION, Marc Dugain
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] Moscow, 1952. Stalin's health is rapidly declining. He summons Anna, a gifted reiki specialist whose medical brilliance arouses jealousy among her male colleagues. The hospital head threatens to report her if she doesn't comply with his sexual advances. Her only joy is her husband. But Stalin ensures he keeps Anna away from him and her regular life. Her husband is brought in by the KGB and tortured. Prior to this, Anna herself had to ensure she leaves him. She tells him she has a lover, and he must leave her life. She does this to protect him. The ending to this compelling film is a happy one. Anna and her husband are reunited, and Stalin is put in his rightful place: dead, and under the ground. Marina Hands plays fear with outstanding reserve. Virtuoso actor, André Dussollier as Stalin is incredible and utterly believable. His Stalin was quietly murderous.

3.0 -- AN ORDINARY EXECUTION, Marc Dugain
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] André Dussollier plays Stalin with stunning virtuosity. This is an account of the dictator`s final days in 1952. Desperate, Stalin has urologist Anna (Marina Hands) brought to the Kremlin. She is reported to have special healing powers and Stalin uses her to ease the agonizing pain he is suffering. In his usual manipulations and monstrous contempt for others, Stalin ensures that his relationship with Anna and his impending death are kept secret . The terror inherent in being in his company is convincingly evident in Marina Hands' performance. This film however, due to its French origin, lacked a sense of realism. Had it been Russian, it would have rated 3.8.

3.9 -- COPACABANA, Marc Fitoussi
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] What a joy it is to watch Isabelle Huppert film perform comedy with enchanting whimsy. She plays Babou, a carefree 50-year-old who can't hold a job nor keep her daughter, Esmeralda, in her life. They are just too different, so to prove her worth and win her daughter's love, she takes a job selling time share apartments in Ostende, Belgium. She's raking in the clients until she decides a homeless couple ought to be able to stay secretly in one of the showcases studios; they'll be able to keep warm at night. Babou gets fired, but it's all for the best because her daughter who is about to break up with her fiancé has a change of heart. Babou has worked her magic to bring them back together; the couple is reunited. In the end daughter and mother have a great time at the wedding, and Babou lives out one of her dreams. She performs at the wedding dressed in a Brazilian carnival costume with a little troupe, and she end up traveling with them, making her dream come true to travel :to Brazil -- albeit it is in a bus, and it tours to small towns in Belgium, but Babou's imagination is big enough to make fantasies seem wondrously true. Isabelle Huppert is gifted, and Lolita, her real life daughter who plays Esmeralda are a deliciously entertaining duo.

3.0 -- COPACABANA , Marc Fitoussi
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] Isabelle Huppert simply astounds in her portrayal of Babou, a free-spirited and a sort of bourgeois hippy woman in her 50s. So much so, that her more conservative daughter, Esmeralda (played by Huppert’s real-life daughter Lolita Chammah), is too embarrassed to have her mother present at her upcoming wedding. To prove that she can be responsible and to try and win back her daughter’s confidence, Babou takes a job in Ostende, Belgium – selling time-share apartments that are being newly built. Ostende is a sea-side resort. Can she truly change her ways and be accepted by her daughter? This is a cheerfully delightful crowd pleasing comedy about accepting who I am and who those around us are.

2.0 -- LOURDES, Jessica Hausner
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] Christine (Sylvie Testud) is wheelchair bound due to an incurable disease. She travels to the holy shrine of Lourdes seeking peace of mind and spiritual comfort in dealing with her situation. As the days wear on, she begins to feel better, both morally and physically. One evening, miraculously she gets out of bed to go to the washroom. Has she been truly healed? Why her and not someone else; is she deserving? Excessive religious propaganda and clichés mar what could have been a socio-religious commentary on the goings-on in these religious shrines and the faith of those who believe.

2.9 -- THE BOAT RACE, Bernard Bellefroid
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] Alexandre, masterfully portrayed by Joffrey Verbruggen has an abusive father intent on destroying his aspirations to be a champion rower. Rowing is his refuge, a father's rage his reality. His coach knows he has the potential to win races, but cannot understand why Alexandre, his star rower does not always appear for training sessions; and why he is always so solemn. It's a chilling film dedicated in fact to all fathers who lose their sons at their own hands, and sons who have no fathers -- frightful monsters who have betrayed paternal trust in horrid ways. Indeed, at the end of this film, Alexandre chooses to leave his dad and live with his sister. Thierry Hancisse performs as a truly despicable father. He plays abusive personality with flawless accuracy. We want to reach through the screen and hold Alexandre -- so moving is Verbruggen's performance.

3.5 -- OUTSIDE THE LAW , Rachid Boucharib
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] Powerful and riveting drama chronicling Algeria’s quest to gain independence from France. This film joins the ranks of classics such as the 1966 “The Battle of Algiers” by Gillo Pontecorvo and Alain Tasma’s 2006 film “October 17th 1961.” The opening scene shows a family of Algerian peasants being forced off the land that has been their home for for generations. The year is 1925 and the family consists of three young boys. Fast forward to the mid-fifties, we follow these brothers (played by Jamel Debouze, Roschdy Zem and Sami Bouajila), now in exile; each in his own way takes up the struggle for Algerian independence yet the brothers are united in their love for their mother. Two become leaders in the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN) and the third is involved in shady enterprises. Boucharib does not shy away from showing the brutal atrocities perpetrated from both sides of the conflict.

0.4 -- HAPPY FEW, Antony Cordier
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] Utterly pointless drama about two couples who get into a swinging couple situation. This reviewer did detect a suggestion of tension, possibly jealousy, between the four which could have carried the film into the realm of a thriller, but alas such was not the case. The only positive element of this film was the soundtrack that was soft and melodic.

0.1 -- HAPPY FEW, Antony Cordier
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] This is a bomb! Boring beyond description. Bare bodies keep sliding across the screen in various sexual scenes because of two couples that become very close and decide to enjoy free love. Not only is the film plot-less, the topic is totally passé. Someone ought to ban this director from every making another film! The garden outside one of the couple's house was pretty, though.

2.4 -- FAMILY TREE, Olivier Ducastel, Jacques Martineau
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] Frédéric Muller owns a thickly forested Alsatian estate. When Charles, his eldest son dies, Frédéric prefers to commune with his trees and immerse himself in the music of Wagner instead of attending his funeral. The family is scandalized by this and tries to understand the reason why. Why is Frédéric so remote, distant? What was the real reason for being sent to a Nazi concentration camp? What deep dark secret has he kept from most of his family for over 50 years? This could have been a powerful character study into post-war silences such as Denis Villeneuve’s “Scorched” yet fails due poor character development that fails to engage. It came across as shallow and superficial. An extremely effective scene was an overhead shot of the forest coupled with the music of Wagner.

1.3 -- STATE AFFAIRS, Éric Valette
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] Have you ever spent most of your time watching a film and trying to understand what the plot is and the role of each character in that plot? This is one film that will keep you wondering what the hell is going on. Consider yourself smart if you figure out that the French government is secretly flying weapons to its forces in Congo to fight against the people. One of the frustrating problems in trying to keep up with it all was both villain and good guy acted and looked alike. Obviously the director had a thing for bald men. The females in this film were up to no good, and therefore were perfectly cast because this film was no good. The movie was a mess, filmed in hyper-speed mode, the poor cameraman. Someone must have given this director a little white pill.

1.5 -- STATE AFFAIRS, Éric Valette
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] A mediocre cluttered spy thriller that opens with an arms-laden airplane exploding off the coast of Africa. Presidential confident, Victor Bornand (André Dussollier in his usual mesmerizing performance) is charged with fixing things up.

3.0 -- A SCREAMING MAN, Muhamet-Saleh Haroun
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] Slow-paced, emotional drama that portrays life in a country ravaged by a civil war. Adam is a 55-year-old pool attendant at a luxury hotel in Chad. His life is defined by this job since he was a former swimming champion. The hotel has just changed ownership and is downsizing. Adam is demoted to parking attendant and his son replaces him. The local district chief is constantly asking Adam for money or to give his son in the effort to fight the rebel factions. Devastated by his demotion, Adam signs up his son to join the army to fight the rebels. Serving as a wake-up call this film shows how political, social and economic pressures will often put a tremendous strain on the love between a parent and a child.

2.3 -- A SCREAMING MAN, Mahamet-Saleh Haroun
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] This slow moving movie tells the story of Adam -- a former swimming champion for Chad, so obsessed with his job, he will do anything to hang onto it. So when he is told he can no longer be the pool attendant for the hotel he has been working for ever since he was a teen champion, he's now 55 years old, he is full of despair. He is demoted to hotel parking attendant. Cruelly, the manager replaces him with Ahmed, his own son. It's a case of out with the old, in with the new -- the young. The father takes drastic measures. Without Ahmed knowing, he signs him up to serve in the civil war. Soon after, Ahmed is seized by army men outside his house -- abruptly taken away to serve in the army. He is now cut off from his now pregnant girlfriend and mother. Ironically, the father leaves to find his son and bring him back home. What he discovers is his son is near death. He discovers he has made a horrible mistake. The final scene in the movie unfolds beautifully and tragically. An understated feature that raises many questions about family, war and work set within the cultural context of Chad.

1.9 -- DUMAS, Safy Nebbou
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] Did Dumas really pen all those classic novels and plays? It's an interesting question, but whether Dumas really employed the services of a ghost writer named Auguste Maquet, no one will ever know. However, this film suggests so, based on the plot and character relationships. Unfortunately, this period feature becomes so cluttered with subplots: a lecherous Dumas lusting after women, romantic entanglements, conjugal jealousies, and superfluous scenes, with the French Revolution thrown in to stir up plot excitement. The result is the Dumas duplicity question gets lost in translation. This movie lacks focus. Therefore, the treatment of such an intriguing topic turned into a convoluted yet sometimes entertaining tailspin -- despite the high production quality, costumes and scenery. Benoît Poelvoorde in the role of Maquet was the only credible actor. Such an important topic deserves more than the film's ever-present silliness.

3.2 -- DUMAS, Safy Nebou
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] Period costume drama that centers upon Alexander Dumas (Gérard Depardieu) and his ghost-writer/collaborator Auguste Maquet ( Benoît Poelvoorde). Dumas expresses the ideas and Maquet faithfully churns out page after page to meet the publisher’s deadlines. Meanwhile Dumas occupies himself by chasing all the lovely women. Charlotte Desrives’ (Mélanie Thierry) father has been imprisoned, so when she hears that Dumas is in town she desires to go and seek his help in releasing her father. Dumas and Maquet have switched rooms so when Charlotte arrives, she mistakes Maquet for Dumas. Maquet falls in love and is willing to abandon everything. Depardieu’s flamboyant portrayal of Dumas as a libertine contrasts with Poelvoorde’s innocently subdued Maquet. The era is faithfully and accurately captured with the exquisite costume and set design. The mix of tragedy and comedy is well-balanced.

0.3 -- AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN, Jacques Rivette
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] On the way to reclaim her small family circus, inherited from her father, Kate’s (Jane Birkin) car breaks down. An obviously affluent man, Vittorio (Sergio Castellitto) stops to fix her car. With time to spare, he follows her to the circus. Despite the beautiful country scenes, this is an aimless exercise, devoid of any meaning. The dialogue is repetitious, emotionless and incoherent.

0.2 -- AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN , Jacques Rivette
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] This director is in his eighties, and judging from this film, it's time he retired to a small mountain town himself. Without a doubt, a lifeless piece of go-nowhere plot with acting as flat as the tire, the character Kate (Jane Birkin) gets on her way to revisit a five-man circus her father once operated. A stranger named Vittorio stops to help her, and becomes intrigued by her. He attends the dull performance in the village, but she never appears in the performance whose audience consists of three people. He ends up with a small role in the circus just before she makes her brief presence known; she stands in front of a chair while a whip is held by another performer. She then sits down to hold a newspaper. I'm sure anyone watching this lacklustre circus would request a refund! The scenery was pleasant, but the film was pointless.

3.1 -- MENSCH, Steve Suissa
[reviewed by Nancy Snipper] Sam Hazak, close to Victor, his grandfather who runs a distribution grocery business, in Sentier, the lively Jewish garment district of Paris has not followed in the family's footsteps. Instead of earning an honest living by working in his granddad's company, Sam prefers to crack open safes, and he's very good at it. He gets involved with Simon Safran, once a close friend of the family, but now a detested enemy. No surprise here: Simon is a mobster, and he has a few loose cannons working for him. Sam lies to his family about his real life though they all suspect he is involved with Simon. Lost, but devoted to Max, his beloved five-year-old son, Sam hits the skids when a heist goes terribly wrong. Can there be a way out for Sam whose touching relationship with Max adds a superb element of sympathy amidst the chaos of his life and the crimes he commits? The strong family Jewish aspect in this film adds striking contrast to the violence surrounding Sam. Secrets, including a big one from grandfather (six degrees of separation comes into play here) the suspense even more. An awfully charismatic Sam, played brilliantly by Nicolas Cazalel makes this feature more than a heist flick. Being a mensch is no easy feat, especially when lying and stealing set a once good Jewish boy on the wrong path.

2.9 -- MENSCH, Steve Suissa
[reviewed by Sylvain Richard] Definition: Man of Honour. Sam Hazak is a minor thief. He is a divorced father with the custody of his young son Max (Max Baisette de Malglaive -- Pierre Schoeller’s Versailles). Sam’s grandfather, Victor, dreams that he will one day join the family business, grocery distribution. Sam’s activities attract the attention of mobster Simon Safran, who hires him to do one last job --a diamond heist. Safran and Victor are long-term bitter enemies. This entertaining crime thriller avoids the normal clichés (car chases, shoot-him-ups etc) of most in this genre, focusing more on character development. Max’s innocent curiosity about what his father does for a living enhances this aspect.

For the ratings of 2009 Cinemania Film Festival, HERE.
For the ratings of 2008 Cinemania Film Festival, HERE.
For the ratings of 2007 Cinemania Film Festival, HERE.