Vengeance (2009) Movie Review

Hong Kong’s crime cinema God Johnnie To goes International in “Vengeance”, a film that is at once different and yet familiar for the director. The film stars French rocker Johnny Hallyday as Costello, a French chef who journeys to Macau after a trio of Chinese hitmen fulfill a contract on the family...

December 22nd, 2009 | Read More

The Piano Teacher (2001) Movie Review

Love and violence may seem axiomatically opposed, but in the movies they share a common bond – they’re both difficult to depict on screen without attaching any sense of thrill to their meanings. And yet The Piano Teacher, a French film from director Michael Haneke, based on a novel by Nobel Prize...

October 8th, 2009 | Read More

Banlieue 13: Ultimatum (2009) Movie Review

It’s been three years since the events of “Banlieue 13”, and the more things change, the more they stay the same. Or gotten worst, actually. The wall that separates the slums of District 13 and the more civilized (i.e. less tattooed) populace of Paris has not been torn down as promised, and the...

August 8th, 2009 | Read More

Martyrs (2008) Movie Review

As Hollywood horror slowly drowns in a mire of teen friendly remakes, over the last few years, it is arguably the French who have given genre addicts their much needed fixes, including such gruesome gems as “Switchblade Romance”, “Frontiers” and “Inside”. Following these comes “Martyrs”,...

May 30th, 2009 | Read More

Fear(s) of the Dark (2007) Movie Review

French black and white animation has been growing increasingly accomplished and popular of late through the likes of the science fiction themed “Renaissance” and the Oscar nominated “Persepolis”. Offering something a little different and far more disturbing is “Fear(s) of the Dark” (“Peur(s)...

January 19th, 2009 | Read More

Renaissance (2006) Movie Review

As computer processing power has increased over the years, we’ve seen more and more creative integration of CGI into film. For the most part, the technology has been restricted to rendering ever more convincing F/X for sci-fi and fantasy films. However, over the past few years we’ve seen...

October 18th, 2006 | Read More

Empire of the Wolves (2005) Movie Review

As is usually the case with movies that involves people trying to figure out who they are, and discovering that all they know was never real to begin with, the journey ends up being more exciting than the destination. Such was the case with “The Bourne Identity”, where following Bourne as...

June 8th, 2006 | Read More

Cache aka Hidden (2005) Movie Review

“Hidden” is the latest film from German auteur Michael Haneke, director of “Code Unknown” and “Funny Games”. The film has already garnered a multitude of awards, including the best director and Jury prizes at Cannes . This is perhaps unsurprising, as the film is...

February 13th, 2006 | Read More

Malefique (2002) Movie Review

French horror has been enjoying somewhat of a revival over the last few years, with films such as “High Tension” and “In My Skin” enjoying international success. “Malefique” is another such slice of full blooded Gallic genre cinema which, though made back in 2002 is...

December 11th, 2005 | Read More

Banlieue 13 aka Suburb 13 (2004) Movie Review

Leave it to Luc Besson, the man behind “La Femme Nikita” and “Leon”, to single-handedly keep the phrase “French action movie” a viable option. The prolific writer/director/producer has had his hands in almost every action movie that has come out of France in the last...

June 23rd, 2005 | Read More

Clean (2004) Movie Review

“Clean” is a film best known for the remarkable central performance of actress Maggie Cheung, for which she won the top award at the 2004 Cannes film festival. Also of interest is the fact that it was directed by Oliver Assayas, to whom Cheung was married until the film was actually in production....

June 5th, 2005 | Read More

Unleashed aka Danny the Dog (2005) Movie Review

Generally speaking, Jet Li’s western films have been hampered by indecision on the part of the filmmakers as to how to handle his onscreen persona. Since English is not Li’s first language, he is typically relegated to playing a stone-faced killer required only to beat the crap out of everyone...

May 15th, 2005 | Read More

Kaena: The Prophecy (2003) Movie Review

Truth be told, the only notable thing about “Kaena: The Prophecy”, which is hyped as the first French 3D animated film ever, is that American movie star Kirsten Dunst is the voice of the lead character, the titular Kaena. Which, by itself, brings some baggage, in particular the fact that...

January 30th, 2005 | Read More

Samurai aka Samourais (2002) Movie Review

Generally speaking, blending genres is a good idea, and while it requires a delicate touch to pull off, when properly handled the result is a film that appeals to the viewer on several levels, as well as being more rewarding as a result of the blending. However, when handled in a ham-fisted fashion,...

December 12th, 2004 | Read More

In My Skin (2002) Movie Review

Cannibalism is a popular theme in lowbrow exploitation cinema, exemplified by films such as “Cannibal Holocaust” and “The Untold Story”, though the subject rarely rears its ugly head in more artistically and critically acceptable fare. The French film “In My Skin”...

November 30th, 2004 | Read More

Immortel ad vitam (aka Immortal, 2004) Movie Review

It seems like 2004 will be known as ‘The Year of the Virtual Movie Set.’ “Immortel” is one of four films that are garnering notice this year for being almost entirely filmed on blue/green screen with the majority of the on-screen visuals added digitally in post production (the...

October 30th, 2004 | Read More

Secret Agents (2004) Movie Review

The French don’t generally do a lot of straight action movies, or if they do, you don’t hear a lot about them. “Crimson Rivers” (which starred “Secret Agents’” Vincent Cassel) was a stab at the popular serial killer genre, and in a way it succeeded — enough...

October 10th, 2004 | Read More

Dead End (2001) Movie Review

“Dead End”, a French production by French filmmakers with an all-American cast, is all geared toward “getting” the audience with a slick Twist Ending. So, knowing that, your only recourse is to sit through the whole thing trying to piece together the evidence and outguess the...

March 17th, 2004 | Read More

Fureur (2003) Movie Review

“Fureur” is one strange movie. It’s mostly in French, shot around the Chinatown community in France, and it counts among its cast members a variety of Asians, including but not limited to Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, and Burmese. And although the box cover will have you believe otherwise,...

March 13th, 2004 | Read More

High Tension (2003) Movie Review

The French Slasher movie “Haute Tension” has been re-titled “Switchblade Romance” for its North American release. Why? I don’t know. I suppose movie execs are talentless hacks rather they are in France or America. Certainly the thought of needlessly renaming a film is something...

February 16th, 2004 | Read More