French Movie Reviews »
Intimacy (2001) Movie Review
“Intimacy” is the kind of film that you never see being made in America. This could be for a number of reasons, from the average American’s belief that anything with vast amounts of nudity...
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Wasabi (2001) Movie Review
I am told by someone “in the know” that French action auteur Luc Besson and his favorite muse, Jean Reno, are celebrated idols in Japan. They are, to paraphrase, “big stuff” over there. What...
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The Lover (1991) Movie Review
Jean-Jacques Annaud’s The Lover is based on a novel by Marguerite Duras, supposedly a semi-autobiography about her early teen years in French-colonized Vietnam, where she met a rich (and much older) Chinaman (Hong Kong...
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Amelie (2001) Movie Review
On more than one occasion in writer/director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amelie a character leaves his motorpad unattended and unlocked for long periods at a time, but it’s always there when he comes back for it....
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Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) Movie Review
I will be the first to admit that my history is not as sharp or as extensive as I would like it to be, but I am reasonably sure neither the French nor the...
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Vidocq (aka Dark Portals, 2001) Movie Review
The French film “Vidocq” is an interesting failure. It is breathtaking in its visuals, has an interesting narrative, but its execution is so erratic that I am left to wonder if one-name director Pitof...
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The Crimson Rivers (2002) Movie Review
Credits are a strange thing. The credits that roll after the stars’ names have flashed are inconsequential to the moviegoing public. Hence, most people have no idea who, or what, a “Line Producer” is....
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The Messenger (1999) Movie Review
It’s somewhat ironic that I’ve just finished reviewing an excellent period adventure movie in Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” and now I’m about to royally trash another period adventure movie. To begin with, let me...
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Crying Freeman (1995) Movie Review
I must admit to being extremely frustrated with director Christophe Gans’ French version of the popular manga comic book. My frustration is part annoyance and part sadness. The annoyance comes from the fact that...
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Kiss of the Dragon (2002) Movie Review
“Kiss of the Dragon” is Jet Li’s third “international” film — movies that he is involved in without his usual Hong Kong crew. The movie, filmed exclusively in Paris, France, re-teams Li with his...
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Chocolat (2002) Movie Review
“Chocolat” is a cheat. For me, that is. The movie has gotten a lot of exposure, what having been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and all. It’s a fine little movie, perhaps a...
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La Femme Nikita (1991) Movie Review
“La Femme Nikita” is the movie that catapulted French action director Luc Besson to international stardom, as well as convincing the world the French were capable of more than just moody films about the...
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Small Change (1976) Movie Review
Francois Truffaut’s “Small Change,” in my humble opinion, is the best French movie I have ever seen. It is also the best film from the group of “new wave” directors of the ’60s, including...
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Baise Moi (2000) Movie Review
“Baise Moi,” which translates from French into “Rape Me” in English, is an oddball of a movie — if you can call it a “movie” at all, that is. The flick is controversial only...
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