Jep_Gambardella Reviews

The Eagle Huntress (2016)

Beautiful to look at, but very problematic as a documentary.

[6/10 · 9 December 2016]

Are we supposed to believe that a foreign documentary crew just started to follow this girl and her family around before there was anything at all remarkable about her, and that by luck they stumbled upon the one girl who would become an eagle huntress? Or that her father, upon realising that his daughter was going to break new ground in the hunting-with-eagles culture, got in touch with a foreign filmmaker to propose that as a subject for a documentary film?

The explanation that makes the most sense for the existence of this film is that the documentarist learned about the girl AFTER she had already become a huntress and then decided to make a film about her, recreating for the screen her past experiences. So everything that we see is probably fake. If it is fake, how do I know that I can believe any of it? Did she (an inexperienced 13-year old with a young eagle) really get first place in that tournament against older and far more experienced men and birds?

Was that a real eagle nest that she found with her father? Did she really go down to the nest to capture her eaglet? There is footage that can only come from a GoPro camera attached to her head, but in the long shots we don't see such a camera. Again, it must have been staged, so how do I believe it?

Lucky Luke (2009)

They should have trusted Goscinny

[7/10 · 1 February 2010]

The script of the first Astérix movie combined elements from a few different books and it wasn't very successful. Then came the second, which was based in a single book. This was by far the best Astérix movie. The third one was based on one of the books but had a lot of extra stuff thrown in there, and it resulted in a resounding failure. What conclusion can be drawn from this? That you should just trust Goscinny, who was a great writer, and keep your film as close as possible to his material. With this "Lucky Luke" film they picked characters and plot elements from a dozen different books, and the resulting screenplay was a huge mess.

I still enjoyed it, but I think it could have been much better.

Les Bougon: C'est aussi ça la vie (2004–2006)

Portrait of a nice loving family - NOT!

[2 February 2004]

Comedy series about the Bougon family, which are the perfect model family - if your way of life consists of drinking beer all day, cheating on welfare and on your landlord, having a prostitute as a daughter and otherwise coming up with various schemes to make money as long as it doesn't involve an honest paycheck, that is.

The first few episodes of this new (Jan 2004) Radio-Canada TV series have been extremely funny and successful. Its politically incorrect biting satire pokes fun at everything and everyone. The series is quickly becoming a Québec cultural icon

Ma voisine danse le ska (2003)

Decent low-budget first feature film

[7/10 · 2 February 2004]

A Belgian photographer living in Montreal loses his wife and child in an accident. He is only able to overcome his ensuing suicidal mood when he meets his lonely single mother neighbour.

I thought this was a pretty interesting movie. It's not a heavy depressing drama (my plot outline notwithstanding) - it does have many funny moments - but it's far from a fluffy romantic movie with glamorous people either. It's not a very polished film, like something that would come out of a Hollywood studio, but for a low-budget local production I thought it was OK. Pretty much the whole film was set in the Montreal winter and looked accordingly bleak, which was an interesting unusual touch.

Nez rouge (2003)

By-the-numbers romantic comedy delivers

[7/10 · 30 January 2004]

A literary critic with the meanest pen in town is sentenced for drunk driving to community service over the Christmas holidays at the "Nez Rouge" service, which provides lifts to people who have had too much to drink. He is partnered with an aspiring writer who hates him for having utterly destroyed her first work years earlier. Naturally he falls in love with her, then they fight, then she realizes she loves him too.

As far as romantic comedies go (a genre that Québec cinema doesn't explore much), this one was pretty good. If follows the conventions and the general plot structure of the genre quite faithfully (if I hadn't liked the film I would have just said "it's full of clichés"), but I thoroughly enjoyed it, had many good laughs and left with a smile in my face. Sometimes that's enough.

Vendus (2004)

So-so black humour comedy

[7/10 · 29 January 2004]

An unemployed man married to a wealthy realtor has an affair with a young woman, who, assuming he is the rich half of the couple, is planning to blackmail him. Her plans change when he asks for her help in killing his wife

This is not a bad movie but it doesn't quite reach its goals. The plot is interesting enough, but many situations feel forced and the humour doesn't always work. One more thing, the digital photography looks pretty bad on the big screen at some points.

Je n'aime que toi (2004)

Pretty good drama

[8/10 · 29 January 2004]

A famous middle-aged author overcomes his writer's block by befriending a young prostitute and using her shocking life story as an inspiration for his new book. Their relationship grows deeper, eventually affecting his professional commitments and his marriage. There is something keeping her from returning his feelings, though.

It's an OK movie, by no means great but better than average. It does have strong sexual content, so those who are easily shocked should stay away. It's a simple story, but the journey of the main character and his relation with the prostitute are very well developed. At the end when we see the whole picture it becomes quite interesting.

On the negative side I was conscious of the acting on a few occasions. Nothing overly distracting though.

Les aventures tumultueuses de Jack Carter (2003)

Je suis Jack Carter, détective privé - le meilleur de Montréal!

[29 October 2003]

Jack Carter is the best private detective in Montreal. He is a former police officer, divorced from the city's forensic pathologist and father of a young girl. He is helped in his cases by his best friend, a former cop and current restaurant owner, and by an ex-colleague still in the police force. A second cop hates him and is a constant source of trouble. Like James Bond, he never fails to go to bed with the attractive females that cross his path.

The first year of the show had only four stories, each one developed over two episodes - eight episodes in total. The cases were:

• The disappearance of a businessman, possibly linked to a woman's body found half buried in cement.

• A tiger is stolen from the zoo.

• A body is stolen from the cemetery.

• A scientist is chased by mysterious men that are after his secret formula.

The show is not quite like any other TV detective show I have seen. It manages quite well a balance between the serious and the funny. It doesn't take itself too seriously. Good production values for a Canadian series, stylish direction, likable cast, all contribute to make it a very watchable show. I hope it comes back for a second year.

El intruso (1999)

How on Earth did this get made?

[1/10 · 24 October 2003]

I saw this film at the Montreal World Film Festival some years ago. The synopsis seemed interesting - a couple moves to a small village to escape trouble, but then they are investigated for the death of the woman's lover, whose body is found in their backyard. You would have to be a far more intelligent person than I am to be able to see this story in the movie, though. All I was able to see were seemingly disconnected scenes of the three protagonists (the wife, the husband and the police inspector) talking about God knows what and doing all kinds of surreal things. Particularly puzzling were some scenes where the three play and sing like children, going around in circles and throwing a ball to one another.

Summing it up, now I can laugh about it, but at the time it was the nearest thing to torture I ever had to endure. But then again, perhaps it is my own fault and had I been brighter and more cultured I would have been able to understand and appreciate the writer/director's vision.

The Story of Piera (1983)

Total Complete Absolute Disaster

[2/10 · 21 February 2002]

Piera's story is that of a young girl whose sexual awakening is not only tolerated but actively encouraged by her parents, with whom she seems to have some kind of an incestuous relationship. The disturbing subject matter is not what is wrong with this film, though. This is a film with loose scenes, no discernible plot, secondary characters that appear and disappear at random, nonsensical dialogue... Hey, if you want to challenge our morals by showing mother and daughter kissing naked on the beach that's fine, but try to do it in a way that is watchable. I will never forgive myself for not following my impulse of leaving after 15 minutes.

Les Boys III (2001)

Good laughs if you are forgiving

[7/10 · 14 January 2002]

Back home from France after three years, Stan finds his bar/restaurant and the long-standing friendship among the players of his amateur hockey team, Les Boys, threatened by the owner of a new fancy sports bar with a hidden motivation. The story doesn't bear close scrutiny, but this is an entertaining film with many funny moments and likeable characters. Mostly appealing to Québec audiences, I guess, who are willing to overlook the sillier aspects in order to see local culture, language and stars on the big screen. I would be curious to find out how other people would see it.

Carlito's Way (1993)

I would have loved it if only ...

[8 January 2002]

the script didn't have this huge HOLE in it.

*** SPOILER

so the lawyer steals money from his jailed Mafia client. The mobster then comes up with a plan to escape from prison and whom does he get to help him? His two loyal sons? NO! The crooked untrustworthy lawyer who had already screwed him. What, no one else had a boat? Makes no sense to me. This preposterous plot point starts the chain of events that leads to the ending.

Aside from this "Carlito's Way" is a great film, one of the most intense I remember.

Escrito en el cuerpo de la noche (2001)

More Mexican films please!

[9/10 · 20 September 2001]

I have seen two Mexican films this year and they are both going to be on my top 10 list. The first was Amores Perros, from which this one could not be more different. "Escrito ." is touching, very funny (without being a comedy), and deep as well. It is almost entirely set in the apartment which the young Nicolas shares with his widowed grandmother, his mother and the beautiful Isabel, the tenant of a makeshift bedroom. Nicolas wants to be a filmmaker, wants to join his father, who followed his ideals to Cuba and Nicaragua, and wants to make love to Isabel. The mother doesn't want to lose him, the grandmother still longs for her long deceased sea captain husband, and Isabel has her secrets. The acting is quite good and the dialogues are pure joy. If it is shown within 500 km of your home, get on the car/bus/train or, failing that, hitchhike to go see it.

Berlin Is in Germany (2001)

Remarkable subtlety

[31 August 2001]

Imagine what it would be like getting out of jail after 11 years. Everything is different, your wife has someone else, you don't know your son, your friends have dispersed, nobody will give you a job. Now imagine that you started your term in East Germany months before the Wiedervereinigung, the reunification. That's what happened to Martin. As he is released his country doesn't exist anymore. Literally. He not only has to readapt to life outside, he has to integrate into a society he knows only from television as well. Having always been fascinated by the divided and the reunited Berlin I went to see this film at the Montréal film festival, and I am very glad I did. The enormous changes from the DDR to present day Germany are shown with a remarkable subtlety. Solid directing, nothing fancy, and very good performances contribute to make this a film well above average.

Herencia (2001)

Do see it if you have a chance

[9/10 · 27 August 2001]

Olinda is the owner of a simple restaurant, the center of a small community of regulars, in a residential neighborhood of Buenos Aires. One day a young German man who came to Argentina looking for a lost love, the same reason Olinda herself came from Italy four decades earlier, walks in the door. What follows is a sweet film about friendship, emigration, dreams, with a lot of sensitivity and some touching dialogue. Assuming you enjoy films that don't rely on non-stop action, superstars, special effects and intricate plot twists I am sure you will like this one.

Senza pelle (1994)

Not your typical Hollywood fare

[8 August 2001]

The synopsis I had read and years of mental poisoning by Hollywood made me go into this film expecting a thriller along the lines of "Fatal Attraction". Instead, this is a psychological drama about Gina, a married woman who finds herself the object of desire of Saverio, a slightly mentally ill but bright and sensitive young man. At first she is scared and her husband Riccardo is furious, but they slowly become more understanding. Not wonderful but quite interesting, especially if you are tired of formulaic Hollywood junk.

Totò, Fabrizi e i giovani d'oggi (1960)

Precious classic comedy

[19 July 2001]

Carlo and Gabriella want to get married. They have to overcome not only the opposition from their parents to a marriage at their young age but most importantly the instant dislike that their fathers take to each other. The many scenes where Totò, as the wealthy pastry magnate father of the bride, argues with Fabrizi, the middle-class public servant father of the groom, about who is going to pay for what, are priceless. It's an old-fashioned comedy, very Italian and very funny.

Mademoiselle (2001)

So what?

[8 July 2001]

A married saleswoman misses her transportation and tags along with a troupe of improvisational comedians. I would watch Sandrine Bonnaire reading from the phone book, and it's a pleasure to watch her here, but I left the theatre thinking "So what?". I found the lead male character completely uninteresting, and I could not understand what she would see in him. The whole film leads to their affair, but I didn't find it at all believable. The best I can say about this film is that I did not dislike it.

Girl with a Suitcase (1961)

I'll comment on one single scene...

[23 June 2001]

... the one where Lorenzo watches Aida dancing with that older man. She was supposed to go to the movies with him but she chose to have dinner with a group of other guests at the hotel, and after dinner they start partying and dancing. At one point there is a close-up of Lorenzo that lasts for at least one minute. He looks at them dancing, looks away, takes a sip from his drink, fidgets, with all these different expressions on his face: jealousy, frustration, anger, discomfort, despair. No dialogue. Wonderfully acted and directed. That scene is worth more than all car chase sequences since the beginning of Cinema put together.

Nuit de noces (2001)

Very funny comedy

[16 June 2001]

Nicolas and Florence go to Niagara Falls in an all-expenses-paid trip with family and friends to get married. All sorts of trouble, family fights and pre-nuptial jitters ensue. Hardly original but very funny, for the most part well written, acted and directed. Clever use of meta-language.

Comedy of Innocence (2000)

Pretty good psychological thriller

[16 June 2001]

Shortly after his 9th birthday, Camille tells his mother that he is Paul, the son of another woman, and asks to be reunited with her. She humours him and plays along, but starts to worry when she realizes that Camille and his "new mother" are quite serious.