madjikcavani Reviews

Podium (2004)

Yann Moix and Benoit Poelvoorde wonderful tribute to French Singer-Dancer Icon Claude François !

[8/10 · 12 August 2013]

This movie is a wonderful tribute to who is, in my humble opinion, the most brilliant singer AND dancer of all time in France aka the legendary Claude François. A consummate performer and perfectionnist, Claude enlightened and impressed forever millions of french people with his feel good, entertaining and ahead of its time blend of music inspired by the US music from both the 60s and 70s. He was way more than a musician in France, a super popular icon of french culture. His tragic death at age 33 in 1978 made millions of people bleeding around the world and achieved to make him entering Musical Hall Of Fame forever.

With this in mind, french writer Yann Moix wrote a compelling book (released at the start of the 21th century) about a clone of the late Claude called Bernard Frederic.

Somebody that was literally a "reincarnation" of Mr François. The book met great success and the french writer became a director to adapt his own creation in 2004.

Podium was the name of an avant gardiste magazine about french musical stars of the 60s created by Claude François himself so the name of both the book and the flick is a great tribute to him as well.

Talking about tribute, this movie is a wonderful tribute to any "Cloclo" (his legendary nickname) fan. It features prominently a lot of his best to most obscure work like "Chanson Populaire", "Si j'avais un marteau" as well as his disco era "Magnolia Forever" and of course the masterpiece he gave to Paul Anka and Frank Sinatra in his latter days, "Comme D'Habitude" (known as "My Way" in the US).

Not only Mr Moix is showing a great knowledge about Cloclo universe and music but he is also got tremendous flair when it came to cast the one actor that could fill Mr François legendary shoes.

He picked Belgium prodigy Benoit Poelvoorde and what a perfect pick it was !

In Fact, Yann revealed he wrote the role while thinking about Benoit and he personally asked Mr Poelvoorde to re-record himself the songs of Claude as well as taking hard working dancing lessons !

First unsure about this since he has never ever sang at all in his whole life, Benoit finally accepted, under French Singer professor Richard Cross and Dancing teacher Mia Frey to do so.

Being the perfectionnist and crazy talent he is, Benoit Poelvoorde ended up giving me massive chills on any of his singing-dancing performances that are enlightening this wonderful homage to one of my fave musicians EVER.

Like another Cloclo impersonator in the movie stated (his main nemesis who is jealous of him) "he is not an impersonator ! he is a REINCARNTAION ! ".

Benoit didn't play Cloclo here, He was him from the first to the last shot.

This is the performance of a lifetime that should have gotten him many awards , especially the equivalent of the Oscars in France (called "les césars") but he only got a nomination and lost the trophy to someone less deserving...

The rest of the cast is extremely good, especially one Jean Paul Rouve as another french legendary musician impersonator, Michel Polnareff (if Benoit sounds and dances like Claude, Jean Paul totally looks like Michel , body and face wise !).

The direction of the movie is top notch and the costumes, locations and choregraphies are perfect.

For his first time behind a camera, Yann Moix shows a lot of panache and flair with very original shots angles and a lot of dynamic.

It's something to write an entertaining book but it takes a lot of guts and virtuosity to adapt it visually and musically like he did !

Mad props to anyone involved here, this is easily the best french movie of the 21 century not called "Rio Nest Of Spies" and Amelie !

A timeless classic that surely made dancing and singing Mr Claude François in the deep blue sky in Heaven !

Magnolia ? Forever !

Going the Distance (2010)

This is more an horror movie than a "romantic" one trust me...

[1/10 · 12 August 2013]

I'm a hopeless romantic and proud of it. Unlike most men, I enjoy cute and touching rom coms full of cuddling, sweet words and good intentions. Drew Barrymore is quite the woman-child that are perfect to get featured in a sentimental fare. Sure she is also a "strong working" and "kick ass" girl of our times but at heart, you can see how sensitive she is.

So I was expecting something sweet, funny and adorable, just like her...But this is the total opposite of those words.

Trust me it's more an horror flick than a romance or comedy one. This is anything but funny, this is utterly embarrassing and the summit of toilet humor.

It's badly acted (easily Mrs Barrymore worst performance ever), poorly written and has no soul at all.

Do yourself a favor and avoid it like a plague and , instead, go for legit beautiful and touching rom coms with Drew Like "First 50 Dates" and the very funny and adorable "Fever Pitch" with the excellent Jimmy Fallon.

You will thank me later !

OSS 117: Lost in Rio (2009)

The total opposite of the first episode, a really unfunny horror movie...

[1/10 · 12 August 2013]

Cairo Nest Of Spies was a wonderful surprise when I met Agent Hubert Bonisseur De La Bath aka "0SS 117" for the very first time in spring 2006 in french theaters. A refreshing take on spy movies and spoofs at the same time and the breakthrought performance of the future academy award winner Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo and Director Michel Hazanavicius.

It was a breath of fresh air in both those kind of movies and in the 21th century french movie scene full of boring, predictable and uninteresting flicks.

So I was expecting nothing less than the same kind of feel good movie with Rio Ne Repond Plus and what a letdown it was when I discovered it a few months ago...

What made the first movie so great is that the character ended up sympathetic and you would root for him instead of hating his racist behaviors of french colonialist.

It was more a testament to the Muslim culture than anything. But here the many racist jokes towards asians (called "chinese"), Germans but mainly Jewish and Israel are just plain awful and unacceptable.

Why ? Cause the movie is not in Israel, China or Germany unlike the first one in Cairo, Egypt.

So you can't see how great Israel is as a country and Jewish people and their culture.

They can't defend themselves against the main character stupid behaviors and awful racism here...

And don't tell me I have no humor at all, I grew up with those racist jokes that are supposed to downplay any ethnicity and color of skin but here it's anything but "funny".

The fact that he keeps insisting to insult Jewish and Israel people (a country where they are a lot of christians and muslims as well living here, in their parliament too), should rejoice any anti Jewish people and is an awful propaganda for more racism towards this great country and people.

By turning a racist but finally not that racist and charming character from the first movie into an absolute unfunny and disguting piece of a "human" being in this sequel, Michel Hazanavicius shot a ball into both of his feet and ruined it forever.

Do like me and buy the original adventure In Cairo, Nest Of Spies and watch it again. That's the only OSS 117 I want to remember and it's a classic of french humor forever.

Mr. Destiny (1990)

The Full Charm of 80s cinema and pure magic

[8/10 · 11 August 2013]

I have very fond memories of this one. I discovered it on TV a few months after its release on theaters but at the time I thought it was a direct to VCR movie and nothing more. It surely has (sometimes) the feel of a Sci Fi B flick but guess what ? That's what makes its charm. The premise of the movie is really great with something we can all relate to...What IF ? While there are a lot of clichés and some avoidable jokes, the cast and script are solid enough to entertain and this is a legit feel good, full of morality and spirituality movie.

Belushi acts well as the guy who has been haunted by missing this ball during this fateful night but it's Michael Caine who plays the most intriguing character...As Mister DESTINY !

I Love the scenes in this bar coming out of nowhere and at night. I tend to think the real magic happens in movies while filmed at night (like BTTF Time Travel sequences at the start and end of it).

While not BTTF at all and far from having the pretension to be it (and let s get realistic, it doesn't have ten per cent of its budget either), Mr Destiny is a very unique and refreshing feel good movie from the 80s.

A tale about a man who needs to realize that he already has is way better and more valuable to him that what he could have gotten IF !

Why can't we make movies like that anymore nowadays is really a shame.

A movie with morale values and happy ending that will leave you happy and dreaming about finding your own Mr.Destiny.

Fever Pitch (2005)

Made Me a baseball and Red Sox Fan FOREVER !

[8/10 · 11 August 2013]

Wow just wow, I love good rom coms and I'm totally attracted to the lovely Drew Barrymore but I've never been into my baseball at all till tonight and my first viewing ever of a baseball flick aka The Perfect Catch ("Fever Pitch" in the US). I had low expectations knowing who was directing it (I hate The Farelly super gross and vulgar humor that is NOT making me laugh the slighest), the matter (baseball) AND one Jimmy Fallon (who was awful in Whip It from same Mrs Barrymore in 2009).

But if there's something I love is to get proved WRONG and winning me over the (good)cause of baseball, Jimmy Fallon acting chops and The Farelly ability to direct and entertain me for just one flick...

I've seen bazillions of rom coms in my life and this one is a true gem : it made me smile a lot of time and even managed to make me legit laugh a few good times (especially Drew herself).

I was fully entertained from start to finish and enjoyed the amazing chemistry between Drew and Jimmy. To make a legit good rom com you need a number of factors and the most important one is the credibility of the two main actors and thinking they would make a great real life couple.

That's the case here, Jimmy is funny AND touching while Drew is as adorable and super attractive as ever...I would have surely loved to be in Jimmy's spot in this movie :D

The casting is solid and even if it's the Barrymore-Fallon show, the other actors are perfect in their roles from the biggest to the most obscure ones like the kids here.

Like I've stated earlier, i've never been attracted to baseball the slightest (while being into sports like soccer/football and basket).

Even more funny, I tend to enjoy New York and its sport teams so having me not only enjoying baseball BUT also ROOTING for The Red Sox is quite a tour de force and mad props for The Farelly for this.

Another hero and standout from this movie out of the two main protagnists is the Boston City,Fenway Park and its perennial residents and of course crazy great supporters.

I don't know how many real life Red Sox fans were featured in the movie (I've just finished it and yet to witness the many bonuses from the DVD) but man, each scene with them singing and dancing was an absolute highlight and put a HUGE Smile on my face :)

It's simple, I was singing along with them (while discovering the said tunes) and screaming the glory of the old good Red Sox and empathizing for and their infamous "bambino curse" .

I don't know (yet) if the Farelly are legit fans of Boston and its baseball team but they shot them in the most beautiful way possible.

Not only is this movie a great tribute to a legendary sport team, its stadium and fans but it's also a very enjoyable trip to Boston, MA itself and it gave me the need to go to the US and visit this beautiful City from Northeast America.

To conclude, if you're like me, and enjoy either Drew Barrymore, Jimmy Fallon, baseball, friendship that turn into love stories, good laughs and a great soundtrack and super catchy anthems, give Fever Pitch US/The Perfect Catch a try.

The Farelly totally hit an absolute HOME RUN with this delicious rom-com and will leave you with a big smile on the face and wanting to go to Fenway Park to root for The Red Sox !

TWO HUGE THUMBS UP and a vastly overlooked-underrated FEEL GOOD MOVIE For the ages !

Interstate 60 (2002)

One of the worst movies EVER...

[1/10 · 10 August 2013]

Is this a joke ? Or are people becoming more and more easy to please ? How could this straight to DVD (and RIGHTFULLY SO) piece of crap can get a 7,6 out of 10 average rating here ? That's beyond me and tends to prove that our current "human" society is getting worse and worse... I'm a massive fan of parallel-alternate universe movies (time travel ones too) and I was ready for a treat here and I'm also a super massive fan of BTTF , Michael J.Fox and Mr Lloyd but wow what a joke of a flick we got here... What's so funny and entertaining about Gary Oldman showing his sex to the horror of Mardsen exactly ? What's the point of our lead character to fall in love with an absolute unknown from pictures that come out of his mind WHILE having already a lovely girl friend he is supposed to care about ?

This movie is so gross, vulgar and appalling that I could not believe it was the same person who worked on the masterpiece called BTTF...

Let's not talk about James Mardsen being a joke of an actor (as charismatic as a tooth pick), he ruined the movie from start to finish with his dumb smile and empty eyes (zero emotion).

To cut it short, if you want just entertaining movies about the same matter go for something like Lost Highway or the old series Sliders.

Avoid this crap at all costs, Michael J Fox is not even inside the movie and has the worst lines he has ever said in his whole career.

The Spanish Apartment (2002)

Overrated, a crime against the legacy of french cinema...

[1/10 · 10 August 2013]

Super vulgar, awfully acted, full of dumb and atrocious clichés from start to finish, this is the new wave of french cinema aka the XXIth century one and should get avoided like the plague at ALL COSTS. People like Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura, Bernard Blier and Michel Audiard are surely rolling on their graves watching those abortions of "movies". No wonder the new youth generation has no clue about what's "good" and what's "bad" with those kind of movies telling them to act like that. One advice from somebody that was born in France and grew up with a lot of great french movies : avoid anything filmed and directed by Cedric Klapisch, he has never ever made a single good movie to save his overrated life. Go watch legit funny and touching french classic about youth like "A nous les petites anglaises" or "l'Hôtel de la plage" from the 60s with great acting, directing and music from Mort Shuman and others.

Thrill Seekers (1999 TV Movie)

awful and easily the worst "time travel" movie in history !

[1/10 · 10 August 2013]

You love good time travel stories with time paradox and entertaining SFX ? Avoid this like the plague ! Anything in it is not worth a Z Movie at all ! The acting is appalling, the lead actor is as talented and expressive as a tooth pick, so is the rest of the cast to be honest. The script is horrible, all characters are one dimentionnal and badly acted with no conviction at all. Even worse, you don't see a single "time travel" scene in the whole flick ! I know it is a "tv" movie but come on, not a single time travel scene shown on screen ? I know Z Movies that do offer at least ones despite their ultra small budget... To cut it short : if you want to enjoy some real and legit good Time Travel sequences, acting and stories MADE FOR TV...DOCTOR WHO AND The Twilight Zone are your friends and one billion times superior to this bad april fool joke !

Scoop (2006)

Viva El Splendini !!!!! Best Comedy in years !

[7/10 · 10 August 2013]

My Fave Woody Allen movie since Everyone Says I Love You and what a pleasant surprise this "Scoop" is ! After a string of bad to totally forgettable flicks, this is a great return of form from the Woody Allen I grew up to love, the one from "Take The Money And Run" ! Personally, I can't enjoy a proper Woody movie that doesn't feature the master himself in one of the leading roles. Allen is a vastly overlooked actor, one who has an incredible coming timing when he is "on" and man, is he "on" here in London for this unique satire about murder mystery. One thing that impressed me was the immediate and delightful chemistry he has with Lady Johansson. It's simple, I was truly feeling that she was his daughter and that he was his daddy ! Props to the clever writing and dialogues AND both Woody and Scarlett excellent acting. Scarlett adapted so much to Woody maneurism that she was Woody Allen Jr from start to finish, with her glasses reminiscent of the legendary director. But while Scarlett is great, Woody is plain genius and steal the show in every single of his apparition as The Great Splendini (who makes David Copperfield looking like an amateur next to him) and Syd Waterman.

He made me laughing out loud each time he was on screen and it's something that happens truly rarely to me those days on theaters.

Woody is a comic genius and deserves way more props for his acting.

Unlike what most people stated here, this is way more a dark comedy than a thriller-serious movie.

Hugh Jackman is rarely seen on screen and quite frankly he is the weakest link of the bunch (but I blame the writing of his character for that).

Last but not least, the setting in London makes for something really refreshing in Woody Allen movies since this is the only one happening in London that he is also playing in.

The ending is epic and was the perfect conclusion to the story.

All in all, an excellent surprise that deserves not only a rental but a buy and a great place in any Woody Allen-Jewish humor-dark comedy DVD Collection place !

The Brice Man (2005)

Only for french talking people whom enjoy total absurdity and words of play...

[8/10 · 10 August 2013]

I was about to rate this movie 6 or possibly 7 but when I've seen all the bad reviews here, I decided to give it the original rating I gave to this movie when I first saw it a few years ago and that's an 8.

Many people (including french ones) are not aware that Brice was written first and foremost by Jean himself when he was an absolute unknown and playing in small french pubs and cafés during the 90s...

Typical French Slacker with some clear inspirations from some American "surfer" dudes and movies, Brice is more than a character, he is a style of life. A guy that lives, sleeps and breathes for "casser" people (aka shutting them down with his unique wit). Despite all the bad criticism from both french critics and the crowd, Brice was a well deserved success with more than four millions of viewers in theaters (for a country of 60 + millions of people).

Not bad for a "super dumb and unfunny" movie right ? One could argue many flicks like that are getting massive success in Worldwide and especially American theaters (Adam Sandler movies like Happy Gilmore with golf instead of surf come to mind) but looks like people enjoy some unoffensive fun so why not Brice ?

Dujardin (teaming with screenwriter Karine Angeli) did a wonderful job at adapting his character to the big screen. Helped by french director James Huth (who easily did his best work ever here, both visually and overall), Brice was brought to the big screen and managed to make me laugh AND entertain me for 90 straight minutes.

Something I thought impossible when you know that Brice original stuff were lasting 5 minutes at best EACH...

The movie is full of good ideas like pairing Brice with super versatile and underrated french actor Clovis Cornillac as Brice new found (randomly) buddy Marius (who keeps a very secret mystery that will make Brice agreeing to enter the world surfing contest later in the movie).

Outside of the sharp and funny dialogues, the two singing and dancing sequences were truly the massive good surprises of the flick.

Dujardin can not only act but also sing AND dance (as shown also one year later in Cairo Nest Of Spies) to brilliant level.

To cut it short, he is a complete entertainer like no one else in France right now when it comes to movies.

All in all this is a very refreshing and unique French-Sport flick that should appeal mostly to french AND fans of Jim Carrey-Adam Sandler and movies like Dumb And Dumber and such.

Vasty underrated and definitively worth a rental for people fans of either or both.

OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006)

The Best French Movie Since Amelie Poulain and Podium and the last good one...

[8/10 · 10 August 2013]

I remember when I went to the theaters in Paris in April 2006 to witness this fine piece of work starring "Un Gars, Une Fille" and "Brice De Nice" comic marvel Jean Dujardin...I had read no review and not heard a single thing about it outside of the movie being a "comedy" and "spoof" of the spy genre... Never seen the original OSS117 movies either while being versed into James Bond since the 70s... As a big fan of the french movies of the 50-60's and 70s, I'm becoming tired and uninterested into the current wave of ultra bland, vulgar and awful french movies so I wasn't expecting much...And glad I was cause this came as a wonderful treat and surprise for the old amateur of movies from my mother country. From the beautiful locations in Casablanca, Morocco to the terrific costumes and perfect dialogues, this was a blast from the past !

Former french TV comical show writer Jean-François Halin and Michel Hazanavicius got a lot of fun using absolutely ANY old school word from french vocabulary, words that are considered "has been to current french population and that seemed to be a relic from another world and life...

And that's the full charm of those dialogues for me, reminiscent of the masterpieces starring French Icons Jean Gabin, Lino Ventura or Bernard Blier and such absolute greatness as "Les Tontons Flingueurs" and the greatest french screen writer and dialoguist of all time, Michel Audiard !

That's why only french talking people can truly enjoy every single nuance of Hubert Bonnisseur De La Bath (aka Lucien Brammar), Larmina, Pelletier and any character from the movie.

I've yet to watch it with English subtitles to witness if they've done justice to Halin/Hazanavicius master work on the words but in French, it's a delight to my brain !

The acting is on par with the locations, costumes and dialogues with Dujardin being Dujardin (his epic ultra white smile always cracks me up), Mrs Béjo (aka Michel Hazanavicius' wife) is wonderful as Egyptian modern woman Larmina, Aude Atika is also delicious as The Princess Al Tarouk, the old time great and mentions to the actors who play Setine and Muller who do shine especially during the hammam (for Setine) and original party scene with terrific words of play between Dujardin, Richard Sammel (Muller) and Costantin Alexandrov (Setine) that had me in absolute tears. Last but not least Claude Brosset as De La Bath boss aka Armand Lesignac, is pure old school french brilliance.

I give the movie only 7 because of a few moments that were plain boring and embarrassing aka the nazi part inside the pyramid and the one moment with Belgian Chicken owner and ultra nemesis of Lucien Brammar's SGEP (the actor is awful and was a total letdown during the four men exchanges in the first party).

Last but not least the climax was kinda boring and uneventful (only the two females catfighting on the ground was fun and entertaining to me).

But that's minor complains next to legendary French-Egyptian singer Dalida's Bambino cover by one surprisingly good singer Jean Dujardin (with epic head banging for good measure)or the multiple

"j'aime..." hilarious one liners, the excellent pursuit in the streets of Le Caire (or should I say Casablanca again, looks totally like Morocco and NOT Egypt). Last but not least, nobody here mentioned the perfect and beautiful musical score. The OSS117 theme remixed with oriental instruments and vibes is so haunting and catchy It's currently stuck in my head. All in all, a breathe of fresh air and an oddity in a very mediocre french movie scene that is just a poor old man version of the great era of french movies from the XXth century.

The use of technicolor was truly the icing on the cake on this very delicious cake of cinema.