Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Passchendaele (2008)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Paul Gross
Cast: Paul Gross, Caroline Dhavernas, Gil Belows
Running time: 114 minutes



During the First World War, Michael Dunne comes back to Alberta, Canada, from the battle of Vimy Ridge an injured soldier. Diagnosed with neurasthenia, he takes a job at home in the recruitment office. He falls madly in love with Nurse Sarah Mann. When Sarah’s younger brother manages to get himself enlisted in the army in spite of his severe asthma, Michael decides to go back in action to protect him, and ends up taking part of the Battle of Passchendaele, in Belgium.

Paul Gross, who cowrote and directed this film, and who plays the lead role, was inspired by the story of his grandfather, a veteran of the First World War. I totally get what Gross was trying to accomplish, as far as homages are concerned, but the end result was not a very satisfying movie. The dialogues felt fake and forced, and the lines were delivered very woodenly by the cast. As for the sets, they made the whole thing look like a cheap Canadian TV series. The premise itself was interesting, but something was lost in the delivery.

In spite of the good intentions of the filmmakers, Passchendaele is a film that you could easily skip, unless something makes you care enough to suffer through its flaws.
Rating: ««

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