Menteur (2019)

Genre: Franco / Comedy

Réalisateur: Émile Gaudreault

Distribution: Louis-José Houde, Antoine Bertrand, Véronique Le Flaguais

Running time: 111 minutes

Simon est menteur compulsif. Depuis des années, il ment à sa famille, à ses collègues de travail et aux filles qu’il rencontre. Un jour, un évènement surnaturel fait en sorte que tous ses mensonges deviennent réalité. Simon doit maintenant trouver un moyen de se sortir de cet univers parallèle.

Somme toute, Menteur est une comédie assez divertissante. Je me dois de reconnaître le travail d’acteur de Louis-José Houde. Il réussit particulièrement bien à me faire oublier l’humoriste et à me faire croire à son personnage. Le reste de la distribution est bien choisi aussi. Ce film comporte quelques longueurs, quelques blagues tombent un peu à plat et l’utopie de la conclusion empeste l’eau de rose et le romantisme de l’ère actuelle. Mais, tout cela dit, je me suis bien amusé avec ce film.

Rating: «««

Nikki Glaser: Bangin' (2019)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Nicholaus Goossen

Cast: Nikki Glaser

Running Time: 63 minutes

I discovered Nikki Glaser through the comedy roast of Alec Baldwin, and I was glad to get a chance to see what she can do on her own on stage. I was not disappointed. Over the course of this hour-long comedy special, Glaser is brash, honest and crude. And, I love it. Here, she discusses oral sex, regular sex, bondage, porn, being an ugly child and many other topics. Through it all, she is completely unafraid. She is very cute too. No need for baby voices or such schticks. Her material is solid and she delivers it brilliantly.

Rating: «««««

The Texas Chaimsaw Massacre 2 (1086)

Genre: Horror / Comedy

Directed by: Tobe Hooper

Cast: Dennis Hopper, Caroline Williams, Bill Johnson

Running Time: 101 minutes

Thirteen years after the horrific events of the first film, Leatherface and his cannibalistic family are at it again, causing mayhem. After two high school seniors and brutally murdered, former Texas Ranger Boude “Lefty” Enright, Sally and Franklin Hardesty’s uncle, comes to town to investigate. Radio DJ Vanita “Stretch” Brock gets involved and is captured by Leatherface and his clan. Lefty will come to the rescue, with his own chainsaw in hand.

Bluntly put, this sequel sucked all the greatness out of the original. It is as if Tobe Hooper was so disgusted by what he made that he wanted to destroy it. There is no work on setting a mood and an atmosphere for horror. It is all about blood and guts and screaming. The acting is bad, real bad. It is as if Dennis Hopper has no idea what he is supposed to be doing here. The story goes nowhere, and, in the end, one just cannot wait for it all to be over. It has been said that this was meant to be a black comedy. Should have told me before, because, as the cliché goes, I forgot to laugh.

Rating: «

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Tobe Hooper

Cast: Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal

Running Time: 83 minutes

Sally Hardesty, her wheel-chair-bound brother Franklin, and their friends Jerry, Kirk and Pam are traveling to rural Texas to visit the old Hardesty homestead. After getting stuck out of gas, they encounter a depraved family of killers and cannibals.

While the acting is sometimes laughable, with most of the cast being relative unknowns back then, this film has gained cult status over the years, and deservedly so. This is a very effective horror movie. It is quite short, but it packs a solid horrific punch in less than 90 minutes. The violence, the screams, the depravity and the blood made quite an impact. That last scene stays with you long after the movie is over.

Rating: ««««

The Key (1983)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Tinto Brass

Cast: Stefania Sandrelly, Frank Finley, Barbara Cupisti

Running Time: 116 minutes

Teresa is an inhibited wife unable to satisfy the humongous carnal needs of her husband of 20 years, Nino. After starting an affair with her adult daughter’s fiancé, she finds the sexual awakening that she brings back at home to her husband.

Set in the Venice of 1940, under a fascist regime, this Italian erotic drama is okay for what it was meant to be. There is a lot of naked flesh, especially of female backsides. That I can appreciate. Story-wise, it is entertaining enough to keep you interested, even if you have to rely on subtitles.  

Rating: «««

God Forgives...I Don't! (1967)

Genre: Western

Directed by: Giuseppe Colizzi

Cast: Terence Hill, Frank Wolff, Bud Spencer

Running Time: 109 minutes

Card-shark Cat Stevens and insurance agent Hutch Bessy team up to stop Bill San Antonio, a bandit who faked his own demise to disappear with money but then proceeded to rob a train.

This is one of the early films where Terence Hill and Bud Spencer teamed up. It was in their spaghetti western era, but this certainly was not the best offering. It was overly long and it lacked substance in terms of story and characters. Bud Spencer, for example, was not given much to work with. Great title, though!

Rating: ««

Humpday (2009)

Genre: Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Lynn Shelton

Cast: Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore

Running Time: 94 minutes

Ben is starting to build a little simple life with his wife Anna, when his long-time friend Andrew knocks on his door one night. During a wild party, Ben and Andrew, who have not seen each other for 10 years, dare each other to shoot a gay porn film together as part of an art project to be submitted to the HUMP! Film Festival.

This is a smart film that rang very true. I have had many such free spirit people in my entourage when I was younger, so the characters here, though they might seem far-fetched, felt real to me. It was a new interesting take on the subject of bromance and it was well delivered on screen. Really well done.

Rating: ««««