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, June 13, 2016

Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Amy J. Berg
Cast: Janis Joplin (archive), Cat Power, Dick Cavett
Running time: 103 minutes



This is a wonderful documentary about my favorite female singer of all-time, Janis Joplin, who, over the course of a too-short-life, left behind great treasures for music lovers around the world.

From the beginning, young Janis Joplin never seemed to fit in in conservative Port Arthur, Texas, where she was born and grew up. A typical outcast, and attracted by the music, the Beat poets and the freedom, she moved on to San Fransisco. This “black sheep”, so to speak, eventually would make a huge, albeit quick, splash on the music scene before dying over a drug overdose at the age of 27.

Janis: Little Girl Blue is loaded with great archive footage of Joplin doing what she did best: Sing on stage for the people and for her own sake. There is also a great amount of backstage footage. Having singer-songwriter Cat Power read passages of letters sent by Janis to her folks and to her lovers was a nice touch and a great way to show the extreme vulnerability of a woman who so needed to feel loved by her fans and mostly by her entourage. Some of those letters are absolutely heartbreaking to listen to.

The documentary also gives a voice to friends and family members of Janis, former road or life partners who could share some insight into who she was. I was quite surprised by Dick Cavett’s contribution, as a man who interviewed Janis many times. You could feel his genuine love for her.

All things considered, this is a film that I loved and that I intend to watch a few more times, so as to better grasp everything about it. Highly recommended.


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