JPH Reviews

Stardom (2000)

A film less about superficiality than about absence.

[9/10 · 28 May 2003]

STARDOM is a film that has been thoroughly misunderstood.

Seen as a film about the superficiality of the modeling industry and the trivia of all media commentary, it is actually a film about the absence of a fully determining, existential self. On reflection--something most viewers have not had the patience to do--STARDOM is about the loss of moral centre in a world devoted to celebrity celebration and instant gratification. Have a look at it. Think about it. There is more to STARDOM than meets the eye!

Les fantômes des Trois Madeleine (2000)

An intimate and original film.

[8/10 · 14 December 2002]

A wonderful film, intimate and original, glowing with the joy of living at all stages of one's life. Shot in a wonderfully dream-like black-&-white, it makes a great deal of the many locations in Quebec. It announces a talent that will undoubtedly develop into even finer productions.

La Florida (1993)

A telling satire, that falls apart.

[6/10 · 20 July 1999]

In conception, _La Florida_ is a telling satire about the Americanization of Quebec's petite bourgeoisie. Although it begins promisingly, the implausibilities of the script combine with the perfunctory performances of its two "imported" Canadian stars, Margot Kidder and Michael Sarrazin, to make the film most unsatisfactory by the end. A disappointing experience, the film fails to deliver what it begins by promising. Rémy Girard and Pauline Lapointe, however, are excellent in the leading roles. They almost redeem the film.

The Lotus Eaters (1993)

Splendid film, badly packaged.

[7/10 · 29 June 1999]

In conception a splendid film, investigating the tensions that occur in family life in the idyllic setting of Galiano Island off the coast of British Columbia, _The Lotus Eaters_ is marred by the fact that it has been packaged as a made-for-TV movie, diminishing itself throughout by the addition of chirpy music over potentially powerful scenes, as if to get ready for the interruption of commercials. A pity, really.